I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

Jia Hui's words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing Qi Shan's last bit of sleepiness.

"Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the main hall, where Lin Wan had already lit the oil lamp.

"Yesterday evening, the border scouts reported that Yelü's three thousand light cavalry had crossed the Yinma River."

She unfolded a crumpled sheepskin map and pointed to the northwest of Qingyang County.

"Based on the walking distance, we should arrive at the city walls by noon the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Qi Shan stared at the map, his mind racing with calculations.

The city wall of Qingyang County is only three zhang high, and there is a section of rammed earth on the north side.

The county soldiers and constables totaled less than five hundred men.

Five hundred against three thousand.

He knew in his heart that this was not a war, but a suicide mission.

The main room was so quiet that you could hear the crackling of the candle flames popping.

Jia Qinghan then walked in: "Three thousand men? Those are Yelü people! Even five thousand regular imperial troops might not be able to defeat them!"

Qi Shan thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the county government office."

Two incense sticks later, the back hall of the county government office was brightly lit.

Zhao Bingkun, dressed in an official robe, sat at the head of the table, his eyes filled with dark circles.

Chen Chong stood to the side, his face as gloomy as the bottom of a pot.

The scouts had just left, leaving only the three of them in the back room.

Zhao Bingkun spoke first.

"The enemy has three thousand barbarian cavalry, while we have at most five hundred soldiers?"

"What should we do?!"

"I served as a county magistrate for six years, and this is the first time I've felt that this official hat is so heavy."

Chen Chong gripped the hilt of his sword and said, "Your Excellency, I will immediately send someone to the border army's general's camp to request reinforcements."

Zhao Bingkun raised his eyelids to look at him, his gaze carrying an indescribable meaning.

Do you think Liu Wei will send troops?

Chen Chong was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

Liu Shoubei is Li Long's brother-in-law, and Liu Wei is Liu Shoubei's superior.

Once this thread is connected, even the dumbest man would understand what's going on.

Zhao Bingkun put down his teacup.

"Li Long dared to disguise himself as a bandit to attack the city. Where did he, a mere battalion commander, get the guts?"

Another silence fell over the back room.

Qi Shan sat at the lower end of the table and remained silent.

A thought kept swirling in his mind.

Five hundred men defending the city—a direct confrontation is definitely not an option.

But what if it's delayed?

He suddenly stood up and walked to the desk.

"Your Excellency, I have a question for you."

Zhao Bingkun was taken aback.

"explain."

Where is the thinnest part of the city wall in Qingyang County?

Zhao Bingkun thought for a moment.

"The section in the northeast corner has a rammed earth wall, which is 27 feet high and less than 3 feet thick."

Qi Shan nodded, then looked at Chen Chong.

How many crossbowmen do we have?

"Less than a hundred, but a total of about three thousand arrows."

Qi Shan picked up a brush and drew a few lines on the paper.

"I have an idea. It may not guarantee victory, but it will prevent those three thousand barbarian cavalry from taking over this city."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Bingkun suddenly sat up straight: "Does Magistrate Qi know how to handle this?"

"Defending a city doesn't rely on a large number of people, but on firearms and traps."

Chen Chong frowned.

"Firearms? The imperial court has issued an order prohibiting them. There are no firearms in our county's armory at all."

Qi Shan didn't reply, but took out a Storm Gun from his pocket and placed it on the table.

The barrel gleamed with a bluish luster from quenching, and the trigger mechanism was incredibly ingenious.

Zhao Bingkun reached out and touched it, then gasped.

"This is……"

"A rapid-fire musket can penetrate three layers of cotton armor plus one layer of lamellar armor at fifty paces."

"It can fire ten shots in a row with one reload, and its rate of fire is twice that of a bow and arrow."

Chen Chong's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, "Where did this come from?"

"Your Excellency, that's not the point. The point is, we can build it!"

Qi Shan put the gun away.

"We have five games now, and we can play ten more in the next two days."

Zhao Bingkun stood up and paced back and forth in the main room.

