The fiercest soldier of the border army

These hundred Xiongnu cavalrymen, seeing that there were many people at the north wall, deliberately detoured to the south wall. They thought the south wall was a joke, but they never expected it to be such a formidable barrier!

He looked up at Tang Shun, uttering a few words of barbarian language, cursing and swearing.

Cheng Feng stepped forward half a step behind him, sword in hand, and whispered, "That bastard is calling us bricklayers, saying this wall won't last until tomorrow."

Tang Shun's lips twitched slightly, but he did not reply.

The opponent's probing attempt failed, and their momentum had weakened considerably. Now it was not a contest of strength, but of patience.

Seeing that no one responded, the Xiongnu leader snorted coldly and waved his hand to give an order.

The cavalrymen turned their horses around and slowly retreated, their hooves kicking up yellow dust as they gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving behind only a mess.

Only when the last rider disappeared off the ridgeline did the soldiers on the wall dare to utter a sound.

"It's refunded! It's refunded! It's really refunded!"

Ignoring the dust from the city wall, someone plopped down on the ground, his hands already soaked with cold sweat, unable to even hold his spear properly.

The fire gradually died down, and thick smoke and ashes drifted northward.

"They're gone, really gone!"

"We survived! We made it!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the south wall, drawing people from the north to begin moving closer to it.

A large crowd gathered at the foot of the city wall.

Tang Shun raised his hand, his voice not loud, but enough to quell the noise, "Listen up, the most dangerous period is over. Now, I keep my word and let you bring your families in."

"Those who wish to enter the pass should be prepared to stay for a long time. Each household should bring everything they can with them when they return home, such as food, bedding, iron pots, etc."

"Tomorrow morning, we will enter the pass together, hand over the grain and fodder, and allocate them centrally."

Tang Shun knew that the city had been established, and the biggest problem now was that the city was blind to the danger.

He knew nothing of the situation outside the city, where the ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry had gone, or what the current situation was like in Linhe County and Datong City.

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

Some people ran around excitedly, while others hesitated and watched.

A townsman squeezed out, his voice trembling, and asked, "Captain Tang, how much grain and fodder should we take?"

"Bring as much as you can." Tang Shun interrupted him. "After entering the pass, each household will send a male member to guard the pass. Those guarding the pass will have two full meals a day, while the rest of the people will drink porridge."

"If you don't wish to, you can stay in town and don't have to return."

The old farmer bowed his head and stepped back.

The crowd whispered among themselves.

They knew that the low rammed earth walls of Xiushui Town would make it easy for the Xiongnu to break through.

The fortress already stands tall, blocking the middle of the canyon.

The choice between dying and living is not difficult.

A moment later, some people started running home.

The townspeople dispersed in twos and threes.

The soldiers stood still, their faces showing a long-lost sense of relaxation.

Clearly, most of them believed that the city could save their lives.

Zhu Hang stepped out from behind the crowd, his face grim.

He strode forward, his voice harsh and forceful, "Team leader, you are the team leader, so I shouldn't be saying anything."

"Just the families brought by these townspeople alone number in the thousands."

Zhu Hang couldn't hold back any longer. To be honest, Tang Shun had already won him over enough.

Whether it was burying silver and turning over the land or rallying the people, he always acted like a team leader.

No... not only the squad leader, but even Captain Wang Xianghong doesn't have that ability!

But when it comes to the team's survival, Zhu Hang still had to ask:

"You tell them to bring as much as possible, but will they really? Where will the food come from? Where will the firewood come from? Who will take care of them if they get sick or injured?"

"Just because they built this fortress, you've taken on an enormous burden?"

The crowd quieted down.

That hit the nail on the head.

Tang Shun looked at him, not angry, walked up to Zhu Hang, looked him straight in the eyes, and asked, "I'm asking you, if I didn't let your mother in, would you have stayed to the death?"

Zhu Hang was taken aback.

"If you were a resident of this town, and your wife and children were captured and abused by the Xiongnu, would you hide here and fight to the death for this wall?"

Tang Shun's voice deepened, "For this city to be defended, someone has to be willing to risk everything, but what makes them willing to risk everything?"

"You think you can just draw a pie in the sky and promise us a future where we'll have meat to eat?"

He paused, then pointed to the people gradually walking out of the north gate, "There are more than thirty of us in total, most of whom have never been on the battlefield."

"To preserve this shell, we must rely on the power of the people."

"When their wives and children enter the fortress, they will naturally fight to the death."

