Chapter 24: Barbarians Siege

The moonlight of the night illuminated the darkness, and on the quiet city walls only a few lamps flickered. The defending soldiers were half-asleep, completely unprepared for the imminent danger.

Under the cover of night, a disorganized barbarian troop silently appeared outside the city, clad in worn-out fur coats and holding notched iron swords, ready to launch a heart-pounding night raid.

In the darkness, the bulk of the barbarian youths that Jin Wuchu had stationed at the vanguard to breach the defenses approached the city wall soundlessly.

They used the shadows of the wall and the cover of trees, step by step, to draw near the gate.

Meanwhile, on the city wall, the defending soldiers remained asleep, unaware of the looming danger.

Seeing this, Jin Wuchu sighed and shook his head.

All that can be said is that Dongning Pass has gone too long without danger; the garrison soldiers usually only encounter the most perilous situations when dealing with rebellious rural peasants.

"Kill!"

The barbarian youths in ragged clothes before the city suddenly launched a fierce assault.

They climbed the walls using makeshift ladders hastily built from wood and bamboo, then engaged in fierce combat with the defenders using their broken, wobbling swords.

The lamps on the wall instantly went out, and the city fell into chaos.

After being startled awake, the defenders scrambled to respond, but they could not withstand the refugees' frenzied, fervently fueled fierce attack.

"Alas!"

Watching the eyesore situation on the wall, Jin Wuchu was once again left speechless.

The battle scene on the wall right now is simply unbearable to watch, like a bunch of clumsy chickens pecking at each other.

By rights, those soldiers on the wall should be well-equipped and of decent physical quality.

As the sole major gateway connecting Cangzhou to the Central Plains, these soldiers usually enjoy ample provisions.

And what about that barbarian group?

Each one is sallow and thin, and it's doubtful whether their swords can even kill a person.

How much strength could you expect from a group of refugees fleeing all the way here?

Even if a group of refugees, so hungry they can barely walk, were to momentarily unleash extraordinary strength from sheer fervor,

but soon enough they would revert to their original state, for their bodies simply cannot sustain it!

Yet the reality on the wall now is that this obviously mismatched opponent is actually fighting back and forth!

No wonder that in history, once barbarians breach the northern strongholds, they go on to sweep straight through.

Peace has lasted too long, and the military has grown lax.

In fact, the defenders on the wall merely need a leading general or colonel.

Even if they are momentarily slow to react, they can quickly regroup and begin slaughtering these refugees.

Unfortunately, within Dongning Pass at present, there is no one near the wall who meets that requirement.

Most have already lain down at home, following a spider pattern.

Luowang assassins, mission must be accomplished!

Meanwhile, in other directions not far from Dongning Pass,

a force is stationed here quietly, and it even includes a unit of heavily armored cavalry whose very horses are sheathed in iron armor!

This is none other than the recently vanished Yuwen Chengdu!

At this moment he is leading the detachment that was supposed to split with the Changke Troops and head to Peace Pass for reinforcement, now appearing outside Dongning Pass.

And those thousand heavily armored cavalry are naturally Jin Wuchu's own iron cavalry—the Iron Pagoda!

This force embodies Jin Wuchu's childhood dream; not long ago he gained Su Ye's support and established this war machine.

In the late Song dynasty, the cost to cultivate a single standard Iron Pagoda could train fifteen elite infantrymen!

Even though the Cloud Prince's Mansion and the Nine Heavens Army are wealthy and powerful, they could not possibly allow a callow youth with no achievements to meddle recklessly.

Moreover, the Nine Heavens Army already has its own heavy cavalry; raising them is no easy feat, so how could they let you run amok?

In other words, this thousand Iron Pagodas were funded by Su Ye personally, siphoned from the Tianyun Chamber of Commerce.

There's no way around it; the price of these thousand Iron Pagodas could raise a tens-of-thousands-strong elite army elsewhere.

Even if Su Ye had endless private wealth, he couldn't afford to keep producing them like this!

Providing Jin Wuchu with a thousand Iron Pagodas was considered because they indeed have combat power in his hands, and he also needs a ready-at-call heavy cavalry unit.

One could say that on the battlefield, ordinary soldiers fight to strike people, whereas Iron Pagodas charge straight at the enemy's lair!

Whoosh!

"General, the Luowang network has word—we can set out!"

Just as Yuwen Chengdu waited silently, a black shadow suddenly leapt out, dropped to one knee, and said.

"Deploy!"

Yuwen Chengdu, who had been waiting and grown a bit bored, perked up at the words.

The bright moonlight poured down on Yuwen Chengdu's majestic golden armor, reflecting the resolute faces of the soldiers.

Outside Dongning Pass, after that barbarian rabble, a massive army also quickly arrived.

They stood in neat, uniform ranks, clad in armor and wielding spears, their momentum magnificent.

"Attack, leave none alive!"

Looking at that ragtag barbarian alliance, Yuwen Chengdu's mouth twitched, but he quickly recovered and issued the cold order.

Although they are merely a band of refugees, once they point their weapons at others they become a mob of thugs.

As for speaking of kinfolk?

Don't joke!

The various tribes on the steppes treat other tribes the same way they treat the Central Plains.

Moreover, even if they are the same tribe, what then?

These Central Plains folks are still of the same kin!

They still fight to the death as usual, and moreover, Yuwen Chengdu grew up in Jiuxiao City from childhood.

Apart from the nominal bloodline, the rest.

As for the Yuwen tribe, Yuwen Chengdu could only say.

It's none of your business, don't get involved!

After Yuwen Chengdu led the troops to arrive, as his orders were passed down, the troops behind immediately sprang into action.

They wore armor, held weapons, and advanced in neat, uniform formation.

Like wolves and tigers, they pounced upon the great horde of the 'foreign tribe army'.

These are all military merits!

Moreover, it looks like the difficulty of earning these military merits is a bit low; what are we waiting for?

Hurry up and grab them!

In ancient times, joining the army to earn military merit was one of the few ways for lower-class commoners to see hope of turning their fortunes around.

As for why such a weak foreign tribe would attack Dongning Pass and even climb onto the city walls?

This is not something that this group of ordinary soldiers should consider.

They only know that the opportunity to turn their fortunes around has arrived!

Meanwhile, the old, weak, sick, and disabled among the foreign tribe who had been lured here, upon seeing the arrival of the official troops, suddenly fell into panic.

Now most of their able-bodied youths have already gone up onto the city walls, leaving only the old and weak who can't even crawl up below.

They tried to flee, but this army quickly launched an encirclement, trapping them in a small area.

The army used swords, spears, bows and arrows, etc., to launch a brutal massacre against this group of the old and weak.

The refugees were knocked down to the ground, with wails rising and falling one after another.

Yuwen Chengdu saw this scene, and a flicker of reluctance flashed in his eyes.

Let him go kill those elite troops on the battlefield; no matter how many he slaughters, he won't feel anything.

But at this moment, before him is a group of refugees who can't even afford a meal; this really touches his bottom line.

(End of chapter)