Li Si, shivering in the crowd, pointed to the watchtower at the entrance of the village and said to the man in brocade robes next to him, "Sir, there are ten men on both watchtowers. Take them down, and the village gate will open for you."

The man in brocade frowned, his eyes narrowed, and a dangerous glint flashed in them. He was skeptical of Li Si's words.

Li Si was a remnant of the bandit stronghold. On the day Yun Mo and his men attacked the stronghold, he happened to be delivering grain to his parents at home and thus narrowly escaped the attack.

When he returned to the bandit stronghold, he sensed something was wrong and became vigilant. After observing in the woods for a long time, he discovered that the guards were not the familiar faces he used to see.

He immediately fled back to Gudao County and sought help from his cousin.

My cousin works as a constable in the county government. He got him a travel permit, and he was able to enter the city smoothly.

More and more refugees gathered outside Gudao County, and after the snowfall, several hundred people died or were injured.

Incited by certain individuals, the displaced people began to stir, showing signs of breaching the city walls.

Five days ago, the magistrate felt that he could no longer stay in Gudao County, so he decisively ordered his family to pack their belongings and prepare to abandon the city and leave.

My cousin came back to pack his luggage, preparing to leave with the county magistrate.

Li Si is not a member of the county government, so he probably cannot travel with them.

Upon learning that the county magistrate had brought many skilled soldiers, and remembering that his village, which he considered his second home, had been occupied, a plan immediately came to mind.

“Cousin, I know a good place. Not only will refugees not be able to find it, but even barbarians will not be able to find it.”

Cousin, "You're not going to talk about the bandit stronghold you used to stay in, are you?"

“My cousin is clever, that’s right.”

His cousin glanced at him sideways, his voice laced with disdain, "If you can't stand it, how can it be a good place?"

Li Si patiently explained the terrain of the village to his cousin, as well as how sturdy and warm the houses were. He also lied to his cousin, saying that there were only a little over a hundred refugees in the village.

"Your chief can't even hold out against just over a hundred refugees?"

Li Si shook his head and sighed, "Alas, it's all because of drinking that things went wrong. That day, the chief had just robbed a very wealthy official and even got a beautiful girl, so he celebrated with his brothers, which is how they fell into the trap of those refugees."

My cousin was persuaded and went to tell the county magistrate. The magistrate also thought the village was in a very good location, and the two hit it off immediately.

The county magistrate, along with more than a hundred people and their families, traveled through the night, planning to launch a surprise attack and capture the village in one fell swoop.

And so, the scene at the beginning came about.

The Yun family's secret guards have always been well-trained, and they have never slackened their efforts even in the freezing cold.

Upon hearing the signal from the main gate, Yunye and Yunmo hurriedly arrived with their guards.

Hearing the arrows flying swiftly from outside the gate, Yun Er lightly leaped onto the watchtower.

They soon discovered the archers hiding in the woods.

At the firing port, Yun Er raised his bow and arrow, his sharp eyes quickly locking onto the target. In a flash, the hidden archer fell to the ground, swiftly resolving the crisis on the watchtower.

When the magistrate of Gudao County saw that several archers had been killed in the blink of an eye, he panicked.

Without bothering to cause trouble for Li Si, he quickly ordered the yamen soldiers to raise a white flag, signaling the clerk to step forward and shout.

"Heroes! The magistrate of Gudao County is here. Please show mercy!"

The Yun brothers exchanged a glance, understanding that the county magistrate of Gudao County had come here, probably also intending to usurp the position.

The guards on the watchtower announced a temporary ceasefire.

After the magistrate and his advisor understood the flag signals, they were shocked to discover that the people in the village were not the refugees Li Si had described, but rather deserters who had wandered in from who-knows-where.

"My lord, what should we do now?" The clerk panicked; deserters were not easy to deal with.

The magistrate's brows furrowed deeply. He suddenly stood up and slowly walked out.

"Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to take a gamble."

When Yun Mo saw someone emerge from the woods, dressed in brocade robes, he immediately guessed that this was the magistrate of Gudao County, who had been holed up in the county government office, living a life of debauchery.

"Who goes there?" Yun Mo asked knowingly.

The magistrate bowed and said, "I am the magistrate of Gudao County. I have come here seeking refuge and hope that the heroes will kindly take me in."

Yunye shook his head at Yunmo, indicating he wouldn't accept these people.

Yun Mo said, "The stronghold does not accept outsiders. You should leave immediately."

The magistrate figured that since the other party was willing to become a deserter, he certainly wouldn't easily agree.

He paused for a moment, then offered a generous favor: "I hereby promise that if you heroes allow us to enter, I will provide five hundred catties of grain."

Yun Mo was furious when he heard the corrupt official offer five hundred catties of grain.

"Get out! I'll say it again, this stronghold doesn't take in outsiders. If you stay any longer, you'll be killed without mercy!"

The magistrate was startled, patted his chest, and turned back into the woods.

"Master, what should we do now?" The magistrate was at a loss.

The advisor stroked a few long hairs on the large mole on his chin, his triangular eyes sweeping over the grove where they were lingering, and an idea instantly formed in his mind.

"Sir, why don't we set up camp here? The heavy snow will soon close the mountain, and the refugees won't dare to come in. It's safer here than outside."

"But the weather is getting colder and colder..."

The magistrate had never been cold before, and walking such a long way had nearly killed him.

"Sir, look around, there are trees everywhere. We have no worries about not having firewood," the clerk reassured him.

Thus, the magistrate ordered everyone to set up camp as quickly as possible.

Yunye and Yunmo stood on the watchtower for a long time when Yunqi came to report.

"Master, those people haven't left. It seems they're going to stay here."

Yun Mo: "Be vigilant and keep an eye on their movements."

At that moment, a bodyguard rushed in to report.

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