I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

Three years into the new year, in winter, in November.

Hutuo River, Zhongdu Bridge.

The north wind howled, the white grass withered and broken, and at dusk, this vital ferry crossing connecting Zhao Prefecture and Heng Prefecture was littered with corpses.

This riverbank, where a fierce battle had just ended, was littered with broken maces and standard-issue spears of the Shi Jin dynasty, suggesting that countless Shi Jin soldiers lay buried here.

The area at the bridgehead where the bodies were piled up the thickest was particularly horrific and eerily silent.

From a distance, one can see a tattered banner with the character "王" (king). Although the flagpole is broken, it remains firmly planted in the frozen soil, never falling over.

This thing represents Wang Qing, the commander of the Shi Jin Fengguo Army.

The fact that the general's flag was tattered but still stood meant that although the entire vanguard of the Shi Jin army responsible for seizing the bridge was wiped out, they died in direct combat without retreating an inch.

Such a situation cannot be said to be rare.

After all, in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there were always puppet emperors recognizing their fathers one day and Khitans raiding the country the next. The great war between Jin and Khitan during the Kaiyun era had been going on for more than a day or two, and it seemed normal for several thousand people to die.

However, unlike the solemn atmosphere that usually followed a battle between two armies, the atmosphere on this battlefield at this moment was inevitably tinged with sadness and absurdity...

Aside from the howling wind, only a few daring local refugees were timidly rummaging through the pile of corpses, their eyes filled with confusion as they occasionally looked up towards the southern camp.

Since Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the Khitan cavalry had been able to advance south as if they were in an empty land.

At this critical moment for the nation, Du Chongwei, the commander of 200,000 troops of the Shi Jin Dynasty, actually remained inactive in order to become emperor, and watched helplessly as Wang Qing's vanguard of 2,000 men were surrounded and slaughtered by the Khitans in the freezing snow!

With Wang Qing killed in battle and the Zhongdu Bridge lost, the 200,000 elite Jin troops were now trapped like turtles in a jar.

Amidst this pile of corpses, a young military officer named Shen Lie had just awakened from his coma.

The problem is that Shen Lie, who is young and strong and even took a blow for Wang Qing at the last moment, did not immediately crawl out to call for help after waking up, despite still having all four limbs.

In the last quarter of an hour, he only slightly opened his eyes under the pile of corpses, staring blankly at the tattered general's flag.

You must know, General Wang Qing was a true hero, the only man among these 200,000 troops who had the guts.

But while such a hero is dead, Du Chongwei, the traitor who sold out his country for personal gain, is still waiting in the central command tent to surrender to the Khitans and indulge in his pipe dream...

This made Shen Lie, or rather the soul in this body that came from more than a thousand years in the future, feel a deep sense of powerlessness and absurdity.

As a result, the owner of this body was in a state of utter confusion.

Two voices are fighting in my head.

One person said that the Later Jin dynasty was doomed, and the Khitans would then raid the Central Plains, turning it into a living hell. It would be better to die now.

Another person said that General Wang Qing gave you this knife before he died so that you could live, not so that you could be used as a stepping stone for the Khitans' horses!

Not only that, for example, being transmigrated into a slave of a conquered nation, or having an initial difficulty level that's practically hellish...

As Shen Lie lay motionless amidst the pile of corpses, all sorts of absurd thoughts grew increasingly bizarre.

It's fortunate that there weren't many psychologists during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, otherwise Chief Shen would probably be diagnosed with severe depression by now.

"Third Uncle, there's an official here!"

Just as Shen Du was having an internal struggle, near the nearest pile of corpses, he saw several refugees boldly looting for valuables before sunset, as always. Suddenly, one of the young men exclaimed in surprise.

"Look at this armor, it's in the style of the Imperial Guards!"

"Shh!"

The old man, called Third Uncle, was wearing a tattered coat and carrying a chipped woodcutter's knife. Upon hearing this, he quickly stepped forward and covered the young man's mouth, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings.

"Keep your voice down! The Khitan cavalry are nearby. Are you looking for death?"

"Then this person..." The young man pointed at Shen Lie, who was lying under the pile of corpses, and hesitated for a moment, "I think he's still breathing."

