Chapter 712: Unexpected Ally

The morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Repair work on the eastern wooden wall had begun; the clanging of hammering and work songs broke the riverside's tranquility.

Zhu Yue was inspecting a new batch of polished spearheads with Xu Da when Tang He hurried from the south gate of the camp, his face bearing a strange expression.

"Big Brother Zhu, outside the southern woods, a few people have come."

"They're not government troops," Tang He added, "they look… like refugees, but not quite."

Zhu Yue set down the spearhead in his hand: "How many? What are they wearing?"

"About seven or eight, men and women, their clothes are tattered, but a few of the men look sturdy and alert. They're standing at the edge of the woods, not daring to come closer; they sent a half-grown child over to deliver a message."

"What message?"

"They say they've fled down from the north, their homeland is no longer tenable, and they want to find a place where they can survive. They've heard that someone has set up camp on this riverbank, able to hold off government troops, so they came to seek refuge."

Zhu Yue and Xu Da exchanged a glance.

"Fled down from the north?"

"Did you find out exactly where in the north they came from?" Zhu Yue asked.

"The child said they're from Liaodong, and they've been walking for nearly a month."

Liaodong!

Zhu Yue's eyes narrowed.

"Bring their leader over—no, I'll go see for myself. Xu Da, take a squad and guard the gate. Tang He, come with me."

Zhu Yue did not open the camp gate directly.

He led Tang He and several spear-wielding able-bodied men up onto the south side wooden wall's watchtower.

Looking down.

About a hundred paces out in the clearing at the forest edge, there indeed stood seven or eight people. As Tang He said, their clothes were ragged and their faces gaunt, but three of the men, though thin, had large frames and bore a faint military bearing in their stance. Beside them were two women and a child of about ten, all looking frightened and exhausted.

Seeing someone appear on the wall, the group visibly tensed. A man about thirty with a light scar on his face stepped forward two steps, hands spread to show he bore no weapons, then bowed deeply.

"Heroes on the wall! We mean no harm! We're truly out of options—please give us a way to live!"

Zhu Yue asked in a low voice: "Where in Liaodong did you come from? Why are you fleeing south?"

The scarred man raised his head, fear still lingering on his face: "We were originally settlers near Liaoyang Prefecture. Over a month ago, the north… the north came a band of murderous fiends!"

His voice began to tremble.

"They weren't Mongols, nor ordinary Jurchen bandits. They… they simply aren't human!"

"Their horses are as fast as wind, their strength terrifying—those hit by arrows are as if unharmed! Their eyes… many people's eyes glow blue at night!"

"They kill on sight, massacre strongholds, loot and burn… several forts north of Liaoyang fell in just a few days!"

A woman beside him couldn't hold back a soft sob.

The scarred man wiped his face and continued: "The regular troops couldn't stop them; they collapsed at the first touch. When our village got the news, we fled south overnight. Along the way we met several other groups of refugees, all saying the north had brought man-eating demons… later the crowd grew, but we had no food or drink, and we feared being taken as bandits by government troops and suppressed, so we scattered, leaving only our few families."

He bowed again: "We've heard that south of Haozhou territory, people have gathered on this riverbank, even driving off government troops, so we've come all this way. Please, heroes, take us in! We have strength, we can work, and we dare to fight! All we ask is a safe place where our women and children can live!"

The walltop fell silent.

Only the woman's stifled sobbing and the distant sound of the river flowing could be heard.

Liaodong… demonic cavalry… eyes glowing blue…

Zhu Yue's fist slowly clenched.

Not a rumor.

It's true.

The Jurchen, or rather the "Qing" propped up by the Iron Crow Army, have already bared their fangs and begun to stir up a terrifying wave.

The debris churned up by this wave is being washed toward the south.

"Stay in the woods for now," Zhu Yue said, "we'll send some water and food over. Whether we take you in needs discussion."

Hearing this, the scarred man showed no displeasure; instead, tears of gratitude welled up, and he kept bowing: "Thank you, hero! Thank you, hero! Just a mouthful of water would do! Just a mouthful of water would do!"

Zhu Yue had someone lower a small sack of millet and two waterskins from the wall.

The group thanked profusely, took the supplies, retreated to the woods edge, and gazed longingly at the camp.

Descending the watchtower, Xu Da immediately came up: "Elder brother, really take them in? What if they're spies…"

"They don't seem like it," Zhu Yue shook his head, "that kind of fear can't be faked. Moreover, their description of the northern cavalry matches what we know."

Tang He frowned: "But feeding another seven or eight mouths… our supplies are already tight…"

"It's not just them," Zhu Yue cut him off, eyes sharp, "today seven or eight may come; tomorrow it could be dozens. Once the northern turmoil erupts, refugees will only increase."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll be selective," Zhu Yue decided swiftly, "able-bodied laborers and those with a skill—craftsmen—get priority. Families with no other option, women and children, we'll take in small numbers as appropriate. Those of unknown background or suspicious conduct, we will firmly reject."

"Tell those outside they may enter, but they must obey the camp's rules. All able-bodied must participate in labor and drills. Taking them in isn't to freeload; it's to have them help build the camp stronger and repel any dare‑to‑attack enemy."

He paused.

"Also, privately gather more details about the northern 'demon cavalry.' What anomalies did they leave in the environment they passed? Any strange changes in animals or plants? The finer, the better."

Xu Da and Tang He received the orders and left.

Zhu Yue walked alone back to the center of the camp, watching the gradually bustling crowd.

Unexpected?

Actually not.

When the northern storm begins to sweep, the southern valleys are bound to echo.

These "fragments" driven by the storm, struggling to survive, might become a burden.

But likewise, they might become new building blocks.

The key lies in whether we can forge them into shape and fit them into this still‑unsteady wall of ours.

He looked toward the northern sky.

The Jurchen's blade has already seen blood.

Under this blood-red light, more undercurrents are silently surging on this land called the end of the Yuan.

His camp is no longer merely an isolated island resisting government troops' encirclement.

Unknowingly, it has become a lighthouse in some desperate gazes.

Although this lighthouse itself still sways in the wind and rain.