Chapter 2: A Miracle
Far away on the western border of the Yu Empire, the sun blazed down as if trying to burn the world beneath it.
Standing atop the high city walls, soldiers clad in bronze armor stood motionless. Their bodies were covered in dust, their lips chapped from days without water, and some were on the verge of collapse.
Inside one of the tents, a group of men stood gathered around a sand table.
A young man in silver armor stared down at the map with a grim expression. His handsome face was pale and bloodless, yet he stood tall, like a lone pine atop a snowy mountain.
Noticing his bad complexion, the military doctor, Yan Bingyang, stepped forward and said, "Great General, your wounds are infected again. You must rest, or your body won't be able to recover."
Once tall and strong, the Great General now looked gaunt, left with only skin and bones.
Seeing that he remained silent, one of the generals, Zhan Qi, opened his cracked lips and said, "Great General, we have been without water for three days. We ate our last rations five days ago. Without food or water, we can't hold on much longer."
Zhan Qi's voice was hoarse, but his will to survive could be seen clearly in his eyes.
Hearing this, Feng Xiyan clenched his fists. His eyes were bloodshot, his throat scorched from thirst, but still, he didn't say anything.
After a long silence, he finally said, "Out of 150,000 soldiers, only less than 20,000 are left. If I run now, how can I face the 130,000 brothers who sacrificed their lives to protect this city? How could I face the ancestors of the Feng family?"
The tent fell into somber silence as the generals bowed their heads.