Chapter 8: Night Watchtower Fire

  "Open the door! Open the door!"

  A cavalry unit under Lian Yu's command was escorting hundreds of prisoners, shouting that they wanted to enter the city.

  The people of Hulan never thought that someone would be so bold and daring as to launch a surprise attack on the city, so they were completely unguarded. After a cursory interrogation, they easily opened the city gate.

  The night in Lianyuguan was very quiet, the whole city entered curfew from evening till dawn. Except for the occasional sound of the watch drum, it was the intermittent laughter of the Hulan people and the women's mournful cries that came over.

  After the invasion of Hulan, tens of thousands of women were taken and placed in Linyu Pass - the exact number was over 85,000 people. Among them, many were beautiful and some could serve as palace maids, concubines, camp prostitutes, and dancing girls. There were both noble ladies and humble village maidens, but now they all shared a common fate.

  Throughout history, war has always been accompanied by crimes such as rape; uncivilized nations are even more so. At that time, Hulan had just recently left behind the days of drinking blood and eating raw meat, and for soldiers, their pleasures were killing people, setting fires, and raping women.

  Near water tower first get moon, under the monitor's palm so many beauties, how can they be let go? At first it was private, but in a few days it became openly reckless. Those women who were designated by the generals were fine, but the rest suffered, and nearly a third of them were brutally killed within a few days.

  One after another, the women in the tent, naked and tied up together, were sobbing quietly. Batch after batch of Hulan people who came to rape them lifted the flap of the tent...

  Such scenes are common. Without looking inside, it is often seen that women are tied under trees or eaves - none of them have not been stripped of their clothes, they have already become a kind of decoration to satisfy men's desires. However, desire will never be satisfied, and it will be provoked from time to time.

  In the city, there were originally 30,000 soldiers guarding it, but today Harriet took 25,000 people out of the city, leaving only 5,000 people on guard. At this moment, the tired enemy had already fallen asleep, and those who were not tired were still working overtime to play with women, which was a great opportunity for the Wind and Rain Army.

  The warriors of the Autumn Wind Brigade suppressed their excitement, and the troops had already moved into action, like a rising tide.

  After silently killing the guards of Hulan, opening some slave camps, 4-5 thousand young and strong slaves rushed to the streets. Everyone occupied a nearby warehouse, moved out many weapons, and those without weapons armed themselves and immediately joined the battle.

  Thus, in the early hours of the morning, the former slaves turned soldiers crept through the streets, starting from the southeast corner, and successively took out some Hulan troops who were responsible for guarding the mansions and patrolling the streets, releasing more and more compatriots.

  The guard is really slack... The wind and rain are watching from the high pavilion, seeing the rebel army advancing below. In the dark visibility, there are several places where lanterns are flashing, which are warehouses that have been occupied by the Autumn Wind Army, and the released men are suppressing their desire to cheer, taking turns to take away the equipment.

  Ou Jin closely followed Feng Yu's side to assist in commanding, while Bai Qi, Chen Liang, Qiu Li, Luo Xin, and Zhuo Jingwen divided their troops into three routes to rush to occupy the armory, stables, and some key mansions where slaves were being held.

  The rebel army grew in numbers, everyone's heart was racing with excitement, watching their own troops expand silently. The slaves who arrived later were not allocated weapons and replaced them with labor tools, also joining the ranks of the expedition against the Hulan army. It seems that they are all men, and those who are truly timid are actually few, and in the past, they endured oppression mainly because there was no way out, no core, and no power to resist the harsh rule of the alien tribe.

  In less than half a watch, the rebel army had grown to seven or eight thousand men. It was then that the Hulan army suddenly realized and the battle began to erupt.

  No need to hide and act secretly, let's start the war openly! The righteous armies from all sides shouted loudly, with big knives and axes, pressing towards the enemy camp. As the action became public, more people were liberated, they just understood the situation, cheered and then many people spontaneously took up arms, burning with hatred, rushing to the alien rulers who had brutally oppressed them.

  The soldiers of the Autumn Wind Corps shouted in unison: "Expel Hulan, return my home!"

  The sound shook the whole city, shaking the vast area of Lianyu Guan, where swords and shadows were everywhere. Although the insurgent army had few people who had received military training, they were full of morale, hatred filled their chests, and they were all exceptionally brave, able to take on ten with one.

  The Hulan people were at a disadvantage in numbers, and most of them woke up from their dreams after indulging in wine and lust, only to be met with the surging "violent masses". Many Hulan soldiers were busy resisting for a while before being knocked down; some still couldn't find their weapons, and their heads had already been smashed open.

  The chaos continued for a while, and the Hulan army, which had barely reacted, began to organize. They seemed to understand what was happening, so some of them desperately broke through the city walls, while others escaped into the inner city.

  The wind and rain passed through some scenes of fighting and rushed towards the inner city. The shouts heard made one even more excited, as if the strength on his body had also increased a lot.

  Apart from shouts of "Don't let the Hulan dogs escape!" and "Brothers, work hard to kill the enemy!", there were also slogans like "Don't set fires, we'll be taking over the city ourselves!" and "Protect the warehouses and grain stores, our army will need them later!". Because of the strong winds and rain, it was feared that chaos would lead to destruction, which would cause losses for future military campaigns. Therefore, orders were given to the officers and soldiers of the Autumn Wind Army to remember discipline, and then pass this on to all participants in the uprising during battle.

