vrcanaries Chapter 3 The Northern Xiongnu decisively defeat Yanmen Pass
Chapter 3 The Northern Xiongnu decisively defeat Yanmen Pass
"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"
Xiao Qingkuang roared in his heart, as if responding to the voice that only echoed in his mind.
"That delusional person, her dissatisfaction with the existing social structure, what does that have to do with me? I only chatted with her a few times online, why should I be transported here to fight her?"
Having just woken up and already dismissed the Empress Dowager, Xiao Qingkuang stared fiercely and sharply towards the west.
Xiao Qingkuang is furious!
It wasn't just because of being implicated by Gu Xiaoxiao and the drastic changes in the surrounding environment; the more important reason was the current passive situation.
Xiao Qingkuang knew very well that the thing that had brought him to this place possessed the power to easily decide his life or death!
Fortunately, all He wanted was for Him to have a ring match with that guy with the ID "#Gu Xiaoxiao#"... at least that's how it seems for now!
However, at this moment, neither Gu Xiaoxiao, who was thinking about cultivating a "female general," nor Xiao Qingkuang, who felt that the current situation was passive, knew that in the north of their respective countries, on that vast land covered by cold winds and wild grass, a war against the Great Liang Dynasty and the Great Liang Dynasty had quietly begun!
……
……
At this very moment, thousands of miles away from the capital, in the important northern border town of Yanmen Pass!
The night was as dark as ink, and the cold wind howled through the canyon, making a sound like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.
The walls of Yanmen Pass soar into the clouds, like a black dragon stretching across the mountains, guarding the fertile land in the south.
On the city wall, the soldiers on night watch were hunching their shoulders, breathing out warm air to warm their hands.
Although it was late at night, a few dim lanterns were still lit at the city gate.
"Boss, this weather is awful, even a mouse is frozen stiff. The Northern Xiongnu shouldn't be coming at this time, right?" a soldier asked, rubbing his hands together and shivering.
The captain guarding the city took a swig of cheap liquor, the spicy liquid rolling down his throat, which gave him a little warmth and confidence.
"Don't be careless, things haven't been peaceful on the border lately... but don't be too nervous either. Our Yanmen Pass is impregnable, and with the current truce, even if they come, they'll just be throwing their lives away!"
Despite saying that, the captain's eyes still scanned the dark wilderness warily.
Just then, a faint light suddenly appeared in the darkness.
Then comes the second point, the third point... and countless points!
"Who goes there!"
The captain immediately became alert and shouted sternly towards the area below the city wall.
A dull thud of wheels rolling came from the darkness, accompanied by the heavy snorting of horses.
"Don't fire! They're on our side! It's a grain transport team!"
An aged voice came from the darkness, trembling and weary.
"We are grain escorts sent by the Governor of Youzhou! This batch of grain is urgently needed for the garrison to get through the winter! We encountered a snowstorm on the way, which delayed our journey. Please, sir, grant us your assistance!"
The captain squinted and looked down by the firelight on the city wall.
A large convoy slowly emerged from the darkness—dozens of horse-drawn carriages loaded with sacks covered with tarpaulins for rain protection!
The people driving the carts were all ragged laborers, their faces etched with the marks of hardship and exhaustion.
The leaders, dressed in government attire, were holding torches aloft and wearing obsequious smiles.
"The Governor of Youzhou?" The captain frowned, seemingly recalling the order.
"Yes! This is an urgent transfer order from the Ministry of War!"
The leading "grain escort officer" took out a token from his pocket and then put it into the basket that was lowered from the city wall.
The token quickly fell into the hands of the captain on the city wall.
By the firelight, the captain saw that the token was old and had clear patterns, and it was indeed a pass from the Ministry of War.
Moreover, it would be impossible for the Northern Xiongnu to organize such a large-scale grain transport operation in the middle of the night.
"Open the gate, don't delay the delivery of the rations," a deputy urged. "The brothers are all waiting for this batch of rations!"
The captain hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
In this era, forging a Ministry of War token was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Ordinary people would not dare to take such a risk, let alone use so much grain as bait.
"Squeak—creak—"
The heavy city gate slowly opened, revealing a gap just wide enough for one vehicle to pass through.
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
The group of "laborers" and "grain escorts" expressed their gratitude profusely and drove the carriage slowly into the city gate.
However, the moment the leading "grain escort officer" passed by the captain, his previously hunched back suddenly straightened up.
Those old eyes, which had previously appeared somewhat cloudy, instantly became as sharp as a hawk's, and a cruel, sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Let's do it!"
A loud shout rang out, as loud as thunder.
The seemingly weak and exhausted "laborers" suddenly rose up.
They abruptly threw off their tattered cotton-padded coats, revealing fine chainmail underneath, and then swiftly drew out gleaming curved swords from a hidden compartment in the carriage.
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
The leading "grain escort officer"—actually Batu, the number one warrior of the Northern Xiongnu, nicknamed "The Gray Wolf"—suddenly pulled a short axe from the carriage behind him and slashed it fiercely at the still-stunned city guard.
"Pfft!"
Blood spurted out, the warm liquid splashing onto the cold city wall.
The captain's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still filled with disbelief and terror.
"Enemy... Enemy attack!"
The deputy had barely uttered half a sentence when a curved blade slit his throat.
What kind of grain transport team is this?
This is clearly a pack of Northern Hungarian wolves disguised as sheep!
In the blink of an eye, the once peaceful city gate transformed into a hellish scene.
Those seemingly cumbersome carriages actually housed fully armed elite troops of the Northern Xiongnu!
They surged into the city gate like a tide, skillfully taking control of the highest point of the city tower.
"Send the signal! Inform the Great Khan that Yanmen Pass has fallen!"
Batu wiped the blood from his face, stood atop the city wall, and greedily inhaled the air of the city.
He looked at the garrison barracks in the city, still asleep and completely unprepared, his eyes gleaming with a beastly light:
"Burn! Kill! Loot! Defeat every single Southerner!"
"Let's turn this city into a complete hell!"
"We must let the emperor of the South know who the true master of this land is!"
…………
As soon as he gave the order, the Northern Xiongnu lit their torches and threw them at houses, granaries, and military camps.
"boom!"
Flames shot into the air instantly, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.
The once tranquil Yanmen Pass was instantly transformed into a sea of fire.
Cries, screams, and the clashing of weapons mingled together, creating a symphony of death...
The Northern Xiongnu stormed into the streets like mad dogs, killing anyone they saw and looting anything they could find!
They nailed the resisting soldiers to the wall and drove women and children into the fire...
The northern frontier, which the Great Liang Dynasty and the Great Liang Dynasty were so proud of, was turned into a living hell overnight!
However, although the Northern Xiongnu were well-prepared for this siege, to their surprise, a long-abandoned beacon tower at the highest point north of Yanmen Pass was relit!
"boom--"
Amidst the enormous flames, thick black smoke shot straight into the sky!
Immediately afterwards, the second beacon tower, ten miles away, also lit up with smoke.
Then, the third, the fourth...