My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 488 Horrifying!

Time passed quickly and it was noon.

More than four hours have passed since the Battle of Gaoque broke out in the early morning at midnight.

Both sides tacitly ceased fighting after daybreak, and then resumed the battle of positional attack and defense with more fierce offensive and more resolute defensive positions.

——Without bows and crossbows, and without long-range attack means, both sides can only use the most primitive throwing methods to try to cause long-range damage.

The Han army soldiers used the ancient fighting method of throwing spears.

The Huns, in addition to bows and arrows, also used another method of fighting: throwing stones, or throwing blunt weapons made of stones.

But after all, it is not a long-range attack method that can fire at the same time and form a killing area. These "ghost ideas" of both sides are ultimately better than nothing.

The key to war still depends on the two sides facing each other and fighting sword to sword.

The Han army was still able to hold its ground.

After all, in this battle, the Han soldiers did not need to worry about the Gaoque South Gate Wall behind them, or the cliffs on the flanks.

The internal structure of Gaoque means that both sides only need to focus on the enemy in front of them in this battle.

You only need to defend against the enemy directly in front of you, and you also only need to attack the enemy directly in front of you.

The Han army soldiers were obviously very good at this fighting style.

——It’s just a confrontation between infantry and soldiers, a head-on confrontation~
Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Chinese soldiers have been familiar with and mastered the essence of this combat method.

The Huns, on the other hand, were clearly not used to this kind of fighting style which required them to fight head-on and left them no room to maneuver.

Firstly, as a group of grassland nomads, the Huns' combat thinking mode is inclined towards the combat method of large cavalry groups.

How did that large group of cavalry fight?
Obviously, it is not a face-to-face charge and fight, but an extremely wide battlefield depth is needed to allow the cavalry groups to move around and pull repeatedly.

Most of the battles and casualties between the two sides occurred in pursuit battles, detours, outflanking the supply flanks, or even in war scenes such as cutting off the enemy's rear and stabbing the enemy in the back.

And now, even without a horse, the Xiongnu defenders in Gaoque could not avoid being affected by this inertia of thinking.

——How to fight in such a narrow battlefield?
As for war, doesn't it just require finding an open area that is hundreds of miles long and wide, and then chasing each other on horseback?

Not only are there no horses, there isn't even enough width for the battlefield, so we can only fight face to face. How can we fight?
How can we win a war if we cannot flank the enemy or outflank them?
As a result, the Xiongnu defenders became more and more uncomfortable as they grew older, and became more and more impatient as the fighting went on.

Especially as the casualties became more and more severe, waves of fear began to emerge in the hearts of the Hun defenders.

In fact, among all the nomadic tribes on the grassland, the Huns were the most adept at, and the least afraid of, frontal combat, hand-to-hand combat, and close combat.

Back then, in the epic decisive battle that determined who would become the overlord of the grassland, the Huns, in the final stage of the battle, used fearless hand-to-hand combat to shatter the last confidence and power of the Donghu royal court.

After that stop, the madness and bravery of the Zhelan people spread throughout the grassland. The Zhelan tribe became one of the three pillars of the Shanyu Court to suppress Mu Nan, and it also became the existence that could stop children from crying at night in the grassland.

From this perspective, the real Huns were not afraid of close combat or head-on hand-to-hand combat.

To some extent, compared to charging and chasing on horseback, the Huns were even more willing and better at dismounting and fighting in hand-to-hand combat!
Since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there have been countless incidents of Xiongnu cavalry charging towards the Han infantry clusters, actively jumping into the heart of the Han infantry formations, and then dismounting to fight.

But here’s the kicker: the real Huns.

At that time when the Huns ruled the grassland, commanded the hundreds of barbarians on the grassland and became the common leaders of all the tribes on the grassland, the Huns were naturally synonymous with nomadic people.

The Zhelan people can call themselves the Xiongnu, the Loufan people also call themselves the Xiongnu, the Baiyang tribe, the Xiutu tribe, the Hunxie tribe - even the Wusun tribe, can all call themselves the "Xiongnu".

But the Huns here are only referred to in a broad sense: people who are ruled by the Huns' Chanyu court and are part of the Huns Empire.

The real Huns refer to the Huns who were directly under the jurisdiction of the Huns' Chanyu Court and once existed on the grassland as the "Huns Tribe". They were the Huns with a red bloodline.

