At the same time as King Yan’s army moved out from Dachang County, a person arrived at Juhe County.
Xu Bailu was a Daoist nun who looked to be in her early thirties. She wore a light green Daoist robe with white deer patterns embroidered on it. She wore a lotus flower crown and carried a long sword on her back. She looked valiant and heroic.
Her appearance was extremely beautiful, and she could be said to be capable of causing the downfall of a country. Her skin was as fair as jade, and her facial features were perfectly matched. Especially her eyes, they were abnormally bright, and her eyelashes were thin and long. She gave off a beautiful and otherworldly feeling, but at the same time, she also looked a little charming.
However, Xu Bailu’s great reputation in the pugilistic world was not only because of her beauty, but also because of her own strength.
She was an Elder of the Yuhua Sword Pavilion, a Grandmaster at the peak of the Profound Gate Realm. She was only half a step away from the Xiantian Realm and could be considered a top expert in the world.
She was known as the “Absolute Sword”.
Such figures usually had extremely strong personal will.
Therefore, the first thing Xu Bailu did when she came to Juhe County was to head straight to the county office despite Fang Min and Zhou Caiwei’s dissuasion.
She wanted to see Cui Heng.
“Master, you can’t!” Zhou Caiwei stood in front of Xu Bailu. “County Lord Cui is the main official here. If you rush into the county office like this, there will only be conflict.”
“If I don’t look for him, Juhe County will be sacrificed by him.” Xu Bailu sneered. “The entire city has less than 300 soldiers, and there’s no plan to recruit troops. How does this look like a city defense?”
“This…” Fang Min also persuaded at the side,” Perhaps he’s waiting for Master to come and take charge. You can just negotiate with King Yan’s army after you come. There’s no need to… ”
“The negotiation also requires them to buy time by defending the city.” Xu Bailu raised her hand to interrupt her and said in a low voice, “I’ll go see this county magistrate now and take over all the matters here. We have to mobilize the manpower we can use to defend the city as soon as possible so that we can negotiate…”
She stopped suddenly, her ears twitching as she frowned. “Is that the sound of the gates opening?”
Then, Xu Bailu rushed out of the residence.
“Master!”
“Master!”
Fang Min and Zhou Caiwei hurriedly followed.
At this moment, the door to Juhe County City opened.
This was because the sentries in front had already detected the movements of King Yan’s army in Dachang County. Soon, an army would arrive.
Hence, Cui Heng ordered Monk Hui Shi to lead the soldiers to organize and lead the refugees into the city to seek refuge.
Xu Bailu happened to see this scene.
She was stunned.
Especially after seeing the smiles on the faces of the refugees, Xu Bailu sneered and said, “Looks like County Magistrate Cui still has some conscience. He knows to let the refugees enter the city to avoid the ravages of war outside the city.”
“Master, County Lord Cui has already decided on this.” Zhou Caiwei realized that her master’s attitude seemed to have softened a little, so she smiled and said, “County Lord Cui is actually very benevolent. He will never surrender and give up the city.”
The surrender of the city meant that the people of the county would be at the mercy of King Yan’s army.
After all, in this era, there was no such thing as marching without plundering. Prohibiting raiding would not allow the soldiers to release their desires, and the army could not be motivated and mobilized.
It was impossible for a merciful person to do such a thing.
“Just because he’s kind doesn’t mean that he’s not naive.” Xu Bailu shook her head and said, “Perhaps he’s thinking that as long as he surrenders and offers up the city, he can save the people in the city from war.
“However, King Yan’s army is tyrannical. Along the way, they plundered countless people. None of the local officials survived. The local citizens will also be robbed and humiliated. Even if they surrender, there won’t be any good results.”
At this moment, a youth who had just walked past them suddenly turned around and ran back.
He raised his hand and pointed at Xu Bailu with a fierce gaze. He gritted his teeth and said, “What did you just say? You actually slandered the County Lord, saying that he would surrender and offer up the city? The County Lord is a great person. How could he offer up the city!”
