All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

In this era, whether it's Bai Xiaowen, Lu Zhaohai, Lu Zhaopeng, or even Bai Ling, millions of young people will experience countless trials and tribulations. Most of them will die on that path; it's their own choice.

Looking at the distant dawn, Bai Jiaxuan couldn't help but sigh deeply. In the end, they were still his children.

I understand many of the principles, but the bond of blood ties can never be completely severed.

Bai Jiaxuan took a deep breath and finally made a decision!

We will definitely save them, but we won't force it; we'll leave it to fate.

If they really do perish in this siege, then it can only be said that it's all fate.

The siege would last for months, and besides the casualties on the battlefield, they were even more desperately short of food and medicine.

In his attempt to capture Xi'an, Liu the Blind cut off water and food supplies, besieged the city for months, and caused tens of thousands of deaths from disease and famine—a truly tragic scene.

Bai Jiaxuan wasn't so great as to fight against an army of 100,000, but he could at least ensure that his children wouldn't die from famine and disease; that was his bottom line.

As for which path they will take in the future, that is their own life, and everything is still unknown.

Whether they were from the White Party or the Red Party, Bai Jiaxuan held no particular motives. The winner takes all, and that was true in every era. He had no intention of changing anything, and his children were not figures who could truly change history; they were merely pawns in the tides of time.

This is a valuable life experience for them, and Bai Jiaxuan will not interfere too much, letting everything take its natural course.

Having made up his mind, Bai Jiaxuan slowly turned around, went into the house, and closed the door.

Back in the inner room, as soon as they got into bed, Xiangcao's face was pressed against his chest. Bai Jiaxuan gently put his arm around her shoulder and began to caress it.

This time, when Liu the Blind besieges the city, in addition to Xi'an, other counties and cities, as well as the villages and towns below, will still suffer disaster.

In the original story, Blind Liu led 100,000 troops to besiege Xi'an. The food and drink of these people were all collected from the surrounding counties and cities.

In order to raise military funds, the Zhen Song Army committed all sorts of atrocities and levied exorbitant taxes. Whether in the county town or the countryside, they sent out a large number of collection teams to extort money from the people.

The Bailuyuan area will eventually become one of their targets.

In the original story, the other side only sent a platoon to garrison Bailu Plain. Now that Wuzhi Mountain is here, it is estimated that the other side will send a large number of troops. At that time, there will definitely be a tough battle between the two sides!

This wasn't some small bandit-suppressing force from a county magistrate; it was a real warlord's army!

The peaceful life in Bailuyuan for so many years can be described as a paradise. For the Zhensong Army, it is a hot commodity. There has been no taxation here for several years, and every household has a lot of surplus grain. It is a piece of undeveloped land!

Upon receiving this news, Bai Jiaxuan had no choice but to make preparations!

The next day, Bai Jiaxuan convened a village meeting in the ancestral hall and ordered everyone to collect all their surplus grain. The grain was then transported to a cellar in the back mountain by the young men of the village's joint defense team.

This is a last resort. If the Zhen Song Army really sends a large force into the village, the small number of people in Wuzhi Mountain will probably only be able to fight a defensive battle. At that time, these villages at the foot of the mountain will definitely be impossible to protect, so hiding the grain is the best course of action.

Bai Jiaxuan is now the sole ruler of Bailuyuan Village. There's no longer a need for those so-called old men to discuss things. He is the ruler of Bailuyuan, and no one dares to contradict him.

After settling things in his own village, Bai Jiaxuan instructed Lu San to send people to notify the people in several nearby villages to hide their grain as well. Whether they listened or not was beyond his control.

After settling things in the village, Bai Jiaxuan took some time to visit Wuzhishan.

Although he rarely manages matters in Wuzhishan now, he is still the big boss here, and he doesn't want his twenty-year-old business to be destroyed because of the arrival of the Zhensong Army.

Of course, if you really can't win, you can also make a defensive retreat and come back after the Zhen Song Army has retreated.

When Bai Jiaxuan arrived at Wuzhi Mountain, he found that the situation was much better than he had imagined.

On Wuzhi Mountain, the news was clearly already known, and everyone was busy taking action.

They dug trenches, set up ambush points, transported explosives and guns, and occasionally sent troops back from outside.

In just a few days, the number of people on Wuzhi Mountain has exceeded two hundred. These are all combat personnel who were notified and rushed back from other cities.

Bai Jiaxuan then learned that all of this was arranged by Zhang Xiaopeng, who also brought back a letter for Bai Jiaxuan.

The letter contained a detailed account of his arrangements and plans, along with his analysis.

