485: Chapter 485 Battle in the Wilderness

Hu Xinyi wiped away her tears and said, "My father thought the Khitan people wouldn't be able to enter the city, so when he heard the gates had been breached, he was busy packing up his gold and silver."

"In the end, the Khitan people charged into our home, and he... he..."

Hu Xinyi couldn't bear to say more, and Xie Juner understood, feeling a pang of sorrow.

Man dies for wealth; Hu Wengui could be said to have met a "fitting end."

"My mother and I managed to escape, but midway, someone tried to hijack our carriage."

"The driver was killed, but I had hidden a dagger and stabbed the villain to death, which was the only way I saved the carriage."

"On the road, we encountered some women and children who had been abandoned by their men, so I took them along with us..."

Xie Juner and Su Wansha exchanged a look, both feeling a sense of respect. This eldest Miss Hu was far stronger than they had imagined.

Hu Xinyi suddenly grabbed Xie Juner's hand and asked, "By the way, is my uncle really dead?"

"Lord Feng... is a hero," Xie Juner said regretfully.

Hu Xinyi's face turned pale, her eyes filled with worry.

"I don't know how my aunt is doing. The city is in such chaos; everyone was like they were mad just to escape. I don't even know where she is..."

Just then, two men dressed in black came riding toward them on horseback.

Hu Xinyi recognized the two and hurriedly ran up to them: "Uncle Long! Uncle Fei!"

The brothers Ma Jianlong and Ma Jianfei cupped their fists toward her.

"Miss Xinyi, it is truly wonderful that you are safe."

"We are truly sorry. The opponents were too strong, and we were unable to protect Lord Feng."

As Ma Jianlong spoke, he pointed to a woman lying unconscious behind him.

"We have brought the Prefect's wife out."

Hu Xinyi recognized her as Lady Hu. Amidst her pleasant surprise, she hurried to thank The Ma Brothers.

But seeing Lady Hu unconscious, her worry deepened.

After attending to a wounded person, Zhao Cailing hurried over. After checking the pulse, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Dr. Zhao, how is my aunt?" Hu Xinyi asked urgently.

Zhao Cailing comforted her, "Miss Hu, do not worry. Your aunt has simply suffered an extreme shock, but she must not be agitated further, and it is best if she does not ride a horse anymore, because... she is two months pregnant."

"What?!"

The women all looked at each other in surprise, and Hu Xinyi even covered her mouth, her eyes full of disbelief.

One must know that for many years, Feng Yuzhang and his wife had been deeply in love, but their greatest regret was having no children.

Although they had adopted several orphans as foster sons and daughters, they were not their own flesh and blood after all.

"My uncle has an heir... but..."

Hu Xinyi didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.

A sense of tragic sorrow and regret permeated everyone's hearts.

"It's all the fault of those damned Khitan people!"

Xie Juner gritted her teeth. "This time, we will make sure they never return!"

"That's right! Lord Feng was just a scholar, yet he could sacrifice his life for the country. We absolutely cannot let the Khitan people pass!"

Su Wansha frowned and said, "If Xiangyang City is slaughtered as well, we will have no face to meet our husband."

Hearing this, The Ma Brothers shook their heads repeatedly.

"No, while the Zhenbei Army is brave, the Khitan people who have come this time are no ordinary Khitan Army."

"When we brothers were coming out, we personally witnessed Khitan soldiers gnawing on the corpses of the commoners."

"These people have gone mad. Moreover, they possess immense strength and are unafraid of blades or spears. Relying on these one or two thousand cavalrymen is simply suicide!"

"Furthermore, that Yelv Heqi's strength is likely close to that of a Great Grandmaster. Even all of us combined are no match for him!"

Xie Juner and Su Wansha's hearts sank upon hearing this.

Close to a Great Grandmaster?

They could barely hold off an ordinary Master; they had experience with that back at Xinghua Village against the five major eunuchs.

But there are levels even among Masters. If he was close to being a Great Grandmaster, things would be difficult.

Just then, the "clanging" sound of metal came from not far away.

Everyone looked over and saw the Engineering Corps using gears and ropes to lift large objects, assembling a high platform.

The base of the platform was wide, enough for dozens of people to stand and store a large amount of supplies.

The upper two levels both had ladders and platforms for people to stand on.

"Why does this look like a fortress?" Su Wansha wondered.

"Could those things actually form a fortress when put together?" Xie Juner muttered.

"What is a fortress?"

The Ma Brothers had never seen the defensive works of the Zhenbei Army, so they naturally didn't understand what the two women meant.

Before they could ask more, the Engineering Corps began to fit the horses with pre-made protective armor.

On top of the horse carriages were large, rectangular boxes.

After the engineers also donned thick, heavy armor, each was fully armed to the point that almost nothing but their eyes could be seen.

"Are these war chariots?"

"But why is there only one person? How can they fight like this?"

Great Gan also had war chariots, but they usually had one person driving while the soldiers on the chariot attacked with long-handled weapons.

Because their effectiveness in actual combat was mediocre, they were not popular.

While everyone was puzzled, Xie Yu ran over and said, "Dr. Zhao! Those who can't keep going or are injured, all of you go inside our 'Tower of Ares.' It's very safe there."

"Tower of Ares?"

Xie Juner pointed at the high platform. "Brother, you mean that thing?"

"Yeah, the name I gave it. Isn't it very literary?" Xie Yu laughed proudly.

Everyone looked at each other. Although they were apprehensive, there were indeed some people who could no longer keep moving.

Zhao Cailing and the members of the Medical Team immediately brought the wounded into the first floor of the Tower of Ares.

Hu Xinyi could have continued to retreat, but to accompany Lady Hu, who was unable to travel further, both of them hid inside.

By the time they finished these preparations, half an hour had passed.

What made everyone feel sorrowful was that the number of refugees who had escaped on foot was minuscule.

Clearly, most of the commoners were unable to outrun that group of frenzied Khitan people.

"It's the enemy!!"

At this moment, someone on the observation deck on the third floor of the Tower of Ares spotted the Khitan people galloping from a distance.

Commander Bai Buhei immediately ordered the cavalry into formation and shouted, "Brothers!! Not a single Khitan dog must be allowed to pass!! Charge with me!! Avenge the people of the Northern Border!!—"

"Kill!!—"

Facing the running Khitan people, the cavalry felt there was no reason they couldn't stop them.

"What's the rush!"

"Let them get within at least six hundred paces!!"

"I can't support you if you do this!"

Although Xie Yu shouted from the side, telling them to wait before charging, Commander Bai Buhei and the other cavalry officers clearly had no intention of listening to a "layman."

Xie Juner's brow was tightly knit. She was somewhat dissatisfied with Commander Bai Buhei's arrogance, but with his record of military service and her brother being a "rookie," it was indeed hard to convince the other side.

"Brother! You all guard the people here. I'm going in!"

"Why are you like this too?! Come back if you can't win! Your brother will protect you!!" Xie Yu said worriedly.

Xie Juner nodded, exchanged a glance with Su Wansha, and the two women put on their helmets, spurred their horses, and charged forward with the cavalry.

Ahead were faces devoid of humanity, like blue-faced demons.

The Khitan Army, covered in blood and filth, seemed to bring a cloud of death as they clashed with the cavalry led by Commander Bai Buhei!

Bursts of blood-red flowers suddenly bloomed across the wilderness beside the official road!!