Chapter 51 (Final Chapter)

When Su Muying arrived at the city gate, large numbers of people had already crowded around the north gate, colliding with the guards.

"Let us out! Let us escape! We're going to lose! If we don't escape, we're all going to die!"

"That's right! Staying here is a dead end anyway, let us out of the city!"

"Let us out of the city!"

"Let us out of the city!"

...

The leader shouted and charged forward, and the people behind him followed suit, shouting and pushing forward. Their emotions were contagious, and suddenly the crowd became agitated, turning into a ferocious beast.

Seeing this, the soldiers guarding the city gate had no choice but to draw their swords, hoping to scare them away.

"Back off! All of you, back off!"

"Enemy troops are attacking the city gates! The gates must not be opened!"

"Everyone, stand back!"

The soldier was right; there were indeed enemy troops attacking the city outside, ramming the city gates with wooden planks, scaling the city walls with ladders, and the sounds of fighting were incessant.

The main battlefield is at the main city gate, where Xie Linyuan and his men are fighting the enemy, resulting in a stalemate.

Wu Zizhuo and his men originally thought the battle would end quickly, but they did not expect it to become a stalemate. Someone suggested attacking Anzhou from the side gate, first looting and killing everyone in Anzhou to cut off their supplies, and then launching a pincer attack on Xie Linyuan's army. They believed that this would definitely defeat Xie Linyuan and capture Anzhou. So, they divided their forces to attack the north side gate.

But at this moment, the people crowded here are overwhelmed by fear and anger, have lost their reason, and only want to leave the city.

While the city was under siege from the outside, a riot broke out inside. Fear spread, and more and more people gathered and rushed to the city gate, seemingly determined to break it open.

In desperation, the soldiers guarding the city drew their swords and were about to slash at the civilians rushing towards them when Su Muying saw this and quickly shouted to stop them.

"Stop! Don't hurt anyone!"

Su Muying shouted with all her might. Her voice was not deep, but it was clear and resonant like gold striking stone, and it was firm. When it passed through everyone's ears, the crowd was silent for a moment.

They seemed to calm down for a moment.

After a moment of stunned silence, the soldier looked in the direction of the sound and saw Su Muying. He immediately put down his knife.

They were Xie Linyuan's soldiers, and they had all seen Su Muying. They also knew how important this young lady was to their general. Their general had even instructed them to protect this young lady well...

Now their general is out fighting the enemy, and we don't know how he is doing, or whether they can win this battle...

After Su Muying ran over, the soldiers guarding the city saluted and advised, "It's dangerous here, Miss Su, you should go back. If something happens to you, we can't bear the consequences if the general holds us accountable..."

Su Muying ran over, panting. She waved her hand, her heart pounding as she listened to the sounds of crashing and fighting outside. She said anxiously, "It's alright. The most important thing now is for everyone to calm down, disperse the crowd, and close the city gates..."

Just then, someone in the crowd, who had just quieted down, shouted: "I know! She's the general's wife! Don't believe her! She has people protecting her, which can save her life, but we don't!"

"Nobody cares if we live or die! We have to get out of the city!"

His shout caused the crowd, which had just calmed down, to become restless again, all shouting in unison: "Yes! Nobody cares if we live or die, we have to save ourselves!"

"Yes! We need to leave the city!"

"Let us out of the city!"

...

Seeing this, and realizing that the situation was about to get out of control, Su Muying didn't care about anything else. She snatched the knife from the soldier's hand and held it horizontally to the neck of the leader.

This man was originally just taking advantage of the chaos. He was afraid and wanted to leave the city, so he thought of inciting others to join him, figuring that the soldiers guarding the city wouldn't dare to harm so many civilians.

But at that moment, when Su Muying held a knife to his neck, he immediately fell silent.

The crowd quieted down.

Su Muying handed the knife to a soldier nearby, then stood on a brick wall and spoke loudly:

"Rest assured, everyone. Anzhou is not only your home, but also my home, Su Muying's home. I, Su Muying, will stay here and guard this city until the very last moment."

As she spoke those last few words, Su Muying felt a sudden pain in her heart.

It felt like being suddenly stabbed by something; a hidden and slow pain spread out.

In that instant, she thought of Xie Linyuan.

She wondered, was he still alive...?

But this thought only lasted for a brief moment before Su Muying forcibly suppressed it.

