His expression was expressionless and his tone was unquestionable, just like the day he captured her, it had never changed.

Miss Jun bit the meat that was passed into her mouth and looked at him.

Meat is different from soup, it must be chewed.

She bit it slowly with her teeth.

Lu Yunqi released his hand from her mouth and gently stroked her head.

Miss Jun swallowed the meat.

"You are wrong," she said. "It is not the weapons that hurt people, but the people."

Lu Yunqi looked at her, but Miss Jun stopped looking at him and turned away indifferently.

Lu Yunqi turned around and continued to slowly cut the mutton. The room was quiet, with only the occasional sizzling sound of hot oil dripping onto the charcoal fire.

The new year has arrived amid the sound of intensive firecrackers.

The capital city was brightly lit as if it were a fairyland on earth. The emperor and the empress dowager sat together in the palace, watching the concubines and children laughing and having fun. The common people, regardless of their wealth, also gathered together as families, and the whole country was prosperous and bustling.

Even the remote Junzi Pass in Hejian Prefecture was surrounded by the intermittent sound of firecrackers. The lights in the distant towns and villages were like stars, adding a bit of warmth to this winter night.

But soon the wind blew hard and snow flew everywhere. Even if we hid in the house, we couldn't feel any warmth at all.

But despite this, there were seven or eight people crammed into the mud house under the fort. Among the soldiers wearing old uniforms, there was a plump middle-aged man wrapped in a large leather jacket.

Although he was the one wearing the thickest clothes in the room, he still put almost all his hands and feet into the brazier. It seemed that only the burning pain made him feel warm.

"Why is it so cold here?" he said, his voice trembling a little, so that his already unfamiliar northern accent could no longer cover up his strong southern accent.

Several soldiers laughed.

"It's always so cold." One of them said, handing him a wine bottle. "I think you, a rich man, have never suffered this kind of pain, have you?"

The middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly, took the wine handed to him by the soldier and took a sip. He suddenly started coughing and his nose and tears were streaming.

This wolf-like behavior made the soldiers in the room laugh again, but everyone quickly handed him a bowl of hot tea.

"Don't think we're kidding you. You have to drink this kind of wine here." A middle-aged soldier who had been silent said, "On a winter night, when you're walking or scouting, if you don't have this wine, once you drink it and close your eyes for a little bit, you won't be able to open them again."

The middle-aged man looked grateful and admiring.

"Captain Dong Jia and his soldiers have worked so hard." He said, "I really admire them. I have never been here before, so I don't know. This trip to the north is hard enough even if there is no fighting."

As he spoke, he lifted up the wine jug that had just been passed to him.

"Come on, let me offer a toast to everyone."

Having said that, he tilted his head back and took a big sip.

Although this time he was not as ferocious as last time, his face turned red instantly and tears welled up in his eyes.

The soldiers couldn't hide their joy at being so polite to a wealthy and coquettish businessman, and raised the wine bottles in their hands to thank him.

The warm atmosphere in the room dispelled the chill.

But Captain Dong did not drink. He looked at the man with a gloomy expression.

"I don't know why the captain is willing to let you rest here for the night," he said. "According to our traditional rules, you are not allowed to enter this checkpoint even if you freeze to death on the road."

This was indeed a rude remark, but the businessman was good-tempered and had no shame.

"Yes, we also know that it is against the rules." He said sincerely, "It's all our fault that we are unfamiliar with the place and walked around aimlessly, which delayed our journey. If it weren't for the captain and the captain who love the people like their own children, we would definitely not have survived."

Dong Jiachang raised his hand to stop him.

"Well, don't talk about me. I don't dare to be a person who loves people like his own children." He said, "I only love people who follow the rules."

He looked at the businessman.

"I have arranged your accommodation. From now on, you are not allowed to step out. If you or your followers are found wandering around, we will kill you on the spot without asking any questions."

The businessman nodded repeatedly.

"I understand," he said sincerely, "Don't worry, we dare not wander around. If we are blown to the Jin army, it will be terrible."

One soldier grinned, but quickly closed his mouth.

"Don't worry, as long as the gate of our castle is not opened, no matter how strong the wind is, no one can reach the Jin people's territory, and the Jin people can't cross over either." Dong Jiachang said, waving his hand to the businessman, "Well, it's getting late, and there's nothing to do here, Master Fu, go to bed early."

The businessman nodded repeatedly and bowed to the soldiers in the house.

"Happy New Year, everyone," he said.

The soldiers returned the greeting with a smile and watched the businessman walk out accompanied by a soldier.

Rather than accompanying him, I was actually guarding him and watched him walk out.

"What a businessman! What's the point of making so much money? He suffers during the New Year." The soldiers laughed and talked.

Dong Jiachang took a sip of wine.

