Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1068 Seeking refuge with the Duan family

The situation was urgent, and they didn't have much time to make a plan. Song Chen was also at a loss.

After pondering for a while, he turned to look at Lin Feng.

Seeing that Lin Feng remained calm, gazing at the distant fields, seemingly lost in thought.

"Mr. Kikawa, what are your thoughts?"

Lin Feng pondered for a moment: "How about this, Miss Duan, lead us into Luocheng and seek refuge with the Duan family?"

Duan Jingqiu immediately clapped and cheered.

“Great! Once we enter Luo City, the pirates will be helpless, and you can even take up positions in the Imperial Guard.”

Song Chen stared intently at Duan Jingqiu: "Are you sure you can convince Second Master Duan?"

“I am very important in my father’s eyes. I manage more than half of the Duan family’s business.”

Duan Jingqiu was very confident.

Old Wan asked worriedly, "Boss, is this a safe bet?"

Lin Feng shook his head and said, "You were originally trying to survive in the cracks. Whether it was the pirates or the Imperial Guards of the Taisho Dynasty, once they started to play for real with you, you would immediately lose your space to survive and would have no choice but to side with one side. Otherwise, what awaits you is only annihilation."

Song Chen smiled wryly: "Why do I feel like I've walked right into a trap?"

"Take a gamble. Maybe this will put us on the right path, and bringing glory to our ancestors might just be the result of this decision."

Lin Feng advised again.

He strongly urged several bandits to enter Luocheng, because he didn't want them to be wiped out by the sea pirates.

Seeing that a large number of pirates were invading, and that the Taisho Imperial Guards did not make a move, they must have been defending the city and dared not attack.

They allowed the pirates to run rampant on the Taisho lands.

Once the pirates catch up, Lin Feng will definitely leave, and then these people in front of him will be doomed.

If they get into Luocheng, Duan Jingqiu might be able to save their lives, and with his help, the chances of these people surviving are very high.

At this moment, more scouts galloped in, shouting loudly about the distance to the pirates' ranks.

Xu Qi said urgently, "Boss, if we don't leave now, it will be too late."

Lin Feng drew pictures on the ground with a twig.

“We are in this place, less than a hundred miles from Luocheng. The pirates are coming from three directions, and one of their routes is along the official road below Luocheng. We may be able to get ahead of them and enter Luocheng through the north gate, thus avoiding the pirates’ encirclement.”

Duan Jingqiu was also anxious: "Gentlemen, with the pirates invading, the Imperial Guards are definitely short-handed. With my Duan family as your guarantor, you will surely be highly valued once you join the Imperial Guards. Don't hesitate."

Song Chen threw away the branch in his hand and gritted his teeth.

"Alright, let's take this gamble. Life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are determined by fate. I, Song, will believe Mr. Mu Chuan's words."

After saying that, he waved his hand.

"Mount up and head to Los Angeles."

Everyone immediately scattered and ran towards their warhorses.

Lin Feng was also equipped with two horses. He climbed onto the horse's back, shook his head and smiled as he looked at Song Chen's back.

This kid used a clever trick. Knowing he was no ordinary person, he resorted to moral blackmail.

However, Song Chen is indeed quite good; he is a promising talent.

The city of Los Angeles had already received information about the pirates' movements.

Several thousand pirates have crossed the Yongding River and are now splitting up, gradually converging on Luoyang. Their purpose is self-evident.

Zhao Heida, the garrison commander of Luocheng, ordered the four city gates, which were normally open for entry and exit, to be closed, and the five thousand imperial guards inside the city were put into a defensive posture.

Thousands of laborers were mobilized to begin carrying defensive weapons up the city walls.

Martial law was imposed throughout the city.

Duan Long and Duan Hu are Master Duan's most capable and trusted bodyguards, and have been with him for four or five years.

Later, Duan Jingqiu took over many businesses and shops, and spent more time away from home than at home. So, Second Master Duan sent Duan Long and Duan Hu to her side to be responsible for Duan Jingqiu's safety.

At this moment, Duan Long and Duan Hu, along with twenty elite soldiers from the Duan family, disguised themselves as bandits and left Luocheng through the south gate, searching for traces of the Thirteen Horse Caravan.

The two understood that the Second Master had sent out twenty assassins because he didn't intend to properly rescue the young lady from the fire pit, even though the Second Master hadn't said it.

These assassins are just scapegoats; they'll be dragged along with the young lady in a scene where they sacrifice themselves to save their master and go to their deaths together.

Duan Long and Duan Hu are skilled in martial arts and also quite intelligent. They can understand their master's intentions without him having to speak, which is why they were sent out.

The two regretted not staying by their young lady's side at the time. They had listened to her and rushed back to the mansion to protect the second master's safety, neglecting their young lady.

It's probably because the young lady is a small target, and the bandits wouldn't notice her.

Indeed, that was the case. If Duan Jingqiu hadn't been so beautiful that she caught Xu Qi's eye, she wouldn't have been kidnapped.

The two men, leading twenty riders, were galloping northeast, following the hoofprints on the ground, about seventy miles south of Luocheng.

There were many more pirate groups around, which puzzled Duan Long and Duan Hu. How did the pirates suddenly cross the Yongding River and appear near Luocheng?

These twenty horsemen left the city, but no scouts informed them. They had only been out of the city for a day when they followed the tracks on the ground and soon discovered the pirates' army.

At this point, it was too late to retreat or change direction.

The pirates also discovered their presence, and a large group of pirates began to surround them.

Duan Long and Duan Hu were stunned. They didn't know how to handle the current situation. Should they fight or run?

The two men, mounted on their horses, huddled together and urgently discussed the matter.

Duan Longnian is a bit older and more composed, while Duan Hu is a bit more impulsive, but neither of them are capable of causing trouble.

"Brother, let's retreat. There are too many pirates; we can't break through."

Duan Long nodded, knowing that things were hopeless and that fighting the pirates was pointless.

"Let's go back to the city and talk about it."

The two quickly reached an agreement and, with twenty mounted assassins, turned and fled towards Los Angeles.

The distance of seventy li was covered in less than half an hour, and they were back at the foot of Luo City.

Unfortunately, at this time, the drawbridge of Los Angeles was hanging high and the city gates were tightly closed, so no one could enter.

Despite the two men loudly proclaiming their identities, no one on the city wall paid them any attention.

Behind them, countless pirate figures loomed in the fields. Duan Long and Duan Hu knew they couldn't just wait to die here.

The two had no choice but to lead their team westward around Luoyang, hoping to find a way into the city through the west or north gate.

Meanwhile, Song Chen, the leader of the Thirteen Horse Caravan, was leading a dozen or so riders, circling around from the east gate of Luocheng to the north gate. Similarly, the east gate was tightly closed, and no one was allowed to enter.

The garrison of Los Angeles was on high alert. Although hundreds of people crowded in front of the city gate, they were all people from nearby manors and villages, eager to enter the city for refuge.

However, without General Zhao Hei's order, no one dared to open the gates and let people into the city.

When Song Chen and his group arrived at the north gate of Luocheng, this was the scene before them: countless people crowded in front of the moat, some shouting and others cursing.

However, the soldiers on the city wall stood expressionless behind the battlements, motionless.

A dozen or so warhorses were seen galloping towards them.

Given Song Chen and his men's attire and equipment, how could these commoners not recognize them? They practically had "bandits" written all over their faces.

However, with pirates lurking outside the city, everyone was rushing into the city to seek refuge, and no one paid any attention to these usually fierce bandits.

Hundreds of people crowded in front of the suspension bridge, some pleading, some shouting, some wailing—no one made way for them.