The group of people rode at full speed towards Wuzhou. Xiao Mu was the fastest among them and left early. They now had to confirm whether Wuzhou City was really occupied by Luo Qi, and if so, how many people were occupied, and whether the people they left in the city were safe.
When Xiao Mu returned to Wuzhou, it was only the middle of the Yin hour. Wuzhou City was still the same without any changes. Xiao Mu did not alarm the guards at the city gate. He took Ye Chen's order all the way back to the county government office. The county government office was the same as the outside. The one hundred silver-armored soldiers left by Xiao Xingran were dispatched to various city gates and took control of the city gates.
Xiao Mu went to the garrison of Wuzhou without stopping. When he went there with Ye Chen and Lu Chenyuan's military orders, it was dawn. It was still pitch dark at the hour of Mao in winter. The military camp was brightly lit, and the soldiers who were on guard outside had found a place to shelter from the wind and were taking a nap.
Xiao Mu did not take the normal route, but sneaked into the commander's tent. The person inside was sleeping soundly, and Xiao Mu walked lightly. When Xiao Mu put the knife on the man's neck, the man woke up in shock.
"Li Minchun, the defender of Wuzhou, do you recognize this?" Xiao Mu held Lu Chenyuan's token in front of Li Minchun and asked him to identify it.
"I recognize... I recognize it. It's the token of the King of Zhennan." Li Minchun's voice trembled.
"It's good that you recognize me. Now I'm here to convey the military order from King Lu Chenyuan of Zhennan. Send your garrison to guard the city gates. All of them must be in place within one hour without any error, otherwise they will be punished by military law." Xiao Mu put away the knife in his hand and walked out.
"Don't think that you can ignore this military order just because you haven't met me. If something goes wrong because of your negligence, it won't just be a matter of military punishment, it may be a matter of collective punishment. If you don't believe me, you can go to the South City Gate to have a look. The second-rank governor is there, you can go and verify it." Xiao Mu stopped and kindly reminded Li Minchun, then he disappeared in a flash.
Two flowers bloom, each representing one side.
When Ye Chen and his men returned to Wuzhou, the Silver-Armored Army in the city had already taken over the defense of the city gate, and there were many times more torches lit on the city walls than usual.
"Don't worry, I have already sent orders to the Silver Armor Army. They will be here within two quarters of an hour. Besides, the defenders in Wuzhou City are still here. Even if they attack, we can still defend Wuzhou." Lu Chenyuan was a little out of breath when he spoke. His legs hurt a lot. Although Ye Chen gave him medicine, he still had some signs of fever.
"Are you sure that the defenders here are still under your control? I'm not afraid of them coming to attack, but I'm afraid of them joining forces from inside and outside. According to Xia Hanshan, since Luo Qi wants to take over Wuzhou and has been entrenched here for so long, I think he is not just using Fu Xia. If he wanted to take over Wuzhou, he would have had enough opportunities and time to do so before we came. There was no need to wait for us to come before launching a move. He must have some purpose that we don't know about." After entering the city with Lu Chenyuan, they began to deploy defenses. The closest county to Wuzhou was Yi County, but it was too small and there were not many soldiers available.
"So, you sent people back to that Fuze Cave?"
"I hope I'm overthinking it. Let's wait for the news."
"Okay, don't worry about it. The most important thing for you now is to go back and heal your injuries. Leave this to me. Send your prince back." Ye Chen directly pointed at the two silver-armored soldiers and asked them to send Lu Chenyuan back to the county government office.
"Send people to set up roadblocks at the three intersections leading to Wuzhou, carrying signal fireworks everywhere and setting off fireworks when they spot the enemy. Send people from the south gate to the post station thirty miles away to stop the passing caravans. We must exclude the civilians as much as possible." Ye Chen sent out a lot of people. He couldn't let the civilians be involved in this war because they knew nothing.
"Gee, gee." A galloping horse came from a distance.
The "master" rode his horse into the city and went straight to Ye Chen.
"explain"
"Someone did enter Fuze Cave after we left and emptied out all the treasures inside. They took that downhill path, and our people have already followed them. It seems they are heading deeper into Langya Mountain."
"Alright, the Silver Armor Army will be here soon. Secure the city gates here. Once the Wuzhou garrison arrives, deploy your forces according to the plan." Ye Chen gazed at the dark distance outside the city. He didn't know if he could keep Wuzhou this time, nor did he know if he could prevent the five-year civil war. He was truly terrified. In his previous life, Luo Qi had always hidden behind Fu Xia. In this life, he had nowhere to hide. It seemed the Order of the Phoenix had already changed hands. What lay deep within Langya Mountain?
Chen Qiu always followed behind Ye Chen. In fact, Chen Qiu had practical experience in defending the city. After all, when she was in Qi County, she faced a Tatar invasion almost every winter. It was just that her father and brother defended the city well. The Tatars had never gotten the upper hand from her father and brother since she could remember.
Chen Qiu reached out and grabbed Ye Chen's hand. She didn't say anything. She just wanted to stay with him quietly at a moment like this. He was so capable that nothing could stop him. She just had to stay with him and protect his safety.
"Qiu'er, I'm scared." Ye Chen suddenly held Chen Qiu's hand tightly and said this.
"Well? I'm not afraid as long as Qiu'er is here." Although she was not as smart as her husband, she also wanted to be that person who could help him eliminate his fear.
"I'm afraid I still can't protect you. I'm afraid I can't protect the people here. If Wuzhou is occupied, it will inevitably cause civil unrest. No matter how the unrest is quelled, the people will always suffer." Ye Chen still looked ahead. Chen Qiu didn't know what Ye Chen meant by "still can't protect me." But she knew that what Ye Chen needed now was not comfort or empty promises. He just needed her to accompany him. He had his own thoughts on everything.
"My husband, do what's in your heart. I will always be by your side."
"The Silver Armored Army is coming." First there was the deafening sound of horse hooves, and then a faint silver light could be seen coming out of the darkness.
By the time dawn had broken, both the Wuzhou garrison and the Silver Armor Army had been deployed to the various city gates, with the main defenses concentrated at the South Gate. The man who had followed Luo Qi hadn't returned yet. It wasn't known whether he had been discovered or had wandered too far.
Wuzhou is a hub area connecting the north, south, east and west. There are many merchants coming and going during the day. At the hour of Mao, many merchants were waiting at the city gate to enter the city, but they were all blocked outside the city gate.
By noon, more and more people were outside the city gate, shouting for the gate to be opened. "Why won't you let us in? Why won't you let us in?"
"I can't even go home after doing business. What's going on?"
"My family relies on selling the rough work we do at home to make a living. If the city gates are not opened, our livelihood will be cut off."
"Open the city gate, I want to go home." The shouts from below came one after another, and the words became more and more alarmist.
"I didn't know what method Luo Qi used to attack the city before, but now I know." Ye Chen looked at the merchants who were going to the market without any old, weak, women or children, and was basically certain that those who were shouting below were Luo Qi's siege personnel.
"Open the door, open the door." The people below were getting more and more excited. By the end of Chenshi, they had started to bang on the door. There were already thousands of people below, but not surprisingly, there was not a single elderly, weak, woman or child. Moreover, this situation only occurred at the south gate of Wuzhou.
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