Rundu is a small town.

To the north is the prosperous Jinling, and to the south is the rich Huayuan. Sandwiched between the two cities is Rundu, a city that produces a lot of grapes, but many people have never heard of its name in their entire lives.

On the 20th day, they traveled without sleep. When they were tired, they would curl up and sleep for a few hours in caves under trees along the way. When they were hungry, they would shoot rabbits with bows and arrows and eat bird eggs. The seven of them finally reached Rundu City in the evening of the 20th day.

"What should we do now?" Several people stopped their horses, dismounted, and pulled their horses to the riverside to drink water, and sat down to eat something. He Yan looked ahead and saw a field in the distance. After walking to this place, she was familiar with the road.

He Yan didn't say anything, he just found the tallest tree and climbed up. After a while, he came down from the tree.

Hongshan handed her a few roasted bird eggs buried in the ashes and asked, "How about it? Where do we get in?"

The bird eggs were boiling hot. He Yan tumbled them in her hands for a few times before peeling off the shell. The steaming food went into her stomach, and the fatigue she had felt for the past few days seemed to be relieved. She said, "We can't go in directly from the front. The Wutuo people are camped outside the city gate. Even if we can avoid the Wutuo people, the soldiers guarding the city gate in Rundu will not dare to open the city gate."

"What should we do?" Jiang Jiao looked at her, "Brother He, what can you do?"

He Yan thought for a moment and said, "I asked the brothers of Liangzhou Guards before, and I know there is a small path outside the city gate. We need to go over a hill and then take the waterway. Horses can't go up there, so we can only abandon the horses and walk. We can take a shortcut in the middle and enter Rundu City."

"Really?" Xiao Mai asked, "Then let's eat quickly and then continue on our way."

He Yan nodded and looked towards the direction of Rundu City, a trace of worry passing through his heart.

This shortcut was not told to her by the Liangzhou guards. It was just that when she was fighting against the Western Qiang in Rundu many years ago, she dug a tunnel from the city to bring in the people outside the city. The tunnel connected to the river, and then crossed the river to the mountain outside the city. Whether it was the Western Qiang or the Wutuo people, a large number of troops would never take this route.

He Yan was not worried about the ambush of Wutuo people there, but she was worried about whether Li Kuang had sealed the tunnel after so many years. After all, Rundu had been peaceful for so many years.

But no matter what, we still have to move forward.

Everyone quickly finished their dry food and paused for a while. He Yan removed the reins of several horses one by one, patted the horses' butts, and the horses ran into the forest.

"Let's go," she said.

…

In front of the city gate, the guards looked carefully at the fields in the distance, not missing any suspicious places.

In the room, County Magistrate Zhao Shiming was pacing back and forth anxiously. He looked at the man sitting in the middle without saying a word and said anxiously, "General, why hasn't General He come yet? You should think of a solution!"

Li Kuang, the general of Rundu City, had just turned 40, was tall and mighty, with a beard around his mouth, which made him look particularly resolute. He slammed the table and said unhappily, "What are you arguing about? I've already said that General He will definitely come to help Rundu!"

Zhao Shiming was startled by him and felt dissatisfied, but he dared not say anything. Whether Rundu City can be defended now depends entirely on this adult. But more than 20 days have passed, and Huayuan is only four or five days away from Rundu. They can't leave the city now, and have no way to find out what the situation is in Huayuan. There is no news at all, which really makes people feel uneasy.

There were still people sitting in the room, and the atmosphere was depressing. At this time, someone knocked on the door, the curtain was opened, and a young woman walked in.

This is an absolute beauty, with an oval face, skin as white as jade, and a pair of eyes as bright and moving as stars. Even at this nervous moment, she was wearing a light pink embroidered silk dress. She was smiling and put the glass bowl in her hand next to Zhao Shiming, "Master Zhao, don't be angry, eat some grapes. That's all, you have to eat sparingly."

You shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you, especially a beauty. Zhao Shiming was very unhappy but he had to put it aside and forced a smile: "Thank you, Miss Qiluo."

Qiluo was Li Kuang's favorite concubine, and he would take her with him wherever he went. She was young, beautiful, and smart. Everyone would want to have such a sweet and charming girl. But now, in times of war, the beauty's face was not as attractive as before.

After Qiluo brought the grapes, she stood behind Li Kuang and stretched out her slender jade fingers to rub his shoulders. Her strength was just right, relieving Li Kuang's fatigue from running around every day these days. Li Kuang picked up the tea bowl on the table and took a sip, saying, "Until General He comes, continue to guard the city gate!"

Zhao Shiming did not speak. It was another man who spoke. He was the president of the Chamber of Commerce in Rundu City. "Lord Li, we have to defend for a while. There is not much food in the city now. Our most abundant food can only give us a small bowl. If we continue to defend like this, I am afraid that before General He arrives, the people in the city will starve to death!"

Someone started it, and the rest followed suit.

"Yes, we were not killed by the Utos, but we were trapped in the city and starved to death. What's going on?"

"How can you be sure that General He will come, Lord Li? What if General He doesn't come?"

"It's been more than 20 days. Did General Feihong have an accident?"

The room was filled with a flurry of chatter. Li Kuang slammed his fist on the table, spilling half the tea in the bowl. The room gradually became quiet.

"Manager Wang, do you have any insight into what you said?" He stared at the president of the Chamber of Commerce, his eyes as fierce as a cheetah.

Shopkeeper Wang shuddered and stopped talking.

They knew that hiding in the city was not a good idea, but they had no better solution. Could they rush out to fight the Wutuo people? With their own troops, it might not be enough. There were 100,000 Wutuo people outside. Those Wutuo people who were defeated in Huayuan did not retreat, but directly integrated and joined forces with the Wutuo people on the other side and rushed to Rundu.

And all the soldiers and horses in Rundu totaled only 30,000.

After all, Rundu is just a small city.

"But Lord Li, we can't just keep guarding like this. You've seen it," said an old man with gray hair. "In the past few days, the Wutuo people have been making frequent probing attempts at night. I'm afraid they will soon launch a general attack on the city. We can defend the city with minor attacks, but how can we defend it if a 100,000-strong Wutuo army really rushes in?"

Li Kuang gritted his teeth.

As the general of the city, he knew these situations better than anyone else. So he knew from the beginning that the only thing Rundu could do now was to hold back the Wutuo people and wait for reinforcements. He Rufei was an old friend of his. Although he and He Rufei were not close friends, he knew that He Rufei was a brave and fearless hero with a heart for the world when they fought against the Western Qiang together. Since he asked He Rufei for help, He Rufei would definitely come. If there was no news for such a long time, it was most likely that He Rufei himself had encountered troubles.

But Rundu had no one else to ask for help. Jinling? There was no general with troops stationed in Jinling, only soldiers and horses in the city, but they could not leave the city to Rundu and put Jinling in crisis. The two famous generals of Wei also had Xiao Huaijin, but it was a pity that Xiao Huaijin was far away in Liangzhou, and distant water could not quench immediate thirst.

For a moment, Li Kuang secretly hated the treacherous prime minister for seizing power. If not, the Southern Army led by Xiao Huaijin would definitely be able to beat these Wutuo people back to their hometown and never dare to set foot on the land of Wei again.

During the silence, Zhao Shiming suddenly spoke up: "Lord Li, do you remember that when General Feihong was in the city, he dug a secret tunnel that led to the outside of the city?"

Everyone looked at Zhao Shiming. This incident was familiar to everyone. In those days, the Western Qiang people massacred the people who could not enter the city outside the gate of Rundu. General Feihong had people dig a tunnel and secretly gathered the people outside the city and brought them into the city. Many lives were saved at that time, and those people were grateful to He Rufei - they originally thought they had been abandoned.