"Even if he's still breathing, he won't live much longer." The old man sighed, his gaze lingering for a moment on Shen Lie's well-made iron armor, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes, but mostly helplessness.

"Du Jiedu... is likely to surrender. Things are about to change. The best thing we can do is strip off our armor and run for our lives."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lie gripped the knife tightly in his sleeve, his last shred of hope shattered.

As expected, Du Chongwei was about to surrender.

Wang Qingbai is dead, and these two thousand brothers have died in vain.

"Uncle, shall we get started?" the young man asked tentatively.

"Let's get started." The old man gritted his teeth. "Hurry up! In this chaotic situation, we need to get some weapons for self-defense."

As they spoke, the two bent down and reached out to unfasten the buckles on Shen Lie's armor.

In that very instant.

"Don't move if you don't want to die."

The old man's hand trembled, and the young man was so frightened that he sat down on the snow.

The officer, who should have been on the verge of death, had somehow opened his eyes.

Shen Lie made a move, but he didn't suddenly kill anyone.

In reality, he is in excruciating pain and cannot do it at all.

So he simply turned his head slightly and used the hilt of the knife to brace against the old man's wrist.

"I am a captain under General Wang Qing." Shen Lie's voice was very soft. "General Wang... is indeed a hero."

The old man was stunned.

He hadn't expected the officer's first words to be like this.

In this chaotic world, soldiers and bandits are one and the same, and ordinary people fear soldiers more than bandits.

But Wang Qing was different.

For the past two days, Wang Qing led two thousand men in a bloody battle at the bridgehead, refusing to retreat an inch, protecting countless civilians who fled behind him. This was witnessed by people from all around.

"Are you General Wang's man?" The old man's voice trembled slightly, and his eyes held a hint of awe.

"General Wang is gone." Shen Lie gasped for breath, his gaze piercing through the wind and snow to the tattered flag. "I don't want him to leave in peace. This armor was a gift from him; I can't give it to you."

The scene became quiet for a moment.

The young man got up, looking somewhat bewildered at the old man: "Uncle, General Wang is a good man...we..."

The old man's expression shifted, and finally he let out a long sigh and released the wood-chopping knife from his hand.

"That's enough." The old man gave a bitter smile, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the tattered flag, and said, "General Wang is a man of great righteousness. Although we are just commoners, we cannot do such a despicable thing. Sir, you... take care of yourself. The Khitans are coming soon."

After saying this, the old man pulled the young man up and turned to leave.

"etc."

Shen Lie suddenly spoke.

He used his knife to brace himself against the ground and, gritting his teeth, slowly pulled himself out of the pile of corpses.

The movements were slow, even somewhat clumsy.

But he eventually got back up.

"Take me away." Shen Lie looked at the old man, his eyes clear. "Du Chongwei has surrendered. The Khitans won't let the people around here go. You should run south; you can't outrun the cavalry."

The old man stopped and turned back to look at him with surprise and uncertainty: "So, what does the soldier mean...?"

"Head west, into the Taihang Mountains." Shen Lie spat out a mouthful of blood, and the rationality of a modern person finally prevailed in his mind.

"I know how to march, how to avoid the enemy's strength and strike their weakness. If you take me with you, we might all survive; if you leave me behind, I'll just rot here, but you... might not even see the sun rise tomorrow."

That's right!

It's about seeking life, not death!

Although Shen Lie was lamenting the unfairness of fate just now, after confirming that he was not quite dead, his will to survive ultimately prevailed.

I thought this guy was just an ordinary history enthusiast from later generations, how could he really want to die?

That act just now was simply because I was overwhelmed by the emotion, and it would have been a shame not to put on a show for the tragic atmosphere.

Now that Wang Qing is dead, the Jin army is about to surrender, and the Khitans are sharpening their swords.

There was only one path before him.

They took the two refugees into the mountains and endured the darkest winter.

Looking at the shaky young officer before him, the old man's conscience finally wavered.

In these chaotic times, a knowledgeable and experienced officer is indeed more useful than anything else.

"Sanlang, go and cut two tree branches," the old man instructed, turning around. "Help this constable."

Shen Lie breathed a sigh of relief, his body went limp, and he almost collapsed again.

Fortunately, the young man named Sanlang reacted quickly and caught him.

"Let's go."