Chapter 59: The Xiongnu Launch a Surprise Attack

  The city of Guishan changed hands in one day, and the granary had a large amount of grain that was not transported away in time, all fell into the hands of the Allied Army. The original inhabitants of Daxia returned to their hometown with the prince and the army, not only handed over the remaining grain, but also many young men joined the army.

  In this way, the grain stored in the imperial treasury was enough to support the allied forces for more than a year. The military and civilians worked together to excavate tens of thousands of cubic meters of stone materials, and the city wall of Guishan City was raised by three feet. Don't underestimate these three feet of city walls, which made Guishan City even more majestic. Liu Ze also ordered people to prepare enough logs and stones, cut down a large number of trees, and planned to build more pitfalls, abatis, and bows and arrows during the winter break.

  A heavy snowfall covered the western grasslands, and a severe winter had arrived. Liu Ze ordered that all outdoor projects be suspended, and the troops only trained for one to two hours at noon every day, mainly focusing on training for urban defense battles.

  Standing on the city wall, gazing into the distance, the sky and earth are a vast expanse of gray. Liu Ze almost recited that famous "Qing Yuan Chun · Snow" poem, but Jia Yi was right next to him. For this renowned scholar who had read extensively in poetry, it would be difficult to explain such strange lines. Currently popular were Han fu and four-character poems, with five-character poems rarely seen, let alone these irregular Song lyrics, not to mention the historical figures of later generations mentioned in the poem (Tang Zong Song Zu, Genghis Khan). It really made him want to dig deep and ask questions, which would only get himself into trouble. He thought it best to keep his mouth shut.

  "Has Mr. Wen gotten used to this cold weather?"

  Jia Yu wore a raccoon fur coat, with an indifferent expression, and replied: "The Western Regions and Liangzhou are nearby, the climate is roughly the same, no matter how cold it gets, Jia has gotten used to it. But Liu Zhanggui came from the capital, I'm afraid he hasn't seen such deep snow and this kind of extreme cold weather before?"

  He always referred to Liu Ze as the boss, regardless of what identity Liu Ze was now. The relationship between them was also a simple employment relationship, which was also the reason why he came all the way and only did translation without participating in any military affairs.

  "Everyone here is very nervous, fearing that the Xiongnu will attack next year and Guishan City cannot be defended. But Mr. Wenhe seems to be very calm, doesn't he have any doubts about the defense of Guishan City?" Liu Ze didn't answer his question but instead asked him one back.

  Jia Yuanchao said calmly: "Liu Zhanggui has a clear plan in mind, what is there for Jia to fear?"

  Liu Ze let out a sigh and said, "To be honest, I'm also uncertain in my heart. After all, using one isolated city and thirty thousand undisciplined troops to resist the powerful ten million Xiongnu army is no trivial matter."

  "Liu Zhanggui's strategic mind is like a divine calculation, his wisdom can be seen from thousands of miles away, his extraordinary plans are endless, and his deployment of troops is like the work of a god. Even if Sun Wu were alive today or Wei Huo were reborn, they would still find it difficult to match your greatness by even a fraction. Those few brainless and arrogant Xiongnu people are not worth mentioning." Jia Xi's face was as calm as water, with no ripples on the surface of an ancient well.

  Liu Zeha laughed and said, "Mr. Wenhe's high hat makes me feel honored, but to be honest, I'm not confident that I can keep it. General Ling, what do you think?"

  "I also find it hard to say, but those Xiongnu people are ferocious by nature. In the past, more than 10,000 Xiongnu people attacked Guishan City, attacking for three days and three nights, killing until the corpses were all over the city walls and the blood flowed like a river. My tens of thousands of troops also found it hard to resist. Now the divine envoy has raised the city wall by three feet, but I don't know if we can withstand the Xiongnu people." Lao said, recalling the cruelty and ferocity of the Xiongnu people back then, seemingly still having lingering fears.