A few decades ago, under the leadership of Touman Chanyu, these already weak tribes became even weaker, and any tribe on the grassland could shit and piss on them.

Later, Maodun Chanyu killed his father with a whirlwind arrow. These people followed the new king, killed the criminal who persecuted the Xiongnu: Touman Chanyu, and then established a new master.

Later, under the leadership of Maodun Chanyu, the Xiongnu tribe fought wars in the south and the north, and in the east and the west. Every time the Xiongnu tribe became stronger, the shadows and contributions of these people were there.

In the end, the grassland was divided into three parts: Donghu, Yuezhi, and Xiongnu.

Originally, the three tribes could live in peace and maintain that delicate and fragile balance, and then follow the principle of 'the weak unite to fight against the strong', and join forces with the Yuezhi people to deal with the grassland overlord: Donghu.

But in the end, Maodun Chanyu firmly stated: If the Xiongnu want to become the new overlord of the grassland, they must use their own strength to overthrow the Donghu royal court from the throne!

Maodun Chanyu did it.

The Xiongnu tribe became the new overlord of the grassland and completed the magnificent transformation from the 'Xiongnu tribe' to the 'Xiongnu Chanyu Court'.

It was not until this time that the "Huns", who had once been the backbone of the Xiongnu tribe and had made countless contributions to the Xiongnu's growing strength, finally received the reward of the brave.

——Nowadays, the various tribes on the grassland are constantly fighting against each other. What they are fighting for is nothing more than grasslands, salt fields, or plundering each other's materials and people.

But the Xiongnu Chanyu headquarters would never get involved in such a fight.

The entire Chanyu Court headquarters, with 400,000 soldiers under its command, can suppress any tribe on the grassland, and can even join forces with all the tribes on the grassland and win the battle!
Every year, the Shanyu Ting headquarters would follow Shanyu Ting's footsteps, patrol the grassland, and eat wherever they went.

In a sense, the Xiongnu Chanyu was the common ruler of the grassland only when facing other tribes on the grassland.

In front of the Xiongnu headquarters, the Xiongnu Chanyu was their king.

Just like King Zhelan, King Baiyang, King Loufan - the Xiongnu Chanyu was the 'Xiongnu King' of the Xiongnu headquarters.

These people are the real Huns.

Compared to animal husbandry, their ancestors were actually better at fishing.

Compared to horse riding, they actually like wrestling more and are better at it.

They are better at throwing than drawing the bow and arrow.

They also prefer blunt weapons to sharp blades.

Like every nomadic tribe on the grassland, the Huns also have their own unique lifestyle, habits, and even combat methods.

Among them, what the Huns are most proud of is: the great Hun warriors. Unlike any coward on the grassland who dare not face the enemy head-on and can only hide like a mouse - the Hun warriors always dare to face the enemy head-on!

Whether it is an external war or a dispute within the tribe, the Huns hope to decide the outcome through the purest 1v1 real man battle and the most primitive way.

During disputes within the tribe, when the two sides would decide the winner through wrestling, when one of them fell to the ground, the proud Huns would take the initiative to step back and give the other a chance to stand up again.

Not because of stupidity.

Instead, the Huns firmly believed that true victory could not be achieved through conspiracy or intrigue.

A victory gained through conspiracy and taking advantage of others' misfortune cannot gain the respect and awe of others, and cannot even be considered a "victory."

On the battlefield, the Huns rarely adopted tactical maneuvers such as detours, outflanking, or temporarily avoiding the sharp edge and retreating to advance.

——Just a fight!

——Just a charge!

The Huns were confident that they could use their strength and fearlessness to tear to pieces any fool who dared to charge at them!
The Huns did indeed do this on the grasslands.

It was not until that stop, the decisive battle with the Donghu people for the overlord of the grassland, that the Huns realized that they were still not strong enough, at least not as strong as the Donghu people, and finally met another group of lunatics who were braver and more fearless than themselves.

Zhelan people.

As a result, the Zhelan tribe became the most popular and close tribe to the Xiongnu Chanyu Court. It also became the only tribe among the three horses that could be directly supported by the Chanyu Court without owning pastures or livestock.

Because the Xiongnu headquarters, in a sense, are the group of people who understand the Zhelan people best on the grassland.

The Xiongnu headquarters knew clearly that the Zhelan people were born to fight.

They should not waste their time and energy on the trivialities of life with cows and sheep and dairy products.

