The short soldier ran even faster, his voice carrying a hint of hoarseness as he shouted, "I'm going to get reinforcements! Hold on, I'll bring people over right away!"
The other soldiers thought it made sense. The fire was too massive; they couldn't possibly extinguish it on their own. "Then hurry! This is our food supply. If it all burns to the ground, we're doomed!"
The short soldier, who was actually Jiang Jin, had already dashed to the stables. She selected the tallest and sturdiest black horse, mounted it, and rode off.
She knew how to ride a horse. She had learned it back in the twenty-fifth century and was quite an expert at it.
Actually, there was no need for her to report it. The massive fire had already caught the attention of many residents in the city.
The Governor's Manor, Xilin Garden.
Jiao Liang sat in the seat of honor. He raised the wine cup in his hand and downed it in one gulp, his scarlet, wolf-like eyes fixed on a group of graceful women dancing on the floor.
Seated on both sides below him were over a dozen of his subordinates. Their tables were laden with wine and delicacies, and beautiful women were serving by their sides.
These men were all of the Jiao tribe, known for their fondness for Han women. The more restrained ones merely slipped their hands over the women's bodies, while the impatient ones were already stripping the women they held. The scene was filled with an air of debauchery.
At that moment, Guan Jin hurried in and whispered a few words into Jiao Liang's ear.
Jiao Liang's eyes turned cold, and he pushed away the woman beside him. "What? Send people to put out the fire immediately!"
Guan Jin replied with his head bowed, "Two squads have already been dispatched. Please rest assured, General."
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the subordinates below restrained themselves a bit. A burly man with a thick beard asked, "Great General, what happened?"
Jiao Liang did not hide it. "The granary has suddenly caught fire."
Everyone was startled. The granary affected all of them; most of the food they had acquired through burning, killing, and looting was stored there.
Although people had been sent to various counties to collect grain, years of war had left more than half of the Han commoners dead or wounded, so this year's harvest would certainly not be good.
The bearded man immediately volunteered, "Great General, your subordinate wishes to go to the granary to provide support."
Jiao Liang nodded in agreement. "Granted. Go at once."
After the bearded man hurried away, he waved his hand, dismissing the dancing girls. He stood up and took large strides toward the council chamber. "Do we know the cause?"
Guan Jin followed behind him. "It is still uncertain."
Jiao Liang frowned. A surge of brutality welled up in his chest with nowhere to vent. His voice was ruthless. "Investigate! Find out for me!"
The subordinates exchanged glances, straightened their clothes, and stood up to follow Jiao Liang.
While various speculations were being made over there, Jiang Jin had already arrived at the small weapon workshop in the west of the city.
After the Jiao tribe occupied the granary, this weapon workshop continued to be used. After all, weapons were extremely important during times of war.
There were not many guards at night, only two soldiers.
These two were quite careless, standing at the door watching the billowing smoke coming from the direction of the granary.
They were a bit surprised to hear the sound of hooves. Seeing Jiang Jin dismount and walk toward them, the two grew alert. "Which camp are you from?"
Jiang Jin's tone was not very friendly. "The granary is on fire. Why aren't you going to put it out?"
The two were baffled. "We didn't receive any transfer orders."
Jiang Jin had already walked up to them. Before the other party could react, she pressed the stun baton in her hand against one of their chests.
Seeing his companion suddenly start convulsing, the other man was startled and hurried to support him. "What's wrong with..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he began to convulse as well.
After Jiang Jin electrocuted the two to death, she entered the weapon workshop. This workshop was indeed very small, with just a few sets of water-powered trip hammers, bellows, and other iron-smelting tools, though there were quite a few crucibles.
To her great surprise, besides over fifty sets of standard blades, there were also more than a dozen longswords, along with some raw materials and semi-finished products. Jiang Jin stored all of them into her spatial dimension, leaving nothing behind.
Only after confirming nothing was left did she exit the weapon workshop, mount her horse, and gallop quickly toward the East Gate of Liang City.
The gate tower at the East Gate was the tallest building in all of Liang City. In addition to the eight-meter-high city wall, the main body of the tower had three stories, reaching a total height of about twenty-six meters. Standing at the top of the tower, one could almost get a bird's-eye view of the entire city.
The Governor's Manor could also be seen clearly. And she was going to assassinate Jiao Liang from this very tower!
The East Gate was also the most heavily guarded among the four gates of Liang City, with over twenty people stationed there.
One must know that it was not a time of active battle, and the surrounding counties of Liang City had already been taken by the Jiao people one by one, so this level of defense was considered strict.
The torches were dim. Five soldiers stood on the top floor of the tower, and the one standing in the middle was the captain of the East Gate guard squad for tonight.
Watching the billowing smoke and fire from the direction of the granary, the captain's expression was grave.
A man with a scar on his face standing to the left said, "With a fire this big, putting it out won't be easy."
Another soldier chimed in, "I wonder what happened. How did it catch fire? I hope the Great General can send people to put it out as soon as possible."
They had seen the fire when it started and had immediately sent someone to the Governor's Manor to inform the Great General. Based on the time, the Great General should already know.
The scarred man showed a hint of anxiety on his face. "Could it be the same group who burned the Cao residence?"
This grain was their food ration. Even if they ran out of grain, there were still the commoners in the city.
But he didn't like it. He didn't like the taste of human flesh. Besides, eating meat every day was sickening.
The captain's expression was gloomy. "I'm not sure. Let's guard the city gate well, in case there are any sudden changes!"
Suddenly, the sound of hooves came from afar. The torches were dim, making it impossible to see the figure clearly, but judging by the sound, it should be a single rider.
The gate guards all became alert.
The captain drew his bow and shouted, "Who is it?"
Jiang Jin shouted back, "The granary is on fire! The Great General orders you to send a small squad immediately to help put it out."
The captain frowned, feeling a bit strange. No matter what, it shouldn't be the turn of the gate guards to put out fires.
Finally, the single rider arrived in front of the tower. Under the faint light of the torches, the crowd saw a short soldier.
Jiang Jin dismounted nimbly and ran toward the tower. "Hurry, the situation is urgent! The Great General can't spare enough men over there."
Besides the soldiers on the tower, there were also several soldiers standing on the ground. They stepped forward to block Jiang Jin and asked, "Which camp are you from?"
Jiang Jin was still panting slightly. "I'll show you my waist tag."
As she spoke, her hand reached for her waist. With a clang, she drew the Tang sword from her waist and slashed at the soldier who had just spoken.
This sword was a cold weapon stored in her spatial dimension, incredibly sharp. She had taken it out while riding.
None of them expected her to suddenly attack. By the time they reacted, two people had already been cut down. Blood splattered, and screams rang out.
Hearing the screams, the captain knew things had gone wrong. He took the lead and rushed downstairs. "Quick, we've been tricked!"
Since the enemy had already reached the base of the tower, their bows and arrows were of no use.
The scarred man followed behind him, tightly gripping the iron hammer in his hand. His voice was filled with hatred. "How dare they come to our tower! Watch me smash his head open with one hammer blow."
The soldiers on the second and third floors didn't need the captain's orders; the moment they heard the screams, they had already started running down the stairs along the city wall.
Having dealt with the men on the ground, Jiang Jin looked at the soldiers rushing down. A smile spread across her lips. A dark stun baton appeared in her left hand, and she charged upward.
The man running at the very front swung his blade at Jiang Jin.
