The winding, treacherous road, dotted with strangely shaped rocks and surrounded by trees, made it difficult even for archers to hit the enemy.
Meanwhile, it offered unobstructed views for enemies shooting down from above—truly a meticulously constructed and wondrous fortification!
Fa Zheng had also arrived at the vanguard, joining Lu Ming in inspecting the Dulong Ridge along the winding road.
His mother, Chen Rong, and sister, Fa Shu, had each given Lu Ming a lovely daughter. He felt no pride in this, but rather an extraordinary degree of caution.
Maternal relatives?
What kind of maternal relatives? Only the Queen's maternal family could be considered maternal relatives.
And as everyone knew, Queen Wang Yi's maternal family had long since perished; only a few distant relatives came to reminisce and try to gain favor.
"My lord, the Zhu Family Village, the Hu Family Village, and the Li Family Village have long ago formed an alliance to protect their respective areas. Whenever any threat to the safety of any of them arises, the three villages unite to fight together."
Fa Zheng explained the situation to Lu Ming as they walked.
Gathering intelligence is an essential task, and it can also earn merit and considerable honor…
But scouts are also dangerous; they not only need to be skilled in concealment and infiltration, but also in life-or-death combat.
"Among the three villages, the Zhu Family Village is the strongest, while the Hu Family Village and Li Family Village are slightly weaker but roughly equal in strength, maintaining a delicate balance of power.
However, since Zhu Biao and Hu Sanniang got engaged a few days ago, this balance has been relatively disrupted.
The alliance of the three villages has actually changed its nature. The Zhu and Hu families have become a legitimate family, and their power is definitely inwardly divided. The Li Family Village is effectively isolated, and even in danger of being marginalized."
"Hu Sanniang? Is she pretty?"
Lu Ming's focus wasn't on the alliance, but on whether Hu Sanniang was pretty.
This left Fa Zheng speechless; his lord seemed to be a lecherous scoundrel who couldn't live without women.
However, it was precisely because of this that he respected Lu Ming even more.
When Lu Ming assigned him tasks, he granted him complete authority; he wouldn't interfere or meddle.
Even if there were problems, he would only discuss them with Lu Ming.
Where can one find a lord who trusts them so completely?
"They say she's as beautiful as a fairy and incredibly skilled in martial arts."
Fa Zheng spoke the truth impartially, not lying, because there was no need to.
Who knows if she might become a princess someday? So, neither exaggeration nor denigration, telling the truth is the best choice.
"Fa Zheng, sometimes a brute force attack is not as effective as a strategy.
I think the Li Family Village probably wouldn't want to see the other two families unite. Perhaps we should put in some effort to use one to devour another, to make them fight amongst themselves?"
Lu Ming glanced at the terrain and made his decision, but didn't personally intervene; he left these matters to Fa Zheng.
If Fa Zheng couldn't even take down the Zhu Family Village, then he couldn't be entrusted with important responsibilities.
Fa Zheng, being a clever man, understood immediately. After a moment's thought, he said, "I have a plan, but I need to borrow a few of my lord's personal guards.
Like this, like this."
"Good, do as you say."
Lu Ming assigned a few guards to Fa Zheng, then prepared to watch the show.
He could now return anytime to play with his beloved daughter or admire the beauty after childbirth.
Grandmother Jia gave birth, unexpectedly and smoothly.
She went to the delivery room when her stomach started hurting, and gave birth in less than ten minutes.
It was astonishingly fast, unbelievably fast!
Yingchun, Yuanchun, Tanchun, and Xichun all gave birth to daughters. They were all somewhat envious of Wang Yi, because Wang Yi, as the principal wife, had given birth to a son!
Even Cai Wenji and Princess Wannian had daughters; it seemed the future Empress's position was undoubtedly hers.
The women of the Jia family, from Grandmother Jia to the young ladies and mistresses, and even the beautiful maids, had all been impregnated by Lu Ming.
Now, having borne children for Lu Ming, they were utterly defiled!
While Lu Ming was still enjoying his pleasures, Fa Zheng had already begun his operation.
First, he found two recruited wandering knights, recommended by their respective leaders.
Long ago, Lu Ming had distributed these knights to run inns, gather intelligence, and recruit talent.
Even from the lowest rungs of society, talent could emerge.
These two were wandering knights from humble backgrounds, and coincidentally, they were also heroes of Liangshan.
Fa Zheng arranged for Yang Xiong, Shi Xiu, and Shi Qian to stay overnight at the Zhu Family Village.
The thieving Shi Qian, unable to change his ways, stole the innkeeper's rooster, sparking a conflict.
Yang and Shi escaped quickly, and Shi Qian was captured alive.
During their escape, Yang and Shi encountered Du Xing.
Du Xing, a figure in the martial arts world nicknamed "Ghost Face," was the head steward of the Li Family Manor.
Yang Xiong and Du Xing not only knew each other, but Yang Xiong was also Du Xing's savior.
As the saying goes, a drop of water in need is repaid with a spring of water, and a spring of water with a lifetime of gratitude, so Du Xing volunteered to rescue Shi Qian.
At Du Xing's request, Li Ying, the head of the Li Family Manor, wrote a letter to Zhu Chaofeng, the head of the Zhu Family Manor, demanding the release of Shi Qian.
The letter received no reply.
Li Ying wrote another letter, which Du Xing personally delivered.
Zhu Biao, the third son of the Zhu family, took the letter, tore it up without even reading it, and threatened to detain Du Xing.
This caused a rift between the Zhu and Li Family Manors.
A careful examination of all aspects of the matter reveals that this was Li Ying's deliberate act.
If Li Ying truly intended to help Yang and Shi, he should have humbled himself and personally pleaded with the Zhu Family Manor, instead of issuing a perfunctory letter.
Yang Xiong and his two companions had inflicted injuries on more than ten people from the Zhu Family Manor and set fire to their inn, yet Li Ying didn't directly address this in his letter…
Instead, he merely mentioned it casually during Du Xing's negotiations, stating that the burned-down inn would be repaired by the owner the next day.
Does the renowned "Soaring Eagle" Li Ying not even understand basic etiquette? Why did Li Ying act this way?
In short, he was displeased with the Zhu Family Manor's actions and intended to shift the blame elsewhere.
At this juncture, Fa Zheng dispatched Wei Yan and Gan Ning to join the battle.
Using the sharpshooters as cover, they launched a feigned frontal attack while sending men to infiltrate the side via narrow paths. These paths led up steep cliffs, requiring grappling hooks and the skills and strength of only the most robust soldiers.
Thus, led by two renowned generals, a horde of elite troops descended like lightning, launching a devastating attack from within the Zhu Family Manor.
The Zhu Family Manor was quickly routed, its inhabitants scattering and fleeing in all directions.