When the sky brightened, there were noisy footsteps on the street, as if someone was screaming and running wildly...しw0.

Hearing the noise, a man in a house immediately lit a torch.

"Grandpa." A woman cried and hugged his arms.

The man was wearing an official robe and hat, with a tablet inserted in his waist. He was dressed neatly and had an extremely dignified look, as if he was attending an audience with the emperor.

But at this time he was surrounded by firewood, and in the circle surrounded by the firewood, besides him and the woman, there were four children, one boy and three girls. The oldest was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest was still wrapped in a swaddling cloth. The four children were also huddled together. The oldest one was sensible and knew what was going to happen, with a pale face, and the two younger ones were still sucking their fingers, seemingly thinking this was a fun game and laughing.

"Grandpa." The woman knelt down and cried uncontrollably, "The children are still young... Is there really no way out?"

"Madam, don't be confused." The man said solemnly, "The Jin people have besieged the city for so long, and the losses are huge. You don't know the nature of the Jin people. I know very well that they will definitely take revenge and massacre the city after entering the city. Instead of being killed by them, it is better for us to commit suicide first, which will also be dignified."

Here he paused again.

"Even if the Jin people didn't massacre the city, as an official appointed by the imperial court, I would never surrender to them. I would rather die for my country."

He looked at the weeping woman.

"My dear, the people of the fallen city are worse than pigs and dogs. Rather than being abused by the Jin people, it is better for you to go away cleanly and respectably."

The woman cried and wiped away her tears.

"Yes, Grandpa," she cried, "we will go together as a family."

As she spoke, she snatched the torch from the man's hand and was about to throw it into the firewood pile, when the door was suddenly pushed open.

The man looked and saw that they were the servants he had dismissed.

"Master, Master, we can't burn them, we can't burn them." The servants stumbled in, their faces frantic. "Reinforcements are coming, reinforcements are coming, the Jin army has retreated."

The news was so shocking that the woman's hand slipped and the torch fell to the ground.

There was some oil on the firewood pile, which dripped over and suddenly burst into flames.

The woman screamed in fear, and the man rushed forward and stomped on the man. The servants also rushed over to help, and the yard fell into chaos.

Fortunately, the fire was not big and was quickly put out. The man looked a little wolfish, but he didn't bother to tidy up his appearance.

"Are reinforcements coming?" he asked anxiously.

The servants nodded excitedly.

"They came last night and attacked the Jin army while defending the city."

"The Jin people retreated to fight, and this morning the Jin people retreated and they came."

"The gates were opening, and everyone ran to see."

The servants were talking at once, and the man felt a little dizzy.

"Where did the reinforcements come from?" But since he was an official after all, he immediately asked the most crucial question.

"It's Qingshan Army." The servants said in unison.

The military officers' eyes lit up when they heard Qingshan's words.

If it is the Qingshan Army, then the capital city will really have nothing to worry about.

"How many people are here?" he asked hurriedly.

Hearing this, the servants looked at each other.

"There seemed to be thousands of people," they said.

Thousands of people?!

The official's face suddenly darkened.

There were tens of thousands of Jin soldiers.

What good are these few thousand men! Even if we can temporarily repel the Jin soldiers, they will surely attack again.

He sighed and looked at the pile of firewood in the yard.

"Don't retreat yet, wait and see," he said.

At this time, most people in the city did not think as far as the officials. The threat of the city being broken made them almost despair. Now that the troops arrived and drove away the Jin soldiers, they were willing to enjoy this ecstasy even if it was only a temporary settlement.

The city gate was crowded with people who had rushed there, wanting to see the hero who had come down from the sky to save them.

It’s just that the hero in front of me seems a little different from what I imagined.

Looking at the soldiers in front of them with pale faces, trembling bodies and chattering teeth, the people didn't know how to react for a moment.

"Perhaps the brave men are tired..." a citizen volunteered to explain.

Yes, it must have been very tiring to fight for half the night, and they all had wounds on their bodies, which showed how fierce and difficult the battle was.

The people nodded hurriedly.

"Have the Jin soldiers retreated?" a soldier suddenly asked, looking at the people in front of him with a confused expression.

Look, people are so tired that they are confused, and they are sighing in their hearts.

"Yes, you have already entered the city." They said hurriedly. Just as they were about to say a few words of compliment and thanks, they saw a soldier burst into tears.

"It's horrible," he cried.

The other soldiers also seemed to have lost all their strength and sat on the ground crying.

"It's so terrible, so terrible." They kept crying and holding their heads.

The people were stunned and didn't know how to react.

"Yes, yes." Some people who were smarter stammered, "It is quite scary. Although the brave men are not afraid of killing the enemy, they are still afraid after all."

Yes, that's the truth. The people nodded one after another. Although it was a little different from what they had imagined, they knew that it was these soldiers who saved them. Everyone comforted them, served them tea and water, and called for doctors to come and treat them.

The doctors did not rest but were busy treating the sick. The wounded were carried in and the dead were collected.

The city walls were also being rearranged, with chevaux de frise, logs and stones, and children running around collecting bows and arrows.

There was a bustle of activity at the city gate, but unlike the previous despair and dullness, the atmosphere was as exciting as when they first fought against the Jin people.

Ning Yan and others summoned the generals of the Qingshan Army for questioning.

Li Guorui had met the emperor once, but this was his first time meeting so many court officials. Although the officials in front of him all looked dusty, that was something he rarely saw in the past.

