My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

"Good. It is in times of crisis that true loyalty is revealed. I was right about you. With you guarding the North Gate to the death, I am very gratified."

In front of everyone, Zhou Xingzhan praised Li Xuancang without reservation, saying that in times of crisis, it is still one's own people who can be relied upon.

Zhou Xingzhan immediately ordered: "All defenses, weapons, provisions, and temporary reinforcements at the North Gate shall be handed over to Li Ying for overall command."

The appreciation and trust in his eyes were undisguised.

The crowd standing by, who had been shirking their duties and were afraid to fight, all turned red in the face, lowered their heads in shame, and dared not look directly at Li Xuancang and Zhou Xingzhan.

It's no wonder they're afraid of death. In this chaotic world, they not only represent themselves, but also their families and clans. If something unexpected happens, the entire family will decline.

After the arrangements were made, everyone performed their duties and acted swiftly.

Li Xuancang led his troops to the North Gate and took over all defenses.

In addition to Li Xuancang's five hundred men, there were also five hundred men directly under Zhou Xingzhan's command, as well as a thousand-man force formed by various forces in the city.

These groups included members of gangs, as well as servants and slaves from powerful families.

"Prefect Sun has assembled a large number of able-bodied men who are ready to join the battlefield at any time."

Zhou Xingzhan approached Li Xuancang and spoke softly.

This battle concerns the life and death of Xuanyang County, and the government is going all out to build up reserves.

"Let us in."

"Please, open the city gates!"

"I don't want to die, let me in."

"..."

At the foot of the city wall, hundreds of thousands of people pleaded and kowtowed repeatedly to the people on the wall, wanting to enter the city.

They learned that the barbarians and demons were about to attack, and knew that staying outside the city would only lead to their death.

"Sir, why won't you let these people into the city?"

The barbarians and demons will soon be at the city gates, yet they still won't let these people into the city. Li Xuancang can't understand it.

Zhou Xingzhan spoke coldly, as if the hundreds of thousands of people below the city were not human beings, but ants.

"The city is already overcrowded, and food and supplies are in severe shortage. Allowing these people into the city will inevitably cause even greater chaos. The county seat cannot afford any unrest. After discussions among the various forces, it has been decided not to allow the people into the city."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuancang felt a chill run down his spine, his hands and feet turned icy cold, and his heart was filled with turmoil that he could not calm down for a long time.

These are hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, abandoned so easily, showing no regard for human life whatsoever. In the eyes of these powerful figures, these people are probably just insignificant numbers.

Besides the lack of resources and the fear of unrest, there was another important reason why various forces prevented people from entering the city.

They wanted to use the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians outside the city to weaken the demon race and the barbarians.

This idea is so cruel that it has lost all humanity.

"If Xuanyang City falls, will my parents, my eldest sister, and my younger sisters suffer the same fate as the people trapped below the city walls?"

Li Xuancang thought to himself, if something were to happen to him and the Li family were to lose their support, would they end up as one of the common people in the city?

Although he was a battalion commander and had military medals, even if he died on the battlefield, his family would be well taken care of.

But people change when they leave, plans can't keep up with changes, and no one can know what the future holds.

Li Xuancang made up his mind that he must survive.

If the city were to fall, he would not hesitate to flee with his family.

No matter how much the people below the city pleaded, those on the city walls remained unmoved. The people were plunged into despair, knowing that they could not possibly enter the city.

"Fellow villagers, listen to me!" A burly man stepped forward, raised his arm, and shouted loudly.

"The imperial court has abandoned us and left us no way out. Barbarians and demons are about to attack. If you don't want to die, leave with me and find a way to survive."

Staying behind means certain death; the barbarians and demons will never let them go.

The only chance of survival now is to leave Xuanyang City as soon as possible and go somewhere else.

"The court is tyrannical; let us find our own way to survive!"

"Only by leaving Xuanyang City can we have a chance to survive."

"Leave now if you don't want to die."

"..."

The strong man's call was met with overwhelming support, and countless people followed suit.

People began to leave with their families, and the procession stretched as far as the eye could see.

"These people can deplete the strength of the barbarians and demons; we cannot let them leave easily."

Seeing the people begin to leave, some people looked anxious and tried to stop them.

"No one should act rashly."

Just as the various factions were about to take action, Zhou Xingzhan stopped them.

Barbarians and demons could attack at any time. If we prevent the people from leaving now, war will inevitably break out, and we will suffer more losses than gains.

"Let them go, and no one shall stop them."

Leaders of other factions also issued orders that people should not be prevented from leaving.

Looking at the people fleeing below the city, Li Xuancang felt a pang of sorrow. He couldn't bear it, yet he was powerless to help.

The people below the city quickly left, and all was quiet.

"Report!"

The messenger rushed to the city wall and shouted, "The barbarian army is still fifty li away from the city!"

Everyone tensed up immediately; the fifty-mile distance closed in an instant, and a great battle was about to break out.

"Investigate further and report back!"

Zhou Xingzhan gave the order in a deep voice, and the messenger rode off on horseback.

"Barbarians and demons are attacking. Can we hold them off?"

Everyone was terrified and had no confidence whatsoever in this battle.

The gap between the two sides was so vast that it was already despairing even before the war began.

"Don't worry! As long as we are united, we will definitely defeat the enemy and defend Xuanyang City."

Some people cheered themselves on, but few believed their words.

"Boom, rumble..."

Before long, the ground shook violently, dust flew up, and thousands of troops charged in.

"They're here!"

"Get ready to fight to the death!"

"Killing one is enough to make a profit, killing two is a huge bonus."

"..."

The barbarian army appeared on the horizon, densely packed, surging in like a tidal wave, with overwhelming momentum and awe-inspiring power.

"roar!"

"hold head high!"

"Ugh!"

"..."

The roars of beasts rose and fell, with more than a thousand demonic beasts howling and roaring in coordination with the barbarian army.

A bloodthirsty aura, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, swept over them. Many people turned pale, trembled all over, and were afraid before the battle even began.

"We can't possibly hold it."

"The enemy is too strong; we are simply throwing an egg against a rock."

"The gap is too big; our fate is already sealed."

"..."

Pessimism and despair spread rapidly, and the already low morale of the human race almost collapsed.

Even the leaders of the various factions looked extremely solemn, with not a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

"I hope the garrison commander's reinforcements will arrive in time, otherwise I will have no choice but to die for my country."

A glimmer of hope shone in Zhou Xingzhan's eyes: the Anzhou army would come to his aid. It was a gamble, but he didn't tell anyone, fearing the news would leak out.

As long as reinforcements arrive in time, they still have a glimmer of hope.