Chương 12: Barbarian Invasion

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost the Year Sacrifice. After a heavy snowfall, Jiang Huanyu traveled back and forth every day between the mountain forest and Golden Willow Village. Relying on hard work, he finally cleared all the trees from about half a hectare of his family's mountain forest. He also spent a great deal of effort digging out, one by one, the tree stumps buried among the rocks, finally clearing out a piece of mountain land suitable for planting fruit trees.

He only needed to wait until spring began, then haul up the fermented manure fertilizer, and the fruit trees could be planted.

"After this heavy snow, the price of firewood will definitely rise again."

"Tomorrow, I have to go up the mountain again to chop some more and pull it to town to sell." At night, the cold wind howled outside the house. Jiang Huanyu held Hu Yufen and stroked her slightly bulging lower abdomen as he spoke. Hu Yufen worriedly held her husband's hand and said, "The snow has piled up, and the road is slippery. Going up the mountain is very dangerous. Why not wait a little longer?" The heavy snow had fallen for two days, and the snow on the road was already very thick.

"Over this past month, our firewood has already sold for twenty taels of silver. It is enough for now." After hearing this, Jiang Huanyu smiled bitterly. Selling firewood for twenty taels of silver looked like a lot, but in truth, it was because they were draining the pond to catch the fish. In the past, when cutting firewood, they only trimmed dead branches from the trees, along with some thorns and shrubs. This time was different. He had cut down all the trees in that half hectare of mountain forest.

The firewood produced by the remaining half hectare of mountain forest was only enough to cover the family's daily cooking and heating. After fruit trees were planted in spring, there would be no harvest in the first year. He had to think of a way to get more money. He did not continue discussing this matter. He tucked Hu Yufen's somewhat cold feet beneath his legs, gently kissed her cheek, and said, "Go to sleep." Late at night, at midnight.

Jiang Huanyu, who woke up in a daze, habitually glanced at the divination in his sea of consciousness. Ding! [System Notification: Divination has refreshed!] [Today's Divination · Great Misfortune]: It is the depths of winter, and the Western Wilderness barbarians are short of food. A hundred-man barbarian squad crosses Hidden Dragon Mountain and sneaks into Great Yu territory. You go up the mountain to chop firewood and unexpectedly encounter the barbarian squad.

You discover that they plan to plunder Cloudwater Town. To prevent the news from leaking ahead of time, you are brutally killed! The blood-red large characters flashed in his sea of consciousness, and Jiang Huanyu instantly lost all sleepiness. The Western Wilderness barbarians had invaded!? And they even planned to plunder Cloudwater Town! Golden Willow Village was only about 10 kilometers away from Cloudwater Town. The barbarians were famous for being fierce and brutal.

Their target was Cloudwater Town, so Golden Willow Village had a very high chance of being affected. As soon as he thought of the scene after those vicious barbarians charged into Golden Willow Village, Jiang Huanyu felt a chill run through him. No! This matter had to be reported to the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp as quickly as possible! A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

If they waited until these barbarian warriors killed their way in before the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp mobilized men to intercept and kill them, everything would probably already be too late! Carrying an anxious mood, Jiang Huanyu finally endured until daybreak. When Hu Yufen was preparing to get up and make breakfast, she discovered that he had already put on thick cotton clothes.

"Husband, you're up so early?" Jiang Huanyu found an animal-skin felt hat and put it on his head.

"I'm going to town. Don't wait for me to eat." After saying this, he pulled open the door and walked out into the wind and snow. At Cloudwater Town's martial arts school, when Jiang Huanyu arrived, it had just passed the Rabbit hour.

"Brother Jiang, Stone still has two days before his holiday. Why did you rush here so early in the morning?" Huang Qingzhou asked with some surprise. Jiang Huanyu cupped his hands.

"Elder Brother, this younger brother came because there is an important matter for which I need to find Big Brother Yunxiao." Huang Qingzhou's elder brother, Huang Yunxiao, was currently one of the Mountain Patrol Commandants of the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp. At the same time, he was also a martial artist at the peak of the Acquired Realm.

"Looking for Big Brother?" Huang Qingzhou's expression became somewhat solemn.