After reading the letter, Bai Jiaxuan felt much more at ease. It seemed that he had underestimated Zhang Xiaopeng. Faced with this situation, Zhang Xiaopeng was not flustered at all and had already made all the necessary arrangements.

This time, Zhang Xiaopeng arranged for more than 200 combat personnel to go up the mountain. Together with the more than 100 people originally on Wuzhi Mountain, the total number of people participating in the battle was more than 300.

Most of these people would be stationed on the hills near Bailuyuan, in combat teams of five, employing both ambush and guerrilla warfare tactics. Meanwhile, heavy machine guns and sniper cannons were also deployed on Wuzhi Mountain, along with a large quantity of explosives, to prevent the enemy from launching a large-scale attack on the mountain.

In addition to these, logistical supplies were also plentiful. A month ago, Zhang Xiaopeng had already received news that Liu the Blind was very likely to attack Xi'an City. Upon receiving the news, Zhang Xiaopeng began to use caravans to transport a large amount of supplies into the mountains.

Three hundred combatants are enough. Any more would prompt the Zhen Song Army to send a large number of troops to the Bailu Plain area.

According to Zhang Xiaopeng's prediction, as long as he could stop the Zhen Song Army's attacks once or twice, the enemy would give up collecting grain taxes in the Bailuyuan area. After all, their real goal was Xi'an City, which was more than 100 miles away, not the small Bailuyuan.

Of course, to prevent Liu the Blind from resorting to desperate measures, a large amount of explosives and heavy weapons were prepared on Wuzhi Mountain, enough to stop the enemy's attack of several thousand people. If the enemy really sent tens of thousands of people to attack a small place like Bailu Plain, then Zhang Xiaopeng would be helpless.

Upon learning of Zhang Xiaopeng's plans and arrangements, Bai Jiaxuan felt much more relaxed. Zhang Xiaopeng was indeed a talented person. Such a talent might change some history, or perhaps the history of this world had already been changed because of his existence!

After confirming that Wuzhi Mountain was safe, Bai Jiaxuan didn't linger and hurriedly descended the mountain!

On the surface, Wuzhishan is still managed by Zheng Mang, but in reality, all the managers are appointed by Zhang Xiaopeng.

Zheng Mang doesn't have much ability. His main job now is logistics for Wuzhishan, which is more than enough for him.

Bai Jiaxuan had no ambition whatsoever. He had no goals in this world to begin with, and that was fine with him.

Less than three days after returning to the village, Bai Jiaxuan received news that Liu the Blind's army had begun its attack on Xi'an City. The battle between the two sides was very intense, but in the short term, it was impossible for Liu the Blind's army to capture Xi'an City!

Just as Bai Jiaxuan had guessed, Bai Xiaowen joined the combat troops and began to experience the hail of bullets.

Bai Ling, a middle school student, temporarily hid in the church along with her school's teachers and students.

The young girl has a bold and outgoing personality. She is mobilizing her classmates to write slogans in the city to encourage soldiers and civilians to defend Xi'an together.

In addition, Lu Zilin's youngest son, Lu Zhaohai, is also moving towards the life he longs for. He tries every means to join the guard and fight together.

The battle to defend the city has only just begun. Whether it's Bai Xiaowen, Lu Zhaohai, or even Bai Ling, these young people are all ambitious, impulsive, and passionate, eager to realize their aspirations.

But this is only the beginning; the real storm is about to descend upon them.

Although Bai Jiaxuan was somewhat worried about his children, he did not forcibly interfere in their lives.

This siege is a true test of life and death for them. Whether they can pass it depends entirely on how tough their lives are. If something unexpected happens, Bai Jiaxuan will have no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it!

However, Bai Jiaxuan soon lost interest in his children, because the Zhen Song Army had already begun sending troops into Zishui County!

Bai Jiaxuan also knew that what followed would be a life-or-death test for the more than two thousand villagers of Bailuyuan!

This time, the Zhen Song Army dispatched a grain collection team of more than 10,000 people from the surrounding counties and cities. Naturally, not many troops would come to a small county like Zishui. The one that came was a battalion commander leading more than 400 men into Zishui County and heading directly towards the county government!

This battalion commander, surnamed Yang, had a square face, a Mauser pistol at his waist, and an imposing presence. He rode a chestnut horse directly to the county magistrate without dismounting.

The newly appointed county magistrate was surnamed Guo. He was in his early fifties, with a round face and a bald head. He was originally just a cloth merchant, a local gentry with some money but no real power. In recent years, the warlord wars during the Republic of China had caused the local area to deteriorate. He heard from somewhere that someone could arrange a position for him as a county magistrate.

In a country where officialdom is paramount, becoming an official is a great honor and a source of pride for one's ancestors; a county magistrate is a seventh-rank official!

