A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

The term "refugee" literally means "displaced people" or "disaster victims who have lost their homes."

These people lived a life worse than death, suffering from hunger and cold, with only one thing on their minds.

To fill one's stomach.

When they encountered a village, they would rush in and plunder its valuables and food; if anyone resisted, they would kill them!

Some people, driven by extreme hunger, would even resort to cannibalism.

The group of refugees discovered by the Imperial Guards actually numbered only a little over three thousand.

If Li Rui had a hundred elite soldiers who had seen battle, he was confident he could drive them away.

But in front of him were only two hundred young soldiers who had never even seen blood.

Li Rui chose to leave, determined not to take any risks.

Feng Yao was stuffed into the carriage without her understanding what was happening, and followed Li Rui southward.

Logically speaking, refugees can't even outrun normal people, let alone a horse-drawn carriage.

As long as you leave in time, nothing will happen.

But this bunch of useless Imperial Guards made another big mistake!

They mistook someone for someone else.

Whoosh whoosh!

The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out.

More than ten of the Imperial Guards who were running wildly behind him were shot dead on the spot!

Arrows landed on the roof of the carriage, startling Feng Yao and Yun Lian inside who screamed in terror.

Li Rui cursed inwardly and hurriedly drew his long sword to parry left and right!

"How could a refugee possibly have a bow!?"

The imperial guards on guard duty were terrified and speechless, unable to utter a single word.

Just then.

On the way back, a group of thousands of refugees suddenly appeared and blocked their path!

They were all emaciated, but they charged over, wielding wooden sticks, shovels, and other farm tools, yelling as they went.

Li Rui had already made up his mind.

These are hardly refugees.

They were clearly bandits organized by refugees!

This group of people might be after Feng Yao!

Leaving aside how many valuables Feng Yao was carrying, just consider the armor and weapons of those two hundred Imperial Guards.

If you get your hands on it, you can easily sell it and make a fortune.

These Imperial Guards are idiots!

They were followed the whole way without even realizing it!

Where is the lookout?

Li Rui felt a wave of powerlessness.

If this were on the front lines, a sentry performing like this would have been dead long ago!

That teammate is a liability, he's ruined everything!

In crucial moments, he was not as helpful as Feng Yao, a woman.

She leaned out of the window, her face pale with fright, but she still tried to appear calm.

"All guards and personal troops, listen to my command! Obey General Li Rui's orders and do not act rashly!"

Li Rui gave her an approving look, then turned around and shouted.

"The cavalry scattered in all directions, seeking their own chance to escape and go to the nearest city or garrison for help!"

The infantry formed a circular formation around the wagons, with their spears pointing outwards, holding their ground and awaiting reinforcements!

The order has been issued.

And it is absolutely correct.

The five cavalrymen quickly complied, using their speed advantage to escape before the bandits and refugees could completely surround them.

The remaining two hundred infantrymen were still in complete chaos!

The orders were given with such precision, yet these soldiers couldn't even obey them.

Rubbish!

puff!

Li Rui slashed down with his sword, instantly killing one of the Imperial Guards who had lost his composure!

Hot blood splattered everywhere, and a few drops even flew onto Feng Yao's fair and delicate face, which was particularly glaring.

"Anyone who moves again will be killed without exception!"

Li Rui's eyes were like bells, and with a loud shout, everyone instantly stopped their agitation.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Rui quickly issued orders.

"You, lead your fifty men to guard the north, use your spears to defend against the enemy, just keep thrusting and stabbing, do not advance!"

You will lead your thirty men, with your backs to the carriages at twenty paces, to defend the west, focusing on defense and not attacking!

……

You, lead twenty longsword-wielding men, stand with me, and provide support from the center. If anyone slips through, kill them on the spot!

With Li Rui's clear and firm orders issued.

The chaotic Imperial Guards finally found their leader and subconsciously obeyed orders, gradually taking their positions.

After arranging everything for everyone, Li Rui mounted his horse and shouted.

"Does anyone have a bow?"

