Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

The red flare cut through the night sky, like a streak of blood, foreshadowing the coming of danger. Hu Bugui's face turned pale, and he cursed: "Damn it, I fell into a trap!" After that, he decisively ordered: "Retreat, return to the village quickly!"

They ran all the way, but the shouts and cries behind them were getting closer and closer. When they returned to the village, the flames were blazing, the shouts and cries were deafening, and the imperial army was already at the entrance of the village.

"Quick, organize the defense!" Hu Bugui raised his arm and shouted, and the villagers quickly entered combat status under his command.

At this moment, the man in black suddenly appeared in front of them. He took off the black cloth on his face, revealing a familiar face. It turned out to be Hu Bugui's former subordinate - Wang Hu!

"Wang Hu, you..." Hu Bugui was shocked and angry.

"Your Highness," Wang Hu knelt on one knee, "I am late, please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"You're not..." Hu Bugui hesitated to speak. In order to cover his escape, Wang Hu resolutely chose to cover his retreat. Everyone thought he had...

Wang Hu explained, "I was lucky enough to survive, and I have been secretly investigating the truth over the years. This time, I came here to bring a message to the prince and Miss Wu Tao: the real target of the court is not the village, but..." He lowered his voice, "but the legendary treasure hidden nearby!"

"Treasure?!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.

"Treasure?" Wu Tao muttered to himself, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind. If it was true as Wang Hu said, then the imperial army's coming this time was not accidental, but for this legendary treasure! In this way, things became more complicated.

Hu Bugui frowned, knowing that once the secret of the treasure was revealed, it would bring disaster to the village. He looked at Wang Hu and asked in a deep voice, "Who else knows about the treasure?"

Wang Hu shook his head: "Apart from my subordinates, only a few brothers from that year knew about it, but they..." He paused and didn't say anything else, but the meaning of his words was self-evident.

"I understand." Hu Bugui took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with determination, "Wang Hu, take your brothers to set traps around the village, and make sure to delay the imperial army!"

"Yes!" Wang Hu took the order and left. Soon, he summoned the soldiers in the village who had followed Hu Bugui through life and death. They were all veterans who had been on the battlefield for a long time and were already familiar with the formation and defense. They used the terrain around the village and cleverly set up various traps, including tripwires, horse pits, rolling stone formations, etc., just waiting for the imperial army to step into the trap and give them a head-on blow.

At the same time, Wu Tao was also actively thinking of ways. She remembered the precious medicinal herbs she had found in the treasure before, many of which had the effect of enhancing physical strength and improving mental strength. If these herbs could be used, it might help the villagers improve their fighting power.

Thinking of this, she immediately found the old doctor who lived in seclusion in the village and told him her idea. After listening, the old doctor pondered for a moment and said, "Miss, what you said is very true. I will try it now."

After that, the old doctor took Wu Tao to the hiding place of the treasure, carefully selected several medicinal herbs, and then returned to his own medicine room to start making medicine. While grinding the herbs, he explained to Wu Tao the characteristics and effects of each herb. Wu Tao listened very carefully and raised her questions from time to time. The old doctor patiently answered her questions.

Time passed by minute by minute, and beads of sweat oozed out of the old doctor's forehead. Finally, he added the last herb into the medicine pot, and suddenly, a strange fragrance spread. The old doctor scooped up a spoonful of medicine soup with a spoon and handed it to Wu Tao: "Girl, try it."

Wu Tao took the medicine bowl and drank it all. She immediately felt a warm current flowing into her limbs and bones, and her body was full of strength. She knew that this medicine would definitely help the villagers gain an advantage in the battle.

Wu Tao carefully observed the terrain of the village, and kept replaying various tactics she had seen in modern books and film and television works in her mind. Combining the actual situation of the village, she developed a sophisticated battle plan. She divided the villagers into several groups, responsible for tasks such as luring, ambush, and outflanking, and used the natural environment such as the woods and rivers around the village to set up multiple layers of defense, preparing to give the imperial army an unexpected blow.

As night fell, the moonlight shone like silver in the quiet village. The mountain breeze blew gently, and the leaves rustled, as if telling of the coming storm. Hu Bugui and Wu Tao stood side by side at the entrance of the village, looking at the dark skyline in the distance, where the imperial army was about to appear.

"Tao'er," Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, his deep eyes full of tenderness and determination, "Tomorrow's battle will determine life and death, but no matter what happens, I will do my best to protect you and the peace of the village."

Wu Tao held Hu Bugui's hand, her clear eyes flashing with determination in the moonlight. "Bugui, let's face it together. I will stay by your side regardless of life or death."

The two smiled at each other, with each other's figure reflected in each other's eyes. At this moment, their hearts were filled with hope for the future and love for each other. Even if tomorrow was the end of the world, they would walk through it together.

However, just as they were ready, a fire dragon suddenly appeared on the horizon, roaring and rushing towards the village. The imperial army had launched an attack ahead of time, with flames shooting into the sky and shouts of killing deafening, instantly shattering the tranquil night.

"How could this happen? How dare they?" Wu Tao looked at everything in front of him in disbelief. The originally peaceful village turned into a sea of fire in the blink of an eye.

Hu Bugui acted decisively and protected Wu Tao behind him. "Tao'er, don't be afraid, I'm here!" He commanded loudly, "Pass the order, all villagers immediately enter the secret passage and resist to the end!"

The well-trained subordinates acted quickly and led the villagers to retreat to the secret passage behind the village. However, Wu Tao refused to move an inch, "I will not return. I want to stay and fight with you!"

"No, it's too dangerous!" Hu Bugui said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "You must go to the secret passage. That's the safest place!"

"But..." Wu Tao wanted to say something else, but was pulled back by Hu Bugui and pushed into the panicked crowd. "Be obedient, for me, for everyone, stay alive!"

Wu Tao was swept by the villagers to run towards the secret passage. She looked back and saw Hu Bugui resolutely rushing towards the place where the fire was the brightest, fighting with the enemies who rushed into the village.

"Bugui!" Wu Tao cried heartbreakingly, but could only watch him disappear in the sea of fire. She knew that now was not the time to be sad, she had to stay strong and live on, so as not to let down Hu Bugui's sacrifice.

After entering the secret passage, Wu Tao tried to calm herself down. She realized that the imperial army launched an attack ahead of time because there must be a traitor who leaked their plan. But who betrayed them?