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

Qi Feng took a deep breath, looked up at the eastern horizon, and saw the only thing he wanted to see tonight.

A deep red Sui army flag fluttered in the morning light, and rows of infantrymen were running forward under its banner.

Beside the flag, a man on horseback charged ahead, his armor gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Qi Feng planted his spear in the ground, looked at the chaotic Rong cavalry on the periphery, and roared with his last bit of strength:

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

Upon hearing Qi Feng's voice, the remaining soldiers around him all perked up.

In contrast, the Rong cavalry surrounding them were thrown into disarray, and their previously reorganized offensive vanished.

Chaos and fear gradually spread among the Rong cavalry, permeating everyone.

......

When Zhong Shao jumped off his horse, the iron knee pads on his legs slammed heavily into the ground, creating two dents.

He was panting heavily when his personal guards helped him up.

He had been on a long march for half the night, and his throat was now filled with the metallic taste of blood. He was so exhausted that he could barely muster the strength to give orders. However, Zhong Shao still spotted the person standing in the center of the threshing ground immediately.

Qi Feng was covered in blood, standing against a broken wall, with only half of his spear remaining, stuck in the soil beside him.

There weren't many people standing behind him anymore. Qi Daniu was kneeling on the ground, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself with the knife. Qi Shitou was slumped on the ground, panting heavily, his face almost entirely covered in blood, making it impossible to tell whose it was.

Liu Si lay prone beside the cart, holding a nicked long knife in his hand, while Qi Xiaoliu lay on the ground, his head resting against a haystack.

Zhong Shao's gaze swept over the crowd, past the dilapidated walls and collapsed sheds, and what came into view was a pile of horse carcasses and severed limbs.

There were some from the Great Rong, but most were the garrison soldiers from Duma Village.

Although many soldiers died in battle, quite a few survived. Some stood against the wall, some sat on the ground bandaging their wounds, and some searched through the ruins for usable weapons.

The battlefield was deathly silent; no one cried out, no one fled, and no one even looked around.

They simply remained quietly in their positions, expressionless, awaiting the next order.

They may never forget tonight's battle, even though the number of participants was small, it was enough to leave an indelible mark on their lives.

Zhong Shao's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say it immediately.

He dismounted, stepping over the broken wood and dead horse strewn across the ground, and came to Qi Feng. He paused for a moment, looking at Qi Feng's face, which was almost unrecognizable.

"How badly were you injured?" Zhong Shao's voice was hoarse.

Qi Feng looked down at the cut on his shoulder that was still bleeding, and the webs between the thumbs of both his hands were split open.

Besides these, he also had numerous wounds, large and small, including knife wounds and many caused by blunt force trauma.

Qi Feng shook his head and replied casually, "I don't know, I haven't counted."

Zhong Shao didn't ask any more questions. He turned around, waved to the messenger behind him, and shouted towards the edge of the village:

"All troops remain in place and prioritize treatment for the wounded!"

Upon receiving the order, the five hundred infantrymen immediately dispersed. Some ran towards the village entrance, while others pushed towards the north and south. More people poured into the village to gather the wounded, and the sounds of horses' hooves and armor clashing filled the air.

After listening for a while, Qi Feng realized that the cavalry was galloping westward.

Zhong Shao not only brought reinforcements with him, but he also sent a cavalry unit to flank the Rong cavalry before entering the village, cutting off their escape route.

"How many soldiers did you bring?" Qi Feng asked Zhong Shao.

"Five hundred infantrymen and three hundred cavalrymen."

Qi Feng didn't speak again. He leaned against the wall and slowly sat down, the back of his head gently resting against the wall. He watched the eastern sky gradually change from bluish-gray to light gold.

The sun peeked out from behind the mountains in the direction of Fuxing County, casting a radiant glow on Qi Feng's face. Qi Feng took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and finally he could get some rest.

He hadn't slept for two whole days. From receiving the order to lead his men in an ambush to the great battle at Qijia Village, his spirit and physical strength had long been exhausted. All he wanted to do now was rest.

Seeing Qi Feng close his eyes, Zhong Shao quickly summoned the doctor who had accompanied the army.

"Lord Zhong, he's just exhausted and has fallen into a deep sleep. He's perfectly fine."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shao nodded and waved for the doctor to treat the other wounded.

When Qi Feng opened his eyes again, the morning light had already illuminated the entire threshing ground.

The horse carcasses had been mostly cleared away, and a temporary treatment center had been set up in the center of the threshing ground, where many wounded soldiers were lying on stretchers, fast asleep.

The aftermath of the battle was even more devastating than he had imagined. The rows of barricades at the village entrance were smashed to pieces and were completely unusable. The posts were still stained with dried blood and bits of flesh.

Horse carcasses lay scattered along the roadside, piled up like small hills. Three sections of the wall had completely collapsed, and the remaining walls were riddled with arrows.

Qi Feng moved slightly and felt a soreness all over his body, but he ignored it and stood up despite the discomfort. He found Qi Shitou at the edge of the threshing ground.

"Brother Feng!" Qi Shitou was about to get up when he saw Qi Feng coming over, but Qi Feng pressed down on his shoulder.

Qi Shitou had a new strip of cloth wrapped around his shoulder, which was changed for him by the military doctor brought by Zhong Shao.

Beside him was Qi Daniu, and the military doctor was stitching up the long gash on his left shoulder. Qi Daniu stared blankly at the sky. Every time the doctor inserted a needle, he would gasp and his lips would tremble, but he never cried out in pain.

Qi Xiaoliu sat on the back of the cart, drinking porridge. His sprained ankle was swollen high. Zhang Yuan sat next to him, also drinking porridge.

When Qi Feng came over, Zhang Yuan greeted him. After Qi Feng finished eating, Zhang Yuan leaned against the bicycle frame, closed his eyes, and soon began to snore.

Qi Feng searched around again and finally found Liu Si behind the broken wall at the village entrance.

Liu Si sat at the foot of the wall, with a neat row of bows in front of him. Some bows had broken strings, some had cracked bodies, and some were only half left.

Liu Si examined all the bows, then picked out the usable ones and placed them by his knees, while the broken ones were placed by his left hand.

Qi Feng walked over and squatted down beside him: "How many usable ones are left?"

Liu Si said, "There are still seven left. We can repair them and continue using them. In last night's battle, we lost eleven archers alone. Now, out of our fifty brothers, only about twenty are left."

Qi Feng didn't say anything. He sat down next to Liu Si, and the two sat against the wall for a while.

A moment later, Zhong Shao walked over from the end of the village, his armor stained with blood, and blood dripped onto the ground with every step he took.

Seeing this, Liu Si got up, greeted them, and left, making room for Zhong Shao and Qi Feng.