This was the second time Saskia had felt death so close.

Unlike last time, the enemy threatening his life this time was no longer the Kosovo gunmen who were firing wildly and indiscriminately, and he no longer possessed the agile skills and courage he once had.

At this moment, he was facing the well-trained and incomparably powerful Yan people. In the current environment, Saski felt that he was powerless to resist. The enemy could slaughter everyone like chickens and dogs.

So when the Yan Kingdom cavalry started firing at them from the flank, Saski felt his brain buzzing and his strength suddenly drained away, making it difficult for him to even grip the reins tightly.

The enemy continued to run and fire, bullets constantly coming from the flanks and rear. Soldiers on the outer perimeter were falling in heaps, and those running ahead were in complete chaos. He didn't even see many people firing back; they were just fleeing in panic.

This allowed the enemy to fire at will, and even the vanguard was about to catch up with the front line of our forces, soon advancing side by side. The enemy cavalry, with their greater mobility, could outflank our path in no time.

This terrible situation confirms what Leo just said: it might not even be time for them to split up.

The anger that Saski had just mustered vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep sense of despair.

He finally lowered his head and reached for the sidearm at his waist, but the moment he touched the leather holster, the icy touch made Saski's arm tremble.

After catching his breath, Saski changed his mind.

He withdrew his hand, took off his hat, and suddenly raised his face, shouting in a shrill voice:

"surrender."

"surrender!"

"We surrender!!!"

Despite the panicked shouts from the crowd, mixed with the dense sounds of bullets and the rapid hoofbeats of warhorses, the noise was so loud that it made every soldier's ears ring.

However, the unusual scream was heard by many people immediately, and within a very short time, it caused a commotion among the soldiers and the crowd.

Many people looked up at that moment, following the sound.

Soon, they saw Saskia in the middle of the column. He was riding a warhorse, his hat gone, his face contorted in a disheveled state, and he was raising his hands and screaming shrilly.

"Surrender! I surrender! We surrender!"

"Put down your weapons, we surrender!"

——

Two days later, on February 6th.

As the sun was about to set in the afternoon, Dingle, who had been hurrying all the way, finally arrived outside the city of Salibia.

As the sun set, a weary Dingle and his soldiers dismounted, and the city guards at the checkpoint outside the city solemnly approached to check their identities.

During this brief pause, Dingle looked up at the St. Mary's Wall standing before him.

It has been more than a year since I last returned to Salvia, but the towering Wall of St. Mary remains largely unchanged.

Now, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the walls, constructed primarily of red sandstone, appear entirely crimson, with some of the translucent, crystalline pebbles even shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.

Although he had lived in Salibia since childhood and had seen the Wall of Saint-Marie countless times, Dingle was always moved every time he saw it.

He has always believed that the St. Marín Wall, which encircles the entire city, is the nation's greatest architectural achievement, compared to the magnificent royal palaces or the quaint and elegant West Clock Tower.

From as far back as he could remember, Dingle always saw horse-drawn carriages carrying red sandstone to Salibia.

The horses were panting heavily, and so were their owners.

The men, sweating profusely and panting, unloaded the red sandstone from the truck. Sometimes it took three or four people to lift a single stone, while larger stones had to be pushed along with logs.

Whenever this happened, he would see a group of shirtless men pushing stones, struggling to move them little by little amidst shouts.

They were drenched in sweat, their faces were contorted in a grimace, steam seemed to rise from their heads, and their eyes were bloodshot.

But such scenes of collective labor seem extremely interesting to any innocent child.

Like a child of similar age, Dingle would often watch these men from afar, raising her fist and shouting encouragement.

Push! Push harder!!

But such shouts did not make the men stronger; they just hung their heads, like donkeys tired from pulling a cart, panting heavily.

The military supervisor would always rush over with a whip and a stern face after the shouts rang out, sometimes even actually lashing out with the whip.

The cracking sound of the whip and the roar of the man pushing the stone with all his might became unforgettable sounds for Dingle, and this memory remains vivid in his mind to this day.

Now, after many years and the labor of hundreds of thousands of workers, the country's greatest building is finally being completed, piece by piece, from east to west and from south to north, encircling the entire country of Salvia.

It protected the capital and its people, just as the goddess Saint Mary protected her people.

Perhaps it was because the sun was setting that the evening glow added a unique beauty to the St. Mary's Wall.

It grew increasingly vibrant and beautiful, as if it were glowing on its own.

"Sir, the inspection is complete. Let's go in, but we still have to go through a few more checks." Dingle was still staring blankly at the city wall when the soldier beside him spoke up.

"Oh, okay."

Dingle snapped out of his daze and walked with the soldiers through the city gate beneath the walls of St. Marien. Upon arriving at the gate, they were met with another tedious inspection procedure.

After passing through three checkpoints, Dingle was led into the residential area of ​​Salibia by a soldier belonging to the guard.

But at this moment, Dingle's pace gradually slowed down.

Compared to a year ago, there are significantly more buildings now, but the once bustling streets and noisy crowds have vanished without a trace.

The doors were tightly shut, and the windows were also tightly closed. There wasn't a single civilian in sight on the wide street. Instead, one could see squads of fully armed soldiers marching back and forth on the street, as well as police units in khaki uniforms who would suddenly appear from one street every now and then, as if they were carrying out some kind of mission.

Now that they had entered the residential area, Dingle felt that even the sounds of birds seemed to have decreased, leaving only the clattering of his leather boots.

The guard leading the way said as they walked, "The night before last, after the message reached Salibia, the Emperor declared Salibia under martial law."

"The highest level of martial law," the guard added.