For a moment, the entire valley fell silent, and the villagers all fell silent.
Just then, Xiaoya stepped forward and said, "Don't listen to them! They are remnants of the army, at most forty men, while we have over a hundred! If we fight to the death, we can definitely win!"
This time, all the adults were carrying weapons.
Not only local Xiongnu soldiers, but also wild animals should be watched out for.
This is why the Xiongnu general chose to negotiate.
His soldiers were already few in number, and in recent days, due to a lack of supplies and poor food, their combat effectiveness was far inferior to before.
If they were to confront these hundreds of villagers head-on, even if they narrowly won, they would surely suffer heavy casualties.
As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately echoed, "Yes, there are more of us!"
Zhang Kui's eyes gleamed. "I can take on two!"
The Xiongnu general's eyes darkened. "A desperate gamble? Don't you want to save your families?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a Xiongnu soldier raised his hand and shot an arrow into the iron cage, and a scream immediately followed.
Fearful screams echoed from inside the iron cage.
The villagers, who had been so proud just moments before, immediately lost their bravado.
Seeing this, the Xiongnu general said again, "Hand them over, and I promise to give each of you twenty taels of gold."
The villagers' expressions shifted slightly. "Twenty taels?!"
They had never even seen such a quantity of wealth, let alone possessed it.
Noticing the villagers' unusual behavior, the Xiongnu general looked at them and said, "Hand him over, and you will not only be able to reunite with your families, but you will also be able to live a life free from worry about food and clothing, and never suffer again!"
Everyone fell silent and stopped speaking.
Sensing something was amiss, Xiaoya panicked. "Don't fall for it! The Xiongnu are untrustworthy; we can't trust them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers carried in two boxes.
Upon opening it, I found it filled with glittering gold.
These are spoils of war they plundered from the Qin Dynasty.
One of the villagers, a middle-aged man, became excited and exclaimed, "It really is gold!"
Xiaoya was so anxious she was almost crying, "So what if it's gold! Young Master saved our lives!"
The middle-aged man looked at Xiaoya and said, "That's true, but the lives of my family members are still in their hands!"
Xiaoya's expression froze. "What do you mean by this?"
The middle-aged man's eyes were glazed over. "If you don't hand over the young master, our families will all die!"
Xiaoya stared at him blankly, her eyes wide with disbelief. "How could you say such a thing?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman said, "Young master is indeed a benefactor, but no matter what, it's just one life. Our family has hundreds of lives!"
After saying this, she suddenly knelt down in front of Fusu, "Young Master! I beg you, please save my child! He is only eight years old!"
Xiaoya glared at the woman, "If the young master is handed over, he will lose his life!"
The Xiongnu and the Qin Dynasty were irreconcilable enemies. If he were captured by the Xiongnu, his chances of survival would be slim.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man also knelt down, pleading, "Young master, please save my family!"
Xiaoya was increasingly shocked, her eyes reddening with anxiety. She looked at the remaining villagers, "Please speak up! We can't treat Brother Fusu like this!"
The villagers had their heads down, as if they were struggling.
Soon, another villager knelt down, crying, "Young master! Please save my family!"
One villager after another knelt down, pleading with Fusu.
Even Zhang Kui put down his baggage and knelt before Fusu, saying, "I know this is shameless, but I beg you, sir, please save my child!"
The old village chief remained silent, his face grim.
Seeing this, Xiaoya could only look at the old village chief who was still standing, "Village chief, please say something!"
The old village chief sighed deeply and lowered his head. "It's worth it to exchange one life for a hundred."
Xiaoya's eyes were filled with despair.
Upon seeing this, the Xiongnu general's lips curled into a smile.
Fusu looked at everyone with a complicated expression.
Xiaoya glared at the crowd, "How could you all force the young master like this! Have you all lost your conscience?!"
Zhang Kui raised his head. "I made this request because I still have a conscience. Otherwise, I would have tied up the young master and sent him away long ago!"
A woman looked up and said, "Yes! While we still cherish our past relationship, young master, please make the right judgment."
Her eyes had turned from pleading to cold.
His tone was full of threat.
Fusu remained silent for a moment before looking at the Xiongnu general and said, "I will go with you!"
The Xiongnu general's eyes gleamed. "A wise choice!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaoya stood in front of Fusu, "Brother Fusu, you can't go with them!"
Fusu looked at the girl and said, "I'm glad you're on my side. After Mother comes back, live a good life with her."
He pushed the little girl aside and walked to the side of the Xiongnu general.
This situation presents the best option.
Otherwise, if things continue like this, even the little girl who is the only one standing by his side might be in danger.
A Xiongnu soldier stepped forward and shackled Fusu.
Then the Xiongnu general looked at the crowd and said, "Follow me. When I reach a safe place on the border, I will give you your families and gold!"
Upon hearing this, the old village chief frowned, "What if you don't keep your promise?"
The Xiongnu general looked at him and said, "If you release the man, how can I guarantee you won't cause trouble?"
"Besides, did you even have a choice?"
The old village chief fell silent.
Now that the Xiongnu general holds the lives of their families in his hands, they naturally have no choice.
This journey lasted two days, and the group moved further and further away from the Great Qin.
Fusu was escorted by a Xiongnu soldier and walked at the front of the crowd.
Xiaoya stood in the crowd, her eyes filled with heartache.
As night fell, the distant howls of wolves echoed through the air.
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