"What do you want to say?" Li Kuang asked.

Zhao Shiming sighed, stood up, and bowed to Li Kuang. "It's the end of the road. I am old, and I am the county magistrate of Rundu. Naturally, I will not leave and live and die with the people in the city. But... my grandson is only three years old now."

"Please allow me, Lord Li, to let my servant take my grandson out through the tunnel."

Everyone was shocked.

Then someone followed Zhao Shiming's words and said, "Please, Lord Li, allow my mother to take my wife and children away."

"Please, Lord Li..."

Everyone here had already made up their mind to die, and the only thing they cared about was the safety of their families. They all begged Li Kuang to give their wives and children a chance to survive.

Qiluo pursed her lips and glanced secretly at Zhao Shiming.

Sure enough, the next moment, Zhao Shiming said angrily: "Nonsense, everyone of you must take your families and leave the city. If the people follow suit, in the end, there will be no need to fight the Wutu people. I think this city will be empty!"

"You are trying to undermine the morale of the army!" At the end, his tone suddenly turned harsh, and the murderous aura was revealed, and everyone was silent.

Qiluo stepped aside, not daring to speak at this critical moment.

In the silence, suddenly, someone outside came to report: "Sir, Sir——"

"Why are you so panicking?" Li Kuang frowned.

"Someone has entered our tunnel... tunnel...!"

"What?" Li Kuang stood up suddenly. The first thought that came to his mind was that He Rufei was here? After all, apart from the common people who crawled through the tunnels back then, He Rufei had walked through the tunnels himself. He asked, "Is it General Feihong?"

"No..." The guard said, "Yes, yes..."

"Wu'an Lang He Yan." Before he finished speaking, the curtain rose again and a young man in red clothes walked in.

This was a face that Li Kuang did not recognize. The boy was not very old, only about 16 or 17 years old. He was very handsome and bright, and the most attractive thing was his eyes, which sparkled like bright gemstones. He had a smile on his lips, and he was not at all flustered when he saw a room full of people. He calmly bowed to Li Kuang and said, "Hello, Lord Li."

Li Kuang frowned and shouted, "Who are you?"

He Yan pointed at his clothes, then shook out a seal from his sleeve and threw it to Li Kuang, "I am He Yan."

The seal is real and cannot be faked, and the crown and clothes also look real. However, Li Kuang has been an official for a long time, and this is the first time he has heard the name He Yan. He was a little suspicious for a moment, but Qi Luo beside him exclaimed, "Wu An Lang? But he was the Wu An Lang who was personally appointed by His Majesty when he and Commander Xiao set fire to the canal and defeated the Wu Tuo people in Jiyang City?"

No one knew Wu Anlang, but everyone knew about the fire that burned the Jiyang Canal and defeated the Wu Tuo people. Everyone looked at He Yan in surprise. They remembered that there was a confidant of Xiao Jue who fought alongside Xiao Jue and was promoted to an official, but they didn't expect it to be such a young man?

The age is a bit too young.

Could it be fake?

The more suspicious people were, the more relieved Li Kuang felt. If it was really a conspiracy by Wu Tuo, there was no need to find a half-grown child to arouse suspicion. However... he asked: "How do you know the tunnel in Jiyang City?"

"I don't know," He Yan said, "The governor told me."

Xiao Huaijin? Li Kuang thought, with Xiao Huaijin's ability, it would not be difficult to find this tunnel. But... he felt hopeful: "Did Commander Xiao ask you to come? Does Commander Xiao plan to support Rundu? How many soldiers did you bring this time? The soldiers cannot enter the tunnel, are your people guarding outside the city?"

He Yan stared at Li Kuang. He had worked hard to defend the city for days. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked very haggard. But he hadn't seen him for a few years and he looked much older. Facing such expectant eyes, He Yan shook his head slowly: "I came here by myself. I didn't bring any soldiers with me, and there were no Nanfu soldiers guarding outside the city."

