Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 655 The Setting Sun in the Northern Frontier is Her Red Makeup

Huangyaguan is a small pass, little known and an inconspicuous point on the Great Wall. It has not even received the attention of the imperial court, and people have not even thought that such a place exists.

But this place has transformed from a dilapidated checkpoint into a home to tens of thousands of people. It has become the most important trading point on the Northeast line, supporting the livelihoods of millions of people outside the Great Wall, and is also one of the important grain corridors between the two sides of the Great Wall.

It is no longer the dilapidated place it once was. Countless people call it the Pearl of the Frontier, while others refer to it as an oasis on the pale land. Every day, the people and merchants who come and go will stop here to escape the bitter cold winds of this northern land.

Xiao Chenzi gripped the intelligence report tightly in his hand, while several generals behind him were intently beginning to deploy defenses.

"The enemy has 200,000 men, while we only have 20,000." Xiao Chenzi turned around: "Most of them are old, weak, and disabled soldiers who have never fought a battle before. How can we fight this battle?"

Xiao Chenzi was in great pain at this moment. He held military power, but in recent years he had focused too much on the development of commerce and food and neglected the expansion of the army. He once thought that no one would come to his dilapidated and inconspicuous place, but this time he miscalculated. After being defeated in the Central Plains, the enemy came straight to him.

These kinds of teams are the most troublesome. They're capable of anything to escape, and there's absolutely no way to make them take a detour, because if they do, they'll likely be surrounded and intercepted.

He's going to fight this battle, and he's going to fight it hard.

Fortunately, although there has been no military development in recent years, he has built the city walls of the pass to be high and thick, which should be able to hold out for a while.

"A notice will be issued tomorrow to keep the gates closed."

After Xiao Chenzi gave the order, he began pacing back and forth. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Go to the surrounding villages immediately and move everyone here. Leave no one behind and don't leave them a single grain of food."

Then Xiao Chenzi continued, "We will add arrow towers and bunkers along the city wall to form a cross defense, and dig trenches and lay barbed wire outside the city gate to slow down the enemy's advance. In the early stages, we will avoid battle, and when the enemy is exhausted from the long siege and their morale is low, we will send elite troops to flank and attack from the rear through the breach gate."

The subordinate general nodded, awaiting further orders from his commander.

"Investigate for spies, strictly control entry and exit, and punish suspicious persons by association."

Xiao Chenzi sighed deeply. Summer would be manageable, allowing them to sustain themselves for a few more days, but this season was truly unbearable. The city's biggest shortage wasn't food, but fuel. Although they had stockpiled a considerable amount of charcoal and coal, given the current winter's consumption, a month without replenishment would be disastrous. They wouldn't starve for three to five days, but in this bitterly cold place, without fuel, they'd be stale within hours.

If the enemy is determined to besiege them and kill them, this month will probably be a month that Xiao Chenzi will never forget.

He didn't sleep a wink all night, and only when the copper axle on the city gate was locked at daybreak did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The people in the city were still somewhat confused, but since they all lived on the border, they probably knew that something had happened. In short... something bad was definitely going to happen.

Sure enough, after two or three tense days, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the ground. Upon hearing this, Xiao Chenzi immediately climbed to the top of the city wall. As he looked around, the area outside the pass was filled with people, like dark clouds covering the sky.

They had already begun constructing a military formation to protect themselves from the cold, and the flags at the head of the formation were slowly raised, the yellow Yang-character flags fluttering in the northern mountain winds.

"Raise the red flag."

At Xiao Chenzi's command, the red flag from the Five-Colored Flag was replaced on the city wall, signifying a desperate defense against retreat.

Yang Ying stepped out of the yurt, looking at Huangya Pass and the flags on the city wall in the distance. He sneered, "If I can't beat the New Army, I can beat you!" "Men, give them a taste of their power!"

Soon, the eight-ox crossbows were pushed up, and without any warning, a volley of fire was fired at the city wall. The huge crossbow bolts would tear apart any living thing in their path, and anyone that came into contact with them would have no chance of survival.

One of Xiao Chenzi's personal guards was unable to dodge in time and was shot dead on the spot. Xiao Chenzi frowned and quickly ducked behind the parapet.

"fight back!"

The catapults on the city wall began to launch Molotov cocktails into the distance, but their range was ultimately limited, and they could only set off a wall of fire in front of Yang Ying's formation.

Yang Ying, sleeves tucked in, gradually revealed a mocking smile: "That's it?"

After saying that, he turned around and said, "The army will rest for three days, and then we will begin the attack on the city!"

Xiao Chenzi squatted behind the parapet and asked the general beside him, "How much military equipment do we have here in Fuliang?"

"Not many. The general said there wouldn't be any war here, and it would be a waste to hoard those things for maintenance, so the craftsmen... used them all to build bridges and pave roads."

Xiao Chenzi sighed, "Who knew things would turn out like this? Hurry, order the craftsmen to urgently manufacture explosives, the more the better. Xia Daosheng was able to defend Luoyang back then, and today I can defend Huangya Pass!"

At a single command, all the artisans and even ordinary people in Huangyaguan sprang into action. Since most of the artisans here were originally from Fuliang, the formula for explosives was not a secret. However, since they hadn't upgraded their technology, the power and range were somewhat lacking, but it was still sufficient for defending the city.

Xiao Chenzi's counterattack today was intended to give the other side a false impression, making them think that he only had so little skill, so that he could launch a surprise attack.

As the army outside the city gradually dispersed, Xiao Chenzi recognized the yurts they lived in. They were not from the Central Plains but from the grasslands. Things that could survive in the harsh land could only be born in certain specific regions.

Seeing all this, Xiao Chenzi understood everything. This was not a retreating soldier trying to escape, but clearly a secret plan by the grassland people. They did not want Huangyaguan, but the vast area northeast of Huangyaguan, the black soil that the grassland barbarians had dreamed of for many years!

We can't give this place to them. If we do, what will our descendants eat?
If he yields, he will be a sinner against the nation.

Xiao Chenzi's teeth were grinding together, making a loud crunching sound. Those who served as dogs with other races were the most despised, yet today they were able to act so arrogantly.

That's hilarious, really hilarious.

Xiao Chenzi gripped the handle of the waist knife tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He silently raised his head, looked at the sky beyond the pass, and secretly vowed to cut off the thief's head and offer it as a sacrifice to the heavens.

"Announce to all soldiers and civilians that I will open the North Gate tomorrow. Those who wish to leave should do so immediately. They can escape to places like Laizhou from the port outside the pass. The rest of you shall defend the pass with me to the death!"

(End of this chapter)