Three days later, Gongsun Zan led his troops on another journey, followed by three thousand White Horse Cavalry and five thousand able-bodied men.
Although the group of young men was not well-organized and their clothes were in disarray, everyone was full of fighting spirit and their eyes were brimming with hope.
In the words of the Han army instructors, what they were doing with the Han army was great and sacred, and for that, even if they died, it would be an honor.
A gentle breeze blew by, and Gongsun Zan patted the back of his horse, took a deep breath, and a look of contentment appeared on his face.
For him, who had fought in the northern wilderness for more than a decade, the mild weather in the heart of Parthia was a great pleasure.
The sky was a clear, cloudless blue, and the sunlight was dazzling. Looking ahead from horseback, a vast plain stretched out in the distance.
"What a wonderful piece of land this is!"
Looking at the land ahead, Gongsun Zan couldn't help but sigh. If the plains ahead were developed, they would be excellent farmland, capable of supporting countless people.
Hearing Gongsun Zan's words, the soldiers behind him silently looked at the land in front of them, a glimmer of light appearing in their eyes.
In their view, this land beneath their feet may soon belong to them.
Just then, a scout appeared at the front of the column. The deputy general in charge of the outpost went up to him, asked a few questions, and then rode up to Gongsun Zan.
"General, the scouts ahead report that they have spotted the city. There are only a few soldiers guarding the city gates, and it seems that, like Moro City, there are no troops stationed there!"
Gongsun Zan grunted in approval and nodded in satisfaction. "Send the order down to the White Horse Cavalry to go ahead and guard all the exits of the city. Do not let a single person escape!"
"Yes, but what about these able-bodied men? How should they be arranged?"
Gongsun Zan: "These able-bodied men, led by myself, will arrive before sunset!"
The lieutenant shouted "Understood!" and was about to ride away when Gongsun Zan stopped him again: "Show them our banners too. I want them to know that the royal army of the Han Dynasty has arrived!"
"Here you go!"
The lieutenant agreed and immediately led the White Horse Cavalry away from the main force, galloping forward.
At the front of the procession, two large banners were raised, one with the large character "Han" written on it and the other with the large characters "Gongsun".
These two flags fluttered in the wind, as confident as the country they represented and their commander-in-chief, their bright red lettering dazzling.
Seeing the Han cavalry suddenly accelerate away, the able-bodied men behind knew that the battle was about to begin.
The thought of using their weapons to cut off the heads of those so-called nobles filled them with trepidation, but even more so with inexplicable excitement and exhilaration.
Without needing to be urged or encouraged, these young and strong men quickened their pace on their own.
About half an hour later, the three thousand White Horse Cavalry arrived not far from the target city.
At the city gate, several guards were collecting entrance fees from the people entering the city with fierce expressions.
At the front of the procession entering the city, an elderly man fumbled in his pocket and took out ten copper coins, which he then presented to the guards.
The soldier glanced at the old man indifferently: "The city lord has ordered that the entrance fee has increased, and what you have is not enough!"
"It's gone up again..."
The old man was slightly taken aback: "I wonder how much it has risen?"
"Fifty copper coins!"
"What? It only rose to ten copper coins yesterday, and it's already fifty today?" The old man exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this price.
"Yes, that's going too far!"
"Taxes have gone up, fine, but the city entry fee has gone up too?"
"Are you trying to kill us?"
Those queuing behind also looked indignant after hearing about the price increase.
These people had lost their livelihood in the city and had no choice but to go out of the city to do hard labor on the manors of noble lords in order to support their families.
These people, after a hard day's work, earned at most fifty copper coins.
After working hard all day, I barely made enough to cover the city entrance fee. Anyone would find that unacceptable. If I had known it would be like this, why would I have bothered coming out of the city to work? I might as well have just starved to death in the city; that would have been much quicker.
"Stop talking nonsense! Do you dare question the city lord's orders? If you have money, pay up now; if not, get out of here!"
Seeing that those lowly people dared to raise questions, the soldier drew his scimitar and shouted fiercely. His three companions immediately stepped forward as well.
Although there were only four guards, and their knives were rusty, the civilians still showed a hint of fear on their faces and quickly shut their mouths.
"Hmph, a bunch of useless trash!"
The leading soldier snorted coldly, then shouted loudly, "Those who want to enter the city, come and pay up, or you'll stay outside."
Don't blame me for not warning you, there are still plenty of wild animals and bandits around at night. If you lose your lives, don't blame us!
Hearing this, everyone felt a surge of resentment. They naturally knew what the so-called "beasts and bandits" were.
Rumble!!
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats reached everyone's ears.
Turning my head, I saw a group of white dots rushing toward us at high speed on the distant horizon.
"It's enemy cavalry!!"
The first four soldiers to react immediately changed their expressions, shouted, and quickly turned and ran into the city.
Seeing this, the common people panicked and followed behind.
"Enemy attack! Close the city gates immediately!!"
The four soldiers who ran into the city began to close the city gates while shouting.
However, the people outside the city also rushed in in a chaotic manner, making it impossible to close the city gates.
At the same time, a squad leader who was on duty behind the city gate also ran over with more than a dozen soldiers.
"Get them out of here!"
Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, the squad leader immediately drew his weapon and killed a civilian who was running towards him with a single blow.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers immediately rushed forward and began massacring the civilians who were crowding at the city gate.
As more than a dozen civilians collapsed to the ground, the remaining civilians all retreated in fear.
Immediately afterwards, the guards closed the city gates, leaving hundreds of civilians outside the city.
Looking at the tightly closed city gates, despair appeared on the faces of the people.
"Look! It's the Han army! They are the Han army!!"
Just as the people were in despair, a slightly excited voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.
Everyone turned around and saw the large banner with the character "Han" at the front of the cavalry.
"Great, it turns out the Han army has arrived."
"We don't have to die!"
Several locals who could read Chinese characters wept with joy upon seeing the flag.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
