Xu Xianrong

"General, will reinforcements arrive?"

The weather was freezing cold, and the wind was as cold as a knife, scratching my face painfully, but it was not as chilling as the despair in these words.

The general slowly stood up upon hearing this, and looked around at the people around him. He didn't answer, but simply said, "The enemy is only ten miles away. If we let them in, countless people will be destroyed."

His words were also hard, without much warmth or inspiration.

But the soldiers below were listening quietly and not moving at all.

Of course they wouldn't retreat. Born and raised here, who doesn't have parents, wives, and children behind them? If they were afraid of fighting, they would have deserted long ago. Why would they follow the general to fight so bravely?

His eyes swept over the dirty, withered, and wooden faces, and he raised his voice a little: "If reinforcements don't arrive, then we must fight to the death while we still have strength. The report from the past two days was correct. We have found the right place. The enemy's center is ahead. As long as we can kill the bandit chief in battle, we can survive this winter."

The enemy had divided into three groups, and no one could tell where the central army was. But the general had predicted this and led them all the way forward stealthily. As long as they could wait for reinforcements, they would have won a great victory. Unfortunately, they were not able to wait.

Countless people harbored resentment and hatred, but what could they do? Just one step away, and if they could get through it, countless lives would be saved. There was no response, no battle cry; these soldiers simply gripped their swords, tightening their grip.

"Let the wounded stay, give them enough supplies, kill the injured horses, and have a full meal. Set out at three o'clock tonight and attack the camp at dawn." After giving simple instructions, the general sat back and closed his eyes as if he wanted to conserve his strength.

After days of fighting, they were about to fight for their lives, so the soldiers had no time to say anything. Those who were killing horses were killing horses, and those who were sharpening their swords were sharpening their swords.

In such a chaotic world, who would still care about the border? But if we don't defend it, and the barbarians invade, will the people at the border have any hope of survival? Instead of resentment, it is better to save more energy to kill the bandits and fight to protect my parents, wives and children at home.

After an unknown amount of time, a soldier came over with a bowl and whispered, "General, the horse meat soup is ready. Have some."

Most of the border troops are equipped with horses, and they probably treat their mounts like their comrades. But now they have to eat horse meat to fill their stomachs. How many of them wouldn't feel uncomfortable?

The general paused for a moment, but still took the bowl and started eating.

He chewed a few pieces of uncooked horse meat and swallowed them. Just as he was about to drink the soup, he saw his face reflected in the layer of oil.

He no longer looked like the fair-faced young general he used to be. His face was as dark and thin as all the other soldiers on the frontier. His brows were covered with wrinkles, and even his temples were gray.

At his age, it shouldn't have come to this, but who can escape from such a situation?

After gulping down the horse meat soup in one gulp, Xu Xianrong handed the bowl back, took off his sword, and slowly began to sharpen it.

The sky gradually darkened and the cold became more and more oppressive. Even the Hu people who had experienced the hardships of the frontier had to curl up in their tents, hoping to sleep comfortably until dawn.

It’s not that these experienced soldiers have let down their guard, but the Dagan area has long been in chaos. After hearing that the imperial court is about to fall, how many soldiers dare to resist their army?

Those people from the Central Plains will just stay in the city and refuse to move. They have to conserve their energy and strength. Not to mention robbing a lot of young and strong women, they may even be able to seize a few states and counties to become stronger.

Countless people dreamed of murder and arson until the sound of swords and spears entered their dreams.

No, that wasn't a dream! Countless soldiers woke from their dreams, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out of the camp. Outside, the sound of killing was deafening and flames were blazing.

Where did the enemy come from? They are attacking the camp! Attack the camp!

With no time to react, they rushed headlong into the enemy's attack.

For a soldier who grew up on horseback, without a horse, his fighting power would be greatly reduced. Moreover, it was not yet completely daylight, and no one knew how many enemies there were.

The shouts, roars, and curses were like the flames shooting up into the sky, surging endlessly inside and outside the camp.

Xu Xianrong did not open his mouth, nor did he issue any extra orders. He just urged his horse and silently rushed towards the central military tent.

He was surrounded by his trusted elite soldiers, who were as good at fighting and as fearless as he was.

Heads were chopped off one after another, armor was pierced one after another, they were unstoppable, but more and more soldiers were surrounding the central army, like a whirlpool in a deep pool that entangled their hands and feet, the number of soldiers following them kept decreasing, and they could not defend against the cold arrows, but Xu Xianrong stared at the front, looking at the general's tent standing in front of him.

They were getting closer and closer. As if they sensed the danger, a group of people surrounded one person and walked out of the tent, trying to evacuate.

The distance was too far to reach him, and he couldn't get through the wall of people to take his life.

Xu Xianrong suddenly gave his horse a shove, and the steed, as if aware of his intention, leaped into the air. On the battlefield, such an action would attract widespread attention, especially when approaching the commander-in-chief.

Countless barbarians rushed up with roars, but Xu Xianrong ignored them and just used all his strength to throw the spear in his hand.

That shot was like piercing the twilight before dawn. In an instant, the world suddenly became bright. But Xu Xianrong did not see the result of his desperate gamble. Too many swords and arrows obscured his vision.

The fallen horse neighed, suppressing the growl from his mouth. He tightly grasped the spear that was inserted into his abdomen, but could not withstand the momentum, and it knocked him off the horse.

His vision blurred in an instant, soaked in blood. He could faintly hear the shouts of his personal soldiers and the wails that came from nowhere, until he was dragged back onto the horse and rushed out of the formation with all his might.

They should have been unable to escape, but at dawn, the clouds of dust raised by the cavalry made the barbarians lose their nerve. Could there be an ambush? With the main camp attacked and the leader injured, who would still want to fight?

So they rushed out, with only one chance of survival, but they managed to break through the enemy camp. They ran for who knows how long, until all the noise was left behind.

The horse stopped and someone helped Xu Xianrong off the horse and leaned him against a mound nearby.

"General! General! We won! You shot the bandit chief, and the deception worked!"

"Hurry up and press the wound! Where's the medicine? Get it here!"

"General..."

Some people kept saying something in a crying voice, while others untied his armor and fiddled with his chest and abdomen desperately.

But Xu Xianrong could hear nothing, could feel nothing. He felt only a chill, as if something was surging from his body and mind. In a world of crimson, constantly shaking, he saw the fluttering banner with the Chinese character "Qiu" on it, and saw the figure standing before him, his back always straight.

Then, he saw a red dress.

Wearing a golden hairpin and a bright red dress, she earnestly extended her hand: "My late father asked you to take care of me. Are you willing to obey his instructions and stay by my side?"

The hand was not as white as I remembered, but it was firm and strong and could not be refused.

Is he willing?

Is he willing?

A blood-stained hand slowly rose and stretched forward with difficulty, but before it could grasp anything, it collapsed to the ground. The fingertips trembled and froze there.

"General!"

The cold wind blew, and the dust rolled up, covering up the blood and all the screaming figures.