The immense comfort it brought to everyone was palpable. Upon hearing this, the leading soldier slowly smiled, glanced up at Wang Yan, and his disheveled face grew even more resolute. After calling to a dozen or so men, he quickly disappeared into the grove.
Wang Yan watched their departing figures, a slight smile playing on his lips. He then lifted his foot to walk down the hillside, but suddenly his body lost all strength, his vision began to black out, and his tall, thin frame fell straight backward…
"General!!"
As a hurried and terrified cry rang out, several worried eyes turned towards it at the same time.
Upon hearing the sound, Wang Yan forced his dark eyes open, so weak that even lifting his arm was difficult! His once serious and cold bronze skin now showed signs of exhaustion.
Not long after, when the team that had been searching for the sweet potatoes returned, they were met with Wang Yan's weak and pale face...
"Master!" "General!"
A group of people crowded around, and Wang Yan opened his eyes, but only told them to divide the food equally among the soldiers.
Xiao Muxing felt even worse seeing this; her little face was filled with suppressed anger and sadness.
“Master, you often say that a general should be considerate of his subordinates in order to maintain the morale of the army. But what if something happens to the general? What will happen to the army without a leader?”
The little girl, her voice trembling with sobs, questioned the man who refused to eat a single bite of food.
Wang Yan was startled, his brows furrowing as he looked at the little girl beside him. He saw that her once tender, smooth, fair, and adorable face had changed drastically after the arduous training in the military camp and the arduous journey over the past few days.
But her gaze grew increasingly firm, making it hard to believe that those words had come from the mouth of a seven-year-old girl.
Seeing this, the soldier beside him also became anxious and quickly echoed...
Wang Yan then reached out and took a small piece of sweet potato. With a bite, the sweetness of the raw sweet potato filled his mouth, and the strength he had lost felt slightly better.
After finishing the sweet potato, he struggled to stand up and silently looked at the scattered soldiers around him. It had only been six or seven days!
No one could have imagined that they would bring five thousand soldiers and plenty of potatoes and grain to Dingshan City. However, as soon as they entered the city, they were besieged by the entire city's people. Arrows rained down from the sky. He quickly reacted and led his troops to retreat. The grain was looted by the people, and the scene was in complete chaos!
Finally, they were forced to retreat to Xiaoluoyan Mountain, where an unknown group surrounded the entire mountain. After several days of lack of food and water, and frequent assassinations and ambushes, they were exhausted. They managed to send one person out, but they didn't know if he had safely returned to the capital.
Thinking of this, he looked at Xiao Muxing, his usually cold expression slightly softened, and a hoarse and dry voice rang in his ears.
"Star, are you afraid?"
His voice stopped abruptly. He was stunned for a moment, pursed his lips, and his face grew even paler.
Xiao Muxing looked up, her face displaying a maturity and strength beyond her years.
"Star is not afraid! The winner takes all, the loser is condemned! I was prepared from the moment I entered the army camp. This is what my master taught me! Grandma also said that we must never give up until the very last moment. Star is lucky, I will definitely be able to go back alive!"
Hearing her say that, Wang Yan paused for a moment, thinking of the woman who both angered and pleased him. She was almost forty years old, yet her temper was still so volatile; she wasn't very bright, yet she still tried her best to support her family...
Thinking back to the last time they met, he was still angry that she was getting close to the emperor... he felt a little regretful! In the past, when he was fighting on the battlefield, he never thought about going back alive, and his old mother had long known his thoughts.
Now, he feels like he suddenly has something to care about...
"I will go back! I definitely will!"
As the sky gradually darkened, Wang Yan's eyes turned cold again, and he sharply surveyed his surroundings.
"All troops, prepare for alert!"
At the command, all the soldiers cautiously surrounded the area, keeping a close watch on the surrounding woods.
The next second...
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Several long arrows suddenly flew out of the bushes. The soldiers quickly picked up their shields to block them. Wang Yan also directed them in an orderly manner, but his face grew increasingly grim.
Time ticked by, and the shields were quickly riddled with bullets! Several soldiers finally succumbed, struck in the heart by an arrow, their cries of agony echoing through the air…
Little Muxing was standing beside Wang Yan, her little hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes filled with fear and trembling. She was powerless to do anything but watch them fall one by one.
Soon, the shields were almost shattered, and many burly men wielding long swords suddenly rushed out of the bushes. Some of them were dressed in official robes, and their swords were swung at Wang Yan and his men.
The sounds of swords clashing filled the air. The soldiers, who hadn't eaten much to begin with, quickly retreated, their foothold shrinking until their numbers dwindled from several thousand to less than a thousand…
The sounds of wailing, screams, and cries of pain, along with the pungent and nauseating smell of blood, filled the entire hilltop!
Wang Yan had already joined the fierce battle, his long sword flashing, causing everyone to retreat in fear. However, Wang Yan showed no mercy at this moment, his eyes quickly turning bloodthirsty...
Xiao Muxing stood blankly behind them, watching her former training partners with their heads severed and their bloodied bodies as they struggled to fight back. Suddenly, she was filled with fear and confusion.
Weren't they... here to support the disaster area? Didn't they come all this way to help the people overcome their difficulties? Why? Why did they attack our master? Why did they force him to his death?!
The little girl didn't know what rebellion was, what sin and selfishness were. But at that moment, all she saw were the uncles and brothers who had been telling her stories, playing martial arts with her, and traveling with her just days before, now dead...
Anger and sorrow filled her chest, and she finally couldn't hold back any longer! She suddenly raised her head and let out a sharp roar, then quickly rushed into the fierce battle.
Taking advantage of her petite stature, she repeatedly plunged the dagger into the enemy's chest, splattering blood all over her face, making her appear exceptionally eerie in the firelight.
As the first person let out a wail and fell to the ground with a "thud," the others finally noticed the small, quick-moving, and agile figure.
"A child? How could there be a child here?"
Upon hearing the sound, Wang Yan paused and quickly turned around, only to see his own apprentice pulling a dagger from the enemy's chest, his cold and angry eyes mirroring his own!
However, the enemies beside him did not allow him to lose focus, so he could only continue to turn around and defend himself.
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