A veteran of the frontier army, after marrying a wife, fought his way through the northern border.

Luo Yunxiao ignored her and continued to hold her as they gazed into the distance.

The hills rise and fall along the way, and the sky is high and the clouds are wide.

If it weren't for the war, it would be a great place for hiking and picnicking.

At this moment, Wang Scarface rode his horse back from the direction of the beacon tower, passing by Luo Yunxiao's carriage.

The two exchanged a glance from a distance.

Wang Ba's face remained expressionless, and he didn't greet Luo Yunxiao.

He merely snorted and continued galloping towards the military camp.

Luo Yunxiao squinted at Wang Scarface as he walked away. What was that kid doing at the beacon tower when he didn't even attend the morning meeting?

At this time, Wang Scarface had returned to the military camp and arrived at Wang Kui's tent.

"My lord, I have already instructed Li Dakai that they will teach Luo Yunxiao a lesson and avenge you."

"Hmph, that Luo Yunxiao, relying on the support of the military commander, actually humiliated me like this."

"I won't be able to eat or sleep properly until I kill you."

"The border war has become tense recently, and General Gongsun and Liu Yu are very likely to fight each other."

At that time, the military pay for the entire Youbeiping region will likely be allocated to Tuyin City first.

Luo Yunxiao's provisions are all with me. If he runs out of supplies, he can just wait to fend for himself.

If they flee, their supplies will become ours.

His wife will eventually be mine too.

This is what happens when you fight with me.

Wang Kui stroked a small tuft of mustache on his chin and smiled sinisterly at Wang Ba Lian.

"Your Excellency is wise. That Luo Yunxiao is ungrateful and has repeatedly opposed you."

Starve him for two months and see if he'll give in to you.

Wang Scarface looked gloating.

"Okay, work hard with me, and I won't treat you unfairly."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

...

After traveling another three miles, Luo Yunxiao and his group passed through Luanshi Village.

The village has several dozen households, and there are twenty or thirty refugees from towns in the north squatting by the corners of the walls and along the roadside.

The Tartars invaded their homes, leaving these people displaced, disheveled, and forced to beg for a living.

Luo Yunxiao and Qin Hongxiu could only shake their heads helplessly.

Strangely, ever since Luo Yunxiao and his group entered Luanshi Village...

The refugees who had been huddled under the eaves and walls scattered like startled rabbits.

The gray-haired old man pulled his granddaughter into the bushes.

Several young men hurriedly scurried into the alley.

Luo Yunxiao frowned, not understanding why these people reacted this way to soldiers.

Just then, two children, around ten years old, ran out from a corner.

A man and a woman, both dressed in drab gray clothes, looked like two little beggars.

The boy stopped Luo Yunxiao's carriage, knelt down and begged, "Sir, please have mercy and give us some food. We are not troublemakers."

The girl seemed too embarrassed to admit it, and just kept bowing.

"Get out of the way, there's no food, go away!"

Li Ergou rudely told him to leave.

"Ergou, stop."

Luo Yunxiao looked the two of them over and asked the boy, "Kids, why were they all scared away when they saw the soldiers?"

"Gongsun Zan's cavalry always used the excuse of suppressing bandits and collecting grain to plunder the villagers along the way."

Everyone would be afraid of it.

They thought you were Gongsun Zan's soldiers.

"I see."

"Then why aren't you two afraid of us?"

Luo Yunxiao asked curiously.

"Because I can tell you're not thugs."

The girl gazed at Luo Yunxiao with her clear eyes and said with certainty.

"Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry was the strongest light cavalry, and they never harmed the common people."

However, in order to expand his military strength, he recruited a large number of refugees, defeated soldiers, and surrendered troops.

These miscellaneous components are complex and lack training.

In order to replenish their military supplies, they indeed treated the people along the way no differently than the Tartars.

Gongsun Zan, however, turned a blind eye to their behavior.

Those commoners must have seen Er Gou wearing the standard leather armor of the border army, and thus mistakenly thought he was one of Gongsun Zan's men.

The common people couldn't distinguish between the direct line and the miscellaneous tribes.

Qin Hongxiu added.

That makes sense.

Luo Yunxiao nodded and asked the boy, "Where are you from?"

"Reporting to the general, we fled all the way from Feiru County."

The Tartars captured Feiru County, and our parents were killed by them.

The boy replied.

"Are you siblings?"

