Li Guorui and Sun Sanjie felt some disappointment, their earlier joy upon hearing about reinforcements now completely vanished.
The reinforcements standing before them indeed wore striking armor and rode robust horses, even equipped with spare mounts, an extreme luxury.
However, there were more horses than men - a mere thirty or forty people at a glance - and beneath the armor were soldiers either old or young, thin, and even some women!
This is reinforcements? Could it be just a random group that was gathered along the way? If not for the plump horses and fine armor, they would be more appropriately called refugees.
Could it be that they stole these horses and armor?
Recently, the withdrawal of troops from the western route of Hebei has led to lax military management, so it's possible that an armory was looted.
"Who are you?" asked Li Guorui with a frown, "What are you doing here?"
"Of course, we're here to reinforce," Zhao Hanqing said, gesturing towards the city gate, "Hurry and open the gate, let the refugees in."
And who might you be?
Li Guorui and Sun Sanjie wore strange expressions.
Just a mere girl...
"Have the person in charge come out and talk." Li Guorui said impatiently.
The ranks parted, and her voice arrived before she did.
"Lord Li, we are indeed here to reinforce."
The woman's voice was gentle.
Li Guorui and Sun Sanjie saw the person who was approaching.
Yet another girl...
This one seemed even less likely than the previous girl, at least the latter wore armor, however ill-fitting it might be, at least it was a semblance of an attempt.
But this girl approaching them was dressed in a cotton robe, wrapped in a bright red cloak, her face delicately made-up, looking just like a Miss out for a jaunt.
"Have the person in charge come and talk." Sun Sanjie said with some annoyance, what's the meaning of this at such a time.
"I am the one in charge," Miss Jun said.
What do you mean?
Li Guorui and Sun Sanjie were momentarily stunned.
"I am the one in charge of the Qingshan Army," Miss Jun continued, "We are here to reinforce and help you defend the city, please open the city gates and let the refugees in."
On what authority?
"With the seal and letter from Duke of Chengguo," Miss Jun explained, extending an envelope to them.
Duke of Chengguo?
Li Guorui and Sun Sanjie were taken aback, subconsciously taking and opening it, and indeed it bore the great seal of Duke of Chengguo.
"Is this for real?" Li Guorui murmured.
Sun Sanjie, being a cultured bureaucrat, was adept at discerning writing and seals, especially given his location which often dealt with the Duke of Chengguo; he could easily distinguish the authenticity at a glance.
"It's authentic," he said with a complex expression.
Li Guorui's face immediately lit up with excitement.
He hadn't expected that the Duke of Chengguo would remember them, sending reinforcements... although these reinforcements seemed few and hardly looked like soldiers... Nevertheless, he could understand, considering that the Duke himself was hard-pressed defending the border against the fifty or sixty thousand-strong Jin Army.
Even in such difficult times, he split his forces to aid them; the Duke of Chengguo indeed never abandons anyone.
Their trust and obedience to the Duke had become habitual to the core, and at this moment neither of them said more.
"As commanded, we shall comply," they declared solemnly in unison.
...….
Although Changfeng was just a county town, it was built exceptionally strong due to its strategic location, a point of contention for military forces, hence refugees from all directions chose it as their first destination.
It was high noon, and standing atop the city wall one could see the masses of people outside the gates. Although denied entry, many were reluctant to leave.
At some point, many makeshift huts had been erected on the fields outside the city, practically forming a settlement.
But there was nothing fortunate about this settlement: in the bitter cold, with hunger and chill intertwined, the weak grew weaker, and human decency wore away, unleashing the beast within.
A scream pierced the air as a steamed bun, blackened like a stone, was snatched from a little girl's hand. At the same time, she was hoisted up by a gaunt, ferocious-looking man.
"Spare me, please spare me!" an elderly woman threw herself forward, hugging the man's legs.
"You still owe me a bun from last time, trying to weasel out of debt?" the man shouted viciously, "If no buns, repay with a person."
With that, he kicked the old woman away.
Three other men circled around, their greedy eyes on the struggling, crying girl.
"Thin as she is, she's still tender," one man said with a toothy grin, revealing yellow teeth.
The implication of his words sent the elderly woman into further despair; she lunged forward again.
"Take me instead, just spare my granddaughter," she cried.
The men kicked her away once more.
"Who would want you, you old thing," they cursed.
Watching the scene, people around were either angry or numb, not stepping forward to intervene. Such sights were all too common, beyond their control. Whether one could survive oneself was uncertain, let alone caring for others.