The crowd was watching her, their eyes filled with confusion, fear, and terror, but even more so with a desire to live.

They all wanted to live, and they all wanted to live a good life in Anju.

They didn't want to die.

Looking into those pairs of eyes, Su Muying felt as if she were seeing her former self.

Her voice, though passionate, was tinged with a slight sob, making it all the more heart-wrenching. Not to mention the compassionate and anxious look in her eyes as she stood on high ground, which pierced the very depths of one's heart.

People always have the most genuine feelings about kindness.

As a result, without anyone deliberately instigating the crowd, the restlessness of the crowd disappeared, and everyone was looking at Su Muying.

Outside, the air was filled with the sounds of gunfire and constant fighting. At this moment, they strangely placed all their hopes for survival on Su Muying, looking up to her as if she were a goddess.

“I know everyone is very scared right now, scared of dying, scared of being separated from their loved ones, scared of Anzhou experiencing the fire and massacre that happened before again…” Su Muying’s eyes were red, and the tears that were welling up in her eyes did not fall.

Crying sounds gradually rose from the crowd.

Su Muying's voice trembled slightly as she gasped for breath: "Anzhou suffered a massacre, and my parents died in that massacre, in that fire, right before my eyes, trying to save me... So, I can understand everyone..."

“I am from Anzhou. My parents are buried here, and today, whether I live or die, I will stay here.”

"Even if I die, I want to be buried here."

At this point, the intermittent sobbing in the crowd suddenly stopped.

Su Muying's voice, having stopped crying, became firm again, and remained exceptionally clear even amidst the fighting and gunfire.

"Therefore, I urge everyone to calm down. The enemy troops outside are attacking the city gates. Once the gates are opened, the enemy will take advantage of the situation and invade Anzhou. At that time, not only will we not be able to escape, but we will also be used as human shields to resist them, and they will create another massacre just like before..."

After Su Muying finished speaking, there was a deathly silence in the crowd.

Once they calmed down and were no longer blinded by fear and anger, they realized that everything Su Muying said made sense, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

There were indeed sounds of ramming against the city gate outside. The crowd fell silent, and they realized that the city gate was creaking intermittently, as if it would be smashed open at any moment and the enemy troops outside would rush in instantly.

As a result, after the city gate was hit again and made a creaking sound, the crowd took several steps back in unison, and some people even trembled and fell to the ground.

Just then, a soldier on the city wall reported the battle situation: "It's bad! The enemy is launching a forced attack on the city and is quickly climbing the city walls using the ladders. We're running out of oil and arrows!"

Upon hearing this, Su Muying reacted quickly. Before the crowd could descend into panic and chaos again, she made a decisive move and shouted, "Don't panic, everyone! Listen to me! Anzhou is our home, let's defend the city together! Now, everyone bring out all the sesame oil and vegetable oil you have at home to use as fuel. Those with good strength and eyesight, come with me to the city wall!"

Under these circumstances, with a calm and clear-headed person giving instructions, the crowd disregarded their panic and followed Su Muying's orders.

Soon, barrels of sesame oil and vegetable oil were placed on the city wall, and some strong men with good physiques and arms followed Su Muying up the city wall.

Although Su Muying looked delicate and frail, and was usually seen by others as nothing more than a beautiful but weak woman who seemed unable to lift a finger, she did not show the slightest fear at the moment, even though she could see the bloody battlefield as far as the eye could see, and the sounds of the enemy troops charging at the city were constantly ringing in her ears.

But looking at Su Muying's face, she remained calm and composed, without the slightest fear or panic.

Even as those burly men and soldiers retreated, Su Muying calmly walked to the parapet to observe the situation and inquired with the soldiers about the current defenses and troop strength on the city wall.

But in truth, facing the endless cannon fodder and the deafening battle, Su Muying was not without fear. She simply suppressed her inner fear and dread. Perhaps it was because she was used to being calm and hiding her emotions, or perhaps it was because of the current situation. With Anzhou on the verge of collapse and facing fire and massacre, all she could think about was how to defend the city and how to do everything in her power to protect her home.

Moreover, when weakness and fear overwhelm her, Xie Linyuan's face would flash before Su Muying's eyes.

His face, stained with blood, was still smiling at her with a smirk.

She would also think of Xiao Nian'an.

Xiao Nian'an is still waiting for her father and mother to come back.

