3: Enemy Attack
The terrible news came abruptly, and Pei Zhu, whose brain had been in shutdown for quite a while, forced himself to restart.
He couldn’t afford to be paralyzed by fear. Scolding the system for being unreliable was pointless now. Grabbing the hand of the person who had brought the news, he demanded, “Who did the message go to first?”
“To Lord Zheng.”
As expected. Pei Zhu immediately dashed out of the official residence, sprinting forward like a blur.
The following clerks were dumbfounded—his stamina was incredible. Just as they were about to follow, a bony arm suddenly reached out and blocked their path.
It was the unlucky man the magistrate had rescued. The clerk frowned. “What are you doing out here?”
“Are there many Hu people coming?” Wang Chuo asked, still hoarse from his illness.
The clerk, irritated, replied, “What’s it to you? Don’t cause trouble!”
He shoved the man aside and ran off, unable to catch up with Lord Pei.
Lord Zheng Xingcheng was in the main hall, and most of the county office staff had gathered there after hearing the news to discuss the matter.
Once Pei Zhu entered, people moved aside to give him space, but he had no interest in pleasantries. Standing firm, he fired a volley of questions: “Lord Zheng, do you know why the Hu people are moving south? How many are there? Where are they now, and how long until they reach Yongning County?”
Zheng Xingcheng was taken aback by the rapid-fire interrogation and took a moment to collect himself. He finally replied, “This year the Eastern Hu have had poor grasslands. Their reserves were insufficient after autumn, so those near the Liang Kingdom decided to head south to seize food supplies. There aren’t many—only about a thousand, and they’re not organized by the authorities, just traveling together. They’re currently approaching Yongning County, and it should take them a little over a day to arrive.”
Although Zheng Xingcheng was greedy, he wasn’t completely useless. Over the years, he had placed a number of spies among the Eastern Hu. His careful planning wasn’t for the people’s sake, but to protect his own life. Knowing the enemy in advance allowed him to plan accordingly; the welfare of the common folk was not his concern.
Pei Zhu considered the situation and asked, “How many troops does Yongning County have?”
Wei Ping shook his head. “Only a few dozen.”
The garrison was in Youzhou City. To redeploy troops, they would need approval from the governor of Youzhou. Even if permission were granted, sending forces back and forth would take too long—likely too late. Moreover, the two nations were still negotiating, and the Youzhou governor was unlikely to risk war.
Pei Zhu frowned. “Then how many able-bodied men are there in Yongning County?”
Wei Ping knew this: “There are 2,321 households, roughly 3,900 able-bodied men.”
Pei Zhu hadn’t even had time to feel relieved when Zheng Xingcheng slowly commented, “Even if there are people, the Hu have horses and long swords. What do we have to fight them with? Any confrontation would be suicide.”
The Hu were fierce and brutal; the northern Liang people feared them deeply. Even armed with knives, most would hesitate to confront them—let alone the unarmed civilians.
Pei Zhu pulled at his hair in frustration. This was difficult, extremely difficult. And the system had abandoned him, leaving this mess behind.
Among them, only the inexperienced Pei Zhu was genuinely anxious. The others were mostly numb; every year, the Eastern Hu came south, and the county office already had procedures in place. Moreover, this time the invading force was small—only a thousand strong—so the damage potential was limited.
Seeing Pei Zhu’s concern, Zheng Xingcheng tried to reassure him: “Actually, there’s no need to worry too much. Once they seize some food, they’ll leave. Just close the city gates and endure until they go.”
Pei Zhu was incredulous. “Close the gates? Let them loot the civilians outside?”
Zheng Xingcheng nodded as if it were common sense. That’s how it had always been done: as long as the Hu obtained food, livestock, or women, they would leave. Resistance only caused more casualties.
Pei Zhu looked at Wei Ping. If he truly hated injustice, why wasn’t he speaking up?
Wei Ping had no excuse. Previously, this had been their strategy. Youzhou officials treated them as human shields, and Yongning County treated the villagers outside the walls the same way.
But Pei Zhu couldn’t accept it. It went completely against everything he had believed in since childhood. He fixed his gaze on Zheng Xingcheng: “What if we brought all the villagers inside the city?”
Zheng Xingcheng looked at Pei Zhu and gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. He finally understood: this new magistrate was compassionate. Only someone utterly naive would worry about protecting others without understanding the world. At first, everyone had such idealism—but reality would teach him a lesson. Pointing casually, he said: “Nine years ago, County Magistrate Chen trusted Lord Wei and allowed all villagers inside the city for safety. It enraged the Hu, who assembled tens of thousands and attacked. Yongning County suffered heavy casualties. Back then, there were over four thousand households.”
Wei Ping clutched his clothes, lowering his eyes, afraid to meet anyone’s gaze.
Zheng Xingcheng rolled his eyes, muttering “fools.” Without strength, any attempt to save people was foolish. He decreed: “Just hold the city gates.”
Pei Zhu shook his head firmly. “No.”
“Oh?” Zheng Xingcheng smirked. “Do you intend to confront the Hu head-on? You’ve never seen war, so your idealism is understandable. But I hope you don’t use your enthusiasm to challenge decades of experience here in Yongning County.”
“What experience? Experience in surrendering before a fight? Experience in letting people die?” Pei Zhu couldn’t comprehend giving up without fighting.
Zheng Xingcheng nearly spat blood. He was the second-in-command, yet Pei Zhu publicly humiliated him. He swore to take revenge.
Not wanting to argue further, Zheng Xingcheng threatened the county staff with his gaze, declaring: “I will not allow the villagers inside,” and left.