A junior officer of the Imperial Guard quickly handed over his hard bow.

Li Rui instantly drew his bow like a crescent moon.

Aim at the bandit charging the fiercest and fire an arrow!

puff!

The bandit was spitting foul saliva and baring his teeth as he charged forward.

An arrow shot out of nowhere.

It pierced his throat in an instant!

boom!

The bandit fell forward, startling those around him who turned pale.

Li Rui shouted.

"You saw everything? The other side is just a group of refugees and bandits. They don't even have armor on them, and their only weapons are farm tools!"

"And you are the Imperial Guard, clad in armor and wielding weapons, what the hell are you afraid of?!"

Upon seeing this, the morale of the two hundred imperial guards was greatly boosted!

Feng Yao hid inside the carriage, anxiously watching the outside world through the window.

Seeing the people besieged by refugees reminded me of Li Rui's words.

In the eyes of the refugees, she was just a piece of meat to fill their stomachs.

Feng Yao, a woman, had never seen such a terrifying scene before.

She was so frightened that she hugged Yunlian tightly, tears streaming down her face.

But now.

Seeing Li Rui kill the chaotic soldiers and quickly establish his authority, he then commanded with composure and boosted morale with an arrow.

Feng Yao was momentarily stunned by what she saw.

Even she herself didn't realize that her hands, which had been trembling incessantly, had now calmed down.

My heart, which was pounding wildly, was still beating very fast, but I was no longer panicked.

Li Rui stabilized not only the morale of the troops, but perhaps something else entirely.

At this moment, Li Rui noticed Feng Yao's gaze.

Looking down, he found the woman staring straight at him.

Li Rui assumed she was still worried about her safety and said in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they won't be able to break in."

There's nothing wrong with what I said.

But to Feng Yao, it sounded like she was saying...

"Don't worry, I'm here. You'll be fine."

It sounds very reassuring.

Unfortunately, Li Rui only said one sentence before turning back to direct the battle.

Feng Yao withdrew her gaze and gradually felt at ease.

Looking back, she discovered her own palace maid, Yunlian.

Her face turned red, and she stared blankly at Li Rui's back, lost in thought!

Feng Yao was an experienced woman; how could she not know that this young girl had fallen in love?

She clicked her tongue and grabbed Yunlian's ear.

"Don't look!"

Yunlian winced in pain, her face full of grievance.

But then he secretly looked up and stared at Feng Yao's ears, which were also a little red, lost in thought.

……

The refugees kept attacking the army formation, but as Li Rui had said.

They were just refugees, and when they gathered together, they were just bandits.

There was no armor, no weapons.

Even if someone fearlessly charged forward against the heavily armored Imperial Guards, they would only be pierced through.

At that moment, not far away.

The bandit leader, realizing something was wrong, was cursing.

"Damn it, weren't they saying these soldiers would be easy to take down? How come they formed ranks so quickly?"

"Look at that man on horseback, he's the one directing them!"

"We need to hurry. We just let five cavalrymen escape; they'll definitely need to call for reinforcements."

"With that mounted general in command, how could we possibly break through their formation?"

"Use that thing!"

"Huh? Using your precious treasure here?"

"Foolish! With so much armor and weapons, it's profitable no matter who we sell them to."

"Understood, I'll have someone bring the treasure up right away."

……

The two hundred imperial guards have been holding out for a quarter of an hour.

From the initial panic at the sight of blood, we've gradually become familiar with each other.

As long as they heard Li Rui's calm and collected voice behind them, they felt that there was no major problem.

This illustrates the crucial role a good general can play in an army.

Li Rui gradually relaxed and appeared to be in complete control.

Even if there are many refugees, they will not pose a threat.

It shouldn't be a problem to hold out until reinforcements arrive.

However, at this moment...

A bandit from a nearby mountain pushed something towards them, instantly causing Li Rui's pupils to shrink!

"Grass!"

Li Rui cursed and roared.

"Scatter! Scatter now!"

But it was too late.