As night fell, the border city once again returned to its empty dead silence.

The snowflakes swirled and began to fall again, mixed with the cold wind, and flew into the neck, so cold that I shivered all over, as if my bones were frozen. There was no figure on the street, and even the Xichu soldiers who were usually on duty had disappeared, and it was cold and terrifying.

The buildings in the darkness were low and low, and the wind blew all kinds of oozing sounds, whirring through all kinds of crevices, and emitting the wails of wild beasts. The only lights were scattered throughout the city, and if you didn't pay attention, you couldn't see it at all, except for the only small restaurant that was occupied and confiscated by the Western Chu soldiers, there was still a little fire, and the street was almost black.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for countless long-awaited city residents.

During the day, they all heard what Nalan said at night, even if there were a few sick and weak people who couldn't move and couldn't walk, they had already been brought back by their families at this time to know what happened during the day. Everyone gathered together, whispering, uneasy, occasionally hearing the voice from next door, and the faint sound of footsteps on the street, and guessing if there were people in the same neighborhood who couldn't stand the 'tempting conditions' offered by the Western Chu Killing God, and couldn't help but betray Beiyue, and went to the city lord's mansion to report and register.

Without hearing the slightest movement from outside, the people in the room couldn't help but tremble in their hearts and peeked through the crack in the door. They can't tell what kind of mentality they have, hesitating, afraid, flustered, expectant, hopeful...... I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I have experienced it with my own eyes, everything I say is false, and when I think of them leaving their homeland where they have lived for generations and going to the enemy country of Xichu, I have an indescribable sense of fear.

These small North Vietnamese people have never been so afraid, when the choice between life and death appears in front of them, they can usually make a choice without hesitation, but this time they hesitated and hesitated.

In a dilapidated wooden house that was about to collapse, the mottled cracks in the walls could not stop the cold wind. For the first time, the family of four did not go to bed at this time, but gathered around the brazier in the middle of the house with firewood and talked about the events of the day.

Seeing that time is passing little by little, it is almost time, and the final moment of the announcement of the City Lord's Mansion is approaching.

Suddenly, there seemed to be a little noise on the street, squirming, as if it was coming from next door. The woman surrounding the brazier shrank her eyes and whispered, "Yes, Aunt Ma Liu's family next door, yes, it must be them ......"

The man's swarthy face was golden reflected by the firelight, his brows were deeply locked, his cheekbones were prominent, and he said weakly: "What? They...... Ahem...... If they want to, we'll ...... Definitely won't go to Xichu! ”

"But......" The woman looked at the man's weak appearance, thin skin and bones, if it weren't for this, I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stay at home with her this year, right? It's just that people are at home, but they have less income, one more mouth, and they are still sick, but I am afraid that it will not last long......

The woman became more and more reluctant, and said in a low voice: "Otherwise, let's go and report it, and get some food first, and then come back, the mother and child haven't eaten a good meal for three days...... If you continue to suffer, I'm afraid that it will really ...... I can't support it. ”

"Shut up, we're definitely not going!"

The man roared suddenly, his face full of anger: "To go is to betray, to be a slave of Xichu, not to mention leaving my hometown, I am afraid that I will die in Xichu, I will definitely not go." Die here! ”

"Can you bear to watch Xiaobao starve to death?"

The woman finally couldn't help crying and grabbed the man's arm: "It's been six years, we've endured it for six years, and the court doesn't care about us at all, don't you know what kind of life we've lived in the past few years?" I can't eat enough, I can't dress warmly, I can only suffer day by day, until I die! If you are not afraid of death, are you willing to let your son die? ”

The man's pupils shrank suddenly, and then a faint voice came from the side of the bed: "Son, don't hold on, don't you know what life we have lived in the past few years?" Those dignitaries and nobles in the capital will not ...... You won't think about us, Your Majesty, Your Majesty's heart is more ruthless than anything else, have you forgotten how your father died? ”

"Mother!" The man immediately leaned over to the bed, shaking all over.

"Mother, this old bone, it doesn't matter if it's dead, but Xiaobao is only five years old, he is the only seedling of our Ding family!" The old man trembled his hands and grabbed the man's hand: "It's not a pity that my mother is dead, I just ask you to let him survive for Xiaobao's sake." The emperor has no way, he doesn't care about us, why do we care about him? Mother just wants Xiaobao to grow up, marry a daughter-in-law in the future, and have children, as for whether it is a North Vietnamese or a Western Chu person...... It really doesn't matter. Son...... Mother beg, don't be tough......"

"Daddy, I'm hungry ......" At his feet, the little child was full of hunger and thirst, and he couldn't sleep with hunger, and kept begging him.

Today he heard that someone on the street wanted to send rice porridge, and his mother said that he could bring a bowl back for him to eat, so he waited. But until now, his mother and father came back from outside, but they didn't bring back rice porridge, and the appearance made him feel terrible.

Xiaobao doesn't know anything, he just wants to eat and sleep well, as for hatred, family and country, he doesn't understand at all.

"Squeak......

There was a sound of the door opening outside, accompanied by footsteps, and the woman looked for her voice, as if she saw it through the cracks in the wall, and became more and more panicked: "It's almost time, you, Aunt Zhang's family on the other side of the door have also gone." Daddy, make a decision, it's too late......"

