Rundu was a small city.
To the north was the bustling Jinling, while to the south was the abundant Hua Yuan. Sandwiched between the two cities was Rundu. Other than the fact that it was rich in grapes, many people had never even heard of it in their entire lives.
For twenty days, they traveled without rest. When they were tired, they would curl up and sleep for a few hours in the caves under the trees along the way. When they were hungry, they would use the bows and arrows they brought along to shoot wild hares and eat bird eggs. On the evening of the twentieth day, the seven of them finally arrived at Rundu City.
"What should we do now?" They stopped their horses and dismounted. Then, they pulled their horses to the side of the river to drink water and sit down to eat. He Yan looked ahead into the distance. It was a field. When she reached this place, she was familiar with the road.
He Yan did not say anything. She looked for the tallest tree and climbed up. After a while, she came down from the tree.
Hong Shan handed her a few roasted bird eggs that were buried in ashes. "How is it? Where do we go in? "
The bird eggs were boiling hot. He Yan fiddled with them a few times in her hands before she peeled off the shell. The steaming hot food entered her stomach, and the tiredness from the past few days seemed to lessen. She said, "We can't go in directly from the front. The Uto set up camp outside the city gate. Even if we can avoid the Uto, the soldiers guarding the Rundu city gate won't dare to open the city gate."
"Then what should we do?" Jiang Jiao looked at her. "Brother He, do you have any ideas?"
He Yan thought for a while. "I've asked my brothers from the Liang Province Guards before. I know that there's a small path outside the city gate. We need to go over a mountain and then take the water route. Horses can't go up, so we can only abandon them and walk. We can take the shortcut in the middle and enter Rundu City. "
"Really?" Xiao Mai asked. "Then let's hurry up and eat. After we finish eating, we'll continue our journey."
He Yan nodded and looked in the direction of Rundu City. A trace of worry flashed across her heart.
Naturally, this shortcut was not told to her by the Liang Province Guard. Many years ago, when she was fighting against the Western Qiang people in the Rundu, she dug a tunnel in the city in order to bring in the people from outside the city. The tunnel was connected to the river, and after crossing the river, it led to the mountains outside the city. Whether it was the Western Qiang people or the Uto, it was impossible for them to take this route.
He Yan was not worried about the Uto's ambush, but she was worried about whether Li Kuang had sealed the tunnel after so many years. After all, the Rundu had been peaceful for so many years.
But no matter what, he still had to continue moving forward.
Everyone quickly finished eating their rations and paused for a moment. He Yan removed the reins from the horses one by one and patted the horses' buttocks. The horses galloped into the forest.
"Let's go," she said.
In front of the city gate, the guards carefully stared at the wilderness in the distance, not letting go of any suspicious places.
In the room, the county magistrate, Zhao Shiming, was anxiously pacing back and forth. He looked at the silent man sitting in the center and said anxiously, "Commander, why isn't General He here yet? You have to think of something!"
Li Kuang was the commander of the Rundu City. He had just passed the age of 40 and was tall and mighty. With a beard around his mouth, he looked particularly resolute. He slammed the table and said with some displeasure, "What are you all arguing about? I already said that General He will definitely come to our Rundu's aid!"
Zhao Shiming was shocked by him. He was dissatisfied, but he did not dare to say anything. Whether or not the Rundu City could be defended now depended on this commander. However, more than 20 days had already passed. Hua Yuan was only four to five days away from the Rundu City. They could not leave the city now, so there was no way to inquire about the situation in Hua Yuan. There was no news at all, so they could not be at ease.
There were still people sitting in the room, and the atmosphere was heavy. At this time, someone knocked on the door. The curtain was lifted, and a young woman walked in.
