"It's those soldiers again! They come here every time and try to steal our things!"

"Hurry up, let's get away from them."

"You tyrannical ruler's lackeys! Get out of Cangque City! We don't need you here!"

Upon entering the city, a deathly atmosphere gripped everyone's hearts. Clearly, the city hadn't fallen yet, and the enemy couldn't find any way to enter the main city.

The city was no different from what it had been after the defeat; ruins and homeless people lay naked in the streets.

The entire main street was filled with refugees complaining of their plight and emaciated pedestrians!

Their condition was even worse than during the previous famine. The people in the city were in even worse shape, with many looking like they were on the verge of death.

How pitiful.

The city hasn't fallen yet, has it? Where is the city lord? Is he just letting the people live like this?

No, don't you guys have a feeling? They're actually very afraid of soldiers. Has someone done something to them before?

Xu Nian also sensed it; she rode alongside Gu Zhan on horseback. As soon as they entered Cangque City, they felt countless eyes fixed on them.

Anger, fear! Hatred, even resentment!

However, neither Gu Zhan nor the garrison from the capital behind him were visiting this city for the first time. It's easy to imagine that their emotions weren't solely directed at these people.

It was aimed at all officers and soldiers, even the so-called garrison troops sent by the imperial court.

As he rode closer to Gu Zhan, he asked, "Didn't the urgent report from the soldier mention anything about the situation in Cangque City? Why do I feel like these people are so afraid of us?"

It's more than just fear!

Those who were a little more timid found a hidden spot to hide the moment they saw the army.

Those who didn't hide probably did so because they were too weak from hunger.

Gu Zhan frowned. Logically speaking, even if Cangque City was desolate, it shouldn't be in its current state before the city fell. In fact, this point was never mentioned in the information sent from Cangque City!

"We'll have to ask in person to find out." He turned his head towards Xu Nian, speaking to the deputy general beside him, "Go and find someone to inquire about the location of the city lord's mansion."

The deputy general, who instantly understood Gu Zhan's meaning, nodded and issued the order.

Immediately, a young soldier, with delicate features and appearing to be no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, approached the civilians lying on the ground with a friendly smile.

Before he could even get close, a child suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shoved him aside, yelling, "Get away! You bad guys! Don't touch my grandma! Get away!"

"Little Gouwa! Come back here! I'm sorry, sir, the child is ignorant. If you're unhappy about anything, come at me, I'll kowtow to you."

The old man's head of white hair was like withered grass, tangled and messy. He shakily stood up from the ground and was about to kowtow to the child.

The soldiers, who were new to the army, had never seen anything like this before. They were at a loss and wanted to help, but the child's wary gaze made them pull their hands back.

They hadn't done anything wrong, but the people in the city looked as if they were some heinous criminals!

Xu Nian frowned as she looked on, and was about to suggest going down herself when a commotion suddenly erupted in the distance: "Run! The Huns are attacking! Run!"

"Wang Er, return to the ranks!" At the deputy general's command, Wang Er didn't dare to delay and hurriedly returned to the ranks.

On the city wall facing the Xiongnu, there were only a few soldiers standing scattered about. Gu Zhan and his group did not see a single soldier when they came from the main road!

"With such a configuration, how exactly did they manage to defend this city?"

The city wall, though only equipped with several catapults, appears to be of average height. With just a few ladders, the Xiongnu could easily breach it with a direct assault!

Xu Nian's lips twitched. He really couldn't figure out how weak the enemy troops below must be to allow Cangque City to hold out until now.

Gu Zhan, however, knew a bit about Cangque City. While going upstairs, he explained to her, "From the inside, the city walls of Cangque City don't look very high, but the outside is indeed built on a high cliff. If you want to enter the city, you have to climb over the cliff first. Moreover, the moat below has been fed by many fierce dragons since it was built. If an ordinary person falls in, they will be reduced to ashes in no time."

【Bay dragon? What's that?】

[It should be the crocodile, since the ancients often referred to crocodiles as dragons.]

[But aren't bay eels supposed to live near bays? And in tropical or subtropical regions, how could they be found in a place like this?]

"Because the Xiongnu referred to in this dynasty are different from those in our region." Xu Nian looked at the scattered crowd below the city wall, holding binoculars in her hand. "Speaking of which, Cangque City is indeed located in a subtropical region. It's just that it's still some distance from the sea, and these Xiongnu are people who live in coastal areas."

After her explanation, the comment section was flooded with messages like, "I've learned something new!"

He stopped looking and instead carefully observed the people below, some of whom had somehow broken through the moat's encirclement.

Standing below the city walls, yet unsure how to get up, he looked up and shouted, "Murong Yun, you coward! If you have the guts, open the city gates, and I'll personally teach you a lesson!"

"What are you trying to prove, you bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled people?! You'll live the high life with us!"

Gu Zhan glanced at them, and after confirming that they were only shouting and not capable of coming up, he ignored them. "Do they shout here every day? Where is your city lord?"

Those who were originally left behind, their thin bodies barely concealed by armor, cried out, "Lord, the Lord fled with his family the very second day after the Xiongnu attacked!"

"Seeing this, some of the soldiers in the city, who were not afraid of anything, became unrestrained. They looted many of the people's belongings and ran away as well."

It was unclear how long he had been starving, but after saying only a few words, he began to roll his eyes and foam at the mouth. Xu Nian hurriedly went forward to check his pulse.

He was so weak that he was even weaker than some of the children in the army. "Quickly carry him away, feed him some sugar water, and cook some porridge for them. Don't give him too much, give him small amounts frequently. It's a miracle he hasn't starved to death after not eating for so long."

Another, rather robust man, lit up at the mention of food. "Marshal! Marshal! Please save us! Please save the people in the city! If it weren't for the things below and this mountain range, we would have been killed by the Xiongnu long ago!"

"I don't understand." Xu Nian stood up. "Since everyone else ran away, why didn't you run away? Why didn't the people leave?"

Upon hearing this, the soldier's face grew even more sorrowful. "Young man, you don't understand. We are all old men in this city. Many of us came here with the old city lord. We simply cannot bear to see the people of the city suffer. Besides, we have elderly and young children at home. If we run away, how will we live?"

"The city's residents' belongings were all robbed by those rich people and scoundrels. Those who still had some wealth naturally fled long ago, leaving behind those who were penniless, old, weak, sick, and disabled, who could only stay here to wait for death."