The fiercest soldier of the border army

"The squad leader commands approximately five thousand cavalry, the main force of the Xiongnu."

"They...they moved!"

The cavalry stood still for a while, then suddenly moved slowly backward from back to front.

"They've retreated! They've withdrawn!"

"No, no!"

"What are they doing...?"

"Why did you dismount?"

The majority of the Xiongnu cavalry slowly retreated to the Xiushui Town area, and then dismounted one by one.

"Oh……"

Tang Shun smiled helplessly and instantly understood the other party's purpose. "The Xiongnu have a total of 30,000 cavalrymen marching south. We have a total of about 20 soldiers here, and the rest are civilians."

"What merit or ability do they possess to command five thousand cavalry to besiege the city?"

The voice sounded like self-mockery, helplessness, and disdain.

Yes, it's a besieged city!

Five thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen actually set up camp in the deserted Xiushui Town, clearly intending to engage in a protracted stalemate!

"Damn it, they're not leaving? I'll fucking kill them!"

Cheng Feng was both shocked and furious.

A real siege is never about charging in and hacking away; that's something only cannon fodder do.

This is encirclement, this is hunting, this is trapping the prey in a cage and waiting for it to go mad.

"They won't retreat," Liang Enyi whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "And they won't attack either."

"They're waiting," Tang Shun said, staring deep into the enemy lines. "Waiting for us to panic, waiting for us to fall into disarray, waiting for siege equipment!"

Cheng Feng gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "What do we do? Are all these barbarians out of their minds, targeting such a small group of us?"

"This is just the beginning," Tang Shun said slowly. "The real battle is only just beginning."

Liang Enyi suddenly took a breath and pointed his finger sharply at the center of the enemy formation.

"Who...who is that person?"

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.

Five riders stood side by side in front of the enemy formation, their mounts tall and entirely black.

Instead of retreating with the large cavalry force to the Xiushui Town area, they remained where they were.

The man in the middle wore a short, narrow-sleeved woolen robe underneath heavy armor, with a leather belt around his waist fastened with a bronze buckle in the shape of an animal. Two eagle feathers were inserted into the crown on his head, trembling slightly in the wind.

"The Right Grand Commander!" Liang Enyi blurted out, his voice trembling. "He's the Right Grand Commander among the twenty-four commanders of the Xiongnu!"

The atmosphere on the city wall froze instantly.

Many of the civilians who participated in the defense of the city had their pupils shrink and their hands trembled.

"What do you mean by 'household'?" Cheng Feng frowned.

"A general under the Right Wise King!"

Liang Enyi spoke rapidly, "Commanding five thousand elite cavalry, he is one of the Xiongnu generals and is qualified to enter the Chanyu's tent for discussions!"

"The Right Chief Steward?" Cheng Feng's voice was gruff. "That beast who eats human hearts and livers and drinks wine from skulls?"

Liang Enyi gritted his teeth, "That's right, he once slaughtered three cities, leaving no one alive, men, women, or children."

"It is said that his tent was filled with lanterns made of human skins, and that he would cut off the scalps of a hundred people to use as mats for banquets after conquering a city."

The Xiongnu adopted a two-wing, three-part system. The two wings were the Left and Right Wise Kings, and the three parts were the Left and Right Wise Kings' tribes plus the Chanyu's tribe.

The Left Wise King coveted Hedong and frequently plundered the states of Yan and Zhao.

The Right Wise King occupied Hexi, the border of the Great Qian Dynasty, which they regarded as their pastureland.

The Right Grand General was a general under the Right Wise King.

Before the words were even finished, some of the local militiamen on the city wall had already taken a half step back.

Some muttered under their breath, some gripped their weapons tightly, and many more looked at the figure with the eagle feathers, their eyes filled with fear.

"The Right Chief Steward... has arrived..."

"It's over, this city can't be defended..."

"I heard that when he catches a person alive, he skins them alive and then makes them into wine vessels..."

Whispers spread like a tide.

The people huddled against the wall, women and children huddled together, the old people's faces turned pale, and the children dared not cry out.

