Chapter 366: When you reach Shangyi, you will determine life and death

After crossing the river, the sky began to turn dark.

The snowflakes floating in front of them turned into heavy snow like a covered goose feather, and they fell all over their heads in a flash. The snow on the official road was less than half of their calves, and they couldn't see the way forward.

Really breathing into ice.

Cui Yi kept rubbing his hands. Every time he opened his mouth, he felt the cold wind pouring into his mouth like a knife, cutting his throat, filling it with a smell of rust. "No, Jiangbei is too cold. We must enter Shangyi City before it gets completely dark."

They dared not delay and rode their horses all the way.

In the dark forest, the sound of birds was cut off and silent as if dead. Only the sound of horse hooves shattering the snow whistling through the sky and earth with the strong wind. Their figures condensed into black dots and were gradually buried by the wind and snow.

The wind lights swayed on the Shangyi City Tower, and the fire lights flickered and darker.

The towering city walls were covered with snow shadows and thin ice, and intercepted the people below like indestructible barriers.

They snuggled up to each other and hugged under the wall.

A thick layer of snow accumulated on his body, and he was motionless, and he couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead.

"The wind is getting colder tonight. If you keep going, none of these people will survive."

Someone on the city wall looked down, his tone was depressed, "During the daytime, I saw better eyesight. I saw many women holding children in their arms, the youngest was still in their infancy... Alas, it was as old as my youngest daughter, and it was really uncomfortable to look at it."

"Who said no?"

Another man patted the snow on the shoulder and echoed: "God is sincere and doesn't want people to live. We have been locked down for half a month, and the bodies below are accumulated like mountains. People outside cannot enter, and people inside cannot go out. Don't think we are better than them and don't have to suffer from the cold. In fact, it's just a matter of time."

"I heard that the price of rice and grain has increased by more than ten times recently, and it has been snatched up all of them. My wife hurriedly bought a small bag. When she was cooking porridge, she counted it and put it in. She couldn't even take out a grain of rice in three bowls. If she continued like this, she would starve to death if she was not frozen to death."

"You still have rice to eat."

The vigil was bored. When they heard them chatting, everyone else gathered over. One of them rubbed their empty stomachs and said with a pout, "My mother is old and can't be hungry. I gave her the only little bran cake left at home, and then chewed some cake crumbs, which were not enough to stuff the teeth. I don't know how to live tomorrow."

"I heard from the patrol brothers that some people were hungry and started to slim down the bark and eat grass roots, and they choked to death."

"Now, I can't even find the bark in the city..."

They talked in a slight manner, the more they spoke, the more solemn the atmosphere became. In the end, no one could open their mouths. The huge rocks pressed in their hearts and the shadows shrouded by death made people breathless.

No one knows what will happen tomorrow.

They are young and strong and can fight against the primary, but what should the elderly, weak, women and children in the family do?

Waiting to die if you can do anything?

"Hey, what's the sound?"

A man's ears moved, he lay on the city wall and looked down. The heavy snow fell like a tear-tearing, blocking his sight, and only the dark night and void could be seen.

Everyone listened to it for a while and cursed, "You guy is really hungry and you have hallucinations. Apart from the sound of the wind, there are no other sounds."

"that is."

They teased a few words, and the solemn atmosphere eased a little.

The young soldier frowned and did not respond. He was sure that he had heard something just now... intermittently, but why did this disappear again?

He continued to listen unwillingly, and in a moment, his face suddenly changed.

"No, it's the sound of horse hooves!"

"Listen, it's really the sound of horse hooves, someone is coming..."

Without him reminding others that they also heard the sound. The movement was getting closer and closer, and gradually became clear in their ears. "There are so many sounds of horse hooves, it seems that there are quite a few people coming."

"Is it the people sent by the imperial court to provide relief?"

One person doubted.

But his statement was quickly overturned, "Short long after the imperial envoy was killed, it took time for the imperial court to re-raise grain and dispatch personnel. It would not be possible that it would come so quickly. Besides, they were escorting things, so how could they rush to the end of the night?"

"Who could that be?"

“No…”

The young soldier changed his face, looked at the others, and said in a trembling voice: "Can they be those rebels?"

Several troops in Jizhou rebelled, siege cities and plundered land, burned, killed, looted, and made great contributions to the north. A few days ago, they heard that they had rectified their forces and prepared to go south.

If not, it will come here.

"No matter who it is, call the gong to warn the brothers."

Everyone ran away in all directions and quickly made arrangements. Firm sounds of gongs and drums sounded, and figures gathered up on the city tower, and archers posed arrows to pull the strings, ready to go.

The murderous intent spread silently.

"Shangyi City is closed down and the entry is prohibited, and those who come will stop—"

A roar penetrated the snow curtain and fell into Su Rao and others' ears. As the words fell, three "swish swish swish swish swish" sounds broke through the air and penetrated straight into the open space ten meters away.

"If you don't stop the horse, you will be killed without mercy!"

Another warning.

This distance was just right, not far or near, Yan Yun and the others all pulled their horses, looked up and saw that they met in the air. After a brief silence, someone from above asked, "Who is here? Let's sign up!"

"Crown Prince."

Gu Cheng called Yan Yun, Yan Yun nodded slightly. He immediately rode his horse and took two steps forward, and said loudly: "I am Gu Cheng, the deputy envoy of the Imperial City Department. I am ordered by the emperor to protect the imperial envoy to make a southern tour. I will take advantage of Jizhou to return to Beijing. I will report to the prefect quickly and open the city gate."

"Can the Imperial City Department have certificates?"

The above asked again.

Gu Cheng took out his waist sign and said, "The token is here, and it can be inspected."

"Please wait, sir."

Shortly after someone responded, a basket was hung from the city gate. "Recently, thieves and bandits in Jizhou have become plagued, and their identities must be strictly investigated. Please put the token in it for us to check it."

Gu Cheng's face changed.

After a moment, he forced himself to stand up and threw the token into the hanging basket.

The basket was lifted up.

"You'd better move faster, don't let Qin wait for a long time."

"yes."

Soon, there was a scream from above, "It turns out that they are really the adults of the Imperial City Department. The young people are blind and offensive. Then open the city gate. In order to avoid trouble from the refugees outside, please ride your horse and don't delay."

The city gate rumbled open.

But the people inside were very careful, and only opened a crack for one person to enter and exit.

When Su Rao heard the word "Disashi", she looked around, but due to her limited vision, she could not see any figures. Until she approached the city gate, she suddenly found that many people were trembling under the walls on both sides. They were completely covered with heavy snow and their movements were very stiff and slow due to the cold.

"The city gate is open, hurry up, go."

"Wait for us, we are going to enter the city!"

They shouted sadly, staggering towards the gate, and the officers and soldiers inside shouted, "Hurry, sir, hurry up, don't let them into the city."

Su Rao woke up from her dream and hurriedly followed Yan Yun and the others to ride their horses through the gaps in the city gate.

The last person entered the city.

They immediately closed the city gates, and the people who rushed over watched the two gates close again, slamming the doors and crying wildly, with their screams so sarcastic that it was heartbreaking.

"Why not let them in?"

Zhu Yan frowned and said, "Even if you can't provide food and cotton clothes, at least you can give them a place to block the wind and snow. Just blocking people outside is killing people!"

(End of this chapter)
Chapter completed!