The Emperor is Above

Chapter 328: Sound the Alarm Bell

On the city wall of Lishui, heavy snow was falling.

Outside the city, there are endless snowfields, frozen rivers, white mountains and forests, and no birds or animals.

There was snow everywhere in the city. Apart from a few young and strong people who were clearing snow from roofs and streets, there was almost no one around.

In the snowy days of winter in the northern wilderness, it is bitterly cold and water freezes into ice. No one is willing to go out in the wind and snow unless it is absolutely necessary, otherwise accidents can easily occur.

A cold wind whistled over the top of Lishui City. A dozen city guards took refuge in the southeast corner tower to avoid the cold. They sat listlessly around the fire and occasionally looked out from the lookout hole.

The officer leading the team was a military commander. He was fully clothed and armored, and had a strong body. He was preparing a hanging pot to cook meat soup, but he muttered in a boring voice: "The city lieutenant is really something. He orders his brothers to be on guard every day, and he will go to the city to inspect from time to time.

But three thousand miles to the south of our Lishui City is the capital, three thousand miles to the north is Beilin City, the mountains and forests to the west are five hundred miles away, and seven hundred miles to the east is Mingshui City.

There are no powerful enemies approaching, nor are there any major internal troubles. The surrounding wild people are extremely obedient, and there are no exotic beasts or ferocious birds in the mountains and forests. Even the caravans are nowhere to be seen in this season. How could there be any enemy situation?"

The quickest and most effective way for a group of people to promote harmonious relations is to establish a common object of complaint. Undoubtedly, these words resonated with more than a dozen city guards.

One after another, they complained that they had to patrol and be on guard continuously since the beginning of the year. Many soldiers had not been home for a long time and they didn't know when these days would end.

However, considering that the city captain would patrol from time to time, no one dared to say much. They just complained in a low voice and then stopped.

Then a skinny soldier of the city guards rolled his eyes around, came over with a smile on his face and said, "Sima, you see, our brothers are on duty every day and are extremely tired. We can only stay in the corner tower.

You can ask the old city captain for his permission. Why don't we organize a winter hunting parade for our city guards after the snow and wind stop.

It can not only eliminate the dangerous beasts roaming in the wilderness, protect the people of Tingli Village and the surrounding Lishui City, but also boost the morale of the soldiers in the city!"

When someone mentioned the interesting activity of winter hunting, the dozen or so city guards who were originally listless immediately perked up and started to talk in unison:

"Yes, yes, it's winter now, and the beasts are fat and healthy. It would be a shame not to go winter hunting!"

"The snow in the wilderness is already several feet deep. It's difficult for birds and animals to move around in the snow. But we have the skis from the capital. This winter hunting will be even more powerful!"

"Yeah, the elk we caught during last year's winter hunt was really delicious. We'd better hunt another one this year and cook it in the stone hot pot brought from the capital. It will taste delicious!"

"Winter hunting can train soldiers, boost morale, and also demonstrate our responsibility to protect the people in the village. Sima, please ask the city captain for instructions!"

Facing the eager gazes of many city guards, the tall and strong military commander remained unmoved. He picked up a wooden spoon with a burnt handle, scooped up a bowl of broth, and took a sip with relish.

Then he glanced at the dozen soldiers in front of him and said unhappily, "Go away, go away, what are you doing making a fuss? The city lieutenant has been in a bad mood in the past month. It would be unlucky for me to ask for permission for the winter hunt!"

The skinny soldier of the city guard just now smiled softly and said, "Sima, we also know that many nobles and ministers were killed or injured in the winter festival in the capital before the New Year. Among the dozen or so casualties in our Lishui City, there are relatives of the city lieutenant.

But the death of a relative is not the death of a son. A month has passed. How can there be so many obstacles to overcome? Maybe the city captain also wants to go hunting in winter to relax! "

"You guys are such a fool. There's such a big chaos in the capital. I heard that the entire Upper City is almost completely destroyed. The strong men in the country have suffered heavy casualties. Who knows if the barbarians in the wilderness will cause more chaos?"

