scheming

A-Qiu could only pat her back and comfort her, saying, "Now that you know there are many adults here to protect us, just relax and sleep."

Cui Luzhu and Zhang Exu were exhausted from talking to her for so long, and coupled with their fear and anxiety during the day, they finally fell into a deep sleep.

A-Qiu woke up in the middle of the night.

Through the window, one could see flames shooting into the sky in the courtyard, where all the firewood and straw that had been piled up had been burned.

Two rows of swords and spears stood menacingly, reflecting a cold light under the firelight.

Hundreds of Divine Hound Camp soldiers were confronting a densely packed group of Northern Qiang soldiers in the courtyard, guarding the house behind them, where A Qiu and her companions were staying, preventing the Northern Qiang army from breaking in.

In addition, soldiers from the Divine Mastiff Battalion were carrying buckets of water and rushing to put out the fire.

A Qiu only glanced at it before feeling a chill run down her spine.

The few Northern Qiang soldiers at the front grinned and shouted in broken Chinese, "Put down your weapons and you can save your lives. The women behind you are all going to die anyway, so give them to us now and we can all live a few more days."

The soldiers of the Divine Mastiff Battalion all looked grim, but they showed no intention of retreating.

Right in the middle of the standoff between the two armies, several corpses lay scattered about. Judging from their uniforms, some were soldiers from the Divine Hound Camp, while others were soldiers from the Northern Qiang Army.

A-Qiu recognized the fallen soldiers from the Divine Hound Battalion; they were the soldiers who had guarded the gate for them before going to sleep. Blood flowed from their throats, indicating that someone had slit their throats from behind.

But his body was still clutching the whistle tightly, as if he had sounded an alarm before he died, alerting all the guards.

This was undoubtedly a premeditated intrusion. Someone set fire to the place, and someone else assassinated the guards. If the soldier hadn't had time to sound the alarm, A Qiu and the others would likely have been robbed by the intruding Northern Qiang army, their bodies destroyed after the atrocities. Afterwards, only the traces of a large fire remained, making it impossible for the Divine Hound Camp to investigate.

Under the firelight, even Yin Shang, one of Xing Feng's "Eight Steeds," had a livid face, and the nails of his clenched fist dug deeply into his palm.

Ah Qiu also understood why the members of Xingfeng Hall, known for their ruthless methods, would suddenly change color.

The man who clutched the whistle to warn others before his death was not only a guard of the Divine Hound Camp, but also an undercover agent from the Xingfeng Hall infiltrated into the camp. A Qiu remembered him because during the chaotic battle within the camp, she recalled that he had followed Yin Shang and had always kept watch and protected her.

The cruelty of Xingfeng Hall is directed at enemies and traitors, not at vulnerable women and children. The fact that Mo Yimingyue agreed to protect the brothel Luoyufang under any circumstances reveals Xingfeng Hall's true nature.

However, the Shang dynasty was unable to unleash a massacre at this moment, for reasons that must be the same as those of A Qiu.

They were afraid of escalating the conflict and making the situation uncontrollable.

If the Divine Hound Camp were to clash with the Northern Qiang Guards here, how would they proceed on the road ahead? How would they explain their mission to surrender to the Northern Qiang?

A Qiu heard him ask Zuo Jin in a low voice, "Did you go to invite Prince Ning?"

The fact that the Northern Qiang King's army so openly attacked the delegation naturally warranted an investigation by Hulü Guang.

The person opposite seemed to guess what he was talking about and laughed loudly, "I heard that the prefect was very hospitable tonight, and His Highness Prince Ning had a few too many drinks and has already gone to bed early. Since you can't wake him up even with all this noise, I suggest you don't waste your energy."

Judging from his words, it was unclear whether he had conspired with Hulü Guang or was genuinely taking advantage of Hulü Guang's drunkenness and unconsciousness. In any case, he wanted to accomplish the deed before his superiors intervened. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. With so many people involved, and all of them being Hulü Guang's personal guards, if the deed was done, Hulü Guang would certainly not severely punish them, but would only try to exonerate them.

