"Damn it, you can't even defeat the enemy, so all you do is bully us common folk!"

Watching the soldiers take away his young granddaughter, the old man knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, cursing them incessantly.

Of course, the elderly man's family was not the only one suffering from this hardship.

The soldiers who collected taxes searched the city's inhabitants for any food or valuables they possessed. Those who had no food or valuables had their women taken away to exchange for money.

For a time, the city was filled with the cries and curses of the people.

"Sigh, these people are really going too far!"

At the city gate on the east side of the city, an officer responsible for guarding the gate couldn't help but sigh as he listened to the cries coming from not far away.

"Yes, the people just paid their taxes not long ago, and now the king wants to collect more. The people have no way to survive, and I'm afraid they'll riot sooner or later!"

One of the soldiers couldn't help but sigh and stepped forward to echo his sentiment.

"Hey~, we're just nobody, why should we care about these things? Those are the king's and the nobles' decisions, as long as it doesn't involve our families!" Another soldier waved his hand helplessly.

Just as the group was talking, a group of soldiers who had come to relieve the city guards walked toward the city gate.

The officer and his soldiers quickly stopped talking. They were all newly recruited and were not on the same side as the soldiers opposite them.

The words you say to the people could easily backfire if they reached the ears of the other side.

Soon after the change of guard, the officer led his men home.

As they passed through the areas where the people lived, they could clearly feel the fear and a hint of hostility in the people's eyes as they looked at them.

This feeling made them, who had just changed from civilians to soldiers, feel very uncomfortable.

After all, they were all the same group of people who had suffered hardship and toiled before, but now, because of the greed of those in power, they have become enemies with each other. Anyone would find this hard to accept.

Before long, the group passed through the area where the civilians lived and arrived at the alley where the soldiers lived.

What's going on?

Seeing the open gates on both sides of the alley and hearing faint sobbing sounds coming from them, the officer and his soldiers were momentarily stunned.

"Let's go back and take a look!"

The officer, sensing something was wrong, hurriedly ran home, and the soldiers around him quickly dispersed.

Soon, the officer ran to his own yard. When he saw his wife sitting there crying, his expression changed, and he quickly walked over.

"What happened? What's going on?"

Hearing the sound, the woman looked up and, upon seeing her husband, cried even harder: "Husband...he...they came to collect taxes and took everything away..."

The officer's expression shifted: "What? Tax collectors have actually come to our house?"

The wife sobbed, "Yes, they said they were acting on the King's orders, saying that the Xianbei wanted a lot, and this time they had to take from everyone!"

"They're talking nonsense. The Xianbei people didn't want nearly as much as they took."

After hearing his wife's words, the officer couldn't help but curse.

Today, while he was guarding the East Gate, he personally witnessed how those guys dug deep and looted the place. Besides giving the loot to the Xianbei people, the nobles and officials also made a lot of money off of it.

I never imagined they were so greedy. Not content with plundering the people, they even went so far as to plunder their own homes.

"My husband, we have nothing left at home. How are we going to survive?"

Upon hearing his wife's words, the officer's expression changed instantly, and he didn't know what to say.

He was just a minor official guarding the city gate, with only about thirty men under his command. In the eyes of those powerful and wealthy people, he was no different from those lowly commoners.

What can we do besides endure what we're facing today?

Just then, the officers' soldiers rushed over, looking anxious.

"Captain, my house has been robbed, everything is gone!"

"Yes, my house was emptied out too!"

"That was the resettlement allowance they gave us when we joined the army, and now they're just taking it away like that! It's outrageous!"

"Exactly! We worked so hard to defend the city for them, and this is how they treat us? They don't even consider us human!"

All the soldiers recounted their family misfortunes to the officer with resentment in their eyes.

"So what do you want to do? Rebel?"

Hearing his subordinates' complaints, the officer asked without expression.

"this……"

Upon hearing the officer's question, the soldiers immediately fell silent, stammering and unable to speak.

"Haha~, in the eyes of those powerful and wealthy people, you are nothing but a bunch of lowly commoners. So what if you rebel?"

Just then, a burst of laughter came from outside the courtyard, and a burly man dressed in blue walked in.

Who are you?

Upon seeing the newcomer, the officer asked warily, his right hand quickly gripping the weapon at his waist. The soldiers then stepped forward and surrounded the newcomer.

"Please don't be alarmed, everyone. I'm here to help you!"

Seeing everyone looking on high alert, the burly man in blue still wore the same smile he had when he arrived, showing no sign of panic.

"Help us?"

The officer's expression hardened, and he looked at the burly man in blue with a hesitant expression: "Why should I believe you?"

The burly man in blue raised his eyelids and said, "As far as I know, the Xianbei have colluded with Yuan Shao of Gaochang and are determined to attack your country. Your Wusun is about to perish, and you will also face great calamity!"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, the officer exclaimed in surprise, and the other soldiers' expressions all changed.

The officer's expression hardened: "How do you know all this?"

"Because I am a Xianbei, and my king sent me here to infiltrate and find some partners!"

As he spoke, the burly man in blue took out a wooden plaque and threw it at the officer.

Upon receiving the token, the officer immediately noticed a wolf's head pattern and a line of unfamiliar characters engraved on it.

Although the text was illegible, the officer knew that the Xianbei people used the wolf as their totem.

"We're just a bunch of nobody gatekeepers. What good would it do you to cooperate with us?"

After confirming the other party's identity, the officer not only did not turn hostile, but instead asked with a puzzled look.

"Ah, you are mistaken. You may be insignificant in the eyes of the Wusun nobles, but in the eyes of our army, you are of utmost importance!"

"Okay, tell me, what should we do?"

Sensing the importance placed on the other party's words, the officer didn't hesitate and asked directly.