Different Signals, the Night Raid Begins

"We'll move out tonight. Have the Griffin drop me off in the high tower first," Edmund said, then took a flashlight from his bag and flipped it a few times in front of everyone.

"In the darkness of night, this flickering light will be very noticeable, and I will use it to transmit signals."

"Edmund's party will send two signals." Peter held up two fingers. "The first signal means our army will wipe out the guards outside the castle and clear the way forward."

However, be careful not to make too much noise.

And I, Susan, Aaron, Caspian, and I will lead a small group to infiltrate.

We split up; the rat, less likely to be spotted, was responsible for lowering the drawbridge...

"Uh... Your Majesty," Reepicheep interjected awkwardly, "Although I don't want to say it, but... it's easy for us to infiltrate, but we can't move those gear switches."

"Once you've infiltrated, take out as many guards as possible. Someone will come to your aid later."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

"Aaron, you and Caspian are responsible for opening the City Gate."

The number of Griffin we can send is limited. We'll try our best to handle the patrolling guards, but you need to hurry.

Aaron and Caspian exchanged a glance and slowly nodded.

"Susan and I will deal with Miraz. Once we take care of the king, they will be leaderless."

Edmund will stop sending signals when we have completed our respective tasks, but I will notify Edmund to send a second signal after we have completed our tasks.

Once the army surrounding the castle receives the second signal, they will begin their formal attack.

The centaur leader nodded earnestly, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"That's the plan. Now go down and prepare properly, and wait for night to fall."

"Wait, I have a little problem." Aaron raised his right hand, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

"Go ahead," Peter said calmly, not feeling there was anything wrong with his plan.

"First of all, is your flashlight powerful enough?"

If it runs out of power at a crucial moment, forget about successfully completing the plan; we might not even be able to escape unscathed.

"Uh..." Peter looked at Edmund, "Is everything alright?"

"The flashlight is definitely fine; the batteries are all brand new," Edmund affirmed.

"Secondly, we need a signal to retreat," Aaron continued. "Not that I'm being a spoilsport, but what if things go wrong with the plan..."

"If no second signal is sent before dawn, the operation is canceled." Peter interrupted Yu. "Any more questions?"

"Uh... I think you've misunderstood something. The retreat signal I mentioned wasn't just for the army, but for all of us." Aaron shrugged and said earnestly, "You should know what force majeure is, right? That castle is heavily guarded, and anything could happen."

Your plan is meticulously planned and cannot afford the slightest mistake.

Peter hesitated for a moment, then said, "Aren't you being too pessimistic?"

"Consider defeat before victory."

To live a life of ease, no, to be steady and cautious is my guiding principle.

Moreover, it concerns one's life and fortune, so one cannot be careless.

I suggest we prepare an evacuation plan before the actual operation begins, so that even if the operation fails, our losses won't be too great.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

This statement sounds like it's meant to demoralize the troops, but upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem to make any mistake.

"I support Aaron's opinion," Susan said.

"Have the Griffin stand by at high altitude, ready to respond to any situation, just in case."

As for the signal for a full retreat..."Peter for a moment, then turned his gaze to Aaron.

"Why are you looking at me? I'm not interested in men."

"Lend me your gun," Peter said, half-laughing and half-crying. "If everything goes well, Edmund's flashlight will be enough, but if things really get complicated, we probably won't have time to check his signal."

Since firearms had not yet been invented in Narnia, there was nothing more suitable as a signal than the sound of gunfire.

Three gunshots signaled a retreat.

Upon hearing this, Aaron's lips twitched violently.

Good heavens, really good heavens, they've managed to get the gun on him.

"Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

"This is for Narnia," Susan advised Yu, "And also so you can get home safely. Don't worry about it so much."

Aaron pretended to hesitate, then took out his revolver and secretly granted Peter permission to use it.

"Five bullets, you'd better use them sparingly."

Peter took the pistol and nodded, slightly excited.

"Could you demonstrate first?" Reepicheep suggested. "We've never heard...gunshots."

"I will only demonstrate once." Peter glanced solemnly at the representatives of various races surrounding him, then pointed his gun at the sky and pulled the trigger.

A dull sound instantly rang in everyone's ears.

Birds in the forest took flight in fright, and countless animals shivered involuntarily, sensing a deadly threat from the sound.

"Great, now we only have four bullets left." Aaron sighed dramatically.

"Don't worry about the details." Peter patted him on the shoulder, then turned to the crowd. "Remember this sound. No matter where our plan is tonight, once we hear three gunshots, we retreat immediately."