  The deputy general in the city, tired from playing with women all day, was originally holding two beauties and sleeping soundly, but was suddenly awakened by a guard's urgent call. It took him a while to understand that it was the rebels who had arrived, and he was stunned.

  He was indeed a seasoned warrior, and after being stunned for a moment, he hastily put on his armor, mounted his horse, and drew his sword to see what was happening. With him there, the defeated Hulan army finally had a core and could barely effectively resist the Han army's offensive.

  After holding on for a while, the voices of the rebels within the city grew louder and more numerous, and the morale of the Hulan army became increasingly disordered. The deputy general saw that things were irretrievable, and retreat was the best option, so he withdrew into the inner city.

  It turned out that a group of soldiers had already been stationed halfway, and many of the faster soldiers had suffered, some were killed in battle, and more were captured and thrown beside the city wall.

  The deputy general received the army and horses, looked at the opponent, and found that the momentum was quite large. It turned out that Chen Liang had led a branch of infantry to merge with Bai Qi's small cavalry team, firmly grasping the enemy's retreat route.

  Since they came here, the deputy general gritted his teeth and ordered a charge. A deputy general responded and went up, but was shot in the face by an arrow, which was exactly Zhuo Jingwen's masterpiece.

  "Good!"

  Chen Liang shouted in excitement, charging out on horseback himself, and thrust his spear at a Hulan officer who was also wielding a long spear. The officer was somewhat flustered, parried once, but failed to block the attack, and fell dead instantly.

  The deputy general was secretly shocked, and just as he was hesitating, another batch of fleeing Hulan troops surged in from a side street. Behind them, a group of soldiers were chasing after them, led by a young man with disheveled hair and wearing a diagonal cape, his steel knife flashing as he swung it, splattering blood everywhere, causing people and horses to fall over.

  That fellow saw that his opponent was gaining momentum again, and perhaps due to animal instinct, he sensed that the newcomer was not benevolent, so he hastily turned around and fled.

  Bai Qi and Chen Liang drove their men and horses to chase after them. Autumn asked the Han army guarding the gate, and it turned out that the one who escaped was the deputy general of the city defense, so they didn't have time to rest and immediately sent troops to pursue.

  That general led three to five hundred defeated and exhausted men and horses, and could only desperately detour and rush forward. Feng Yu saw this and ordered Bai Qi and Chen Liang to take separate routes to encircle and attack from the sides, while he himself led a team of soldiers in hot pursuit. However, most of Autumn Wind's troops were infantry, and after fighting for a long time they were also extremely exhausted, and gradually could no longer keep up.

  Just as the group was about to reach the inner city gate, a column of cavalry and infantry suddenly emerged from the front corner, numbering only dozens of men, but exceptionally brave. Several Russian soldiers were chased and killed in front of them, and arrows flew out in unison behind them, causing the Hulan soldiers to fall, their bodies lying right in front of Cherev's horse rushing over from the North Gate.

  The deputy general was shocked and wanted to rush out of the gate. He saw a middle-aged Han man, who was in charge of the army, riding his horse and wielding his spear to attack the enemy commander. The deputy general was caught off guard and was about to be finished off. Just then, a Hulan military officer stepped forward to block the way. He was seen being pierced by a spear in the abdomen, with the spearhead entering from one side and exiting from the other. The middle-aged Han man pulled out the long spear with great force, and the poor substitute cried out in agony as he fell off his horse, apparently on the verge of death. The spearhead of the middle-aged Han man was also bent, but fortunately, he had great strength and was able to pierce through the armor.

  The soldiers shouted in unison, and the Hulan army was frightened to death. The lucky deputy general who escaped by chance was even more frightened, riding a fast horse into the inner city, immediately dropping the gate, and not caring about the life and death of the generals outside.

  At this time, the wind and rain were already chasing after them from behind, and the remaining Hulan army outside the inner city was like a remnant cloud swept away by the wind, either dead or surrendered.

  Under the inquiry of wind and rain, the middle-aged man was called Baili Xi. He was originally a military officer in the city, with great martial arts skills and strategies. However, due to being from a humble background and having an outspoken personality, he offended many people. Fortunately, Bai Qi appreciated his talent, so he didn't get into big trouble; but because of this, he could only serve as a hundred-man commander. After losing at Lianyu Pass, he was captured by the Hulan people. Because he knew how to forge iron, he was imprisoned here and prepared to be transported to the Western Regions.

  This time, after the Bai Qi faction infiltrated the city, Baili Xi actively responded and quickly contacted a group of brothers in the city. After Feng Yu entered the city, they took swift action and played an indispensable role in the battle to seize the city.

  Feng Yu excitedly patted Baili Xi's shoulder and said: "You are indeed a top-notch general! Don't worry, in our Autumn Wind Army, we only ask about ability, not other things. Brave warriors will surely be enfeoffed as marquises and become famous generals in the future!"

  "Thank you, sir, for promoting me!"

  Baili Xidun suddenly felt a sense of being understood, and excitedly bid farewell to Feng Yu. He had always been confident in his own abilities, but unfortunately had never had the opportunity to be reused. Bai Qi, although acknowledging his capabilities, was a typical military man who followed the rules, and in the face of Sheng Long's heavy door and light ability, he was also powerless. But Feng Yu showed such favoritism, and even put forward the slogan "only ask for ability, not other things", how could it not make him feel like he had met a wise mentor?