After the system ran, I took off with my family

General Bahazan was extremely tall and incredibly strong; every strike he delivered carried immense force.

Knowing that he was at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation, Xie Yi used his agile movements to skillfully evade and look for an opportunity to counterattack.

At this moment, Bahazan charged forward, his broadsword slashing straight at Xie Yi.

But Xie Yi remained unfazed. He dodged to the side and thrust his spear toward Xie Yi's chest with lightning speed.

Startled, Bahazan reacted quickly, using his sword to block, but he was still cut open.

He glanced at the wound on his chest, roared, and launched an even more ferocious attack.

The soldiers on the border were also fighting hard, but the Turkic enemy forces were numerous, and the battle between the two sides was temporarily deadlocked.

Xie Yi seized the opportunity, flipped over and leaped behind General Bahazan, thrusting his spear fiercely into his back.

General Bahazan was so shocked that he had no time to dodge. He felt a sharp pain in his back and couldn't help but groan.

"General!"

Upon seeing this, Bahazan's two confidants immediately abandoned the Zhenbei Army soldiers they were fighting and swung their swords at Xie Yi.

Xie Yi reacted extremely quickly, pulling back his spear and turning to defend himself.

During this brief respite, Bahazan, enduring the pain in his back, retreated to the rear under the escort of another trusted confidant.

Xie Yi engaged in a fierce battle with two of Bahazan's trusted men. His spear flew like a dragon, and his moves were so sharp that he completely overwhelmed the two men.

Just as he was about to finish off his opponent with a single shot, suddenly, with a "whoosh," a cold arrow shot from not far away, aiming straight for his throat.

At the critical moment, the soldier beside Xie Yi reacted quickly and pulled him away. The arrow grazed his cheek and struck a Turkic soldier behind him.

Xie Yi's gaze turned cold as he quickly looked in the direction from which the arrow had come, only to meet Bahazan's chilling gaze.

The longbow he was holding was still trembling slightly, clearly indicating that the arrow he had just fired had come from his own hand.

Bahazan shifted his gaze, surveyed the battlefield, snorted coldly, and then waved his hand, ordering a retreat.

The Turkic enemy army retreated in haste, and a trusted aide beside Xie Yi hurriedly asked, "General, should we give chase?"

Xie Yi shook his head. "We must not be rash. The Turks are cunning and treacherous. If we pursue them now, we might fall into an ambush."

However, Bahazan, having suffered a loss this time, will certainly not let it go. They will need to strengthen their defenses and redeploy their defensive strategies to ensure the border is completely secure.

With this in mind, he quickly summoned his generals and began to take stock of the casualties, arrange for the treatment of the wounded, and clean up the battlefield.

The sounds of fighting and war drums from Yangcheng Pass and Dongguan Pass eventually penetrated the thick city walls and reached inside Yangcheng.

The people who were sleeping were suddenly awakened. Some put on their clothes and got up, while others hugged their children tightly. They all crowded into the house with the doors and windows tightly closed.

They held their breath, listening intently to the sounds outside.

Only when the patrolling soldiers in the city brought the good news that the Turkic enemy had temporarily retreated did everyone finally relax.

Lin Shuyue walked into the main room and saw Qinghe and Qingzhi sitting in chairs with red eyes and tired expressions. She said, "There's still some time before dawn. Go back and get some more sleep."

"Miss, the Turkic enemy shouldn't launch another attack today, right?"

Qinghe gave a delicate yawn, looking at her with teary eyes.

Lin Shuyue pulled up a chair and sat down, casually saying, "Well, in theory, it should be quiet for a while."

Seeing that the two little girls were so sleepy, she waved her hand and urged them to go back to their room: "Alright, stop thinking about it and go to sleep. You're still young and growing."

"Alright, then this servant will go back to her room first."

In Qinghe and Qingzhi's hearts, their young lady was like a fairy, different from them ordinary mortals. They didn't see that their young lady was tired after staying up all night, so they didn't urge Lin Shuyue to rest. They just responded and went back to their room yawning.

After the two maids returned to their rooms, Lin Shuyue stepped into the courtyard and stood there.

It was early morning, around 3 AM. Perhaps startled by the commotion tonight, the once bright crescent moon had hidden behind thick clouds, revealing only a faint silhouette. A biting autumn wind blew by, and upon closer inspection, one could detect a faint smell of blood in the air.

Lin Shuyue unconsciously frowned slightly, gazing at the cold, desolate night, and said in a cold voice, "You two, why don't you come out and have a chat?"

Those hidden in the darkness froze upon hearing this, and after a few moments of silence, two figures slowly emerged from the shadows...

...................................................

As night quietly passed and daylight broke, the people of Yangcheng still kept their doors and windows locked. Only a few who had not been able to buy grain the day before cautiously opened their doors, peeked around, and then hurried to the grain shops.

Bright red silks were everywhere in the backyard of the Yangcheng County Government Office, where a wedding had just taken place. However, there was no joy at all, and the servants coming and going had a look of unease on their faces.

In the study in the front courtyard, Tian Zhiwen, the magistrate of Yangcheng County, who had just seen off the cavalrymen from Zhenbei who had come to deliver the message, stood by the window, gazing at the gloomy sky outside with a solemn expression.

At that moment, a gaunt, long-bearded man rushed in, his face filled with urgency: "Sir, has the person left? What is the situation?"

"Okay, take a look first."

Tian Zhiwen turned around and pointed to the opened letter on the table.

The long-bearded man was none other than Lu Wohuai, one of Tian Zhiwen's right-hand men.

Master Lu quickly glanced at Tian Zhiwen's expression, his heart suddenly sinking. He then walked to the desk and picked up the letter bearing the seal of the Zhenbei Army to examine it.

Unexpectedly, the more he read, the more alarmed he became. The letter stated that the Turkic barbarians' attack was no small matter, and the war would likely be extremely difficult and protracted.

The letter strictly ordered Tian Zhiwen to appease the people in the city and to prepare for the worst. If the enemy army sneaked in from the mountain range on the east side of Huxiao Mountain and rushed straight to Yangcheng, he was ordered to fight to the last man and not let Yangcheng fall into enemy hands.

"My lord, this..."

Master Lu looked grave. He had sensed something was amiss during last night's battle. In previous years, the Turkic barbarians had invaded every year, but none had come with such ferocity as this time, launching attacks on both Yangcheng Pass and Dongguan Pass simultaneously, as if they were determined to win.

"Hold my hand." Tian Zhiwen turned around and looked at Master Lu.

"Give the order: starting immediately, instruct those responsible for patrolling the city to be on high alert. If any civilians cause disturbances due to panic, they must first be appeased with kind words; but if anyone deliberately causes trouble or provokes without cause, they should be made an example of to deter others."

Furthermore, more guards need to be assigned to the two city gates, and they should be ordered to take turns guarding them day and night, maintaining high vigilance and not letting their guard down.