Chapter 77

The overcast sky had somehow brightened, with a few rays of sunlight piercing through, casting a shimmering golden edge on the iron-gray city walls and the undulating hills outside.

At this moment, the most intense battle had come to a temporary halt. The Hu people left about three thousand cavalry to patrol around Jieyou City, monitoring the movements of the defending troops. The main force retreated several hundred steps and began digging trenches and piling up earth mounds.

There were far too many of these people and horses for a city assault, but for construction work, they seemed rather few. Unfortunately, after the last invasion by the Xiongnu army, the population of Taiyuan had scattered, leaving the area within dozens of miles completely uninhabited, with no one to conscript as laborers. As a result, apart from the troops that could take turns to rest, many soldiers had to put down their weapons and start digging.

Li Jingzhi was one of those digging.

Li Jingzhi was about thirty years old, a tall and imposing man with a sword-like brow and bright eyes. He belonged to one of the few Han armies in the Xiongnu Han state. This army was mainly composed of private troops from several Han noble families, along with some defeated Jin soldiers and recruited mixed tribes.

This army held a very low status, and the Xiongnu usually used them to maintain order in the rear, rarely deploying them in battle. Therefore, they were assigned a large amount of construction work, and their weapons were replaced with crude wooden shovels and wicker baskets.

For the naturally combative Hu people, this was almost a form of humiliation; but for the demoralized Han army, it seemed not entirely unacceptable. Li Jingzhi looked around at the soldiers. They were all ragged, with dull eyes and faces covered in dirt. As they moved slowly with their loads of earth, they looked more like a group of lowly slaves than an army.

Li Jingzhi lowered his head and sighed deeply.

The Li family originally came from Longxi. Li Jingzhi's ancestors had served in Bingzhou, so the family moved to Xinxing Commandery. Xinxing Commandery was in the northern part of the Xiongnu territory, and the local clans had frequent interactions with the Hu people. When the Xiongnu Han state was established, the local notable Chen Yuanda led his clan to join the Xiongnu and was appointed as the Yellow Gate Attendant. The Chen family had significant influence in the area, and the Li family was merely a vassal under their protection. Therefore, Li Jingzhi had no choice but to join the Xiongnu and serve as an official.

Because of this relationship, when Liu Yuan appointed his ministers, Li Jingzhi received the position of "Brave and Martial General," responsible for leading a Han army of over a thousand men. However, this meant nothing to Li Jingzhi. Unlike Chen Yuanda, who was enthusiastic about advancing his career, Li Jingzhi had only wanted to lead his family troops to protect his hometown. He never expected to become a subject of the so-called Xiongnu Han state, working like a slave for the Hu people. Thinking about this, Li Jingzhi couldn't help but feel resentment towards the Yellow Gate Attendant.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden burst of loud curses nearby, which caught his attention.

Li Jingzhi spurred his horse to a trot and quickly arrived at the source of the curses. This place was about five miles from Jieyou, a natural small hill about twenty zhang high. The hill was located next to the main road leading to Zhongyang and Pingtao, offering a wide view. According to Huyan Yan's instructions, Li Jingzhi's unit was to build a high platform on top of the hill as soon as possible to monitor the surrounding area.

However, this was a massive project. Not only was the construction complex, but the lack of tools made the cutting and transportation of wood extremely difficult. After a whole day of hard work, they had only managed to lay the foundation of the platform, with no sign of further progress.

Li Jingzhi hurried over, muttering to himself, hoping it wasn't Huyan Yan sending someone to check on the progress. The Xiongnu were extremely brutal, treating the Han people like grass, and were quick to use violence, making them difficult to please. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed. When he reached the hill and looked closely, he couldn't help but groan inwardly.

The one cursing and jumping around was a tall Xiongnu man. His face was grotesque, covered with crisscrossing scars. Where his nose should be, there were only two small nostrils, and the skin from his left cheek to his neck looked like melted wax. His yellowish-brown eyes glowed with a fierce light, making it impossible to meet his gaze.