  Liu Ze said that the Xiongnu, no matter how ferocious, were just a hungry wolf on the grasslands. In a field battle, they might be feared for three parts, but if they were to attack a city, without catapults (which seemed to have been invented by Liu Ye more than ten years later during the Battle of Guandu), and without cannons (which appeared several hundred years later, and weren't widely used until the Ming and Qing dynasties), the solid city walls would be a nightmare for cavalry. To think that they could climb up the noble city wall with just a few crudely made cloud ladders? Dream on!

  As for why the twenty-six countries of Western Regions had strong city walls but still fell to the Xiongnu, the reasons are probably very complex. However, two factors cannot be ignored: first, the various countries of Western Regions did not have mature urban defense tactics; second, morale - the Xiongnu's notorious reputation plus their successive conquests of several countries may have already intimidated the remaining countries, leaving them without the will to win, and even the strongest defenses would be useless.

  Liu Ze turned around and said: "General, it's almost New Year's, bring out the fine wines that were seized, slaughter some cattle and sheep, and reward the three armies. Tell them that as long as there is a city bathed in sunlight, they will be protected by the sun god. Everyone unite as one, and we will surely defeat the Xiongnu people." Ling Shi immediately accepted the order and left.

  Spring warmth, snow and ice melt, Liu Ze in Guishan City has been waiting for the military situation that was expected early on. The Xiongnu Chanyu, Houton, personally led a large army of 100,000 soldiers out of Qiancheng, killing towards Guishan City. Apparently, Houton came to avenge his brother, Huhezhi, who was killed by the allied forces when they captured Guishan City last autumn. Due to the heavy snow blocking the mountain during winter, Houton had been gritting his teeth for several months. Before the ice and snow had completely melted, he gathered an army of 100,000 soldiers and launched a direct attack on Guishan City.

  The news reached Guishan City, and Liu Ze just smiled lightly, saying: "It seems that Hutton Single is also a brainless guy, raising an army of 100,000, hum, not afraid of the old enemy Xianbei people ending his lair, it's much simpler to deal with him."

  "Wu An entered and reported: 'My lord, the people in the city are panicked and terrified. How can we calm the military's morale? Please instruct us clearly.'"

  The chaos within the city was within Liu Ze's expectations, and he immediately issued a military order: "Issue a curfew order, and the entire city will be placed on high alert from today; all four gates will be closed, and no one is allowed to enter or exit without a permit; anyone who disobeys this order will be beheaded! Anyone who spreads rumors, confuses the people, and undermines military morale will be beheaded! Anyone who fails to follow orders and abandons their post will be beheaded! Anyone who secretly leaves the city and betrays the country will be beheaded!"

  "Wu An nodded and said: 'Yes!' He turned around and was about to leave, but Liu Ze called him back again: 'Tell Guan Er to come over.'"

  Before long, Guan Yu hastily arrived and said: "Big brother, what instructions do you have?"

  Liu Zedao: "Yun Chang, I have a special task for you now. It's about the survival of Guishan City. Are you confident that you can win and not lose?"

  "Guan Yu cupped his hands and said: 'I will follow Big Brother's orders, even if it means certain death.'"

  Liu Ze nodded for him to sit down and said, "The scouting horse has reported that the Huns' army has already passed through the Wuzibeli Mountain Pass and is expected to arrive at Guishan City in three days. The Huns' grain and fodder are all stored at Jixia Mountain, which is a place of great importance to the Huns, guarded by the Right Virtuous King of the Huns with a large army."

  "Big brother, are you ordering me to launch a surprise attack on Jie Mountain and burn down the Xiongnu people's grain and fodder?"

  "That's right."

  "Don't worry, big brother, I guarantee to complete the task."

  "Clouds are long, the Huns have heavy troops defending, and the terrain is easy to defend but difficult to attack. This time we can only take it by strategy, not by force. I order you to lead a thousand cavalrymen over there, disguised as Hun cavalry, waiting for an opportunity to infiltrate Juyan Mountain. The thousand cavalrymen are already prepared for you, and after you go down, find Pan Feng. Two hundred of our original troops, the remaining eight hundred were carefully selected from various tribes, skilled in archery and horsemanship, can undertake this important task."

