The fiercest soldier of the border army

"Fuck you, let me go!" Zhu Hang was held down tightly, his mouth still taunting him, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Liang Enyi, "Liang Zhugan, you dare to hold me hostage?"

Tang Shun walked up to him and asked in a low voice, "Do you hate me?"

Zhu Hang spat out a mouthful of dirt, "You bastard surnamed Tang, I don't want to die!"

He suddenly looked up and roared at Tang Shun, "You actually believe you can garrison Xiushui Town? Ridiculous!"

Cheng Feng immediately stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his knife. "Shut up! Try saying another word!"

"Cut me down!" Zhu Hang shouted, his eyes bloodshot. "If you're going to die, why are you, Tang, dragging me down with you?!"

"You just took my team, and I haven't even blamed you yet, and you're dragging me down with you? What right do you have?!"

Tang Shun pulled Liang Enyi aside, personally helped Zhu Hang up, and gently patted the dust off him. "Captain Zhu, we have no grudges against each other, so naturally I won't bully you."

"But I'm very curious, why is Wang Xianghong so determined to kill us?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Zong and the others surrounded him, their gazes turning cold.

Clearly, this is the answer they want to know.

This is too abnormal!

From covering the rear to returning to camp for execution, and now to guarding Xiushui Town, every situation has been a hopeless predicament with no way out.

"Hehehe..."

Zhu Hang lowered his head and slowly smiled, adopting a "what's the use of trying" attitude.

"Fine, if that guy surnamed Wang wants me to die with you, then I'll let you die knowing why."

"Three months ago, the military governor's office issued an order to allocate resettlement land to all soldiers who were registered elsewhere or who were orphans!"

"The land has been designated in three fortified villages south of Datong."

"You are either orphans without parents or isolated soldiers from other places, without roots or background, and are at the mercy of others."

"Not only that, in order to enable us border troops to guard the northern frontier, the imperial court exiled many women, including the daughters of disgraced officials, the daughters of merchants, and even people who committed crimes in the countryside."

"It is all so that you, soldiers who have no parents and come from other places, can settle down, build a career, and take root in Beiting."

"Those women are already on your register, married to you!"

"Your fields, your women, all of them have been sold off by Wang Xianghong!"

"Only Su Shu, with her special status and knowledge of some inside information, is not convenient to sell. She is specially left for you so that Wang Xianghong can be clean."

Tang Shun clenched his fists, and suddenly everything became clear!

No wonder!

He was an orphan, Liang Enyi's ancestral home was in Hedong, Cheng Feng's ancestral home was in Hexi, and as for Wei Zong... he was directly from the State of Chu.

Liang Enyi and the other two gritted their teeth!

It turns out they were married on the government's register!

"My wife, sold before I even met her?" Cheng Feng muttered to himself.

Zhu Hang turned his head, pointed at the group of people, and said, "And you guys too!"

"From the very beginning, you were combat soldiers. School C didn't have any auxiliary troops at all. You've been receiving auxiliary troop pay all along; the rest was all embezzled by that Wang fellow!"

"Now, you're either injured or disabled, unable to do your auxiliary duties. He finds you in the way, so he has no choice but to die in exchange for compensation!"

boom--

The line fell silent.

Zhu Hang was hysterical, and what he said was like a bolt from the blue.

Everyone remained where they were.

Wei Zong's hand, gripping the carriage shaft, trembled slightly.

Liang Enyi raised his head, his gaze darkening.

Tang Shun stood still, the wind making his clothes flutter.

"Then... Captain, can we go back? We need the money."

A new recruit spoke in a trembling voice, "We're combat soldiers, how much money is missing...?"

Soldiers received five taels of silver per year, while auxiliary soldiers received only one tael.

The difference is huge!

"Hahaha... Go back?"

Zhu Hang laughed maniacally, "Too late, too late!"

"The moment you were assigned to the third team, the entire roster was burned! He even wrote down the names of all the soldiers who died in battle!"

"It says that Tang Shun led three detachments of soldiers to garrison Xiushui Town, where they encountered the Xiongnu barbarians and were all wiped out in a bloody battle!"

"The spoils you handed over earlier are irrefutable proof of your deaths in battle!"

Zhu Hang said with a sneer, "You are all excellent, fighting to the death without retreating. Your compensation will be paid out in full, but it's a pity that it will end up in Wang Xianghong's hands."

Silence, dead silence.

The sun shines brightly tomorrow, but everyone feels a chill from head to toe.

According to official documents, they are already dead!

These cannibalistic border troops.

