Chapter 351: Sending Word

Uncle Hu and Second Uncle Hu had to be separated; keeping them together would be a waste of talent.

Yan Yu decided to have Uncle Hu continue guarding the central Arrow Tower, while Second Uncle Hu teamed up with Qi Wu. Uncle Qi would remain at the northern Arrow Tower.

The Young Scouts had effectively become the main force on the Arrow Towers.

Yan Yu stood her ground on this point.

Fortunately, Xiao’an Village had previously held a competition for the distribution of bamboo crossbows. Everyone had seen the children’s archery skills with their own eyes, so any opposition was weak and practically negligible.

With Fourth Uncle Qi, the god of war who had just claimed countless heads, standing by her side…

Yan Yu found it quite easy to mobilize the whole village.

Starting from the western Arrow Tower, they were distributed in a fan shape, hidden all the way to the central Arrow Tower.

To obtain more precise intelligence…

Yan Yu kept Maomao by her side.

She sent the donkey to guard her mother.

…

Qi Si glanced at Xiao Er. Seeing her still crouching on the ground playing with Maomao, he didn’t dare lower his guard and turned back to keep a close eye on the west.

From behind, Yan Yu looked perfectly leisurely.

But if one looked at her from the front, they would see a worried child with her little face completely scrunched up.

She had Maomao search for anyone carrying weapons within a hundred-mile radius.

Then, she asked for a count.

Good heavens, it actually gave her a total of over eight hundred…

She tapped Maomao’s head anxiously. Had this furry kid suffered a system error?

After confirming twice, a possibility suddenly flashed through Yan Yu’s mind.

She gave Maomao another command, telling it to use its claws to poke holes in the ground. One hole represented ten people, and it was to mark their positions.

Maomao worked tirelessly, circling the small stones that represented the five Arrow Towers of Xiao’an Village. Every time it stopped, it extended a little paw and poked, poked, poked into the ground…

After Yan Yu finished looking… she grew even more worried!

There was only one hole near the village, which undoubtedly represented the dozen or so Northern Rong she and Fourth Uncle Qi had seen escaping.

To the west was the direction of Crouching Tiger City and the Guard Station. This was where she was focusing her defenses, yet there were only thirty-two holes. Their current positions were strange, leaning toward the northwest.

But according to Maomao’s real-time updates, they were indeed moving toward the village.

What troubled Yan Yu were the remaining fifty-some holes.

Their locations made her hesitate.

Forty-two were on the other side of the river, within the borders of Yongning.

The remaining ten or so were over by Dashi Bridge, within Gufeng’s territory.

Yan Yu had an excellent sense of space, and Maomao wasn’t just poking holes at random. Most of the holes shown on the ground were concentrated at key points on the Official Road, while a small portion was on the direct routes from Crouching Tiger to Yongning and Gufeng.

At this time, in these positions… if someone told her these were soldiers from Yongning or Gufeng, would she believe it?

She… certainly would not!

Therefore, most of these, no, it was almost certain, were undoubtedly Northern Rong.

These Rong bandits were quite calculating. What were they doing guarding the vital paths connecting Crouching Tiger to the two cities?

They certainly weren’t up to any good!

Yan Yu had reason to believe that if Crouching Tiger sent people to those two cities for help, there was an eighty percent chance they wouldn’t make it…

Honestly, at this moment, she really wanted to cry.

If there were no reinforcements, what would they do?

The three hundred-plus bandits to the west would be upon them soon, and another five hundred or so were lurking nearby. They weren’t far from the village and would likely arrive in an instant.

Perhaps the only thing worth celebrating was that their village hadn’t tried to flee.

Even if they did, where could they go?

Yan Yu forced herself to calm down.

Things had reached this point; panicking was useless. If they didn’t fight, they would die. If they fought, perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.

First, they needed reinforcements!

This was the top priority.

