The sky was veiled in a fine, misty rain.
An autumn rain brings a chill; the continuous drizzle foretold the coming of winter. Especially for Xue Lin City, the northernmost frontier of the Great Yan Kingdom, winter would arrive early, and the harsh cold would soon follow.
However, before that, it was the season for fertile autumn and military expeditions.
"Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Kill the Yan dogs! Kill the Yan dogs!"
Beyond the three major passes of "Ghost Valley Pass," "Kirin Pass," and "Xue Lin City," the northern frontier of the Great Yan Kingdom also contained numerous strongholds, manors, and pastures.
On this day, countless cavalry from the fierce Xiongnu tribe of Duo Yong Jian breached a Yan army outpost. A large contingent of cavalry, brandishing their sabers and astride their steeds, charged into the stronghold with fierce shouts. They set fires, massacred indiscriminately, plundered livestock and other valuables, and ravished women. The stronghold was engulfed in flames, and the sounds of fighting, screams of agony, desperate cries, and women's shrieks were incessant. Amidst the inferno, countless villagers knelt and begged for mercy, pleading with the brutal Xiongnu cavalry to spare their lives.
"Damn barbarian dogs, follow me and fight back!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
A Yan general stationed at the stronghold, leading several hundred men, had already broken through the encirclement and was retreating towards Xue Lin City and the other two passes. However, behind them were numerous villagers fleeing the stronghold, carrying the old and the young. Worse still, the pursuing Xiongnu cavalry were close behind. The Yan general gritted his teeth, cursed, raised his saber, and leading more than five hundred riders, turned back to fight, buying time for the villagers to escape.
"Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The horses thundered, kicking up a boundless dust. Both sides of the cavalry raised their sabers high, their faces contorted in terrifying ferocity. Their thunderous roars echoed through the heavens.
As the warhorses clashed and weapons met with a continuous "clang," the sounds of despairing screams, enraged roars, and the mournful neighs of horses filled the air. Some were cut down from their horses, others fell and were trampled into minced meat by the hooves of warhorses. In the chilly autumn wind, the fallen lay scattered and disordered like tattered rags. Many heads rolled together, trampled into the mud, leaving behind only gaping eye sockets filled with terror, confusion, and unwillingness for future generations to decipher.
"Kill!" The Yan general and his men were outnumbered. In a single charge, only a little over two hundred riders remained. Covered in blood, the Yan general raised his saber, his eyes red, and with another fierce roar, led his depleted troops against the Xiongnu cavalry.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Over two hundred Yan cavalry followed their commander, charging headlong into the Xiongnu ranks without hesitation. They led the charge on horseback, followed by even more brutal sounds of trampling, curses, and the clash of battle, their cacophony reaching the heavens. At this point, only a few dozen riders remained by the Yan general's side. Ten-odd Xiongnu cavalrymen, wielding long spears, pierced the horse under the Yan general, capturing him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"What is your name? Why do you not surrender to me?"
Da Chanyu Duo Yong Jian, surrounded by thousands of cavalry, arrived outside the stronghold. Duo Yong Jian pointed his horsewhip at the captured Yan general and asked.
The autumn was high and the horses were fat, a prime time for military campaigns. The Duo Yong Jian tribe of the Xiongnu had finally decided to march south in full force, with a hundred thousand troops intending to capture Xue Lin City and the other two passes in one go – that long-standing, tough nut to crack.
A hundred thousand troops swept in like a hurricane, conquering countless strongholds, manors, and pastures. Their momentum was fierce, their advance relentless.
"You barbarian dogs, like pigs and dogs, kill me if you wish, but I will never surrender to you!" The Yan general, covered in wounds, glared with burning eyes and cursed loudly.
Duo Yong Jian was enraged and ordered the Yan general to be torn apart by five horses, cruelly executed.
The so-called "torn apart by five horses" was a cruel torture method where five horses were used to pull apart a person's head and four limbs, resulting in a horrific death.
After cruelly executing the Yan general, Duo Yong Jian was still not sated. He actually ordered a pot of oil to be heated and threw over a hundred captured Yan soldiers into it, boiling them alive.
Duo Yong Jian and his generals, while feasting and drinking, laughed loudly as if watching a play.
"Great Chanyu, do you seek longevity or fleeting pleasure?" Princess Consort Lin Yue asked, her heart filled with unbearable pain.
"Alas, Princess Consort, they are but lowly slaves and surrendered soldiers, why do you care so much?" Duo Yong Jian said with a chuckle.
If Lin Yue had said this in the past, she might have been thrown into the pot of oil herself. But now, Lin Yue was vastly different from before.
At this moment, Lin Yue was the Princess Consort. Prince Bian obeyed her every word and relied on her like a mother. Moreover, Lin Yue was generous, caring for the poor and orphans, aiding the distressed and helping the weak. Her virtuous reputation spread far among the prairie tribes, much like the legendary prairie goddess Qimoni.
If Duo Yong Jian were to harm her, the people of the prairie would surely hate him, and his own subordinates might even rebel. At this time, in the Duo Yong Jian tribe, and even by Duo Yong Jian's side, there were Lin Yue's confidantes and factions. Duo Yong Jian, despite his old age, was well aware of this.
Lin Yue now commanded twenty thousand slave soldiers, all recruited by her and loyal only to her. Duo Yong Jian's orders had no effect on them.
In such a short time, Lin Yue had secretly cultivated such immense power, causing Duo Yong Jian to feel a tremor of fear. Currently, the only strategy Duo Yong Jian could adopt was to endure and then seek an opportunity to eliminate Lin Yue, this great hidden danger.