They should fight.

They should fight endlessly, should be born on the battlefield, find their destination on the battlefield, and end their brilliant and glorious lives.

And now, there is not even one Zhelan person in Gaoque.

There is no Hun headquarters, and there are only the "real Huns" who are always fearless and courageous.

Huyan Dangtu and Qie Dang were both nobles from just one of the four major clans: the Huyan clan.

On the grassland, apart from the madman Zhelan and the war maniacs in Shanyu Ting's headquarters, there is no third type of people who do not have the nomadic instinct of "seeking benefits and avoiding harm".

Seeking benefits and avoiding harm, fighting if you can win, running away if you can't - even if you can win, you can still run away, this is the way of survival for the nomadic people on the grassland.

Now, the battlefield of both sides was confined to Gaoque, which made the nomadic people who were naturally accustomed to the "big battlefield" and used to finding a retreat and preparing an escape route before fighting feel at a loss.

In addition, as casualties increased and the battle became more brutal, the morale and spirit of the Hun defenders began to show some extremely subtle changes.

There is a saying on the grassland.

Being alive is everything.

Only being alive is more important than plowing the sky.

As long as you are alive, you can have everything and have the opportunity to do everything.

Survival is the top priority on the grassland...

"The Han people have already occupied Gaoque..."

"If we continue to fight, we won't be able to drive the Han people back to the other side of the river..."

For a time, the Hun soldiers had their own thoughts.

The knives and swords in their hands were covered in blood, making the handles wet and sticky.

The entire Gaoque changed from its original cold gray to a dazzling scarlet.

——Every moment, someone falls in a pool of blood.

With every breath, someone dies in this 'unequal' war.

The Huns began to fear...

"No retreat!"

Behind the Xiongnu formation, Huyan Dangtu drew his sword and chopped down a Xiongnu guard who was trying to retreat secretly and slip away to the north gate wall.

Then, under the strange gazes of the Xiongnu defenders, he shouted firmly: "Think about your families!"

“Think about your tribe!”

"Once you lose Gaoque, even if Chengli Gutu doesn't blame you and the Chengli gods don't punish you, the Han people will take away everything that belongs to you!"

"——Your women will become tools for them to bear offspring!"

"——Your pasture will become a paradise for them to raise flatterers!"

"Your relatives, your tribe, your wealth - even your life!!!"

"Han people, we will leave you nothing!"

The roar at the critical moment finally calmed the shaken minds of the defending soldiers.

Yes.

The nomadic people went south to plunder, burning, killing, looting and committing all kinds of evil.

The wealth of the Han people must be taken away.

Han women must be snatched away.

The cities and houses of the Han people must be burned down.

If it were the other way around, the Han people would surely do the same...

"Listen, Huns on the other side!"

Just as the defending soldiers were hesitating, a burst of poor Hun language was heard from the direction of the south gate wall a hundred steps away.

Then a Han general walked out of the formation, holding a strange object that was narrow in front and wide in the back, speaking a Xiongnu language that was even more shabby than that of the Xianbei people, and shouted, "Gaoque no longer belongs to you!"

“Think about your loved ones!”

"Think about your people!"

...

"Don't make any more futile resistance. Don't waste your life on this high tower!"

"Go back to your loved ones, return to your tribe, put down your swords, and jump off your horses!"

"Raise your own cattle and sheep and live your own lives!"

"Stop aiding the tyrant and becoming an accomplice of the Chanyu court in persecuting the nomadic people on the grasslands!!!"

These words were highly similar to what Huyan Dangtu had just said, but their meanings were completely opposite. The Xiongnu soldiers were all stunned.

Then the big prize turned slightly and pointed at the South Gate Wall behind him.

"My Han army of 500,000 will arrive at Gaoque tonight!"

"At this moment, outside the wall, catapults, siege vehicles, and man-mills are all ready!"

"——I cannot bear to slaughter innocent nomadic people!"

"Those who leave Gaoque before dark will not be killed!"

"After dark, all nomadic people in Gaoque will be killed!!!"

As soon as the Han general finished speaking, he turned around and retreated to the rear of the Han army formation without waiting for anyone to respond.

At the same time, a series of shrill creaking sounds were heard from the south gate.

"Yes……"

"It's a catapult!"

"Han people, you want to smash us to death with catapults in this high palace!"

(End of this chapter)