The Xianbei cavalrymen roared with all their might, demonstrating their power to Liu Hong and the Han soldiers on the city wall.
For the Xianbei cavalry, whose morale had already been boosted by Tan Shihuai, the Han emperor on the Juyan city wall was related to their future wealth and glory, so they naturally had to treat him with the proper attitude.
Despite the roars of the Xianbei soldiers below the city, Liu Hong on the city wall remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged. The Han soldiers on both sides felt an unprecedented sense of security upon seeing this.
With the emperor around, they have nothing to fear!
Tan Shihuai frowned as he looked at the Han emperor standing motionless atop the city wall.
He never expected that a young emperor who was only twenty years old could have such a calm and composed temperament.
Then Tan Shihuai raised his arm, and the Xianbei cavalry behind him stopped shouting.
Tan Shihuai then proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty, as you can see, the warriors of my tribe are awaiting Your Majesty's reward!"
"OK!"
Liu Hong smiled slightly: "I wonder what kind of reward you desire?"
"Your Majesty, our people live a hard life. Every year we need at least ten million shi of grain and five hundred thousand shi of salt, and at least one hundred thousand jin of refined iron to forge weapons for hunting."
These things are but a drop in the ocean for the Han Dynasty; we hope Your Majesty will show mercy!
"Ha! You really dare to say that!"
After hearing Tan Shihuai's demands, Liu Hong couldn't help but sneer, then loudly proclaimed:
"What you've said is indeed a drop in the ocean for my Great Han Dynasty. We could give it to you for ten or fifty years without any problem. However, I have one condition. If you agree to it, I will immediately send it to you!"
Tan Shihuai: "What are the conditions?"
Liu Hong smiled slightly: "Put down your weapons, leave your pastures, and move to the territory of my Great Han. I will certainly regard you as my subjects, and I will satisfy all your desires!"
"That's impossible!!"
Upon hearing this, Tan Shihuai refused without hesitation.
Liu Hong's face turned cold: "Since you think it's impossible, then there's nothing more to say. Go back to where you came from!"
"Your Majesty, are you truly unwilling to agree to my conditions?"
Tan Shihuai stared intently at Liu Hong on the city wall with a gloomy face.
"You'd better agree to my conditions first!" Liu Hong glared at the other party with a cold face.
"In that case, Xiao Wang will have to go and get it himself!"
Tan Shihuai snorted coldly, then turned his horse and rode towards his own army's formation, while giving a wink to one of his subordinates as he rode.
The subordinate understood, immediately took out his bow and arrows, and spurred his horse toward the walls of Juyan.
"You little emperor, how dare you refuse our terms! Take this arrow!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Xianbei knight drew his bow and nocked an arrow, which whistled out and flew straight toward Liu Hong.
"His Majesty!!"
The crowd on the city wall gasped in surprise, and Liu Hong's heart skipped a beat.
Fortunately, the Xianbei knight's bow was not very powerful, and the arrow was caught by Lü Bu before it could reach Liu Hong.
Although they escaped unharmed, the soldiers on the city wall were furious, glaring fiercely at the Xianbei cavalry below.
To dare to draw a bow and shoot an arrow at the emperor in front of them is tantamount to the greatest insult to them, and is simply unforgivable.
If it weren't for military discipline, they probably would have already charged down the city walls and hacked the enemy to pieces.
"Fengxian, take that man's life!!"
Liu Hong looked at the Xianbei knights below the city wall with a frosty expression and gave orders to Lü Bu.
"Here you go!"
Lu Bu excitedly accepted the order and then took the golden eagle bow bestowed upon him by the emperor.
Lu Bu then nocked the arrow shot by the Xianbei knight onto his bowstring and aimed it at the Xianbei knight below the city wall.
With a soft shout, Lü Bu's arm muscles bulged, and the golden eagle bow instantly curved like a full moon. The arrow, like a shooting star, flew straight towards the Xianbei knight.
With a whoosh, the arrow shot by the Xianbei knight pierced his throat, and he fell straight off his horse, leaving only his masterless warhorse to flee back to the Xianbei army in panic.
At the same time, cheers erupted from the top of Juyan City.
The Xianbei people have always prided themselves on their archery skills, but today the emperor ordered Lü Bu to directly kill them, which greatly diminished their prestige and was extremely encouraging.
In the Xianbei camp, Tan Shihuai's pupils contracted as he looked at Lü Bu, who was holding a bow and arrow on the city wall.
He was so focused on the Han emperor on the city wall that he didn't realize that Lu Bu, that fierce god, was also by the emperor's side.
Looking at Tan Shihuai who had returned to his ranks, Liu Hong instructed Dian Wei beside him: "Dian Wei, tell Tan Shihuai that in three days, I will personally lead a large army out of the city to fight them to the death. Let them wash their necks and wait to die!"
"Here you go!"
Dian Wei responded loudly, then strode to the city wall and shouted to the Xianbei army, "His Majesty has decreed that our Han army will leave the city for a decisive battle in three days. If you have the guts, wash your necks and wait to die; if you don't, go back to suckling your mothers!"
Dian Wei's roar, delivered with all his might, echoed like a resounding bell across the wilderness outside the city.
Upon hearing this news, Tan Shihuai was overjoyed.
He knew that this was definitely a delaying tactic by the Han emperor, who wanted to wait for reinforcements from the surrounding areas to arrive.
However, Tan Shihuai didn't care at all. According to the intelligence gathered by his spies, the Han army was mostly composed of infantry.
Although the Han Dynasty has been training cavalry for the past few years, only the Xiliang Iron Cavalry under Duan Jiong's command can compete with his Gaoliu elite troops.
As for the other Han army forces, he didn't take them seriously at all if they weren't for the city walls and passes; no matter how many people came, it wouldn't make a difference.
In his view, the emperor of the Han Kingdom before him, although he had some strategy, not much. The reason he was clamoring to fight him was nothing more than his arrogance, complacency, and youthful impulsiveness.
How could a Han emperor who had never experienced war since childhood possibly understand warfare?
Of course, what he didn't know was that Liu Hong might not be good at fighting, but he certainly had no shortage of people around him who were.
"Since Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, your word is law. I will await Your Majesty's arrival in three days!"
To prevent Liu Hong from going back on his word, Tan Shihuai also responded loudly, his words full of flattery.
"I will definitely go!"
Liu Hong responded with a sentence, then turned and walked down the city wall.
After Liu Hong disappeared, Tan Shihuai ordered his men to withdraw the soldiers who had surrounded the four city gates, and then to recuperate and prepare for the decisive battle three days later...
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