"Charge!!"
With a furious shout from the Xiongnu Chanyu's deputy general, all the Xiongnu soldiers, using their relatively outdated siege weapons, began to charge towards the fortress wall.
Beside Zhang Yi, all the officials wore worried expressions.
If Zhang Yi doesn't withdraw, they can't easily retreat either.
But it would be impossible for them not to be afraid of the overwhelming battle cries of the Xiongnu.
"Governor, can that Zhao Hao really be stopped?"
Looking at the young deputy general, Zhang Yi snorted coldly.
"If he can't do it, do you think you can? Look at the people and soldiers outside. Do they listen to you or him?"
"Um... what does this have to do with whether it can be defended or not..."
Snap!
Zhang Yi slapped his deputy general in exasperation. The man was a Bingzhou native whom he had personally promoted, yet he lacked even this basic understanding.
On the contrary, the kid from Jizhou, without any background, was able to do things that even he couldn't do.
He began to reflect on his judgment of people over the years.
Is there a problem?
"Qin Yilu, you... go."
Qin Yilu was stunned for a moment, then immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"Governor, I have followed you for so long, how could I abandon you! If I have done anything wrong, please teach me, and I will certainly learn from your mistakes!"
Zhang Yi sighed, put his hands behind his back, and pondered for a moment.
"Since you want to stay, stop doubting that kid Changshan. Although he's a year younger than you and his promotion to county commandant was unconventional, it seems... he really is very talented."
Perhaps we can all benefit from his success this time and achieve great things! Yilu, you should learn more from him. Your past achievements far surpassed his, so it's understandable that you have some resentment and arrogance.
However, as we witnessed yesterday, the enemy, amidst a vast army, went straight for the head of the Hu general. How could such a man be ignorant of military strategy?
Qin Yilu had nothing to say, but he was unwilling to respond by bowing.
"The governor has spoken, and Yilu will certainly follow his orders. However, if this lad cannot drive out the Xiongnu, I urge the governor to heed my advice and withdraw from Yanmen!"
"...Alright, alright, everyone get some rest. I reckon that although Commandant Zhao will be able to hold the pass today, his soldiers will be exhausted. Then it will be our turn to guard the pass. Don't let anyone underestimate the brave warriors of the Governor's Mansion, understand?"
"promise!"
"Well, let's not talk about retreat anymore. Go down."
...
"Release the arrows!"
There are not many longbows and arrows left in Yanmen Pass.
Even with the ordinary bows and arrows Zhao Hao purchased from the Chamber of Commerce, it only amounted to three thousand longbows and a little over ten thousand arrows.
Thus, after three rounds of arrow rain, the arrows were exhausted, while the number of Huns lying on the ground was only six or seven thousand.
The rest either missed their targets or wounded the Xiongnu soldiers attacking the city, but did not kill them.
"Charge!"
"The Chanyu has decreed that whoever first scales the city walls will be rewarded with a hundred head of cattle and sheep. Whoever kills a great many enemies will be rewarded with a hundred warhorses. Whoever slays a bandit general in battle will be promoted five ranks, with the highest possible rank being Left or Right General!"
At this time, the Southern Xiongnu, having submitted to the Han Dynasty for many years, had long since learned advanced smelting techniques. As a result, many of them were now armored and armed, and the proportion of their former outdated equipment, such as bone knives and bone arrows, had been greatly reduced.
However, reduction does not mean non-existence. Once advanced technologies have become outdated over the past century of repeated rebellions.
The Xiongnu, originally a nomadic people, were still far less capable of attacking cities than the modern Han army, even though they had learned to use long ladders to siege them.
By this time, the Han army already possessed rudimentary techniques for constructing siege ladders, and their siege capabilities far surpassed those of the Xiongnu.
Therefore, how could the Han army, which possessed superior siege capabilities, not also have superior siege defense capabilities?
"The enemy has set up long ladders, brothers, drop logs and rocks!"
At Zhao Hao's command, tens of thousands of soldiers lifted the rolling logs beside them and hurled them downwards.
Unexpectedly, the Huns' construction techniques were so poor that countless ladders were smashed to pieces by the rolling logs. Even those ladders not destroyed by the logs were knocked down by the subsequent falling rocks!
Seeing that the initial battle was unfavorable, the Chanyu of Xubugudu did not order the army to retreat.
Instead, he gave a cold snort and gave an order to the deputy general beside him.
"These good-for-nothings are truly useless. Issue my order: the supervisory team is to advance and oversee the battle. Anyone who dares to back down will be killed! Anyone who dares to carry counterfeit weapons will be punished the same way!"
"yes!"
Under the orders of the Xiongnu Chanyu Xubuguduhou and the supervision of the Xiongnu personal guard, all the Xiongnu soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue the siege.
Seeing that the Xiongnu army's offensive showed no signs of abating, Zhao Hao's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Pass on my order: prepare the golden juice!"
"Military Commandant's order: Prepare the Golden Juice!!"
"Golden juice ready!!!"
The sound of orders became an anomaly amidst the sounds of battle, yet it was enough to send shivers down one's spine.
However, only a few of the Xiongnu people could understand Chinese, and even fewer knew what the words "golden juice" meant.
Therefore, even if a few of them knew the tactics the Han army was about to use, they could not report them to the Xiongnu generals and leaders in the rear through the supervisory team.
Not to mention, they were expected to come up with a way to resist the corrosive effects of the molten gold in a short period of time.
Zhao Hao knew when the Xiongnu's ladder was rebuilt and leaned against the pass wall again.
The moment I've been waiting for has finally arrived!
"put!"
Under Zhao Hao's command, all the elite soldiers instantly poured out the large pots and barrels of golden juice!
Moreover, this molten gold was heated. If the molten gold at such a high temperature were to burn a wound, the consequences would be unimaginable!
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