The female prisoner was fierce

Upon hearing this, Ma Sandao breathed a huge sigh of relief.

It would be best if we stopped fighting; that way, we could survive.

"Your Excellency is wise, Commander. Your subordinate obeys."

He immediately nodded in agreement.

However, amidst his relief, there was also a hint of doubt.

because.

Staying here seemed pointless, but since Liu Xiuqing had spoken, he couldn't say anything and could only obey.

……

woohoo~~~

The night was very, very deep!

The blizzard intensified, with howling winds carrying snowflakes that raged through the valleys.

At the summit of Zhuoshan Mountain, Xiao Jianyang stood on the stockade wall, gazing at the scattered fires in the retreating soldiers' camp at the foot of the mountain.

Behind him, Lin Qingxue reported softly:

"Lord Xiao, the casualty statistics for today are in."

"11 dead, 5 seriously wounded, and 9 slightly wounded."

"8% of the thunderstone logs have been used up, and more than half of the arrows have been used up, including all the crossbow bolts."

Xiao Jianyang nodded without saying anything.

The casualties were much greater than expected.

In other words, there are only about twenty soldiers left who are ready to fight.

"Lord Xiao, it is already a miracle that we were able to defend Black Cloud Stronghold with such a small force."

Beside her, Lin Qingxue seemed to notice and spoke up.

There was actually one more thing she didn't say.

They're all women, after all!

There are still differences between men and women, so this result is already very good.

Xiao Jianyang nodded and gave the order:

"Let everyone get some rest, and make sure the wounded are properly cared for."

"The number of sentries has been doubled, and vigilance at night cannot be relaxed."

Lin Qingxue nodded:

"Yes."

He immediately turned around and made arrangements.

Standing in the wind and snow, Xiao Jianyang gazed at the firelight below the mountain, his mind racing as he considered his next move.

The consumption of supplies is much greater than expected.

If Liu Xiuqing continues his strong attack tomorrow morning, the rolling logs and stones in the village can only hold out for two more rounds at most.

At that point, we'll have no choice but to fight hand-to-hand!

"However, the North Gate is still in my hands, so there is still a chance."

Xiao Jianyang glanced at the cave and immediately formed a plan in his mind.

And this moment.

At the foot of the mountain, in the camp of the defeated soldiers.

Liu Xiuqing sat by a campfire, his face as gloomy as the swirling snow.

Dry rations were roasting over the fire, but few people had an appetite.

Today's two offensive attacks resulted in the loss of nearly seventy players.

Although the main force is still there, morale has plummeted to rock bottom.

What's worse, they set off lightly, carrying only three days' worth of dry rations.

The first day isn't even over yet, and more than a third of the dry rations have already been used up. After all, fighting is hard work, so it's normal to eat a lot.

The piles of grain in Black Cloud Village were what they had painstakingly saved up.

The thought of this made Liu Xiuqing's teeth itch with hatred.

"Commander."

Beside him, Ma Sandao cautiously approached:

"The brothers' rations, even if they eat them sparingly, will only last them a couple of days."

"Should we send someone to the nearby villages to find some food?"

Liu Xiuqing squinted, thought for a moment, and nodded:

"You will personally lead a team to the nearest Li Family Village."

"Gather as much grain as you can."

"Anyone who dares to resist will be killed and turned into a two-legged sheep."

Ma Sandao's eyes lit up with joy:

"yes!"

He readily agreed, and then quickly gathered fifty people to set off that very night.

However, more than two hours later, Ma Sandao returned.

His face looked even worse than when he left, and he said with a mournful expression:

"Commander, Li Family Village... is empty!"

Liu Xiuqing frowned as he stood before him:

"Empty??"

Ma Sandao:

"Yes, there's no one left in the village, and they took all the grain with them."

"My men searched the entire village and found only some miscellaneous grains that hadn't been taken with them in a few cellars, totaling less than twenty catties."

Liu Xiuqing:

"What??"

Ma Sandao's eyes darted around, and he immediately said:

"Commander, was it done by that man surnamed Xiao?"

"They anticipated that we would try to seize the grain, so they moved all the nearby villagers away in advance!"

Liu Xiuqing's eyes were filled with coldness and murderous intent.

"That's the only reason."

As he spoke, he seemed to want to grab a large machete and chop someone up.

But he was, after all, a commander who had been through many battles.

So after taking a deep breath, I immediately forced myself to calm down.

We must not panic!

It's precisely at times like these that we must not panic!

He fought in border battles for more than ten years and had seen all kinds of battles.

"A mere person surnamed Xiao can't cause any trouble."

He murmured, and immediately gave the order:

"Pass down the order: kill a few old horses and distribute them to the brothers to eat."

"If we use our dry rations sparingly, we can last for another two days."

"Order the brothers to continue investigating their movements and looking for weaknesses!!"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a fleeing soldier on guard duty stumbled over:

"Commander! Something terrible has happened!"

"Another group of people has come up the mountain!"