She was a genuine beauty. She had an oval face, fair skin, and a pair of eyes that were as bright and moving as stars. Even when she was nervous, she still wore a light pink embroidered dress. Her face was full of smiles. She placed the glass bowl in her hand beside Zhao Shiming and said, "Commander Zhao, don't be angry. Eat some grapes. This is all I have. You have to eat it sparingly. "
One could not hit a smiling person, especially a beauty. Zhao Shiming was unhappy, but he could only put away the bowl and forced a smile, "Thank you, Miss Yi Luo."
Yi Luo was Li Kuang's favorite concubine. No matter where he went, he would take her with him. She was young and beautiful, smart and witty. Everyone would love to have such a beautiful flower. However, during the chaos of war, beautiful women were not as beautiful as they used to be.
After Yi Luo delivered the grapes, she stood behind Li Kuang and stretched out her slender fingers to massage his shoulders. Her strength was just right, relieving a lot of Li Kuang's tiredness from running around every day. Li Kuang picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, saying, "Before General He arrives, continue to guard the city gate!"
Zhao Shiming did not speak. The one who spoke was another man. He was the president of the Rundu City's Chamber of Commerce, "Lord Li, we need time to guard the city. Right now, there isn't much food left in the city. Even the most common grain that we produce … can only produce such a small bowl. If we continue to guard the city like this, I'm afraid the people in the city will starve to death before General He arrives! "
With someone taking the lead, the rest of the people followed suit.
"That's right. We were not killed by the Uto, but we were trapped in the city and starved to death. What is going on?"
"Lord Li, how can you be sure that General He will come? What if General He doesn't come? "
"It's been more than 20 days. Could it be that General Feihong is unable to protect himself and has an accident?"
Everyone's voices poured into the room. Li Kuang slammed his fist on the table. Half of the tea in the teacup on the table spilled out. The room gradually quieted down.
"Shopkeeper Wang, do you have any good ideas?" He stared at the president of the Chamber of Commerce. His eyes were as threatening as a cheetah's.
Shopkeeper Wang shivered and did not say anything.
They knew that it was not good to hide in the city, but there was no better way. Could it be that they had to rush out and fight against the Uto? With just their men and horses, they were afraid that it would not be enough. There were 100,000 Uto outside. The Uto that had been defeated in Hua Yuan did not retreat. Instead, they gathered together with the Uto on the other side and rushed towards the Rundu.
The total number of soldiers in the Rundu was only 30,000.
After all, the Rundu was only a small city.
"But Lord Li, we can't just keep guarding the city like this. You saw it too," a white-haired old man said, "These days, the Uto have been probing at night. I'm afraid they will launch a general attack on the city soon. We can defend against small skirmishes, but if the Uto's 100,000 strong army really rushes in, how can we defend? "
Li Kuang gritted his teeth.
He, as the city's commander, knew this better than anyone else. Therefore, he knew from the beginning that the only thing the Rundu could do was to delay the Uto and wait for reinforcements. He Rufei was his old friend. Although he and He Rufei were not close friends, he knew that He Rufei was a brave and fearless hero who cared about 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 after such a long time, there was a high chance that He Rufei was in trouble.
However, the Rundu did not have anyone else to ask for help. Jinling? There were no generals stationed in Jinling. There were only soldiers and horses in the city. However, they could not leave the city and come to the Rundu, which would put Jinling in danger. There were two famous generals in Da Wei and Xiao Huaijin. Unfortunately, Xiao Huaijin was far away in Liangzhou. Distant water could not quench the present thirst.
For a moment, Li Kuang hated the traitors for seizing power. If not, Xiao Huaijin and the Southern Prefectural Army would definitely be able to beat the Uto back to their hometown. They would never dare to step into Da Wei's territory again.
While everyone was silent, Zhao Shiming suddenly said, "Lord Li, do you still 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. They were all familiar with this incident. Back then, the Western Qiang people massacred the people outside the Rundu's city gate who were unable to enter the city. General Feihong ordered people to dig a tunnel and secretly gathered the people outside the city to bring them into the city. At that time, many lives were saved. The people were deeply grateful to He Rufei. They originally thought that they had been abandoned.
