All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

"What do we do next?" Holding their crossbows, Zhao Lei and Shi Yingfeng looked at Yang Pan at the same time.

Perhaps it was because of Yang Pan's suggestion that they were able to obtain the crossbows from the Qin residence, thus barely seeing a glimmer of hope. Therefore, the two unconsciously hoped that Yang Pan could continue to offer advice on the situation ahead, including the weak Huang Hui standing nearby.

"The only way out now is to follow Coach Zhao and see if we can find an opportunity to break out."

Yang Pan pursed his lips, his tone resolute. He didn't hesitate because everyone was asking him to make the decision. They were in dire straits, and every choice he made now was just to try and find a glimmer of hope, no matter how crazy the choice might be.

Moreover, this decision might not necessarily be a dead end. When he jumped down from the city wall earlier, he vaguely saw that the number of Mongolian soldiers attacking the county was not large, at least not the endless army seen on the actual battlefield.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. It's just a county town; it's not worth sending a large army to conquer. A few cavalry and some soldiers would be enough. That's why Yang Pan decided to take the gamble.

Hearing Yang Pan's words, Shi Yingfeng and the others did not hesitate this time. Watching Instructor Zhao fight so bravely earlier had given them a lot of courage. Now, whether they retreated or defended, they were doomed. So why not fight their way out?

......

At the end of South Street, orange flames mercilessly licked at the surrounding wooden houses. The once beautifully decorated inn had long since been reduced to charred remains by the intense heat of the flames. The surrounding buildings were mostly dilapidated and incomplete, devoid of any sign of human life. Only the corpses and crimson blood on the street silently testified to the tragedy that had unfolded there.

Thump, thump, thump! Suddenly, the ground shook, followed by the clanging of metal armor plates and the sound of orderly footsteps.

"The centurion has ordered that this area be cleaned one last time before heading to East Street!"

As the order was given, the soldiers scattered and began to scavenge the surrounding houses. Based on their experience, after such a night of revelry, there would inevitably be some who had feigned death and slipped through the net, and in such cases, they only needed to finish them off.

Pfft!

A Mongol soldier approached a corpse and thrust his spear straight into its chest. No blood spurted, and no screams were heard. The Mongol soldier confirmed it was indeed a corpse. He then stepped into the wooden hut ahead.

The room was in disarray; all valuables had been looted and taken. Only a few embers flickered and slowly climbed the beams and pillars. The Mongol soldiers glanced around the living room, then went into the inner room. The inner room was similarly empty. Then they looked under the bed…

*Thud!* Just as the Mongol soldier bent down to check under the bed, a long sword suddenly pierced his throat like a venomous tongue.

"Waaah!" The Mongol soldier spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling as he looked at the long sword in front of him.

"Damn Tartars, why are you checking so thoroughly? Couldn't you just take a quick look and leave?"

Zhao Tong crawled out from under the bed, his face grim as he looked at the Mongol soldier in front of him, stirring his long sword to ensure the soldier couldn't make a sound.

Having fought his way through the streets, Zhao Tong's goal was clear: to get close to the city gate and escape. However, after finally escaping the encirclement and with the county gate within reach, he was met with despair to find the Mongol Tartars had entered the city.

From the moment the fighting began tonight, Zhao Tong had been trapped inside the Qin residence. Therefore, he hadn't heard a sound from South Street, which was far from the Qin residence, which meant he was unaware that the Mongol Tartars had entered the city, and that South Street, which he had hoped for, had long since become a living hell.

Therefore, when Zhao Tong finally arrived at South Street and discovered the Mongol soldiers, heaven knows how desperate he was. In order to avoid being discovered, he could only find a nearby damaged house to hide in, hoping that the Mongols would leave as soon as possible so that he could sneak out of the city.

But to their surprise, all their plans were ruined by this idiot in front of them.

Drawing his long sword, Zhao Tong caught the Mongol soldier's body and gently set it down. His expression remained tense; once the Mongol soldiers finished their search, they would surely discover one soldier was missing, and his hiding place would inevitably be discovered. It was only a matter of time before he was exposed.

Zhao Tong tightened his grip on his long sword, internally struggling with whether to take advantage of the moment and charge out. The Mongol soldiers were currently scattered; charging out might offer a chance of escape, but once they regrouped, there would be no chance at all.

