Several of them worked together to lift the bar from the city gate.
With a creak and groan, the towering gate swung open. A narrow slit appeared first, then slowly widened, revealing the anxious defending general behind it.
The defending general was a wandering knight with a fearsome reputation in the area. At home, he had heard that the previous general had fled in the face of the enemy, and had flown into a rage. He immediately agreed to his childhood friend's request to come help defend the city. Together, they canvassed the county and villages, rallying a militia of more than three hundred. Fewer than ten had managed to cultivate martial energy. Their realms were low, and their martial armor crude. Even after ordinary people searched the armory, they could only scrape together a few sets of battered armor. The rest had to wear coarse hemp clothes, with wooden boards and bamboo strips tied over their chests and backs.
They were filthy and gaunt, with sallow faces.
Compared with the imposing, murderous army outside the city, they looked pitifully weak. Forget holding the city against them—their gazes alone made a person shiver. What kind of eyes were those? Excited, bloodthirsty, restless, as if they might break free of their reins at any moment and sink their gaping jaws into their prey's vulnerable neck.
Bai Su rode at the head of the troops.
She flicked her whip, and the soldiers surged forward like a swarm, binding all the defenders who had surrendered. Then several ranks of soldiers marched out in formation to secure the city's vital points, such as the armory and granary.
"...It's empty in there. Even the mice would shake their heads."
Bai Su had been prepared for this. "It's only to be expected."
Before fleeing, the city's