"What are you trying to say?" Li Kuang asked.
Zhao Shiming sighed and stood up. He bowed to Li Kuang and said, "We have reached the end of the road. This Zhao is already old, and I am also the county magistrate of the Rundu. Naturally, I will not leave and live or die with the people of the city. However … this Zhao's grandson is only three years old."
"Lord Li, please allow this Zhao to let my servants take my grandson and leave through the tunnel."
Everyone was shocked.
Immediately after, someone followed Zhao Shiming's words and said, "Lord Li, please allow the mother to take her wife and child and leave."
"Lord Li, please …"
The people here were already prepared to die. Their only concern was the safety of their families. They all begged Li Kuang to give their wives and children a chance to live.
Yi Luo pursed his lips and secretly glanced at Zhao Shiming.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Zhao Shiming said angrily, "Ridiculous. You all want to take your family out of the city. The people will follow suit. In the end, the Uto won't even need to fight. I think this city will be empty!"
"You are trying to shake the morale of the army!" At the end, his tone suddenly became severe, and killing intent appeared. Everyone kept quiet out of fear.
Yi Luo retreated to the side. He didn't dare to speak at this juncture.
In the silence, suddenly, someone came in and reported, "Sir, sir —"
"What's the matter?" Li Kuang frowned.
"Our tunnel … tunnel … someone came in!"
"What?" Li Kuang stood up. The first thought that appeared in his mind was He Rufei came? After all, other than the people who crawled through the tunnel in the past, He Rufei personally walked through the tunnel. He asked, "Is it General Feihong?"
"No …" The guard said, "It's said, it's said …"
"Mu An Lang, He Yan." Before he finished speaking, the door curtain opened again. A young man in red walked in.
This was a face that Li Kuang didn't recognize. This young man wasn't very old. At most, he was sixteen or seventeen years old. He was very handsome and bright. The most attractive thing about him was his eyes. They sparkled like bright gems. He smiled. Seeing the room full of people, he didn't panic at all. He calmly cupped his hands to Li Kuang, "Greetings, Lord Li."
Li Kuang frowned and shouted, "Who are you?"
He Yan pointed to his clothes and shook out a seal from his sleeve. He threw it to Li Kuang, "This one is He Yan."
The seal was real and couldn't be faked. The official robes also looked real. However, Li Kuang had been an official for a long time. This was the first time he had heard the name He Yan. For a moment, he was a bit suspicious. Yi Luo, who was next to him, let out an "ah" and said softly, "Mu An Lang? Is he the Mu An Lang who previously fought with Military Governor Xiao in Jiyang City, burned down the canal, defeated the Uto, and was finally conferred the title by Her Majesty? "
No one knew who Wu An Lang was, but everyone knew about the burning of the Jiyang Canal and the great defeat of the Utopian people. Everyone looked at He Yan in surprise. They remembered that Xiao Jue's trusted aide fought side by side with Xiao Jue and was conferred the title of an official. However, they didn't expect it to be such a young man.
He was a bit too young.
Could he be a fake?
The more everyone was suspicious, the more relieved Li Kuang was. If it was really a conspiracy by the Uto, they wouldn't have sent a child to arouse suspicion. However … he asked, "How did you know about the tunnel in Jiyang City?"
"I didn't know," He Yan said, "The Governor told me."
Xiao Huaijin? Li Kuang thought to himself, 'With Xiao Huaijin's ability, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find out about this tunnel.' However … his heart was filled with anticipation, "Did Military Governor Xiao ask you to come? Is Military Governor Xiao planning to support the Rundu? How many soldiers and horses did you bring this time? Soldiers and horses can't enter the tunnel. Are your people guarding outside the city? "
He Yan stared at Li Kuang. This person had been working hard to defend the city for days. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked very haggard. However, after not seeing him for a few years, he also looked a lot older. Facing such an expectant gaze, He Yan slowly shook his head, "I came here on my own. I didn't bring any soldiers or horses. There are also no Southern Prefecture soldiers guarding outside the city."
