The soldiers at the north gate heard the horn. Rubbing the sleep from their eyes, before they could even react to what was happening, they were being cut down like vegetables.
Fortunately, there were enough of them. Although a dozen or so were killed by Liu Rumei and the others, there were still over twenty standing. Some rushed forward to block the three from charging towards the city gate tower, and then someone sounded the war drums.
Someone even started lighting signal fires.
Seeing this, Liu Rumei became a little anxious. She shouted to Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying, "Hurry, or we won't be able to leave."
Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying leaped into the air.
Then, with a flick of their wrists, they each threw a handful of flying needles, capable of taking down seven or eight soldiers with each burst.
This maneuver killed another dozen or so soldiers. The three then rushed to the city gate tower and continued their slaughter. The path was essentially cleared.
Only then did the three quickly return to the small alley, each carrying one person on their back and running towards the city gate.
Logically, climbing the city wall, lowering a rope, and having everyone exit one by one would have been a perfect conclusion.
However, because they hadn't prepared for rescuing people today, they hadn't brought any ropes.
Helpless, they had to tear off the belts and other items from the dead soldiers, tying them together to form a rope to lower down.
This naturally slowed things down.
At this moment, the sound of hooves and footsteps could already be heard in the distance. Soldiers from other posts were also running towards them along the city wall. The closest were only a dozen or so *zhang* away.
At this point, Chu Han showed some courage. He shouted loudly to Miss Liu, "Miss Liu, you and the others take them and go quickly. If you're slow, you might all be trapped."
Liu Rumei waved her hand. While busy tying the rope, she shouted, "Alright, stop talking. Since we came, we won't leave anyone behind."
Chu Han exerted his strength, pressing against the city wall, and leaped back over ten feet, blocking the entrance to the stairs leading to the tower.
"You three carry them. This rope should be enough for you to get down. I am a member of the Chu family. Even if Zhu Meng catches me, he wouldn't dare to harm me."
"When you conquer Jizhou City in the future, we will meet again."
As he spoke, the closest soldiers began to charge up the city wall. Chu Han grabbed bows, arrows, spears, and other weapons, and threw them down forcefully to impede their advance.
Liu Rumei looked at the connected rope in her hand. It was only a little over ten feet long. She mused, how long could a single person's belt be?
Fine, with these ten feet, it should be enough to get them down with a woman on their backs.
With this thought, Liu Rumei gritted her teeth and made up her mind, "Huang Ying, Ziyan, you two take the people and retreat first. Chu Han and I will stay behind."
Hearing this, Huang Ying repeatedly shook her head. "We go together or not at all."
Seeing them still dithering, Chu Han spoke up, "You should go quickly. If you don't, when they get up here, no one will be able to leave!"
Liu Rumei, helpless, tied the ten-foot-long rope to the corner of the wall. She grabbed the little girl and slung her onto her back, then slid down the rope. Reaching about ten feet, she stepped off the wall and leaped.
The city wall was four to five *zhang* high. After descending ten feet, there were still four *zhang* remaining, equivalent to four or five stories. The difficulty of jumping down with someone on one's back was imaginable.
Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan saw this and had no choice but to retreat. Huang Ying stepped forward, carried the Lotus Cult Leader, and followed suit down the rope. Shen Ziyan, however, did not leave immediately. She turned to look at Chu Han, who was bravely fighting, and secretly admired him. The Chu family members indeed had some backbone.
Shen Ziyan's mind raced. She quickly stepped forward, shot two handfuls of flying needles at the soldiers below, and tugged on Chu Han's arm, "Let's go!"
Chu Han was a man, strong and healthy, so Shen Ziyan couldn't possibly carry him.
Shen Ziyan pulled Chu Han to the left side of the wall and handed him the rope.
"The rope is only a little over ten feet. The remaining thirty to forty feet should not kill you if you fall."
With that, she lightly struck Chu Han with her palm, pushing him off the city wall.
Then, Shen Ziyan pushed off with her feet and, like a bird, glided over the wall, heading straight for the ground below.
As she fell, she did not forget to throw another handful of flying needles, killing the enemy soldiers who had already reached the city wall.
Thump. Chu Han landed heavily on the ground.
He had fallen hard and fast. He cried out in pain.
At this moment, Shen Ziyan also landed. She stepped forward, grabbed Chu Han's arm, slung him over her shoulder, and started running.
Chu Han was strong, but Shen Ziyan was petite. Carrying such a large man, her speed naturally slowed. At this time, the guards on the wall had reached the top and saw them fleeing. Someone immediately shouted, "Quick, shoot! Shoot!"
Hearing this, Chu Han shouted again, "Miss Shen, put me down, you go! Otherwise, neither of us will be able to get away."
Hearing Chu Han's words, Liu Rumei and Huang Ying, who were running ahead, felt a mix of emotions.
Chu Han was telling the truth. At their current speed, they would likely be turned into porcupines very soon.
Just then, a sudden shout was heard, followed by the sound of hooves. A contingent of riders rushed over like a whirlwind. The leader was none other than Liu Tie.
Liu Tie was also overjoyed to see Liu Rumei. He shouted from a distance, "Miss, don't panic, we're here."
Liu Rumei's eyes welled up, tears streaming down her face. It was truly heaven-sent.
Liu Tie directed his soldiers to charge and block the enemy behind Liu Rumei and the others. Then, they unleashed a volley of arrows towards the city wall. A rain of arrows poured down, instantly forcing the enemy soldiers on the wall to retreat.
Seizing the opportunity, Liu Tie reached Liu Rumei, leaped off his horse, and said, "Miss, quickly."
Liu Rumei placed the little girl on the horse and then gave its rear end a hard slap. The warhorse, in pain, galloped forward.
The Lotus Cult Leader and Chu Han were then also placed on warhorses and rode forward.
After they had left, Liu Rumei and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally saved.
After everyone had safely retreated, Liu Rumei had the chance to speak with Liu Tie. "Liu Tie, why are you here?"
"I accompanied Brother Chen Xiaobei all the way here. Xiaobei heard you had entered the city and immediately suggested to the Crown Prince that people be stationed at the four gates to prepare for any eventualities."
Hearing this, Liu Rumei's eyes welled up again. "Brother Xiaobei is also here? Where is he?"
"He's at the south gate with some men. He sent me to the north gate, and I happened to run into you."
Unintentionally spoken, but the listener's heart was stirred. Huang Ying, standing nearby, shouted, snatched a warhorse from a soldier, leaped onto it, and cracked the whip.
Shen Ziyan and Liu Rumei saw this and also took warhorses, intending to go forward, but were stopped by Liu Tie.
"Miss, Miss Shen, they are a couple wanting to have a private conversation. We shouldn't disturb them."
Hearing this, Liu Rumei inexplicably felt a pang of sadness, a peculiar taste she couldn't describe.