Qin Yue looked around at the twenty or so young men standing in the woods: "Where are the other people in your village?"

The young man who was rescued by Qin Yue stepped forward and said, "It was an emergency. The Hu people were chasing us closely. In order to protect the elderly and children in the village, we quickly thought of a way to lead the Hu people into the forest!"

Qin Yue patted the man's shoulder and praised him, "You did a great job. If you had escaped along the main road, you wouldn't have gotten far with the elderly and children and would have been caught up by the Hu people. Instead, if you led them into the mountains, there's still a glimmer of hope!"

The young man scratched his head and said honestly, "Thanks to you all for arriving in time, if it weren't for you, I would have died under the sword of the barbarians!"

Qin Yue looked at the twenty or so young men in front of him. Only a few of them were injured. Thinking of the urgent situation in the city, Qin Yue said to the villagers, "The Hu people have gathered tens of thousands of troops to attack Lulu County. If the city gates are breached, your wives, children and elders at home will be unable to escape. Are you willing to follow us back and resist the Hu people's invasion together?"

The young men hesitated for a moment, and an older villager stepped forward and said nervously, "Sir, even if you ask us to fight the enemy, we wouldn't dare!"

Qin Yue looked at the hesitant villagers and explained, "You just need to defend the city and wait for the arrival of reinforcements from Rongcheng. As long as everyone works together to guard the city gates, your homes will not be trampled by the Hu people!"

The villagers looked at each other. If the city gate was broken, they would have to flee with their families. Not to mention whether they could escape successfully when the Hu people attacked, even if they successfully escaped to the next city, it was hard to say whether they would be allowed to enter other cities. It was winter now, and the elderly and children at home could not bear to flee outside. The villagers had already made a decision in their hearts.

At this time, the young man who was rescued by Qin Yue stepped forward and said to Qin Yue: "Sir, I am willing to follow you to guard the city gate!"

Once someone stood up, more than ten villagers followed the young man and stood up one after another.

Qin Yue led them down the mountain to meet up with the villagers. As expected, another group of more than 20 people found the villagers of Xiayang Village on the official road, who were pushing wheelbarrows and bringing their families with them.

Qin Yue found the patriarch of Xiayang Village and told him that he was going to take more than ten villagers to defend the city. When the Hu people came, these children dared to cover their retreat and lead the Hu people away, giving these old guys with disabled legs and feet a chance to escape.

Now these children still have to go and defend the city. Clan leader Yang, with tears streaming down his face, held the hands of his nephews and nieces in the village and urged them, "You must return safely!"

Time was running out, so after some instructions, Qin Yue set off with his men.

On the way back, Qin Yue would take people to mobilize the villages he passed by. They told every villager the urgency of defending the city and called on the villagers to unite and resist the enemy's invasion together.

Hearing that the Hu people were going to attack, most of the villagers were terrified. However, after Qin Yue's explanation and persuasion, many young and strong men in the village were willing to join in. In fact, the villagers knew very well that once the city gate was breached, their families would be the first to bear the brunt. As long as they could defend the city gate and wait for the Northwest Army to arrive, their homes would be protected. The people who had lived on the border for so many years believed in General Qin and trusted the Northwest Army.

As Qin Yue walked along, the villagers' team continued to expand. Some of them carried hoes, and some held sickles. They might not be well-trained soldiers, but their determination to defend their homeland was stronger than anyone else!

When they reached the fork in the road they had come from, Lieutenant General Li and his group watched from afar as Qin Yue led a group of young men, rushing towards them with high morale. Lieutenant General Li rubbed his eyes and said, "Isn't my vision blurry?" Then he turned around and asked uncertainly, "Is that man Qin Yue?"

Seeing the momentum, the soldier nodded in agreement: "It's him, that's right!"

When Qin Yue approached, Lieutenant General Li excitedly hit Qin Yue's shoulder and praised him, "Good boy, you have mobilized so many people in such a short time. Why didn't I think of this!"

Qin Yue looked at the darkening sky and said calmly, "Deputy General Li, we've been out for a long time. Let's go back soon! I'm worried that the Hu people will attack the city again tonight!"