Li Jingzhi recognized him as Diaquan Nan, one of the five colonels directly under the Great General of Conquest. It was said that the terrible scars on his face were the result of rescuing Huyan Yan in a dangerous battle, earning him Huyan Yan's trust. However, Diaquan Nan was a complete sadist, taking pleasure in tormenting the soldiers. His arrival to urge the progress of the work meant that many more would suffer. Several soldiers had already been knocked down by his brutal actions.

Li Jingzhi's mind raced, but his actions were swift. He dismounted from a distance and bowed deeply, saying, "Greetings, Colonel!"

Although his rank was actually higher than Diaquan Nan's, he couldn't afford to be picky at this moment.

Heavy footsteps approached, and Diaquan Nan stood right in front of Li Jingzhi. His hoarse voice and the stench of his breath were overwhelming. "Don't give me that crap, boy. The Great General wants to know when this watchtower will be completed."

"Colonel, please understand..." Li Jingzhi hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "The men are working as hard as they can. Although we lack skilled craftsmen and tools, we will work through the night and complete it within three days..."

Before he could finish, a sharp sound rang in his ears, followed by a tearing pain in his cheek. Li Jingzhi felt his head buzz as if dozens of wild bulls were charging inside. He staggered a few steps and fell to the ground.

"Three days? Three days my ass! Three days?" Diaquan Nan roared. "The Great General said it must be completed by noon tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll cut off your head, Li Jingzhi!"

Li Jingzhi shook his head, trying to respond, but was kicked down by Diaquan Nan. A rough boot pressed his face into the ground, and Diaquan Nan's angry voice echoed in his ears. "By noon tomorrow! By noon tomorrow! Do you understand? Speak!"

Li Jingzhi felt his jaw almost dislocate, and he could only make a muffled sound, frantically trying to move his hands and feet but unable to escape Diaquan Nan's strength.

Diaquan Nan glared at the surrounding soldiers, and the dozens of Han soldiers all looked pale. Even a general like Li Jingzhi, who commanded a thousand men and was formally appointed by Han King Liu Yuan, was still treated worse than a pig or a dog by the Xiongnu. What could these low-ranking soldiers do?

"Stop!" Suddenly, a voice shouted. "If you have the energy, go to the battlefield and fight. Why vent your anger on these low-ranking soldiers?"

"Who the hell dares to stop me?" Diaquan Nan turned his head, his voice lowering. He took a few steps forward and knelt on one knee, instantly transforming from a fierce dog to a tame cat.

Li Jingzhi, enduring the burning pain in his face, managed to lift his eyes. He saw a dozen or so well-armored riders lined up on the road, staring intently at them. The leader, dressed as a Xiongnu noble, dismounted and strode forward. He was about twenty years old, of medium height, with piercing eyes and a commanding presence. He wore a red-gold crown, a magnificent white fox fur cloak fastened with a wide belt, and the belt was adorned with gold and precious stones, clearly of immense value. This level of attire and bearing could only belong to a high-ranking official in the army, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

As a Xiongnu, Diaquan Nan understood the significance of this attire better than the Han Li Jingzhi. The red-gold crown, with its eagle wings and intricate animal carvings, was a symbol of the hereditary chieftains and nobles of the Xiongnu, at least of the rank of the twenty-four chieftains. In the current five tribes of the Southern Xiongnu, there were no more than twenty people qualified to wear such a crown.

It was important to note that the Xiongnu were a military state. Apart from the Great Chanyu and the royal family, the tribal chieftains held significant power, with the authority to life and death over ordinary Xiongnu. Diaquan Nan knew that even as Huyan Yan's confidant, his rank was low. He could bully Han officers like Li Jingzhi, but in the eyes of the Xiongnu chieftains, he was less than an ant. His mind raced, and although he couldn't immediately identify this noble, he sensed the noble's dissatisfaction with him. Any further defiance could lead to a disastrous outcome.

******

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