They had to move quickly. Having made up his mind that day, he went back and informed Shen Jin and Liu Huzi.
The following morning, they made some last-minute preparations and found materials for starting fires. By afternoon, everyone began setting the mountain ablaze.
It was a tremendous success-at least, the act of setting the mountain ablaze was a success beyond imagination.
With a little kindling, all the ignition points flared together. Added to the moderate autumn breeze, the flames surged up at once. There was no rain, nor any hail. The fire swiftly towered into the sky!
That was not all. Everyone soon discovered that they had underestimated this wild mountain with its accumulated vegetation.
Smoke began to rise.
Thick smoke churned together with the flames, like two hosts of enormous dragons, black and red, rolling and fighting across the mountain.
Everyone, high and low, stared dumbfounded. Soon, as flying ash swept down, Liu Cheng still wanted to watch a little longer, but Huan Yi broke first. Having personally overseen the setting of the fires, he ran back from outside the camp, found Liu Cheng, and almost burst into tears on the spot. Then he clung to the General of the Vanguard Army and pleaded, "General, let's abandon the camp below the city for now and go to General Shen's camp across the river. We can watch the fire from the opposite bank!"
"That's right, watch the fire from the opposite bank!" Zhu Chuo, who had been serving as a messenger in camp, loudly agreed, his voice trembling too.
Beside them, Liu Huzi and Shen Jin unconsciously licked their lips. The fire truly had exceeded everyone's expectations. If it swept down and burned the camp below the city as well, no one in the army would come out of