Chapter 360: Chapter 356: No one to help_1
Yingbao, startled by the news, hurried outside with her younger brother.

On the way, she ran into Zhang Xuehua and her two half-sisters.

“Yingbao, where are you going?” Zhang Xuehua was about to ask Yingbao about the situation outside the city when she saw her rushing out. She couldn’t help but ask.

Without turning her head, Yingbao replied, “I am going over to Jiangkouzi!” and with that, she had already run out the gate of the Moon Gate.

Once on the street, there were hardly any passersby. Occasionally, though, she saw families of wealth coming out with a group of servants, all holding things like wooden clubs and hatchets, all rushing towards the river bank.

Yingbao was reassured as she passed a disheveled area piled with bricks.

She guessed these bricks must belong to someone who was preparing to build a house, there were two large stacks of them.

Yingbao suddenly stopped, looked around, and seeing that there was no one around, she immediately went up and collected the two large stacks of bricks.

She thought for a moment, threw five taels of silver on the ground, and covered it with a brick.

Jiang Wu, not understanding, followed his sister and asked as he ran, “Why have you disappeared someone’s bricks?”

“It’s important!”

Yingbao ran to the dock with a crowd, and saw many young men gathered around.

The river in the city is actually a tributary of the Great River, flowing from the northwest to the southeast, winding through the entire city area.

This kind of landscape means that city dwellers must secure the two entrances and exits.

Moreover, people must also be present on the city walls, defending against the barbarian bandits from climbing over the walls.

Yingbao glanced at the city walls in the distance, and let out a sigh.

According to the book in her mind, the defenses of Jingzhou City were weak, with only a few hundred men in total.

These few hundred dispersed to various points of defense, three or four people per post, posed no threat to the barbarian bandits below the city.

Jiang Wu slipped into the crowd for a glance, then came back to tell Yingbao: “Sis, those people have been driven away! Let’s go find Brother Huzi.”

Yingbao looked at the water where two dilapidated fishing boats were quietly burning.

There were also two or three bodies in the river, looked like they belonged to the barbarian bandits.

Several guards were paddling small rafts over to retrieve the corpses.

Because if left in the river, the dead would contaminate the water and must be lifted out and burned.

Yingbao knew that this was just a probe from the barbarian bandits, estimating that in two days’ time, they would launch a sneak attack at night.

She craned her neck to look for her own gourd boat, but didn’t find it and had no idea who had taken it away.

With disappointment Yates led her brother back, heading for the city wall to look for Zhang Min and Huzi.

When they reached the mountain path, there were soldiers guarding it who did not allow idle people to climb the city wall.

“We came to find Zhang Min, he is the son of Governor Zhang.” Jiang Wu explained.

The soldiers knew that Governor Zhang’s youngest son came back and immediately ran to guard the city, immediately said, “Well then, I will take you two up.”

So, the brother and sister, led by the soldiers, climbed up the city wall.

Zhang Min and Huzi were indeed there, the two were looking down on the city with Governor Zhang.

Yingbao also leaned on the parapet to look down.

From a distance, on the hillside, the barbarian bandits’ Beast Fangs Flags were flying in the wind, and many tents made of animal skins were in close formation, indicating that there were a lot of people.

A troop of cavalry came galloping, under the city they waved their large swords and severed heads of people around, shouting provocatively.

Governor Zhang was so angry that he clenched his teeth, but those people were too far away for his arrow to reach.

“My Lord, the message asking for help has been sent out, now all we can do is wait for reinforcements.” one staff member said.

Governor Zhang nodded and said, “I’m just afraid no one will come to our aid.”

They would have come earlier if they intended to.

In a military camp tens of miles away from Jingzhou City, he had sent people to ask for help early, but there was no response.

This time, the barbarian bandits came with nearly five thousand people, more than ten times the number of soldiers defending the city. The consequences would be unthinkable if they were allowed to invade the city.

Another member of the staff said, “My lord, why not gather the servants of the wealthy families in the city to join the defense?”

Governor Zhang nodded and stroked his beard in thought.

Even if the servants came, it would be in vain if they didn’t have weapons in their hands.

Repelling the invading barbarian bandits requires the use of bows, arrows, flammable oil, or even bricks and stones as weapons. What is feared is an undeclared attack.

Zhang Min saw Yingbao and Jiang Wu, walked over and said, “You two go down quickly and take Huzi back to the house with you.” Huzi, only eleven years old and barely taller than the battlement, could not see below even on tiptoe. His presence on the city wall was practically useless.

Yingbao: “You come down too, I’ve got something to talk to you about.”

Zhang Min had to descend the city wall with his friends and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“You tell your father to immediately arrange for people to carry bricks and stones to the city wall and prepare some tung oil.” Yingbao wanted to suggest preparing some feces and urine as well, but eventually she didn’t voice it out.

Zhang Min:”I understand.”

After a pause, Zhang Min said guiltily to his friends, “Yingbao, I’m sorry for getting you and your brother into this.”

Yingbao remained silent.

She had her own ways to protect herself and her brother Huzi, and she was not worried about being killed if the city was taken, but what about Zhang Min’s family?

Even if she hid them as well, the Imperial Court would eventually hold them accountable.

Sigh, being an official is not easy.

Yingbao suddenly regretted letting her brother pursue a degree.

Zhang Min hesitated for a while, then said: “Yingbao, if we can’t hold the city, please find a way to help my mother and sister escape.”

“Alright.” Yingbao promised, “In case the city is taken, I’ll definitely ensure their safe departure.”

Zhang Min’s eyes turned red. He immediately turned around, his back to Yingbao. “Thank you, sister apprentice.”

“What are you thanking, we are apprentices. I hope we can keep the city and drive away the barbarian bandits together.” Yingbao said.

“Yes!” Zhang Min quickly walked towards the city wall without looking back.

Huzi blinked and said to Yingbao, “Brother Zhang Min is crying.”

Yingbao hummed a response and turned around to leave.

Huzi and Jiang Wu followed, muttering as they walked, “Let’s go eat, I only had a bowl of porridge and a bun this morning, I’m hungry now.”

“Alright.” Yingbao also wanted to see what was available for purchase in the city, perhaps she could buy something for self-defense.

After a round of looking, many shops were still operating as usual, but quite a few outdoor stalls were gone.

Yingbao had been to Jingzhou before and knew her way around the area’s shops.

Suddenly, she located a noodle shop and ordered three bowls of lamb soup noodles.

As the three of them slowly ate their noodles, they heard the shopkeeper muttering to his wife, “Let’s close the shop tomorrow. We can’t even buy lamb anymore, so what’s the point in making noodles?”

His wife agreed, “Yes, let’s close. I heard from the lady next door that a lot of barbarian bandits have arrived outside the city. It’s terrifying to see such a big crowd.”

The shopkeeper: “I heard about it, too. Sigh, how did those barbarians get all the way here? It’s baffling.”

A customer who was eating noodles at the table beside them joined in, “I heard it’s because the border guards ran away. The barbarians just came all the way without any resistance.”

“If the barbarians are at our doorstep, wouldn’t the Imperial Court send troops to eradicate them?” asked someone else.

“What troops? Look at our military camp outside the city. I’ve lived here for over forty years, and I’ve hardly seen the soldiers train.”

“Definitely, all those officials, they’re all busy lining their own pockets. Who cares about that anymore?”