“Our ancestors have lived here for generations, but now it’s going to be taken over by the Japanese. Those damned beasts.”

On the wide road, a woman and child fleeing from the disaster walked along, carrying only a few belongings and weeping.

She carried a bundle on her back, held her daughter's hand beside her, and sobbed while wiping away tears.

"Mother, don't cry."

“Didn’t a lot of people just go to our city? They’ll definitely be able to stop those bad guys.” The girl, who looked about seven or eight years old, raised her rosy face and looked at her mother.

The woman did not speak, but only cried.

"Mother... I know you're worried about Father, but someone has already gone. Father will be alright, don't worry." The girl forced a smile to comfort her mother.

The woman seemed tired from walking; her steps slowed, and she said sadly:

"Tongtong, maybe we shouldn't have left. We should have stayed with your dad and the others. Everyone else stayed, but we...sigh."

“But your father loves you so much, and you are so young, I can’t let you fall into the hands of the Japanese.”

These words seemed to anger the girl, and she frowned: "Mother! It's alright! Haven't many people already gone?"

"They will definitely win."

The woman sighed inwardly.

If it was a battle we were certain to win, why did those people tell us to leave Linbin City quickly when they passed by earlier?

Clearly, this was a battle with no guarantee of victory.

Those reinforcements, they had no confidence in winning, yet they still went, already prepared to fight the Japanese to the death.

If they still can't win, where can they escape to along the way?

With the fall of Linbin City, how could the remaining small towns be a safe haven?

The woman raised her head, her eyes dim; she no longer wanted to escape.

If I'm really going to die, I'd rather stay with my family; maybe we can meet again after I'm gone.

It's just a pity for the daughter. She's still so young, and she's already suffered enough of the world's hardships. If she grows up and chooses a good husband, perhaps she can live a peaceful and tranquil life.

But now, that seems difficult to achieve.

Thinking of this, she became even more grief-stricken and couldn't help but squat down and press her face against her daughter's soft cheek, crying softly.

Perhaps sensing her mother's pain, when the scalding tears fell on the girl's cheeks, she pouted and was about to cry as well.

Before she could even cry, her pink little ears twitched slightly, and the girl turned her head to look into the distance.

A hazy dust cloud floated in the air, and the early spring sun shone brightly, making the dust particles look like stars.

"Clatter".

"Clatter".

It was the faint sound of horses' hooves.

The mother was still sobbing with her eyes closed, but the girl had lost all interest in crying. She stood on tiptoe, stretched her long neck, squinted her eyes, and her little ears perked up.

"Clatter..."

"hiss--"

Accompanied by the sound of hooves, a horse's neigh rang out.

"This is a fine horse! It's really powerful!" the girl thought to herself.

The girl went to the stables with her father from a young age. Her father was a horse breeder, and she naturally became familiar with the horses as well.

At home, her father would often take her riding a fine horse, but unfortunately, all the horses were requisitioned for the war.

She raised her little hand and placed it on her crescent-shaped eyebrows, looking at the endless road that stretched into the distance, seemingly without end.

The sniffling woman opened her eyes and finally saw her daughter's unusual behavior.

"What are you looking at, Tongtong?"

“A horse is coming,” the girl replied.

The woman frowned slightly and looked ahead, but saw nothing.

"No, you're mistaken."

“Mother, I didn’t see it, I heard it. You know I have very good hearing, even Father praises me for having sharp ears. It really is coming.”

Upon hearing the girl's words, the woman stood up and murmured:

Where there are horses, there are people.

"Have more reinforcements arrived?"

The girl squatted down, lay face down on the ground, and pressed her ear to the ground, looking like a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for many years.

She sniffed and frowned, saying:

"There aren't many horses."

The woman sighed, "It seems there aren't many people."

The girl chimed in, "But... there's a really strong horse."

The woman shook her head: "No matter how fine the horse, once it's on the battlefield, it'll probably end up..."

"Shh!" The girl put a finger to her lips, closed her eyes, and murmured:

"This horse is really powerful. Its hooves are the most distinctive, so it must run very fast."

Her voice gradually rose, her face clearly showing surprise: "Wow, this horse is amazing!"

"If Father knew there were such fine horses in the world, he would be overjoyed!"

At this point, a hint of sadness appeared on her face.

My father is still fighting the Japanese in the city. I don't know when I'll be able to reunite with him.

Thinking of this, she lost all interest in listening to the sound of horses' hooves and instead felt like crying.

She opened her eyes, intending to hug her mother and cry, but saw her mother standing there blankly, staring ahead.

The girl immediately turned her head, shifting her gaze from her mother's face to the road.

The first thing that catches the eye is a red horse running on the road.

Its smooth, silky fur shimmered in the sunlight, making it seem as if it were a celestial horse that had descended from the heavens to earth.

"What a magnificent horse... I've never seen such a beautiful horse before." Like her father, the girl, a lover of horses, already regarded this horse as her own celestial steed.

No horse like this has ever been seen in the world.

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