The scorching sun is burning the earth.

It makes people's already restless hearts even more anxious.

They are afraid.

The way out that was hard-won was cut off just like that.

For a while.

There were wails everywhere.

The woman sobbed, the children cried, and the old man was sad.

The man who still had some blood in him looked at the victims everywhere with bloodshot eyes.

"Will they be satisfied only if they force us all to death?"

"Erniu, what do you want to do?"

...

...

A young man holding a long stick, obviously skinny, stood on a high stone slope with an angry look on his face.

His father grabbed him.

"What?"

Erniu held the stick horizontally.

"I'm going to go and wipe out those bastards right now."

He looked around the messy surroundings, and the noisy sounds seemed to disappear completely at this moment.

"Anyone want to come with me?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Have you just accepted your fate?"

Erniu asked again.

He held his breath and yelled, "It's just a matter of death. Rather than dying in such a cowardly way, it's better to fight hard. Even if I die, I can still win a future for my wife and children."

"Come on, I'll go with you."

"Yes, I'll come too!"

"Let's go, let's kill them."

"Kill them!"

In the chaotic crowd, glances met vaguely.

A group of people rushed towards the troops that were about to encircle them.

More and more people gathered.

The accumulated sparks were lifted by the breeze, igniting everyone's dead heart.

Galloping and fiery.

Until the line was so long that there was no end in sight, and the resentment that had accumulated over the years formed a long river.

It is about to submerge the entire northern border.

Bottle mouth.

A fortress connecting the eighteen northern counties to the Central Plains.

Two mountains that tower into the clouds abruptly separate the northern border.

Only a narrow passage was left.

Connect to the outside world.

To the north of Jingxian is Ping'erkou.

After passing Ping'erkou, you will arrive at Guanshan Town, the largest town in the north.

Zhou Changgeng, dressed in dark green armor and leading tens of thousands of troops, crossed Guanshan Town in one go, attempting to pass through Ping'erkou and head straight to Jing County to force the emperor to release the people.

Zhuge Rui rode his horse and followed Zhou Changgeng.

Looking at the narrow intersection ahead, I was worried.

"Brother Zhou, have you sent scouts to investigate?"

"We came so suddenly. There are refugees on the road. The dog emperor has just arrived. We caught him off guard. He knows nothing!"

"You can't be so confident. He was able to kidnap the heads of our ten great families overnight and even left a letter for us to find. This shows that he is not an easy target. We should be careful."

"When did you become such a cautious person? He only used some unspeakable means. If we were not caught off guard, how could he have taken so many people away at once?"

"Yes, Brother Zhuge, he is just an emperor without real power. Our people have already found out that he does not have many troops this time. Our ten great families can easily dispatch 50,000 troops. Why should we be afraid of him?"

Everyone echoed, all thinking of what Zhou Changgeng was saying.

Zhuge Rui frowned, still worried.

"We are only sending two scouts to explore the way. It won't take long. We can reorganize the army and rest for a while, so we can move forward with more confidence. Why not?"

The Zhou family has always regarded itself as the leader of the ten great families in the North.

As the eldest son of the Zhou family, many people have been trying to curry favor with Zhou Changgeng since he was a child.

To put it bluntly, even if he farted in public, there would be people rushing to smell it and saying with their eyes open that it smells good.

This is the first time that I have been humiliated in public.

Zhou Changgeng felt that his authority was being challenged.

His displeasure was evident on his face.

None of the others dared to refute.

"What if I insist on not agreeing?"

Anger burst out from Zhou Changgeng's eyes.

"Those who achieve great things don't pay attention to small details. What can you achieve if you are so cautious?"

Zhuge Rui turned around and glanced at the dusty soldiers following closely behind them.

They were not even qualified to ride horses, and could only wear heavy armor, carry heavy weapons, and follow behind them step by step.

Dust-covered.

Although he was extremely tired, he could only grit his teeth and endure, not daring to utter a word of complaint.

He doesn't care about other people's private soldiers.

But his own private soldiers were carefully trained at the cost of a large amount of gold and silver and energy.

He felt very sad when he lost one.

Not to mention coming out in full force.

And I met such a stubborn and self-willed lord.

Think about this.

Zhuge Rui dismounted from his horse and bowed to Zhou Changgeng.

"I really have no ambitions, and I cannot help you achieve great things. Since we have different paths, we will go our separate ways from now on. I will lead the Zhuge family's personal soldiers to retreat to the northern border, and I will stay here to wish you a triumphant return."

"you……"

A crack of the whip.

With a snap, the fine cowhide whip hit Zhuge Rui's face accurately.

Leaving a deep bloodstain.

"Very good. When I return home with my father and uncles, I will ask you to kneel at the gate of my Zhou Mansion for ten days and apologize for your crime!"

After saying this, Zhou Changgeng, with anger surging, whipped his horse and rode away.

Everyone followed closely behind.

Someone looked at Zhuge Rui as if hesitantly wanting to say something.

Zhuge Rui did not move at all.

He let the sound of horse hooves splash the dust and ruffle his clothes, and respectfully watched Zhou Changgeng and others leave.

He thought that if his father were here, he would definitely make the same choice as him.

In the end, all the people and horses entered the mouth of the bottle.

Only one army of the Zhuge family was left, led by Zhuge Rui, and they returned along the same route.

The two sides walked further and further away, and when they looked back, the deserted wilderness seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

Guanshan Town and Ping'erkou were completely separated into two worlds.

"Erniu, do we have to do this?"

A man named Monkey was so nervous that his calves were shaking.

"If they don't die, we must die."

Erniu looked at everyone with a determined look.

"We have no way out. Think about the families still guarding outside the gate of Jing County. When have those wealthy families ever treated us as human beings? We are not even as good as their dogs."

They were short of water and food, and had fled from famine all the way, eating up all the edible grass roots and tree bark along the way.

What about those people from aristocratic families?

They had never planted a grain of rice or a plant of millet, but they worked hard all year round, and all the food they grew went into their pockets.

Finally, famine struck.

They were unwilling to share even a grain of their surplus food with them!

Why?

"At this point, those who are afraid can choose to leave. After a while, when the entire army arrives, they won't be able to leave."

"If I don't leave, why should we die? I haven't even married yet, and I don't want to go to hell so early."

"I won't leave either. My mother and my wife are almost starving to death. Even if I fight to the last breath, I will die with those people."

"I won't leave!"

"I won't leave either!"

"We're not leaving!"