Chapter 343: Surrounded

In that instant, every hair on Yan Yu’s body stood on end.

Her mind was still catching up, but her body moved on its own as she slammed her hand hard on the donkey.

The donkey let out a shrill cry and bolted forward.

Yan Yu turned toward the sound, but before she could see anything clearly, the gatekeeper suddenly scooped her up, set her down behind the door, spun around, shut it tight, dropped the bolt, and kicked the threshold into place…

All in one seamless motion.

A chaotic clamor broke out outside. The Northern Rong had arrived so suddenly that no one was prepared.

The shopkeepers hurried to shut their doors, while street vendors scattered frantically, shouting as they fled, spreading the news of the Northern Rong attack on Crouching Tiger City.

Children’s cries were quickly hushed by stern adult voices.

You could say that kids raised in Border Town were more sensible than those elsewhere. They understood danger and how to act.

Heavy footsteps pounded the ground in all directions, overlapping and disordered. It was impossible to tell where people were running to—or from.

Yan Yu stood just inside the gate with the gatekeeper. Just from the sounds outside, they could imagine the chaos flooding the streets.

The gatekeeper pulled a blade from who knew where, clutching a sturdy club in his other hand.

A blade in one hand, a club in the other. Quite the combination.

“Kid, go find your dad. Don’t be scared. The Northern Rong show up every year, we’re used to it. Go!”

Gatekeeper, you’d be more convincing if your legs weren’t shaking.

Yan Yu leapt back onto the donkey and raced through the government office compound.

Fortunately, the donkey cart was small and nimble. If she’d come in an ox cart today, navigating through the compound wouldn’t have been so easy.

Just as her cart rounded a corner, she saw her father and brother running toward her, both looking anxious.

“Dad, Big Brother, hop on! We’re getting out of here!” she shouted.

The donkey could run fast, even pulling the cart. They could take back roads, head into the mountains—no one would catch them.

“Right, let’s go!” Yan Lao’er had the same idea. If they didn’t run now, when would they?

Having a donkey made escaping easier.

Yan Xiangheng was shoved and yelled at until he climbed aboard.

Yan Lao’er scrambled up as well. Between the two of them and all the stuff they’d just bought, the cart was packed tight.

“Go, girl, go!” Yan Lao’er urged.

“Hold on tight!”

Yan Yu shouted directions as she turned the cart around and retraced their path.

But the gatekeeper wouldn’t let her out, no matter what.

“They’ve probably shut the city gates! Even if you make it past this one, you’ll still be stuck at Crouching Tiger’s main gate. Turn back, find a place to hide. We’ll wait it out. Once the Northern Rong leave, everything will be fine.”

In that short time, the gatekeeper had already piled up tables, chairs, and benches, sealing the small gate shut.

Seeing the situation, Yan Yu didn’t bother arguing. She spun the donkey around immediately.

Yan Xiangheng mumbled, “The city gates are closed…”

They were trapped in Crouching Tiger City!

Yan Lao’er smacked him hard. “Quit staring! Grab our stuff. We’re going to get out, one way or another.”

Yan Xiangheng instinctively hugged one of the bundles tight.

Yan Yu pressed her lips together and made for another side entrance.

The situation was much the same.

All along the way, she remembered… everyone was heading toward the main gate…

She gritted her teeth and urged the donkey in that direction.

It was already late. Just after government offices had closed for the day, most of the officials and workers had already left. But as their cart approached the main gate, the Yan family saw those same guards returning.

Some looked fine, others were in disarray.

Headman Wan of the Zao Unit was calling out names as he assembled his men.

“Move it, all of you! Stop dawdling. Is the Zao Unit all here? Follow me to the city wall!”

A line of black-clad guards charged out the main gate and disappeared into the crowd.

The gate stood wide open.

But Yan Yu didn’t drive the cart through.

Liang Manshan spotted them and hurried over.

“What are you doing here? Xiao Er, you…”

“Uncle Liang, what’s going on? Is the city gate closed?” Yan Yu’s voice still carried the softness of a child, but her tone held a calm far beyond her years.

“The Guard Station fell. For some reason, no warning was sent in time. The Northern Rong have entered the pass! Thankfully, we reacted quickly and closed the city gate first, or the consequences would’ve been unimaginable!” Liang Manshan said with relief.

“That fast?” Yan Lao’er cried out in shock, then asked anxiously, “How could the Guard Station fall? Didn’t they just finish repairs over there… how could this happen?”

Liang Manshan looked just as bewildered. “Exactly. At the very least, there should’ve been time to send a message. This all happened far too suddenly.”

“What about the masters? Why don’t I see them?” Yan Lao’er glanced around but saw none of them.

“Second Master went to guard the granary. Third Master’s leading people through the city to calm the populace. And the Eldest Master… he’s gone up to the city wall.”

“What?!” The entire Yan family was stunned.

“The Eldest Master shouldn’t be risking his own life! If anything happens to him, what will we do?” Yan Xiangheng’s voice quivered with concern.

“We tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen… But enough of that. Brother Huai’an, we don’t know anyone in Crouching Tiger, and there’s nowhere for us to go. At this point, instead of gambling out there, we might as well stay inside the government office. The Eldest Master has already sent someone to Yongning for reinforcements. As soon as they arrive, the siege will be broken.”

Liang Manshan still kept his composure. He believed that as long as they held Crouching Tiger, reinforcements would come.

“Crouching Tiger is under siege… and the Northern Rong made it inside…” A chill gripped Yan Yu’s heart as she realized something far more serious.

Crouching Tiger had walls to defend them, but what about the villages it governed? What about the market towns?

What about Xiao’an Village?

They had no walls and nothing to protect them!

It was obvious what the Northern Rong had come for: food and people.

If Crouching Tiger stayed locked up, did they really think the enemy would just wait around outside?

Of course not.

If it were her, she’d split the forces. Just a few small units would be enough to throw the region into chaos, leaving carnage in their wake.

Yan Yu spoke up, “What if the Northern Rong go to raid the villages? What if they come to our village?”

Liang Manshan’s calm vanished. Beads of sweat formed on his brow and fell in sudden drops.

“The Northern Rong came for grain!”

Yan Yu’s mind remained unusually clear. More accurately, she was calmer than anyone here. That was simply who she was – under pressure, she often displayed extraordinary resolve.

All the clues began to intertwine like threads in her mind, woven together into a clear picture, one strand after another coming into focus.

He hadn’t understood before, but now it all made sense!

Grain!

“They infiltrated Crouching Tiger territory early, pretending to be grain merchants collecting supplies from the villages. Maybe it was to scout ahead, or maybe… they were trying to stockpile the grain!”

Yan Lao’er was affected by his daughter’s calm demeanor and managed to steady himself. Following her line of thought, he said, “If we hadn’t intervened, that grain would already be in their hands. The Guard Station would fall… and then, hiss! They could smoothly transport it across the border.”

He quickly added, “And even if they spent silver, it wouldn’t matter. In just a few days, they wouldn’t lose much. If they can fight their way in, they can steal the money right back!”

Yan Yu immediately followed up, “That silver was originally ours anyway. They stole it from us. Of course they’re not worried…”

The Northern Rong treated Guanzhou like their granary and treasury, raiding it whenever they were short. It had always been that way.

(End of this chapter)