The men laughed heartily as they dangled the girl about.
"Before we cook her, we can first have some fun," said one of them.
The elderly woman, unable to get up, watched her screaming granddaughter with tears streaming down her face.
How could life have turned out this way?
"Old Heavenly Father, do you even have eyes..." she wailed, reaching out towards the sky.
Before she finished speaking, a thud was heard as the man holding the girl fell straight to the ground, and the girl in his hands tumbled down with him.
The man knelt on the ground, crumbling bit by bit like broken bamboo until he finally lay still on the ground.
Quivering on his neck was a feathered arrow.
The crying and shouting halted for a moment, before a scream arose.
"Who?"
The remaining few dazed men came back to their senses and looked around in panic, only to see a troop of government soldiers, who had appeared out of nowhere. A grand red flag fluttered behind them, and one of the soldiers, of slight build and with their face covered, making it difficult to determine their gender at first sight, was aiming a bow at them.
Government soldiers!
The men were about to shout when the sound of buzzing was heard. Arrows had already flown over, and three arrows fired simultaneously pierced through the throats of these three men.
After a few coughs, they died before they could even scream in agony.
The wilderness fell silent, only the old woman holding her granddaughter was still crying loudly.
"The city gates are open!"
Suddenly a refugee exclaimed.
It was then that everyone noticed that the city gates, which had been closed for half a month, were actually opened.
Instantly, the entire wilderness boiled over; everyone scrambled to their feet and surged towards the city gates.
With a clatter, the troop of government soldiers nearby formed a line, with bows and spears aimed at the refugees.
The excited refugees halted their steps, their expressions turning to terror.
Were they about to be slaughtered?
"Refugees may enter the city, but rebels may not," a man from the troop of soldiers shouted loudly, "Anyone who has committed robbery, rape, or theft is strictly forbidden from entering the city."
What?
The wilderness was momentarily in an uproar.
"The elderly, weak, women, and children go first," the man continued, "If there are any rebels, anyone can point them out."
So there was such a rule.
Many people in the wilderness changed their expressions, but they were still skeptical.
Slowly, the elderly, weak, women, and children stepped forward and walked towards the city gates under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, who did not stop them.
"After entering the city, head to the City God Temple, where a porridge kitchen has been set up," the man added.
They are even providing porridge?
Suddenly, even more people from the wilderness surged forth; this time, young people jostled to the front and ran ahead.
But in the next moment, an arrow landed at the feet of one of them.
The young man, frightened, immediately stood still.
"The elderly, weak, women, and children go first," the man said coldly.
Seeing the line of soldiers holding their bows, the young man did not dare step forward any longer.
The refugees started to enter the city quietly and in an orderly manner when suddenly a sharp scream rose from the crowd; a woman sprang forward and grabbed a gaunt man.
"He killed my daughter, he killed my daughter," the woman cried out.
The man quickly shook off her arm, with shifty eyes.
"I didn't, you're talking nonsense," he also yelled.
Zhao Hanqing's bow was aimed at him.
"Is there a witness?" she asked.
The crowd was silent and wooden, until suddenly someone stepped forward—a skinny child.
"I, I saw it," he stuttered, pointing at the man.
Soon more people came forward.
"I saw it."
"I testify."
"He did evil, ****, causing someone's daughter to die."
Watching this chaotic scene, the man could no longer hide his panic.
"She consented, she did it willingly for food," he shouted, raising his hand as he shook off the woman and ran towards the city gates.
He had only run a few steps when Zhao Hanqing's arrow had already pierced through his back, bringing the man to the ground, twitching twice before lying motionless.
Looking at the dead man, the woman burst into tears, kneeling before the soldiers and repeatedly kowtowing.
"Hurry into the city," Zhao Hanqing said, her bow still steadily aimed at the refugees.
But at this moment, many people no longer felt fear; instead, the sight of the government soldiers and their bows and spears brought them immense relief.
The old woman holding her granddaughter, with tears streaming down her face, kowtowed again on the ground.
"Justice is not absent, it's just not yet time," she murmured, "Old Heavenly Father still watches over us, Old Heavenly Father still sees everything."
She continued to kowtow, while someone next to her helped her up.
"Old lady, hurry into the city," they said, with the joy of having survived a disaster.
The old woman stood up shakily, leading her granddaughter by the hand.
"Which soldiers are these? I must remember my benefactors," she murmured.
"The flag reads," an old man wearing a tattered scholar's robe chimed in after hearing her words, squinting at the large flag behind the soldiers, he read aloud, "Qingshan Army."