What's the point of them rushing in one after another? One person can't break down the door; they'll just fall in and become crocodile food.
I don't think these people can be called Xiongnu; they're probably more like the ancient Japanese pirates from our region.
[Um, is it possible they're using a diversionary tactic?]
“That’s right.” Xu Nian’s eyes lit up. There was no reason why this foreigner wouldn’t know something that the residents all knew. If he wanted to use this to attract their attention…
She stepped forward and took Gu Zhan's hand. "How can I sleep while you're fighting here? Are there any people stationed in Canggu City? I'm worried that these bandits are trying to launch a feint attack."
Before coming, she had already found out about the situation in Cangque City.
According to the locals, they usually go around Canggu City at the foot of the mountain when they travel outside, but it takes a long time.
The fact that the Xiongnu leader was able to break through four or five cities from Haiyun Pass on the border of the Xuan Dynasty to get here shows that he was not without strategy. He probably wouldn't do something so strenuous and thankless.
Gu Zhan felt a warmth in his heart and took off his cloak, putting it back on Xu Nian. "There are 30,000 troops left over there, plus the original 20,000 in the city, so we are not afraid of them launching a surprise attack. But this is not a solution in the long run."
What's that behind you?
Only after bringing the person to his side did he notice the scarecrow being held by the soldier following behind him.
There were also groups of residents holding things that looked like kites but were much larger than those; there seemed to be at least a dozen of them.
Xu Nian smiled slyly, "This is a paraglider. People can ride on this and land steadily from high altitude to the other side of the moat." She took the paraglider from someone's hand. Somehow, two or three of these things had been knocked into her space. The rest were discovered and made by the residents themselves.
Liu Jun frowned as he looked at those strange and unusual things; he had never thought much of this so-called princess.
A woman's duty is to be a good wife and mother. Secretly following the army and possessing strange sorcery is already astonishing, but now she's even participating in military operations?!
This is absolutely absurd!
"Marshal, please forgive my bluntness, but the wind at night is unpredictable. If the soldiers fly out on this, it's fine if they land on flat ground, but if they land in the moat, wouldn't they immediately become a delicious meal for the dragon?"
"Furthermore, this thing is pure white, making it very conspicuous at night. The Xiongnu are skilled in mounted archery, so it would probably be shot down as a target in mid-air."
The soldiers upstairs, who had initially been pleased with this method, now had their expressions changed.
Liu Jun's words made sense. They weren't afraid of death, but rather of dying dishonorably. If they landed safely and died on the battlefield under the Xiongnu's blade, that would be a glorious thing for their ancestors.
But to be swallowed by a fish is truly frustrating.
Seeing this, the lieutenant smiled triumphantly and was about to speak again when Xu Nian interrupted him with a frown, "When did I say that I would let the soldiers go there by paraglider?"
"Leaving aside the strong winds in the mountains, even just the ability to control direction is something many people here don't know how to do, so how could they possibly control it?"
She raised her hand, not giving Liu Jun a chance to retort, "I brought these things because I think we can use their own methods against them, feint to the east while attacking in the west, and catch them off guard."
Gu Zhan's eyes lit up. As her husband, how could he not understand Xu Nian's meaning? "You mean, you want to send these scarecrows over on paragliders to attract the Xiongnu's attention, and then we'll go down and take down their stronghold outside the city gate?"
"But there are only a dozen or so paragliders, and how are our soldiers supposed to get down from here?"
[Hey, I've noticed this deputy general is quite the contrarian?]
[Anchor: Can you please shut up? You're so annoying!]
Xu Nian's lips twitched. She took a deep breath to suppress her irritation. "I asked the original inhabitants of the city, and they said there's a small path leading down from the corner outside the city gate. Later, I'll set up a diversion to make them think there are a hundred of us. The rest of you, send a team of people with well-proportioned builds to follow me."
As she spoke, before Liu Jun even had a chance to react, she raised her sword finger and recited the spell of turning beans into soldiers again. Everyone felt a gust of cold wind blow by, and the scarecrows that had turned into people actually started to move!
The scene was incredibly bizarre, yet the woman in the center remained unmoved. As the trembling crowd helped them onto the paraglider, she continued to chant softly: "Heavenly Emperor, write with your brush. To demonstrate the movement of the chapters, then write the spiritual talismans. The mind's intention is there, but illusions vanish. All phenomena of Taoism, hasten as the law commands!"
In everyone's sight, all they saw were a dozen or so large bird-like creatures carrying the scarecrow into the sky!
Amidst the squawking and shouting of the Xiongnu, they flew towards the opposite bank of the moat. Looking through their binoculars, they saw that the enemy, who had been fast asleep, had been awakened.
Those below, who were supposed to be moving upwards, were so anxious that they forgot about their work!
Xu Nian stared intently, her brows furrowing. "No wonder they kept coming forward, unafraid of death. It turns out they were just using a smokescreen to mislead us."
She hadn't looked closely before, but now, after chanting an incantation, her mind cleared. Looking down the mountain again, the place that had been crowded with people was now completely empty.
Only vines swayed on it, making it look as if someone was actually climbing up it.
Gu Zhan steadied himself and focused his gaze. Sure enough, there was no one on the cliff below! "They also have people who know Taoist magic over there. We need to hurry."
He decisively gave the order, as this was something the marshal shouldn't have had to do personally.
But Xu Nian insisted on taking the lead, and he was really worried, so he left General Gu Anshi to guard the area while he led his troops down the Tianshan Road with the others.
If Xu Nian hadn't asked the locals, they wouldn't have known that there was such a path in the mountains.
The group crouched low as they hurried through the narrow passage. Although Xu Nian had widened the passage slightly with a talisman, it was still only wide enough for two burly men to pass through.
Halfway there, the sound of dripping spring water suddenly came from ahead.
The man leading the way turned pale and glanced at Xu Nian with extreme fear. At the man's prompting, he gritted his teeth and continued forward.
"No matter what sounds you hear later, do not answer, do not turn around, do not make a sound, just keep facing forward, and I will clear the obstacles for you."
A clear female voice rang in everyone's hearts. Xu Nian, who was in front, did not speak, but they definitely heard her command.
Clutching the newly issued amulets tightly, the person in front, fearing that some of them might lose their curiosity, decided to go all out and temporarily block their hearing by making hand gestures.
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