The joy of everyone in the room was instantly diluted by He Yan's words. Li Kuang asked, "Are you joking?"
He Yan took back his official seal and put it away, "I am Mu An Lang, appointed by Her Majesty. If there is an emergency, I don't have to listen to the Governor's command."
Li Kuang looked at him and felt that this young man was simply inexplicable. At first, he thought that He Yan came under Xiao Jue's command. Now, he was telling him that He Yan acted on his own? He asked, "Then Mu An Lang, did you come to the Rundu alone to have fun? Forgive me for not understanding. "
He Yan smiled, "I'm here to help you."
"With just you?"
"With just us."
As soon as he said this, he heard voices outside, "Yes, there's still us! What right do you have to look down on us! "
The door curtain was lifted, and Beautiful Silk covered her mouth. She saw people coming in from the outside in twos and threes. There were all kinds of people, tall, short, fat, and thin. Other than He Yan, there were a total of six people.
A bandit with a scar on his face took a step forward and said rudely, "We have come all the way here from thousands of miles away, not to listen to your nonsense! Here, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh guards of the Liangzhou Guards are here to help you fight Uto! Don't pretend to be innocent after taking advantage of us. If you talk nonsense again, I'll beat you and the Uto together! "
Li Kuang was so angry that his face turned ashen. Where did these bandits come from? They had no respect for military discipline and no respect for anyone!
On the other hand, there was one who looked more handsome and kind. He cupped his hands and smiled, "We've been in the Liangzhou Guards for a long time, so our words are a little vulgar. Please forgive us, but Lord Li, you don't have to worry. The seven of us won't be a burden to the Rundu. In fact, we've fought Uto twice in the past. We're the most experienced in defeating Uto. "
He Yan looked at Jiang Jiao's back and thought to himself, No wonder he's the young master of Shuojing Dojo. When it's time to act tough, he's never soft-hearted.
Li Kuang didn't say anything, but Zhao Shiming immediately stepped forward and held Jiang Jiao's hand. He said with tears in his eyes, "That's great. The Rundu needs heroes like you!"
What a joke. With one more person fighting Uto, the Rundu could hold on for a while longer. Who knows, maybe they could hold on until General Feihong's reinforcements arrive? Also, what did they say just now? They've fought Uto 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 about Li Kuang's expression. He only said warmly, "Heroes, you're willing to risk your lives to come to the Rundu at such a critical time. You're really righteous! Unfortunately, the Rundu is surrounded by enemies and has no way to repay you. " He turned around and saw the grapes on the table. He took it and offered it to them, "These are the Rundu's specialty grapes. Everyone, please have a taste!"
Jiang Jiao passed the grapes to Xiao Mai. Xiao Mai couldn't ask for more. She held the bowl and ate happily.
Now, there wasn't much food left, let alone grapes. Everyone in the room swallowed their saliva when they saw Xiao Mai eating happily.
He Yan looked at Li Kuang, "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 trusted this young man, but he couldn't find anything wrong with him for the time being. Hearing this, he wondered what this young man was thinking. He said, "Come with me."
He Yan followed Li Kuang into his study room. The rest of the people stayed outside. When they arrived at the study room, Li Kuang sat down and looked at him. He said coldly, "There's no one else here. Mu An Lang, if you have something to say, say it."
He Yan had worked with Li Kuang in the past, so he knew that Li Kuang still had doubts about him. This was understandable. If it were her and a group of people suddenly came and told her that they were here to help, she would also be suspicious. He Yan took out a scroll from his chest. "On the way from the Liangzhou Guard to the Rundu, when I had time to rest, I carefully recalled the scenes of the previous battle with the Uto. I memorized all the characteristics and habits of the Uto. I fought with the Uto twice, once in the Liangzhou Guard, and once in Jiyang. Land and water battles have their own characteristics. This should be beneficial to Lord Li. "
Li Kuang took the scroll with suspicion. As soon as he opened it, his expression changed slightly and became somewhat excited. Naturally, he could tell whether what was recorded on the scroll was true or not. At least some of the things written were similar to the experiences he gained from fighting with the Uto.
