move on.
Upon reaching the iron gate, they encountered a dozen or so guards wielding long halberds. The armor they wore indicated that they belonged to the Zhao family's legion of the Great Xia Dynasty, but none of them had the appearance of a Great Xia person.
One of them was short and was clearly a Dongpango person, while the other two looked more like the northern barbarians from north of Liangzhou.
The leader of the opposing side was dressed in a magnificent robe, with a phoenix prominently displayed on his chest.
The phoenix's feathers should have been bright and dazzling, but now, under the scorching sun, its beautiful tail feathers had faded slightly.
These are soldiers from Empress Wei Maozhen's Wei family! Lin Mo thought to himself.
Just then, a farmer laboriously pulled a fully loaded cart slowly towards them. Upon seeing this, the foreman's lips curled into a smug smile, and he whistled softly, the sound clear and resonant.
"What's this?" The leader casually picked up an egg from the vehicle, tossed it gently into the air, and caught it steadily. He grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, his smile revealing a hint of nonchalance. "Looks good, we'll take it."
The old man's voice trembled but was firm. He looked up at the officer, his eyes gleaming with unyielding light: "These eggs are what my grandson took to the city to exchange for some living expenses. Please, sir, have mercy on us and spare us this time."
The officer glanced at him, a disdainful smile playing on his lips. "Tell your hen to work harder and lay more eggs. I haven't seen a single egg in the past six months. Here, take this, don't say we're heartless." He casually tossed down a handful of copper coins, which jingled at the old man's feet.
Seeing this, the farmer's wife couldn't help but speak up: "Sir, these copper coins aren't even enough to buy chicken feed, how can they compensate for our losses?"
Upon hearing this, the officer's face immediately darkened. He glanced at the farmer's wife for a moment, a wicked glint in his eyes.
“You haven’t given me my change yet,” the leader sneered. “These eggs, and your pretty little lady, come with me. Young men, she’s a bit too young for that old man.”
They roughly dragged a struggling woman from the makeshift carriage. Her cries for help echoed across the desolate plain, sounding especially piercing.
The farmer's face was ashen, his hands clenched into fists, yet he dared not move an inch. His eyes were filled with fear and helplessness; he could only watch helplessly as his wife suffered this inhuman treatment.
Seeing this, Lin Mo spurred his horse forward and said, "Let her go."
He didn't want to cause trouble, but seeing these barbarian tribes humiliating his people like this, Lin Mo found it unbearable.
The sudden sound startled the guards, who turned to look, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.
However, this brief hesitation gave the farmer's wife a chance to break free. With all her might, she broke free of the guard's grasp and staggered backward.
"None of your business!" the head guard shouted sternly, his eyes fixed on Lin Mo with a fierce glare. "Kid, don't meddle in other people's business, or don't blame us for being impolite!"
Lin Mo sneered, his longsword already drawn, its cold light flashing.
"Excellent, kid, you've shown your weapon?" The leader sneered, his voice laced with undeniable ruthlessness. "I smell bandits. Do you know how my master deals with them?"
He still held the eggs in the oxcart tightly, but now he squeezed them hard, as if pouring all his anger and threat into them. The liquid, a mixture of yolk and white, slowly seeped out from between his fingers, like a silent warning.
Lin Mo frowned, took a deep breath, and tried to respond to the leader's threat with a firm voice, "Hmph! I know how your master deals with those unruly guys, but I know even better how he severely punishes those villains who oppress the people."
The first rule of the Great Xia military law is that the people must not be oppressed; this is an ironclad law that no one can violate!
Lin Mo had hoped that the military law of the Great Xia Dynasty could intimidate him, but the leader simply tossed the egg aside, made a gesture, and told his men to get into position.
With a "whoosh," a ring of weapons surrounded Lin Mo. "Oh, what did you say, kid? Great Xia military law?"
“The Great Xia military law deals with rapists,” a deep voice finished speaking, “either castration or beheading! Sometimes both at the same time. He’ll also cut off the fingers of thieves.”
A lazy young man strolled out of the city gate tower, his sword belt fastened at his waist. The coat covering his iron armor, which was originally white, was now covered with grass marks and dried bloodstains.
It was him; that voice pierced Lin Mo's ears like a cold blade.
Lin Mo narrowed his eyes slightly, as if searching for the source of the sound, and a strange emotion quietly grew in his heart.
"Haihan!" Lin Mo whispered, his voice revealing a hint of undisguised surprise.
This man was once the General of the Imperial Guard of the Great Xia Dynasty and a confidant of Emperor Zhao Shu of the Great Xia Dynasty!
Lin Mo and he had met several times before!
"It would be best to let them go, gentlemen!" Haihan's voice rang out again, carrying an undeniable authority. The guards who had been standing at attention hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly lowered their halberds.
"Why can't we catch him?" the guard captain asked, puzzled, his eyes flashing with doubt and resentment. "This kid doesn't look like a good person!"
Haihan glanced at him dismissively, his voice filled with warning: "If you don't want to see tomorrow's sun, then go ahead and do it." Haihan waved for the farmer to go into town. "Many people in town will like your eggs; you can sell them freely at the market!"
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