Li Guorui introduced himself with excitement and a bit of pride.

"Lord Li?" An official was slightly surprised and looked behind him. "Didn't they say that Miss Zhao is the one in charge of Qingshan Army?"

Li Guorui was suddenly a little disappointed.

In theory, he is one of the most senior officers in the Qingshan Army, but in reality, that is only because he is a man. The one who really controls things is Miss Zhao, who has no way of arranging official positions.

Ms. Zhao usually has the final say on everything, but he is the one who does all the trivial things, whether it's socializing or paperwork.

But this also shows that Miss Zhao trusts him.

Li Guorui became proud again, and automatically ignored the fact that he could not do anything to distrust others in the Qingshan Army.

"Miss Zhao has gone to meet her family," he said with some dignity, "If you have any questions, please ask me."

…

"sister!"

Zhao Hanqing shouted loudly and jumped in front of Miss Jun.

Miss Jun raised her hand and stroked her head, tidied up her scattered hair, and wiped the blood off her face. She did all this carefully and seriously without saying anything.

The smile on Zhao Hanqing's face became even more intense.

Fang Jinxiu on the side curled her lips, and Prince Huai couldn't help but take a step over and stick to the other side of Miss Jun.

"Ms. Jun, is this Miss Zhao?" he asked.

Miss Jun withdrew her hand and nodded to him with a smile.

"This is my sister, Zhao Hanqing," she said.

Zhao Hanqing looked at Prince Huai, and Prince Huai also looked at her.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Zhao." Prince Huai spoke first.

Zhao Hanqing said "oh" and knelt down to salute King Huai. Although he did not say anything, his posture was upright.

This is because Mrs. Xiao taught him well and he learned history well. Miss Jun looked at Zhao Hanqing with a smile. He is both civil and military, and is the kind of child that any parent would be proud of and want to have.

If my master knew about this in the afterlife, he would surely be happy and pleased.

The atmosphere here is warm, but the atmosphere on Li Guorui's side is a bit heavy.

"So, most of the troops can't get here for the time being?" an official asked, looking nervous.

Li Guorui nodded without any concealment.

"The Jin army retreated temporarily, and we took the opportunity to rush over," he said. "The scouts found out that the Jin army had set up camp at Shimen Slope."

Shimenpo? It's not too far from the capital.

It can come back at any time.

"What are you afraid of?" Ning Yan said, "We were able to defend the city before, and now we have a group of reinforcements. Are we still afraid of the Jin people?"

That’s right, what are you afraid of!

Now that you are here, just fight again.

The atmosphere in the hall became exciting.

The capital city once again entered a state of preparation for war, but after waiting for three or four days, the Jin army did not arrive. Only scouts from both sides engaged in several encounters and melees in the wild.

Should we attack or retreat?

"Of course it was an attack." Yu Chihai said woodenly, "Although the Qingshan Army got through, they were also badly injured."

Several Jin generals in the tent looked hesitant, still frightened by the tragic battle that night.

"Why haven't our reinforcements arrived yet?" a Jin general suddenly said.

"They should be here soon." Another Jin general said, "The Great Emperor has assembled an army of 100,000. If the Northern Land Lord Qinghe fights against an army of 50,000, he will definitely not be able to stop them."

These words made several golden generals look happy.

"Why not wait a little longer..." they said.

Yu Chihai standing aside had a sarcastic and angry smile.

"If we wait any longer, we might miss the chance," he said.

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud bang, followed by a shaking of the ground and a commotion outside.

"What happened?" the Jin generals shouted and rushed out.

The Jin soldiers were in chaos in the camp.

"Zhou Bing is calling."

"It's the Qingshan Army that's here."

Are they really coming to attack the camp? But there is nothing to be afraid of with just a few thousand soldiers. General Jin was about to order a battle, but he saw a cloud of mist rising from the sky and the ground shaking again.

"No, it's the Qingshan Army with artillery vehicles coming." The Jin soldiers shouted loudly with terrified expressions.

Qingshan Army on artillery vehicles!

The Jin generals' faces turned pale immediately, and Yu Chihai stood outside the tent with his eyes closed.

"No chance," he murmured.

…

Watching the rising fireworks and feeling the terrifying ground shaking, the people on the city walls cheered. This time there was no need to worry anymore.

The 30,000-strong Qingshan Army gathered in the capital, and the Jin army retreated like a tide. The news quickly spread.

“We’ve actually been able to break free?”

The Emperor of Taihu also knew about it at the first time.

Lu Yunqi responded yes.

"Yes, yes, the 40,000 Jin soldiers were scattered and fled in panic." Yuan Bao supplemented as usual, showing that he knew more information.

The emperor smiled with relief.

"Not bad, not bad." He said, then frowned again, "Well, I have to go back as soon as possible to appease the people."

The three people present understood what he meant.

What the emperor asked was, how can we win the hearts and minds of the people and appease their hearts?

"Your Majesty is wise." Ning Yunzhao stepped forward and said sincerely, "Your Majesty has punished himself in the imperial mausoleum. Now that the Jin troops have retreated, please return to the court as soon as possible."

Punishing oneself in the imperial tomb, good idea!

The emperor's eyes lit up and he looked at Ning Yunzhao with an approving smile.

Lu Yunqi on the side glanced at Ning Yunzhao with a blank expression.