Su Muying already knew that Xie Linyuan had charged into the enemy's encirclement alone, intending to resist thousands of troops and take Wu Zizhuo's head single-handedly.

She already knows.

"Charge!"

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

"These are all old, weak, and disabled soldiers! Climb up and kill them all!"

"Hahahaha—the opportunity to make a name for myself has arrived!"

"I saw it! There's a woman over there, and she's so pretty. Perfect for venting my frustration!"

Amidst the carnage, the soldiers were transformed into beasts. Su Muying should have been afraid and shouldn't have been on the city wall, but she calmly assessed the situation while listening to the enemy's shouts.

The moonlight shone quietly, falling on the girl's slender shoulders, causing her hair to flutter in the wind. Su Muying could smell it; the wind carried the scent of blood, mixed with the smell of burning.

She clenched her fists tightly and took a deep breath.

Su Muying now understood that to defend Anzhou, she couldn't rely on Xie Linyuan alone.

We can't rely on him alone...

Moreover, Su Muying had seen Xie Linyuan's wounds and knew them all too well. She had seen him come off the battlefield in his blood-stained armor, exuding a murderous aura, and she had also seen him collapse in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life after a desperate battle...

He has been injured too many times. Old wounds haven't healed before new ones are added. It's already a miracle that his body has lasted this long.

He is not a god; he is just a mortal man. He bleeds when swords and knives strike him.

He was invincible before, never having suffered a single defeat, but that doesn't mean he can break through the encirclement again this time and save the city like a god.

Su Muying understands now.

In the past, she, like everyone else, regarded him as a god-like general, a general who never lost.

Indeed, he had never suffered a defeat.

Before Su Muying met him, she had heard of his name. People said that he joined the army at the age of thirteen and never suffered a defeat. He rose from a common soldier to a great general who was famous throughout the world and feared by the enemy.

Since he was stationed at the border, he has successively recaptured three cities that had been occupied by the barbarian tribes.

Everyone said he was bloodthirsty and ruthless, with mountains of bones piled up under his feet. Some even said he ate raw human flesh like a wild beast.

As the story spread, Xie Linyuan became a demon-like figure amidst a series of astonishing victories.

Everyone feared him. Although he was handsome with captivating eyes and had maintained his appearance for many years while guarding the border, everyone who saw him was intimidated by his sharpness and murderous aura, and dared not look at him for more than half a glance.

But at the same time, everyone regarded him as the guardian deity of Daliang.

It was as if as long as he was there, the battle would not be lost.

But Su Muying knew that he was just a person, someone who could bleed and die.

He was still recovering from old wounds, and this battle was just a matter of forcing himself to stay alive.

It's unknown how long he can hold out as he charges into the midst of thousands of troops alone.

Looking at the devastated battlefield, Su Muying realized how insignificant one person's strength was. Anzhou was so big, and Liang Kingdom was so big, how could one person possibly support it all?

Will he be able to come back?

These thoughts only flashed through Su Muying's mind for a moment, as did Xie Linyuan's. After a moment, she suppressed these thoughts and focused on dealing with the battle situation at hand.

She had already observed that the area below the city wall was densely packed with enemy troops climbing up the ladders. If they had enough troops and sufficient bows and arrows, they could defend the city.

However, Anzhou's military strength was already insufficient. Eighty thousand troops were dispatched to support the border, and the vast majority of the troops went to the front lines to fight the enemy. The troops at the side gates were extremely weak, and there was no commander. When Su Muying arrived, the soldiers and civilians regarded her as their commander and listened to her orders.

Su Muying remained calm and decisively gave the order: "Use sesame oil instead of kerosene, pour it down from the city wall, then ignite it with arrows. At the same time, fire arrows all at once and shoot them down in one fell swoop."

"This will buy us some time. As long as the enemy doesn't send reinforcements, we can seize the opportunity. When they are exhausted, we can wait for them to finish. Even if they manage to breach the city walls, we can still put up a fight."

Su Muying's composure and calmness effectively stabilized people's hearts. She directed calmly and methodically, with clear and reasonable plans, so the others did not panic. Instead, their confidence increased, and they all did as Su Muying said.

So, the sesame oil was poured down as if it were kerosene and then ignited with rockets. Instantly, a chorus of screams and cries of agony rang out, and the city walls were engulfed in flames, with the pungent smell of burning flesh spreading out.

