Jiang Jin frowned. "What is going on?"
Zhou Sui stood up. "There is cavalry approaching from ahead. Judging by the sound, there could be a few hundred of them."
Jiang Jin's heart skipped a beat. There was no terrain here to rely on for defense. If they fought head-on, their current strength would not be enough to take on hundreds of cavalrymen.
She quickly issued an order: "Retreat into the dense forest and hide. Hurry!"
Their camp was a few dozen meters away from the official road, and since they had not yet stepped onto it, they could conceal themselves very quickly.
The group quickly retreated, herding their horses, and soon disappeared into the thick forest, lying in wait.
Veterans like Jiang Jin, Zhou Sui, and Yao Ji stayed behind to cover their tracks.
They were only halfway done when the faint sound of galloping hooves reached their ears.
Jiang Jin ordered sharply, "Fall back!"
The few of them swiftly slipped into the dense woods, peering through the layers of branches and leaves toward the official road.
Before long, a well-equipped, highly trained cavalry unit appeared on the road.
They were heavily built, clad in armor, and wielding sharp weapons. Riding three abreast, their movements were perfectly synchronized.
Even their horses wore armor. They moved as fast as the wind with a majestic aura, truly fine steeds.
As the hundreds of cavalrymen galloped past, the very ground seemed to tremble beneath their magnificent momentum.
A fiery glint flashed in Jiang Jin's eyes. It was a pity that neither the timing nor the terrain was in their favor; otherwise, she would have definitely seized those horses and armor.
Suddenly, one of the cavalrymen turned his head to look toward the dense forest.
However, the forest was dead silent, and he saw nothing.
He had just felt a sensation of being watched, but it abruptly vanished.
Frowning slightly, he turned back and continued galloping. He must have imagined it.
It was a long while after the cavalry unit had passed before Jiang Jin raised her head to look at the official road. That cavalryman had possessed incredibly sharp senses.
Jiang Jin asked in a low voice, "Are these Quzhao cavalry?"
Zhou Sui nodded. "Yes. Judging by their equipment, they should be an elite unit."
Jiang Jin knitted her brows, asking uncertainly, "Could their target be Lin County?"
Lin County had very likely already been taken by Luo Lan.
For Quzhao, losing Lin County, their grain sack, and having it completely slip from their control was something they absolutely could not allow.
Zhou Sui shared this suspicion. "That is highly possible."
Yao Ji sighed. "I am afraid there will be a fierce battle in Lin County."
Most of the surrounding counties and prefectures near Lin County had already been occupied by Quzhao. Aside from these few hundred cavalrymen, they would inevitably mobilize other soldiers to join the battle.
After waiting a little longer to ensure it was safe, Jiang Jin and the others retreated deeper into the dense forest to rally their troops and continue their journey.
Whether it was just bad luck or not, they had not traveled long that afternoon when they spotted numerous corpses scattered across the ground.
There were also clothes, utensils, and other items strewn about. They even saw two dilapidated handcarts overturned by the roadside.
To have abandoned even their basic belongings showed just how panicked the crowd had been when fleeing.
Zhou Sui dismounted to inspect the area and quickly returned to report, "The victims should not have been dead for long. Most suffered blade wounds. There are also messy footprints and hoofprints on the road."
Jiang Jin furrowed her brows. "A live raid?"
Zhou Sui had the same guess. "It seems so. My lady, should we go take a look?"
Jiang Jin asked, "Can you tell roughly how many of them there are?"
Zhou Sui pondered for a moment. "Judging by the hoofprints, there should be over a dozen horses."
The enemies had not passed by long ago, so some footprints were still visible.
Over a dozen horses did not mean there were only a dozen or so enemies. The usual method of a live raid involved those on horseback chasing and intercepting at the front, followed by a group of people binding and capturing the victims from behind.
Yao Ji and a few others walked over at this moment, waiting for Jiang Jin's decision.
Jiang Jin nodded. "Squad One, ride ahead with me. Yao Ji, you guard the main group."
Jiang Jin and Zhou Sui took the lead on horseback.
Dong Si hurriedly mounted a horse to follow. "My lady, I am going too."
Yun Chengxuan followed behind the three of them, an excited expression on his face. "I will join in on the fun too."
Under Xie Nanxiao's command, the soldiers of Squad One quickly removed their weight-bearing sandbags, leaped onto their horses, and swiftly followed Jiang Jin's group.
Watching the departing figures, Yun Yu complained helplessly, "Squad One is taking all the credit."
Yao Ji smiled and comforted him, "It is fine. Let us just practice more. It will be our turn soon."
Yun Yu understood this reasoning as well. He shouted to the soldiers under his command, "Did you see that? As long as we train hard and improve our strength, we can achieve merits! We can eat chicken legs!"
The soldiers were instantly pumped up, shouting, "Kill! Eat chicken legs!"
Shuangjiang had weight-bearing sandbags tied to her legs, waist, and arms, with her total body weight load reaching thirty kilograms.
The recent days had given her confidence and restored her original youthful vitality. Her eyes shone brightly. "Sisters, do you dare to add two more sandbags?"
The female soldiers shouted, "We dare!"
Xia Chanyi smiled. She really liked such a vibrant and energetic team.
Sitting in the carriage, Yun Ci watched the suddenly restless soldiers, a trace of deep thought and sighing flashing in his eyes.
Suo Qian, who shared the carriage with him, glanced at him and smiled. "Envious? Did your soldiers have this kind of drive?"
The two were of similar age, and after spending some time together, they had gradually become familiar, speaking as casually as old friends.
Yun Ci shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "Where would I have any soldiers left?"
He looked down at his legs and sighed. "It is a pity about my legs. Otherwise, I would not lose to these young folks."
Suo Qian also looked at his legs, feeling an equal sense of pity in his heart. As a healer, he knew exactly what condition Yun Ci's legs were in; it was impossible for him to ever stand up again in this lifetime.
Jiang Jin led the team in a rapid mounted dash. The corpses and scattered objects on the road became increasingly frequent. After traveling for about half a quarter of an hour, they saw the chaotic scene ahead.
Tens to hundreds of Han commoners had their hands bound and were strung together in several lines. Ten to twenty Quzhao men were still relentlessly capturing people; anyone caught was tied up, and those who resisted were killed on the spot.
Further ahead, over a dozen mounted Quzhao men were herding the Han commoners, driving them in this direction.
A tall man carrying an old woman on his back ran forward madly, the sound of galloping hooves behind him drawing closer and closer.
The old woman on his back cried out, "Son, put me down! Run for your own life and leave me be! Son, quickly put me down. Mother is begging you."
The tall man acted as if he did not hear her. His hands firmly gripped her legs, the veins on his neck bulging. His legs felt as though they no longer belonged to him. He did not know how long he had been running or how much longer he could keep going.
His only thought was to run, run, and keep running!
If he were caught, he might still have a glimmer of hope to survive, but a crippled person like his mother would certainly die. The Quzhao people would not take on burdens.
The sound of hooves behind him drew ever closer, and a whistling sound seemed to echo in his ears. He knew that it was the whip of a Quzhao man.
Crack.
With a loud smack, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. He stumbled, his entire body pitching forward, and the old woman on his back was thrown into the air.
Looking up, he saw the mounted Quzhao man flash him a cruel smile. The horse was charging wildly straight at the old woman, on the verge of trampling her.