Yin Shang's expression darkened again, turning as black as night.

He raised one hand to await the command, while reaching for the iron hook in his sleeve with the other.

Ah Qiu had heard of Yin Shang, one of the Eight Steeds of Xingfeng, whose weapon was a pair of iron hooks with eagle beaks. Because it was a strange weapon, its shape was bizarre and fierce, and it was impossible to defend against when it was swung.

But ever since she met Yin Shang, he had never used the iron hook in front of her. Because of his status as an officer in the Divine Hound Battalion, he always used the standard-issue longsword of the army.

But now, with life and death looming before him, the situation no longer allowed him to hide his true feelings.

He must have known that they were currently trapped in the territory of the Northern Qiang Kingdom, and if war broke out, it would result in a bloody battle to the death between the two armies, leaving no room for compromise.

If they die, the dancers behind them, and even Gongyi Xiu and Shangguan You, will become lambs to the slaughter.

The four or five Northern Qiang soldiers who spoke first were slightly taken aback by Yin Shang's grim expression and sudden burst of killing intent.

From Zhongdu to Jianzhang, they had truly never seen many Han soldiers so resolute in their determination to die. In their minds, whenever a serious battle broke out, Han armies would scatter and flee in terror.

Although they had already witnessed the methods of the Grand Music Master and Xiao Chang'an, they still felt that it was because they were officials. In such a vast Southern Dynasty, it was normal to have a few powerful officials.

But no one expected that the Divine Hound Camp would actually decide to confront them head-on when they had no chance of winning.

But the die was cast, and the arrow had to be released. These past few days, this guard had repeatedly provoked them, only to be suppressed by their superiors, leaving them seething with resentment and pent-up energy. Tonight's chaos was premeditated and inevitable. The momentum had built up to this point; the fire had been set, and over a hundred men had surrounded the inn. Even if Hulü Guang himself arrived, he probably wouldn't be able to control the situation.

The leading Northern Qiang army, disregarding everything else, roared, "Charge!" and brandished their sabers, slashing straight at the Yin Shang.

Even through the window, A-Qiu could feel the blood gushing out, splashing onto the firewood, the ground, and the walls.

With a flash of fire, the gleaming black iron hook slashed through the air, tearing open abdomens and chests, and a series of screams of agony rang out. Instantly, seven or eight corpses of the Northern Qiang soldiers lay on the ground.

Even so, it couldn't stop the mutiny.

The soldiers' ferocity was fully unleashed; those in front fell, and those behind surged forward. Layer upon layer of heads surged forward in a dark, overwhelming mass, their shouts of battle deafening.

Inside the house, all the geisha had already gotten up and were ready to go.

Under Sun Neiren's warning, everyone sat quietly on the bed, holding poisoned pearl hairpins, not daring to utter a sound.

Quietly awaiting the outcome of the fierce, life-or-death battle outside.

The Divine Hound Battalion was using their flesh and blood to withstand the repeated attacks of the Northern Qiang army.

When the last soldier of the Divine Hound Camp falls, that will be the moment when the Northern Qiang army rushes in.

In the instant before that, they had to commit suicide together.

Therefore, everyone kept a close eye on the situation outside, not daring to relax for even a moment. Because even if it was suicide, one had to seize the opportunity.

It would be best if they could survive, but if they missed the fleeting opportunity to commit suicide, what awaited them would be a fate worse than death.

As A Qiu listened to the shouts of battle outside, she felt increasingly uneasy.

The Northern Qiang Guard only had a little over a hundred men, while the Divine Hound Camp had three hundred. If the Northern Qiang army continued to charge here, with Yin Shang and others present, the momentum of their attack should gradually weaken.

It's simple: once the people are all killed, there are none left. And as the vanguard is continuously slaughtered, no matter how ferocious they are, their morale will eventually decline.