Su Muying narrowed her eyes slightly. Many people had already fallen off the ladder, and quite a few had slid down because of the oil spill.

But soon someone set up a ladder and climbed up.

Despite the nauseating smell of burning flesh, Su Muying did not hesitate for a moment. She ordered people to heat the oil, pour it in, and then shoot arrows to ignite it.

The smell of burning flesh grew stronger, and the stench of blood intensified.

...

Su Muying led her men in this defense, defending the city again and again, until finally they were exhausted, out of sesame oil and arrows. Although the enemy below suffered heavy casualties, their forces were far superior and they quickly stormed the city walls.

A sliver of dawn broke through the darkness, the moonlight gradually faded, and the sky began to brighten. However, the stench of blood and the smell of burning grew stronger, making one want to vomit.

"Quick! We've taken this place! Brothers, charge!"

"We will surely share in the glory of future battles!"

"Charge! Kill them all! There must be supplies in the city!"

"Kill them all!"

"kill!"

...

These excited shouts came from afar, and soon the soldiers would climb the city walls and the city gates would be broken open...

Anzhou, Anzhou...

Su Muying slumped down against the city wall, listening to these words with her eyes closed. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her flesh. As bright red blood flowed from her palms, tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped into the blood.

She hated it, she hated it so much!

But... she really tried her best, she couldn't do it anymore.

She slumped against the city wall, utterly exhausted and in pain, her fragile mental state on the verge of collapse.

She was too exhausted to run away.

Running away is useless now.

Su Muying thought, it's no use...

It's really useless now...

It would be good to die in Anju.

After she dies, will she be able to see her parents...?

In what she thought were her last moments, she thought of her parents, of Xiao Nian'an, and as her consciousness grew increasingly blurred, she looked at the gradually brightening sky and also thought of Xie Linyuan.

I don't know... I don't know how he is.

Is he still alive?

As her fading consciousness was about to completely dissipate, Su Muying listened to the excited shouts and cries, and thought to herself.

Just then, as Su Muying slowly closed her eyes, someone on the city wall suddenly shouted, "The general is here!"

"The general is here!"

Su Muying shuddered and suddenly opened her eyes. She seemed to think it was a hallucination and was stunned for a moment. Then someone shouted excitedly, "The general has come to our aid!"

"Miss Su! Miss Su! We're saved!"

Su Muying suddenly regained her strength, struggled to get up by supporting herself against the wall, and ran to the edge of the city wall.

Sure enough, at the break of dawn, amidst a sea of ​​golden light, a rider galloped in, followed by millions of cavalrymen moving at breakneck speed.

Dust billowed, hooves thundered, and the earth seemed to tremble. The figure of the man became clearer in the morning light.

Bloodstained armor, fluttering robes, and a bright red headband billowing from his high-tied hair, he galloped on his horse, holding Wu Zizhuo's head in one hand, shouting:

"Wu Zizhuo's head is here. Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Otherwise, this is what will happen!"

Su Muying saw Xie Linyuan.

She saw Xie Linyuan rushing towards her. In the dim light of dawn, under the slowly rising sun, his whole body was bathed in golden light. His blood-stained white armor gleamed with gold, and his long hair, along with his red headband, fluttered in the golden light.

He came carrying a severed head, bathed in blood; this is the spirit of a general.

It's Xie Linyuan, it really is Xie Linyuan...

Su Muying opened her eyes wide, and tears welled up without warning. She covered her mouth with both hands, and an unprecedented surge of intense emotions rushed to her chest. She was laughing and crying at the same time, and her mind went blank for a moment.

To these enemy troops at this moment, Xie Linyuan's name was probably no different from a death warrant, not to mention that Xie Linyuan was carrying Wu Zizhuo's head in his hand and had a troop of soldiers with high morale behind him.

Xie Linyuan caught the bow and arrow thrown by Chen Ling and shot one of the soldiers who was about to climb the city wall. Almost the instant the arrow hit the ground with a thud, the soldiers surrendered.

With their commander dead, Xie Linyuan has slaughtered his way across the entire battlefield. If they do not surrender, this place will be their burial ground.

Xie Linyuan galloped to the foot of the city wall. The city gate was wide open. He threw the severed head to Chen Ling, dismounted, and rushed up the city wall like a gust of wind.

