The attack by the Northern Barbarians was unusually fierce, yet it was within everyone's expectations.
This time, the Northern Di did not attack from the passes north of Yanmen Pass, but instead went south, borrowing a route from the Yan state west of Daliang. After a long march, they turned to the east gate of Hexi and began their attack.
Despite various estimates, no one expected that the Northern Di were going to the Yan Kingdom to borrow a passage.
The State of Yan is located to the west of the State of Liang. It is not a very large country. It has always maintained a friendly policy with the Northern Di of Liang. This is because the State of Yan controls the westward trade routes, is powerful, and has a defensive line with terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although the country is small, it is not an easy thing to attack.
Having done various analyses, Xu Rao never expected such a result. Standing outside the city gate, looking at the Northern Di people riding warhorses not far away, Xu Rao felt a headache coming on.
There are also Northern Di people outside Yanmen Pass. They are preparing to attack from two sides and take Yanmen Pass. If Yanmen Pass is taken, even if they don't attack into the pass now, as long as they have Yanmen Pass in their hands, the fertile land within the territory of Daliang will be meat on a chopping board for the Northern Di people. Daliang has been established for so many years, and gradually it has emphasized civil affairs and neglected military affairs. Daliang has been able to be stable for so many years and has not been preyed upon by the Northern Di people. It is because of Yanmen Pass.
Xu Di had somehow climbed onto the city wall. Looking at the Northern Di soldiers sitting upright on their tall horses, he sighed and said, "I never expected them to be able to do something like this. I wonder who came up with this brilliant idea, and what benefits they gave to the Yan Kingdom."
Xu Rao said, "Is there any need to say more? They must have given us a lot of warhorses. Warhorses from the Northern Barbarians are very rare."
Xu Di stroked his chin and said, "Tell me, can we hold out?"
Xu Rao said, "We have to defend it even if we can't. I estimate that even if the Yan state allows these Northern Di people to pass through, they won't dare to let too many of them come over."
Xu Di said, "If it's just these people and there are no others behind them, then we can come up with an easier plan."
Xu Rao said, "Alright, you can think of a plan slowly. Let me ask you, have you dug the secret passage from the city to the outside?"
Xu Di leaned close to Xu Rao and whispered, "The tunnel has been dug long ago. The entrance outside the city is very well hidden, but we need to find someone trustworthy to go. Otherwise, all the people in our city will become meat on the chopping block for these Northern Di people."
Xu Rao nodded and said, "Then we won't send anyone from the county government. We'll send Guard Li with my order to inform the county governments of Ganzhou and the surrounding counties. We need to make sure they're prepared. Otherwise, we might be fine here while their hideout gets raided."
Li, the guard, is one of the two guards who came from the Yongning Marquis's residence. He is highly skilled in martial arts. Now, Xu Di, Li Jialiang, the Li sisters, and Xu Zhi are all learning martial arts from Li. The boys are required to learn seriously, while the three girls are only required to improve their physical fitness.
Xu Rao glanced at the Northern Di people who had already begun setting up camp not far outside the city, gave a few instructions to the people on the city wall, and then returned to the county office.
After writing the imperial edict and stamping it with his own seal, Xu Rao took it to the back office.
After explaining things to Guard Li, Xu Di led Guard Li through the tunnel under the octagonal table in his room.
Being prepared for danger in times of peace is something many people habitually do, and Xu Di happened to be such a person. In order to leave himself a way out, Xu Di racked his brains to design such a tunnel. He didn't dare to ask unfamiliar people to dig it. After the autumn harvest was over, he secretly transported all the people on the estate to the backyard and had them dig the tunnel in three shifts, all the way to the outside of the city.
With more manpower, things got easier, but the most difficult thing to deal with was the excavated soil. A lot of thought was put into dealing with this soil, and Xu Di eventually bought or rented several courtyards along the tunnel route.
Xu Di escorted Guard Li all the way outside the city. The exit of the tunnel was in a very hidden place, well disguised. Without someone leading the way, it would be impossible to find the place.
Xu Di instructed Guard Li to take the mountain path to the manor, where several horses were kept. Guard Li was to find the head of the manor, Zhao, to fetch a horse to ride and deliver the message, which would be faster.
Xu Di saw off Guard Li and was about to return when he saw a group of Northern Di people sneaking over from a distance. He counted about twenty of them from a distance, and they were not on horseback.
They were probably planning a sneak attack at the North Gate, and Xu Di felt that he would be letting himself down if he didn't do something.
Xu Di took out a few ropes from his bag and made a few simple traps. He also made a crossbow that could be tied to his wrist, which he used with the crossbow bolts he had made. The arrowheads were soaked in a medicinal juice prepared by Zhang Zhaoci. Even if they didn't kill instantly, the medicine on the arrowheads would enter the body through the bloodstream and numb the person for one or two days. Xu Di had specifically tested this.
After counting the crossbow bolts he carried—more than twenty in total—Xu Di decided to take a risk.
Xu Di was wearing a short, earth-yellow outfit that had been dyed with some dye, and his hat was made of the same fabric. If Xu Di lay still in the forest, even if you looked closely, you wouldn't be able to tell that he was a person. This was Xu Di's advantage.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Xu Di felt he was in the best possible condition and began to act.
Slowly approaching the group of Northern Di people who moved with utmost stealth, Xu Di circled around to their rear. He waited until several of them stepped into the trap, their feet bound, and were pulled upside down to hang from trees. Only then did the Northern Di panic and begin to act. Each crossbow bolt could fire five times, as long as it hit a person's body. However, reloading took time, and this time was the most dangerous for Xu Di.
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