Quick Wear: There is always a female supporting role tearing up the script

Thirty miles outside Cangzhou City is the winding Yulan River. This wide river that surrounds five cities was once a milestone in the Liao Kingdom's westward expedition.

Starting from Erdun’s ancestors, the farthest they fought was here.

The cities outside the Yulan River had been disturbed for years, and the Liao people had been ambitious for hundreds of years, but they had never crossed the river.

Only Erdun had already set up camp just a stone's throw away from Cangzhou.

He attacked the city twice, each time with only a few dozen men, attacking at night. The soldiers defending the city only rushed over in panic with their armor in disarray after they had climbed up the city wall.

He split a soldier's face in half in front of the captain, blood splattered all over his face. The body fell down, and he saw the captain's face full of panic, his legs trembling, waiting for him to walk up to him and chop off his head with his knife.

This was a cunning tactic taught to him by the cunning people of the Central Plains. The people of the Central Plains thought that the Liao people were barbaric, so they showed them their barbarity. The more afraid they were, the more likely they would be defeated.

This fragile dynasty lasted only thirteen years, and his army was so vulnerable that Erdun seemed to have seen his grand plan to unify the Central Plains.

He sat in his tent and unfolded the letter that was sent urgently from Shangjing. His old friend told him that an interesting person had come to Cangzhou.

The next head of the Yan family is Yan Huaiming, the only son of Yan Chongfu.

He put the letter on the candle and burned it, giving a strange smile.

On the second day, he led his troops to the city of Cangzhou in broad daylight, wanting to meet this man who was worth three cities.

The war drums were thundering. He used his spear to knock the man opposite him off his horse, and then raised the spear to stab him. A feather arrow shot straight from the city wall, and the black arrow tip was getting closer and closer to his eyes. He raised his head to avoid it, and the man on the ground took the opportunity to roll over and escape.

Erdun looked up and saw a man in a black cloak standing on the city wall. He had already put another arrow on his bow, and the bowstring was fully drawn, flying towards him.

Erdun tightened the reins and the horse dodged to the right, but was still shot in the front leg. It neighed and knelt on the ground.

Erdun's veins bulged, and he turned over and rode on the deputy general's horse. He looked up and stared at the man on the city wall with hatred.

Yan Huaiming put down his bow and arrow and looked at him with a serious look.

That night, the food and grass in Erdun's camp caught fire. The fire seemed to burn fiercely from all directions in an instant. The sky was as dark as ink that night, without a single star. The north wind was howling, and Erdun's tent was almost affected by the waves of fire.

Even though they were stationed by the Yulan River, half of the camp was burned down.

Erdun suffered heavy losses and dared not act rashly again.

Yan Huaiming was a much tougher nut to crack than he had imagined.

The letter he sent soon received a reply. The emperor of the Central Plains strengthened his promise to him and was willing to hand over all five cities along the Yulan River as long as he ended Yan Huaiming's life.

This is the people of the Central Plains, always plotting against each other, giving him an opportunity to take advantage of.

Now that he had crossed the Yulan River, five mere cities were nothing to him; he wanted to conquer the entire land.

His elite troops swam from the Yulan River to Huizhou, marched into the city gate in a swagger, and sneaked into Shangjing, where they joined up with the secret agents he had been lurking for years and launched a riot in the middle of the night.

Thick smoke filled the city and screams were heard everywhere.

The day before the incident, Wanwan left in a carriage.

Ji Feng was driving outside wearing a bamboo hat. Nanny Li sat in the car with her. She couldn't help but ask, "Why are we leaving?"

Nanny Li shook her head. "I don't know either. Miss, you just need to know that the young master only wants what's best for you."

Wanwan didn't ask any more questions.

The carriage was originally going to Wujun, but on the way, Ji Feng picked up a carrier pigeon and turned back to Cangzhou.

In Cangzhou, at Yan Huaiming's residence, Thirteen dragged three bodies out of the bushes and said to Fourteen, "These are the only three. Carry them out and bury them."

He yawned. "I finish one, and just when I'm about to close my eyes, another one comes along. It keeps coming one after another. I haven't slept all night."