When Su Muying saw Xie Linyuan approaching from afar and then appearing before her, it felt like only a moment had passed, yet also like an eternity had gone by.

Xie Linyuan stood before her again, covered in blood, but this time, the light falling on him was no longer the cold moonlight, but the dazzling, even warm, golden light of dawn.

He looked at her and smiled, his peach blossom eyes lowered, his gaze gentle and soft, the corners of his eyes slightly upturned, revealing a long-lost sense of spirit and exhilaration.

"Ying'er, Anzhou has been defended."

After Xie Linyuan said those words, Su Muying suddenly took two steps forward and threw herself into his arms, bursting into tears.

Her crying seemed to have infected others, and they all started to cry as well.

Some cried softly, some wiped away tears, and some wailed loudly.

That's good. Anju was saved. It won't be massacred or burned down. The people can continue to live peacefully.

Su Muying thought, "This is wonderful..."

Very good……

After Su Muying threw herself into Xie Linyuan's arms, he was stunned for a moment, his whole body stiffened, but his blood was burning and boiling.

This is the real her, no longer the one who only throws herself into his arms in her dreams.

Did Heaven take pity on him...?

Did he find redemption from her...?

The woman in his arms was trembling slightly, her sobs swirling in his ears. Xie Linyuan's heart felt like it was being torn apart. He was excited by her touch and her scent, yet he also felt pain.

He carefully returned her embrace, his large hands gently stroking her thin back, comforting her.

"Don't be afraid, Ying'er, I'm here."

"It's alright, Anzhou is alright..."

"You'll never experience something like that again, I promise..."

"There will be a peaceful world, and there will be no more war or turmoil..."

"Ying'er, don't cry...it hurts."

He whispered hoarsely in her ear that he was in pain, and Su Muying's heart suddenly began to feel a secret pain as well.

At this moment, she didn't even want him to be in pain.

She didn't want him covered in blood, didn't want him to hurt himself, didn't want him to always put himself on the brink of life and death, didn't want his eyes to always look at her with self-torture and pain, and also, didn't want him to have the madness of wanting to cut himself in two to beg for her forgiveness and pity.

Why bother?

He doesn't forgive himself.

He repaid her a hundredfold, a thousandfold, for the suffering she endured, even though she didn't need this repayment.

That's all.

Su Muying thought, An'an... An'an is still waiting for them to go back.

That's all.

Then, Su Muying's crying gradually stopped, and her trembling also ceased.

She lifted her head from his embrace, looked at him with eyes still misty with tears, and said to him:

"Xie Linyuan, now I can answer what you said that day."

Xie Linyuan was startled. He suddenly lifted his eyelids, his dark pupils staring intently at Su Muying in front of him, his long eyelashes drooping, unblinking.

His body was stiff, his mouth was dry, and he had never felt so nervous and apprehensive before...

At this moment, everything in heaven and earth seemed to disappear before him, leaving only Su Muying in front of him.

He awaits her judgment, awaits her redemption, or divine punishment.

He accepts whatever it may be.

If she asked him to die, he would immediately jump off this city wall.

If she wanted him to live.

Xie Linyuan didn't even dare to think about this possibility.

He did so many wrong things, he hurt her, he made her cry all the time, his hands were covered in her blood, he deserves to die, he deserves to die...

Just as Xie Linyuan's peach blossom eyes reddened and he was once again trapped in that lingering nightmare, he felt a warm and soft touch on his hand.

Her hand grasped his palm.

"Xie Linyuan, I hope you live. I hope you live well."

"I hope you won't hurt yourself anymore, I hope your injuries won't get worse..."

"I don't want to see you covered in blood, I don't want to see you covered in wounds."

"I hope you're still that spirited general who fights for the people. I don't want you to live in guilt and pain every day, filled with anxiety and fear..."

"Did you hear me? I want you to live."

Xie Linyuan was completely stunned, but tears kept welling up in his peach blossom eyes and falling down in large drops.

Su Muying laughed instead.

Her eyebrows curved into crescents, and her eyes sparkled like countless stars.

She took his hand, and in the warm morning light and amidst the gazes of the crowd, she said to him, "An'an is still waiting for us to go back."

"Wait for his father to go back."

“We…go back together.”

-----------------------

Author's Note: It's finished! I persevered and finished writing it. Thank you to every little angel! [Sprinkling flowers]