The fiercest soldier of the border army

The blood was still flowing, and the wind rose again.

Tang Shun did not stop walking. His boots made a slight sticky sound as they stepped over the edge where the rammed earth met the pool of blood.

He walked to the earthen platform and stood still, his back straight, the broadsword in his hand gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Behind them, the archery range was deathly silent; the people were trembling with fear, and the constables lay prostrate in a row, none daring to raise their heads.

The strong smell of blood filled the air, and white brain matter flowed on the ground. Many people felt nauseous and almost vomited up the porridge they had just drunk!

The young captain in front of him actually shot and killed Xiushui Supervisor with a single arrow!

This is an appointment made by the Datong Prefectural Governor's Office; they are legitimate officials in blue robes, with records in the Jiedushi's office!

The common people were a mixed bag, and many who had originally harbored the intention to take advantage of the chaos no longer dared to have any such thoughts.

After several dozen breaths, the suffocating pressure finally transformed into a chilling voice that resounded throughout the entire arena:

"Cheng Feng," Tang Shun said.

"Yes!" Cheng Feng responded immediately.

Tang Shun's gaze swept over the group of constables. "These people usually bully the villagers. Make them all do hard labor. Anyone who dares to cause trouble again, behead them!"

"yes!"

Tang Shun turned around and faced the people.

He raised his hand and pointed at Wu Yong's corpse.

"Fellow villagers, it's not that I, Tang Shun, am fond of killing."

"This man, as the supervisor of the town, did not think about protecting the land and the people. Instead, he colluded with the Xiongnu, led the Hu cavalry south, and brought disaster to the village."

"The three hundred Xiongnu cavalrymen yesterday were sent by him in collusion."

As soon as he finished speaking, the people were stunned.

The purpose of murder is to gain notoriety.

Tang Shun continued loudly, "Today, we will execute him on the spot, eliminating a traitor for the country and restoring peace of mind to the people!"

A slight commotion arose in the crowd, and some people quietly looked up, their gazes falling on the still-warm corpse.

Wu Yong's head was tilted to the side, with a clear, gaping hole in his head; his death was extremely gruesome.

But Tang Shun's tone was calm and unwavering, as if he had merely dealt with a vicious dog.

"Now, with ten thousand Xiongnu cavalry pressing on our borders, Xiushui Town is in imminent danger."

He paused, glanced at the crowd, and said, "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."

"Within the city walls, military control will be in effect. All civilians must act in accordance with military orders. If you are unwilling, you may still leave the city now."

The people stood still, neither resisting nor moving an inch.

They clearly understood that abandoning the pass and fleeing would only lead to a more gruesome death.

Tang Shun nodded. "From today onwards, each household shall send one male member to be temporarily enlisted in the army to assist in the defense of the city."

"The rest of you shall take turns keeping watch, moving stones, and building the city walls, and shall do so in accordance with orders. Those who disobey shall be dealt with according to military law."

The people lowered their heads and remained silent; some clenched their fists, while others shrank back.

Tang Shun continued, "But there is one point that still needs to be made clear."

"You are guarding this city not for me, but for yourselves."

He pointed at the people and said, "Your parents, wives and children are all inside the pass. If the Xiongnu break through the pass, you will have nowhere to go. You will either be humiliated or die. There is no escaping this calamity."

Having said that, Tang Shun said no more and turned to leave.

Only after Tang Shun had gone far away did the people quietly breathe a sigh of relief and begin to whisper among themselves.

"How can this young captain be so terrifying?"

"My goodness, I can't look him in the eye at all."

"Shh, keep your voice down. He's a god-like figure who built cities from scratch. If we talk about him, we'll shorten our lifespan..."

In just a few days, a fortified city rose from the ground, far exceeding their comprehension.

After going back and forth, only the phrase "divine intervention" can be considered a barely acceptable explanation.

Among the crowd, Su Shu, who was no longer being guarded, bit her lip, her eyes misting over, staring blankly in the direction Tang Shun had left.

Cheng Feng led the constables to dig the pit, while Wei Zong checked the roster and registered each person and household as a guardian of the town.

The people gradually dispersed, gathering in small groups to discuss the matter in hushed tones.

That night.

Inside Tang Shun's tent, candles burned, and he sat on the ground, holding a piece of charcoal in his hand.

Before him, dense text and drawings appeared on the ground.

Troop deployment, sentry post distribution, supply routes...

