Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

One of the two men was shot through the neck with an arrow, and the other had his legs broken when the horse fell down while he was cutting it. The soldiers had already dragged him to the village.

You must know that these fifty elite soldiers under Qi Feng's command are his most precious treasures. He would be heartbroken to lose even one, let alone two.

These were all elite soldiers who had received his formal training; each of them could rebuild a team, yet now two of them had been lost.

Qi Daniu squatted down next to Qi Feng, with a long gash on his left arm. He hadn't even bandaged it, and the blood had stained his sleeve a dark brown.

Qi Daniu grinned at Qi Feng and said, "Brother Feng, I can still hold on."

Qi Feng didn't laugh, but instead looked up at the sky.

The sun has already completely set in the west; it will probably get dark in about half an hour.

After dark, the Rong cavalry's vision will be limited and their impact will decrease, but at the same time, they will also lose sight of the south wall.

Qi Feng still remembered what Zhang Yuan had told him before: the south wall was originally very low.

"Zhang Yuan! How's the south wall?" Qi Feng shouted into the village.

Zhang Yuan jogged over from the end of the village, his face deathly pale.

"The south wall can't hold! During the third wave of attack, those bastards circled around from the south and fired several rounds. The wall has cracked, and one section has collapsed halfway. The garrison soldiers held it up to prevent them from rushing in from there."

Zhang Yuan's voice was hoarse, and the bloodstains on his face proved that a fierce battle had taken place there as well.

Qi Feng paused for a moment, then said to Qi Daniu, "Daniu, take five men and guard the south wall."

Qi Daniu was taken aback: "Brother Feng, what about the front line?"

Qi Feng didn't give him time to hesitate.

"I can hold the line from the front, but if the south wall breaks, we'll all die inside! Go over there, grab a knife, and block the breach. No matter how many come, don't let a single one in!"

Qi Daniu stood up, wiped the blood from his face, selected five remaining swordsmen who could still stand, and ran towards the end of the village without looking back.

On the front, the Great Rong cavalry regrouped more slowly than before, and the leader was clearly surprised, not expecting that Qi Feng's group could withstand the third wave of attacks.

Qi Feng noticed that the enemy's troops were missing about seventy or eighty riders. Although the main force was still there, the formation was obviously not as thick as before.

After these three rounds of attacks, the garrison suffered about two hundred casualties. Although there are still five hundred men left, they are all exhausted and their morale is somewhat low.

Two of Qi Feng's elite troops were also lost, and the rest looked exhausted.

If things continue like this, they will have a hard time surviving the fourth or even fifth round of attacks.

Qi Feng narrowed his eyes, looking at the cavalry regrouping in the distance, and suddenly realized something, turning to look at Liu Si.

"How many cavalrymen can you see on the other side of the south wall?"

Liu Si peered over the wall towards the village, and his voice suddenly changed.

"There are at least forty more riders outside the south wall, all crouching motionless outside of arrow range!"

Qi Feng's pupils contracted upon hearing this.

The cavalry's feigned attack was intended to stall him, while the main force planned to circle around to the south wall and break through it at nightfall. This was the enemy's true intention.

The first three waves of attacks were all preparations, and his men had already been dispersed to two different locations, leaving him with no extra troops to reinforce the south wall.

It was getting darker and darker.

In Fuxing County, Zhong Shao looked out the window at the darkening sky, his fingers unconsciously gripping his cuffs.

Zhao Tongchuan stood to the side, and neither of them spoke, creating a heavy silence in the room.

"Has the message been sent out?" Zhong Shao asked Zhao Tongchuan, his voice a little hoarse.

Zhao Tongchuan nodded, his voice low.

"It's been sent out, but the fastest cavalry won't arrive until midnight, and five hundred infantrymen... it will take three hours to get there."

Zhong Shao took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Then let them leave! They have to leave, even if it's until dawn!"

Zhao Tongchuan hesitated for a moment: "But can Qi Feng really hold out until dawn?"

Zhong Shao did not speak, but stood still.

The wind outside the window carried the chill of early spring, causing the oil lamp on the table to flicker.

"This isn't a question of whether he can hold on; it's a question of whether we absolutely have to save him!"

Hearing Zhong Shao's words, Zhao Tongchuan fell silent.

In the backyard of Ye Family Restaurant, Yu Yourong put the folded clothes into the cabinet and casually straightened Qi Feng's pillow.

Yu You Rong paused for a moment when her gaze fell on the empty half of the bed.

Ye Ling Shuang walked in from outside and saw Yu You Rong standing there lost in thought. She asked softly, "Missing your husband?"

Yu Yourong snapped out of her daze and smiled. "He said he'd be back in the next couple of days, but I haven't seen him tonight. I need to get the house tidied up first."

Ye Ling Shuang hummed in agreement and came over to help her shake out the blanket. Neither of them spoke again, but their movements occasionally became a little sluggish, as they were both worried about Qi Feng.

At the entrance of Qijia Village, the last ray of light disappeared from the horizon.

In the darkness, Qi Feng heard a muffled thud coming from the direction of the south wall, followed by the soldiers' exclamations and the sound of chaotic footsteps.

Qi Feng stood up, holding his broadsword in his hand, his face solemn.

The south wall collapsed.

Qi Daniu stood behind the breach, six men with six swords, the tips of which were aimed at the Rong cavalry pouring in from outside the breach.

Looking at the cavalry outside the gap, Qi Daniu took a deep breath, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly in his hand, and then roared behind him.

"They're here!"

The first horse squeezed through the gap, and as soon as its head poked in, two swords swept across it simultaneously.

The horse's forelegs were severed, and its body fell forward, blocking the gap.

The second horse was blocked at the back and couldn't squeeze in. The rider drew his bow and shot an arrow into the gap. The arrow grazed Qi Daniu's ear and landed on the earthen wall behind him.

Qi Daniu didn't dodge. He stepped on the fallen horse and charged out, cleaving the neck of the second horse with a single stroke, before crashing into the cavalry.

The cavalry behind them never expected anyone to dare to break through the gap, and their formation immediately fell into chaos.

In addition, Qi Daniu possessed superhuman strength and wielded his horse-slaying saber with great skill, causing two or three riders to be pulled backward by their horses.

The five men behind Qi Daniu also rushed out. Six knives clashed in the darkness. Some fell, while others continued to charge forward.

As soon as Qi Feng heard the shouts of battle from the south wall, the cavalry on the front also moved.

This was not a test; more than three hundred cavalrymen pressed forward at the same time, the sound of their hooves making the pebbles on the ground jump.

Qi Feng glanced back and saw that only twelve sword-wielding men remained behind the barricades, each holding a sword and bleeding from their hands.

Qi Feng raised his horse-slaying sword and shouted.

"Listen up, everyone! Reinforcements are on their way, they'll arrive by dawn! We don't aim to kill them all, we just want to hold this place to the death! Anyone who retreats will be killed, anyone who stands their ground will be protected!"

No one spoke in the darkness, but the twelve swordsmen simultaneously held their sabers horizontally in front of them to meet the charge.

Qi Feng turned around, pointed the tip of his knife at the first horse charging towards him, and swung it out suddenly.

This charge is very likely their last showdown. Given their current condition, even if Qi Feng can hold on, the people behind him definitely won't be able to.

So this time, they must hold on.

The moment more than three hundred riders crashed into the barricades, the glint of swords and the sound of horses' hooves mingled together.

The entire Qi Family Village resembled a trapped beast driven to the brink of despair, letting out a low roar in the darkness.