The plan was to officially begin at midnight, when most people were asleep and not on guard.

A Griffin carried Edmund to Cair Paravel and gently placed him on the top of the highest tower.

The soldier on guard below heard the sound of tiles colliding and looked up in surprise.

The Griffin had folded its wings, and Edmund was pressed tightly against the tile, revealing no flaw.

Just as the soldier thought he had misheard, two claws gripped his shoulders, and he lost consciousness without making a sound.

Edmund jumped from the top of the tower and used a flashlight to send a signal.

Seeing the flashing blue light outside the castle, the leader of the troops slowly raised his Longsword and led his army to approach the castle stealthily.

Several Griffin carried Peter and the others to the location where the signal originated, cleared out several guards, and landed steadily nearby.

Reepicheep, along with his two rat-like creatures, sneaked into the castle through the drain. They were small in size and easily made their way to the control room using the chains and ropes in the castle. The patrolling soldiers did not notice anything unusual.

An orange cat was dozing under the window, but three mice completely ignored it.

Mice are afraid of cats, but that's just an ordinary mouse.

The three of them are knights of Narnia; they wouldn't be afraid of a mere house cat, or even its nymphs.

They exchanged glances and decided to deal with the cat first, otherwise their mission would be difficult to complete once it woke up.

A rope was lowered from the tower, Caspian, Peter, Susan, Aaron, Tumnus all followed it down to a window.

Where is this?

"My teacher's room," Caspian said, then gently knocked on the door. "Professor."

With no response, Caspian seemed to realize something and immediately pried open the window and climbed inside.

The room was in a mess, with books scattered everywhere, as if it had been ransacked by robbers.

Caspian picked up the glasses from a book, his expression filled with worry. "We have to find him."

"Time is limited, we should go open the door," Aaron said anxiously. "Besides, to put it bluntly, your teacher might not even be alive."

"No, the teacher is definitely still alive."

He was the most knowledgeable person in the Kingdom of Telmar and the one who understood Narnia best. Before erasing Narnia, Miraz wouldn't have done anything to him; he would have definitely imprisoned him.

"There's no time," Peter said helplessly.

"You wouldn't be able to get here without him, and neither would I."

Aaron patted his forehead. "Let's continue with the original plan, except Caspian and I will split up."

He went to rescue the people, and I went to open the door.

"Can you manage on your own?" Tumnus asked. "You don't know this castle, and it will be very difficult without Caspian's help."

"How about we switch? I'll deal with Miraz, Peter and Susan will open the door."

"That's even more dangerous," Susan said, shaking her head.

"I'll come help you after I save him, and opening the door in time won't be a problem," Caspian assured him.

Peter and Susan exchanged a glance and reluctantly agreed to the minor adjustment to the plan.

The group left the room and went in different directions. Caspian went to the prison, Tumnus went to the control room, Peter and Susan went to the king's bedroom.

Aaron took a few steps and then turned back. He closed the door and looked down through the open window.

A huge, heavy iron gate came into view, and the turntable that controlled it was placed next to the city wall.

"As a mage, clearing this dungeon is... way too easy for me," Aaron remarked simply, before pulling out Wand that he hadn't used for several days from his sleeve.

"The Alohomora."

The turntable rotated rapidly counterclockwise, and the iron gate rose accordingly.

"Mission accomplished." Aaron stretched, found a chair in the room, and sat down leisurely, waiting for the signal to launch the attack.

Meanwhile, soldiers patrolling the control room spotted a cat under the window, but its mouth and limbs were tied up with thin ropes.

The soldier immediately became alert and reached for the hilt of his sword.

The sound of a sword being drawn rang out behind him, and he instinctively turned around.

Reepicheep hung upside down in mid-air with a rope wrapped around his tail, meeting the soldiers' astonished gazes. "Yes, I am a mouse."

As soon as he finished speaking, the blade sliced through the soldier's throat, and he fell to the ground.

Reepicheep waved his hand, and the two rats immediately rushed toward the guard at the door.

After dealing with him, one mouse stepped on the back of another, forming a makeshift mouse ladder.

Reepicheep stood at the top, reached for the key on the door, and opened it.

Tumnus rushed in and shot the last guard dead.

"I thought the person who came would be taller," Reepicheep said with a hint of helplessness.

"I'm taller than you," Tumnus said calmly. Dwarves are short, but it depends on who you're comparing them to.

Is this considered irony?

Tumnus ignored him and turned to lock the door.