The captain didn't reply. His dear classmate Yang Xin Jie felt much the same. If it weren't for the necessity of staying home to look after their daughter, she would have been on the battlefield long ago.
He now envied Xin Ci for having a space, which would allow her to carry their mother and daughter with her.
Alas, thinking of his milky-skinned daughter, the captain's deep eyes were filled with tenderness.
However, realizing he might not be able to hold his daughter today, the captain's heart began to ache.
His gaze turned even colder as he looked at the lawless Tatars below the parapet.
It was all these damned scoundrels. If they hadn't stirred up trouble and come rampaging into the northern territories, he would still be at home holding his daughter and playing with her.
Thinking of his daughter's adorable appearance as she blew bubbles, the captain's eyes softened again.
"..." Fortunately, no one saw it. The extreme expressions of coldness and tenderness shifted rapidly in his eyes.
Otherwise, it would surely have scared many people away.
Those with little insight might even have shouted loudly and asked humbly, "Hero, how do you achieve such seamless transitions?"
The captain: Did I?
When Fu Xin Ci arrived carrying Ning'er, Lan Tian Yao and Pang Dun Er were the first to spot the siblings.
"Little Fu, this must be Ning'er, right?"
"Xin Ci, we are going to war. Why did you bring Ning'er here? It's not safe."
"Brother Lan, Pang Dun Er, I know it's not safe, but I have no choice."
Fu Xin Ci first placed Ning'er on the ground, letting him sit there to get his bearings, before telling everyone about the Wokou kidnapping Ning'er.
"These short bastards, their shortness is matched only by their malice. Damn it all, they're all wicked."
"Yeah, they're so damn bad. They're a bunch of scum."
The people of Qilin Town, upon hearing this, joined Pang Dun Er in cursing the scoundrels, their throws of stones becoming even faster and more ferocious.
"Aim before you throw, don't waste stones." Lan Tian Yao, seeing everyone's high morale, continued to hurl fireballs between his shouts.
Pang Dun Er: "Watch this, brother." As he spoke, a massive mound of earth hurtled towards the attacking Tatars and Wokou.
The solid thud as it hit the ground stunned the attacking Tatars below into silence for several seconds.
When they reacted, most were in a panic, trying to find shelter.
Some, perhaps feeling that family or friends were buried beneath, tried to dig with their bare hands.
However, before they could even reach out, they were stopped by people nearby.
They were here to capture the town today, they had no time to dig people out.
Besides, such a large mound of earth would have shattered even a wooden man, let alone a flesh-and-blood one. There was no hope of survival.
Lan Tian Yao peered down from the parapet, relishing the miserable sight of those brutes.
"Damn, this skill is awesome! It's so satisfying to watch." He glanced again at the enemies crushed by the earth, his eyes coveting Pang Dun Er, almost shouting: You are my idol.
Pang Dun Er humbly waved his large, pudgy hands. He dared not underestimate fire elemental abilities.
Firstly, the attack power of fire elemental abilities was higher than that of earth elemental abilities at the same level.
And most importantly, his beloved Xiao Ai was also a fire elemental user. Thinking of his wife's formidable attack power, Pang Dun Er felt pride and a sense of shared glory alongside his admiration.
When Qi Yuan Shan and Fu Yu arrived, the battle was raging.
The soldiers of the Thousand Households' office were immediately invigorated. Engaging in close combat with the Tatars was the perfect opportunity to test the skills they had practiced for so long and see if they had fully met the standards set by the Thousand Households' Master.
Fu Xin Ci had noticed them approaching.
Especially when she saw her father and younger brother had also arrived, she nudged Ning'er, who was cheering her on, to watch.
"Father, Brother, Uncle Qi." Ning'er called out the names, his short legs not idle as he scrambled towards his father.
But now that he saw his father, the previous grievances were about to pour out.
However, remembering his sister's words that he was also a little man, he held back.
"En." Fu Yu immediately dismounted and caught his younger son.
Lan Tian Yao had already seen the contingent of Ming dynasty soldiers. The leading Thousand Households' Master, Qi, was Fu Xiao Niu's father-in-law.
In the past, they had also helped Qilin Town defeat the Tatars.
Their arrival today touched them deeply.
Qi Yuan Shan was a man of action. Upon arrival, he first inquired about the battle situation and the remaining enemy numbers.
Lan Tian Yao, Pang Dun Er, and Fu Xin Ci explained the situation clearly, each speaking in turn.
After Qi Yuan Shan understood that the Tatars and Wokou had joined forces and brought over ten thousand men, he was stunned for a few moments.
If these scattered scoundrels were to attack various parts of the northern territories separately, he wondered how many more towns and villages would suffer.
Now, Qi Yuan Shan was genuinely grateful to everyone in Qilin Town, especially their leader, Mayor Lan.
It was they who had built the sturdy defenses and held the line, preventing the Tatar iron hooves from advancing.
This gave them valuable time. Otherwise, if the Tatars had pushed straight through, the northern territories would have been plunged into devastation once again.
Qi Yuan Shan turned to look at the soldiers he had brought, all of them eager for his command.
However, he had also observed the situation from the parapet just now.
Although the Tatars had suffered twenty to thirty percent casualties, their numbers still far surpassed theirs.
When the Tatars below tired from attacking and took a break, Xiang Tong and the captain ran over to discuss with Qi Yuan Shan and Lan Tian Yao.
"I estimate there are at least eight to nine thousand below. Our combined forces are likely less than a thousand."
Xiang Tong was not trying to inflate the Tatars' prestige; this was the reality.
"How about we go down and round up the sheep together?"
Before Qi Yuan Shan arrived, the captain hadn't dared to entertain such a thought.
After all, they were too few in number, the disparity between the two forces being too great.
He feared that if they went down and overlooked even one flank, allowing the Tatars to break through, the few hundred people of Qilin Town might not be able to hold.
Now that Qi Yuan Shan had brought several hundred men, his mind began to stir.
The few of them could go down and cause some trouble.
Fu Xin Ci felt the plan was feasible and was the first to voice her support. "Captain, I'll go down with you."
The captain wanted to say it wasn't necessary, especially since Xin Ci's father-in-law and father were present.
However, before the captain could refuse, Pang Dun Er enthusiastically agreed.
"With Xin Ci there, we'll be twice as effective."
"That's right," Xu Jia Can also thought so. "They say even the most meticulous plan can have flaws, but with Xin Ci, such things won't happen."
Xiang Tong also became excited upon hearing this. "Exactly, I'll go down with you."
"What about me?" Lan Tian Yao also grew anxious.
"You and Thousand Households' Master Qi should stay up here and hold the defense. If we get too absorbed in the fight and neglect a certain area, you must hold it."