As daylight broke, the roaring in their ears jolted the soldiers atop Biao Mountain Castle awake from their dozing, each of them hurriedly gathering their spirits.
"What time do you think it is? You still dare to slack off." Army Head Ding scolded in anger.
"Sir, we didn't mean to slack off, but we simply couldn't hold on any longer." A soldier boldly spoke up.
"Right, sir, when will the reinforcements arrive?" Another soldier eagerly inquired.
Army Head Ding Dashan's face darkened further, clearly not wishing to answer either question, having exhausted all excuses and reasons to stall in this past half month.
All of a sudden, his eyes lit up.
"Look over there." He said.
What's over there? The soldiers quickly turned to look and were immediately startled.
A plume of dust was kicked up under the sunlight, and a troop of men and horses with shining armor approached, clearly distinct from their own.
If it's not the Jin Army, then who else could it be.
The soldiers broke out in a cold sweat from fright, and the tension mounted across the entire castle.
Having been on guard here for half a month, they had become familiar with this group of woodcutters.
They were the Jin Army that had occupied Qili Platform, flaunting their strength behind the backing of the three thousand Jin Army soldiers from Kaide Prefecture, plundering everywhere.
It wasn't that no one had fought them, but these woodcutters who had slaughtered their way from the northern lands were extremely fierce and well-equipped. Engaging them in battle never gave any advantage, rather it provoked a counterattack from the Jin Army of Kaide Prefecture.
Due to the unclear situation, coupled with the withdrawal of the Anli Army, the various stationed troops left behind had no idea how to proceed and were simply instructed to wait for reinforcements.
The reinforcements didn't come, and without daring to venture another battle, they could only watch helplessly as the Jin Army swaggered and oppressed civilians right before their eyes.
"Where are these damned thieves off to wreak havoc now?" A few soldiers spat out fiercely as they cursed.
The Jin Army drew closer to the castle, but unlike the usual provocations and jeering, they continued on their way.
Who could guess which village would be their next unfortunate victim.
The soldiers on the ramparts were furious, but with Army Head Ding's low warning not to cause trouble, they could only suppress their anger and watch the Jin Army hatefully.
Yet, one soldier suddenly noticed a man among the group of woodcutters, his eyes turning blood red as he clenched his bow tightly.
"Scoundrel!" He leapt up suddenly, "Give me back my parents' lives!"
Along with his shout, an arrow shot forth from his hand, and a member of the marching Jin Army cried out as he tumbled from his horse.
This sudden incident alarmed everyone, both inside and outside.
Ding Dashan himself broke out in a cold sweat.
"Ma Dou, what are you doing?" He whispered sharply.
The young soldier, known as Ma Dou, was trembling all over; it seemed he too had not expected to actually hit his target, his facial expression a mixture of joy and sorrow.
"He killed my parents," he cried out, voice quivering.
Not long ago, this band of woodcutters had slain a group of civilians who were fleeing towards the fort, among whom were Ma Dou's parents.
This was an irreconcilable blood feud, and Ding Dashan had no right to say anything.
"Prepare for battle," he pondered for a moment before speaking gravely.
The soldiers on the castle ramparts immediately sprang into action, aiming their bows at the Jin Army below.
The Jin Army was still in confusion, helping the man who had been shot and toppled from his horse back to his feet. This woodcutter had not been hit fatally, as he stood up clutching his wound, wailing and cursing, while the other woodcutters turned their horses in annoyance, aiming their bows back at the castle.
But the leading woodcutter shouted a few words, and the Jin soldiers, although reluctant, put away their bows and after cursing the people on the castle a few times, they mounted and left.
The dust rolled and soon vanished from sight, leaving the Zhou Soldiers on top of the castle somewhat dazed.
They actually left?
Just one wounded man, and they left without striking back?
The one who had fired the arrow, Ma Dou, collapsed to the ground like someone drained of all strength, burying his head in his knees and began to sob.
His cries were filled with joy, sorrow, and self-reproach.
Of course, he knew that his earlier arrow might bring disaster upon the fort.
Although it was unclear why the Jin Army had left this way, Ding Dashan still breathed a sigh of relief.
"The direction they're heading looks like they're going to Kaide Prefecture; probably they've gone to call for help," a soldier mumbled.
This comment made everyone tense up again.
The sobs of Ma Dou grew louder.
Ding Dashan frowned and kicked him.
"Crying for what? No backbone!" he berated, "Get up! You didn't even kill with a single arrow, don't embarrass me when we battle again."
Ma Dou lifted his head, his expression dazed, as if he hadn't grasped the meaning.
