Chuzhou City
The cold winter wind was like a sharp knife, scraping across Liang Hongyu's cheeks, but in her eyes it was not as cold as in her heart.
Finally, the mottled walls of Chuzhou City appeared at the end of the sight.
The city gate slowly opened with a creaking sound, as if an elderly man was breathing with difficulty.
She rode in, and found that five thousand Liang family soldiers had already been waiting there. Their armor reflected a cold light in the dim light, solemn and desolate.
Han Shizhong came towards us riding a tall horse, with an upright and graceful posture, wearing a plain blue satin gown and a jade crown to tie his hair.
He dismounted, his face filled with unconcealable joy, and stretched out his hands to hold her hand holding the reins.
However, Liang Hongyu withdrew her hand calmly.
Zhao Gou's threat was still echoing in her ears. The words "How could I let him marry the woman I love" were like a thorn, deeply piercing her heart. She could not and dared not gamble with Han Shizhong's life.
"Hongyu..." Han Shizhong's hand froze in mid-air. He looked at her with searching eyes, but in the end he said nothing.
Liang Hongyu couldn't bear to see his lost look, so she turned her head away and didn't look at him.
"General, let's take a look at the situation in the city first." She said unusually calmly.
Chuzhou City, once a prosperous and important city, now lies in ruins. Broken walls and rubble litter the ground, and the air is filled with a sickening, burnt smell. The city's inhabitants are all ragged, emaciated, and with empty eyes.
"Why does Chuzhou City look like this?" Liang Hongyu turned around and asked.
Han Shizhong looked up at her. Perhaps because of her long journey, her red cloak was stained with dust and her face looked haggard, but it could not hide her beautiful appearance. Her every frown and smile was touching.
He replied, "After the Jin army broke into the city, they burned, killed, and looted before leaving."
Chuzhou City was once a prosperous and important town in the Huai'an area. However, the prolonged Song-Jin War left the Huai'an area devastated, and the population fled, leaving only one in ten people alive. The once prosperous city was now empty, devastated and desolate. After the Jin army captured Chuzhou City, the entire population bravely fought in the streets, supporting the wounded. Even the women of the city clung to the enemy and drowned themselves in the water. The Jin army, enraged, slaughtered nearly everyone in the city, leaving rivers of blood.
She knew that rebuilding Chuzhou was a long and arduous task.
Han Shizhong frowned, "You shouldn't have come to Chuzhou City?"
Liang Hongyu raised her eyes and looked at him, "General, do you want me to return to the palace?"
“--------”
Her eyes gleamed with fire, "I will stand with the people of Chuzhou."
Han Shizhong looked at her sideways. The warm winter sun was gently shining on the city wall and on her face, making her whole body emit a strange light, which formed a sharp contrast with the girl in the palace who had no light in her eyes. Perhaps she was born to be a female general. Even in the dark, she could dispel the haze around her.
At that time in Chuzhou City, the soldiers and civilians had no food, and the people had no houses to live in. Liang Hongyu had no choice but to write a letter to Asen for help, asking him to transport some food and grass. She led the soldiers and civilians to build simple houses with reeds.
The wind blew through the reeds, making a rustling sound. Liang Hongyu led his troops to cut and collect reeds in the Shaohu area.
On the shore of Shao Lake, she found groups of war horses grazing on a kind of wild vegetable.
She picked a piece out of curiosity and put it in her mouth. A faint bitterness spread across her tongue, but it was unexpectedly sweet. She immediately ordered people to collect this wild vegetable, cook it into a soup, and distribute it to the people.
A month later, the city gate slowly opened, and a group of people escorting food and fodder appeared at the city gate. When the people heard that someone was transporting food into the city, they all rushed to the city gate.
The young man in the lead was riding a white warhorse, wearing a white long gown, a belt around his waist, a silver crown to tie his hair into a high ponytail, and a handsome face. Unlike the young man's white clothes, behind him followed a group of people in black clothes, holding long swords, and they were escorting carts of food and fodder towards the city.
The people were all delighted when they saw the food. The clouds of war dissipated at this moment, and they all speculated about the identity of the young man.
Someone in the crowd seemed to know this person and revealed his identity. "I know him. He is Mu Yunxiao, the leader of the Qingcheng Gang. His influence spreads throughout Jiangnan. As for why he appeared here and why he brought grain here, I don't know the reason."
Inside the Chuzhou government office, Liang Hongyu was sitting at a table reading the recent battle reports. Qiu Feng approached and announced, "Miss, Asen is here."
Liang Hongyu closed the battle report. He finally arrived.
She had just put down the battle report in her hand and looked up to see the young man standing in the yamen. He was dressed in white and looked dusty, but his eyes and eyebrows showed the youthful vigor and vitality.
"Asen, you're finally here, what took you so long?"
The young man replied, "Someone told me who was behind my father's poisoning, so I personally led people to investigate. Naturally, it took some time." He leaned closer and asked, "Why, Sister Hongyu, do you miss me—or the food I brought?"
The unique aura of a young man filled her face. Liang Hongyu met his clear eyes and said, "Of course I have thought of everything."
Hearing this, Asen lowered his head and smiled. Sure enough, she was still thinking about him.
"These grains are the life-saving food for the people of Chuzhou. How much is it in silver? I'll ask Qiu Feng to get it for you."
Only then did Asen notice Qiu Feng who had been standing in the hall. She was not much different from before. Under her single phoenix eyes were a pair of bright eyes, which were now looking at him steadily. Asen could not see any emotion on her face.
He suddenly remembered the day he first left. Qiu Feng had chased him on horseback, holding the reins and standing at the horse's side. The setting sun cast a soft glow on her face. She mustered up the courage to say to him, "Asen, I've loved you for a long time. Can you take me with you?"