"If people are saved but land is lost, both people and land will be saved."

"Losing land but losing people means losing both people and land."

Zhu Hang's lips moved, and he suddenly felt as if he had been enlightened.

"Save people, lose land... both people and land will be preserved..."

He murmured softly, savoring the words.

"Yes...yes..."

Zhu Hang stared at Tang Shun for a long time, then suddenly bent his knees and knelt down with a thud.

At that moment, all the soldiers were stunned.

Cheng Weiliang and the other two raised their eyebrows, clasped their hands in a gesture of amusement, and watched the spectacle with great interest.

Most people gradually realized that Zhu Hang had given in.

"Team Leader." Zhu Hang lowered his head, his voice hoarse. "From leaving Datong City to the construction of the city and the establishment of the pass, I have witnessed it all."

"I, Zhu Hang, am convinced. You are far superior to me as the team leader."

"I, Zhu Hang, am willing to accept defeat in a bet."

"I am willing to be your pawn, to lead your horse and stirrups, to go through fire and water, without hesitation."

Tang Shun stared at him for a long time.

Laughed.

So he reached out and helped him up. "I don't need you to lead the horse or put on the stirrups. Just be a good squad leader and manage your men."

Zhu Hang stood up, nodded emphatically, and led a few soldiers to repair the city wall.

The next morning, people arrived at the pass in long lines.

First came Liu Laosi and his group, carrying grain sacks and iron pots, with the women balancing earthenware jars on their heads and Liu Laosi carrying an old man on his shoulder.

Next came Li Heizi, who had contributed a lot to building the wall, driving a donkey cart piled high with bedding and pickled vegetable jars.

Not only them.

Many townspeople, upon learning that the fortress could hold off the Xiongnu cavalry, spontaneously brought their families to the site.

Migrants from surrounding villages also spontaneously gathered at the pass.

People kept entering through both the north and south gates.

For each household that entered the pass, Wei Zong would make a note in the register: the name of the head of household, where they came from, and the amount of grain they brought.

A rough estimate suggests there are over two thousand people.

Tang Shun stood in front of the North Gate, watching the endless stream of people pouring in.

A group of people walked in from the north gate.

A dozen or so men were dressed in constable's uniforms and carried short knives at their waists.

Then six or seven carts were pushed by the people, filled with all sorts of things.

Further behind were five or six women wearing veils.

The leader was dressed in a blue robe and a black gauze hat, holding a folding fan. He was fat and rode a thin horse that was struggling to move.

It is Xiushui Town.

Tang Shun raised an eyebrow, surprised that he had also come.

Wu Yong rode his horse with his chin raised, ignoring the fleeing people on both sides, and headed straight for the North Gate.

He looked at the wall with amazement, as if he were inspecting his own backyard.

Cheng Feng was the first to react. He jumped over, blocking the way with his sword, and shouted, "Halt! What are you doing here?"

Wu Yong slowly rolled over, and a constable immediately knelt on the ground to serve as a flesh bench.

He stepped onto the damp earth, head held high with arrogance, "What, don't you recognize this town?"

"This town is Xiushui Town, and this area of ​​several dozen miles is under our jurisdiction. Move aside, our town needs to conduct an inspection."

"This is a military town." Cheng Feng didn't move. "You can't go in!"

"A military town?" The garrison commander sneered. "Who told you this was a military town? Who received the order to convert this place into a military town?"

"A bunch of peasants building a crumbling wall and thinking they can start their own business? Aren't they afraid of being laughed at?"

The constables behind him laughed and sneered.

Clang——

Cheng Feng's face flushed red, and he angrily drew his sword, pointing it at Wu Yong, shouting, "You son of a bitch, you're asking for death!"

"presumptuous!"

Clang——

The next moment, more than a dozen constables drew their swords at once, pointing the tips at Cheng Feng.

The crowd of people at the entrance saw this and hurriedly retreated, trying to avoid it.

Tensions instantly rose.

Wu Yong sneered, "Within Xiushui Town, there's no place we can't go."

"This town is concerned for its people and is going to see them. Anyone who tries to stop me is committing rebellion!"

Upon hearing the commotion at the north gate, Tang Shun put one hand on his hip and the other on his sword, staring at Wu Yong for a while.

He then chuckled lightly, "Wu Jianzhen is quite the show-off. Yesterday he colluded with the Xiongnu cavalry to ravage the people, and today he's using the pretense of caring for the people."

"I wonder who exactly is rebelling?"