Chapter 6

The next day at noon.

The Jin army's stronghold was still resisting tenaciously.

About ten miles away from the stronghold, there was a desolate hill, on the highest point of which stood a large locust tree, thick enough for two people to embrace. Around the tree, a cavalry unit stood silently. Each knight was fully armored, with alert eyes visible under their helmets, holding long spears and wearing sabers at their waists. Some also carried recurve bows and quivers. They were strong and fierce, with powerful horses.

Under the large blue banner, which was almost as tall as the locust tree, a black stallion stood. The stallion had a broad chest and limbs as strong as steel, with a smooth, black, and shiny coat without a single blemish. On its back rode a Xiongnu general, about thirty years old. He was tall, with a chiseled, bronze-colored face. His eyes, slightly elongated, were sharp and piercing.

This general was Liu Cong, the fourth son of the Great Chanyu Liu Yuan, and the Xiongnu Left Guili King Liu Xuanming. Among the Xiongnu princes, the Left Xianwang, Right Xianwang, Left Guili King, and Right Guili King were the most prestigious. Liu Cong was the fourth most important figure in the Xiongnu Han state, after the Great Chanyu and the Left and Right Xianwangs.

At this moment, he narrowed his eyes and stared at a subordinate general who was bowing in fear before him, asking coldly, "Have you finished speaking?"

The subordinate general curled up like a gray rabbit on the grassland, "I have finished... I did not lie a single word." He then lowered his head deeply, almost touching the ground.

Liu Cong led an army of 20,000 to conquer the eastern cities of Bingzhou. Dividing his forces into six routes, they advanced with overwhelming force. However, this small stronghold had resisted for two days, which was a disgrace for the Xiongnu army, known for its invincibility since the uprising. According to the original Xiongnu tribal punishment, the small thousand-man commander in charge would not be enough to die five times.

Liu Cong raised his hand to shield his eyes, gazing at the distant stronghold for a moment, then turned his horse to the shade of the locust tree, avoiding the setting sun: "Withdraw your men."

The black stallion suddenly snorted loudly, kicking the ground fiercely and spinning in place. Liu Cong stroked the horse's mane, and the gentle and soothing movements quickly calmed the stallion: "Let my men meet them. I hope they are as brave and skilled as you say."

The Xiongnu launched four fierce attacks, all of which were repelled, leaving many bodies at the foot of the walls. This time, their retreat was not only disorganized but also showed a significant drop in morale.

Looking up at the sky, Lu Yao tightened his armor and said to the nearby soldiers, "Let's go, it's our turn!"

A hundred brave warriors, selected the previous night, had not been engaged in battle and had rested for eight hours, fully recovering their strength. The best weapons and armor were concentrated on them. As Lu Yao rode past them, he saw determination and a tangible aura of killing intent on their faces.

"Very good!" Lu Yao nodded in satisfaction, gripping his spear tightly.

Another group of soldiers was frantically removing the earth and stones blocking the gate. Most of the work was done, and the remaining part did not hinder the opening of the gate. Three soldiers were carefully lifting the massive wooden door hinges.

At this moment, the soldiers on the wall suddenly let out a loud cry.

"What's happening?" Lu Yao frowned and shouted. The soldiers on the wall did not answer. Lu Yao gently pulled the reins and rode up the ramp to the wall. The scene before him made him gasp.

As far as he could see, countless black-clad Xiongnu warriors were surging like a tide. The sound of their footsteps was like hundreds of war drums beating simultaneously, causing the ground to tremble. Behind the forest of long spears and halberds, more than ten banners representing Xiongnu thousand-man commanders were flying high.

Lu Yao felt his heart being squeezed by a giant hand, almost bursting. He groaned in pain, turned sharply, and shouted to the warriors below, "The enemy reinforcements have arrived! Everyone to the wall!"

The black-clad Xiongnu warriors advanced steadily. When they entered the range of the archers, the Jin archers began to shoot fiercely. However, the arrows that flew into the Xiongnu ranks were like pebbles sinking into the sea, causing no ripples. Instead, the Xiongnu archers' counterattack inflicted heavy casualties on the Jin army.

Under the cover of a rain of arrows, the Xiongnu approached to about a hundred steps. They suddenly shouted in unison and charged forward.

More than fifty ladders were simultaneously placed against the top of the wall, and the battle entered a brutal stage.

The black-clad Xiongnu warriors who joined this attack had higher morale, better equipment, and superior combat skills than the previous pursuers. Despite the Jin army's advantage of height, their casualties still exceeded those of the enemy.

Lu Yao held an iron shield in his left hand and a spear in his right, sweeping it horizontally. The Xiongnu in front of him fell with a scream. However, this time the enemy was more fierce, and as soon as one fell, several more charged forward like madmen. Their equipment was also far superior, with almost everyone wearing armor and wielding excellent weapons.

Despite Lu Yao's fierce resistance, he was no match for the overwhelming numbers. In a short time, he was wounded several times, and his subordinates suffered heavy losses, with only a dozen or so still able to hold their ground. The Xiongnu continued to surge forward like a tide.

A young officer, dressed as a squad leader, shouted, "Commander, we can't hold them!" This young man was named He Yun, who, though young, was a veteran with excellent archery skills and a trusted subordinate of Lu Yao.