While alive, they are exploited by their superiors; when they are disabled or sick, they are even plotted to die!

How ridiculous!

Tang Shun was speechless. In his previous life in the army, when had he ever heard such absurd news?

In their past lives, officers and soldiers were one, and the military and civilians were one; everyone was equal and lived and ate together.

How could anyone have imagined that someone would drink soldiers' blood to this extent?

But in reality, it not only happens, it's happening right now!

"How could this happen? How could this happen?"

The crowd, who were initially overjoyed at receiving a tael of silver, were now sitting weakly on the ground.

They didn't want to get up.

Some served as auxiliary servants for a year, while others served for several years, or even more than a decade.

What about money?

How much of the salary was deducted?

Clang——

Cheng Feng's eyes were bloodshot. He suddenly drew his sword, shouting, "Aaaaah—I'm going to kill Wang Xianghong!"

"Damn it! That scoundrel has eaten up all the favors the imperial court bestowed upon us!"

"He's just a fat, bloated captain, while we're just sending him to our deaths!"

"I've rebelled! I've rebelled!"

Cheng Feng grabbed the knife and started to walk back.

"stop."

Tang Shun pressed his shoulder, "If you go back alone now, you'll only be shot dead by the city gate guards of Datong as a deserter."

"Squad leader, let's all... run!"

"A captain like that isn't worth risking your life for!"

"Is the imperial court blind? They've been kept in the dark for so many years!"

The old soldiers were furious and gripped their weapons tightly.

"There will be an explanation for this matter, but not now." Tang Shun stood on a large rock, scanning his soldiers one by one.

He knew that this group was on the verge of mutiny, and if they were not calmed down, things would definitely get out of control.

"Commander Shi has only been in office for a short time; he won't let this matter go unpunished."

"Once we've finished defending Xiushui Town, I will seek justice for you."

Tang Shun said firmly, "Don't forget, Commander Shi and I have a past relationship."

"With his powerful connections, adding a name to our roster is just a matter of a word for him."

"I can't guarantee the missing pay, but I will do my best!"

Tang Shun took a deep breath. "You, including me, and several squad leaders including Zhu Hang, we are all the ones who have been bullied."

"We ourselves cannot act recklessly."

"We'll discuss everything after we've finished guarding Xiushui Town."

Tang Shun's voice seemed to possess a kind of magic.

Perhaps they were impressed by the act of handing out money, or perhaps they had nowhere else to go; the crowd gradually quieted down.

However, most of them wore expressions of resentment.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Zhu Hang's eerie laughter rang out again.

"Captain Tang, you really are...you're smart, but also naive."

"You actually still think you can get into Xiushui Town?"

"To tell you the truth, the men who escorted that woman yesterday morning also brought a handwritten letter."

"It's clearly written above: Wang Xianghong begged Xiushui Town Supervisor not to let you into the town, and even threatened to collude with barbarians to kill you!"

He sneered again, "Not only can you not get into Xiushui Town, but if your whereabouts are exposed, you'll be hunted down and killed!"

After Zhu Hang finished speaking, he was panting heavily, staring at Tang Shun as if waiting for him to break down and accept his fate.

The soldiers, who had just calmed down, were thrown into panic again.

Certain death?!

Tang Shun's expression remained unchanged as he turned to look.

To their side was a large canyon.

The mountain ridges on both sides are extremely high, with strange rocks standing tall, reaching several tens of feet in height.

In the middle of the canyon, there is a chasm that looks like it has been cleaved by a knife. There are piles of stones on the ground, and patches of bamboo grow out of the gaps.

The canyon is two miles deep from north to south, but less than thirty zhang (about 100 meters) wide from east to west.

Tang Shun slowly squatted down, took out his water bag, soaked a cloth in vinegar, and dripped water onto a gray stone.

Bubbles slowly began to emerge from the stone.

It is limestone!

Zhu Hang leaned closer and said in a muffled voice, "Team Leader Tang, what are you doing playing with stones?"

"Say something! There's no way forward, no way back, not even a place to shelter from the wind and rain. How are you going to survive?"

Many soldiers also spontaneously gathered around.

Their faces were filled with exhaustion and panic.

Tang Shun knew what they were thinking.

They were short of supplies, had no support, and no way out.

Now there's not even a place to shelter from the wind.

"I don't need to ask anyone for help."

"It doesn't rely on anyone's mercy."

Tang Shun raised his hand and pointed to the canyon in front of him.

"We'll build a city right here in this ravine."

Quiet.

Everyone froze.

You can even hear the wind rustling through the withered grass...