The cold wind of late autumn swept over the walls of Big Stone County, carrying a murderous chill. It whipped the banners atop the walls into a frenzy, making them howl like mournful cries.
Zhao Feng rested a hand on the blue bricks of the northern wall, his gaze sweeping toward the distant horizon like a hawk's. Beyond that horizon, a rolling black tide was bearing down on Big Stone County with the force of toppling mountains and overturning seas. Dust billowed skyward, blotting out the heavens and the sun. Even the sunlight seemed swallowed by that surging force, plunging heaven and earth into gloom.
"The rebel army is here! The rebel army really is here!"
Atop the walls, the defending soldiers stared at the approaching black tide and cried out in hushed voices. Their voices trembled despite their efforts to suppress it, and their hands unconsciously tightened around their spears until their knuckles turned white.
Behind them, County Magistrate Lu, Xu Commandant, Yue Lang, Luo Xiong, and the others wore grave expressions.
Only when they faced it themselves did they feel the terror of an army bearing down on their borders.
Starting from Bing Province, Wu Liang's rebel army had burned, killed, and plundered its way onward, committing every imaginable evil. Rather than being wiped out over the years, the rebels had grown stronger. Besides support from the Northern Barbarians, they had many martial experts of the Demonic Dao assisting them, making them a tail grown too large to control.
The rebels' figures grew clearer. Hooves thundered, and the infantry marched with heavy steps. Every footfall seemed to shake the earth, and those tremors traveled up the walls and into the hearts of every soldier and civilian defending the city, stirring panic.
The rebels' banners flapped wildly in the