Lu Yao kicked He Yun to the ground, about to scold him, when a Xiongnu warrior appeared from outside the wall. Lu Yao ignored He Yun and thrust his spear directly at the Xiongnu's face.

The Xiongnu warrior was also a formidable fighter, and he swung his mace to meet the spear, causing a loud clang and deflecting the spear.

Lu Yao took advantage of the momentum to twirl his spear, which extended and retracted like a venomous snake, and instantly thrust it from another angle. The Xiongnu warrior could not defend against such a cunning spear technique, and the spear tip pierced through his shoulder. He screamed and still charged forward. Lu Yao's spear was still stuck in his shoulder, and in a moment of struggle, he let go of the spear and struck the Xiongnu's face with his shield. The Xiongnu's eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground.

He Yun had already gotten up and fired arrows in quick succession, shooting down two more Xiongnu warriors.

Lu Yao had just breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the ground beneath him shake violently, and a deafening roar echoed in his ears. Then, a thousand voices shouted in unison, mixed with cries of despair: "The city is breached! The city is breached! The Xiongnu are coming in!"

About twenty zhang away, a section of the wall that had already collapsed the previous day was supported by a hastily constructed wooden fence. The fence had been completely overturned, and the walls on both sides had also collapsed, raising a cloud of dust. In the dust, countless Xiongnu warriors could be seen charging into the stronghold, and the defenders were fleeing in all directions, many of them being slaughtered with cries of pain, clearly unable to hold out any longer.

Everyone in the city felt a sense of despair—such a situation was indeed beyond their ability to resist.

"Ha ha..." Lu Yao laughed bitterly and threw down his iron shield, feeling a sense of relief. The hard battles of the past few days, the hardships of the past few years, and the aimlessness of his life were about to come to an end.

But he heard someone shouting, "Commander, give the order! We need to retreat!" It was He Yun, who had returned and was pulling on Lu Yao's arm, shouting.

At this moment, there was no need for an order. The soldiers surrounded Lu Yao and retreated from the wall.

Not far away, Chen Yi's loud voice could be heard: "Follow me to fight the enemy! Any who retreat will be executed!" This man, who was usually timid and afraid of battle, had suddenly burst with unparalleled courage. Even though Lu Yao was still in a daze, he could not help but admire him. However, Chen Yi's position was directly facing the breached part of the wall. Before he could finish his shout, dozens of Xiongnu warriors charged in. He barely had time to assume a defensive stance before he was cut to pieces by dozens of weapons.

The dozens of Xiongnu warriors raised their weapons and shouted to the sky, then turned and charged at Lu Yao's group.

Lu Yao urgently said, "Retreat quickly!"

The group fought and retreated, heading towards the broken walls and ruins inside the stronghold.

On the way, they met Xue Tong with a group of men. Xue Tong was covered in blood, and his family heirloom sword was lost. The two groups combined, forming a small force of about twenty men, breaking through walls and holes to escape. However, many fleeing soldiers, like headless flies, slowed them down.

Suddenly, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard ahead. It turned out that Wang Wei, for some reason, was alone and surrounded by several Xiongnu warriors.

These Xiongnu warriors all wielded large ring-headed knives, which were heavy and powerful. In a moment, Wang Wei let out a loud cry and was severely wounded. Seeing the critical situation, Lu Yao threw his spear with great force. The spear flew like lightning and pinned a Xiongnu warrior to the ground. The other Xiongnu warriors, enraged, turned and charged at Lu Yao. One of them jumped into the air and swung his knife at Lu Yao's head.

Lu Yao moved forward, reached out with his right hand, and grabbed the Xiongnu's wrist. He shouted and exerted his strength, immediately snatching the knife and thrusting it into the Xiongnu's chest.

The other soldiers rushed forward to drive back the Xiongnu, and a few of them carried Wang Wei away.

However, this delay cost them valuable time. Xue Tong shouted, "Hurry, don't delay!" and ran ahead.

After a few steps, a soldier cried out. Lu Yao turned back and saw that blood was gushing from Wang Wei's mouth, mixed with foam, and he was making wheezing sounds. A long, sharp knife was embedded in his chest, and it was clear he would not survive. His face, contorted with pain, twitched as he struggled to say, "I can't make it, give me a quick end!"

Blood was flowing profusely from the grooves on the knife, and anyone could see that Wang Wei's life was rapidly fading. The soldiers holding him were in a panic, trying to stop the bleeding with their hands, but it was futile. In a moment, the ground beneath him was stained red.

Wang Wei whispered, "Don't waste time, pull the knife."

Lu Yao gripped the handle of the knife. The knife was pulled out, and blood spurted.

"Thanks," Wang Wei mumbled, his eyes losing their light.

A few drops of blood splattered on Lu Yao's stern face, making his pale complexion even more striking.

At this moment, the Xiongnu had already entered the stronghold in large numbers, and the sounds of whistles and frenzied shouts could be heard from all directions. The Xiongnu's advance was determined and swift, quickly forming a large encirclement. The entire stronghold was now in their hands, and any hope of escape was extinguished.

From behind a house, Yang Yi's loud voice could be heard: "Don't panic, follow me to break out of the stronghold!" But before he could finish, the sound of weapons clashing could be heard, followed by a loud cry from Yang Yi, and then silence.

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