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

Cities and fortresses, though both can be considered places to settle down and make a living, are worlds apart in their intricacies.

If it were a magnificent city like Chang'an, Bianliang, or Taiyuan, the city gates would be made of solid wood covered with iron, more than a foot thick, with a heavy gate behind the gate, a barbican in front of the gate, and a horse-faced gate on the city wall.

Without heavy machinery like battering rams, ladders, and catapults, even if you had three days and three nights, you wouldn't be able to pry open a crack.

But Zhangjiawu, no matter how you look at it, is just a large courtyard built by a local rich man to protect against bandits.

The gate looked imposing, painted black to resemble iron armor, but in reality it was just two thick wooden planks, with neither iron plating nor a hidden door.

It's manageable to defend against vagrants with only hoes on ordinary days, but if you encounter the methods of a regular army, it's a completely different story.

This is the source of the dark-faced man's confidence in saying that the village was made of paper.

By this time, the suspension bridge had been lowered, and the two tightly closed gates of the village became the last piece of paper to seal the deal.

"What if we didn't hit the wood?"

Liu Qingti rushed to the door with the man, and looking at the two dark doors, he began to worry again.

He is indeed strong, but not strong enough to smash a door open with one shoulder.

"Get out of the way."

The dark-faced man strode forward, carrying a whistle, and glanced around the gate of the village.

"In order to save materials, the hinges of such gates are mostly made of wood rather than cast iron."

He turned to the group of soldiers behind him who were still frantically searching for a battering ram, and shouted, "Bring me axes! If you don't have axes, use knives! Don't chop the door panel, chop off that corner under the door!"

That's the difference between an expert and a novice.

The door panel has a large stress surface, so it takes a lot of time and effort to chop it up, but the door hinge is the key to supporting the rotation of the door.

This fortified village had been in disrepair for many years, and its wooden door hinges were constantly damp and corroded, making it outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

"cut!"

Seven or eight soldiers, each wielding a short axe and a sword, rushed forward and began hacking wildly at the spot the dark-faced man pointed to.

Wood chips flew everywhere.

Normally, the guards on the wall would have already thrown stones and poured molten gold.

But at this moment, the scene inside the fortified village is quite different.

With the fortified village breached, the balance of power shifted dramatically in an instant.

As the saying goes, "The morale of the three armies is at stake!"

The bandits of Zhangjiawu may seem impressive, but in reality, most of them are just a motley crew trying to survive in the chaos of war.

All they usually rely on is that deep moat and high wall.

Now that the city gates are about to fall, this tortoise shell is being stripped away, and that sense of security is vanishing like snow melted in hot water.

Inside, Shen Lie was committing murder and arson; outside, an unidentified army had breached the drawbridge.

This motley crew, who were originally defeated soldiers, finally remembered the fear of being controlled by the government troops at this moment.

"Run! The government troops are breaking in!"

I don't know who shouted it first.

Immediately afterwards, the guards on the wall began to scatter.

Some people threw down their weapons and ran to the backyard, while others simply jumped into the city, not caring about broken legs, just wanting to get as far away from the gate that was about to be breached as possible.

This is momentum.

As the art of war says: seek advantage from the situation, not from others.

When the tide has turned against you, individual bravery becomes a joke.

Click!

With a crisp crack, the hinge at the lower left corner of the gate finally succumbed to the damage and broke completely.

The left door, having lost its support, tilted violently, revealing a gap large enough for a person to pass through.

"It's broken!"

Liu Qing was overjoyed and was about to rush in when he suddenly felt a tightness around his neck, and was pulled back by a large hand.

"What's the rush?"

The dark-faced man pulled him behind him, brandished his baton, and coldly stared at the gap, saying, "Be careful, a cornered dog might do something rash."

Before he could finish speaking, several arrows shot out from the gap and landed where Liu Qing had just been standing.

If it weren't for that tug, this big oaf would probably have had several more holes in his body.

Liu Qing broke out in a cold sweat, and his eyes showed more gratitude as he looked at the dark-faced man.

