Upon arriving at the border, he immediately showed his prowess.
Shen Nianqing led five thousand soldiers, braving wind and snow for more than half a month, and finally arrived at Yunmo City, a key border town. Under the city walls where yellow sand swirled, the local generals were already lined up to wait, but most of them looked at him with a bit of contempt—after all, this newly appointed deputy general was both the son of the prime minister and the second-place scholar in the imperial examination, and in their eyes he was nothing more than a weak scholar who talked about war on paper.
Shen Nianqing took in all these expressions, but remained unperturbed. He knew that border soldiers valued performance above all else; only real ability could earn their trust. After settling into the city, he disregarded his fatigue from the journey and immediately went to the military camp to investigate the situation. Through long talks with the officers throughout the night and reviewing nearly half a year's worth of battle reports, he quickly grasped the crux of the problem: although this remnant Xiongnu force numbered only a little over a thousand, they were all fierce and cunning, adept at guerrilla tactics, launching surprise attacks on villages or caravans at night, and then fleeing on horseback after a successful raid, their whereabouts elusive and unpredictable, causing previous attempts by his army to encircle and suppress them to repeatedly fail.
“They rely on the speed of their cavalry to hit and run. If we follow the conventional formation to pursue them, we will only be running around in circles.” Shen Nianqing stood in front of the sand table, his fingertips tracing the border terrain map, his eyes sharp as an eagle. “The area around Yunmo City is full of hills and ravines, which are perfect for setting up an ambush and annihilating them.”
The next morning, Shen Nianqing convened a meeting of all the generals and publicly announced the battle plan: "Divide the five thousand soldiers into five teams, each team guarding a key road. Use beacon fires as signals. Once the Xiongnu are spotted, immediately surround and encircle them, and make sure to trap them in the ravines."
The generals exchanged bewildered glances, and one couldn't help but question, "Vice General, what if we disperse our forces like this and the enemy defeats us one by one?"
“The Xiongnu are accustomed to using small-scale raids, and only by dispersing their defenses can they be monitored from all angles,” Shen Nianqing said calmly. “Moreover, each unit is only ten miles apart, and they can converge within half an hour of the beacon fires being lit. It is absolutely impossible for them to defeat them one by one.” He paused and added, “If any of you have a better plan, I am all ears; if not, then we will proceed with this plan.”
Seeing his confidence and having no better solution, the generals had no choice but to obey and leave. Shen Nianqing personally led the troops to guard the most remote Black Wind Pass. During the day, he trained with the soldiers, and at night, he led scouts to survey the terrain, memorizing every ditch and every dense forest. He treated his soldiers kindly, not only personally applying medicine to the wounded but also distributing his own rations to his subordinates who were short of food, gradually winning the favor of the rank-and-file soldiers.
Three days later, just as dawn broke, a plume of smoke suddenly rose from the southeast—the second team had discovered traces of the Xiongnu. Shen Nianqing immediately mounted his horse, raised his arm, and shouted, "Proceed according to plan! Follow me to encircle and annihilate them!"
Five thousand cavalrymen sped off like arrows toward the signal. The Xiongnu army, having just plundered a village and returning laden with spoils, was suddenly surrounded on three sides. They hadn't expected Shen Nianqing's reaction to be so swift, nor had they anticipated that their seemingly scattered forces could instantly form an impenetrable fortress. They were thrown into disarray and hastily engaged in battle.
Holding the long spear given to him by his father, Shen Nianqing charged into the enemy ranks, spearhead sweeping across the battlefield, felling Xiongnu soldiers one after another. His agility and spearmanship were exquisite; he possessed both the composure of a scholar and the ferocity of a warrior, greatly boosting the morale of the soldiers behind him. The generals then realized that this young deputy general was no mere theorist; his martial arts and strategy surpassed even theirs.
After two hours of fierce fighting, the remaining Xiongnu forces were completely annihilated, their leader captured alive, and all the looted wealth recovered. Shen Nianqing ordered the wealth to be returned to the people and opened the granaries to distribute grain to the affected villages. The people, young and old, came to express their gratitude. Looking at the handsome yet resolute young general before them, they praised him, saying, "General Shen is so young, yet he is both brave and resourceful; he is truly our guardian angel!"
When the news reached Yunmo City, the generals who had previously underestimated Shen Nianqing were completely convinced and came to apologize. Shen Nianqing waved his hand and said calmly, "Serving the country is a shared responsibility. From now on, we will need everyone to work together to protect the peace of the border."
As the sun set, the walls of Yunmo City were bathed in a golden-red hue. Shen Nianqing gazed upon the vast borderlands, his resolve hardening. This expedition was not only to hone his skills but also to fulfill his promise to his father and his responsibility to the people. He knew this was only the beginning of his official and battlefield career; many more trials and tribulations lay ahead for him to face.
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