Zhang Rusheng straightened his back and shouted, “I disagree too!” Then he quickly followed, almost knocking Zheng down.
Zheng Xingcheng recovered, kicking him in frustration, but the rotund man only laughed, making Zheng even angrier.
…All Pei Zhu’s fault.
Zhang Rusheng scratched his head and mused, “Don’t worry, this magistrate is all talk. If the Hu arrive, he’ll surely panic.”
Zheng Xingcheng snorted. That untested kid couldn’t face the Hu; when he failed, he would beg Zheng for help. Then Zheng would humiliate him.
Zheng Xingcheng left with his followers. No one resisted Pei Zhu’s orders, and those willing to follow him were insufficient to fend off an external threat. Yongning County was like a pile of loose sand.
Pei Zhu and Wei Ping inspected the storehouse but found few usable weapons—too few knives and arrows. Their chances against the Hu were slim. But giving up was unthinkable. How could he watch the villagers outside die?
Just because the city gates were always closed, did it make it right? If he did nothing, he would be like the previous magistrate Chen—barbaric. What was the point of him coming here then?
The question was how to protect the villagers and their property while still repelling the enemy. He had to guarantee victory—or there would be no future.
Wang Chuo quietly approached, observing the two at a loss. He had heard the full story from others. The county office wanted to keep this quiet; the villagers outside shouldn’t know, or chaos would ensue.
In Wang Chuo’s view, Yongning County’s defenses were essentially nonexistent, and the officials’ ability to respond was pathetic. Compared to any city he had fought before, this was far worse.
But Yongning’s condition made sense. The court had long abandoned the area, and Youzhou didn’t care. This place was a buffer zone between Liang and the Eastern Hu. Suffering for the villagers ensured surface-level peace between the nations, especially under the new ruler. In the grand scheme, the county was just dust.
This was a county without peace or future. Wang Chuo wondered how the new magistrate would act.
Pei Zhu sat on the threshold, tugging at his hair. Normally quick-witted, he froze at the crucial moment. Suddenly, he remembered—the first task in the system’s poverty alleviation mission was city defense!
He quickly opened the panel: it was indeed about defense. Completing the “Impenetrable Fortress” achievement would trigger a reward.
“Impenetrable Fortress” sounded difficult. The reward was unknown, but Pei Zhu sensed it could help resolve this crisis. Even if not, he would try anyway.
Slapping his thigh, he declared, “That’s it!”
Wei Ping jumped. “That’s it… what?”
“Use the materials we have to build defenses first. Once secure, bring all the villagers inside! We must finish by tomorrow morning!”
This reminded Wei Ping of past traumas. He hesitated: “What if the Hu attack the city directly? Looting food is minor; besieging the city could cause heavy casualties and even affect Youzhou.”
Pei Zhu brushed himself off confidently: “The Hu aren’t that scary.”
They only had knives. They had beaten opponents with wooden carts and cannons before—knives were trivial in comparison.
“If it comes to battle, I’ll lead the charge. I refuse to believe the few can’t beat the many. Even if I die, it might stir courage in the villagers. Nothing to lose!”
Wei Ping’s morale lifted. “Then, Lord, how do we set up the defenses?”
Pei Zhu blinked.
Wei Ping puzzled.
Pei Zhu froze. Of course—how to set up defenses was a real problem. They had no swords or arrows. This was beyond his experience, abstract and unfamiliar.
“Hu ride horses—stop the horses first. Set pit traps on the main roads, install barricades and wooden spikes, in water use iron caltrops… never mind, Yongning lacks iron. Spiked vines will work just as well.”
The two froze until someone offered advice—surprised, they looked over.
“You’re awake?” Pei Zhu didn’t expect it to be the middle-aged man who had barely acknowledged him before. Now he looked even frailer, his complexion poor, making Pei Zhu fear he might collapse mid-conversation.
Wang Chuo nodded to Pei Zhu and continued: “If you have ash, throw it from the towers to blind the enemy. Without swords, anything long can repel attackers—even farm tools work.”
Pei Zhu and Wei Ping’s eyes lit up. Having an expert made things much easier.
Action began immediately. Pei Zhu had Wei Ping gather all available hands and summoned carpenters to build makeshift defenses. It required money, but the county account had plenty left. Pei Zhu waved it all into use.
At the brink of life and death, why save it?
The villagers didn’t know what was happening, but it was the magistrate’s order—they obeyed. They remembered he had protected their grain.
Meanwhile, Zheng Xingcheng was furious his carefully amassed assets were ruined. He roared, “Don’t stop me! I’ll kill him now!”
Zhang Rusheng held him back, calmly advising: “You might not beat him. He’s tall—half a head taller than you.”
Zheng Xingcheng cursed—he wanted to deal with the advisor too.
No matter. When the Hu arrived, he would act amidst the chaos. Otherwise, he’d remain trapped and possibly killed. Zheng Xingcheng had no hope of repelling the Hu—they could even defeat Youzhou soldiers. Who did they think they were kidding?
Pei Zhu had expected the first task to be difficult. He had prepared for an all-night battle. But as soon as the outer defenses were ready, a “ding” sounded—his first “Impenetrable Fortress” achievement completed effortlessly.
A small reward box appeared in his system backpack. Opening it revealed a terrain map showing Yongning County’s natural resources.
Could this be useful against the enemy?
Pei Zhu scanned it quickly—mostly minerals, not immediately useful.
Wait—
Pei Zhu: It’s useful?!
System: You doubt me?