"Shieldbearers, hold up! Archers, hold down!"

The dark-faced man commanded methodically, "Don't charge recklessly, form a battle formation and go in! Kill anyone you see, don't hold back! Being soft-hearted now is suicide!"

"promise!"

These soldiers, who had come to help the city in its time of need, were now under the command of this man as if they were his own limbs.

Dozens of shields protected the front, and the spearmen followed closely behind, squeezing hard into the gap.

"kill!!"

The shouts of battle were deafening.

The remaining resistance inside the fortified village crumbled instantly under the onslaught of this ferocious force.

Meanwhile, in front of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness.

The fire has spread like wildfire!

"My lord! We can't hold on any longer!"

Yang Ting brandished his knife and roared, "The fire's too big! If we don't leave now, we're all going to die!"

Shen Lie could feel his strength rapidly draining away.

"We can't leave."

Shen Lie glanced at the tightly blocked door and gave a bitter laugh.

But he didn't regret it.

This is a very strange logic.

From a purely economic standpoint, risking one's life and hard-earned wealth for two unrelated women is utterly foolish.

Even if he were to die here, he would not regret that stab.

Human life is fleeting, like the life of plants in autumn.

If one becomes like an animal simply because they are afraid of death, then what's the point of this journey through time?

"Yang Ting".

Shen Lie suddenly spoke up, "If there's a next life, don't follow a fool like me. Even following Zhang Heng would be better than following me."

"What nonsense are you spouting, my lord!"

Yang Ting cursed, his eyes red-rimmed, "My life was given to me by the magistrate! We'll die together! At least I'll have company on the road to the underworld!"

Shen Lie smiled and didn't reply. He simply took another deep breath and swung his sword to block a bandit's thrust.

But human strength has its limits.

Taking advantage of Shen Lie's exhaustion, a bandit soldier launched a sneak attack from the side and rear, and it looked like the knife was about to strike Shen Lie's back.

"Go!"

A loud shout.

A whistling baton swept across the room like a black dragon, accompanied by a whooshing sound.

boom!

The bandit who launched the sneak attack didn't even have time to scream before his head was smashed to pieces like a watermelon, splattering red and white blood all over the ground.

A dark-faced man stood up, holding his baton, and blocked Shen Lie's path.

"Your Excellency possesses remarkable skill!"

The man glanced at Shen Lie, who was covered in blood, a look of admiration flashing in his eyes. "However, it's best to avoid such battles where you're outnumbered! It would be too much of a waste to lose your life in this filthy place!"

Shen Lie wiped the blood from his face and was about to reply when Liu Qing's shout interrupted his train of thought.

"My lord!" Liu Qing followed closely behind the dark-faced man, but his speed was ultimately a bit slower. When he saw that Shen Lie was still alive, his simple face was covered in snot and tears.

Ignoring the flames, he roared and charged forward.

They acted as if their lord would be sent flying if they were even a step too late.

Although Liu Qing's lunge looked disheveled and somewhat foolish, it unequivocally signaled the end of the bet.

These battles are rarely the kind of epic, drawn-out battles.

The difference between victory and defeat often lies not in how many people are killed, but in whether or not the spirit of victory is exhausted.

The bandits of Zhangjiawu, though seemingly fierce, were in reality a group of opportunists trying to survive in the chaos of war.

They gathered together to eat meat and drink alcohol, to bully the weak and fear the strong, not to be loyal to Zhang Heng, the so-called chieftain.

Now that the gates of the stockade have been breached, government troops are entering in formation outside, and fires are raging inside. The defenses that these rabble had built up quickly crumbled.

Since we can't win, the only options are to run or surrender.

The ruthless bandits who had been fighting Shen Lie scattered like birds and beasts as soon as they saw that the situation was hopeless.

The saying "a defeated army collapses like a mountain" was perfectly illustrated at this moment.

Shen Lie was being supported by Liu Qing, panting heavily.

The sword in his hand was full of nicks and nicks, and his tiger's mouth was split open.

But at this moment, dawn was breaking in the east.