“Please give us a way to live! Please, officials… this old man will kowtow to you here!”

“Stand up! We Yan people will never beg these Zhou dogs!” A hot-blooded Yan man yanked the old man up and shouted, “They won’t care about whether we Yan people live or die! Rather than wait for death in this city! Better to fight our way out with blood and use our lives to break through!”

“Exactly! Fight our way out! Return to our Yan cities and we’ll have medicine!”

The people’s shouts rose wave after wave. Emboldened by their numbers, they dared to link arms and press toward the city gate.

The soldiers guarding the city gate had never seen such a desperate formation of people. They all drew their swords, but they were all Great Zhou soldiers. Great Zhou soldiers’ blades had always been pointed at enemy armies—they had never raised swords against unarmed civilians. Even drawing their swords was only to frighten the people; they dared not truly swing their blades at civilians.

Outside the city.

Xiao Ruojiang galloped up on horseback, displayed his token, and shouted to the city wall commanders: “The Great Zhou Emperor personally brings medicinal herbs into the city! Open the city gates quickly!”

The defending general on the city tower heard “The Great Zhou Emperor personally brings medicinal herbs into the city,” and excitedly widened his eyes. He looked into the distance…

At the end of the vast earth, the rising sun emerged, morning light gradually strengthened, and heaven and earth brightened from far to near.

In the early morning, the black-sailed white python flags fluttering in the wind seemed embroidered with a circle of sacred golden light, coming from the increasingly brilliant ten thousand zhang of golden radiance.

Xiao Ruojiang’s fine horse beneath him pawed and stamped its hooves. Not seeing the defending general open the city gate, Xiao Ruojiang angrily rebuked: “Your Majesty has arrived! Why don’t you quickly open the city gates and kneel in welcome!”

“General, please calm your anger!” The defending general stood on high ground and cupped his hands toward Xiao Ruojiang. “Listen! The people in the city want to break out. Once the city gate opens… we won’t be able to stop them!”

Xiao Ruojiang looked toward that ancient, weathered city gate and indeed heard chaotic sounds from within.

“Tell the people inside! Your Majesty arrives with physicians and medicinal herbs! The city gates will open wide in welcome. The Anping Army guards Your Majesty—whoever dares to collide with Your Majesty… will be killed without mercy!” Xiao Ruojiang’s voice was solemn, carrying an unwavering aura of deadly resolve.

“Yes!” The defending general responded, turned, and ran to the other side of the city wall. He saw the people continuously pressing forward while the soldiers who had drawn their swords were forced to retreat step by step. Seeing that the Great Zhou army hadn’t used their blades to kill them, these people ignored the Great Zhou soldiers’ shouting and pressed their luck, advancing inch by inch.

The defending general shouted, “Stop making noise! Our Emperor has come with physicians and medicinal herbs to save you!”

But below the city gate, chaos had already erupted. The defending soldiers shouted for the people to retreat while the people shouted for the Zhou dogs to get lost—it was complete disorder.

The defending general was anxious. He turned to look east and saw the army getting closer and closer, but the city was in complete chaos. He gritted his teeth: “Damn it! Go… bring me several buckets of cold water! Quickly!”

“Yes!”

Once the defending general gave the order, ten soldiers immediately went to fetch water.

Seeing that the defending soldiers could retreat no further and the sword points were about to touch the people, ten soldiers came running up breathlessly carrying water, cupping their fists: “General, we’ve brought the water!”

The soldiers didn’t know what their general wanted the water for.

“You few, stand on the city wall and splash this water… on these troublemaking unruly people!”

The defending general’s voice was hoarse from shouting.

Soon, ten soldiers stood on the high wall carrying water buckets and vigorously splashed the bucket water down below.

One simple-minded young soldier nearly fell himself due to excessive force… Fortunately, the defending general was quick-eyed and pulled the young soldier back, then leaped up onto the high wall of the city tower himself.

Cold water splashed down from above, finally extinguishing the boiling anger in the hearts of the troublemaking people below the city tower. They looked up toward the city wall.

The defending general shouted: “Our Great Zhou Emperor, Your Majesty, leading troops to escort physicians and medicine, has arrived! The city gates must open wide in welcome. If anyone dares to collide with Your Majesty… they will be killed without mercy! Guarding Your Majesty is the Anping Army. Whoever among you doesn’t want to live can certainly try!”

After speaking, the defending general looked at the people who were still stunned and couldn’t recover their wits, and shouted: “Open the city gates! Respectfully welcome, Your Majesty!”

“Open the city gates! Respectfully welcome, Your Majesty!”

The shouts of the Great Zhou soldiers carried excitement and joy.

They watched the people who had just been at swords drawn with them whispering and discussing among themselves.

“How is this possible? The Great Zhou Emperor is far away in the capital. There’s already an epidemic disease here—how could he come here?”

“Exactly. Even for Great Zhou’s people, the emperor couldn’t possibly risk going to plague-stricken cities!”

“Could they be lying to us?”

“According to past precedent, if the court could just send physicians and medicinal herbs, that would already be tremendous grace. How could the emperor come personally? We… aren’t even Great Zhou citizens! How could he possibly come here for us…”

Although the people in the city didn’t believe it, as the windlass turned and the ancient, heavy city gates slowly opened, they still saw the army coming from the golden light, still saw the black-sailed white python flags, saw… that figure riding at the very front.

The Great Zhou army marched in orderly formation, advancing in sequence, making one feel that even the earth beneath their feet was trembling.

In that golden light, with dust swirling all around and banners fluttering endlessly as far as the eye could see, these people who had just moments ago been hot-blooded felt intimidated in their hearts. Watching the army draw closer and closer, their feet unconsciously stepped backward.

These were soldiers of the Anping Army who had fought bloody battles on real battlefields, where nine died for every one who lived. What emanated from them was the killing aura of those who had experienced hundreds of battles and could face life and death with composure, vast and powerful.

“Is it the Great Zhou Emperor?”

“Has the Great Zhou Emperor… really come at this time?”

The people’s eyes were full of disbelief.

The defending general had already hurried down from the city wall. He ordered: “Have the people line up on both sides and clear the road to respectfully welcome Your Majesty into the city!”

The soldiers responded and accepted the order, sheathed their swords, and shouted for the people to line up on both sides and clear the broad road of the main street.

Before the great army even reached the city gate, some people were already intimidated by the killing aura of the Anping Army and knelt down.

Bai Qingyan rode outside the city gate and raised her hand to signal the great army to halt.

The Anping Army followed orders. The rolling dust beneath their feet was carried away by the wind, and all became extremely quiet.

“Your subject, Shequ City defending general Qian Yongzhong, pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty, long live!”

Bai Qingyan sat on horseback, her gaze falling on the people kneeling in rows on both sides of the main street, and asked: “The people in the city want to leave the city?”