A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

On the second day of the imperial examination, it was broad daylight.

East of Jingzhou City, outside Qinglong Gate.

The dark, dense crowd surged in from nowhere, like crops that had sprouted overnight, so thick and numerous that it stretched as far as the eye could see.

Most of them were dressed in rags, emaciated and pale, clutching sticks, hoes, and some even carrying rusty kitchen knives.

At the front of the crowd, a burly man with a fierce face jumped onto a dilapidated cart, raising his arms and shouting:

"Brothers! The new Wu court only cares about the officials in the capital taking the exams, they don't care about our lives! The crops in the fields aren't being harvested, and our wives and children at home are starving! We're rebelling! We're rebelling against them!"

"That's outrageous!"

"Enter the city! Seize the grain!"

The roars of tens of thousands of people converged, creating a rolling wave that pounded against the ancient city walls, causing even the bricks on the city towers to tremble slightly.

On the city wall, the defending general Wang Meng pressed his hand tightly against the battlements, his knuckles turning white from the force. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his heart was pounding like a drum.

He was a rising star in the military, having earned his position by crawling out of a pile of corpses with a knife in hand during the Battle of Black Wind Ridge. He valued this achievement more than anyone else, and was also more afraid of things going wrong.

"General!" The lieutenant rushed over, his face ashen. "It's terrible! The East Market, the South Granary, and the Grand Canal Wharf... three official granaries are on fire at the same time! The fires are huge, and the brothers have already sent men to put them out, but we simply don't have enough manpower!"

Wang Meng's mind went blank.

More than 10,000 refugees besieged the city from outside, and three granaries inside the city caught fire.

This is driving him to his death!

According to military regulations, he had to immediately divide his troops, one team to suppress the refugees and the other to rush to the aid of those fighting the fire.

But he only has three thousand garrison troops in total. With such a small force, he can't defend any place, and the Azure Dragon Gate will inevitably fall!

What should I do?

Wang Meng's eyes were fixed on the surging crowd below the city, and only one thought occupied his mind: It's over.

But at that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him.

It was that secret letter delivered by express courier.

The letter contained no troop deployments, no strategies, only a single word, written with a vermilion brush, its force penetrating the paper.

--wait.

Wait?

What are we waiting for? To die?

When Wang Meng saw the words, he found them absurd. But they were His Majesty's own handwriting, the highest order delivered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard at great personal risk.

He may not believe in superstitions, but he cannot disbelieve in His Majesty.

"General! Give the order! If we wait any longer, the refugees will storm in!"

The lieutenant was so anxious he was about to jump up and down.

Wang Meng closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them, his eyes bloodshot. He forced out two words through clenched teeth:

"Order! Everyone, hold the city gates to the death! Do not retreat an inch!"

"Then...what about the granary?"

"No matter what!" Wang Meng roared, "Even if the sky falls, you must guard this door!"

Below the city, the burly man with a fierce face saw that there was no movement on the city wall for a long time, and only a few hundred soldiers were waiting in battle. A ferocious sneer appeared on his face.

It became.

Master Liu's plan has succeeded!

This newly rich man surnamed Wang is indeed a fool. He was so frightened by the scene outside the city that he even forgot to put out the fire.

If I just add a little more fuel to the fire, this rabble will be able to break through the city gates!

"Brothers!"

He shouted again, his voice full of inflammatory rhetoric:

"The soldiers in the city are scared! They dare not come out! Follow me and charge! If we charge in, there will be plenty of rice and noodles! There will be a way to survive!"

"Charge!"

Several of his accomplices, who were mixed in with the crowd at the front, immediately joined in the shouting, waving their sticks, and led the charge towards the city gate.

Once the crowd is mobilized, it will form an unstoppable torrent.

Fear and hunger were the best fuel, and tens of thousands of "refugees" with bloodshot eyes rushed toward the seemingly fragile city gate like madmen.

"Thump!"

"Thump! Thump!"

The crude battering ram pounded against the city gate, producing a dull, resounding thud.

Wood chips flew everywhere from the city gate, and the bolts groaned painfully under the violent impact.

The soldiers guarding the city wall were pale-faced, and the hands of several young taxi drivers holding their spears were trembling.

It’s over.

It's really over.

Wang Meng drew his sword, ready to engage in hand-to-hand combat. He would rather die in battle than lose the city.

Just then.

"Waaah—"

A sharp and long horn sounded out of nowhere from the depths of the city, like a sharp knife that instantly cut through all the noise and chaos.

The "refugees" who were frantically ramming the gate below the city wall paused, instinctively looking up.

On the city wall, a forest of steel had appeared out of nowhere.

Countless archers, dressed in uniform black armor, appeared like ghosts in every corner of the city walls.

They stood silently, drawing their bows and nocking their arrows, their movements perfectly synchronized, as if they were all cut from the same mold.

Thousands of arrows, gleaming with a cold light, formed a deathly sea of ​​stars in the morning light, silently aimed at the crowds below the city.

The area outside the Azure Dragon Gate, which had been bustling with noise just moments before, fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Where did these people come from?

Wang Meng was also stunned. He looked at the thousands of elite troops that had suddenly appeared around him, and his mind went blank.

He was certain that these people were not his Jingzhou garrison!

A figure in pure white slowly walked up the city wall.

Huo Qingluan was dressed in white, without armor, and her cold face was expressionless.

She walked to the battlements, her gaze calmly sweeping over the faces below, which showed fear, confusion, or hidden guilt.

She didn't shout, but her voice was cold and clear, as if it carried shards of ice, reaching everyone's ears clearly.

"You know in your hearts how many of you are truly starving and how many of you were hired by Liu Ruhui."

A commotion broke out in the crowd, and the faces of several men who had led the disturbance changed drastically, instinctively trying to shrink back.

Huo Qingluan's gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts. She continued, "Now, lay down your weapons and step back a hundred paces. This general will guarantee your safety."

She paused, then her tone suddenly turned fierce, filled with murderous intent.

"No refunds—"

The crowd's hearts were in their throats.

"Archers, fire!"

"Buzz—"

At a single command, thousands of bowstrings rang out simultaneously!

A hail of arrows rained down, but none of them struck the crowd.

Thousands of arrows landed precisely on the open ground ten paces in front of the crowd, embedding themselves neatly into the bluestone slabs, their fletching still buzzing.

Death is just around the corner.

This is even more impactful than a direct murder.

The crowd completely broke down.

"ah--!"

Someone let out a terrified scream first, and then the crowd exploded like a pot of boiling water. Everyone turned and ran like madmen, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would be shot into a pincushion.

The burly man with the fierce look in his face was the first to throw down his stick and scramble to the back of the crowd.

As soon as he ran, several of his accomplices followed suit.

The army was defeated like a mountain.

The so-called "Jingzhou Rebellion" crumbled instantly in the face of this thunderous and overwhelming force.

On the city wall, Wang Meng stared blankly at everything. From hell to heaven, it was only a moment.

He turned to look at the woman in white, his eyes filled with awe and shock.

He finally understood what His Majesty had made him "wait" for.

It turns out that His Majesty had already laid a trap, just waiting for the fish to run into it.

Huo Qingluan looked at the crowd scattering below, her face still showing no emotion, as if she had only watched an unremarkable formation demonstration.

From the gathering of refugees to the ignition of the fire, to the assault on the city gates, and finally to being frightened away by a volley of arrows, the entire process took only two hours.

She turned around and said coldly to a lieutenant beside her who was also dressed in black armor.

"Capture him alive and lead him to Liu Ruhui's residence."