After some thought, the round-faced bald man spent several thousand silver dollars as a bribe, and to his surprise, the other party actually got it done for him!

So, this county magistrate, who had only been in office for half a month, was trembling with fear. He put on a respectful and apologetic face, but in his heart he cursed the introducer, wishing that bastard would die a horrible death!

Battalion Commander Yang's purpose in coming here this time was very clear: to collect grain!

But while he wanted to collect taxes, Magistrate Guo wanted to collect them even more. However, the people of Zishui County had already been taxed by these bastards for years, all the way to the 21st century. Where could they possibly find any grain to collect now?

But Battalion Commander Yang didn't care. He slammed the Mauser pistol in front of Lao Guo and said, "Either hand over the grain or your life!"

Finally, with no other option, and after being reminded by his advisor, Magistrate Guo suddenly had a brilliant idea!

Old Guo's solution was naturally very simple: "You want to collect grain, right?"

In the entire Zishui County, the only place that can receive grain is that remote corner of Bailuyuan. The most important thing is to divert the disaster eastward and lead these murderers away!

Upon hearing this, Battalion Commander Yang immediately became interested. A region that hadn't received grain tax for twenty years—this was a good place. He heard there were only about a hundred bandits there. Battalion Commander Yang immediately decided to go and collect grain!

Before they could even settle in, Battalion Commander Yang led four hundred men and marched in a mighty force to attack Bailu Plain!

Before Battalion Commander Yang even left the city, the spies from Wuzhishan had already sped off towards Wuzhishan.

Upon receiving the news, Wuzhishan quickly entered battle mode, preparing to wait for the fish to be caught in the net.

Chapter 54: Ambush

There are five mountain roads leading to Bailuyuan Village. From a distance, they look like a long, building-shaped hillside protruding from the plain. But once you get closer, you'll find that the mountain roads are wide and not steep.

Battalion Commander Yang led his more than 400 men in a grand procession along the mountain road toward Bailuyuan.

The group marched along the wide mountain road, winding and twisting like a long dragon.

As they reached a bend, Battalion Commander Yang, standing in the crowd, suddenly felt a sense of unease—a battle-hardened intuition. He immediately pulled on the reins and shouted forward.

"Stop right there! Guard company, go scout ahead!"

Upon receiving the order, the guards quickly jogged forward to investigate. After about ten minutes, they received confirmation that there was no danger ahead and everything was safe!

Only after hearing that it was safe did Battalion Commander Yang suppress his unease and once again order the soldiers to advance.

More than four hundred people slowly made their way down the mountain path. When they were halfway down, Battalion Commander Yang suddenly felt a vein throb on his forehead and instinctively dodged to the right.

At the same time, four gunshots rang out almost simultaneously. Among the soldiers, three officers fell to the ground with a blood bloom on their foreheads.

Battalion Commander Yang quickly jumped off his horse, wiped the bloodstains from his cheek, and secretly cried out in fear that he was almost finished!

After the gunfire, the force of over four hundred men was thrown into chaos. However, being a regular army, the infantrymen immediately lay down, while the cavalrymen began to scatter and launch counterattacks in all directions.

Although they didn't know where the gunshots were coming from, they fired a burst of shots in all directions first.

The gunfire lasted for a full half minute before Battalion Commander Yang finally realized something was wrong and shouted.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!"

The gunfire gradually subsided upon hearing the order!

Battalion Commander Yang lay on the ground, raised his head, and looked around. At this moment, the view outside was very open, and there were no enemies to be seen!

Battalion Commander Yang cursed inwardly.

"Damn it, where did this bullet come from!"

After scanning the surroundings, he saw that there was almost no one in sight within several hundred meters. Although he was a little flustered, he was more angry. He quickly waved his hand and began to send soldiers to search the surroundings.

The group of over thirty cavalrymen cautiously spurred their horses forward, raised their spears, and scattered in all directions. After searching for a while, they reluctantly returned to report.

Battalion Commander Yang was dumbfounded. Was this some kind of ghost? He looked around and saw nothing for hundreds of meters. There were no trees, and apart from some yellowed weeds by the roadside, there was almost no sign of any enemy. Where did the gunshot just now come from?

At that moment, the three officers, who were already dead, were placed in front of him, each with a bullet wound to the forehead, killed instantly.

This marksmanship is definitely top-notch. Battalion Commander Yang suddenly felt a chill. He suddenly remembered that there seemed to be a group of sharpshooters in the Zhen Song Army who specialized in sniping. Could it be that he had encountered those people?

Wait a minute, isn't Wuzhi Mountain just a band of about a hundred bandits?