Yu Xunmei wore a bright red cape today, with snow-white rabbit fur sewn onto the edges of the hat, sleeves, and collar.
Her presence on the city wall caused a disturbance among the Hu soldiers.
They thought it was some kind of conspiracy by Yun Mo and others, but when Yu Shida looked closely, he realized it was his beloved.
After greeting He Xiong, he rode forward.
Their eyes met, and the longing in each other's eyes was clearly visible.
"Amei, what are you doing here? Did the Yun family force you to come?" Yu Shida's eyes flashed with pain; he had implicated her.
Yu Xunmei clasped her hands together and remained silent.
The elder next to him took out the family genealogy from his bosom and coughed lightly.
“Yu Shida, you have betrayed your ancestors and led the Hu people to besiege and attack Nanzhou Prefecture, putting the Yu family in a position of disloyalty and injustice. This act of betraying your ancestors for personal gain is an unforgivable crime of the Yu family. After discussion, I and the entire Yu family have decided to formally expel you from the family and strip you of your status as a member of the Yu family. From today onwards, your actions will have nothing to do with the Yu family.”
Yu Shida stood there stunned, as if struck by lightning. He stared wide-eyed at Yu Xunmei in disbelief.
"Is this what you meant?"
"If the city of Nanzhou falls, can you guarantee that the Hu people will not kill a single member of the Yu family?" Yu Xunmei asked instead of answering.
Yu Shida was speechless. Even though He Xiong had promised him not to harm any of his people, he couldn't guarantee that his Hu people would abide by the rule.
But he's sure he can protect her!
Yu Xunmei seemed to see through his hypocrisy, took off her cloak, threw it off the city wall, and turned to leave.
"Here's your clothes back. From now on, we're even!"
As she was about to descend the city wall, she turned her head and glanced at Yun Er, who was sitting and eating a pancake.
For some reason, the more she looked at the person in front of her, the more pleasing he seemed, so she asked, almost as if possessed, "Would you mind marrying me?"
"Cough cough cough!" Yun Er almost choked to death on the biscuit in his mouth, coughing violently with his eyes rolling back.
He frantically unscrewed the water bag, drank a few mouthfuls of water, and only then could he breathe freely.
Yun Er waved his hand, "I am honored by Miss Yu's kindness, but I am already married. Please have some self-respect!"
They had eyes but couldn't recognize a piece of gold inlaid with jade!
Yu Xunmei snorted coldly and descended the city wall.
After resting for an hour, the Hu army, which had been the most fortified defensive position, regrouped and concentrated its forces to attack the city gate.
With each attack, Yunmo and his team found their defense increasingly difficult.
The reaction of the powerful families in Nanzhou Prefecture was even faster than Yun Mo had anticipated. They sent their servants and guards to join the defense of the city that afternoon.
The most proactive family was the Fan family, because Fan Chuanji knew that when Yu Shida was recruiting soldiers in Nanzhou Prefecture, their family had caused the most trouble. If Nanzhou Prefecture fell, Yu Shida would not let the Fan family go first.
Other prominent families shared the same idea as him.
At this critical juncture of life and death, the various prominent families of Nanzhou Prefecture united as never before, with those who had men contributing manpower and those who didn't contributing food and supplies.
In the Nanzhou Prefecture, inside a distillery, Lin Yinan was leading his men in brewing high-concentration liquor.
At the end of last year, she asked Wu Xingwang to purchase a batch of sorghum, which is now known as sorghum rice.
The brewing of high-proof baijiu involves a series of complex processes, including the selection of raw materials, koji making, fermentation, and distillation.
In ancient times, high-concentration liquor was believed to have effects such as dispelling cold, reducing inflammation and killing bacteria, relieving tension and fatigue, and serving as a medicinal guide.
During the distillation process, the control of temperature and time is crucial, and Lin Yinan and her team had to experiment many times before they succeeded.
During this period, a rich aroma of wine always wafted around the distillery, its mellow flavor infused with the rich sweetness of millet, bringing joy to those who smelled it.
Lin Yinan, sweating profusely, stood by the stove, only a few more batches left to distill all the wine.
"Chunmei, don't let the fire in the stove get too strong. Let the fire come down slowly."
“Okay, Sister Anan.” Lin Chunmei bent down and took out two pieces of burning firewood from the stove.
Lin Yinan watched the movement in the pot and said approvingly, "That's right, just like that."
Just then, Lin Chunrong called out from the doorway, "Sister, a guard has come to see you. He says he has something important to report."
"Did you say anything?" Lin Yinan asked without looking up, her eyes fixed on the white liquor being distilled in the pot.
Lin Chunrong said, "He said something happened in Nanzhou Prefecture. My brother-in-law sent a message by carrier pigeon, and Second Master Yun wants you to go back to discuss something."
Lin Yinan paused in her movements, then stood up and took off her apron.
"Huihui, Qingqing, you two keep an eye on things, I'll go see what's going on."
Lin Chunmei glanced at her and said, "Sister Anan, you can go now. I already know how to control the heat."
Lin Yinan nodded solemnly, then turned and left the winery.
As she left the distillery, she looked up at the gloomy sky. The air pressure was low; it was probably going to rain again.
Inside the council hall of Longtan County Government, almost all the management personnel were present, sitting with furrowed brows and solemn expressions, a far cry from the usual lively and enthusiastic atmosphere of discussion.
Yun Ye's face hardened further. Seeing Lin Yinan come in and sit down, he slowly handed her the note in his hand.
"The Hu army of 100,000 has besieged Nanzhou Prefecture. This is the information my third brother relayed last night. The secret guards will return with the report as early as the day after tomorrow."
Lin Yinan put down the note in her hand and sat there quietly, her face showing no sign of panic. Her eyes were firm and calm as she looked at Yunye.
What are your plans?
Yunye: "I plan to personally lead the troops to provide support, and you will stay behind to guard Longtan."
Lin Yinan refused without hesitation, "Even with an army of 100,000, including Longtan and all the troops stationed in Xihe, the number is less than 10,000. How can they possibly contend with the Hu army?"
"What should we do?" the chieftain asked anxiously, his voice choked with emotion. "Those are all fine young men of Longtan; we can't just stand by and watch them be killed by the barbarians..."
"Grandpa Chief, don't worry, let's think of a solution together," Lin Yinan comforted him, then looked at Yun Ye, "Let's prepare the supplies first. The noble families in other cities should have received the news as well. Do you think they'll just sit and wait to die?"
"No." Yunye's eyes darkened slightly as he said firmly.
Seeing his younger sister's expression, Lin Yiheng guessed that she might want to lead troops to Nanzhou Prefecture. He leaned forward slightly, peeked out, and stared anxiously at Lin Yinan.
"Anan, do you perhaps want to go to Nanzhou Prefecture?"
He had barely finished speaking when Yunye said, "Absolutely not! The Hu people are cold-blooded and brutal; you mustn't go!"
Inside the council chamber, everyone's eyes were on Lin Yinan.
Not wanting everyone to worry, Lin Yinan changed the subject, saying, "We'll make a decision on this matter once the other families arrive and we've prepared the supplies."
"What about Yunmo?" Lin Shuo was worried; an army of 100,000 was no joke.
Yunye thought for a moment and said, "My third brother said that the food and weapons in Nanzhou Prefecture are enough to support them for three months. We just need to prepare everything during this period."
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