The fiercest soldier of the border army

The blind soldiers crawled haphazardly on the ground, while the sighted ones were only concerned with spurring their horses to escape; no one cared about the wounded on the ground.

A soldier who had broken his leg had only crawled halfway up the road when he was trampled on the back of the head by a fleeing warhorse, and he fell face down into the sand. The last thing he saw was the white mist that filled the sky and the ground.

The local militiamen on the city wall, from Wei Zong and Liang Enyi to ordinary militiamen, were all stunned.

They initially thought the lime was just to dazzle the enemy and buy them a little time.

Who would have thought that this ordinary white powder would cause such chaos in the Xiongnu cavalry formation of thousands of men and horses?

Without swords or spears, without bows and arrows, and without even leaning out of the parapet, these ruthless barbarians were made to cry for their fathers and mothers!

"It's done! It really worked!"

"Look at those barbarians! They're like headless flies, constantly bumping into their own people!"

"My goodness... he gouged out his own eyes!"

"The horse has gone mad! The horse has gone completely mad! It's starting to trample people!"

"They're retreating! Look, those barbarians behind them are starting to run away!"

First came scattered gasps of surprise, followed by an overwhelming sense of excitement.

The villagers worked even faster, switching hands when their arms ached so much they couldn't lift them anymore, even their coughs were accompanied by smiles.

One of the young men, excited by the sight, dropped his wooden spear and stood up to peer closer, only to be grabbed by the back of his collar and pulled back. "Crouch down! Are you out of your mind? Watch out for stray arrows!"

But the veteran's tone had long lost the tension and fear he had felt before the battle; his voice trembled with excitement.

Cheng Feng wiped his face with his sleeve, panting heavily as he looked towards the due north direction.

The dense, dark figures were retreating like a tide, with people and horses lying haphazardly on the sandbag slope and below the earthen mound. Some were still twitching and writhing, while others had already fallen silent.

The cavalrymen who were lucky enough to escape unharmed dragged the wounded as they fled in disarray, their formation completely broken up. Even those covering the rear were in a panic, and all traces of their previous ferocity had vanished.

Wei Zong rushed down from the high platform, his armor plates clanging as he ran, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Captain! The enemy has completely retreated! They're back to within an arrow's length!"

Tang Shun gazed at the scattered figures in the distance, listening to the mournful cries and neighing of horses carried on the wind, and his tense shoulders and back finally relaxed slightly.

He lowered his hand, his palms red from being rubbed by the rough burlap sack, with white ash stuck between his fingers. He slowly exhaled, the white breath dissipating instantly in the cold night.

"Okay. I've cancelled it."

He had barely finished speaking when someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "We held on! We held on!"

First came the local militia on the city wall, then the civilian laborers waiting below the city wall, and finally the common people hiding in thatched huts at the corner of the city.

An elderly woman with gray hair stood up shakily from her bunker, brushed the dust off her knees, her lips trembled, and she burst into tears.

"We survived...we survived!"

Cheers erupted instantly, rolling across the entire northern part of the city like thunder.

Some people hugged the people next to them and cried bitterly, while others squatted on the ground and laughed loudly while pounding on the city bricks.

There were also elderly people pulling children, kneeling on the ground with a "plop," kowtowing repeatedly towards the city wall, and saying thank you to heaven and earth.

Several teenagers tried to rush out of the thatched hut, but were pulled back into the adults' arms. Their faces no longer showed the fear they had shown before, and their eyes were bright as they looked at the white mist that had not yet dissipated from the city wall.

The crowd was noisy, but it was no longer the panic before the battle; it was the ecstatic joy of escaping death.

"Amazing! Captain, you're absolutely amazing!"

On the city wall, a village militiaman with a face covered in white ash laughed loudly, then burst into tears, kneeling down before Tang Shun with a thud. "Divine skill! This is truly divine skill!"

With him leading the way, the people on and below the city walls all knelt down, a dark mass of them, all kowtowing towards the north city wall.

A mere bag of lime was enough to repel the Xiongnu cavalry and save the lives of everyone in the town.

In the eyes of these ordinary people, what else could this be but divine intervention?

Tang Shun frowned slightly as he looked at the kneeling figures. He was about to tell everyone to get up when his gaze fell on the south.

dong dong dong-

Just as the Xiongnu cavalry retreated in panic, leaving behind a field of corpses...

From the south came the thunderous cries of galloping cavalry and the rustling sound of their armor plates clashing.

Upon hearing the commotion, the expressions of those inside the fortified city changed once again.

They knelt on the ground, their bodies frozen.

"Is this... an army arriving?"

"Who could it be? Could it be another group of Xiongnu?"

Some of the local militiamen trembled with fear and dared not look back to the south.

Holding off one wave is already incredibly difficult; if another troop of Huns were to launch a fierce attack on the south gate...

The consequences could be disastrous!

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements!"

"Our reinforcements have arrived!"

Just as everyone was on edge, Zhu Hang, who was guarding the south wall, came running up, laughing as he announced the news.

"Have reinforcements arrived?"

"Reinforcements have finally arrived?!"

"Great! Great! Those damned barbarians!"

On the southern horizon, billowing dust rose as the outline of a banner galloped toward them, the faint sound of hooves could be heard, and the earth trembled slightly.

It was as if it were the most beautiful sound in the world.

The army of the Great Qian Dynasty has arrived!

Tang Shun squinted and looked around. Although he couldn't see the banners clearly, he could recognize the uniforms of the Beiting Jiedushi's office.

The troops were well-organized, moved with great speed and stability, and were by no means scattered or disorganized soldiers.

At a glance, there were four or five thousand soldiers.

Tang Shun knew that this was Wang Xianghong's uncle, Wang Jinda.

The request for help was effective.

"Reinforcements..." Wei Zong stood up, leaning against the parapet. Even he, usually so composed, couldn't hide his joy. "Reinforcements have arrived..."

An army was seen rushing from the southeast, heading straight for Xiushui Town.

The army's banners fluttered in the wind, and although the large characters on the banners were not yet clearly visible, the formation was clearly that of an official army.

The front row of shield-bearers pressed forward, while the rear row of spearmen formed a line, with cavalry providing cover on the left and right.

This is a standard battle formation.

"Give the order!" Tang Shun abruptly raised his hand, his voice hoarse yet piercing the wind, "Light the pine logs! Show our army we are not defeated!"

Liang Enyi leaned against the parapet and, upon hearing the order, exclaimed, "I'll go!"

He stumbled and rushed toward the high platform behind him, grabbed a torch, and poked it into the pile of firewood.

Sparks flew everywhere, and a thick plume of smoke rose from the dry grass, shooting straight into the sky.

"Strike while the iron is hot!"

Tang Shun roared, raising his hand, "Brothers, the time for revenge has come! The Xiongnu are in chaos, reinforcements have arrived, they're finished!"

"Those with strength, follow me and charge!"