"Stop hiding, let's go! There are people chasing me!"

Then she ran ahead. When Wang Yan saw the bloodstains on her, his brows furrowed. Before he could ask anything, she interrupted him, so he could only shut up, pick up Xiao Muxing, and continue following.

Around noon, the group of about 800 people finally arrived at a desolate village at the foot of Luoyan Mountain to settle down. Fortunately, there were hardly any people in the village, but there were quite a few dilapidated empty rooms.

"What are your plans next? That masked man looks like someone special. How about we torture him first? What if he tells us something?"

As she spoke, she took a bite of the chicken leg in her hand, and said, "Mmm...it smells so good!"

Wang Yan remained calm upon witnessing this scene, showing no sign of emotion; he was clearly used to Qin Qing's unpretentious manner.

"This person's identity is unknown. Judging from his appearance, he probably won't reveal it easily. We might as well starve him for a few days and see. We can also inquire about him in the city. I believe the people will know something about him."

Qin Qing nodded upon hearing this.

"Okay... By the way! I inquired about it once when I came here, but for some reason, the people in Dingshan City are particularly cautious. I just asked a few questions and they became suspicious of me. I almost got caught that night, but luckily I was smart and ran away quickly!"

After saying that, she finished her chicken leg and then thought of something else.

"However, I did get a useful laugh! Not all the soldiers in Dingshan City are willing to submit to the bandits. It seems something happened that forced them to rebel, and their status after cooperating with the bandits doesn't seem to be very high..."

Wang Yan's expression grew increasingly serious as he listened, his thoughts unknown. Qin Qing didn't want to know either. After wiping her hands, she picked up the sleeping Xiao Muxing and carried her into the house.

Even the slightest movement woke the little girl in his arms. She opened her sleepy eyes, looked up and saw Qin Qing, and a relieved smile instantly appeared on her face as she said coquettishly.

"Grandma...Xingxing wants to eat hot pot."

Qin Qing smiled upon hearing this and said affectionately as they walked.

"Okay! Grandma will make you hot pot later! Let's have mild spicy this time, Xingxing hasn't been eating much lately..."

The sound faded into the distance, and Wang Yan's expression grew increasingly complex.

Hot pot? What's that? Didn't this woman only bring a car full of food when she came? She didn't bring anything on her person, so where did the food come from? More and more questions arose, and even he couldn't help but be attracted by this mysterious woman.

Just then, Qin Qing suddenly turned to look at him.

"Oh, right, General... I almost forgot to tell you! Your companions have returned safely to the capital, and His Majesty knows about it. They set off when I left, and judging by the time... they should arrive around tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan was taken aback, showing no sign of elation, clearly indicating that he had already guessed as much. Qin Qing said nothing more and turned to go back into the house.

The dilapidated farmhouse, made of mud, reeked of dust because it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. Although they had done a rough cleaning before, it was barely habitable.

The autumn wind was still quite cool, and even she couldn't help but feel a little shiver. So she took out the space blanket from her spatial storage and gently covered Xiao Muxing with it...

After such a fierce battle last night, they were all exhausted. After lunch, everyone fell into a deep sleep. Wang Yan also took a light nap by the pillar. Only a dozen or so soldiers were on guard duty in shifts.

At this moment, no one expected that the so-called reinforcements had already arrived fifteen miles outside Dingshan City…

The burly man, with his muscular physique, exuded an imposing aura without being angry. Just as he was about to give an order to speed up the advance, he was stopped by his deputy, Zhang, who was standing beside him.

"Brother Huang! Remember not to act rashly at this time. The army has been traveling for several days and is already exhausted. If we start a war or attack the city, not only will the besieged general inside be driven to desperation, but the soldiers themselves will also be unable to withstand it!"

Huang Zhong glared with wide eyes and said angrily.

"Then what do you suggest we do? My cousin has been trapped for so long, what if... I can't wait any longer!"

Seeing that although he was saying this, he only looked unwilling and did not actually rush in, Deputy General Zhang sighed and looked worriedly at Dingshan City in the distance.

"The general is blessed by heaven, and I believe he will definitely make the same choice!"

Having said that, he turned to look at the army behind him and shouted.

"Men, set up camp here, rest for the night, and tomorrow morning we'll take Dingshan City in one fell swoop and rescue our brothers!"

A single word, "Brother," instantly boosted the morale of the army!

"yes!"

Seeing this, Deputy General Zhang could only suppress his anxiety and begin to analyze the situation in Dingshan City.

On the other side, Wang Yan also suddenly woke up from his dream, which was filled with the tragic scene of soldiers being slaughtered by civilians and bandits!

And all of this was due to his carelessness! He had fought on the battlefield for over a decade and had never made such a mistake! Now, of the five thousand men he led, only eight hundred remained because of his error…

It wasn't so much anger as self-reproach and guilt! He knew, of course, that these emotions would cloud his judgment, but the feeling of helplessness was still vivid in his mind…

Outside the thatched hut, a thin figure was wrapped in bandages of various sizes, his brows were furrowed, and his face was pale and weak, which was truly heartbreaking.

At least, that's what Qin Qing thought when he saw this scene from the doorway of the earthen house!

The man she remembered as powerful, cold, serious, and just now showed a level of confusion she had never seen before…

Thinking of this, she could roughly guess what had happened. After all, Wang Yan had left the capital with five thousand elite soldiers in a grand procession, but when she arrived, there were only eight hundred left!

The details are obvious without even thinking about it! Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh.

Upon hearing the sound, Wang Yan's gaze instantly turned cold and murderous, shooting directly at Qin Qing's location, causing her to freeze in place...

Only after seeing Qin Qing clearly did they lower their guard.

"You're awake?"

Qin Qing's lips twitched upon hearing this! Of course! She's already here; she can't be sleepwalking!

"Hmm... I think I just heard something and it woke me up instantly."

She wasn't sure if it was a dream or reality. The voice seemed very powerful, but she couldn't hear it clearly even after walking a long distance. Maybe it was a dream.

Wang Yan nodded, then turned away, still lost in thought…

Qin Qing was speechless for a moment, but still walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, and clearly felt Wang Yan's body tremble.

"Don't think about it anymore. Victory and defeat are common in war. This is not your fault. The fault lies with those bandits. They will pay the price for this! When the reinforcements arrive tomorrow, we will turn Dingshan City into a mess and launch a coordinated attack from the inside! Then we will open the city gates! We will suppress them first, and then interrogate them one by one. We are not afraid that they will not talk!"