The joy of the people in the room was instantly dampened by He Yan's words. Li Kuang asked, "Are you kidding?"

He Yan took back his seal and put it in his pocket: "I am the Wu'an Lang appointed by your majesty. If there is an emergency, I don't have to obey the commander-in-chief's orders."

Li Kuang looked at her and felt that this young man was simply inexplicable. He initially thought that He Yan came here at Xiao Jue's command, but now he was told that He Yan acted on her own initiative? He asked, "So, Wu Anlang, you came to Rundu alone, are you here for fun? I'm sorry I can't understand."

He Yan smiled and said, "I'm here to help you."

"Only you?"

"It's up to us."

As soon as he said that, he heard someone's voice outside again, "Yes, there are also us! Why do you look down on others!"

The door curtain was lifted, Qi Luo covered her mouth, and saw people coming in in twos and threes. There were people of all shapes and sizes, tall and short, six in total except He Yan.

A man who looked like a bandit with a scar on his face stepped forward and said in a savage tone: "We have traveled thousands of miles across mountains and rivers to come here, not to listen to your nonsense! Here, Liangzhou Guards No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, we don't do anything else, we are here to help you fight the Wutuo people! Don't take advantage of me and still act like a good boy. If you keep talking nonsense, I will fight you and the Wutuo people together!"

Li Kuang's face turned ashen with anger. Where did this bandit come from? He has no respect for military discipline and no regard for human beings!

There was one who looked handsome and amiable. He bowed to everyone and said with a smile, "I have been in Liangzhou for a long time, so my words may be a little vulgar. I hope you can forgive me. But Lord Li, you really don't have to worry. The seven of us brothers are here and will not hinder Rundu. In fact, we have fought with the Wutuo people twice in the past. We have the most experience in how to defeat the Wutuo people."

He Yan looked at Jiang Jiao's back and thought to himself that he was worthy of being the young master of Shuo Jing Martial Arts School. He would never show mercy when it was time to act like a big shot.

Li Kuang didn't say anything, but Zhao Shiming came up to him immediately, held Jiang Jiao's hand, and said with tears in his eyes: "That's great, Rundu needs heroes like you!"

What a joke! If there is one more person to fight the Wutuo people now, Rundu can hold out for a little longer. Who knows, at that moment of holding out, we can wait for the reinforcements from General Feihong. And what did they just say? They have fought the Wutuo people twice in the past, and won both times? This kind of military advisor is simply a timely help!

For a moment, Zhao Shiming didn't care what Li Kuang's expression was. He just said warmly: "You heroes are willing to come to Rundu at such a critical moment without caring about your life and safety. It is really noble! It's a pity that Rundu is now surrounded by enemies and I can't repay you." He turned around and saw the grapes on the table. He offered them to the Buddha and said: "These are our Rundu specialty grapes. You can have a taste!"

Jiang Jiao passed the grapes to Xiaomai, who was overjoyed and ate the grapes happily while holding the bowl.

Nowadays, there is not much food, let alone grapes. Everyone in the house swallowed their saliva when they saw Xiao Wheat eating happily.

He Yan looked at Li Kuang and said, "I have a few words to say to Lord Li."

Li Kuang stared at He Yan. He didn't dare to say that he completely believed this young man, but he couldn't find any faults for the time being. Hearing this, he thought to himself what this boy was up to, so he said, "Come with me."

He Yan followed Li Kuang into his study, while the others were outside. When they arrived at the study, Li Kuang sat down, looked at him, and said coldly, "There is no one else here, Wu Anlang, just speak your mind."

Having worked with Li Kuang in the past, He Yan knew that Li Kuang still had doubts about her, which was understandable. If it were her, she would also be suspicious if such a group of people suddenly came and told her to help. He Yan took out a scroll from her arms: "On the way from Liangzhouwei to Rundu, when I had time to rest, I carefully recalled the scenes of the previous battle with the Wutuo people and wrote down the characteristics and habits of the Wutuo people. I fought with the Wutuo people twice, once in Liangzhouwei and once in Jiyang. The land and water battles have their own characteristics. This should be beneficial to Lord Li."

