Chapter 29: He Who Wins the Hearts of the People Wins the World-Mataram minha mulher, me forçaram a me rebelar. Agora tenho cem mil soldados às portas da cidade!(Namorado de Yu Jimin)

On the sixth day of the siege, freezing rain began to fall from the gloomy, overcast sky.

The Shence Army, already lacking adequate cold-weather gear, found themselves in an increasingly dire situation. Many soldiers were no longer just suffering from frostbite; they were burning with high fevers, rendering them unfit for combat.

"Your Highness, I have summoned every physician in the city, but we are still overwhelmed," Zhao Luoying said in the command tent, her tone grave.

The freezing rain had left the entire Shence Army struggling to catch its breath.

"Furthermore, the city's supply of medicinal herbs is insufficient. This freezing rain could not have come at a worse time," Zhuge Xuan added, his expression heavy with worry.

"Order the men to brew more ginger soup to help keep the soldiers warm. As for the herbs, I have already sent Hu Xu to secure them," Qin Xuan said in a low, firm voice.

Zhuge Xuan was startled. "Hu Xu has left the city?"

It was a suicide mission; Zhuge Xuan had never expected that Hu Xu, who usually appeared so mercenary and worldly, would actually dare to go.

Qin Xuan nodded.

Hu Xu had once been a member of the Shence Army, but like Guan Xingsheng, he had left the ranks because of his aptitude for business. He had volunteered for this mission. Qin Xuan had intended to stop him, but with military rations running low, they needed someone to slip out and bring back supplies, regardless of the need for medicine.

At the time, Hu Xu had smiled, feigning nonchalance as he said, "Your Highness, my life should have been lost on the battlefield three years ago. If not for you, I would have been dead long ago."

"Now, so many brothers are waiting for food. I don't have much talent, but I will certainly bring the rations back to you."

"Besides, have you forgotten? When we left Tianshan City, I specifically left that clever little monkey behind!"

It was those words that had moved Qin Xuan. Thinking of Tianshan City, he could not help but picture that small, agile figure who had fought so hard to open the city gates. It was that boy who had brought news of the Daqi Allied Forces.

However, Qin Xuan did not know that the Daqi Allied Forces had never actually entered the city. Thus, he had remained deeply anxious about Hu Xu’s mission to purchase grain in Tianshan City. But now, there was no other choice.

For the past three days, the Daqi Allied Forces and the Tulan Army had launched at least five or six harassment raids daily. The Shence Army was utterly exhausted.

"Your Highness, the refugees outside are suddenly demanding to see you," Guan Xingsheng reported, rushing into the tent.

Qin Xuan frowned and stood up to head outside. "Is someone causing trouble?"

Guan Xingsheng shook his head. "It doesn't seem like a disturbance, but they refuse to eat and insist on seeing you."

Qin Xuan grew even more puzzled and hurried toward the refugee camp. The moment he appeared, an old man ran forward excitedly and fell to his knees with a thud.

"Old man, please, get up. What is this for?" Qin Xuan was startled and quickly helped the elder to his feet.

The old man stood up slowly, his weathered face filled with sincerity. "Your Highness, we know that the Shence Army has no food left and not even enough cotton-padded clothes to keep out the cold."

"Yet, you still shared your own food and clothing with us. We are truly unworthy of such kindness!"

"Old man, you speak too gravely. The soldiers of the Shence Army are human, and so are you. We could not allow you to suffer," Qin Xuan said, deeply moved. "Besides, when we left Tianshan City, I promised that as long as you were willing to follow me, I would never abandon you."

"But we feel guilty!" the old man said, his voice trembling. "You are defending the city walls with your lives, fighting for us and for every soul in this city. We cannot be the ones to hold you back."

"So, I took the liberty of calling everyone together. Please, see if these men can help on the battlefield? Rest assured, they are all men of courage; they do not fear death."

As if afraid Qin Xuan would refuse, the old man emphasized the last sentence. Qin Xuan had not expected that the refugees' hunger strike was actually a plea to join the fight. In that moment, even with the memories of two lifetimes, his eyes could not help but grow moist.

"Your Highness, let us go to the battlefield!"

"That’s right! We may not know how to fight, but we have strength, and we don't fear death!"

"We don't fear death! We want to fight!"

"To battle!"

It was unclear who started it, but those thirty thousand refugees suddenly began to shout in unison, a deafening roar that echoed throughout the city.

At the same time, the local people of Beining City, who had been watching from the sidelines, seemed to be infected by the fervor. They, too, grew restless.

"If refugees have the courage to volunteer for battle, and we, the people of Beining, act like cowards, I cannot bear that shame!" one man said, berating himself in anger as he stepped forward.

"How many years have the people of Beining suffered under the Jurchen army? Now that we finally have an army like the Shence force here, how can we just watch them die protecting us?" Another man roared, walking straight toward the refugee camp, as if the camp had become the designated recruitment center.

"He's right! We're all men; what is there to fear?"

"This is our city. Why should only the refugees defend it? Count me in!"

"And me! I want to avenge my father."

"If you are a man, stand out! We must defend Beining City ourselves!"

More and more people stepped forward. Shout after shout rose up like sunlight, slowly spreading across all of Beining City.

A waiter dropped his towel and rushed out of his inn. A customer finished his last cup of wine and charged out without a second thought. An accountant, holding his abacus, stared at the empty hall for a moment before gritting his teeth and chasing after them.

In a humble room, a tall man knelt and kowtowed three times to his bedridden, elderly mother. "Mother, I am going to fight. Take care!"

The old woman, her eyes clouded with age, nodded slightly, a long-lost smile appearing on her lips. "Go. Even if you die, don't be afraid. Mother will be with you."

Similar scenes played out across all of Beining City. Teenagers, men in their prime, and even elders in their fifties and sixties all stood up with a silent, profound resolve.

They were a generation whose spines had been broken by the iron cavalry of the Jurchen Kingdom. They were a generation that had once been willing to accept slavery just to survive. But in this moment, they only wanted to be themselves—to be upright, dignified citizens of Daqi.

On the city walls, seeing the vast sea of people, Zhao Luoying was already in tears. Even Zhuge Xuan, Guan Xingsheng, and the others had reddened eyes, unable to stop their tears from falling.

Qin Xuan was also deeply moved; his blood seemed to boil within him. This was what it meant to have the heart of the people.

"Beining will be victorious!" Qin Xuan suddenly bellowed, as if pouring out all the pent-up fury of the past several days.

In response, the people of the city and the thirty thousand refugees roared in unison: "Beining will be victorious!"