It was Zhao Goudan, who had just entered the city.
At this moment, Third Uncle also followed over. He tugged at Zhao Goudan and said in a low voice, “Goudan, this person’s identity is not ordinary. We just entered the city, so don’t cause trouble.”
“No! My life was given to me by the County Lord. How can I ignore her slander?”
Zhao Goudan stood still and stared at Xu Bailu. “Listen, we all escaped from Dachang County. The county head knows very well what kind of people the Yan dogs are. It’s impossible for him to surrender!
“I will also risk my life for the County Lord. Even if I have to shed the last drop of my blood, I will never surrender to the Yan dogs!”
His words immediately resonated with countless refugees and they shouted loudly.
“We will shed the last drop of our blood for the County Lord and never surrender to the Yan dogs!”
“We will shed the last drop of our blood for the County Lord and never surrender to the Yan dogs!”
The shouts of these refugees also infected the local soldiers and citizens in the city.
Initially, they were still feeling fear because of the impending war, but now, they felt their blood boiling.
At the same time, they also realized that the property and land they possessed now were all distributed by the County Lord. If King Yan’s army broke through the city, they would probably lose everything.
“We will shed the last drop of our blood for the County Lord and never surrender to the Yan dogs!”
“We will shed the last drop of our blood for the County Lord and never surrender to the Yan dogs!”
…
For a moment, the voices in Juhe County City soared into the sky, and battle intent soared.
This surprised Xu Bailu greatly. She said in surprise, “Is County Magistrate Cui so popular?”
Now, she no longer had any intention of forcefully taking over the affairs of Juhe County.
This was because she knew very well that she could not compare to Cui Heng in terms of mobilizing public opinion.
However, Xu Bailu was very puzzled.
Since they had such hot-blooded citizens, why didn’t they recruit people to guard the city?
As long as they organized their men and defended for a period of time, it would definitely not be a problem to buy time for the negotiations.
She suddenly had a strong curiosity about Cui Heng and wanted to find him to have a good chat and ask him what he was thinking.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At this moment, everyone suddenly felt the ground under their feet tremble. Moreover, the trembling feeling was getting stronger and closer.
“It’s the Yan dogs! The Yan army is here! This is the sound of their cavalry’s hooves!” A refugee from Dachang County exclaimed. This sound and vibration was the beginning of their nightmare. They would never forget it even if they died.
When they heard this voice, many of the citizens who were still shouting hot-bloodedly immediately felt their bodies turn cold. Terrifying scenes flashed across their minds, and their bodies involuntarily trembled.
Fear began to spread.
At this moment, another cry came from ahead.
“The County Lord has ascended the city gate! The County Lord is going to personally defend the city!!”
This news immediately caused a huge sensation.
“Folks, let’s go! Let’s go to the city gate and help the County Lord defend the city and kill the Yan dogs!” Someone shouted. Immediately, hundreds of people responded. Immediately, many refugees who had just entered the city to avoid the disaster followed.
Even many of the citizens who had felt fear earlier gritted their teeth and followed.
Zhao Goudan was the first to follow.
Third Uncle followed without hesitation.
Xu Bailu looked at the vast crowd and fell silent. After a while, she suddenly said to Fang Min and Zhou Caiwei, “Let’s go over and see how County Lord Cui is going to defend the city.”
…
How did it feel to watch an army of 50,000 galloping towards them?
Fear!
Unprecedented fear.
Including Qi Condensation Realm experts like Lu Zhengming and Hui Shi, as well as all the soldiers who had climbed up the city wall to participate in the defense, they all felt a sense of fear from the bottom of their hearts.
Facing an army of 50,000, a single person’s strength was simply too insignificant.
Whether it was Qi Condensation, Qi Transformation, Profound Gate, or even Xiantian Grandmasters, in the face of absolute numbers, they were all not worth mentioning.
As for the citizens who came to help defend the city, they climbed up the city wall under the lead of the soldiers. When they saw the scene of the 50,000 troops galloping over, they were so frightened that their legs went weak.
