Under the gloomy sky, the dark clouds hung so low that they almost reached the top of the mountain.

It was a bit hot, there was no wind, it was sticky, and it made people feel breathless.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning pierced the sky and illuminated the river bank covered with reeds.

Fine raindrops fell, and there was a curse among the reeds.

After a while, dozens of small boats rowed to the shore, and the war horses standing tall in the cabins were revealed.

Water splashed and war horses neighed.

More than a hundred riders quickly landed on the shore. After a short rest, they rushed out under the leadership of the guide.

The golden lightning was like the claws of a mad dragon, flying fiercely in the air.

The raindrops gradually became denser, and the sound of horse hooves became more rapid, showing the owner's urgent mood.

It's getting closer, getting closer.

"Whoosh!" An arrow flew out, and the farmer who was packing his tools in the field fell to the ground.

Screams of exclamation continued, and the farmers fled in all directions.

They were panting and full of fear. Even if they were escaping, they would try their best to follow the field ridges, not wanting to damage the crops that were about to be harvested.

"Whoosh!" Another arrow flew out.

In the field, a body fell to the ground, crushing a piece of wheat.

Blood seeped into the ground, and the dying farmer's eyes widened with anger. He subconsciously supported the wheat that was crushed by him, and gradually became silent.

"Boom!" More than a hundred riders rushed into the wheat field, took a shortcut and rushed towards the main entrance of the fortress wall.

There was a young man holding a spear at the main gate, hesitating, looking at the enemy cavalry that was charging towards them at high speed, and at the same time looking at the retreating fort residents.

Among them are the relatives he has been with day and night, the friends he has grown up with, and the girl he has been his childhood sweetheart...

He hesitated, he couldn't be so heartless.

Some people are already urging him to close.

His hands were trembling, tears filled his eyes, and his hands seemed to have great power.

"Boom!" Thunder exploded in my ears.

"Poof!" A horseman ran in front of him, and his long spear suddenly penetrated his body, picked him up, and held him in the air.

The young man finally saw his relatives.

They were knocked to the ground by the enemy's cavalry, and they didn't know whether they were alive or dead.

The boy saw his friend.

He was slashed by a saber, and blood rose to the sky.

The boy saw the girl.

She was brought to the ground by an arrow and trampled by the horses that came after her.

"Hoo!" The young man's remaining consciousness felt the sound of the wind. He managed to open his eyes and found that he had been thrown away.

Enemy cavalry had already rushed into the courtyard wall, and everyone was panicking and running around.

It's over! This is the only consciousness he has left.

"Bang!" The body was thrown into the crowd.

It hit seven or eight men who rushed out.

More and more enemies are pouring into the courtyard. They are extremely ferocious and well-equipped.

In a matter of seconds, the resistance of the fort residents was broken down.

In particular, a heavily armored general was tall and powerful. With one man, one shield and one sword, he could kill several people in a row. He was unmatched in courage.

Behind the general there are seven or eight sharpshooters.

They abandoned the soft horn bows and replaced them with hard bows for infantry combat. They could shoot wherever they pointed, which was a great deterrent.

"Boom!" Thunder sounded again, covering up the shocking screams.

When the overwhelming rain curtain covered the entire earth, the battle was over.

The enemy cavalry was ferocious, cunning, and very experienced. It was obviously not the first time they had carried out this kind of sneak attack.

The remaining dozens of men among the fort residents were tied up, driven into the courtyard, and left to soak in the rain.

The old man began to cook and prepare food for the enemy riders and their horses.

The woman was dragged into the room, and obscene laughter and cries continued to sound.

****

It's almost evening, and the setting sun is making its final struggle, refusing to set easily.

On the high mountains, hundreds of people blocked the only mountain road.

Their faces were solemn, and they did not dare to express their anger when they looked at the dense crowd at the foot of the mountain.

The crowd at the foot of the mountain was not chaotic, on the contrary, it was quite organized, with swords, guns, swords and halberds lined up, and golden drums and flags.

They didn't pay attention to the crowds on the mountain.

These people were sallow and skinny, their clothes were thin, and the weapons in their hands were rusty and unfit for use. Some were even holding farm tools, dung forks, and wooden sticks, and their bodies were shaking uncontrollably.

They were once part of this group of people, and he knew their strength very well, and he knew what they were thinking.

Poor? Doesn't exist.

In troubled times, one has to kill or be killed, and one's heart has long been hardened. Anyone with a trace of weakness will not be able to survive now.

Someone had already gone up the mountain. After shooting a few arrows and killing a few people, there was a commotion on the mountain road.

After a long time, someone closed his eyes and waved his hand.

The setting sun finally fell, leaving only a trace of remaining blood in the west.

The only remaining grain was pulled out.

The emaciated cattle and sheep were driven out.

Some people were crying on the mountain road. How could they live without food, cattle and sheep?

More people looked sad but did not stop.

There are still ten and a half days of food rations left. With this time, maybe we can find a way to survive?

If it doesn't work, go borrow some food.

If you can't even borrow money, go to Dawu Fort and sell yourself as a slave, as long as you can survive.

The leader seemed to have read books and knew how to read.

I saw him asking for a moment, then taking out a piece of yellow paper and hastily writing a gift list.

After a while, under the gaze of everyone, he went down the mountain alone and came to a general surrounded by a large group of sergeants.

He held his head high, his chest straight, his back straight, his fists clasped in a bow, and then he raised the gift list high above his head.

A sergeant came forward, took down the gift list and handed it into the hands of the general.

The general looked at it casually and asked: "How many are hidden?"

The general's soldiers all sneered and looked at him with playful eyes.

"If the general kills them all, I will have nothing to say." The leader looked directly at the general and said in a deep voice: "My village is small and cannot withstand the general's attack, but before dying, I can always pull a few people on my back."

The general laughed, then pointed his hand and said: "Hit me!"

The soldiers rushed over and smashed their riding whips and scabbards on their heads and faces, beating the leader of the village until he fell to the ground covered in blood.

Because of the severe pain, his whole body arched up, but he never said a word or begged for mercy.

"Stop!" said the general.

The soldiers stopped and retreated.

"Send out a team of fifty men." The general stretched out a hand and said, "I'll send someone over to pick them, and then leave after picking them. How about that?"

"Okay..." the leader muttered on the ground.

Soon someone picked him up and carried him up the mountain.

The mountain path is narrow and the bushes are dense.

While looking around, the mountain path was covered with dripping blood, which reflected the setting sun on the horizon.

The army at the foot of the mountain is still marching towards unknown distances.

In troubled times, you kill me, I kill you, everyone goes with the flow and cannot help themselves.

The small village trembled in front of them and endured the humiliation, but when they encountered stronger enemies and were defeated, they were the ones crying.

Maybe, this is the troubled times.
To be continued...