Although he was still wearing his armor, it was damaged in several places. Moreover, he was exhausted and his internal energy was almost depleted. If he rushed out, he would most likely die.

What to do? Rinse or not?

Just as Zhao Tong was struggling, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"Someone's there! Stop!"

The voices of Mongol soldiers rang out, followed by a chaotic sound of footsteps and the sound of horses' hooves gradually moving away from the ground.

"Gone?"

Zhao Tong held his breath, listening intently to any sounds outside. After about half a cup of tea's time, confirming there was no further movement, Zhao Tong's face instantly lit up with wild joy. He hadn't expected to escape from this desperate situation; heaven had spared him!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Tong ran straight out of the house. The county town gate was only a hundred meters away, enough for him to escape at full speed.

However, the moment he ran out of the house, he looked up and saw something even more despairing. A troop of fully armored cavalry stood on the street ahead, and on the second floor of an inn in the distance, two middle-aged men dressed in Song Dynasty clothing and a Mongol stood together, looking at him with mocking expressions.

"Xu Zhengqing, Xu Zhengshan! You really are colluding with the Mongol Tartars!" Zhao Tong roared in despair.

"What collusion? It's just a matter of choosing the right tree to perch on. With your strength, Instructor Zhao can join us too," Xu Zhengqing said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tong's angry expression softened slightly. No one would willingly die if they could avoid it, and as for betraying the country and surrendering to the Mongols, that was a joke. In Zhao Tong's view, the Southern Song court wasn't necessarily much better than the Mongols.

However, as soon as Xu Zhengqing finished speaking, the Mongol next to him waved his hand and said, "This man killed our Mongol warriors, and my men are not willing to forgive him."

These words completely dashed Zhao Tong's hopes. With the county gate right in front of him, the Mongol cavalry, clad in heavy armor and wielding long spears, looked intimidating but were physically limited. He could easily escape by jumping onto the surrounding rooftops.

With an idea in mind, Zhao Tong didn't delay any longer. He used his legs to leap onto a nearby house and then quickly moved forward on the roof.

"Hmph! My lads, fire your arrows!"

Seeing this, the centurion showed no panic. With a wave of his hand, numerous archers appeared from the houses surrounding the street. Upon receiving the order, these archers released their nocked arrows instantly, shooting straight at Zhao Tong.

"Damn it, there are arrows!"

Zhao Tong roared. His head armor was gone, and only his body armor offered any protection against arrows. He immediately covered his head with his hands, ignoring the slight pain from the arrows piercing his armor, and continued running frantically forward.

"Armor? Hmph, give me strong bows." The centurion sneered, and the archers immediately switched to longbows and fired again.

This time, the arrows were fired at an even faster rate, and Zhao Tong's armor was unable to defend against them. He could only barely take cover on the rooftop, but in the end, he was still accidentally hit in the thigh by an arrow.

With a thud, Zhao Tong fell off the roof.

"Brothers, charge!"

Seeing this, the centurion shouted an order. The cavalrymen who had been stationary on the street suddenly pointed their lances at Zhao Tong and spurred their horses to thunder and crush him. With such a formation, even if the lances couldn't pierce Zhao Tong's armor, once he was struck down, he would instantly become a dead man under the horses' hooves.

However, just as Zhao Tong was resigned to his fate in despair, a whoosh suddenly rang out.

"Not good, enemy attack!" On the second floor of the inn, the centurion dodged into a room, where a short arrow was stuck straight in the floor where he had been standing.

At the same time, the cavalry that were charging forward also stopped.

However, before everyone could pinpoint the enemy's location, a barrage of short arrows rained down, aimed directly at the archers on both sides of the street.

"Ah! Ah!"

"Those are crossbow bolts! Get out of the way!"

Many archers dodged, but Zhao Tong's eyes lit up. His leg was injured, making movement difficult, but the Mongol cavalrymen nearby were still unaware of his presence.

Without hesitation, he lunged straight at the nearest cavalryman.

"Get out of the way!" Zhao Tong kicked the cavalryman off his horse and turned to gallop towards the city gate. The cavalrymen reacted at that moment and turned their horses to chase after Zhao Tong.

"I don't know which hero has made this move, but I thank you in advance!" Zhao Tong said as he rode his horse, using his hand to protect his head from being hit by arrows.