Since ancient times, the best weapon for attacking a city has been arrows and crossbow bolts. However, now that Dong Wei is holding the women and children of Ye City hostage, he has secretly stationed them on the city walls. In order to counter Sima Yue's strategy, how could he not see through the intentions of the Eastern Palace? Therefore, he issued a strict order: anyone who uses arrows or crossbow bolts will be beheaded!

  I know what he's worried about. Apart from the women and children in the city, there are also those soldiers who have clashed with each other. He may not be genuinely concerned about their lives, but these people are after all citizens of the Southern Dynasty. If the slaughter is too excessive, he will always be known as ruthless and brutal in the eyes of the tens of thousands of border people.

  In a hundred years, or perhaps less, just decades or even years from now, the reasons for his conquest today will gradually be forgotten by people, while the deaths and injuries of the Southern Dynasty soldiers and the blood-soaked city of Ye will become an unforgettable memory in people's hearts, and will continue to be grasped by those with ulterior motives.

  So even if he wanted the life of the entire Dong family, it wouldn't be here, in this situation.

  Moreover, in order to overthrow the Eastern Palace, a living Dong Di is much more useful than a dead one.

  Although Nan Zhaoyi was stronger than Dong Ti in terms of military strength, one side had something to worry about, while the other was completely reckless and showed a desperate attitude, occupying the danger of Ye City. For a time, it was an unusually fierce battle, with no clear winner or loser.

  I watched as arrows rained down from the city tower, densely flying towards the soldiers attacking the city. Although they were protected by armor and shields, it was impossible to be completely covered, one after another soldier fell, countless dead and wounded.

  One after another, people risked being shot by dense arrows and climbed up the city wall to be killed mercilessly by swords, falling down heavily, but in a flash, new faces appeared in my sight.

  They were only in their teens or early twenties, but the faces that had not yet lost their childishness were covered with cracks and vicissitudes due to war. Under the bloodstains, those pairs of eyes were exceptionally firm and bright.

  I watched as another young soldier climbed up the city wall with all his might, so close that when he looked up and caught my eye, he gave me a slightly shy smile. But before the smile had fully blossomed, it was forever frozen under the bleak grey sky of Ye City.

  A cold and shiny knife was swung down in front of me, warm blood gushed out, dripping onto my dress.

  I tightly closed my eyes, but the furious howling of the wind and snow, the piercing whistling of arrows cutting through the air, the cracking sound of bones shattering, the mournful cries of soldiers before death, the shouting slogans of charging troops... all mixed together, constantly pounding against my eardrums.

  Opening his eyes again, he looked down at the city tower with a sense of confusion. In the midst of chaos, Nan Xiangyao's figure, commanding the troops, was still majestic and unparalleled. Every order was calm and powerful, every gesture firm and perfect. The vastness of heaven and earth seemed to only accommodate him alone.

  Fought alongside Qin Zhao, also standing on horseback, wielding a sword to kill the enemy, with each move fierce and ruthless, without a hint of hesitation or softness.

  This is a battlefield where life and death are intertwined, they have no choice but to do so. The young heroes, with their elegant demeanor, yet somehow make me feel cold. This is an aspect of them that I have never seen before, this is also the most brutal side of war, one general's success, ten thousand bones dry!

  Suddenly I felt that I couldn't continue watching, I turned away my eyes, but the corner of my eye still caught sight of the soldiers who were continuously climbing up the city wall with their lives.

  I shook my head uncontrollably, wanting to stop them, but my voice was stuck in my throat and I couldn't utter a word.

  Close your eyes, take a deep breath in, breathe out, then inhale again, exhale again, forcing yourself to calm down. Then I slightly open my lips and softly sing along with the melody in my memory...

  "My husband left Ye City, I stayed at home, with mountains and rivers stretching far away, my eyes dried up from longing."

  A line of writing brings a thousand lines of tears, silently keeping vigil beside the solitary lamp.