Dining area, restroom area, accommodation area, activity area...

Each stroke is distinct and orderly.

Several thousand people flooded into the city at once, but there were no houses or toilets available, and the large number of people caused great inconvenience.

People in this era had virtually no awareness of hygiene. They ate and defecated wherever they ate, so talk of disease prevention and pest control was practically meaningless.

Fortunately, it was early winter, the weather was cold, and the residents were scattered, so the impact was not too great.

The wind howled outside the tent.

Tang Shun's fingers caressed the charcoal stick, but his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the daytime.

He originally intended to stay and oversee the town to find out the movements of the Xiongnu cavalry, rather than remain here blindly.

However, the situation is difficult. If we do not quickly establish our authority, we will be caught in a power struggle. If the Xiongnu attack, the crisis will be even greater.

Make an example of someone to deter others and discourage petty thieves.

Killing him was a last resort, but one that had to be done.

But what has become of Datong City now?

How long are they going to hold out?

Tang Shun put down his pen and stared at the charcoal marks in a daze.

A gust of wind slipped in through the gaps in the tent, causing the lamp flame to flicker twice.

After pondering for a long time, following the rhythm in my memory, my fingers unconsciously wrote:

The bow is strong and the arrow is long.

To shoot a man, shoot a horse first; to capture a thief, capture the king first!

The handwriting is rough, yet its force penetrates the mud.

These are slogans painted on the walls of the border defense company back then, and they are also the ironclad rules of modern warfare.

Writing this now feels like a masterpiece.

The curtain rustled softly, a corner was lifted, and a figure tiptoed in.

It was Su Shu.

At this moment, Su Shu was as thin as a sheet of paper, her face had an unhealthy porcelain white color, and her lips were tinged with a faint blue, but this did not diminish her breathtaking beauty in the slightest.

She changed into a faded, coarse cloth dress, the material rough and the stitches crooked; it would certainly look slovenly on someone else.

But when applied to her, it actually made her skin appear even whiter than snow.

Perhaps due to prolonged hunger, two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Su Shu immediately noticed the poem on the ground and stopped abruptly in her tracks.

"This..." she gasped, unable to believe her eyes.

Tang Shun frowned. "What is it, Miss Su?"

"You saved me three times."

"The first time was outside Datong City, the second time was at the military training ground, and the third time is today."

Su Shu stepped forward to Tang Shun, her voice weak but without any hint of groveling, "Su Shu has come to express her gratitude."

The two were only three steps apart.

After saying that, Su Shu lowered her head, seemingly savoring the verses written by Tang Shun.

"Miss Su, you're too kind," Tang Shun replied calmly. Sensing her gaze, he reached out and wiped away the four lines of text.

Su Shu stared at the smoothed ground, her astonishment still lingering in her eyes. "A soldier from the borderlands could possess such literary talent? This poem is grand in style and profound in strategy; it doesn't seem like something written casually."

"It's just copying what others are doing." Tang Shun put down the charcoal sticks, clapped his hands, stood up and said, "You are a noble lady from the Prime Minister's mansion, so you must have read books and know that there are often such words in books."

Su Shu did not respond.

Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, remained fixed on the smoothed mud, as if she could still see the words burning.

"The reason why Wu Jianzhen fled in such a hurry was because he received a message."

Su Shu suddenly said, "The Xiongnu's three 10,000 cavalrymen are fiercely attacking Linhe County. He feels that the county cannot be defended and is afraid that after the Xiongnu break through the city, they will go south and massacre villages and plunder towns. That's why he wants to escape first."

Tang Shun suddenly looked up.

Speculating is one thing, confirming it is another!

"Is the news accurate?"

Su Shu nodded slightly, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if she had been deliberately trained, "The governor of Xiushui Town was a eunuch. He left me in the backyard as a decorative vase. I could hear their conversations."

Tang Shun was silent for a moment, then smiled softly, "Miss Su, is this message your way of repaying a debt of gratitude?"

The tent fell silent for a moment.

For some reason, Tang Shun felt that the temperature inside the tent seemed to rise, and Su Shu's breathing became a little more rapid.

A gust of wind blew the curtain, causing the firelight to flicker. Tang Shun looked up and saw that Su Shu's face had changed from pale to a shy blush.

She raised her hand and untied the sash of her outer robe.

The sound of the fabric slipping was soft, yet it struck the tent like a thunderbolt...