After choosing the pen and ink and inkstone, Zhao Kuo bought some rice paper suitable for schoolchildren to practice calligraphy in the store, asked the shopkeeper to wrap it together, and then rushed back to Zhao's house.

In the middle of the journey, I suddenly heard the people around me shouting in surprise.

"Beacon! The beacon fire is lit! An enemy army is attacking the city! ”

Zhao Kuo's face turned pale, tightened the reins to stop the horse, and raised his eyes to look north.

Sure enough, the smoke of the three beacon towers on the northern wall of the city wall was billowing and rushing straight up, almost dyeing half of the sky gray.

"The last time we saw this beacon fire, it seems like it was five years ago, right?"

"Isn't it? That time, Xuanyuan sent 100,000 troops to attack the city, and I don't know how many more were sent this time. ”

The worried voices of the people floated into their ears, and Zhao Kuo's face became more and more cold.

Out of the north gate of Xinyang City, ten miles north is the boundary of Xuanyuan Kingdom.

Xuanyuan was prosperous, and the monarch was ambitious, and he always intended to annex Southern Qi and become the overlord of the Central Plains.

Especially after the current emperor ascended the throne and became emperor, he would raise troops to invade the border of Southern Qi from time to time.

Sometimes, every month, three to five thousand soldiers and horses would be sent to attack once.

Every year and a half, 10,000 soldiers and horses will be sent to the territory of Southern Qi to show their prestige.

But there has not been a large-scale offensive for many years.

The last time was five years ago.

It was also in that year that he seriously injured the commander of the enemy army, severely crushed the enemy's morale, and was canonized as General Long Wei by His Majesty today.

Looking down at the gift box tied to the saddle, Zhao Kuo clamped the horse's belly, and the horse galloped with both hooves and galloped towards Zhao's mansion.

At this time, in the Zhao Mansion, Yan and Steward Zhao were talking about Zhao Kuo and Qiao Jinyu.

Suddenly hearing the sound of the horn from the direction of the North City Tower, the two of them were shocked.

"What's going on? Lao Zhao, hurry up and take a look with me! ”

Yan was so anxious that he slipped off the soft couch and almost fell.

Steward Zhao was so frightened by her that his heart trembled, and he hurriedly stepped forward to support her, and the two walked out quickly.

When she came to the courtyard, she saw the billowing black smoke wafting in the sky above the north, Yan's hand holding the handkerchief couldn't help tightening, and the handkerchief was almost broken by her.

"This ...... This...... Xuanyuan sent a large army to attack the city again. ”

Yan's voice was shaking uncontrollably.

"Doesn't he have to lead troops to the battle again?"

Qiao Jinyu also heard the horn and walked out of the house.

Noticing that the expressions of the two in the courtyard were different, she stepped to the side of the two.

"Madam, Uncle Zhao, what's wrong?"

Steward Zhao glanced at her with a solemn face. "Xuanyuan has sent troops to attack the city."

Qiao Jinyu was stunned.

Didn't Xuanyuan often raise troops to harass the Southern Qi border?

Not long ago, that is, the day her father sent her to Xinyang, didn't Zhao Kuo just return from the enemy?

Why are they so ugly?

Steward Zhao seemed to see the doubts in her heart and sighed.

"Miss Jinyu, do you know that the beacon fire of Xinyang City will only be ignited under one circumstance, that is, the number of enemy troops attacking exceeds 50,000, and it is menacing."

"The last time the old man saw this beacon fire was five years ago. That year, although the general seriously wounded the enemy generals and repelled the enemy troops, he himself took half his life and almost ...... I almost didn't make it. ”

The blood on Qiao Jinyu's face suddenly receded cleanly, as white as paper.

The original owner of her body grew up in Xinghua Village since she was a child, and she had never been to Xinyang, nor had she ever heard of the war between Nanqi and Xuanyuan.

It is even more impossible to know the details of the battle five years ago.