At nightfall, at midnight, at the head of Hudu City.
Wei Shunzhi was still wearing the same mail armor he wore during the day, standing at the top of the city. On the battlements on one side, more than twenty braziers were hung down and hung about halfway on the city wall, illuminating the area within ten feet as bright as day, even if Even the beating of a toad in the grass can be seen clearly, and three miles away, in the Tianshi Dao camp, the screams of women and the wanton laughter of men after drinking have replaced several The sound of chanting during religious rituals before the hour is very annoying in this night sky.
On one side, Chen Yi was sitting on the crenel beside the city wall, stuffing rice cakes into his mouth, chewing and saying: "Brother Wei, you should also take a rest. I have been standing here for five hours and I am tired just looking at it. We should be able to get through the night safely, and there will be a fierce battle at dawn in two watches."
Wei Shunzhi shook his head: "It's just a few days to defend Hudu, and we can sleep as long as we want, or if the city is captured, we can sleep for a lifetime, so if we can open our eyes now, we should hold on a little longer." , I believe it won’t be so peaceful tonight.”
Suddenly, Wei Shunzhi's expression changed: "No, there's something going on."
Chen Yi jumped up from the ground and picked up his bow and arrow. Beside him, hundreds of soldiers also jumped in front of the city wall, pointing their bows and arrows directly outside the city.
Wei Shunzhi had already picked up his bow and arrow, pointed at the end of the fire outside the city, and shot an arrow. The arrow landed impartially on the edge of the light, and he could vaguely see the darkness outside, as if There were dozens of shadows flashing, and Chen Yi said sternly: "The demon thief dares to attack at night, I will discipline you whether you come back or not!"
In the dark night, there was a sound of crying, and a woman's voice shouted: "Master, please don't kill us. We are all poor women who escaped from the demon thief camp. How can we kill you?" Please help me, Master!"
Chen Yi's expression changed and he put down his bow and arrow. However, Wei Shunzhi still held up his bow and arrow and said in a deep voice: "Don't be fooled. The demon thieves are full of tricks. In the past, they used female believers to gain access to the city gates in Wu. Don't do it." Careless! Lift your bows and arrows."
Chen Yi and the surrounding sergeants all raised their bows and arrows. Wei Shunzhi shouted sharply: "Hudu City is now besieged by demon thieves. No one here can save you. You should leave quickly and escape."
While he was speaking, more than twenty women with disheveled clothes and disheveled hair huddled up into the light. Their exposed arms and legs were all scarred, with whip marks and even burns almost everywhere. , which is unbearable to look at.
Next to Chen Yi, a sergeant suddenly shouted: "Well, isn't that Mrs. A Qing who sells fish in Liutaodu outside the city?"
A woman in her thirties quickly stood up, brushed her hair aside, revealing a face with high cheekbones, and cried: "Is this Brother Afu from Dongcheng in the city? I am Mrs. Aqing." Ah, please say something nice to the military master and save us poor sisters. My man was killed by the demon thief. I, I was also bullied by the demon thief. If they didn't get drunk after venting their anger, I'm afraid , I’m afraid we won’t be able to escape.”
Another woman also rushed out, brushed away her messy hair, and shouted: "Some of you must know me. I am Sister Zhen, a tofu seller in a shop ten miles outside the city. I also escaped with Aqing's wife, Yao The thief said, the demon thief said he would behead us tomorrow and throw our heads into the city, just like our men’s heads, please help me quickly, I don’t want to die.”
The group of women all burst into tears, and each one began to give their names and call people they knew in the city. A trace of unbearable color flashed across Chen Yi's face, and he said to Wei Shunzhi: "Brother Wei, it's true that Many of them are our fellow villagers from Hudu Fortress, and they used to come to the city every day to sell things, so they are not spies."
Wei Shunzhi gritted his teeth: "In critical moments, you would rather kill the wrong person than let go. At this time, you must not be soft-hearted. Monster thieves are best at deceiving people's hearts. Some women can even throw away their own babies. They will follow the monster thieves with iron hearts. I will never risk the lives of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of people in the city."
Yuan Song's voice sounded from behind: "If I, as the county guard, can't even protect the lives of the people, then what's the point of guarding this city?"
Wei Shunzhi's expression changed, and he turned to look behind him. He saw Yuan Song wearing a nightgown, followed by more than ten guards, walking to the front of the city. Wei Shunzhi said: "Mr. Yuan, why are you here?"
Yuan Song sighed: "How could I sleep at this time? I thought about the soldiers working hard at the top of the city, so I wanted to come and take a look. I didn't expect to encounter such a situation."
As soon as his figure appeared at the top of the city, all the women below the city knelt down and cried: "Prefect Yuan, Master Yuan, please save us. You are a good official and an upright official. You said you would protect the people." Yes, we don’t want to die, help!”
Yuan Song gritted his teeth and looked at Chen Yi: "Are you sure these people are folks from outside Hudu City?"
Chen Yi nodded: "Yes, the women who came out just now gave their names and were identified by the sergeants in the city. They should all be people outside the city who had no time to escape and were captured by the demon thieves."
Yuan Song sighed: "I, Yuan Song, think that as a famous person in the world, I can save the world and save the people, but I didn't expect that I can't even protect the people under my rule, causing them to suffer such a disaster. How can I show my face?" This official robe?! Someone, please lower the drawbridge, open the city gate, and let them in."
Wei Shunzhi's expression changed and he quickly said: "Mr. Yuan, you must not do this. The demons and thieves are cunning. Even if these women are really common people, there may be ambushes following them. If the city gate is opened, they will rush in. If you are really worried about these women, please let me lead someone down and hang them off the city wall."
Yuan Song nodded: "Then it will be a hard trip for Lord Wei."
Wei Shunzhi waved his hand, and more than a dozen sergeants came forward and followed Wei Shunzhi, tying ropes around their waists and lowering them down to the city. Wei Shunzhi walked up to these women, and they all stared at Wei Shunzhi, their eyes full of hope and fear. Wei Shunzhi looked left and right, then held a torch and searched behind these women for a while. After confirming that there was no enemy within a mile, Wei Shunzhi felt a stone fall in his heart.
Wei Shunzhi waved to the top of the city, tied the waists of these women with ropes one by one, and pulled them up to the city. When they were hung in the air, some of the women's torn clothes fell one after another, and the spring light flashed, causing them to burst into laughter. They screamed, and as soon as they were hung on the top of the city, there were Yuan Song's guards, holding some cloaks and even flags, wrapping them around them. These women were so excited that they kowtowed and thanked them, saying that Mr. Yuan was a god who came down to earth to save the suffering.