But after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fierce battle did not gradually subside; on the contrary, the shouts grew louder and the attacks became more and more intense.

This could not possibly be because the Shang dynasty showed leniency and deliberately let the enemy live, allowing them to launch wave after wave of attacks.

There is only one possibility: the Northern Qiang army has reinforcements on the outside, and new troops are constantly being poured into this bloody battlefield.

Upon thinking of this, A Qiu's face turned ashen, and he couldn't help but stand up.

No wonder Hulü Guang has refused to show his face.

The only force that could provide nearby reinforcements to the Northern Qiang army from this post station was the local Zhongzhou army. And without Hulü Guang's token and authorization, a Northern Qiang personal guard unit that came from the capital would never be able to command the local troops in the prefectures and counties.

The peril of this situation was beyond anyone's imagination. Hulü Guang intended to completely control this delegation, making them live or die at his whim.

First, they destroyed the guards of the Divine Hounds. Then came the geisha.

Whether the dancers live or die at that time, it will not change the fact that they went to surrender.

As long as Gongyi Xiu and Shangguan You remain, they can present the letter of surrender, which will not affect the presentation of the surrender document. As for whether or not the music "Shao" or "Wu" is played, Hulü Guang can simply say that the dancers along the way fell ill, died, or escaped, and even if Hulü Jin knew this, there was nothing he could do. More likely, he simply wouldn't be interested in pursuing this matter; his immediate priority is to divide up the Southern Dynasty's land and population with the other Hu tribes.

As for Hulü Guang's deliberate abuse and humiliation of the Southern Dynasty delegation in order to retaliate for the humiliation he suffered in the Southern Dynasty, Hulü Jin was most likely aware of it but would not stop him.

It's even quite possible that, in his view, it would be better to give the Southern Dynasty a warning.

How could Gu Yi, who sent them on their mission, have imagined such despicable thoughts and sordid methods as those of Hulü Guang?

Seeing A-Qiu stand up, even the usually composed Sun Neiren couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong?"

Ah Qiu said softly, "I'll go out and take a look."

She wanted to do everything in her power to see if she could change the current situation; sitting idly by and waiting for death was not in her nature.

If the entire Divine Hound Battalion were to perish in battle, she alone would be unable to protect so many dancers behind her.

Lady Sun hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Take care of yourself."

She had known all along that A Qiu was no longer the beautiful girl who still needed her protection. She had witnessed A Qiu slay the White Tiger and fight against Mu Huaying in the palace, and she had also heard of her glorious deeds of passing through the three passes of Zhao Lingying, Pei Yu, and Jianzhang Shi, and protecting Li Chongyu as they fought their way out of Jianzhang City.

Even in such dire circumstances, just looking at A-Qiu gave her an invisible sense of confidence.

She and they were always together.

A Qiu smiled at Sun's wife and darted towards the door.

At that moment, Xiao Chang'an's cold and ruthless voice rang out in the courtyard:

"If we keep killing, there won't be many left in this Northern Qiang King's army. Your Highness, why don't you show yourself? Are you waiting for us to finish killing so you can count the corpses?"

To the Northern Qiang soldiers, Xiao Chang'an was nothing short of a cold-blooded and ruthless demon. But to the dancers who were now trapped and restless inside the house, he was practically their savior. Upon hearing his voice, not only the dancers, but even A Qiu, who was guarding the door, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But then a loud laugh rang out, and just as he had said, Hulü Guang appeared on the opposite rooftop, watching the bloody battle unfold. He sneered, "Lord Xiao, you also grew up in the Northern Qiang. Did you think that the Northern Qiang only had these few warriors?"

He stood on the rooftop, looking relaxed, and clapped his hands three times.

A dense mass of heads emerged from the four walls of the courtyard, all dressed in the uniforms of the Hu people's army, with bows drawn and arrows nocked, all aimed at everyone in the area.