  The son remembers his father, the wife remembers her husband, bidding farewell to their families, how many times has the moon been full?

  The horses on the northern border have a longing heart, take my husband and walk back home...

  This is a ballad that has been sung for a long time in Ye City. I heard someone sing it when I was staying at the "Half Creek" inn, and the sorrowful and melancholic tone of the lyrics left a deep impression on me. This time, although I couldn't fully interpret the tragic beauty, I could still convey the meaning through the words and melody, singing it out smoothly and completely, again and again.

  After the initial hoarseness and slight tremble, my voice gradually became calm and gentle, soft and prolonged, never stopping.

  The woman standing next to me, who had originally slumped against the city wall, also gradually stopped crying and slowly harmonized with my voice.

  At first, it was inevitably intermittent, but as she sang on, her voice gradually became more stable. She slowly stood up straight and, with me, cast a glance over the slaughter of soldiers, singing this ditty again and again.

  With the first person, there is naturally a second, third, fourth... until all the women on the city tower of Ye City sang this nursery rhyme with me, I clearly saw the **naked killing intention in Dong Di's eyes.

  Now I just numbly cast my gaze at the snowflakes flying in the sky above Handan City, and continue to sing again and again: "My husband left Handan City, I am at home, the mountains are heavy and the water is long, looking out with dry eyes..."

  I know that the defenders of Ye City, for the most part, do not have a rebellious heart. This time they will fight to the death to defend the city. Firstly, it is to follow Dong Qi and secondly, having gone too far down this path, they cannot turn back now, in order to save their lives, they must do so.

  Even so, facing Nan Chengyao's 3,000 elite soldiers and the triumphant army that would arrive soon, everyone was actually fearful and timid.

  The people of the northern border are straightforward and generous, they actually have a guilty conscience about forcing the women and children of the city to climb the city wall and make them shoot arrows, after all, they are their fellow villagers and neighbors who used to drink together and go on outings.

  So now, when this familiar and nostalgic love song is sung again, it makes their already weak desire to fight even more dim.

  But the soldiers fighting under the city wall, upon hearing this tune, had an effect that was exactly the opposite; this song only stirred up their desire to win and return home.

  In a flash, there were already soldiers attacking the city gate. I slightly closed my eyes, knowing that the military heart of the defenders of Ye City was in disarray, while the morale of the attackers was greatly boosted.

  With a loud "slap", Dong Ming's heavy palm hit my cheek, the force was great, I stumbled and fell to the ground. The wound on the back of my neck, which had already started to dry up, began to bleed again, and the hand warmer in my hand also shattered into pieces, deeply embedding into my palm, wet and sticky.

  "What right do you have to beat people?!" A familiar yet angry voice rose, and I looked up to see that it was the owner of the "Half Brook" inn.

  I smiled faintly and shook my head slightly, her gaze met mine, stunned for a moment, then also smiled, proudly and disdainfully: "With so many people here, so many mouths, I'd like to see how much you can handle!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't waste any more words and turned around to face outside the city wall, looking into the distance. The singing voice started again, steady and clear: "......In the vast north, horses have a longing heart, take my husband on the road back home......"

  Dong Ming turned his back on me and urged Dong Di, "Father, this woman will only cause unrest among the troops if she stays here any longer. Let me take her away and lock her up first!"

  Dong Di looked at me coldly for a while, then looked at Dong Ming, and finally closed his eyes, opening his mouth with a resolute tone: "You take her away from Ye City immediately, the farther you go the better, although all under heaven is the king's land, but as long as she is in your hands, it counts as an extra talisman for survival!"

  "Dad!"

  Dong Ming suddenly lost his voice in shock, but Dong Di ignored him and raised his knife again, fighting on the battlefield.

  Dong Ming's back figure was extremely suppressed, but still couldn't help trembling, but in the end he just gritted his teeth, grasped my shoulder and pulled me up from the ground, and ran silently towards the city tower.

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