Tang Shun looked toward the enemy lines.

The right-hand commander, adorned with eagle feathers, remained seated on his horse, unmoved as a mountain.

However, several riders had already quietly dispersed around him, circling in all directions, clearly to survey the terrain and assess the strength of the defenses.

Wei Zong sighed, "He has five thousand cavalry. If he insists on taking over this place, he can cut off our water supply, supply lines, and communication routes. We'll be trapped like turtles in a jar."

"We're isolated and helpless; we can only rely on ourselves," Tang Shun said. "Hang in there."

"But we don't have much food stored up," Liang Enyi whispered a reminder. "We'll only be able to eat porridge every day for two months at most."

"Eat sparingly." Tang Shun said expressionlessly, "Reduce the daily allowance by half for each person, prioritizing the city guards."

"But the common people..."

"I know they're in a difficult situation," Tang Shun interrupted, "but with the city fallen, they won't even have the chance to struggle."

"Again!"

"Besides rolling logs and stones, grind quicklime into powder, the more the better, and put it all on the wall."

"Not only quicklime, but also sewage! Bring it all over; it'll be invaluable for defending the city!"

Wei Zong and the others were stunned: "What's the use of this?"

Just as Tang Shun was about to explain, a horse's neigh broke the silence in the distance.

It seemed that the Right Chief had given some order, for two wings split off from the entrance of Xiushui Town and rushed toward the mountains to the east and west of the city.

Tang Shun knew that this was an attempt to completely surround and kill them!

as predicted!

"Squad leader, the south gate has been surrounded by the Xiongnu."

"We're completely stuck!"

The Xiongnu to the south continued to besiege the area without attacking.

They camped two miles away and roamed one mile away.

In the latter half of the night, the people inside the city were wide awake as news of the Xiongnu's impending attack spread like wildfire, casting a heavy shadow over everyone.

Tang Shun ascended the observation platform, standing at the highest point, overlooking the entire city.

The fortress is not large, with a dirt road running north to south through the middle, and temporary thatched huts on both sides.

The people crowded under the shed, the old and weak huddled together, and the children dared not cry, only sniffling.

A young boy trembled and whispered to the old man beside him whether the Xiongnu could get in.

Some old men, as if possessed, trembled all over, chanting incomprehensible spells, and scribbling on yellow paper.

Seeing this, Cheng Feng kicked him and angrily said:

"Draw another exorcism talisman, and I'll throw you out to feed the dogs!"

The old man was so frightened that he fell to the ground, muttering, "The eagle's feathers are coming, the blood will wash over the lonely city..."

Cheng Feng drew his sword three inches from its sheath; a flash of cold light, and the old man immediately fell silent.

A tapestry of human existence unfolds here.

For the next three days, the Xiongnu cavalry only sent out small groups of riders to patrol around the pass and occasionally shoot arrows to harass the area.

They mocked and provoked the defenders of the pass, hoping to provoke them into a counterattack and thus probe their strength.

Meanwhile, small groups of riders kept going back and forth, transporting supplies.

Under Tang Shun's strict orders, no one was allowed to retaliate.

Once they launch a counterattack, they can guess how far the arrows can travel, what kind of arrows are used, and how dense the arrow rain will be. If they make a wrong move, the Xiongnu will find out their true strength and weakness clearly.

Over the next three days, Tang Shun sent people to remove the wooden planks from the north wall, revealing the solid gray wall surface.

until the fourth day.

The sky is clear.

"Waaaaah—"

The sound of the Xiongnu's distinctive horns rang out, causing panic among everyone in the pass.

Tang Shun stood at the highest point of the observation platform and squinted as he looked out.

A plume of dust rose from the horizon, and gradually, human figures appeared as they drew nearer.

It wasn't a cavalry charge, but a long, scattered line of people, staggering and dressed in tattered clothes—they were villagers from the surrounding area.

"Common people? You beasts!"

"They actually coerced the common people, forcing them to carry ladders and charge into the city!"