"What is there to be afraid of?"
"Want to give it a try?"
Liu Wei looked indifferent and waved his hand, and two soldiers casually escorted a woman to the front of the city wall.
When Qiangqu took a look, he was shocked to discover that this person was actually his daughter-in-law, Yu Fuluo's wife, and a young lady from the Lan family.
The Right Grand Commandant went to Bingzhou, but his deputy remained.
Before Qiangqu could decide whether to stand up to Liu Wei, his deputy hurriedly stepped forward to advise him not to act impulsively.
Then King Zhu Ri, King Gu Li, King Wen Yu Di, and others also tried to dissuade him.
They had a good relationship with the Lan family, so naturally they couldn't just stand by and watch their young lady be killed.
Qiangqu was also frustrated. Before he could make a decision, his subordinates came one after another to persuade him, which put him at a significant disadvantage in terms of momentum.
Are you going to kill him or not?
Just then, mocking voices came from the city wall again!
"Your Majesty, why not use these Han Chinese people to exchange for our people?" King Guli suggested. "We are in a passive position right now!"
"Your Majesty, they are just putting on an act. I don't believe they could actually do it!"
"The Han people regard those who disregard the lives of their own people as a disgrace."
"If this prince doesn't care about the people, he will surely be scorned by their scholars!"
Wang said, "If he dares to make a move, his reputation will be ruined."
He does have some understanding of the Han Chinese way of thinking.
Especially for members of the royal family, reputation is of paramount importance.
Qiang Qu frowned, remaining silent, his mind in turmoil.
The women and children on the city wall are their people.
If we disregard their lives and kill the Han people, the Xiongnu women and children on the city walls will surely suffer the same fate.
He dared not gamble that Liu Wei wouldn't harm women and children.
What else is a demon who massacred tens of thousands of young and strong Xiongnu people incapable of doing?
In the end, Qiangqu couldn't bear to abandon his people.
If he doesn't care about his wife and daughters, people from other tribes might become disloyal!
“King Guli, you are to go and negotiate with Liu Wei to exchange people with him.”
"Your Majesty is benevolent and wise!"
Everyone praised him.
"Haven't they killed enough of our people?"
Gradually, Wang kept his complaints to himself.
He felt that Qiangqu had grown old and was no longer as ruthless as he had been in his youth, but had become somewhat soft-hearted.
If we cannot force the prince's army to fight, then we will have no choice but to resort to force and attack the city.
For the Xiongnu, who were not skilled at siege warfare, this would come at a heavy price.
Alternatively, we should follow the Right Grand Commandant's method: besiege without attacking, and then ask certain people in the Han court for supplies.
As a result, the Right Grand Commandant was even more highly regarded by Qiang Qu!
King Jianjiang had a personal grudge against the Right Grand Commandant, and he didn't want to see the Right Grand Commandant showing off in front of the Qiangqu Chanyu!
Now that Qiangqu had given the order, no one said anything more.
King Guli immediately stepped forward, came to the city walls, and expressed his intention to make an exchange.
They promised not to start a war today and immediately ordered the assembled Xiongnu army to withdraw to their camp.
"Haha, Qiangqu has finally made a smart decision!"
Liu Wei immediately handed over the exchange to Xue Rengui and Liu Du.
"After exchanging these three thousand people, ask Qiangqu. I still have seventeen thousand Xiongnu women and children in my city. If you want them, you can come and exchange them!"
"As for what to use, just ask him what else he can offer!"
After saying that, Liu Wei walked away.
......
Next, Xue Rengui and Liu Du made arrangements to discuss with the Xiongnu King Guli how to exchange the captured civilians.
As for the Xiongnu troops they had gathered, they naturally retreated back to their camps.
The Xiongnu cavalry, who had been preparing for a fierce battle, returned dejectedly.
Before long, the two sides exchanged the captured civilians.
After the three thousand Han Chinese civilians were rescued and entered the city, they all rushed to the residence of Marquis Liu Wei and knelt down to express their gratitude to the Marquis.
When the Han Chinese people in the city learned of Liu Wei's actions, they praised his great virtue and took the three thousand people into their homes.
This saved Xue Rengui the trouble of having to build a shantytown specifically for resettlement.
Every household in the city that accepted these refugees received food and supplies.
For a time, the merits of Marquis Liu Wei of Yinshan were praised throughout the city.
The second day of the Xiongnu siege passed quietly.
Apart from the scouts sent by both sides engaging in open and covert struggles, everything was calm and peaceful, with everyone busy with their own affairs.
Xue Rengui's scouts also focused on defending the valley leading from the east gate of Shanwu City to Daihai.
This was to prevent the Xiongnu scouts from wandering aimlessly upstream on the Qingshui River.
If they see thousands of people digging there, something big will be leaked.
With Li Su working day and night under the supervision of guards such as Yang Yi, the excavation progressed rapidly.
Although Li Su had taken all necessary precautions to avoid muddying up the Qingshui River at first.
With so many people working, there are bound to be oversights, and the water in the upper reaches of the Qingshui River has become somewhat turbid.
Many Xiongnu people discovered this situation when they were fetching water and cooking mutton.
However, they didn't care and thought it was normal.
That evening, Qiangqu still summoned many officials to discuss the matter, and finally decided to besiege the city first and wait for news from the Right Grand Commandant.
In addition, the 10,000 troops from Huchuquan in the north also arrived late, while the 6,000 cavalry of the Left Grand Commandant in the south were stationed on the key road between Yanmen and Dingxiang to prevent the Han army from coming to the rescue from Yanmen.
At this point, Liu Wei's 20,000 troops and 20,000 to 30,000 civilians in Shanwu City, except for the eastern side, were surrounded by nearly 70,000 Xiongnu troops.
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