My destined one hasn't arrived yet, none of you are allowed to leave

Inside Shanhe City.

Fellow townsfolk, Shanhe City has been given to the barbarians as a dowry by the Female Emperor. The barbarians will soon enter the city.

You have all been good friends to us. At a time like this, we cannot leave you here to lose your lives for nothing.

Everyone, come with us!

Guerrilla General Sun Xiang shouted from a high vantage point.

Following Great General Ren Tianye's orders, he had led a thousand men to Shanhe City to evacuate the people. With Lu Qing's written order, gathering the families of the Eight Hundred Army was easy, and they were quickly assembled.

They were ready to depart at any moment.

However, the families of the Eight Hundred Army lived alongside many friends and neighbors. Such a large movement naturally alerted everyone around them.

They were all good neighbors who had looked out for each other in the past. At a time like this, Sun Xiang naturally did not want to leave them behind.

On his way here, he had already spotted the barbarian vanguard cavalry from afar. It was absolutely certain that the barbarians would arrive in Shanhe City within a few days.

He knew all too well the brutality of the barbarians towards the people of Yu. Therefore, he wanted to take these neighbors back to Yunji City to join the rebellion against the Female Emperor.

Most of the townsfolk looked deeply grateful.

They immediately packed light luggage and prepared to set off with Sun Xiang.

After all, the massacre of the Chifeng Army, the gods in their hearts, was still fresh in their minds. If they did not leave now, when would they?

Were they really going to wait for the barbarians to slaughter the city?

However, there were always some in the crowd who firmly disagreed.

The owner of the rice shop immediately stepped forward and said, Everyone, do not believe these people! It is not like we do not know the news of the barbarians entering the city.

That is because Her Majesty is marrying the Third Prince of the barbarians. That is why Her Majesty gave Shanhe City to them.

This news has been spreading in the city for days. We all know it, so what is there to be afraid of?

From now on, the barbarians and us Yu people will be one family. We will live in peace. Why run?

What are we running for?

Are we to abandon our businesses, friends, and relatives to run to Yunji City, where we know absolutely no one?

Hmph, leave if you want. I am not leaving!

The rice shop owner's words caused many who were already wavering to become even more hesitant.

This made Sun Xiang somewhat anxious.

They were all neighbors. When the Chifeng Army was here, they had received much care from these people. Was he supposed to just watch them fall into the hands of the barbarians because of a momentary lapse in judgment?

Could the barbarians truly live in peace with the people of Yu?

Could hundreds of years of hatred be wiped away by a single wedding?

Impossible!

He wanted to urge them again, but just as he was about to speak, the parting words of Great General Ren Tianye echoed in his mind.

Be swift and clean. Be decisive. Do not get into meaningless disputes. Bringing back the families of the Eight Hundred Army is the utmost priority!

Sun Xiang shuddered, forcefully swallowing the words of persuasion he was about to say. Fine. If you do not want to leave, then stay.

Anyone else who does not want to leave can stay as well.

The rest of you who are willing to follow me, we depart in half an incense stick of time. If you delay, my army will not wait for you!

Sun Xiang gritted his teeth as he said this. He felt himself breaking into a heavy sweat, drenched all over.

Because he knew very well that his words might doom many innocent lives. If it were barbarians or strangers dying, he would not care at all.

But the ones who were going to die were his fellow townsfolk.

People who had lived in the same place as him for over a decade, who had helped each other, who were all kind and friendly!

The unbearable guilt in his heart boiled like a churning sea.

At this moment, the image of Great General Ren Tianye inevitably surfaced in his mind.

When our eight hundred men rose up in arms, the situation we faced was a hundred times more severe than this. The psychological struggle and torment we endured were far worse.

Yet the Great General was able to kill General Zhang without hesitation in an extremely short time, instantly twisting the eight hundred men into a single rope.

Indeed, the Great General is the Great General for a reason.

I cannot compare to him.

Being a guerrilla general under the Great General is good enough for me.

Sun Xiang's mind raced with these thoughts. Once the agreed time arrived, he suppressed the overwhelming pressure in his heart and led the people away.

Just as he led nearly ten thousand people out of the city, he saw the barbarian vanguard troops from afar, riding their horses and patrolling around Shanhe City.

Clearly, they already considered Shanhe City their territory.

Keeping Ren Tianye's instructions firmly in mind, Sun Xiang led the people away carefully, without causing the slightest disturbance.

Fortunately, there were not many barbarians outside Shanhe City at the moment, and their surveillance was lax, allowing him to successfully lead the people to escape.

However, before they had even traveled a mile, a soldier from the rear quickly came to report, General Sun, the barbarians are catching up.

Damn it, we were spotted after all.

Sun Xiang's face turned fierce as he immediately ordered, Five hundred soldiers, step forward and hold off these barbarians.

Having served in the army for over a decade, Sun Xiang's murderous aura was entirely forged from fighting the barbarians. Facing them, he felt no fear and showed not the slightest hesitation.

He immediately led the five hundred men to the rear of the procession, ordering his soldiers to set up an ambush on both sides, while he continued to urge the crowd to hurry forward.

No sooner had the nearly ten thousand people hurriedly moved away than over a hundred barbarians appeared from behind.

Damn it, only a hundred or so barbarians, and they dare to chase after tens of thousands of us?

He simply sat motionless on his horse.

Waiting for those barbarians to approach.

As the barbarians charged over, they saw Sun Xiang and the massive crowd of people ahead of him. Excited laughter broke out on their faces.

They are all two-legged sheep!

Slaughter these two-legged sheep to celebrate the Third Prince's wedding!

It looks like they escaped from Shanhe City. Hmph, Shanhe City is our territory. They deserve to die for daring to run from our territory!

...

Almost in the blink of an eye, the hundred or so barbarians drew their bows, nocked their arrows, and shot them over as they charged.

Sun Xiang charged head-on.

The soldiers who had just laid in ambush on both sides also rushed out, attacking the hundred or so barbarians who had fallen into their trap.

For a time, the sounds of killing shook the heavens and the earth.

Although these barbarians were all formidable, Sun Xiang was a fierce general with long experience in killing them. Furthermore, his forces outnumbered them five to one and had surrounded them completely, making the slaughter swift and easy.

Before long, the clamoring barbarians fell from their horses one after another.

However, a few barbarians still managed to break out of the encirclement. Although they were eventually killed, they managed to scatter the fleeing crowd in all directions.

Sun Xiang had previously followed the Chifeng Army and undertaken missions to escort the citizens of Great Yu, so he had considerable experience in handling such matters.

But back then, when the Chifeng Army escorted the citizens of Great Yu, they would always rather die in battle than abandon a single citizen who fell behind.

But the current situation...

Sun Xiang was deeply conflicted.

The deaths of these hundred or so barbarians would inevitably alert their main army. If they delayed any further and the main barbarian army caught up, their one thousand soldiers would likely all perish here.

Ren Tianye's instructions involuntarily surfaced in his mind again!

Immediately, gritting his teeth, he ordered loudly, Everyone, speed up your advance! Ignore those who were scattered and cannot be found for now!

With that, he spurred his horse, ready to organize the crowd for a swift escape.

Before the beast could even turn its head, a young man stumbled frantically forward and seized the reins.

"No, we cannot leave!"

"We must wait, just wait a moment."

The young man's face was fraught with anxiety. "My... my beloved was swept away in the chaos, and I haven't found her yet."

"None of you are allowed to leave!"

"Everyone must wait for her."

...