Since she now judged that those seeking help might be ambushed by the Northern Rong, cutting off communication between the cities…

…then they would simply reconnect it!

It would be difficult for others, but she could do it!

To be precise, Gouzhu and the donkey could do it!

“Who’s there?!”

Qi Si saw a figure approaching and hurriedly held up a wooden board in front of Xiao Er, shielding her completely.

Yan Yu: …

She poked her small head out from the side.

Once she saw who it was, Yan Yu felt a bit surprised.

“Grandpa Kang?”

“Cough, cough…” Because he had walked in a hurry, Old Man Kang coughed and wheezed for a while before he could speak. “The roads from Crouching Tiger to Yongning and Gufeng for seeking help have likely been cut off. The messengers have probably met with misfortune. Without reinforcements, Crouching Tiger City and the border guards likely won’t be able to look after us. It’s best to take the water route to Gufeng to ask for help now. Your uncle is in Gufeng; he won’t ignore us. As long as Gufeng sends troops, Xiao’an Village’s crisis can be resolved…”

He paused, then added, “Then have Gufeng send someone to report to Yongning.”

Yan Yu was stunned.

What kind of extraordinary person was this?

She had Maomao giving her a cheat to judge the situation based on the distribution of people.

But this old man, hiding in the cellar beneath the Arrow Tower, could only have overheard a few words. How could he be so certain?

But, yes, he was right. Everything he said was correct.

Not only was he right, but he also provided a solution.

The water route was indeed the best choice.

To correctly guess that there were fewer Northern Rong toward Gufeng was truly impressive!

“Grandpa Kang, thank you for your concern. I’ll find someone to go for help right away.”

Old Man Kang didn’t know if this second child of the Yan family was truly taking it to heart or just humoring him.

He was simply unwilling to give up.

Xiao’an Village had intended to build Arrow Towers and high walls. If both were completed, what would there be to fear?

But they had the Arrow Towers, and the walls… sigh!

Xiao’an Village even dared to privately cast weapons. Their courage was certainly not small, but compared to staying alive, what did that matter?

If they had iron-cast arrowheads, seeing as even the children in this village could go to battle and kill enemies, there would be great hope of defending the village.

But… in the end, they were still one step short. Just one step short!

He could only do his part and leave the rest to fate!

Whether they could escape this calamity depended on their own luck!

Old Man Kang wobbled away.

Yan Yu had Fourth Uncle Qi carry her on his back to find Brother Ertie and Brother San Tie.

Sending word was such an important matter; she wouldn’t feel at ease letting anyone else go.

“Brother Ertie, head toward Gufeng City. Once you arrive, find my uncle. Tell him the Northern Rong are coming, Crouching Tiger is surrounded, and the village is under attack. The water route should be safe, but there might be Northern Rong ambushes on the Official Road.”

She specifically instructed, “Use my family’s raft.”

Gouzhu had already entered the water ahead of time, just waiting for Brother Ertie to get into position.

If Brother Ertie, in his haste, didn’t use her family’s raft, it wouldn’t matter. Gouzhu would let him know the consequences of not listening to her.

Brother Ertie would get to experience a capsized raft…

Er Tie nodded heavily and ran toward the river without a word.

“Brother San Tie, it will be harder for you to go to Yongning City. You can’t take the Official Road, and you can’t even go near Dashi Bridge.”

Yan Yu’s expression was solemn as she spoke quickly. “You must first take the raft across the river. Once on the other side, ride my family’s donkey and stay close to the mountains. To be safe, take a detour and enter through the East Gate. If the guards won’t let you in, use the name of the Magistrate of Crouching Tiger City. Say you’ve been sent on orders from Crouching Tiger!”

San Tie knew the gravity of the situation. He patted his chest and promised, “Xiao Er, don’t worry. I will be extra careful on this journey and think carefully about how to get them to open the city gates!”

Yan Yu watched him leave.

She thought to herself: I wonder if it will be in time…

(End of chapter)