The people of Jiannan Province are fierce, otherwise even in a famine year, I am afraid that there will not be so many thieves. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

And there are not a few people who know how to do a few kung fu, but those who dare to resist and kill must be heroes with blood and bravery, and the few people mentioned by Wan Xiaodao are inevitably curious.

It didn't take long for six people to be brought into the hut.

Xuanyuan Chen could see at a glance that the person standing at the front should be the leader of this group, this person had a boxy head, a face like weathered rock, and two scars crisscrossing the left side of his face. There were four people behind him who also looked fierce, but compared to that person, the momentum was obviously a little lower.

There is another person, about thirty years old, his face is covered with a thick layer of dust, and he looks a little sloppy, but he can still see a little delicate between his eyebrows, his figure is much thinner than the other five, and his steps are frivolous and weak when he walks in, and he doesn't look like a person who practices martial arts.

After Xuanyuan Chen looked at the six people, he looked at the person in the lead and asked, "Who are you?" He didn't ask who it was, but who it was, obviously paying more attention to the identities of the six, and there was a faint look of vigilance in his tone.

The man at the head had a calm face, and said: "The humble position is Duan Qifeng, the lieutenant of Laocheng County, and he has seen the general!" As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the delicate man behind him: "This is the county lord Bo, Xiao Tianming, and the other four are lowly subordinates."

Xuanyuan Chen's eyes drooped slightly, and he said lightly: "I'm not a general."

Duan Qifeng was stunned when he heard this, he had seen how powerful these people in front of him were killing thieves, it was simply devastating, as if killing a group of brutes who didn't know how to resist.

This kind of combat effectiveness can only be possessed by the army, and when fighting, these people cooperate tacitly and are skilled in formation, and they know that they are an elite division at a glance, but why does the other party, a young man who is obviously the chief officer, say that he is not a general?

Duan Qifeng had an upright personality, he couldn't hide his doubts in his heart, and was about to open his mouth to ask, but the corner of his clothes was pulled by someone, he turned his head to look, and immediately closed his mouth.

Xuanyuan Chen's eyes froze, the other party's small movements did not escape his eyes, and it was the Laocheng Lord Bo and Xiao Tianming who reminded Duan Qifeng not to say much.

Xiao Tianming seems to be weak, and his status is obviously not low among these six people, at least he has a lot of influence on Duan Qifeng.

As for the identities of Duan Qifeng and Xiao Tianming, Xuanyuan Chen did not doubt it, a county lieutenant and a master Bo were all officials of the imperial court, and they only needed to send someone down the mountain to inquire, and they could understand it clearly, and there was no possibility for the other party to lie on this point.

Xuanyuan Chen asked again, "How could you be coerced up the mountain by the thieves of Dragon King Mountain?"

Duan Qifeng's expression darkened, there was already sadness in his eyes, Xiao Tianming behind him stepped forward and said: "General Huiyu, about a month ago, the thieves of Longwangzhai invaded Laocheng, Lord Duan resisted desperately, most of the defenders of Laocheng have been transferred, and the soldiers are outnumbered, Laocheng was attacked by thieves after holding on for half a long time, and the lowly rank was defeated before being coerced up the mountain."

Xiao Tianming said calmly, and he still called Xuanyuan Chen a general in his words, which shows that he, like Duan Qifeng, identified the other party as a general in command.

This is a person who seems to be knowledgeable, but he obviously has a strong temper in his bones.

Xuanyuan Chen had just finished evaluating Xiao Tianming in his heart, and Leng Junao beside him suddenly asked, "As a military attache of a county, why don't you live and die with Laocheng?" His voice was word-by-word, and the coldness in it was like ice.

Dying on the battlefield is the destination of soldiers! Defeated and captured, but it is a shame for the soldiers!

In the grass shed, all the officers of the Beiliang Army, who regarded honor as heavier than life, all showed disdain, and Zuo Kui even sneered: "I thought it was some kind of hero, but it turned out to be a few cowards."

Duan Qifeng's face was flushed, and he was extremely ashamed, and his subordinates were angry, and shouted: "Laocheng is broken, it is not a crime of war, why do you say that, and Brother Duan, he has already ......"

Before the words were finished, they saw a flash of sword light, bringing out a stream of blood and rushing to the ground, and everyone only saw Leng Junao's long sword pointed at the person who spoke, and the tip of the sword was against his throat, and it would kill him in the slightest further minute.

The man who spoke looked sluggish, he didn't see how Leng Junao took out the sword at all, and when he saw blood splashing, he thought he was dead, and finally came to his senses, only to find that the blood was not his, but flowed from between Duan Qifeng's fingers.

Duan Qifeng held Leng Junao's long sword with one hand, allowing blood to flow out of the cut palm, his eyes were as red as fire, and he said with a resolute face: "Laocheng is lost, the sin lies with me, if the general wants to punish the crime, it is enough to kill one of the lowly people!"

Leng Junao's face did not loosen in the slightest, and he said coldly: "I want to kill him, you can't stop him at all." The person who spoke did not die, it was not that Duan Qifeng was able to grasp the long sword, but that Leng Junao did not contribute.

Duan Qifeng did not deny it, and said in a grateful tone: "I know that I know for my subordinates, and I thank this general for his grace not to kill." With that, he let go of his sword-gripping hand, which was as pale as snow because of the blood loss.

