When the new day arrived, it was a bright and clear day.

Galloping on horseback across the open wilderness, the winter sun’s warmth felt almost hot on one’s body.

The man at the front unwrapped the scarf covering his head and face, gently stroked his goatee, and squinted at what lay ahead.

“Sir,” his attendant said in a low voice, “be more cautious, don’t expose your identity.”

The goateed man looked displeased as he glanced at his attendant: “How would I expose my identity? Am I any different from the people here?”

The attendant hurriedly flattered him with a smile: “I don’t mean that you look different from Great Xia people. I mean that it’s wartime, and your demeanor is too relaxed.”

The goateed man smiled faintly: “Although I am from Great Liang, and although it’s wartime, walking within Great Xia’s borders, I can still be at ease. Unlike the people of Great Xia, who are now like frightened birds, in a state of anxiety and unrest—”

As his words fell, they saw carriages approaching across the open field—three oxen pulling three carts, each cart carrying three or four people. There were elderly men with white beards, handsome young men, and pretty young women.

Accompanying them came melodious music and women’s singing.

These people riding ox carts weren’t families fleeing disaster, but rather musicians playing and singing.

The goateed man pinched his beard and stared in astonishment.

“What are you doing?” he couldn’t help but ask.

The playing and singing didn’t stop. One of the elderly men responsible for reciting poetry looked at him and said with a smile: “After many days of cloudy skies and cold winds, today we finally welcome the warm winter sun. Naturally, we should celebrate with an outing.”

What nonsense was this “outing celebration”? And what “warm winter sun”? The goateed man was even more bewildered.

The old man laughed heartily: “Don’t be surprised, honored guest. This is just us scholars indulging in our pedantic pleasures.”

At his self-deprecating words, the others showed no displeasure but joined in the laughter.

“Master Wang, you’re the most pedantic of all. You were just reciting your poems and attributing them to ancient writers again, weren’t you?”

“Come, come, listen to my tuneless playing.”

The people on the ox carts were boisterous.

The goateed man felt his ears buzzing and growing irritated. Were they mocking him as a barbarian?

He raised his voice to interrupt them: “I naturally understand all these things you speak of. I often enjoy such pastimes myself.”

The people on the ox carts looked at him, neither denying nor questioning this point, but nodded with smiles.

Their smiles made the goateed man even more uncomfortable.

“But now, Great, Great, Western Liang has already started a war,” the goateed man stumbled over his words, then continued in a deep voice. “The war situation is tense, and circumstances are dire. How can you still have the mood for an outing? Shouldn’t you be hiding in your homes within the city walls?”

As his words fell, the men on the ox carts laughed, and even the three women showed no fear.

“Honored guest, the fighting is happening at the border commanderies. There’s no need for everyone to fear for themselves,” the old man smiled and said. “Moreover, Yunzhong Commandery has General Chu Ying. One man guarding the pass, ten thousand cannot break through. What is there to panic about with the small Western Liang?”

With that, his hand fell to the zither, and the clear, cold sound of a battle-breaking melody rose from the ancient instrument.

With his zither, the sounds of flutes and chanting arose, and the ox carts slowly passed the goateed man’s group and continued into the wilderness.

The goateed man remained on his horse, staring after them, his face dark with storm clouds.

“One man guarding the pass, ten thousand cannot break through,” he said slowly, his eyes filled with deep hatred. “After more than a decade, Chu Ying is about to die, yet these people still trust him so much.”

The attendant beside him said softly: “Although more than a decade has passed, Defense General Chu Ying’s military exploits are deeply ingrained in people’s hearts.”

“Those military exploits were built on our flesh and blood,” the goateed man said through gritted teeth.

He understood why these commoners trusted Chu Ying. Even in Great Liang now, hearing the name Chu Ying—or even just the title “Defense General”—was enough to instill fear in many people’s hearts.

He even suspected that the Great Xia Emperor didn’t promote Chu Ying or give him a new title on purpose, deliberately maintaining the title of Defense General because this title was a nightmare for the people of Great Liang.

Although the Great King had been preparing for war for many years, if not for the Prince of Zhongshan’s private message saying that Chu Ying was dying, he wouldn’t have dared to wage war against Chu Ying now.

Additionally, the emperor had also died, and the current emperor was a six-year-old child. This was the Great Liang King’s best opportunity, perhaps his only opportunity—the Prince of Zhongshan’s messenger had said with a smiling face. It seemed like betraying one’s country by inviting in wolves, but it also seemed like a threat.