Asen was stunned at the time. He didn't expect that when they were together day and night, he didn't realize her feelings for him.
Perhaps it was because of Liang Hongyu's dazzling brilliance that the others seemed to pale in comparison and insignificant. So he rejected her without hesitation and rode away from her sight without looking back.
Only Qiu Feng herself knew that as the young man left, tears had already blurred her vision, and the young girl's wildly growing feelings were so ruthlessly torn apart by someone else. Just like now, he hadn't noticed since he entered the door - at this moment, she was standing beside him, and his eyes were only for Liang Hongyu.
"Qiufeng, long time no see." Asen looked at Qiufeng, trying to see from her eyes how she felt when she saw him.
Qiu Feng just nodded: "Yeah." There was no emotion in her eyes. She must have let go of her youthful admiration for him long ago. Only then did Asen feel relieved.
Liang Hongyu then said to Qiu Feng, "Go and distribute the food and fodder."
Qiu Feng glanced at Asen and saw that he was smiling and his eyes were full of affection when he looked at Liang Hongyu.
She walked out of the hall, the cold winter wind blew on her face, stinging it with burning pain. Maybe she should let it go, but why did her heart hurt so much? It was like a wound torn apart by someone, even if it healed, it would leave a hideous scar.
After Qiu Feng left, Liang Hongyu said, "Asen, come with me for a walk in the city."
The young man nodded and said, "Okay."
At this time, food and fodder had been distributed to all soldiers and civilians. After the city was broken, the haze that shrouded Chuzhou City seemed to have dissipated a little at this moment, and rare smiles appeared on people's faces.
As they walked through the city, Asen glanced at Liang Hongyu from the side. Seeing that her brows were slightly furrowed and her face looked quite tired, he asked, "Sister Hongyu, do you really want to stay in Chuzhou City? You finally escaped from the palace, you should go see the wider world. If you want to go, come with me to Jiangnan."
Liang Hongyu replied, "This is my world. The Jin people haven't been driven out yet. I want to do something for the people here."
Asen: "Is that the only reason? Are you staying here because of General Han?"
Liang Hongyu suddenly stopped after hearing this and looked at Asen: "Asen, what do you want to say?"
Asen looked at her stunning face, which was still so captivating. The biting cold wind blew across his cheeks, but the boy's heart was warm.
All those words that had been unspoken before were suddenly spoken at this moment: "Sister Hongyu, from the moment you took me in, I have admired you. Because of my admiration for you, I have been working hard to make myself stronger, because in my heart, you deserve the best. I used to feel that I was not worthy of you, but now, I am the leader of the largest gang in the world. I feel that I have the ability to like you and pursue you. Can you consider me and let me take care of you?"
Liang Hongyu had never thought that this young man would like her. She always treated him as her own brother. She didn't know how to answer for a moment.
The young man noticed her embarrassment and said, "Sister Hongyu, don't worry about answering. I'm leaving now." Then he disappeared from her sight. Liang Hongyu then noticed that after not seeing him for a few years, the young man had become taller and more upright. He was no longer the boy he used to be, but a man.
As Liang Hongyu turned around, she bumped into a man's chest. She looked up and saw the handsome man, his eyes smiling at her. "When did Asen come? Did you invite him?"
"Yeah." Liang Hongyu kept her head down, thinking about how to refuse Asen, but she didn't expect Han Shizhong to appear here, and she didn't know whether he heard what Asen said just now.
"The soldiers and civilians in Chuzhou City have no food. I can only ask him for help."
"Oh, it seems that this general has to thank him a lot."
Liang Hongyu heard the sourness in his words and deliberately said, "Isn't it?"
“--------”
Han Shizhong couldn't figure out whether she still had the same feelings for him as before. When he happened to pass by and heard about Asen's feelings for her, he admitted that he was panicked. The young man was now very powerful, with a handsome face and clear eyes. Any woman would be moved by him.
At this time, a soldier suddenly ran over in a hurry: "Report! General, the Jin army...Jin army..." The soldier was panting and his face was pale.
"What happened to the Jin army?" Liang Hongyu's heart tightened, and an ominous premonition came to her mind.
"The Jin army... the Jin army heard that General Han was stationed in Chuzhou, and they are... heading this way!"
Upon hearing this, the two men looked at each other and immediately rushed to the top of the city.
The news of the Jin army's attack swept across Chuzhou City like a hurricane. The little flame of hope that had just been ignited was about to be extinguished by the cruel reality.
Beneath the city walls, tents were densely packed in the open fields a hundred meters from the city gates. The Jin army's flags fluttered in the cold wind, like a group of demons baring their fangs and claws, ready to pounce and devour Chuzhou City at any moment.
The estimated force was at least 100,000. Chuzhou City had just been defeated, and with fewer than 30,000 troops, most of them exhausted, how could they resist the fierce and ferocious Jin army? Furthermore, the city's food and fodder were completely depleted, leaving the people starving and morale extremely low.
This is simply a battle with no chance of winning!
Han Shizhong, standing on the city wall, frowned with a gloomy face. Liang Hongyu beside him did not speak either, but just looked out of the city silently.
The soldiers on the city wall wore solemn expressions, their weapons tightly gripped, their palms already soaked with sweat. Fear spread through the crowd like a plague.
"General, what...what should we do?" a young soldier asked timidly, with a hint of despair in his voice.
Liang Hongyu turned around and glanced at the frightened faces.
She took a deep breath and spoke in a strong voice: "What are you afraid of? The Jin army is also human, not a monster with three heads and six arms! Our Chuzhou city walls are strong. As long as we hold the city gates, the Jin army can't do anything to us!"
Her words were like a reassurance, calming the soldiers down a bit. However, only she knew that this was only a temporary solution.
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