Ding Dashan no longer looked at him, and drew his waist knife.
"Order is given, prepare for battle," he bellowed.
.........…
But all the way till the next day, the Jin Army still hadn't attacked again; rather, the group of Jin soldiers had gone and not returned.
What's going on?
Ding Dashan sent out scouts to gather information, and soon they had news.
It turned out that these Jin soldiers weren't gone to fetch reinforcements, rather they had been recalled back to Kaide Prefecture and had not ventured out again in the subsequent days.
What could have caused these arrogant Jin soldiers to suddenly become like this?
The news brought back by the scouts was even more shocking.
"The Jin soldiers at Qili Platform were killed twelve in one night?" Ding Dashan exclaimed in surprise.
This statement made all the soldiers at the fort gather around, with expressions both astonished and admiring.
They were very clear about how fierce these Jin soldiers were, typically it took three of them to hold one down.
To kill twelve Jin soldiers, there must have been quite a number of people.
"Which group of brothers did this?" everyone asked in succession, "We haven't heard any movements of troops being deployed."
The scout shook his head.
"It wasn't our people," he said, "And it wasn't many people either. A witness said it was done by one person."
One person!
The noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
To kill twelve by oneself, they had no idea how to regard this person anymore.
This simply isn't human.
"Who is this person?" Ding Dashan asked, his face full of longing.
Such a hero must be recruited into the army.
"The witness said he claimed to be a woodcutter from the countryside," said the scout.
The crowd fell silent once again.
A woodcutter from the countryside…
Could it be a broken and homeless villager, a lone hero wanting to kill Jin soldiers for revenge?
Everyone spontaneously filled in the backstory of this person in their minds, even sketching out his appearance.
Lean and plain, earnest and simple, it's that kind of person almost everyone knows who hardly ever speaks, like a piece of wood, but when pushed to the brink, they suddenly explode, fearless of both heaven and earth.
Such people are not uncommon, however, to explode to the extent of one killing twelve, that really is unheard of.
Are the woodcutters in the countryside all this formidable now?
"What kind of wood has he been chopping all this time." Ding Dashan muttered to himself.
The scout didn't hear his muttering and, as if remembering something, hurriedly took out a scroll from his sleeve.
"Also, my lord, this is a wanted notice that has been issued," he said.
Ding Dashan frowned as he accepted it.
"What a time it is and they still care to put out a wanted notice," he said irritably, unfolding the scroll to look at the portrait and the text, his expression turning from surprise to complex.
"The Duke of Chengguo's heir…"
He silently looked at it for a moment before handing the scroll to someone nearby.
"Pass the order down," he said.
............….
On a mountain half-burnt by fire, the rocks steep and forests dense, appearing even more ferocious in the winter day.
This was because when civilians hid in the mountains, the Jin soldiers casually set a fire.
At this time, there were no more civilians in the mountains; after all, hiding here without food or drink was also a dead end.
Among the desolate and eerie quiet, the sound of soft footsteps came.
This was a young man walking through the mountains.
His clothing was somewhat disheveled, a rope tied around his waist with an axe attached, head bowed as if searching for something, occasionally turning over the rocks at his feet.
Because his head was lowered, his face and expression were unclear, only the pace of his steps getting increasingly faster.
Quickly arriving at the mountainside, after turning a bend, he stopped, took a deep sniff, lifted his head, and smiled at the silent mountain woods.
If someone who had seen the wanted notice was present, they would recognize that this was the Duke of Chengguo's heir, Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan did not exhibit the anxiety of someone 'wanted dead or alive,' appearing relaxed and at ease.
Standing in the mountains, he seemed more isolated.
But moments later, footsteps came from all directions, and then like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, more than a dozen men emerged.
These men wore ordinary clothes, differing in appearance and age, but the commonality was that each had an axe tied to their waist.
Without a word, they surrounded Zhu Zan, who then also stopped talking, walking towards them, standing in front of one of the men.
The man held a bundle in his hand and upon seeing Zhu Zan step over, he opened it.
Zhu Zan turned his back to the crowd, performed some actions, and when he turned around again, he had transformed into a big-bearded man with flecks of gray in his hair. Apart from his lively eyes, his entire appearance seemed to have aged twenty years.
It was only at this moment that the surrounding men stepped back in unison, and also bowed in greeting simultaneously.
"Big brother!" they shouted in unison.
Zhu Zan pressed his hand on the axe at his waist.
"Let's get to work," he said with a calm gaze.
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The second update will be delayed until 8 o'clock