Xu Bailu also brought Fang Min and Zhou Caiwei to the city wall. With Zhao Guang leading the way, they were not stopped.
After seeing the situation on the city wall, she realized that she had been a little too optimistic earlier.
Even if they really organized the entire city for defense, it would probably be useless. Faced with the attack of an army of 50,000, the people who were not professionally trained could not withstand the fear at all.
How could they defend the city?
They probably wouldn’t even have a chance to negotiate!
Xu Bailu looked at Cui Heng, who was standing at the front.
Cui Heng’s youth surprised Xu Bailu.
What surprised her even more was that the county magistrate of Juhe County had a confident smile on his face.
“Where did he get his confidence from?” Xu Bailu was puzzled. This was a sure-death situation.
“County Lord, what should we do now?” Zhao Guang was the first to ask in a low voice. This question immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Lu Zhengming and Monk Huishi also looked over.
Although they had all seen Cui Heng’s magical methods, especially Hui Shi, who had seen the power of Cui Heng’s flames, they still wanted to know what Cui Heng wanted to do.
After all, even though he knew in his heart, the pressure brought by the 50,000-strong army was indeed too oppressive.
“Bring me a bowl of water,” Cui Heng suddenly said to Zhao Guang.
“Ah? Okay, okay!” Zhao Guang hurriedly turned around to pour some water, but he was confused, not knowing what Cui Heng wanted to do.
The others also looked confused.
Clear water?
What did he need water for at this time?
…
10,000 horses galloped and sand flew everywhere!
At this moment, Wang Shun had already led the 50,000-strong army to a place less than three miles away from Juhe County.
On his left and right were Wei Cun and Yan Sheng.
Wang Shun looked at the city wall in front of him and laughed loudly. “This city wall is actually so low. I’m afraid it’s not even 20 feet tall. I have 50,000 brave and fierce men. I reckon it won’t even take half a day. I can break through the city in four hours!”
“Haha, you’re too humble.” Wei existed at the side and flattered, “The spies have sent news that there are only about 200 soldiers in Juhe County. I feel that we would be able to break through the city in two hours!”
“It’s Cui Heng. He’s on the city wall. He’s personally here to defend the city!” Yan Sheng’s brows were furrowed deeply. He was out of place with the other two. “Cabinet Lord, This person…”
“This person is extraordinary. We have to be careful, right?” Wang Shun interrupted Yan Sheng with a cold smile and said disdainfully, “I’m fucking tired of hearing it!
“It’s really a waste to get Zen Master De Kong to help you recover your martial arts. A Grandmaster actually became a piece of trash who was scared out of his wits. You’re not allowed to speak from now on. Just listen to my orders and fight!”
“Cabinet Minister Yan, you’re really…” Wei Cun shook his head and smiled.” Trash! ”
“You!” Yan Sheng was flustered and exasperated. When he saw Cui Heng on the distant city wall, a strong sense of panic surfaced in his heart, as if a disaster was about to befall him.
“Brothers! Charge! Follow me to break through the city!” Wang Shun had already shouted loudly and ordered the flag officer to give the signal for the entire army to charge.
He wanted to break through the city gate in one go!
…
On the city wall of Juhe County, when everyone saw the 50,000-strong army begin to charge, the panic and fear in their hearts instantly intensified.
“You can get ready to leave the city to capture prisoners.” But at this moment, Cui Heng suddenly said something that no one could understand.
However, they quickly understood.
Cui Heng raised the bowl of water that he had just wanted and casually threw it into the sky.
The sparkling water droplets scattered in the sky, but not a single one fell. They all flew into the sky and disappeared into the clouds as if they were guided by some strange force.
At the same time, a violent wind suddenly blew outside Juhe County. Sand and stones flew, the sky darkened, and the sun and moon dimmed.
Then—
Rumble!
Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, the sky shook, and torrential rain poured down!
It was as if an apocalypse had descended on King Yan’s army.