Zhu Huan led his retainers on the run for an entire day. They had only just managed to sit down by the river to rest when scouts suddenly reported an enemy attack from Yichun.
Looking closely, Zhu Huan saw a "fire dragon" approaching from the direction of Yichun. He immediately rallied his troops and deployed them in formation.
At this time, the Zhu Clan retainers were exhausted and unable to march far. Fighting in the open, they had no defensive works such as Caltrop Barriers or cheval de frise to rely on. The Zhu brothers' worried frowns lingered.
Zhu Huan had expected a fierce battle, but Gao Ling merely left behind several baskets of letters before quickly departing. Even as the Zhu brothers breathed a sigh of relief, they fell into deep thought, for accompanying Gao Ling had been the Wu general Ding Feng.
Why was Ding Feng in Yichun? Hadn't he followed Dai Liang into Guangzhou City? Could the intelligence they had received before have been false?
Zhu Huan did not dare think further. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.
"Brother, these letters..." Zhu Ju pointed at the bamboo baskets that had been delivered, at a complete loss.
Zhu Huan's face was solemn. He nodded slightly. "Since nothing is happening tonight, there's no harm in looking through them. Send orders to every camp to strengthen their vigilance. The enemy may come at any time, and we have no defenses to rely on."
"I'll see to it at once." Zhu Ju cupped his fist and departed.
Zhu Huan took a letter from one of the baskets and began reading by the light of the fire. Before long, it was as though a whole new world had opened before him. He read one letter after another