Chapter 233: The Prince of Zhenbei is Hit by a Poisoned Arrow

The two words "eat meat," to the hungry soldiers, were more powerful than any empty encouragement!

Although they knew this was likely just a pipe dream, people in desperate situations needed a glimmer of hope.

Below the city wall, a seemingly ordinary Xiongnu soldier let out a ferocious laugh the moment the Prince of Zhenbei stood on the high ground.

"Caught you!"

Then, the bowstring in his hand, pulled like a full moon, was released in an instant, and the arrow went straight for the Prince of Zhenbei's head.

The Prince of Zhenbei had just finished speaking when the hair all over his body instantly stood on end; this was the intuition he had honed through long experience on the battlefield.

With almost no time to think, the Prince of Zhenbei lunged to one side, but he was still a step too late.

"Swoosh!"

The arrow pierced straight into his shoulder; if it had been a breath later, it would have pierced his head.

The Prince of Zhenbei looked in the direction of the arrow and met Adunla's fierce gaze.

"General!" the Vice General roared, hacking down two Xiongnu in succession, and headed toward the Prince of Zhenbei.

The Zhenbei Army, having been encouraged and then seeing their General wounded, finally erupted with a long-suppressed roar, no longer numb, but carrying a kind of desperate ruthlessness.

They used their spears to thrust more fiercely, used their blades to hack more violently, and used their last bit of strength to smash down rolling logs and stones.

The Xiongnu's offensive finally showed signs of fatigue! Their vanguard had suffered heavy losses, the scaling ladders were simple and difficult to climb, and the defenders' resistance was more tenacious than they had expected.

To continue the fierce attack, the price was too high.

More importantly, Adunla's goal had already been achieved!

"Retreat!"

Below the city wall, the sound of the Xiongnu's horn for withdrawing troops came, low and long.

The Xiongnu cavalry, which had surged in like a tide, began to retreat like a tide, leaving behind a ground full of human and horse corpses and broken weapons.

On the city wall, the Zhenbei Army watched the retreating Xiongnu; no one cheered.

The relief of surviving a disaster, as well as immense fatigue and sorrow, instantly engulfed everyone.

Those who survived leaned on their weapons, panting heavily, looking at the fallen comrades beside them with hollow eyes.

The personal guards surrounded them, wanting to treat the Prince of Zhenbei's wound.

The Prince of Zhenbei pushed them away and said panting: "Save the seriously wounded brothers first, count the casualties... I am fine."

He just tore off a strip of cloth and randomly tied it tightly above the wound to stop the bleeding.

The blood from the wound was dark red, but mixed with blood, dirt, and dust, it was not conspicuous.

A heavy, throbbing pain, different from an ordinary arrow wound, had already begun to spread at the wound.

Supported by his personal guards, the Prince of Zhenbei began to patrol the city wall. The battle had ended for the time being, but there were many things to deal with, and he could not fall yet.

He walked past every soldier, patted the shoulders of those who could still move, checked the casualties, and ordered those who could still act to reinforce the fortifications, treat the wounded, and count the arrows.

His voice remained steady, but upon closer listening, it also carried an unconcealable fatigue.

"Carry the remains of the fallen brothers down and find a sheltered place to settle them."

"Those who can still move, help clean up! The Xiongnu... might come again."

"Slaughter these dead horses as soon as possible! I promised to take the brothers to eat meat!"

That night, under the flickering torches, the doctor carefully used a dagger to gouge out the arrowhead.

The arrowhead was three-edged and barbed, and it seemed to be stained with some dark green filth that emitted a faint, fishy stench.

"General, this arrow... I'm afraid it's not clean." The doctor's voice carried fear.

The Prince of Zhenbei leaned against the back of the chair, his face looking somewhat pale in the firelight. He felt waves of cold, thinking it was caused by exhaustion.

"Fighting on the frontier, which arrow is clean? Just apply the medicine and bandage it."

But Wei Xikang on the side did hear an unusual meaning and hurriedly asked: "What do you mean by that?"

"This... this arrow is poisoned!" This voice was already accompanied by a sobbing tone.

Wei Xikang was stunned on the spot, as if struck by lightning, not knowing what to do.

"This... this... poison..."

The doctor knew what Wei Xikang meant and responded with red eyes: "Your Highness, I'm afraid this poison is incurable!"

"You're talking nonsense! If you don't save my Uncle, I will use you to sacrifice the flag first!" Wei Xikang grabbed the other's collar, his face ferocious.

Hearing this, the Prince of Zhenbei tried to stand up, supporting himself, but his burly body swayed and he nearly fell.

The personal guards were quick-witted and helped him onto the bed.

"General!"

The personal guards' voices carried sobbing tones; they wanted to help but didn't know how to start.

"Don't make a scene..."

Sweat beads kept seeping from the Prince of Zhenbei's forehead, his voice hoarse and weak, "Close the door tightly... no one is allowed to approach."

Wei Xikang, with red eyes, followed suit and had the two most trusted personal guards stand guard outside the door with blades.

"Do you know... what poison I have been hit with?"

"General... this... this is 'gold juice' mixed with rotting corpses!" The doctor's voice trembled, "It is extremely vicious! The ulceration of the wound is just the beginning; the evil poison will enter the blood vessels and attack the heart and internal organs... I'm afraid... I'm afraid..."

Even though Wei Xikang had never seen it with his own eyes, it did not mean he did not know about it.

Gold juice mixed with the rotting corpses of animals, with arrows soaked in it—those hit by it never survived; it was a sign of certain death.

The Prince of Zhenbei closed his eyes, breathing rapidly, the veins on his forehead bulging.

The pain at the wound was no longer a sharp prick, but a heavy, burning, scorching pain, and this pain was spreading upward along his arm.

Waves of chill uncontrollably crawled out from his bone marrow, making his teeth chatter, yet his forehead was terrifyingly hot.

"I don't care what method you use, you must save my Uncle!" Wei Xikang ordered with red eyes. The Zhenbei Army could be without him, the Crown Prince, but it absolutely could not be without the Prince of Zhenbei.

"Wait a moment! I will go and discuss it with the other doctors immediately!"

Obviously, everyone knew the importance of this matter; the Prince of Zhenbei could not have the slightest mishap.

It was impossible for there to be only one doctor in an army of 100,000; summoning all the doctors was Wei Xikang's last resort.

"Remember not to make a scene, bring everyone to me!"

Now, the news of the Prince of Zhenbei being hit by a poisoned arrow could not be spread. Everyone had just repelled the Xiongnu during the day and was currently eating horse meat; morale was already showing signs of recovery.

Reporting the Prince of Zhenbei's poisoning at this juncture would cause morale to hit rock bottom in an instant.

The personal guards did not dare to delay, and soon, more than a dozen doctors were brought in.

As soon as everyone saw the wound, their faces turned pale instantly. One person boldly leaned in to sniff it, then washed their hands with hot water and carefully pressed the edge of the wound.

The skin and flesh around the wound had turned an ominous black-purple, swollen and shiny, and the slightly ulcerated areas were oozing yellow-black pus, emitting an indescribable stench.

Everyone gathered in a circle, no one spoke first, and Wei Xikang was anxious on the side but helpless.

"In less than half a day, the wound has already changed color; I'm afraid other poisons have been mixed in!" an experienced doctor said.

Wei Xikang stepped forward, preparing to ask, but suddenly heard the Prince of Zhenbei's voice.

"How much time is left?" The Prince of Zhenbei opened his eyes, his gaze, though cloudy, was exceptionally calm, and he asked straightforwardly. ===== CHAPTER 234 =====