The military commander drank the broth while earnestly admonishing, "Although I have a lot of complaints, the city lieutenant's orders must be followed. Enforcing orders is no joke. Don't think about winter hunting for the next two months. Stay on guard at the top of the city walls. In case a powerful enemy attacks, you can be warned and defend in advance."

The skinny soldier of the city guards then nodded and said, "Hehe, Sima is right, but the enemy is coming from the northern border, so the brothers in the north city should keep their eyes open and be vigilant!"

Before he finished speaking, a short and fat soldier of the city guards looked out of the observation hole out of habit, and immediately said in a trembling voice: "Sima - Sima - there seems to be a large army in the shadows to the south!"

"How could a large army appear from the south in this snowy day?" The military commander stood up unhappily and walked towards the observation hole, cursing, "If you are kidding me, I will whip you dozens of times--"

Jun Sima didn't finish the last sentence, as if he was stuck, and then his body trembled, and he shouted with a sharp emphasis in his voice: "Sound the alarm!"

"When-when-when-"

As the alarm bell on the corner tower of Lishui City rang rapidly, the whole city was immediately filled with an atmosphere of tense vigilance.

One thousand five hundred city guards, fully armed, rushed to the top of the city wall from the camp next to the city wall, braving the wind and snow to look towards the south of the city.

Some city guard officers were still talking loudly: "The snowstorm was so strong that we couldn't see clearly what kind of team it was, but it was large in scale, well-organized, and moving very fast. It was definitely not an ordinary caravan, let alone a civilian."

"Isn't this nonsense? Who would travel in such a snowstorm? They must be crazy or powerful enemies. But why would they appear from the south?"

When Yu Hua, the city lieutenant of Lishui City, appeared wearing giant rhinoceros leather armor, with a long sword on his waist and a halberd in his hand, he quickly listened to the officers' brief report of the situation. Looking at the huge team vaguely visible in the wind and snow, he couldn't help but frowned:
"That's not right. Eight hundred miles to the south is Daji City, where a small team of flying cavalry is stationed permanently. If there is a strong enemy coming from the south, why hasn't any news been received?"

The military commander who first issued the warning shouted, "Captain of the city, this team is moving very fast. Could it be that the Third Division of the Capital is urgently heading north to support the border city?"

"If the border town was attacked by the Xianyu army again, we would have received the news earlier. In the past month, there has been no warning from the border town, and no rebellion by the Ghost Witch Tribe. Why would the Third Division go north for no reason?
Even if the Third Division of the Capital City really urgently went north to support the battle in the border city, they would at least send flying cavalry to Lishui City in advance to inform us, so that we can prepare the camp accommodation and sufficient military rations in advance. "

Yu Hua, the city lieutenant, shook his head in doubt, denying the military commander's guess, and solemnly and cautiously gave the order loudly,
"No matter if the enemy is a friend or foe, prepare your weapons for defense and fighting. Put your crossbows, thunder stones, rolling logs, and battering poles in place. If they are real enemies, start fighting at any time."

"bang bang bang-"

Soon, a series of heavy sounds of war equipment being placed came from the top of the city. Crossbows as thick as a child's arm and nearly a meter long were strung, and the city guards stared nervously at the rapidly approaching team.

“Tap tap tap—”

Following a series of heavy footsteps, a group of giants wearing full armor and holding halberds and shields passed through the snow and appeared in the sight of the Lishui City Guards, immediately causing a panic on the top of the city wall:
"Oh my god, it's a giant. I heard that there were many giant warriors when the Black Wind attacked the fifteen cities in the southeast!"

"Could it be that the Black Wind Tribe secretly sent giants to attack our Lishui City? But that shouldn't be the case!"

Amid the surprised voices of many city guards, the city lieutenant Yu Hua was surprised to see the vassal's banner behind him: "Huh? Is this a vassal migration team? Could it be the newly promoted senior official Long Chengyi?"

But before he could finish his words, there was a bang of a crossbow string from the top of the city wall, and a ten-foot-long crossbow arrow shot towards the unaware giant team like lightning.

I just got home at nine o'clock. Now the first chapter has been posted. The second chapter will probably be posted at twelve o'clock!

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(End of this chapter)