Some Western Liang people refused to give up. Unwilling to remain in the city and wait for death alongside Great Zhou’s army, they harbored a glimmer of hope and stood on the right side.

After all, Jiangzi City was surrounded on all four sides, and the grain within the city was limited. Now, Great Zhou’s army was still willing to give civilians grain to eat, but who knew if they were just fattening them up… and when there was no more grain, they would treat them as two-legged sheep to eat!

They had encountered such things during their flight from famine…

To survive, they had killed those who were near death and divided the meat among everyone. Among those wanting to leave the city… Some had eaten human flesh.

Although they would dream every midnight of being eaten themselves, or dream of those they had consumed coming to claim their lives, waking up to find themselves still alive made them feel very fortunate.

Now with the city’s four gates blocked, to avoid becoming food for Great Zhou’s army themselves, they had to leave the city no matter what.

Some civilians, hearing Liu Pinggao’s words about having soldiers take them up to the city walls to see, finally believed Liu Pinggao and wanted to follow Wang Jin up the city walls to look…

There was also a small group of civilians who, after arguing with their wives, insisted on leaving the city, leaving their wives and children in the city, claiming they would go out first to test the waters. If they could truly get out, it wouldn’t be too late for their wives and children to come out later.

Soon, the city gates opened, and those civilians huddled together, slowly walking toward the Western Liang army’s direction, shouting in Western Liang dialect: “We are Western Liang civilians, coming out of the city only to seek a way to live. Please, General, let us leave!”

On the city walls, the civilians who had recently become Great Zhou citizens were extremely nervous. They watched the civilians who had left the city walking farther and farther into the distance, silently praying in their hearts that they could pass through safely, so they too could leave the city.

Who would have thought that before they could get close, Western Liang cavalry charged out wildly, raising bows and arrows to force them back…

Those civilians knelt before the Western Liang soldiers, crying and pleading: “We don’t want to die in the city with the Great Zhou! We were originally Western Liang civilians, too. We only entered the city and became Great Zhou people for a bite of food, just to survive, but we are native-born Western Liang people!”

“Yes, if not for survival, who would want to become Great Zhou people! Please, General, give us a way to live and let us go!”

The Western Liang general on horseback knew he absolutely could not let these civilians leave. Otherwise, if there truly were Great Zhou soldiers mixed among them who had gone out to deliver messages by assuming Western Liang civilian identities, it could ruin Western Liang’s great cause!

He drew his bow to full draw: “I’ll say it one more time—get back, or face execution without mercy!”

“General! General, we beg you, for the sake that we’re all Western Liang people, let us go…”

The civilian who was pleading with the Western Liang general had just crawled forward on his knees when an arrow pierced his heart, and he immediately fell in a pool of blood.

Instantly, the civilians panicked and huddled together in terror.

The Western Liang general who had killed the civilian trembled slightly, gripping the reins tightly as he shouted: “Dare to move forward again, and this person’s fate will be yours!”

Although he knew these people were probably mostly Western Liang civilians, he truly could not let these civilians leave, nor could he let Great Zhou’s emperor know that Western Liang cared about these civilians. Otherwise… The Great Zhou’s emperor would certainly use these civilians to threaten Western Liang’s army!

The Western Liang general believed that Bai Qingyan’s release of these civilians was a test of Western Liang. He must not show weakness.

Only if Western Liang didn’t care about these civilians, leaving them in the city to consume Great Zhou’s grain while Great Zhou had to constantly guard against these civilians, could they wear down Great Zhou’s army.

Seeing this situation, the civilians quickly turned around and ran back toward Jiangzi City’s walls.

“Archers, prepare!” Liu Pinggao shouted.

Hearing Liu Pinggao’s voice, the Western Liang general’s eyes widened, and he almost called those civilians back…

“General! General, you can’t! Please, my child is still young and can’t be without a father!”

“General, please let them enter the city!”

Seeing that Western Liang wouldn’t let the civilians go and had even killed someone, while Great Zhou had stated beforehand that those who left the city would no longer be Great Zhou civilians and couldn’t re-enter, and now had archers prepared, what could these unarmed civilians do except kneel and plead?

“We made it clear beforehand…” Liu Pinggao showed an expression of painful struggle. “Once they left the city, they were no longer our Great Zhou civilians. They chose to abandon us—can Jiangzi City only serve as your escape route?”

“We’ll never dare again, General! We’ll be law-abiding Great Zhou civilians from now on!”

“General, we’ll join forces with the Great Zhou’s army to resist the enemy. Western Liang wants to kill us, but Great Zhou gives us grain and even allocates houses to us. We can tell who is good and who is bad! Please, General, give them another chance and let them return!”

“General, we beg you!”

The civilians all kowtowed and pleaded, while the civilians below the city walls still didn’t know what had happened. They discussed among themselves, not knowing whether the civilians on the walls were crying to be allowed to leave or for something else!

Soon those civilians had run to the base of the city walls, kneeling and begging Liu Pinggao to open the city gates and let them enter…

In the distance, the Western Liang general sat quietly on his horse, watching. If the Great Zhou killed these civilians, it would prove these people were indeed ordinary civilians, and perhaps his decision not to let the civilians leave this time was wrong!

But if Great Zhou opened the city gates and let those civilians enter the city, it would prove there were Great Zhou people among the civilians, and his killing would be justified!

Since ancient times, soldiers existed to protect civilians, yet this time, he had to personally kill one for Western Liang’s sake. He didn’t want to have killed wrongly.

Soon, Liu Pinggao gritted his teeth and said: “Forget it! They’ve already become Great Zhou civilians. As Great Zhou elite soldiers, we have no reason to refuse our own people entry. Open the city gates and let them in!”

As soon as he spoke, the sound of kowtowing in gratitude filled the city walls.

Seeing the city gates open a crack and Great Zhou’s army letting those civilians enter the city, the distant Western Liang general sneered… his heart immediately hardened.

Indeed, the Great Zhou had their soldiers mix among Western Liang civilians, deceiving them and trying to make them let those civilians leave.

Fortunately, he had killed one!

Otherwise, if he had let them pass, it would have ruined Western Liang’s great cause!

These people, as Western Liang civilians, had collaborated with the enemy and betrayed their Kingdom, helping the Great Zhou fight against Western Liang. Death was too good for them!

Thinking this, the general looked harshly at the corpse lying in the pool of blood, turned his horse around, and led his troops back.

He left the body there to intimidate Great Zhou’s army—let’s see if they dared send people out again.

Liu Pinggao gripped the sword at his waist tightly as he came down from the city walls, with civilians following close behind.

As soon as those civilians who had narrowly escaped death outside the city entered the gates, they collapsed to the ground, their backs already soaked with sweat.

Seeing Liu Pinggao approach, they quickly dragged their terror-weakened bodies into a kneeling position and expressed their gratitude to Liu Pinggao.