A little boy stumbled up the parapet walkway, but the parapet was too high and he was too short, so he could only barely see out from the top of the wall by stepping on the holes in the wall.

"What are you doing here? Go back now!" a Great Xia officer roared.

"Sir, I am twelve years old now, and I can kill the enemy!" the little boy said with a determined look in his eyes.

The enemy troops have arrived. If the city gates are breached, everyone will surely die. The officer's face darkened, and he shouted, "Then follow me closely!"

The little boy peeked out and looked closely. The town was full of firelight, and he immediately realized that it was a large group of people, carrying torches, running back and forth between the houses.

He saw a thatched roof ablaze, orange flames licking at the night.

Another fire broke out, and soon the surrounding area was engulfed in flames.

His brother climbed up and stood beside him.

His older brother, two years his senior, was already wearing a helmet and wielding a dulled single-edged sword. "How many people have come?"

The little boy tried to count, but they moved too fast, and all he could see were the torches flying and spinning in the night sky.

“Eight hundred?” he said. “Or more than a thousand, I can’t count them all!” Through the crackling of the raging fire, he could hear shouts. “They’ll be here soon!”

“Look!” his brother said, pointing.

A troop of Doss cavalry marched through the burning buildings toward the manor. The firelight illuminated their metal helmets, turning their armor orange. One of them held aloft a banner.

He thought the flag was red, but it was impossible to tell at night; with flames everywhere, everything looked either red, black, or orange.

The fire continued to spread, and the little boy saw a tree being consumed by flames. Flames danced among the branches and leaves, making the tree seem to be wearing flowing orange robes, creating a stark contrast with the night.

At this moment, everyone woke up, some coming up to help defend the city wall, others busy calming the frightened livestock below.

He heard the town's officer shouting orders. Something bumped into his leg, and when he looked down, he saw it was the little girl next door who always cried, clinging to his leg.

"Little sister, let go," he pulled his foot away, "Don't come here! Quickly find somewhere to hide!"

The Dos cavalrymen reined in their horses outside the gate. "Listen up, you inside!" a weasel-faced Great Xia translator called out loudly. "Open the gate immediately!"

“I cannot comply!” an old soldier roared back.

"Hmph, when the warriors of Rudos breach the city gates, they will surely raze this place to the ground!"

The highest-ranking officer in town climbed the battlements beside the gate and shouted, "Damn traitor, if you have the guts, attack!" He yelled, "The King of Shu is coming soon, he will skin you alive and grind your bones to dust!"

"The King of Shu? He can barely protect himself, how could he have time to care about you?" the translator shouted. "Open the city gates at once!"

Due to Li Hu's orders, the border was left undefended, allowing the Dos people to advance unimpeded. They continuously plundered surrounding villages and towns, committing murder, arson, and all sorts of atrocities.

According to their superiors, the Xia soldiers who remained here could have stayed out of it, but as Xia soldiers, they could not stand idly by and watch the barbarians slaughter their own people.

Thinking of this, the officer gripped his longsword tightly in anger and retorted sharply, "Dream on!"

"Heh heh, then don't blame us for being impolite!" The traitorous translator rode back and said something to the leading general, Doss.

The latter roared, and the Great Xia soldiers immediately understood that the siege was about to begin!

The officer looked around and saw that the towns ahead were engulfed in flames.

The night sky was filled with thick smoke, and the flickering flames obscured the stars.

General Doss lazily clenched his fist and raised his hand, and immediately an arrow shot out from the firelight and shadows behind him.

The gun was originally aimed at the officer of the Great Xia, but the soldier next to him was shot instead.

The arrow pierced his throat, and blood gushed out from the back of his neck.

The soldier grabbed the gun, fell backward helplessly, and tumbled down the walkway.

"Break up the city walls and kill them all," the traitorous translator said, sounding rather bored.

More arrows came flying, and the officer quickly grabbed the little boy by the back of his coat and pulled him down.

Outside the wall came the sounds of clashing armor, drawing swords, and striking spears and shields, mixed with curses and the thunder of galloping horses.

A torch flew high over the heads of the crowd and crashed heavily onto the muddy ground of the courtyard, where flames immediately spread.

"Grab your weapons!" the Great Xia officer shouted. "Everyone, spread out! Protect each section of the city wall! Old Liu, Wang San, you two guard the side gates. Luo Jun, push the body down and take his place!"

The little boy tried to draw his short sword, but dropped it on the ground.

His brother picked it up and put it in his hand.

“I don’t know how to use a sword,” the little boy said, his eyes wide.

“It’s very simple!” His brother’s words caught in his throat as he saw a hand climb up the breastwork.

In the glow of the town's burning fire, he saw the hand clearly; time seemed to stand still for a moment. The fingers were thick and calloused, with coarse black hairs growing between the knuckles, and dirt under the thumbnail.

A round helmet appeared behind his hand.

"That was beautiful!" the boy's older brother exclaimed, as he slashed downwards with force, his blade striking the opponent's knuckles. "Long live the Great Xia!" he screamed.

Blood splattered, fingers severed, the face that had just appeared came and went in a hurry.

"Behind!" the little boy shouted.

His brother immediately turned around and saw another bearded man without a helmet, holding a curved knife in his teeth and climbing with both hands.

As soon as his leg crossed the breastwork, the little boy thrust his sword at his eye.

However, being only twelve years old and lacking any combat experience, his short sword failed to touch the Nados barbarian.

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