In the early morning of the fifth day, a fast horse broke through the snow curtain and fell in front of the closed door.
Before his death, the rider handed over a military order. The handwriting was soaked in blood and only fragments remained. Xiao Yi leaned close to the oil lamp and identified it repeatedly. At the moment when the flames flickered, he saw clearly the third word - not "aid", but "abandon".
With less than a month's worth of food in store, the court had given up on him. Outside the pass are the enemy's wolf flags, and inside the pass are frostbitten soldiers and homeless refugees.
The lieutenant asked him: defend or retreat?
Xiao Yi held down the sword left by his father on his waist and said only two words:
"Light the fire."
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