"Sir, you said it yourself, so you can't go back on your word once we're gone!" The middle-aged man at the head of the group seized the opportunity, quickly got up, and led hundreds of people away from the shack.
He Erniu and the others spat at them disdainfully, saying, "Ungrateful wretches!"
The middle-aged man sneered, "Look at the formation over there! If you don't leave now, you'll regret it! There are definitely a lot of Wuhuan people coming this time. You might as well stay here and wait to die!"
Under the watchful eyes of Sun Meng and the others, the refugees ran towards Wuchuan City without looking back. Sun Meng instructed the refugees who remained: "Remember, those who leave here are no longer our people. If they dare to sneak in again in the future, report to me directly, and I will reward them with 10 catties of grain!"
He Erniu cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir! But I really want to help Lord Lü."
Sun Meng glared at him: "Right now, your job is to help maintain order here and prevent anyone from causing trouble. That's helping Lord Lü!"
"OK!"
...
Back at Lu Tu's side, he led the remaining 100-plus soldiers in the village on a wild run toward Gubei Peak, charging ahead at the forefront.
Before long, he saw the Gubeifeng Pass. When he saw the situation, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, which was better than expected.
Earlier, Chai Yong built a small barbican of blue bricks at the Gubeifeng Pass, and many logs soaked in tung oil were piled up on the cliffs on both sides.
At this time, a total of 200 soldiers and 300 slaves were gathered here to block the Wuhuan soldiers in the pass, but the Wuhuan people were banging on the city gate of the barbican.
The only problem was that they were all busy with their own things, and even split into three teams as before, led by Liu Yang, Nie Yun, and Liu Hong, while Chai Yong was leading his dozen or so soldiers stationed at the pass to launch a counterattack, which was very inefficient.
Lu Tu didn't have time to deal with the hidden danger. He arrived just in time and shouted to the crowd, "What are you still fighting over? Chai Yong, you know this place well. Quickly send people to throw the logs down, and then launch the rockets!"
"clear!"
"Liu Hong and Nie Yun, lead your men to defend the gate of the barbican to the death. If it is breached, hold it back with your lives!"
"Yes, sir!"
With Lü Tu in charge, efficiency improved dramatically.
Lu Tu looked at the 300 bewildered soldiers and shouted, "Do you dare to follow me into battle to kill the enemy?"
The slave soldiers stood there stammering, their fear evident, but Lu Tu paid them no mind. He then delivered the main event: "Anyone who dares to bravely advance will be freed from slavery. If they injure one Wuhuan, they will be promoted to a soldier under my command and enjoy the same treatment as everyone else! If they kill one Wuhuan, they will be promoted to squad leader!"
A generous reward will surely attract brave men. These military slaves were already living a miserable life. Although Lu Tu did not treat them like cattle or horses and even used Kunlun slaves to exchange them from the coal mine, who would be willing to be a slave for life?
At this moment, a burly man stepped forward and said, "My lord, I, Peng Yan, am willing to go!"
"Alright! I'll remember you. Don't let me down! Liu Yang, distribute the weapons to them!"
Liu Yang was in charge of managing the weapons in the warehouse. As early as when he learned that the Wuhuan people were coming, he led his men to bring a large number of weapons. After all, in the battle on the battlefield, a sword would be dulled or lost after only a few rounds.
None of the 300 slave soldiers retreated. Unlike other refugees, they had no human rights and were meant to serve as human shields when the Wuhuan people attacked.
At this time, Lu Tu not only gave them weapons, but also gave them the hope of promotion. How could they not rise up?
Seeing the rampaging barbican gate, Lü Tu raised his golden spear high and roared, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Follow me and kill the enemy!"
The more than 500 soldiers and slaves present seemed to be injected with a stimulant when they heard Lü Tu's roar; their previous fear and timidity vanished in the blink of an eye.
They shouted in unison, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
In an instant, a surge of murderous intent soared to the heavens. However, Lu Tu did not back down after being promoted to the eighth-rank captain. Instead, he rode ahead fearlessly, and the other soldiers and slaves followed suit.
The lowest-ranking military slaves were particularly moved by Lü Tu's actions, and led by Peng Yan, they spontaneously stood in front of Lü Tu with knives in hand.
Not one of the 300 slave soldiers retreated. They gripped their swords firmly and fearlessly, charging forward with their bodies to hold back the constantly battered barbican gate.
Peng Yan shouted to Lü Tu, "My lord, let us go first, you step back behind us!" Then he rushed over as well.
Lu Tu watched with envy. The men of Wuchuan were indeed martial. Even military slaves could unleash such fighting power as long as they were given the appropriate rewards and respect. If used properly, it was truly a blessed land!
Just then, a broken Da Yu dialect could be heard coming from inside the pass: "Lu Tu, you son of a bitch, are you here?"
Lu Tu naturally wouldn't agree. Instead, he waved his hand and ordered the slaves, "Give these beasts a piece of your mind, as nasty as you can. If they do a good job, they'll be richly rewarded!"
In a heated exchange of insults, one can also provoke the opponent or demoralize them.
These military slaves were already at the bottom of society, and they had suffered a lot of contempt and humiliation on a daily basis. Now that they were all ready to risk it all, they launched the most vicious verbal attacks at the Wuhuan people who were just a wall away.
"Wuwan dog, I heard your whole family is promiscuous and has no sense of ethics, is that right? Then is your mother your eldest sister-in-law or your third aunt?"
Such remarks came frequently, and even Lü Tu couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't expected these guys to be so articulate in their insults. He remembered the kid who was the loudest, and decided to train him properly to be in charge of shouting insults on the battlefield.
As expected, how could the Wuhuan people possibly be a match for the Dayu people in a war of words? They couldn't even hold out for three minutes before a agonizing scream came from the pass: "I will cut off your heads and use them as my drinking cups!"
"I will also take your mothers and your wives and make them my slaves!"
Hearing this, the slave soldiers didn't feel offended at all. After all, they were all single men, laughing and joking inside the city gate, which only further enraged the Wuhuan people.
Just then, Chai Yong and the others finally climbed to the top of the mountain on both sides and pushed all the bundled logs that had been soaked in tung oil down the mountain.
In the narrow pass, the Wuhuan people were shocked to find that they had been tricked. They had never experienced such an ambush before. The people of the six border towns always fought against them on the plains. Who would have thought there would be a trap?
Countless logs rolled down the cliff, instantly causing the Wuhuan soldiers to fall and cry out in agony.
Those who were less lucky had their skulls smashed open on the spot, their yellow and red semen flowing all over the ground. When the lucky survivors looked up angrily, they discovered the most terrifying scene of their lives.
Chai Yong stood atop the mountain, holding a red flag, and waved it down: "Release the arrows!"
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