"Did you discover those barbarian beasts in the mountains?" Jiang Huanyu hesitated slightly, then nodded faintly. He had not truly seen the barbarian squad, but since the divination showed that if he entered the mountain today to chop firewood, he would encounter the barbarian squad and be killed, it proved that this barbarian squad had already hidden near his family's mountain forest land. The system definitely would not be wrong.

"Virtuous Brother, did you see how many people they had!?" Huang Qingzhou asked somewhat excitedly. Jiang Huanyu glanced at the divination in his sea of consciousness. Noticing that the divination displayed "a hundred-man squad," he finally organized his thoughts and said, "Many. I'm afraid no fewer than a hundred people!"

"A hundred people!?" Hearing this, Huang Qingzhou shot to his feet and paced around the hall. A moment later—"Virtuous Brother, come with me!" The two braved the wind and snow to arrive at the entrance of the martial arts school. They got onto a horse carriage and rushed toward the outside of town. The Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp had an office about several kilometers outside Cloudwater Town. During ordinary rest periods, the soldiers in the camp lived in this office.

This office near Cloudwater Town had a total of two Mountain Patrol Commandants, including Huang Yunxiao, plus one hundred and fifty soldiers. They were responsible for patrols within about 100 kilometers around Cloudwater Town. When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the office, two soldiers wearing armor and long blades at their waists were about to reach out and stop it. Suddenly, they saw that the person getting off the carriage was Huang Qingzhou, and they immediately smiled and cupped their hands.

"So it is Master Huang. Have you come to find the Commandant?" Huang Qingzhou nodded.

"Is my elder brother inside the office?" The soldier cupped his hands.

"The heavy snow has sealed the mountains, and there are no patrol missions. Both Commandants are here."

"Let's go in." As Huang Qingzhou spoke, he brought Jiang Huanyu inside. In the office barracks. Huang Yunxiao, who was nearly fifty, wore a dark red casual robe with a black fox fur coat over it. His expression was solemn as he looked at Jiang Huanyu.

"Virtuous Brother saw it with your own eyes?" Jiang Huanyu thought for a moment, then made up a reason.

"I did not see it with my own eyes. It was just that when I entered the mountain to chop firewood, I discovered a large number of footprints. I judged it from the footprints." Those who depended on the mountains ate from the mountains. Golden Willow Village was close to a branch range of Hidden Dragon Mountain, and the farmers in the village more or less had certain hunting skills. Judging the number of people and beasts from footprints was a basic skill.

Although Huang Yunxiao had some doubts in his heart, he also knew that Jiang Huanyu would not joke about this kind of matter. More importantly, the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp did not arrange patrol missions when heavy snow sealed the mountains. For the barbarians, this was indeed an opportunity.

"Big Brother, the information A-Huanyu brought should not be wrong."

"A hundred-man barbarian squad is absolutely not an ordinary scout squad. I'm afraid they intend to attack Cloudwater Town and the surrounding villages." Huang Yunxiao nodded slightly.

"You go back first. I will immediately invite Commandant Zhang to come discuss it."

"If there is need, bring the teachers from the martial arts school over to help." Huang Qingzhou cupped his hands, then brought Jiang Huanyu away. Not long after the two left, all the soldiers of the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp gathered completely amid the sound of an urgent horn. Two Commandants whose strength had reached the peak of the Acquired Realm, along with one hundred and fifty elite soldiers, braved the wind and snow and marched grandly toward the distant mountain range.

Jiang Huanyu followed Huang Qingzhou back to the martial arts school and did not hurry to leave. By the Late Afternoon hour. A soldier from the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camp, covered in blood, rode a warhorse to the martial arts school.

"Master Huang!"

"The Commandant asks you to bring the teachers from the martial arts school to help!" Hearing this, Huang Qingzhou immediately shouted loudly, calling the more than ten martial arts instructors of the school to bring their weapons and follow that soldier into the distance. Great Yu's laws had regulations: when civilian martial artists or ordinary commoners killed enemies, although they could not obtain military merit, one enemy head could be exchanged for fifty taels of silver.

Therefore, the martial arts school's teachers were still very willing to take action in this matter. The Mountain Patrol Commandants had already encountered that barbarian squad, which was enough to prove that his information was not false. Jiang Huanyu also did not continue staying at the martial arts school. Taking advantage of the fact that the sky was still bright, he hurried back to Golden Willow Village.