He had also written before, but it wasn't as clear and detailed as what was written on the scroll. This was admittedly because he hadn't fought with the Uto as closely as He Yan had, but there was also another reason. His own abilities weren't as outstanding as He Yan's. For a moment, as he looked at the scroll, another person's figure appeared in his mind. He Rufei.
He Rufei's ability to summarize battle matters was similarly accurate.
He knew how precious this scroll was, and as a result, his gaze towards He Yan became slightly gentler. He asked, "Did you write all of this?"
"My brothers and I wrote it together." He Yan didn't take all the credit for himself. "Everyone has their own areas of expertise. If one person doesn't see it, the other person will notice it. This way, we can avoid any loopholes to the greatest extent."
Li Kuang nodded. "Many thanks."
He Yan looked at him. "Lord Li, forgive me for asking too much, but what do you plan to do from now on? Are you going to guard the city gate and wait for General Feihong to bring reinforcements? If General Fei Hong doesn't come, what should we do? "
He Yan wasn't the first person to say this, and he wouldn't be the last either. Li Kuang sighed. "Other than this, what else can we do? There aren't many soldiers and horses in the city. Although it's a good fight to the death, once the city is breached, tens of thousands of people will die under Uto's sword. The Rundu is only the first danger. Once the Rundu is breached, Jinling will be next, and then all the way to the north … "He paused and said," His Majesty wants us to defend the Rundu with our lives, so we can't leave the Rundu. "
He suddenly thought of something and looked at He Yan. "Brother He, did you come from outside the city? Actually, there is another way. "
He Yan had already guessed what he wanted to say. He smiled and said, "Lord Li, you don't want me to go to Hua Yuan and ask General Feihong for help, right?"
"We have already sent three groups of people, but there is no news from them. Since Brother He was able to escape unscathed from the battle of Jiyang with Military Governor Xiao, I think you must have extraordinary skills. If you can go out of the city and find General Feihong, maybe the Rundu can still be saved. "
"Could it be that Lord Li thinks that the people we sent out were stopped by someone on the way to find General Fei Hong and met with an accident?"
Li Kuang was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that the possibility of the three groups of people being wiped out before reaching Hua Yuan is very small. There is no news from them until now, so I'm afraid that General Feihong is also in trouble. Now that everyone is trapped in the Rundu, we don't know anything about the situation outside. If we wait rashly, I'm afraid that we will harm the people in the city. "
He Yan didn't say it very clearly because he knew very well that the people sent by Li Kuang were probably killed by He Rufei the moment they saw He Rufei. Li Kuang had worked with "General Feihong" before. In order to prevent his identity from being exposed, He Rufei wanted Li Kuang to die without a burial place. Why would he help him, even if he was close by?
In the past, based on Li Kuang's understanding of "General Feihong", he would wait for He Rufei to come to his rescue until the end of the New Year.
"On the way here, did you hear any news about General Feihong?" Li Kuang was still unwilling to give up.
He Yan shook his head.
The man lowered his head and let out a long sigh. "The plan now is to delay for as long as we can."
He Yan asked, "Did Lord Li only write to General Feihong to ask for help?"
"There are other people, but they are too far away from the Rundu. I'm afraid they can't hold on for that long."
He Yan thought for a moment. "Actually, Lord Li, have you ever thought that it's better to attack than to defend? Instead of waiting for death, why don't you take the initiative to attack?"
Li Kuang: "Wishful thinking!"
The young man looked at him with a firm gaze. "It's not wishful thinking. It's just waiting for an opportunity to attack."
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