Who dares to shoot and kill a high-ranking official in the street?!
The people brought by the prefect of Datong worked hard to form a barrier to prevent Su Wanwan from being taken away.
Someone shouted, "Those are several generals who protect the country and assist the country from the Prince of Dai's mansion!"
The titles of General Who Guards the Nation and General Who Assists the Nation are honorary positions, inherited by members of the imperial clan.
Only one of a prince's sons can inherit the title of prince; the other sons can obtain the title of duke.
Only one of the prince's sons can inherit the title of prince; the other sons can obtain the title of general who protects the country, with an annual stipend of one thousand shi (a unit of grain).
If the sons of the General Who Guards the State want to inherit the title, they will have to inherit it at a lower rank. They will only be able to obtain the title of General Who Assists the State, with an annual salary of 800 shi (a unit of grain).
Half of these annual stipends were in the form of Liangbao paper, which was essentially worthless.
To maintain their lavish lifestyle, these generals turned to the trade of horses, weapons, and information.
Over the years, a long-term cooperative relationship has been established with the Tatars of the steppe, resulting in substantial profits.
This is also why the Tatars preferred to start their invasions from Datong; with someone to lead the way, why not?
Su Wanwan never expected that the members of the imperial clan in Datong would become so arrogant.
The two sides clashed in close combat, and the sounds of swords clashing and screams of battle filled the air.
The situation is deadlocked and difficult to resolve.
As more and more of the people brought by the prefect of Datong fell down, Su Wanwan's heart sank lower and lower.
Where are the reinforcements?
Why hasn't it arrived yet?!
Was the General Commander of Datong just sitting around doing nothing?
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and closer.
The Datong border cavalry, clad in bright armor, charged forward.
...
Looking at the Tatars' seemingly swift but actually dragging attack from the direction of Jiming Mountain, Lu Xingjian sensed something was wrong.
Why aren't the Tatar soldiers in a hurry at all?
He asked his men, "Didn't they say that Dayan Khan personally led the operation? Has anyone seen any trace of Dayan Khan?"
Scouts from all sides reported: "No trace of Dayan Khan has been found, only his personal guards have appeared."
Lu Xingjian was able to sense that something was amiss.
We've fallen for their trap!
He thought Dayan Khan would come directly for him, the emperor.
Clearly, Dayan Khan did not do that.
If they're not targeting the emperor, then who are they targeting?!
The news of Yan Ge'er's disappearance last time was actually a smokescreen.
Yan Ge'er has disguised himself as a commoner and is hiding in Datong.
Wanwan is also in Datong!
"Move troops to Datong!"
Meanwhile, the main force of the Tatar cavalry, which had been ambushed and scattered in Xuanfu, was also marching rapidly toward Datong City.
The two sides are vying for a time difference.
Lu Xingjian looked anxiously in the direction of Datong.
Even the wisest person can make a mistake.
I hope that Datong City will remain safe and sound, and that the mother and child can be saved.
...
The current commander-in-chief of Datong, Shi Yuan, was originally from Yan'an Guard. Several years ago, when Lu Xingjian commanded the assassination of Dayan Khan's second son in Yansui, Shi Yuan had already begun to show his talent and become a guerrilla general.
Later, when suppressing the bandits in Henan, Shi Yuan made great contributions again. After pacifying the bandits in Henan, he was sent to Sichuan to suppress the bandits again.
He was a very capable general.
However, after arriving in Datong, Shi Yuan's strict military discipline clearly offended the royal family members of the Prince of Dai's mansion.
This time, Shi Yuan transferred his personal guards to protect Su Wanwan, which immediately gave the generals who protected the country and the generals who assisted the country a chance. Some of them led their men to the general's mansion to set fire to it, burning flags and many utensils and clothes.
Flags were an important credential for the commander-in-chief to mobilize troops.
The destruction of the flags will definitely affect the efficiency of troop deployment!
Shi Yuan was furious and ordered his guards to arrest all the royal family members who were causing trouble.
However.
A scout reports: "The Tatar army is approaching Datong City, and Pingyuan Fort requests reinforcements!"
"Zhenkoubao requests troop support!"
Seventy-two military fortresses were built around Datong, with one fortress every twenty-five li, guarding and supporting each other.
Without flags, the efficiency of troop mobilization is greatly reduced!
Before nightfall, the first batch of Tatar cavalry had arrived at the walls of Datong, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities.
The civilians and soldiers outside the city suffered heavy casualties.
Su Wanwan was secretly led into a private house by the two waiters who were dressed as waiters.
The tall, thin man said, "Since we can't take them out of the city, we might as well just kill them!"
The short, stout man said, "The Khan said that we should capture them alive; they can be exchanged for many things, more valuable than dead ones!"
Su Wanwan tried to escape, but they tied her up with ropes.
The tall, thin man was unwilling to give up. "Wait and see. If we really can't get them out of the city, then we'll kill them!"
The sounds of fighting outside the houses gradually faded into the distance.
Several guards quietly approached the house.
The short, stout man went out to investigate and ran into the guards, and the two sides began to fight.
Hearing the commotion outside, the tall, thin man's dark face flashed with ruthlessness as he drew his knife and slashed at Su Wanwan!
Su Wanwan is unable to move; if she closes her eyes, she will die!
Pfft!
A spurt of hot blood sprayed all over her body and face.
When Su Wanwan opened her eyes again, all she could see in the blood-red scene was that the tall, thin man was gone, and blood was gushing from his neck.
His body slowly collapsed.
Su Wanwan was so frightened she wanted to scream.
But someone covered her mouth.
He whispered, "Don't be afraid."
Su Wanwan froze.
That voice sounds kind of familiar!
I feel like I've heard that somewhere before?
But she couldn't remember for a moment.
The person who came cut the rope for her and then took a cloth to wipe the blood off her face.
Su Wanwan then noticed that the person was wearing a bamboo hat, with most of their face hidden under it, only a clean chin visible.
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