Hundreds and thousands of Xiongnu cavalrymen charged toward the western city wall of Shanwu.
Each squad was led by a valiant commander of a thousand cavalry.
They fought their way to about fifty paces from the city wall, then began circling it.
Whoosh whoosh!
Countless arrows were hurled onto the city wall.
These Xiongnu people, who dismounted to herd sheep and mounted their horses to fight, were all skilled horsemen and archers.
In the days before stirrups and saddles, they could ride horses as if on flat ground, and their arrows were accurate, powerful, and traveled quite far.
However, the arrowhead is made of bone.
If the arrowheads were replaced with iron ones, along with stirrups and saddles, the fighting power of the Xiongnu cavalry would probably have increased several levels.
No wonder they had such a strong desire for ironware; beneath it lay a restless ambition to rebel and invade the Central Plains.
When Huhanye Chanyu submitted to the Han Dynasty, the Southern Xiongnu tribe under Qiangqu Chanyu numbered only 40,000 to 50,000 households, with fewer than 10,000 cavalry capable of fighting.
After decades of multiplying in Meiji, coupled with the encroachment and plunder of the four counties of Yunzhong.
Today, the Southern Xiongnu tribe has reached an astonishing population of four to five hundred thousand.
As for the soldiers who can mount up and fight, one out of every five households will be selected, resulting in at least 100,000 soldiers!
Now the Southern Xiongnu have gathered about 70,000 to 80,000 troops to challenge Liu Wei to a duel, which can be described as the entire tribe coming here!
At this moment, countless arrows were shot out from the hands of these Xiongnu cavalrymen, wave after wave!
One after another, thousand-strong cavalry units charged down to the city walls, unleashing a furious barrage of arrows upon the ramparts.
On the walls of Shanwu, a thousand Great Wall Legion swordsmen and shieldmen stood guard behind the battlements, providing a shield for the spearmen and protecting them from the torrential rain of attacks.
As the commander of the 10,000 cavalry in this attack, King Wenyudi used ten thousand-man squads to bombard the city walls back and forth, trying to make the Han army on the city walls unable to raise their heads!
While launching repeated attacks to suppress the enemy, they dispatched five hundred warriors armed with axes and hammers, who quickly charged toward the city gate.
They planned to take advantage of the moment when the soldiers of the Great Wall army on the city wall were dodging arrows to smash down the city gate.
"Damn it, these Hun bastards keep shooting arrows wave after wave, they don't even let us catch our breath!"
Zhang Liao hid behind the parapet, looking at the arrows scattered all around him, and muttered curses.
Guo Luo brought him to Xue Rengui's side and said that this man was entrusted by the Marquis to be properly taken care of!
Xue Rengui understood the meaning and immediately assigned Zhang Liao to the Sword and Shield Battalion as a soldier.
Zhang Liao didn't care!
After all, he had volunteered to come and kill the Xiongnu, so naturally he obeyed the orders!
He was shocked by the young general in white robes before him.
At just over twenty years old, he was the top commander under the Marquis, leading this elite force known as the Great Wall Legion.
Furthermore, the Xianbei leader was also subject to control.
The composure and maturity he displayed were not at all like the immaturity expected of someone his age.
His murderous aura was no less than that of a seasoned general!
Zhang Liao immediately felt respect for Xue Rengui and regarded him as his role model and idol.
Moreover, the Marquis has now completely handed over military power to this general who, like Lü Bu, wields the halberd.
As for how to deal with the Xiongnu's siege, the Marquis turned a blind eye and did nothing.
Upon seeing Xue Rengui's halberd, one can tell that his martial prowess is definitely extraordinary.
Perhaps he could rival Lü Bu!
"Brother Zhang, calm down! Let them be arrogant for a while!"
"Their arrows are just a tickle!"
The captain of the sword and shield battalion beside Zhang Liao smiled faintly, "We'll let them taste our power soon."
After saying that, he gestured towards the archer battalion standing guard behind the city wall.
The three thousand archers crouched low and scattered behind the city wall shelters, their eyes filled with indifference and disregard for the constant stream of arrows from the Xiongnu.
At the mouth of the Qingshui River valley, they had already caused the loss of 1,500 soldiers under General Jianjiang's command!
Now that they are in a superior position, the damage they cause will likely be even greater!
"It seems we'll have to wait until these archers put in their best effort before we can actually go into battle!"
Zhang Liao looked at the archers, each exuding a murderous aura.
Their bows and arrows were clearly made of fine iron, and their range and strength were naturally much greater than those of the archers in the Bingzhou governor's mansion.
When did you manage to train such an elite force, Lord Marquis?
However, even so, his claim that he could annihilate all 70,000 Xiongnu in five days is probably still a bit far-fetched!
Just as Zhang Liao was lost in thought, the arrows coming from below the city seemed to have weakened considerably.
Peeking out, they saw that the Xiongnu cavalry had already gone far away, while four or five hundred Xiongnu soldiers armed with swords, shields, and broadswords had already reached the city gate.
It turns out that King Wenyudi's ten thousand-man squads had already completed one round of firing.
Each cavalryman fired at least three to four arrows, and nearly thirty to forty thousand arrows rained down on the walls of Shanwu West Gate.
As for the extent of damage inflicted on the Han army on the city walls, King Wenyudi had no idea.
The archery was used to probe the enemy's firepower and also to provide cover for the warriors who were about to breach the gate, making it easier for them to approach the city gate.
Of these five hundred warriors, one hundred held up shields to protect what was above.
Then dozens of burly men swung axes and hammers, hacking and smashing at the city gate with a clattering sound!
At the same time, a deafening roar of battle cries erupted.
Approximately three thousand Xiongnu soldiers dismounted, carrying ladders, and charged forward!
In addition, two thousand cavalrymen followed closely behind, drawing their bows and arrows, ready to provide cover.
Seeing the Xiongnu's aggressive posture, Xue Rengui on the city wall was slightly taken aback.
Unexpectedly, the Xiongnu's siege tactics became increasingly sophisticated.
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