An Opportunity to Strike
As Zhang Zhong emerged from the confined area of Zijin Mountain, he repeatedly brandished the short knife he was carrying.
Not only Zhang Zhong, but many people in Zhang Household Village also looked at the sleeping garrison on Zijin Mountain with extremely hostile eyes.
Many people were whipped by these soldiers, and some even suffered head injuries.
As martial people from the Northern Border, the people of Zhang Household Village were not so easily subdued and launched several rebellions. It was not until the entire village was divided into two parts, with husbands and wives separated and children living in different places, that the unrest was finally quelled.
It would be impossible for Zhang Zhong and the others not to hate these guards.
"I just put them to sleep. If there's too much noise, they might wake up. The smell of blood will attract hunting dogs and other animals to bark, which would be counterproductive," Zhang Xuezhou said.
After a brief persuasion, the people of Zhang Household Village lined up in the darkness.
No one spoke, yet they continued forward step by step.
Like marching in the dark, the group traversed the mountain paths and dense forests of Zijin Mountain.
Occasionally, Zhang Baojia was following behind Zhang Xuezhou, would see Zhang Xuezhou pause for a moment, then reach out and blow forward.
By the time they passed, the guards at the sentry posts along the way were all asleep.
The garrison in Beishan has more than 3,000 troops, with more than 1,000 stationed on each mountain. There are many checkpoints and residences for civilians and other normal workers, but when the people from Zhang Household Village pass through these checkpoints, it is as if they have entered a deserted place.
Not a single guard shouted, no hunting dogs barked, and no laborers came out to work in the middle of the night; everything was quiet.
Zhang Xuezhou could only be thankful that the garrison was not stationed in one place, but rather spread out in four places in a network-like formation, which gave him the opportunity to defeat them one by one.
He walked along the mountain path, and every now and then, flying insects were tamed in his hands.
With his simple and easy-to-use Drowsiness Technique, combined with his own Demon Power and the Yang Soul Dharma Body condensed from the Venerable One's Law Power, Zhang Xuezhou cast the spell with great ease.
He never imagined that such a low-level Technique Method could play such an irreplaceable role at this moment.
Zijin Mountain is not just Zhang Household Village, but involves sixteen residential areas.
The guards and patrols at the rear will gradually wake up, but as long as no one dies and no heavy items are stolen, few people will bother to check on the group of laborers who can only sleep at night.
By the time someone notices something amiss, they have most likely already moved to a relatively safe area.
Zhang Xuezhou also encountered Zhang Houtu, who had come all the way from Wuzhu Mountain in the dark.
The status of drug slaves and the darkness of night did bring many conveniences, and since most people needed to sleep, only a few hundred of the thousands of troops were on night duty, meaning the number of personnel needed was not as large as one might imagine.
More importantly, the great cultivator from Beishan was drawn away by the bell of Shouchun City, and the medicine slave token held by Zhang Houtu was of extremely high level, so no one dared to question it casually.
Zhang Xuezhou felt that he had been given a golden opportunity and had also been incredibly lucky.
After leaping down a slope of Zijin Mountain and leaving the normal road, the group was in a semi-safe state. They only needed to maintain their speed and travel through the mountains for an hour, and then climb over a fenced area that was two people high, and they would be able to leave the Beishan encampment area.
"Purple Mountain is where swords are forged and metallurgy is done, while Xiashi Mountain is where armor is made and coins are minted. Your mother is weaving armor there, so even if we escape, they shouldn't suffer a fatal blow. It just means that rescuing them next time will be much more difficult!"
Seeing Zhang Xuezhou turn his head to look into the distance, Zhang Zhong could only offer words of comfort.
"Yes!"
Zhang Xuezhou gave a reluctant response.
Zhang Zhong had no idea that some top-grade elixirs could consume people.
The value of the Lady Yourong and others does not lie in whether they work diligently, but in the fact that these people belong to the category of human medicine. Once there is a need to refine elixirs and make medicine, someone will inevitably lose their life.
Having assisted the Zhang Household Village family in escaping from Zijin Mountain, Zhang Xuezhou can now explore Xiashi Mountain tonight, but he will find it difficult to help the other group escape from Beishan.
Moreover, he didn't know where Lady Yourong lived, and if he rushed to Xiashi Mountain again late at night, he would have to ask from house to house. Whether he could find Lady Yourong and the others depended on luck.
Zhang Xuezhou was also taking things one step at a time.
After all these years, he finally learned the location where everyone was trapped and began his first rescue operation.
"I'll escort you all to the outskirts of Beishan first, then I'll go to Xiashi Mountain to investigate," Zhang Xuezhou said. "If I fail to rescue those uncles and aunts, please forgive me!"
"To these people, we are nothing but insignificant floating objects," Zhang Baojia. "We are so grateful to have escaped from such a place, we have no reason to blame you!"
Floating creatures cannot shake a large tree. Zhang Baojia, Zhang Zhong, and others, who had served in the military, were very clear about the enormous force they were facing.
A single word from these powerful figures can determine the fate of many people for an entire lifetime.
It is almost impossible for an individual to overthrow such a force, and once the other side discovers it, it means disaster.
Even if they escaped Zijin Mountain now, Zhang Zhong and the others would still need to find a way to get away quickly, until they were out of the enemy's control and could find another place that could protect them.
Time will be tight, and there can be no delays.
Forget about exploring Xiashi Mountain at this moment; the important thing is whether we can truly escape Huainan and avoid being discovered by the pursuers.
They only have one night to escape, and even if the guards are negligent, they will surely discover the unusual behavior of the many people in Zhang Household Village tomorrow.
Under these conditions, it would be virtually impossible to rescue everyone intact.
"We can get some mounts in Shouchun City, so let's head there as soon as possible to find them and get away from here," Zhang Xuezhou said. "We'll be heading to Chang'an City for refuge. I hope you can all hold on and try to escape this sea of suffering!"
In the darkness, they spoke in hushed tones, and walked hand in hand.
When a few remaining stars appeared on the horizon, Zhang Xuezhou led more than a hundred people into the mountain valley.
More than forty fine horses were trotting along in the mountain valley, while Zhang Cigong paced back and forth.
Rong Tianding remained calm, while Zhang Jiangang curled up and succumbed to drowsiness.
Zhang Cigong was overjoyed when many people arrived.
He ran to Zhang Houmu and called out, "Dad!"
"Hurry up and mount up!" Zhang Xuezhou urged. "Ci Gong, think of a way to get some more mounts!"
"I'll go to Shouchun City again," Zhang Cigong nodded. "Tonight, even the heavens are on our side. Two monks came to Shouchun City to beg for alms, and they've set up a tree outside the city to call for help!"
"It's that Buddha and Dipankara," Rong Tianding added. "Buddha suffered a great loss in Shouchun City before, and now he's back to seek revenge!"
"This is truly heaven's help!"
Zhang Xuezhou was overjoyed.
He suddenly understood the significance of the bell tolling from the distant city of Shouchun.
Ordinary soldiers couldn't hear it clearly and weren't particularly alert to the bell's sound, but this bell directly drew away the two great cultivators, Li Shang and Zuo Wu, giving him an opportunity to take advantage of the situation tonight.