The fiercest soldier of the border army

Tang Shun spoke lightly, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But when it came down to Wu Yong, it made his expression change drastically.

The surrounding villagers stirred and quickly moved away from Wu Yong, presumably because the reputation of "Wu the Skinflint" was too well-known.

Wu Yong paused, fanning himself, and glared at Tang Shun. "You're spouting nonsense!"

"You say this town colluded with the Xiongnu?" he raised his voice. "You, a lowly soldier abandoned here, dare to slander an official of the imperial court?"

"You accuse this town of colluding with the Xiongnu? Then produce some evidence! Otherwise, I will certainly report you to the Prefect of Datong!"

Wu Yong's chest heaved violently, as if he were venting his emotions.

Tang Shun ignored him and turned his head slightly towards Cheng Feng, saying, "Here, the wind can enter, the rain can enter, but the town guard cannot."

"Cheng Feng, close the door."

Cheng Feng grinned, "Okay!"

Then he began to instruct his soldiers to push open the massive stone gate.

"Wait!"

Wu Yong squeezed through the narrow doorway, his eyes flashing for a moment before he sneered, "If you don't let me into the city, that's disobeying orders!"

"This area is under the jurisdiction of Xiushui Town. I am here by imperial decree to supervise the town, and it is my duty to inspect the local area! If you continue to obstruct me, it will be treason!"

"And another one—"

He waved his hand.

Two constables dragged one man out from behind.

The woman staggered, her hair disheveled, and her clothes stained with dust, yet her stunning beauty remained undeniable.

As soon as she appeared, the surrounding people couldn't help but turn their attention to her.

It was Su Shu.

She saw Tang Shun, her lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything.

The bailiff shoved her forward, and she nearly fell, but managed to stay upright.

Tang Shun frowned slightly.

"Will you let her pass now or not?" Wu Yong's sneer deepened. "If you don't, she'll die at the hands of the Xiongnu!"

"Let's go in together, and this woman is yours."

"I forgot to tell you, this was instructed by Captain Wang."

Wang Xianghong!

Tang Shun was speechless. He had lived two lives, and he was not a young man in his previous life. How could anyone think that he would be controlled by a woman?

Ultimately, it's because this body is too young.

Cheng Feng gripped the knife handle so tightly it creaked, his teeth clenched.

Wei Zong quietly took half a step back, disappearing into the edge of the crowd, and silently surveyed the positions of the constables around him.

Tang Shun stared at Wu Yong, his gaze serious.

He considered another possibility.

If I'm not mistaken, the three hundred riders yesterday were a collusion of Wu Yong, and he, as the garrison commander of Xiushui, has brought his family here today.

What could possibly drive him to such desperation that he resorts to such self-righteous tactics to coerce China into entering the pass?

The 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry may have already reached the surrounding area.

A moment later, Tang Shun raised his hand and stepped aside to clear the passage through the city gate.

"Let them in."

Cheng Feng suddenly turned to look at him and nodded emphatically.

The soldiers were all curious about who this woman was, that she could make the squad leader back down.

Wu Yong strode forward with a cold smile, his green robe swaying and his folding fan gently waving.

The bailiffs escorted Su Shu to follow.

A dozen or so people filed in, their boots clattering loudly on the rammed earth path.

The people quickly moved aside and stood at a distance.

Some people looked down, some peeked, but no one spoke.

Wu Yong kept giving orders as he walked.

"Hey you guys over there! Come over and move some stuff!"

"You! Go to the well and fetch water for me to wash my feet!"

"Hey, you lame old man, don't just stand there, it's cold, go chop some firewood!"

The person whose name was called stepped forward tremblingly, not daring to disobey.

A woman holding her child tried to hide, but a constable grabbed her and pulled her out, saying, "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what the magistrate said?"

Tang Shun stood there, lost in thought.

Cheng Feng's hands showed prominent veins.

Wei Zong whispered something to the man beside him, who nodded and quietly went to the eastern thatched hut.

The sun is rising higher.

It was lunchtime.

Because of the unified allocation of grain and fodder, more than twenty large pots were set up inside the city to cook a thin porridge of wild vegetables.

Liang Enyi led his men to carry out a large pot of hot porridge, which was steaming.

One person from each household should collect the food, and they should be registered according to the roster.

People lined up in long queues, quietly receiving their bowls.

Wu Yong sat on a makeshift bench, legs crossed.

Two women massaged his shoulders, and two other women massaged his legs.

He was also holding a young woman who looked about twelve or thirteen years old in his arms, and his fat hands were not behaving properly, kneading her forcefully.

As his servants lined up to receive their porridge, Wu Yong flew into a rage upon seeing it being served. He shoved the young woman in his arms to the ground and kicked her twice!

