Two days later.

Asahi Castle.

Like the small town outside Hurong Pass, this is also a border town, though the name "border town" is a recent designation.

Just ahead of it, there was a very small city, right next to Julu Pass. It used to have a name, but now it has gradually disappeared.

On the day the Hu horses stormed into the city, the city fell and everyone died.

Once the people are gone, the city naturally buries their names as well.

Asahi Castle thus became the nearest border town.

The day the Hu army stormed into the city was very sudden; the people in the city did not have time to evacuate before they were killed.

Fortunately, a very small number of people managed to escape their hometowns when Huma broke into the city and killed people.

The weather in northern Liangzhou turned cold early this year, and the late autumn winds were already quite chilly.

The hundred or so people who escaped from the city were in a great hurry when they left. They didn't have time to take anything extra, so they only hurriedly took some food and cotton clothes.

By the time they reached Asahi Castle, several people had already died, but it was still a stroke of good fortune.

After all, they were lucky enough not to die at the hands of Huma along with those thousands of others.

Border regions are generally poor and dilapidated, and Asahi Castle is no exception.

After fleeing to Asahi Castle, they could only live as refugees. If they could get a full meal every now and then, that would be considered fortunate, since it was much better than starving to death.

When the few remaining residents of Asahi City learned that the Hu army had already captured one of the cities, they were filled with fear and unease, worried that the Hu army would continue to attack.

If they advance again, Asahi Castle will be next.

To stay or to leave? This is destined to be a difficult decision.

If we leave, we will become refugees in this late autumn. How will we face the coming harsh winter in the north?

Freezing to death on the road is certainly not a good option.

If they stay, they can only hope that the imperial court will send a large army to fight the Hu cavalry.

Therefore, they chose to stay.

However, the imperial court did not seem to send a large army, nor did it even resettle these people who had lost their homeland.

Worry, panic, fear, despair—a host of negative emotions spread through the city like a poisonous curse.

Day after day passed, and today finally marks the beginning of winter.

"Li" means to establish or begin; "Dong" means the end or the time when all things are stored away.

The Beginning of Winter signifies that vital energy begins to recede and all things enter a state of rest and storage.

Normally, one would store the grain and wait peacefully at home for winter to arrive. Once the harsh winter is over, it will be a new year, and the next spring.

But this peaceful waiting seems to be drifting further and further away from them.

The end of the wait is the New Year, spring plowing, survival, or the deadly barbarian army...

Nobody knows.

In previous years, the Beginning of Winter was an important day when people would worship the "Winter God" to bless their families with good health and a good year, and to pray for favorable weather and a good harvest in the coming year.

This year's Beginning of Winter was unusually quiet, with only the howling wind blowing through the empty streets, making a roaring sound.

Amidst the sound of the wind, a childish voice rang out.

"Mom, it smells so good."

A girl wrapped in a gray cotton coat leaned against the eaves of a dilapidated house, watching the smoke rising from the chimney of the house next door. She couldn't help but lick her lips.

The girl's cotton-padded coat was too big and didn't fit her well, but it wrapped her small body up tightly, keeping her warm. Her rosy cheeks were round and plump, like a little bun, making her look adorable.

Hearing her voice, the woman who was cooking inside poked her head out from beside the stove: "Ni'er, come in quickly, it's cold outside, come and warm yourself by the fire, dinner will be ready soon."

"I'm not going in, I'm not cold."

"I don't want to eat. It's not tasty, and it makes my stomach uncomfortable. I keep needing to pee." The girl stuck out her tongue.

The woman was clearly a little angry. "The people who came with us haven't even had anything to eat yet, and you, you brat, are already being picky! Get over here right now, or I'll beat you up!"

The girl shook her head vigorously, "No, no! I just won't eat!"

The woman became enraged upon hearing this and began searching through the pile of firewood for thin bamboo strips, as if to strike him.

The girl saw her mother looking for a stick to use against her, and a hint of panic appeared on her rosy face, but she clearly did not want to give in so easily.

She pouted, put her hands on her hips, and said, "Mother! Don't hit me!"

"If you make me some dumplings, I'll eat them. Today is the Beginning of Winter, and everyone is eating them."

The woman remained silent with a cold expression, wrapped her thin clothes tighter, and came out carrying an extremely thin stick.

Seeing her mother's gloomy face, the girl finally got scared and hurriedly ran a few steps outside.

"Mom, let's talk this out, please don't hit me..."

The woman snorted, "Come on! Come home with me!"

"No, I want to eat dumplings. The last time I had them was last year." The girl's stubbornness flared up again, and her face puffed up with anger.

"Hmph, I think you want to try bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork! If you don't come back with me, I won't let you off the hook!" The woman raised a thin stick and began to threaten her daughter.

The girl, seeing her mother raise the stick again, was both frightened and angry, and immediately cried out, "My home is in Dongsheng City! This isn't my home, I want to go home!"

As she spoke, she ran towards the street.

Upon hearing this, the woman's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly chased after the girl. The cotton coat was too big, and the girl couldn't run fast enough, so she was quickly caught by her mother.

Although she had been caught by her mother, the girl was now like a stubborn little calf, determined to run away, constantly shouting, "Let me go, I want to go home!"

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