"Son, what are you hesitating about, are you really willing to starve Xiaobao to death? Even if we don't starve to death, those people also said that the military master who comes next time may not be so easy to talk to, but I am afraid that he will kill our whole family. ”

The woman became more and more anxious, and pulled the man hard: "Yes, even if we go to Xichu to be slaves, at least Xiaobao can survive?" And...... That's what the god of war of Xichu said, he said that he would feed and clothe us, can't we try our luck? ……”

Under the dull pressure of "Wow......", the little child finally couldn't stand the hunger and cried loudly.

Syllable!

The man slapped the child on the buttocks, but he stood up and gasped and said, "Damn, cry what are you crying about, since everyone wants to die, then go!" With that, he opened the door straight and walked out, and the cold wind poured in instantly, and the man immediately closed the door again, leaving only the sound of footsteps that gradually faded away.

The woman hurriedly coaxed the crying child, but her face suddenly relaxed: "Good, don't cry, Dad is gone, I'm going to ask for rice porridge for you!" Don't cry, don't cry, tomorrow my mother will take Xiaobao out of here, and our family will live in another place......"

The child's voice gradually subsided, the light of the brazier in the house gradually dimmed, and the woman hurriedly threw another piece of firewood into it, splashing countless sparks, but it seemed to have a little more life.

The next day, the people of the city who stood in the city lord's mansion and waited to leave accounted for almost eighty percent of the total.

At the last moment, everyone couldn't resist the temptation of life, the hope of being fed and clothed, and finally let go of the fear and estrangement between countries. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, they are not willing to die after all, and they are not willing to live like this for the rest of their lives.

Maybe going to Xichu is not as beautiful as imagined, or maybe it's not so terrifying, no matter what, there is always a glimmer of life.

For six years, their majesty never cared about their life and death, and completely abandoned them. Since this is the case, then they have to make a choice in order to survive, and it is also a last resort. It's not about loyalty, it's just about survival......

Rows and rows of people spread out, a total of 467 people, all of them old, weak, sick and disabled, but with a desire for life, they left their homeland and went to the enemy country.

From the long-distance Gobi road to Ninghai, a border city in Western Chu, it is nothing more than a difficult journey for those who have never left their homeland, or for the old, weak, sick and disabled.

Escorting them away was a brigade of 1,000 men, led by Zuo General Qiu Yuanping, while escorting the necessary clothing and rations along the way, and set off at three o'clock in the morning.

For the first time in many days, everyone ate and drank enough, as if they had added some strength, and finally turned around and left their dreams. The long line is endless, but fortunately, there is basically no risk here, as long as there is no snowstorm, it will basically arrive smoothly.

When the city gate closed, Nalan Ye finally put down a large stone.

It has already been done, and it depends on the will of God whether it will be successful or not. This time, he cut first and then played, not knowing if it would cause an uproar in the capital, but he felt that this was the best and fastest solution. Directly turn the citizens of North Vietnam into the people of Western Chu, as long as they feel the real benefits, they will be brought down in Western Chu in peace, men and women weaving, and integrate into Western Chu.

And how many people are there in North Vietnam as a whole? If half of it can be incorporated into Western Chu, it will be a success.

Manpower is the foundation of all development, and if war kills these innocent people, it will have no effect except to create more evil, on the contrary...... If these people can be moved to Xichu, or even let them become Xichu people willingly, that would be the best.

North Vietnam has been fighting all year round, and Emperor Han Xun is brutal and unkind, not only in this small town, but I am afraid that even in the capital there is a lot of notoriety, which makes people dare not resist. If they are given a chance, they may be able to make this war easier.

It is not a simple matter to want to exterminate North Vietnam in one fell swoop, and Nalan Ye sent troops not to create more evil, but only to take revenge. If North Vietnam can be completely incorporated into Western Chu, then Western Chu's national strength will leap to the first place within ten years, far surpassing Dongwan.

This move was risky, and Nalan Ye was not sure whether these North Vietnamese people who went to the border of Western Chu would make any trouble, and even if there were any spies lurking in North Vietnam, he was not sure, everything had to be taken one step at a time.

……

Just as the army of Western Chu went north again, and five days later broke through Shuyang City in North Vietnam again, the dignitaries and nobles in the capital and a group of imperial relatives finally panicked. Just now he mobilized a large army to prepare to resist the attack of Western Chu, but as soon as he arrived in Shuyang, he was outflanked by the Western Chu army ambushed here and attacked head-on.

The 50,000 Shuyang defenders lost 30,000 killed and 20,000 surrendered, and the 50,000 troops who came to support were ambushed, killed and wounded, and suffered defeat again. The Shuyang city lord opened the door and surrendered, the Western Chu army successfully captured it, and the news reached the capital of Beiyue, and there was a panic.

Facing up, ninety percent of the courtiers played and asked the North Vietnamese Emperor Han Xun to mobilize a large army to resist the enemy, otherwise when Western Chu was getting closer and closer, he was afraid that he would attack the capital in less than two months.

In the imperial study, Han Xun smashed everything on the imperial case, and was furious: "Damn Nalan Night, I swear to stand with you!" Come, preach my will, and gather all the ...... at once."

At this moment, a cold female voice came: "Your Majesty, you have to be calm, dealing with Nalan Ye is not something that can be defeated by relying on a large number of people!" ”