Therefore, instead of flying into a rage, Duo Yong Jian asked Lin Yue with a hint of flattery, "Princess Consort, what shall be our next move?"
"Avoid the strong, strike the weak," Lin Yue replied calmly.
The strategy to attack Xue Lin City and the other two passes this time was devised by Lin Yue.
Although Lin Yue was a woman, she was resourceful and intelligent, as if born to lead armies in battle, which was truly astonishing.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Xue Lin City
Looking down from the city walls of Xue Lin City, the five or six streets leading to the city gates resembled the mouths of rivers, where streams of surging figures clad in black clothes and black armor poured out every moment, heading to every corner of the city. Their formations were neat, their banners unfurled, casting a shadow over the sky.
The shouts of generals, the neighing of horses, the footsteps of soldiers, and the creaking of carts laden with heavy goods were incessant.
Furthermore, crossbows, gate-securing blades, siege towers, and stone-throwing machines – all defensive siege equipment – passed by continuously. Although the atmosphere was extremely tense, it was not chaotic; everything appeared to be in perfect order.
Scouts on swift horses entered and exited the city and its surroundings, relaying various messages.
"Urgent report! Urgent report! Urgent report!" A scout, holding a letter high, galloped to the foot of the Xue Lin City walls. He dismounted, and with the letter in hand, rushed towards the watchtower.
The command tent of Hu Yan Sheng, the Grand Governor of the Three Passes, was set up on the broad city wall.
The so-called command tent was a spacious and bright room atop the watchtower. Outside the room stood rows of armored guards, their helmets and armor gleaming. Zhou Fugui was among them, standing by the door. Faintly, the sounds of an argument could be heard from within the room.
With the great battle imminent, the guards around Hu Yan Sheng, the frontier Grand Governor, were far more stringent than usual, forming a tightly woven net of security.
Inside the room were the commander of the frontier army, the Marquis of Ning Shuo, the Left General, and the Governor of Ghost Valley Pass, Kirin Pass, and Xue Lin City – Hu Yan Sheng, or perhaps, the Marshal of the Three Garrisons.
Besides Hu Yan Sheng, there were also Luo Qi, the Protector of the Frontier Army; Gao Huai Zhong, the Garrison General of Ghost Valley Pass, a Han from Bohai, known as the Martial Valor General; Chang Sun Qi, the Garrison General of Kirin Pass, a Xianbei, known as the Victorious General; and Fan Gu Xi, the Commander of the Army Logistics, along with a host of civil and military officials.
"The strongholds of Ni Fang, Ma Wei, Hu Kong, and others have been captured by the Duo Yong Jian tribe. The garrison and civilians there suffered countless casualties. The survivors are retreating towards the Three Passes. Great Governor, the enemy's advance is formidable," Fan Gu Xi exclaimed after reading the urgent report.
Hu Yan Sheng seemed not to have heard, his hand resting on a low table as he studied a map, remaining silent.
"Great Governor..." After a long pause, Hou Luo Qi could not help but urge, "What is our course of action? Please say something."
Since arriving at Xue Lin City, Hou Luo Qi had vigorously developed his personal fortune, seizing countless fertile fields, fine residences, manors, and pastures. With the Xiongnu Duo Yong Jian tribe pressing in, Hou Luo Qi stood to suffer the greatest losses, hence his anxiety.
If Xue Lin City and the other two passes were breached by Duo Yong Jian, Hou Luo Qi's losses would be even more significant, as most of his private property was located within Xue Lin City or to its south. Of course, if the city fell, everything would turn to dust; not only would his assets vanish, but his life would also be in jeopardy.
"Hmm, what does Official Hou suggest we do?" Hu Yan Sheng shifted his gaze from the map, leaned back against the wooden support, and asked Hou Luo Qi.
"Immediately close the passes. Within the cities of the Three Passes, enforce a night curfew..." Hou Luo Qi's facial muscles twitched slightly before he continued, "No, day and night, close all passes, city gates, and alley gates. Prohibit merchants and commoners from moving about; every household must remain shut. Recruit laborers, conscript corvee workers and slaves to forge weapons and equipment. Soldiers shall not disarm, nor horses be unbridled, to defend against the barbarian cavalry. Great Governor, implement a scorched-earth policy, allowing not a single barbarian cavalryman to enter the passes."
The current situation dictated that they must focus all their efforts on defending Xue Lin City and the other two passes, abandoning their properties outside the passes. Even so, Hou Luo Qi felt an intense pain in his heart.
"Official Hou's words are most apt!"
"Very appropriate, very appropriate!"
"None understands military affairs better than Official Hou!"
As soon as Hou Luo Qi spoke, he was met with loud agreement from some of the generals. Some of his trusted subordinates showered him with flattery.
Hou Luo Qi smugly stroked his fake beard, glanced at Hu Yan Sheng, and surveyed the surroundings, basking in the adulation.
Hou Luo Qi had long harbored ambitions to seize command of the frontier army. If he were to lead the frontier troops and achieve unparalleled merit, he might even be granted a position as minister or enfeoffed as a king.
What an eunuch desired was nothing more than fame and fortune. Fame came first, then fortune; with fame came fortune. Fame and fortune complemented each other.
Hou Luo Qi sought fame and fortune, and desired to seize command, but he was not entirely incompetent or foolish. Therefore, the suggestion he proposed was suitable for the current situation.
Hou Luo Qi had been at the frontier for some time. As the saying goes, "copying a cat to draw a tiger," he could manage to draw something resembling a cat or a tiger.