Yunzhi came around the corner carrying a glass of water. "You're on duty and still want to sleep. I think the straps around your head and neck are too tight. I want someone to loosen them for you."

She walked away as she spoke, and after she finished speaking, she entered Yan Huaiming's yard. Thirteen pointed at her receding figure and said to Fourteen, "You have a very bad temper. I don't know how you will ever get married."

Yunzhi walked to Yan Huaiming's door and called out, "Master, are you awake? Do you want to wash up now?"

Yan Huaiming's voice came from inside: "You've come just in time, come in."

She pushed open the door and saw him in the middle of the room, half of his white shirt stained with blood, and there were even a few drops on his chin.

In front of him lay a motionless man in black with a brush stuck in his neck.

Yan Huaiming said: "He's still breathing, take him to get treated."

Yunzhi put down the basin, ordered someone to carry the man in black away, and sent someone to prepare water for Yan Huaiming to bathe.

Yan Huaiming washed his hands carefully in the basin. These days, he was being assassinated more and more frequently. Some of these people were from the Liao Kingdom, some from Shangjing, and some were in Cangzhou.

Everyone wants to kill him.

He read out a few names, all of them officials and generals from Cangzhou, and said, "There's no need to keep the rest."

He has figured out the city's structure, and now he is in control of it.

That night when the bloodstains were cleaned up, Wanwan's carriage arrived.

Yan Huaiming had not returned yet, so she was arranged to stay in his bedroom. She waited until late at night, but he still did not show up.

She finally couldn't help falling asleep, and in a trance she was embraced in a warm embrace.

When she woke up the next day, she was the only one in the bed. The beds next to her were cold. Yan Huaiming had been gone for a long time.

She and Nanny Li went out in a carriage to buy things. She lifted the curtain and saw that there were few pedestrians on the street, half of the shops were closed, and people passing by were walking hurriedly with heavy faces.

She knew that this was Cangzhou, and that the Liao monarch Erdun was just outside the city, and would send troops to provoke from time to time.

The Liao people could break through the city gates at any time, and the whole city was in panic.

Wanwan pointed to a newly built shed in front and asked, "What is that?"

Ji Feng outside the carriage replied, "Miss, that's where the young master ordered people to settle the refugees who fled from outside the city."

Wanwan said, "I want to go and see."

Nanny Li put a veil on her head, and Ji Feng led her over with a sword slung over his shoulder.

Many people sat outside the two rows of houses, men, women, young and old, all in tattered clothing, but their hands and faces were clean, clearly having washed. They had come from the fallen Lianzhou and Jun'an, finally finding a place to rest. Compared to the people of Cangzhou, who dreaded the coming war, their faces were more of a numb tranquility.

They have experienced war, death, and separation.

Not far away, there were two large pots boiling bitter medicine.

Wanwan walked into a room. The windows were wide open and it was bright inside. There were eight or nine small beds lined up, and the wounded were lying on them.

On the innermost bed, a little girl was sitting on it with her knees hugged, staring blankly out the window.

The person next to her said, "Her mother died last night and was just carried out and buried this morning."

Wanwan walked over and squatted beside the bed, at the same height as her. She looked out the window and said, "Look, that plum blossom has bloomed."

The little girl turned to look at her. Wanwan took off her veil, smiled slightly, touched her hair, and asked her to look up. "Look, it's over there."

"Do you want to go out and take a look?" she asked softly.

She took the little girl's hand. The little girl was wearing a clean cotton jacket, which was very thick, so her hands were not cold.

They went around to the back of the house. The sun was warm, the wintersweets were in full bloom, and the fragrance was overwhelming.

They stood under the plum tree. Wanwan stood on tiptoe and broke off a branch, handing it to the little girl. She said, "It smells good, doesn't it? I'll find you a bottle later and put it in the house. The whole house will be filled with fragrance."

They walked outside for a while and then returned to the shed. The little girl held the plum blossom. Wanwan squatted down and touched her face. She said, "I have some kind of apricot preserves at home. They are very sweet. I will bring them to you tomorrow."

The little girl put her face close to the plum blossom and said to it, "My name is Ruizhu."

"My name is Wanwan." She said with a smile.