After Chu Ying died, if the emperor were replaced, would the Great Liang King even have a chance to fight against the Great Xia?

The goateed man stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes. The scholars on their ox carts were no longer visible, but their laughter and chanting still echoed in his ears.

“Times are different now,” he said. “We should give everyone a reminder.”

The attendant guessed his thoughts and hesitated slightly: “The Prince of Zhongshan letting us in is a secret matter. If we take action here, might it expose him?”

The goateed man smiled: “Don’t worry. Since the Prince of Zhongshan dared to let us in, he has ways to prevent himself from being exposed.” With that, he looked toward the open field where the outgoing scholars could no longer be seen, his smile turning ferocious as he raised his hand and waved.

He might not know the refinement of scholars going on outings to play music and sing when the sun came out, but there was one refined matter he did know: to die beneath peony flowers, even as a ghost, is still romantic.

…

…

Billowing flames burned across the open field. Standing on the city wall, one could see many civilians fleeing.

“Hurry, hurry!” The County Magistrate stood on the city wall, stamping his foot anxiously.

Faster, faster, to run into the city before the bandits arrived.

But stamping his foot couldn’t shrink the distance. Soon, a group of fast-riding horsemen appeared behind the fleeing civilians. They wore no armor, held bows and crossbows, carried long sabers on their backs, and had scarves wrapped around their heads and faces, making wolf-like howls.

Seeing this, the people on the city wall cried out in alarm: “They’re here!”

The civilians who had already approached the city gate immediately rushed more frantically toward the city, while above them came shouts of “Close the gates!”

The County Magistrate, who had been chilled to the bone, came to his senses with a start when he heard these shouts.

“Don’t close the gates!” he shouted. “There are still hundreds of civilians outside.”

His officials naturally knew this, and they could also see the galloping bandits drawing their bows and shooting arrows, causing the fleeing civilians to continually fall dead.

“Sir,” they said sorrowfully, “if we don’t close the gates, and the Western Liang bandits charge into the city, tens of thousands of our civilians will not escape death.”

The County Magistrate looked back at the city. The once bustling, lively streets had already fallen into chaos. Countless people were running and crying out, doors and windows were closing, but if the enemy truly broke in, how could those doors and windows stop swords, spears, and fire?

“The smoke signals, have the smoke signals been lit?” the Magistrate asked.

The officials nodded, but their expressions remained sorrowful: “Sir, all of Yunzhong Commandery’s troops are at the border and cannot support us. The garrisons from other commanderies are too far away, and we’ve heard that the imperial court has ordered that local garrisons must not move toward Yunzhong Commandery without permission—”

They had once been grateful to be far from the border, but who would have thought that one day they would call for help and receive no response.

They couldn’t care about those civilians anymore; they had to close the gates. The city was their only refuge now.

The County Magistrate naturally understood this principle. He looked ahead where the bandits were getting closer and closer to the civilians. The foremost bandits had already put away their bows and arrows, drawn their sabers, and were arrogantly laughing at the fleeing civilians—

The civilians had nowhere to go. The city gate ahead was their only path to survival.

The County Magistrate turned to look at the city wall and called out: “How many constables do we have?”

The officials were startled: “Sir, what are you planning to do?”

The County Magistrate said: “I cannot watch the civilians die before my eyes. I will go kill the enemy, block them, so that everyone can enter the city.”

He looked toward the constables again.

“You and I eat the emperor’s salary and are supported by the people. Today, are you willing to join me in saving the civilians, saving our own families and city?”

The constables raised their weapons: “We are willing!”

“Sir!” The officials grabbed the County Magistrate and knelt, their voices choked with emotion. “You cannot go! This is suicide!”

The County Magistrate looked toward the open field outside the city, where more and more civilians were about to be overtaken and slaughtered. The civilians were crying out in despair.

“Death without regret,” he said, shaking off the officials and striding down toward the city gate.

Behind him, more than thirty constables followed closely.

“Once all civilians are inside, close the gates,” came the County Magistrate’s final words.

“Don’t worry about whether we live or die.”

The officials knelt on the city wall, prostrating themselves and sobbing.

…

…

In the winter of the 5th year of Yongning, Gao County in Shangjun was infiltrated by Western Liang forces who burned, killed, and plundered. The County Magistrate led thirty constables in battle until they were all killed.

Outside Yunzhong Commandery, smoke signals also rose in all directions.