The weather in July changed in the blink of an eye. It was sunny and bright a few days ago, but in the blink of an eye, the weather changed dramatically. Raindrops as big as beans mixed with the sound of howling wind poured down, and the dark sky seemed to be about to collapse at any time.

Xiao Du stood motionless in the rain, looking at the outpost camp in front of him that was trampled by iron hooves, and the corpses wearing Xiao family military uniforms piled all over the ground. The rain brought the already dried blood into a red stream, staining the black boots under his feet red. He ignored the soldiers' advice, took off his cloak, knelt on one knee and put it on a soldier, and reached out to close his staring eyes. The cold rain slid across his cheeks, leaving sores all over the ground.

At this time, the deputy general Feng Yuan came running over and said, "My Lord, it's bad. According to the report from the spies, Pingdu Pass has indeed been occupied by the Black Cavalry! The situation in the city is unclear now, and I don't know if Madam and the others have escaped."

Xiao Du's body trembled violently, but he still stood up calmly and said, "Pass the order down, set up camp on the spot, and the whole army intensify training and be ready to fight at any time!"

Then he pushed aside the raincoat that was passed to him, walked to a mound not far away, wiped the rain off his face, and tried to calm the fear in his heart: Pingdu Pass was lost! Pingdu Pass was lost! Did Yuan Xi, his father, and his second brother escape? If not, what would the wicked people do to them...

Xiao Du dug his nails into his flesh and told himself not to think about it anymore. There was still a city of people waiting for him to rescue. After crossing the pass, there was the entire land of Damu. He could not lose his composure because of the safety of his family. If he could not calm down and come up with a solution, the Central Plains would be in danger.

But how could he not think of that beautiful smile, those calm and loving eyes, and that weak but admiring second brother? They seemed to be standing in front of him, but were crushed by the cold rain. Xiao Du frowned in pain, took out a dagger and cut his arm fiercely, using the wound on his hand to relieve the pain in his heart. Seeing the blood dripping with the rain, he straightened his back, looked at Pingdu Pass from afar, and made a silent oath in his heart...

At nightfall, the heavy rain finally subsided, and in a small narrow gap beside the Pingdu Pass wall, a group of lightly armed soldiers led by Luo Yuan were sneaking into the city. This was a place Luo Yuan had discovered a long time ago. The passage had been in disrepair for a long time, and heavy stones had accumulated into a narrow gap that could not accommodate a large group of cavalry, but was large enough for dozens of people to pass through.

Luo Yuan followed the soldiers and climbed over the pile of stones with difficulty. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned around to reach out to Yuan Xi behind him. Yuan Xi shook her head, tied up her skirt, and climbed over by herself holding on to the wall. Fifty short-sword soldiers sneaked into the city under the cover of night. Although they all knew that the city must be plundered by the Black Cavalry at this moment, they were still stunned by the scene in front of them when they really sneaked to the street.

The once peaceful and tranquil Guancheng no longer exists. Countless houses were burned down, and the streets were littered with items thrown away during the looting. There were corpses lying all over the streets. There was an old man who was stabbed in the chest while holding a package, a naked woman covered in blood, and even a child with half of his head cut off... All kinds of tragic scenes, like hell on earth, made the world mourn. Yuan Xi covered her mouth and stepped back a few steps, squatting down and crying silently. Luo Yuan clenched his fists and could no longer control the hot tears falling from his eyes. Even those veteran soldiers covered their faces and turned their heads away, their faces full of anger and pain.

At this moment, a noise came from an alley nearby. Luo Yuan's face changed and he quickly directed everyone to retreat quietly into the darkness.

The sound gradually came closer, and it turned out to be a ballad sung in a foul language. It turned out to be a group of drunken black cavalrymen wandering around the street, singing out of tune and proudly showing off their trophies. Luo Yuan and the soldiers behind him silently watched this group of vicious jackals in the dark night. Their hands were stained with the blood of their compatriots, and they were squandering the blood and sweat of many people's hard work throughout their lives.

Luo Yuan watched the black cavalry walk into a secluded alley, and gestured to the soldiers behind him to follow and kill them. The Xiao family army was well-trained, and the fifty men marched in the dark night without making a sound. Their faces were grim, and they were filled with hatred, and they drew their swords and chopped at the black cavalry. The black cavalry, who were still in revelry just now, were stunned by this group of killers who came out of nowhere, and forgot to call for help for a moment. They tried to resist, but the bloodthirsty soldiers cut open their chests one by one and stepped on them. In the dark alley, the sound of short knives piercing flesh and blood could be heard continuously, along with screams one after another. Luo Yuan and Yuan Xi quietly leaned against the wall, watching the soldiers in front of them venting their anger by hacking at the corpses on the ground. They wished they could chop the barbarians into pieces to relieve the pain in their hearts. At this moment, Yuan Xi suddenly saw movement in the bamboo baskets piled in the alley, and hurriedly said to Luo Yuan, "What is that!"

Several soldiers heard her cry and thought there was an ambush. They were about to stab the bamboo basket, but Luo Yuan stood up and shouted, "No!" He ran over and opened the bamboo basket. He found a little boy, about four or five years old, sitting inside, covered in blood. He hugged his knees, hunched his neck, and trembled all over. He muttered incoherently, "No...no...kill me."

Yuan Xi felt distressed and quickly carried him out, asking, "It's okay, it's safe now, where are your family members?"

The child raised his dark eyes and stared at Yuan Xi, as if he was sure that he was safe. Then he cried out in a hoarse voice: "Dead... all dead... monsters... so many monsters... kill... them..."

