New Year’s Day, first light breaking, heralding the arrival of a new year.

The early spring morning sun brought not the faintest warmth to the common people outside the city gate.

The cold wind howled, and the people huddled tightly together still shivered uncontrollably.

Cold and hungry, cries of misery filled the air.

“Buck up!” A loud shout rang out from somewhere.

The piercing cry shattered the deathly silence outside the gate.

“The Third Prince is right inside the city. If you want food and drink, go find the Third Prince.” A man bellowed forcefully.

“It’s Night Prince, together with the Third Prince, who started this civil war and tried to usurp the throne without regard for the people’s safety — that’s what brought us to this state.”

“Everyone, keep shouting! Make the Third Prince come out, make Night Prince come out, and give us an explanation!”

“Third Prince, come out and give us an explanation! Night Prince, come out and give us an explanation!”

“……”

Only a small portion of the people responded to the man’s command.

The crowd had been shouting for a full day and night; they were already starving and hoarse, truly unable to shout any longer.

The cries came out ragged and feeble, provoking the displeasure of the man leading them.

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t any of you want to go home for the New Year?” The man’s voice was full and forceful — nothing like someone who’d gone a day and night without food.

“Right now, the only ones who can save us are ourselves. Shout loud — make the Third Prince come out and give us an explanation!”

Even so, the people’s response remained weak, nowhere near as strong as the day before.

They were all refugees who had fled the fighting — some had gone hungry for far longer than a day and a night.

Worse still, some were already ill or carrying injuries.

Among the sprawled, exhausted crowd, many had grown too famished to think clearly anymore.

They had risked their lives to flee the city, all to escape the war, to survive.

And yet, without a clear explanation, they had been saddled with the task of holding the gate.

Why, after guarding it through an entire day and night, had they received not even the smallest comfort — not so much as a bun to keep them alive?

The bewildered common people couldn’t make sense of it, but the badly wounded soldiers thrown among them understood all too well.

They were nothing more than abandoned pawns.

“I want porridge.” Suddenly, a soldier — pale-faced and covered in blood — struggled to his feet.

“I want porridge, I want treatment, I don’t want to die!”

The soldier took one difficult step forward, then another.

The soldiers and civilians around him raised their weary eyes to watch this brave man.

But soon, another soldier came over and grabbed the wounded man by the collar.

“What’s wrong with you?”

The soldier shoved hard, and the badly wounded man crashed to the ground.

Before he could say another word, his eyes fell shut, and he went still.

“Are you all right?” Another wounded soldier crawled over and patted the unconscious man’s face.

There was no response at all. The face, already pale, now had no color left in it whatsoever.

The soldier sitting beside the unconscious man turned and glared at the one who had just shoved him.

“What’s wrong with you? He’s not going to make it — go get an army physician, quick!”

“An army physician? Are you joking?” The soldier who had done the shoving stood with his chin held high.

“What the general means is: if you can lure the Third Prince out and hold the northwest city, there will surely be a great reward.”

“Has the Third Prince come out to admit his fault yet? No, he hasn’t. So keep shouting properly — or do you want to be branded traitors?”

“Shout, now!” The soldier kicked the man who’d just argued with him.

“Right! That’s how it’s done — the more pitiful you look, the better. Once the Third Prince feels for us, we win.”

“With the nation in chaos, everyone must be ready to give their life for the country at any moment. Shout! Don’t just stand there in a daze!”