Li Kuang took it with some doubts. As soon as he unfolded it, his face changed slightly and his expression became a little excited. He could naturally tell whether what was written on the scroll was nonsense or true. At least some of the things written on it were similar to the experience he had gained from fighting with the Uto people.

He himself had written it, but it was not as clear and detailed as the one on this scroll. This was certainly because he had not fought the Wutuo people as closely as He Yan twice, but there was another reason, his own ability was not as outstanding as He Yan's. For a moment, he looked at this scroll, and another person's figure emerged in his mind, He Rufei.

He Rufei's ability to summarize battles is equally accurate.

He knew how valuable this scroll was, so when he looked at He Yan, his eyes softened a little and he asked, "Did you write all this?"

"My brothers and I wrote this together." He Yan did not take all the credit on himself. "Everyone has their own strengths. If one person didn't see something, another person would notice it, and we can avoid loopholes to the greatest extent."

Li Kuang nodded: "Thank you very much."

He Yan looked at him and said, "Master Li, please forgive me for saying so much, but what are your plans from now on? Are you just going to guard the city gate and wait for General Fei Hong to bring reinforcements? What if General Fei Hong doesn't come?"

He Yan was not the first person to say this, nor would he be the last. Li Kuang sighed, "Besides that, what else can we do? There are not many soldiers in the city. A fight with one's back to the river is certainly exciting, but once the city is broken, tens of thousands of civilians will all be buried under the swords of the Wutuo people. Rundu is just the first danger. Once Rundu is broken, the next one will be Jinling, and then all the way north..." After a pause, he added, "Your Majesty wants us to defend Rundu to the death, so we can't leave Rundu at all."

He suddenly remembered something and looked at He Yan: "Brother He, did you come in from outside the city? Actually, there is another way now."

He Yan had already guessed what he wanted to say, and said with a smile: "Lord Li, you don't want me to leave the city and go to Huayuan to ask General Feihong for help, right?"

"We have sent out three groups of people, but there is no news. Brother He was able to escape the battle of Jiyang unscathed following Governor Xiao, so he must be very skilled. If we can get out of the city and find General Feihong, perhaps Rundu can still be saved."

"Does Lord Li think that the person he sent out earlier was stopped by someone on the way to find General Feihong?"

Li Kuang was stunned, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that it is very unlikely that the three groups of troops would be wiped out before reaching Huayuan. There is no news until now, and I am afraid that General Feihong himself has encountered trouble. Now everyone is trapped in Rundu and has no idea about the situation outside. If we wait blindly, I am afraid that it will harm the people of the city."

He Yan didn't make it clear, because she knew in her heart that the troops sent by Li Kuang would be silenced by He Rufei after seeing him. Li Kuang had worked with "General Feihong" before, and in order to avoid being exposed, He Rufei wished that Li Kuang would die without a burial place, so how could she lend a helping hand, even if he was so close.

In the past, Li Kuang knew about "General Feihong", so he would have waited till the end of the New Year for He Rufei to come to the rescue.

"Did you hear any news about General Feihong on your way here?" Li Kuang was still unwilling to give in.

He Yan shook his head.

The man lowered his head, let out a long sigh, and said, "For now, we can only delay it for a while."

He Yan asked: "Did Lord Li only write to General Fei Hong for help?"

"There are others, but they are too far away from Rundu. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold on for that long."

He Yan thought for a moment, "In fact, Lord Li, have you ever thought that it is better to attack than to defend? Instead of sitting and waiting to be killed, it is better to take the initiative to attack."

Li Kuang: “What a wild idea!”

The young man looked at him with a firm gaze, "It's not a fantasy, but a way to seize the opportunity and turn defense into offense."