"So when the Duke said that this businessman should not be underestimated, he was also very cruel," he said.

When the Duke was mentioned, the expressions of the soldiers present were gloomy for a moment.

Dong Jiachang stood up.

"Be alert at night. We don't distinguish between celebrating the New Year and not celebrating the New Year." He said, "The Duke said that for soldiers like us, as long as we are alive, every day is New Year's Day."

The soldiers all stood up and answered in unison.

…

The night grew darker, the snow stopped but the strong wind continued, making the sound of firecrackers in the distance become vague.

The sound of the soldiers' footsteps became almost inaudible, and only the clashing of torches allowed everyone to see each other.

"Have a good sleep."

The soldiers who took over said to the soldiers who had finished their patrol.

This is the simplest yet most precious blessing.

The two sides met and then separated. One team with torches went to the barracks in the fort, while the other team went up along the fort, watching the dark field vigilantly in the strong wind.

This is their boring life that repeats day after day, but even when they are the sleepiest in the middle of the night and the wind almost blows off their eyelids, they always keep their eyes wide open and don't blink.

Footsteps passed over the city gate, and the people standing below seemed to be able to feel the falling sand.

This was a soldier holding a lantern. While the others went up to the city wall, he stayed behind to check the city gate.

In fact, there is no need to look at it. The door is very heavy and has three bolts on it. Even if two logs are used from the outside, it cannot be opened.

But isn’t the sand at the city gate solid?

The soldier subconsciously raised his head and looked upward. As soon as he raised his head, he heard a "puff" sound next to his ear.

This is the sound of an arrow piercing the body.

There was a sound of the arrow breaking through the air before it pierced the body, but the wind was too strong tonight and the sound was not heard.

As the soldier had this last thought, he fell straight down. The lamp fell to the ground and shattered. An arrow stuck in his neck blossomed into a bloody flower in the light of the lamp oil, and then disappeared.

The torches stuck on the doorway were also knocked down, and seven or eight figures rushed out from the night inside. The torches were covered with cloth, and the remaining light illuminated a fat middle-aged man wrapped in a leather jacket.

There was a hint of uneasiness on his face, but his eyes finally became fierce. He stepped on the torch, and in a few seconds the city gate was plunged into darkness.

A creaking sound was faintly heard in the night wind, followed by the sound of tiny footsteps. It seemed as if a giant worm was crawling in the dark night.

Torches were beaming down from the city walls.

"Slow down." Just as they were about to walk down the city wall, the leading soldier suddenly stopped and looked at the dark city gate. "Why are the lights at the city gate out?"

"It must have been blown away by the wind?" someone said.

This is also a common occurrence.

The leading soldier raised his head and drew his sword with one hand.

Although the other soldiers thought it was unnecessary, they immediately followed his actions.

"Three golds?" the leading soldier shouted. "Three golds?"

No one responded, and the silence was frightening.

The leading soldier stopped and suddenly raised his hand to throw the torch forward.

A strange cry was heard in the night, and with the light of torches, the soldiers saw a person jumping up from the ground not far away.

The torch hit him right on the head, and without a helmet his thick hair instantly ignited, illuminating his distorted and terrifying face.

The leading soldier's face also instantly distorted.

"Jin..." he shouted.

But a feather arrow had already pierced his forehead, causing him to fall straight down. A buzzing sound was heard in all directions, and countless feather arrows pierced through the strong wind like rain.

The screams were instantly drowned out by the wind. The fallen torches ignited the people, illuminating the entire city gate and the densely packed people in front of it.

They held bows and crossbows in their hands, carried long swords on their backs and short axes on their waists. Their faces were grim and their eyes were fierce, flickering in and out of focus, looking forward like wild beasts coming down the mountain.

…

At the same time, the New Year has arrived, and the sound of dense firecrackers rang out across the land. The villagers who were keeping watch in the distant villages seemed to hear sharp horn sounds amid the deafening sound of firecrackers, tearing the night sky apart with a mournful and rapid sound.

They subconsciously looked over here and saw that there seemed to be a fire on the horizon, burning half of the night sky red.

Flames were everywhere and smoke was billowing.

…

Across the Hutuo River, a spark first lit up on the ground in the north, and then it spread as if the wasteland was ignited, and the whole earth was lit up.

Looking from the vantage point of the car, the entire Hutuo River Basin was filled with troops ready to go.

“It’s time.”

The strong wind lifted the hood to reveal a man's face. It was Yu Chihai who had appeared in the capital. At this moment, there was not a trace of humility on his face, only arrogance and fanaticism.

"My sons, the prosperous land of the Zhou people has opened its doors to welcome us."

He raised his hand and pointed south.

"Go ahead."

Thousands of horses roared in unison, their landings sounded like thunder, and the glaciers were broken, coming like a cloud.