Chapter 95

Wang Zhi left, and he left in a great hurry.

The news of the Tujue people breaking through Feihu spread throughout Changping within a day.

The atmosphere in Changping became somewhat desolate within a day. News from beyond the pass reported that under the command of Murong Xuankong, the Jingnan Army had moved south for thirty miles. For a time, people were in a panic, and many began to prepare to flee Changping County.

The tragic scene of the Khitan troops approaching Changping two years ago was still vivid in people's memories.

At that time, Wang He was in charge of the situation. Now, Wang He had disappeared without a trace, leaving only Li Shi, who had long neglected his duties, to preside over the county office, which made the people of Changping feel anxious. Not only were the people of Changping anxious, but even the refugees outside the city were somewhat nervous. They had come to Changping to avoid the war, but now it seemed that Changping was not safe either.

Thus, on the second day, some refugees began to move south, preparing to head to Jixian.

Yang Chenglie stood on the city gate tower, leaning against the crenels and looking down.

He saw that the city gate was already in chaos, with many people gathering in groups, driving carts and horses, trying to leave the city, making the city gate particularly crowded.

"County Magistrate, should we stop them?"

Guan Hu frowned, looking at the people who wanted to flee, and couldn't help but ask.

Yang Chenglie smiled bitterly and said, "Tiger, if it rains, the sky will be wet; if the mother wants to remarry, she will. If we stop them now, we'll be in disarray before the rebels even arrive. Let them go, there's no need to worry too much."

With Wang Zhi's departure, Yang Chenglie returned to the city.

Guan Hu still remained in charge of the camp outside the city, comforting and supervising the refugees, without a single word of complaint.

Although Yang Chenglie was somewhat wary of Guan Hu, he needed his assistance at this time.

Therefore, he still kept Guan Hu by his side and, to some extent, gave him more power.

"County Magistrate, do you think Murong Xuankong will really attack?"

Yang Chenglie thought for a moment and said softly, "That's hard to say... Juyong Pass still has troops stationed there. It's not an easy task for the Jingnan Army to break through. As long as Juyong Pass holds, Changping County should be safe."

Guan Hu nodded, without any objection.

Indeed, Juyong Pass was guarded by elite troops and had a strategic location, making it easy to defend but hard to attack.

It would not be an easy task for the Jingnan Army to break through Juyong Pass. As long as Juyong Pass held, Changping County would be as stable as a rock.

However, Yang Chenglie did not show any signs of relief.

Although he said this to Guan Hu, he felt uneasy inside, as if he had overlooked something, which made him restless.

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The sky turned dark.

As night fell, the city gate gradually quieted down.

Seeing that there were not many people left below, Yang Chenglie called Guan Hu over and gave him some instructions.

"Tiger, I'll leave this to you for now. Keep an eye on the situation outside the city. If anything happens, send someone to my house to inform me."

"County Magistrate, are you going home tonight?"

Yang Chenglie smiled and said, "Yes, I haven't been home for two days. If I don't go back, my sister-in-law will complain again."

"Indeed!" Guan Hu nodded in understanding.

He also noticed that his relationship with Yang Chenglie seemed to have become somewhat distant recently, not as close as before.

However, he didn't think too much about it, assuming that the recent events had made Yang Chenglie very busy. After a few jokes with Yang Chenglie, it seemed like they were back to their old close relationship, which made Guan Hu feel much more at ease.

"It's raining!"

As Yang Chenglie walked down from the city gate tower, raindrops began to fall from the sky.

He frowned, mounted his horse, and rode down the street toward his home.

By this time, it was already past the hour of Wu, and the sky was completely dark. There were almost no people on the street.

Changping had truly been through a difficult time recently. Various incidents had occurred one after another, and many murders had taken place, causing everyone to be in a state of panic. As soon as it got dark, people would close their doors and windows, and even the ruffians who usually roamed the streets at night had become much more subdued, unwilling and afraid to wander outside.

From the city gate to Fanrenli, one had to pass through two main streets.

Yang Chenglie, preoccupied with his thoughts, did not pay much attention to the street. When he passed one street and was about to turn, he suddenly felt a sense of danger. Instinctively, he pulled the reins, and his horse neighed loudly, rearing up on its hind legs. An arrow shot out from the alley at the corner of the street, hitting his horse. The arrow was powerful, and the horse let out a painful neigh and fell to the ground.

Yang Chenglie, in the moment the horse reared up, leaped off the saddle.

As the horse fell in a pool of blood, Yang Chenglie landed on his feet and drew his sword.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three more arrows flew out from the alley, forming a triangular pattern and shooting toward Yang Chenglie.

Yang Chenglie was startled and muttered, "Consecutive arrows!"

He twisted his body and swung his sword, and with three clanging sounds, he deflected the three arrows in a flash.

However, before he could move again, more than a dozen masked men rushed out from both sides of the street.

These men, armed with knives and spears, attacked Yang Chenglie without a word.

"Who are you, daring to assassinate me?"

Yang Chenglie shouted, but no one responded. A spear, carrying a sharp wind, stabbed at him. The spear was extremely fast, leaving a trail in the darkness. Yang Chenglie raised his eyebrows, suddenly leaped up, and his Dragon-Cutting Sword flashed with a green light. As it was about to clash with the spear, the sword's shadow suddenly disappeared. Yang Chenglie darted past the assassin, and a spray of blood followed, accompanied by a scream, and the assassin fell to the ground.

In one move, he had killed one person!

Yang Chenglie reached out to grab the spear from another assassin and was about to charge forward when the sound of a bowstring rang out, and three arrows shot at him from the darkness. He quickly turned to dodge, but two assassins attacked him from both sides. Facing more than a dozen assassins, Yang Chenglie was not afraid. However, the archer hiding in the darkness made him feel uneasy.

His Dragon-Cutting Sword killed another person.

But just as he was about to move, a cold gleam flew toward him, hitting his thigh.

"Hidden cowards, only daring to shoot from the shadows?"

Yang Chenglie grunted, stumbling. Two assassins swung their swords at him, and just as they were about to hit him, Yang Chenglie suddenly crouched, thrusting his sword into one assassin's waist. The assassin screamed but became incredibly fierce. He dropped his sword and grabbed the blade of the Dragon-Cutting Sword...

"Die!"

Yang Chenglie tried to step back and pull out his sword.

However, the assassin used great force, and although Yang Chenglie managed to pull out the sword, his movement slowed.

Seeing this, the other assassins attacked without hesitation.

Yang Chenglie didn't have time to dodge. He steeled himself, lunged forward, and prepared to take a hit from the assassin's sword while trying to kill him.