The border could no longer be defended, and Li Ruochen's main force was reduced to just over two thousand men. The previous reinforcements had been wiped out on the city wall, so Li Jiangong had no choice but to lead these two thousand men to retreat from the border.
Before leaving, Li Ruochen regained his composure and immediately gave an order to set all the grain and supplies on fire.
She knew that the barbarians didn't have much food stored up. As long as she destroyed these supplies, even if they broke through the border, they would be in a logistical predicament.
Although we don't know how long we can delay, every day we can hold out is a day, otherwise those people will suffer.
The barbarian pursuit was relentless, lasting a full day before Li Ruochen finally managed to shake off her enemies. At this point, she was left with only a little over a thousand soldiers. Even Li Jiangong was severely wounded, having taken three arrows for her.
Li Jiangong sat with his back against a large tree, constantly spitting out blood.
Such injuries would be difficult to heal even if a god came. Li Ruochen's face was clearly cold, but she couldn't shed a single tear. "Third Uncle, I'm sorry, it's all because of me."
A smile appeared on Li Jiangong's handsome face. "Don't say that. I've watched you grow up since you were little. No one in the clan recognizes me as their third uncle. Only you respect me."
According to seniority, Li Jiangong is indeed Li Ruochen's third uncle, but unfortunately he was born to a maid.
The former head of the Li family stabbed the maid to death on the day Li Jiangong was born. If Li Jiangong hadn't been a man, he probably would have been killed without mercy.
From childhood to adulthood, Li Jiangong was never valued by anyone. Even though he achieved some success in leading troops, he was still not recognized by the Li family.
It wasn't until he met the young Li Ruochen that Li Jiangong was respected and admired for the first time.
Li Jiangong could vaguely recall how that soft, cuddly little girl had become a true general.
"Ruochen, this is the path that Third Uncle chose himself, and it has nothing to do with anyone else, so I have no regrets. The border has already been breached. The most urgent task now is to retreat to Jiangyang City to regroup and take back the border. Don't do anything foolish."
Li Ruochen gripped Li Jiangong's hand tightly. "Third Uncle, if I retreat, countless people will be plunged into misery. I will send people back for help, but I absolutely cannot leave."
Li Jiangong suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. "Ruochen, you have been different from others since you were a child. I imagine your future will be even more wonderful. It's a pity that your third uncle will not be able to see it. I met a rather interesting little guy a few days ago and was thinking of introducing him to you. Now it seems that I will not have that opportunity."
As Li Jiangong's hand fell limply to his side, the man who had been by Li Ruochen's side for over a decade closed his eyes.
Without a moment to grieve, Li Ruochen immediately ordered the entire army to check their rations. She was about to have another good fight with the enemy in these mountains.
Ning Ye saw the border breach immediately, but with only the small force he had, it was impossible to change the situation.
If they wanted to retreat now, they would have to cross at least two lines of defense, since these barbarians had already invaded.
Ning Ye did not believe that he could break through the enemy's two complete defensive lines with only fifty men.
Wang Wu's expression was also extremely grim. Given the current situation, their predicament was extremely dangerous. After all, the enemy knew they were there, and once they were surrounded, they wouldn't be able to escape.
"Sir, let's retreat quickly. We might still find a way out. If we continue to delay, we'll definitely be surrounded."
Ning Ye shook his head and said, "The other party isn't stupid. They're probably on their way right now. If we want to survive, there's probably only one way left."
Ning Silang's face was filled with despair. "Is it impossible for our Ning family to truly rise up? In this situation, what other options do we have besides trying anything?"
Ning Ye chuckled, "That's quite a coincidence. I can't do going underground, but going to heaven is no problem."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes were filled with disbelief, and they even thought that Ning Ye was so shocked by the situation that he was talking nonsense.
Ning Ye didn't care about the strange looks he received. Instead, he led his horse into the tent. After all, if he took something out of his spatial storage directly, he would probably be called a god.
Therefore, Ningye's horse always carried two large leather pouches, the contents of which were never revealed to anyone, allowing him to make up stories at will.
As the three hot air balloons were brought out, everyone stared at these things they had never seen before, and for a moment they had no idea what Ning Ye was going to do.
Ning Ye, however, ordered everyone to immediately cut tree branches and vines to weave a large basket, requiring only that it be large enough, sturdy enough, and the bigger the better.
Although they didn't understand what Ning Ye was trying to do, everyone carried out the order immediately. Ning Ye also wanted to complain: why are hot air balloons available for sale, but they don't come with the basket underneath?
After all, everyone comes from diverse backgrounds, and various materials can be found in this forest.
In less than an hour, several large baskets had been woven, and it was no problem to put all these people inside.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Ning Ye began operating the hot air balloon. When flames shot out from the small cylinder, they were immediately struck by its brilliance.
Don't ask why Ning Ye can operate this hot air balloon all by himself; it's all thanks to cutting-edge technology.
When several huge spheres were blown up in an open space, Ning Ye immediately had everyone board the hot air balloons.
As the hot air balloon slowly rose, everyone looked down at the ground beneath their feet, which was getting farther and farther away, and everyone exclaimed in amazement.
Old Hu's legs trembled as he gripped a rope. "Sir, what is this thing? How can it carry so many people up to the sky?"
"It's just a little trick. You don't understand the principle behind it. If you did, you could do it just as well, but not as well as I could."
Leaving the ground and flying into the sky is probably an eternal dream for everyone.
Wang Wu's face lit up with joy. "With this, sir, we can get past their encirclement and return directly to Qingyuan County!"
Ning Ye, however, broke Wang Wu's plan. "I'm not interested in leaving. Instead, I'm going to go to the other side of the mountain to take a look. Since these people have already breached the border defenses, they will definitely continue to invade. But their march will require supplies. I plan to cut off their supplies. I wonder if any of you would like to come with me?"
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