Luo Yunxiao noticed that the two were of similar age and had similar builds, suggesting they might be related by blood.

The boy was tall and thin, hunched over, clearly unable to straighten up due to hunger.

The girl's face was covered in stove ash, and her hair was tangled.

She has a slender figure, a long neck, and fingers as delicate as scallions.

Her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were full, revealing a hint of stubbornness.

At first glance, she seemed unremarkable, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, like stars reflected in a cold pool.

This girl has such clear eyes; she's probably a beauty.

Luo Yunxiao sighed.

In a daze, I recalled the scene when I first met Su Yunshang and her sister.

These days, beauty is a curse, especially for girls without parents to protect them.

Once the refugees and soldiers see his face clearly, he will likely be in grave danger.

"Yes, sir, my name is Liu Honghe, and this is my sister, Liu Qinghe."

Luo Yunxiao took a bag of roasted millet from his waist and handed it to Liu Honghe.

Liu Honghe's eyes widened instantly. He took the item with both hands, as if it were a priceless treasure: "Thank you, General! Thank you, General!"

He hurriedly opened the bag and handed it to his sister: "You eat first, just leave me a bite."

Liu Qinghe grabbed some millet and put it in her mouth, looking like she hadn't eaten for several days.

The two of them wolfed down their food for a while.

Because fried millet is quite dry when eaten directly, Liu Qinghe coughed while eating it.

Qin Hongxiu got out of the car and untied her water bag. The two ate and drank, expressing their gratitude repeatedly.

"Qinghe, how old are you?"

Luo Yunxiao stared into Liu Qinghe's eyes and asked.

"Reporting to the general, I am fourteen years old."

Liu Qinghe spoke softly and timidly, yet each word was clear and distinct, neither humble nor arrogant.

The girl appeared delicate, but she remained calm in the face of adversity, much more composed than her brother.

The Great Zhou Dynasty stipulated that women could marry when they reached the age of thirteen.

Twenty years old is the upper limit.

Fifteen years old is the legal benchmark.

If Qin Hongxiu is a winter plum blossom in the cold winter, she is outstanding and unique.

Liu Qinghe was like a wild rose on the mountain, possessing an innate wild charm.

"If you survive, what do you want to do after you die?"

"We...have no future."

I have seen Tartars kill people; they will kill everyone they see.

They are demons. Everyone says the Wuhuan have 100,000 iron cavalry, and the Zhou army simply cannot defeat them..."

Liu Honghe lowered his eyes, and even his chewing slowed down.

Liu Qinghe's eyes were dim, and she ate her food numbly.

"One hundred thousand iron cavalry? Hmph, that's probably just a rumor, meant to sow discord."

Luo Yunxiao said disdainfully.

"Why not continue fleeing south with the refugees? Maybe there's a way to survive."

Qin Hongxiu asked.

"To go south, one must pass through Yuyang and Liucheng. I heard that checkpoints have been set up there, and all the refugees are being driven back to the north."

It was said that they were afraid of Tartar spies infiltrating the area.

Liu Honghe spoke calmly, then continued with a bitter smile, "We two are too exhausted to walk any further. If we starve to death here, at least we can be buried together."

He died in the south, and they didn't even give him a grave.

Luo Yunxiao's heart sank as he glanced at the scattered refugees leaning against the trees at the village entrance.

In chaotic times, human life is as cheap as grass, let alone two children.

Fortunately, there were no organizations like the "Gao Yao Zi" organization in this era, otherwise these refugees would probably be in danger.

Qin Hongxiu also looked at them with sympathy, then turned her head to look at Luo Yunxiao's profile.

He opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

"Do you want to come with me and kill the Tartars together?"

Luo Yunxiao understood Qin Hongxiu's meaning; in fact, he also wanted to take the two children away.

The brother and sister suddenly opened their eyes wide and looked at Luo Yunxiao with excitement.

"Sir, is it true? I want to kill the Tartars, I want revenge!"

I can find my way around, and I can also set traps to catch tits and rabbits.

My sister is very skillful; she can sew and mend, and she learned herbal medicine from my grandfather for several years. She has a photographic memory.

Once Liu Honghe started talking, he listed all the good points of himself and his sister.

This kid is quite eloquent; he would be perfect for sales before time travel.

"You agreed so readily? Aren't you afraid I'm a human trafficker?"

Luo Yunxiao stared at Liu Qinghe, a playful smile on his face.