Liu Xiuqing:

"What??"

They quickly headed towards the south gate of the village.

Arriving at the edge of the dense forest about 800 meters away, I looked up and gazed towards Table Mountain, which was also 800 meters ahead.

Amidst the wind and snow, the firelight flickered atop Table Mountain.

You can vaguely see many more figures on the village wall.

Some of the figures were short, like women and children, while others were hunched over, like elderly people.

But before he could think it through, another scout ran back:

"Commander, they're from Li Family Village!"

"There were at least fifty or sixty people; they all went up the mountain and into the village!"

Liu Xiuqing clenched his fist immediately:

"Damn it!!"

He cursed viciously.

Then, he slammed his right fist, the size of a sandbag, into the tree trunk beside him, causing the snow on the tree to fall with a clatter.

As he watched the fire on Table Mountain grow ever brighter, his bloodthirsty eyes darkened to a depths that seemed to drip with malice.

At the same time, there is also extreme heartache.

"My Black Cloud Stronghold is completely gone!!"

It's too late to get it back.

All the treasures and food we had painstakingly accumulated were gone!

"Walk!"

We can't afford to waste any more time, so I decisively gave the order and led my men to evacuate quickly.

"Commander, where...are we going?"

Ma Sandao paused for a moment, then asked.

I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like I have no goals.

"Let's go to Qinglong Mountain."

Liu Xiuqing gritted her teeth and said:

"Let's set up camp there first. We'll have our chance someday, and I'll take our stronghold back!"

Then he decisively turned around, without looking behind him.

Because the more I look at it, the more heartbroken I feel.

Ma Sandao's side:

"yes!"

He responded and quickly followed.

Although it hurts me to see them suffer, there's really nothing I can do.

……

Meanwhile, atop Table Mountain.

Chu Yiran led a large group of villagers in for the second time.

These villagers are the remaining residents of Lijia Village.

Xiao Jianyang was prepared, so he sent someone during the day to inform them to hide in the mountains.

They then sent someone to pick them up.

Now, both batches have arrived.

Su Wanruo was walking at the very front of this group.

He was tall and had a resolute face. His prison uniform was long gone, replaced by coarse cloth clothes.

Covered in snow water, but standing ramrod straight, he exuded a sharp and efficient air.

Next is Chu Yiran!

The girl carried a medicine box on her back. Her face was pale from the cold, and the frostbite on her ears had not yet healed, but her eyes were bright. However, because of her inferiority complex, she still habitually kept her head down.

Further back were the village chief, Li Youtian, and his group.

He led fifty or sixty villagers, men, women, and children, each carrying a grain sack on their shoulder.

Su Wanruo walked up to Xiao Jianyang, took a breath, and reported with a smile:

"Lord Xiao, everyone from the second batch has been brought."

Xiao Jianyang glanced at the crowd, saw the grain sacks, and nodded slightly.

"You've arrived just in time. Go find Lin Qingxue and ask her to arrange a seat for you."

"yes!"

Su Wanruo nodded, then led her people in a long stride toward the village.

"Chu Yiran, bring your medical staff and come with me."

Xiao Jianyang spoke again.

"Yes."

The girl agreed, her voice still very soft, but it was noticeably more confident and less insecure.

Following behind Xiao Jianyang, they soon arrived at the wounded soldiers' camp.

It was actually just a dedicated thatched hut.

There were more than a dozen wounded people inside.

Each of them was seriously injured, with some even having arrows stuck in their bodies and their wounds beginning to fester.

This was the first time Chu Yiran had ever seen such a scene, and she was completely stunned.

The female medical soldiers behind her were the same.

Some even felt like vomiting on the spot.

Xiao Jianyang tried to keep his tone gentle as he asked:

"Can it be saved?"

Despite her discomfort, Chu Yiran replied:

"Lord Xiao, some of the sisters can be saved, but we don't have enough medicinal herbs."

"What about the other part?"

Xiao Jianyang pressed for an answer again.

"This…"

Chu Yiran hesitated for a moment, but ultimately told the truth:

"Reporting to Lord Xiao, I am incapable of healing my seriously injured sisters; I am truly powerless to help them."

As he said this, his head drooped even lower.

I feel so guilty!

And I feel even more inferior!

"It's alright!"

However, to her surprise, Xiao Jianyang didn't reprimand her. Instead, he patted her on the shoulder and said:

"Just do your best."

"I'll teach you the simplest wound suturing and cleaning techniques first. I don't have much time, so I'll try to get some anti-inflammatory stuff later. Then you can treat it according to my instructions."

Chu Yiran was stunned, her large eyes filled with doubt and confusion:

"Lord Xiao, what is wound suturing?"

Xiao Jianyang:

"It's a way to seal the wound together. You'll see in a bit, but we don't have the tools right now. I'll go get the tools."

When you're done, turn around and leave.

Chu Yiran was left standing there, still bewildered, along with several female medical soldiers. ...