  Guan Yu hesitated for a moment, saying: "Taking away our 200 men isn't too many, is it? The Xiongnu army has surrounded the city, and it's extremely perilous. If I take all these elite troops with me, what if something happens in the city, how will Big Brother cope?"

  "It doesn't matter, the Xiongnu thinking of breaking through Guishan City is a pipe dream. However, if we want to defeat the Xiongnu, it all depends on my second brother's shoulders. As long as we can burn their grain and grass, they will naturally retreat without a fight." Liu Ze's attitude was very firm, but how could he win by not using any extraordinary tactics?

  Guan Yu felt a deep sense of responsibility and said solemnly: "Big Brother, rest assured and wait in the city, I will definitely not disappoint your expectations!"

  "Take him to Pan Feng, and after a round of severe interrogation, Huhe Zhai confessed everything, providing quite a bit of valuable intelligence. Bring him along, he might come in handy."

  "The Huns' bones are all very hard, unexpectedly Pan Feng still has a way to make him speak, it seems that Pan Feng's methods are quite extraordinary."

  That's natural, the special agent course taught by Liu Ze was good at interrogation and torture, which was a masterpiece of the later generation of the Military Uniform, not inferior to the ten major cruel punishments of Manchuria. If you fall into their hands, you will be skinned alive even if you don't die.

  Liu Zehan smiled and cupped his hands: "I'll wait in Guishan City for news of Yun Chang's safe return."

  Guan Yu immediately took the token arrow to find Pan Feng. Pan Feng had already prepared a thousand cavalry, handed them over to him, and brought Huahe Tiao over. Huahe Tiao no longer had that arrogant and domineering air, his spirit was extremely depressed, and his eyes flashed with fear and anxiety, it seemed he had been tortured by Pan Feng until he was worse than dead.

  Pan Feng said, "Guan Er Ye, to prevent any unexpected events, I have already cut off Huhezhen's tongue. Even if he reaches the enemy camp, he will not be able to speak recklessly again. Moreover, I have arranged for several Westerners who are identical in appearance to the Xiongnu and fluent in the Xiongnu language to be by his side. Even if the enemy investigates, they will not reveal any flaws."

  The military situation is urgent, and Guan Yu no longer says anything else, sets off with a thousand elite cavalrymen, and leaves the city.

  The second day after Guan Yu left, in the evening, the east side of Guishan City suddenly seemed to be swept by a sandstorm, with rolling yellow dust rushing straight into the clouds, and bursts of thunderclaps exploding in the distance, causing the earth to tremble.

  Here! Liu Ze stood on the city wall, motionless and gazing at the eastern horizon. The yellow dust storm was already coming in overwhelming waves, with cries of killing ringing out.

  "Everyone is in position! Enter first-level combat readiness! Prepare for battle!"

  As a mid-ranking military officer, Pan Feng immediately issued the order to fight. The officers and men on the front line picked up their weapons, climbed onto the city wall, and took up their positions for battle. But it was clear that all of the soldiers were very tense, gripping their weapons tightly, with pale faces, dull eyes, and cold sweat trickling down from their foreheads despite the chilly spring weather. Some people were already trembling with fear as they gazed out at the swirling dust storm.

  Liu Ze understood that these soldiers were not cowardly, but the aura of the Xiongnu people was too great, and for many years they had been suppressing the Western Regions people to the point where they could hardly breathe. The kind of fear that emanated from their bones dominated their souls. Guarding the city required morale, how could this mental state improve morale?

  Liu Ze frowned, but with just simple mobilization and motivation, it was impossible to quickly boost the morale of the coalition forces. To make them no longer fear the Xiongnu people, they had to see the Xiongnu people being killed and fleeing in disarray, thoroughly shattering the myth that the Xiongnu were invincible, in order to establish their confidence in victory and high morale.