He was furious, pointing at a constable, "How can this town be fed thin porridge? Go to the granary and cook rice! Cook beef!"

His men immediately rushed to the granary.

Liang Enyi blocked the constable's path, saying, "During military control, everything is uniformly distributed. When not fighting, everyone, including the squad leader, drinks porridge without exception."

"Martial law?" Wu Yong sneered as he stood up. "Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to speak? I'm the one in charge here! Get the rice, or I'll smash your pot!"

Cheng Feng, who was watching from the side, could no longer bear it. "Damn it, surround it! Surround it!"

His soldiers, along with Liang Enyi's guards, numbering twenty or thirty in total, quickly surrounded them in a circle, standing with their spears raised!

The cold spear tip sent a chill down Wu Yong's spine, bringing him to a more sober state, but he still sneered repeatedly.

Tang Shun put down his bowl of porridge and walked into the crowd. "What's going on?"

"Squad leader, he won't drink porridge, he insists on eating rice, and he also insists on opening the granary to get food."

At this time, there were no houses inside the pass, only flat land. Wu Yong's commotion attracted many people to gather.

Tang Shun did not stop him, but said loudly, "Wu Jianzhen, the people who enter the pass all bring their own dry rations. As a magistrate, it is only reasonable for you to eat the people's rations."

"However, I'm afraid the people won't agree to us eating rice and meat again."

Wu Yong choked for a moment, knowing he was in the wrong, but said without changing his expression, "I came from Xiushui Town to live and eat with the people."

"However, these people are under the jurisdiction of this town, and we can't bear to see them drinking porridge every day."

He emphasized the words "under his jurisdiction" in particular, saying, "Since it is a unified allocation, the clerks and officials under my jurisdiction should be arranged by my town. As for the people's conditions, my town knows them much better."

His words were righteous and stern, but they only made people secretly laugh.

They fled with their families, yet claimed they couldn't abandon the common people.

He was hypocritical and wanted to seize power, but he only said that he couldn't bear to do it.

What's left in this fortified town besides the newly arrived people?

Wei Zong leaned closer and whispered, "Squad leader, they've come to pick the peaches."

"That son of a bitch, now that our city is repaired, wants to move to another place to continue being his garrison commander."

Tang Shun nodded, met Wu Yong's gaze, and laughed loudly, "The garrison commander is joking. Military control is military control. Now that you've entered the military area, you're an ordinary citizen, and everyone is treated equally."

"In order to defend the city, no special entities are allowed within the pass."

"Absurd!" Wu Yong raised his voice, rubbing his huge belly with one hand. "Tang Shun, you are nothing but a sycophant who got to where you are today by pulling strings with the commander."

"What do you know about defending a city?"

"If we can't hold this town, the people will suffer. You can leave, but how can we let this town go?"

Wu Yong squinted at Tang Shun, "I was also a captain when I was young. When it comes to leading troops in battle, I'm much better than you. How about we have a contest?"

Tang Shun looked up.

"Compare what?"

"Archery." Wu Yong pointed to the open space to the west. "Set up a target fifty paces away. Three arrows will decide the winner. You win. After today, I will not concern myself with your affairs."

"But if I win—"

His gaze swept over the people, "Every soldier, every blade of grass, is at my command."

"besides!"

He stared at Tang Shun, his eyes filled with greed. "Tell me the method of building this city!"

The surrounding people held their breath.

Even the wind has stopped.

Many people frantically hinted to Tang Shun that they hoped he would not agree.

They knew Wu the Skinflint's character all too well!

If it falls into Wu Bapi's hands, the grain we handed over will probably be wasted!

Not only the common people, but also Tang Shun's soldiers held their breath and focused.

For them, it was a losing proposition.

"Alright." Tang Shun nodded and said, "Let's compete now, as you said, three arrows to decide the winner."

"Squad Leader! Think it over!" Zhu Hang rushed over from afar after hearing the commotion. "That fatso used to be a sharpshooter, we absolutely cannot agree to this!"

"He's deliberately setting a trap for you, using his strengths to exploit your weaknesses!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted in uproar.

There was a trap?

"Squad leader, don't agree! You can't agree!"

One of the soldiers spoke up, "Let's drive them out and get them out of here!"

The soldiers chattered amongst themselves.

"Ha, it's too late!"

"Your team leader has already agreed."

Fearing something might go wrong and provoke Tang Shun, Wu Yong said, "Team Leader Tang, you're not a man who goes back on his word, are you?"

Tang Shun took the bow and arrows from Wei Zong, smiled faintly, and walked straight to the open space to the west without explanation.

A look of joy appeared on Wu Yong's face; he was not to be outdone.

The bailiffs escorted Su Shu to a corner of the archery range.

Fifty paces away, a straw target was erected.

No one spoke.

Su Shu watched his retreating figure, her fingers secretly digging into her palm...