The fleet traveled down the Qinglin River. Under Chuyue Mountain's steady command, they eliminated seven or eight hidden sentry posts along the banks one after another.
However, most of these sentries did not belong to the Black Snake Water Stronghold. They were the eyes and ears of smaller water bandit factions. This was part of the deal between the Black Snake Water Stronghold and Chuyue Mountain: using the government troops to eliminate rivals and consolidate the stronghold's own power in the Changshan Mountain region of the Qinglin River.
To ensure his plan was flawless and to further lower Chen Sheng's guard, Chuyue Mountain even arranged for one of the sentry-clearing operations to be led by one of Chen Sheng's own confidants.
Ostensibly, this was to help Chen Sheng "accumulate battle honors," but the real purpose was to completely eliminate any lingering shred of doubt he might still harbor.