Leng Junao still said indifferently: "He doesn't deserve to die, but you have a reason to die." As soon as the sword blade turned, it was instantly aimed at Duan Qifeng's throat.

Duan Qifeng did not resist, but closed his eyes, and his expression showed a hint of relief.

Suddenly, I only heard a shout: "The general's sword is merciful, please listen to the last sentence of the humble position, and it is not too late to kill the county lieutenant Duan." It was Xiao Tianming who spoke, he stopped Leng Jun from taking out his sword, but his eyes were looking at Xuanyuan Chen.

The officers of the Northern Liang Army in the grass shed also focused their eyes on Xuanyuan Chen, and there was recognition and tolerance in their eyes, Duan Qifeng's sacrifice obviously greatly changed his image in the hearts of everyone.

However, Xuanyuan Chen didn't see any expression on his face, he just gave Xiao Tianming a look and motioned for him to continue.

Xiao Tianming straightened his waist, glanced around at everyone, and said loudly: "As the highest military attache of a county, after Laocheng was attacked by thieves, Lord Duan is indeed to blame, but although Lord Duan is guilty, he has greater credit!"

Xuanyuan Chen put down the wooden scoop in his hand, looked at Xiao Tianming coldly, and said, "Where is the credit?"

Xiao Tianming said with a calm expression: "The general can know that when Lord Duan was in the city, he had the opportunity to escape, but in the end he was willing to be captured, what is the reason?" Without waiting for Xuanyuan Chen****, Xiao Tianming said again: "The thief leader Lu San took a fancy to Lord Duan's bravery and wanted to recruit him, so he threatened to kill his wife and children if Lord Duan escaped!"

Duan Qifeng's eyes were full of tears, and he shouted loudly: "Brother Xian, don't say it, don't say it again......" His tone was hoarse, and his face was full of pain.

Xiao Tianming didn't care about it, and raised his voice and said: "Lord Duan's wife didn't want to drag down her father-in-law, so she personally strangled their only daughter, who was just a full moon, and then used a foot of white silk to commit suicide on the beam in the house."

The heart is dead, the tears are dry!

Duan Qifeng's dignified seven-foot man was like a walking corpse at this time, standing in place with blank eyes.

Leng Jun's arrogant long sword had been put away at some point, and there was a hint of emotion in his lonely and cold expression, but Xiao Tianming's words were not finished, and he continued: "After Lord Duan's wife and daughter died, the thief leader had a poisonous plan in his heart and threatened Lord Duan, if he didn't go to Longwang Mountain, he would kill all the thousands of people in Laocheng, and not one of them would be left!"

In the end, Xiao Tianming said in an aggressive tone, forcing his eyes at Xuanyuan Chen: "General, now you say, should Lord Duan die?"

As soon as this question came out, there was silence in the grass hut.

Zuo Kui lowered his head, with a look of guilt on his face, he really wanted to slap himself in the mouth for what he just said.

Xuanyuan Chen did not avoid Xiao Tianming's scorching gaze, he slowly stood up and said: "Stealing a life for the sake of the people is commendable, but the crime of losing the city has to be investigated!"

Zuo Kui, Wan Xiaodao and the others looked at Xuanyuan Chen, and they didn't make a sound, but they all felt that Xuanyuan Chen was too strict.

Xiao Tianming's eyes were a little more indignant, and he looked up to the sky and laughed wildly: "What a crime of losing the city!" His face sank, and he asked in a loud voice: "May I ask the general, in the face of the attack of four thousand thieves, how many defenders do you need to keep the city from losing a small city like Laocheng, which is less than four meters high and in disrepair, and whose city defense is useless?"

Xuanyuan Chen didn't answer, but asked rhetorically, "How many troops do you think you need?"

Xiao Tianming replied: "I'm just a civil official, I don't know anything about military affairs, but I also know that the more troops defending the city, the better, but the defenders in the city have long been transferred away by General Longwu together with the county lord, so I can only gather the only troops in the county with Lord Duan, including the yamen, the catchers, and even the miscellaneous servants and horsemen in the yamen."

Xuanyuan Chen's brows furrowed slightly, and there was contemplation in his eyes.

Xiao Tianming suddenly smiled desolately, and looked at Xuanyuan Chen with a pair of eyes: "General, do you know that Master Duan and I have concentrated all the available troops, and there are only seventy-six people in total!" He tilted his head, and his tone was full of ridicule: "The rabble of seventy-six people, do you think you can defend Laocheng?"

Seventy-six people against four thousand, even the Beiliang army has no chance of winning.

And Duan Qifeng only had this little force in his hands, and he dared to resist the thieves attacking the city, what courage did it take!

Xuanyuan Chen was silent for a long time, and Zuo Kui beside him finally couldn't hold his breath, and said softly: "Duan County Lieutenant really tried his best, this crime of losing the city, you can ...... it" He didn't continue, but the meaning of the plea was obvious.

Duan Qifeng didn't move, he just stood quietly, as if he had already seen through life and death.

Finally, Xuanyuan Chen let out a long sigh from his mouth, walked slowly to Duan Qifeng's side, slapped him on the shoulder and said, "Since you are alive, then live well, your wife and daughter are watching you in the sky, don't let them down."

Duan Qifeng was shocked, and in his gloomy eyes, he had somewhat regained his vitality.