The childish cry was filled with fear and despair, and everyone present was heartbroken. Yuan Xi hugged him tightly and said with a sob, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. We will protect you, and no monster can harm you."

As the sky was getting brighter, Yuan Xi hurriedly took a group of people to look for a cellar she had heard about before. The Xiao family soldiers were still not satisfied, and killed a few scattered black cavalrymen along the way.

It is said that the cellar was built by a country gentleman in the city and has been abandoned for a long time. Yuan Xi heard the maid in the mansion mention it, so she kept an eye on it. Unexpectedly, it really came in handy at this moment. The group finally found the cellar and found that it was as big as two rooms. They were all very surprised. Yuan Xi took out the medicine to treat the child, but the child was already frightened and unconscious. He only said his name was Zhuzi, and then hid in the corner with his eyes wide open and his legs hugged in fear, and refused to come out.

Yuan Xi knew that he was greatly shocked, so he did not force himself and began to bandage the slightly injured soldiers of the Xiao family. The soldiers had just killed many enemy soldiers, and their morale was high. They all shouted that they wanted to kill a few more barbarians to avenge the blood debt for the people and brothers. Luo Yuan said, "We just killed a lot of black cavalry soldiers. Their leaders will definitely find out at dawn. The city will be more strictly guarded during the day. We must not be careless. We must discuss a plan to save more people here."

The Xiao family soldiers then calmed down and sat together. Luo Yuan sketched the city's terrain on the ground based on his memory and explained the subsequent battle plan to the soldiers. Yuan Xi found some dry grass from everywhere and spread it on the ground as a soft mat for everyone to rest temporarily. Only then did he take out the dry food he brought with him and eat a few bites.

Luo Yuan explained his plan to the soldiers and asked them to rest for a while to prepare for the upcoming tough battle. He turned around and saw Yuan Xi chewing dry food slowly, so he walked over to her and handed her the water bag, saying, "Madam, you shouldn't have come here. It's too dangerous and too hard..."

Yuan Xi raised her head and took a sip of water, pointing at the group of soldiers who had fallen to the ground due to exhaustion, and said, "Compared to them, my hard work is nothing." She turned her head and looked at Luo Yuan, saying, "Master, you once taught me to 'look after the weak and the upright, and do not let them down.' It was not until today when we entered the city that I really understood the meaning of these words. Since I am the wife of the Marquis of Xuanyuan, I have the responsibility to protect them. I think even if he knew, he would definitely agree with me doing so."

Luo Yuan looked at the stubbornness between her brows, and suddenly raised the corner of his lips, pointed at her cheek and said: "Madam Xuanyuan, your face is dirty." Yuan Xi rubbed her cheek with her sleeves in embarrassment. Only at this moment did she seem to return to the innocent and naive little girl she once was. Luo Yuan silently memorized this scene, then stood up and said to the others: "Let's go after you have rested well. Save as many people as possible before dawn."

At that time, in the county governor's mansion, Ashina Heli roared angrily: "Useless garbage, dozens of people died in one night, and you still can't find out where they got in!" The captain kneeling below was trembling with fear, and kept kowtowing and promised to catch the murderer, and finally saved his life. At this time, Dianyun slowly put down the teacup and said: "Why should the king worry so much? If they were regular soldiers, they would have been killed long ago. They must be small soldiers who can't make a difference. Why are you afraid of them?"

Ashina Heli still frowned and said, "Second Prince, you don't know. The people of the Central Plains are very cunning. I am always worried that I will fall into some trick this time. Anyway, I will not be at peace until Xiao Du shows up. And that Zou Wu, do you think he can be trusted?"

Dian Yun sneered, "Your Majesty, you worry too much. If you don't believe him, just kill him. As for Xiao Du, even if he has extraordinary abilities, with only 30,000 men under his command, how can he break through the wall guarded by hundreds of thousands of us? As long as Pingdu Pass is in our hands, he will be trapped without supplies outside the city. Sooner or later, we will kill him."

Ashina Heli bowed his head and pondered, then called in a deputy general and ordered, "Send a team to investigate and find out what Xiao Du and the others are doing. Report everything back to me without missing a single thing!"

But he never expected that right before his eyes, a group of ghostly soldiers were moving around the city, constantly attacking the black cavalry and rescuing the people from their swords. There were more and more people in the cellar, and Yuan Xi was busy all the time. At this time, Luo Yuan came to her with an excited look on his face and said, "I just heard a few black cavalry soldiers talking about the Marquis and his men having arrived outside Pingdu Pass. I think he must have a way to attack."

Yuan Xi was overjoyed and tried hard to hold back the urge to cry: You finally came, I knew you would come back! Luo Yuan said again: "Although I don't know what the Marquis wants to do, if he wants to recapture Pingdu Pass, the first thing he has to do is to lure these barbarians out. I think if we can create some chaos among the Black Cavalry and make their leader suspicious, it should be helpful to the Marquis." He turned his head and looked at the people who crowded the cellar, and said loudly: "Does anyone know where the barbarians' food and fodder are stored?"

"I know." Only a timid voice came back. Luo Yuan turned around in surprise and found that the little boy Zhuzi finally opened his mouth and stammered: "My father... mother... saw them transporting food... and died..."

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Outside Pingdu Pass, Xiao Du finally met the spy sent by Qingzhou City and learned that Zheng Long and his 60,000 troops had already withdrawn from Pingdu Pass, and Yuan Xi and his entourage had been safely taken to Qingzhou. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He walked out of the tent with his hands behind his back, looking at the smoke billowing from Pingdu Pass, with a proud look on his brows, and said, "We should give them what they have given us. Now, it's time for us to collect our debts."