Their pace quickened.

He suddenly stopped and slammed his hand on the table.

"We can fight this battle!"

Chen Chong picked up the Storm Gun and examined it from all angles, clearly enamored with it.

"It's a pity there are too few. If I had a hundred, I would dare to go out of the city and shoot at the Hu cavalry."

Qi Shan nodded.

"What we lack most right now is time. As long as we can hold out for the first day and prevent the Hu cavalry from breaking through the city walls, we can achieve our goal."

"The Yelü tribe's light cavalry can't carry much food and supplies on a raid. They'll have to retreat on their own after three days."

Zhao Bingkun took a deep breath, walked to the door, and pushed it open.

The sky outside was already beginning to lighten.

A few rooster crows came from afar.

"Chen Chong, immediately muster all the county soldiers and plug all the gaps in the city wall before dawn."

"The city gate was filled with sandbags, and the suspension bridge cables were reinforced with three more layers."

Chen Chong clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"This subordinate obeys!"

Zhao Bingkun then looked at Qi Shan.

"Captain Qi, the survival of the people in the city depends on you."

Qi Shan stood up and patted off non-existent dust from his knees.

"Summon Meng Da to see me."

After an incense stick had burned, Meng Da ran into the county government office, panting.

Qi Shan pulled him to the corner and lowered his voice.

"Take the constables and knock on every door, summoning all the blacksmiths and bricklayers in town to gather in front of the county government office."

"Then buy up all the remaining stock from all the pottery shops."

Meng Da's eyes lit up.

"This is going to..."

"Stop talking nonsense and go."

Meng Da turned and ran, but turned back at the door.

"Master Qi, should we also take all the sulfur from the herbal medicine shop?"

"We'll take it all, however much we have."

As dawn broke, the city and its surroundings were bustling with activity.

The base of the city wall was piled high with sandbags, logs, and stones.

The forge in the blacksmith's shop was glowing red-hot, and the parts of a dozen or so muskets clanged and jingled on the anvil.

The bricklayers squatted at the entrance of the government office, filling the pottery jars with gunpowder according to the prescription given by Su Yue.

Broken porcelain shards and iron filings were mixed in with sulfur and saltpeter. The mouth of the jar was sealed with tarpaulin, and the fuse protruded from the seam.

Su Yue squatted on the ground, checking the gunpowder ratio one by one.

His fingertips were covered in saltpeter powder, and there was a streak of black ash on the tip of his nose.

She looked up, her eyes sparkling.

"The fuse is made of hemp thread soaked in pine resin, which is two breaths slower than a paper wick, enough time for it to make a sound when thrown."

Qi Shan squatted down beside her and used his sleeve to wipe the dust off the tip of her nose.

"Didn't sleep again last night?"

Su Yue smiled but didn't say anything.

Qi Shan didn't ask any more questions, but stood up and shouted at Meng Da.

"Tell the blacksmiths to work harder and make at least ten gun barrels before nightfall."

Meng Da wiped his sweat.

"Don't worry, I'm whipping you!"

"???"

On the distant city wall, Chen Chong was leading county soldiers to move sandbags.

Several newly cut bamboo rafts, covered with wet mud, peeked out from behind the city wall crenellations.

That's a shield to protect against arrows.

Qi Shan stood at the entrance of the county government office, looking at the scene before him.

But the tension in my heart only increased.

With 500 men defending the city, no matter how many firearms they have, someone still needs to be able to hold the city gate.

In Qingyang County, there was only one iron and wooden door inside the city gate.

He turned around and walked back, just stepping into the back hall of the county government office.

A dark shadow fell from the roof beam.

A flash of cold light, and the dagger plunged straight for the throat.

Qi Shan dodged to the side, the dagger grazing his Adam's apple, drawing a bead of blood.

The shadowy figure landed; it was a woman dressed in night clothes.

The dagger in his hand gleamed with a ghostly blue light, clearly poisoned.

Qi Shan drew his long sword, the tip pointing towards the ground.

"Who sent you?"