Hearing the man’s agonized scream, the woman firmly covered her child’s mouth and hid under the bed.

Soon, barbarians wielding knives swarmed in, searching everywhere.

The woman listened to the sounds of ransacking and the barbarians’ sinister laughter. She took out a kerchief and stuffed it into her child’s mouth, silently praying to all the gods and Buddhas in heaven to protect her child through this calamity.

But heaven was blind. The experienced barbarians quickly thrust their long blades under the bed, one blade piercing right into the woman’s arm. Unable to suppress her cry of pain, she was dragged out by the barbarians.

The moment she was dragged out, the woman forcefully pushed her young child deeper inside.

Several long blades probed under the bed again, but this time touched nothing.

The child hid in the deepest corner and soon heard his mother’s screams mixed with strange sounds he couldn’t understand.

Several barbarians who had broken in took turns violating the woman. She was already barely alive, her eyes staring blankly toward the courtyard gate.

Her husband was there. They had grown up as childhood sweethearts and promised when they married that whoever died at ninety-seven would wait three years on the Bridge of Helplessness. Now it seemed they wouldn’t need to wait three years.

Husband, walk a little slower—I’m coming right now.

“Great Liang women are truly boring—she’s already done for.” One barbarian grinned maliciously as he exposed his filthy organ and began urinating on the woman’s face.

The other barbarians showed no surprise and gathered up the grain, valuables, and other items they had found.

“This household isn’t bad—they had hidden silver pieces.” One barbarian smiled with satisfaction and thrust his blade into the woman’s chest. “Alright, for the sake of the silver, let’s give her a quick death.”

The barbarians laughed loudly as they swaggered away toward the neighboring house.

The woman could no longer move and only then dared to turn her eyes toward the bed.

Her child—what would become of him?

Good baby, don’t come out, never come out. Without father and mother, you must survive no matter what…

The woman spat out mouthfuls of blood and finally lay still.

Her eyes never left the direction of the bed, staring wide open with two streams of bloody tears flowing down.

The barbarians’ burning, killing, and looting continued all night. Only when they had reaped rich rewards did they leave satisfied.

The capital outskirts had always been considered a good place for peaceful living and working in the hearts of Great Liang’s people. But when sunlight once again shone on this northern suburban land, the originally prosperous villages had become scenes of devastation.

The old village chief of Qingniu Village knelt before the ancestral hall that the barbarians had burned to ashes, his forehead pressed to the ground, tears streaming down: “Heaven above, you are blind! You let our Qingniu Village suffer this disaster—over two hundred villagers all fell to barbarian hands!”

Last night those villains spoke halting Great Liang dialect, mostly communicating in Northern Qi language. How could they not understand—these were Northern Qi barbarians.

An old woman collapsed before the village chief, crying hoarsely: “Village Chief, why is this happening? Didn’t Marquis Guanjun drive those barbarians away? Why could they pass through Shanhai Pass and kill their way here? Poor me—of my family of sixteen, only I survived. Three sons and daughters-in-law, five grandsons and three granddaughters, plus my eldest grandson’s new wife, who was with child! Why didn’t I die instead? Why not me?”

The old woman suddenly stood up and charged toward a large boulder.

Despite her age, her running speed was no less than a young person’s. Even more shocking was that none of the villagers kneeling or sitting made any move to stop her.

Soon came a loud thud. The old woman collapsed beside the boulder, her head bloodied, dead.

The village chief looked at the old woman’s tragic death and murmured: “Death brings peace, death brings peace…”

With sixteen family members and only one survivor, perhaps going early to reunite with relatives below ground would be more blessed.

The villagers seemed to have lost their souls, sitting together motionlessly in a daze.

After a long while, a young man suddenly stood up and shouted: “I know why! I know why!”

“Second Boy, what are you saying?” Following the young man’s shout, the zombie-like villagers showed some reaction.

“It’s because Marquis Guanjun was imprisoned by the emperor! The barbarians knew our war god was gone, so they dared to come here and plunder!”

“Really? Those beasts came because the emperor imprisoned Marquis Guanjun?”

Unlike the people of the northern territories and the south, the capital outskirts’ residents had lived peacefully for decades. While they certainly revered the generals who campaigned far away, those feelings were far less profound than those of people caught in warfare.

Human nature was thus—distant battles thousands of miles away couldn’t compare to the panic caused by a local robber.

If not for this catastrophe, these people would never have imagined barbarians could reach the capital outskirts.

“Of course it’s true! Just a few days ago, when I went to the city, I heard people discussing when the emperor would behead Marquis Guanjun! Think about it—in all the years Marquis Guanjun guarded the northern territories, when did such things happen?”

The villagers no longer doubted and began weeping with their faces covered: “What can we do?”

The young man shouted: “Staying in the village means death anyway if the barbarians come again. I’m going to the city to beg those officials to release Marquis Guanjun!”

“Right! Beg the officials to release Marquis Guanjun!”

The villagers gathered together and marched toward the north city gate in great numbers. The young child who had escaped disaster by hiding under the bed ran hard to keep up behind them.

The small child had only one thought: he wanted to find the Marquis Guanjun that the Second Boy mentioned. Marquis Guanjun was so mighty—he would return his father and mother to him.

On this day, countless capital outskirts residents rushed toward the city. Even the guards at the city gates with their weapons couldn’t deter them.

The news of Northern Qi barbarians plundering the capital outskirts villages struck the court like thunder, causing earth-shattering shock.

“Why did this happen? How could barbarians reach the capital outskirts?” Countless ministers surrounded Chief Minister Lan and Second Minister Xu, demanding answers.

At this moment they had lost their usual restraint and diplomacy, all craning their necks and shouting: “We want to see the emperor!”

Emperor Mingkang rarely held court. Ordinarily, only cabinet ministers could see the Son of Heaven. Even important officials like the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers found it difficult to meet the emperor.

Chief Minister Lan wielded overwhelming power, and they usually dared not provoke him. But now, if they didn’t report this news to the emperor, after the barbarians had strolled around the capital outskirts last night, tomorrow night they might break into the city itself. Then Great Liang would face complete upheaval.

“Everyone please remain calm. His Majesty already knows of this matter,” Lan Shan said with a dark expression.

That barbarians could break through to the capital outskirts was truly unexpected. This meant his recent efforts had been wasted.

Lan Shan indeed understood Emperor Mingkang best. Upon hearing the report, the emperor stopped tossing coins, ceased his inner conflict, and immediately issued an edict releasing Marquis Guanjun, commanding him to lead troops into battle at once.