Pig Killer

Huang Zhongchang stood on the city wall and said, "Tell our people to prepare for battle. Archers, get ready. Shoot anyone within range!"

"I will obey my orders."

Be well prepared and wait for the enemy to attack. Most importantly, there should be sufficient food and grass in the city.

Faced with the oncoming cavalry, they were tripped up by three ice wall defenses before they even reached the city, and suffered greatly.

After slipping and finally reaching the city wall, he was hit by wave after wave of arrows.

The Huns were so angry that they started to curse loudly! They really cursed the ancestors of the people on the city wall for eighteen generations.

"What are they talking about? Their faces are red and their necks are thick." Huang Zhongchang said in confusion.

“They are scolding us.”

"What are you scolding?" Huang Zhongchang asked curiously.

"Mr. Huang, you'd better not ask so many details. Can insults be nice?"

"Okay! Don't say it, don't say it!" Huang Zhongchang smiled and said, "Can you understand the Hun language?" He looked at them in surprise.

"After spending so much time together, I can understand more."

"Aren't they tired? They've been scolding for so long?" Huang Zhongchang said with a frown.

"How can we expect them to know anything about propriety, righteousness, and honor?"

"I can't even speak clearly."

"They called us cowards and we dared not send troops to fight."

"This method of provoking them won't work on us at all." Huang Zhongchang stroked his forehead with his index finger and said, "We should build a fire on the city wall and cook the meat in a big iron pot to make them hungry to death."

"Mr. Huang, you are serious."

"Of course. The weather is too cold. Go put up the iron pot and make some soup. Add more ginger. Let's keep warm." Huang Zhongchang gave the order directly.

"I humble my position and take orders."

Soon, an iron pot was set up on the city wall, a bonfire was lit, and ginger, pepper, salt and rabbit were cooked together. Soon the fragrance spread for ten miles along the wind.

The Huns were so thirsty from cursing that they felt cold and hungry. When they smelled the aroma of meat, they became so anxious that they jumped up and down.

The expedition was unsuccessful and the troops were called back.

At night, Huang Zhongchang asked the soldiers to carry water and pour it on the city wall over and over again.

When the sun rises during the day, wow...this ice wall really amazes everyone.

The crystal clear ice sparkles with colorful light in the sun.

The Huns were dumbfounded. They could not attack the city at all.

Then let them endure it! Let them die of starvation. I wonder how long they can last without food.

"Don't they know we have food?" Huang Zhongchang said curiously as he looked at them setting up camp. "They are planning to fight us for a long time."

"Probably don't know."

"Then let's just wait and see who can outlast whom?" Huang Zhongchang snorted coldly.

The two sides remained in a stalemate.

"Speaking of which, isn't it said that the Huns are tall and mighty? I don't think so!" Huang Zhongchang looked at them in confusion and asked, "Except for the general, the soldiers don't look as strong as you!"

"They are mainly powerful cavalrymen. When they charge forward with thousands of horses, their momentum is as strong as a mountain and the earth will shake."

"When they came, I felt the ground shaking." Huang Zhongchang recalled.

Ten days and a half a month later, Shen Hui'e came back from hunting and learned from scouts from afar that 20,000 Huns had surrounded the city.

What are you waiting for? If you don't eat them, it would be a shame to have them come all the way to your door.

Taking advantage of the night, the reflection of the heavy snow.

Shen Hui'e and his men rode their horses straight into the Huns' barracks and killed them all, forcing them to flee in panic.

The soldiers on the city wall saw that the barracks below the city were in chaos and reported it immediately.

Mr. Huang rode his horse to the city wall, looked at the situation and said, "Is this an internal conflict or has your General Shen returned, or is he trying to trick us into opening the city gate? It's pitch black and we can't see anything!" While he was hesitating, someone had already arrived at the foot of the city on horseback.

Huang Zhongchang held the brightly lit torch, and after seeing who was coming, he said happily, "Your General Shen is back." He led his troops out to fight.

This battle was a great victory, and it also officially established Shen Hui'e and Huang Zhongchang's positions in the Northwest Army.

"Strength is indeed gained through fighting." Huang Zhongchang said with emotion.

"Strength is respected in the army." Shen Hui'e said as she looked at them with her ink-black eyes.

"Why do I feel that the Xiongnu are not big and strong?" Huang Zhongchang looked at his wife with a puzzled look on his face and said, "I felt this way when I was on the city wall, and even more so when I saw those buried bodies."

"You can't grow strong if you don't have enough to eat." Shen Hui'e looked at them with her dark eyes and said, "If you have enough to eat, you won't beg for money every year."

"Farming is still stable, although it is also God's gift for the living." Huang Zhongchang sighed, "If the harvest is good, there is still surplus food. If there is a disaster year, there is still surplus food to get through."

"That's right!" Shen Hui'e smiled and said, "Who wants to wander around when they can live a stable life?"

"It's a pity that we can't grow crops on the grassland." Huang Zhongchang said with great regret, "Forget it, what should we do next?"

"I will continue hunting and training, and you continue building fortifications." Shen Hui'e said to them with her dark eyes.

"Then when are we leaving?" Huang Zhongchang asked with concern.

"We'll leave next year when the weather warms up." Shen Hui'e looked at them with her gentle eyes and said, "We'll keep in touch with the capital."

"Since the northwest is safe, let's bring all the family members in Hezhong Prefecture here!" Shen Hui'e said after thinking seriously for a moment.

"Good!" Huang Zhongchang replied with a smile, "Scouts from inside the pass reported that there were only minor frictions between the government troops and the Yu family troops, and there was no direct fighting."

"I guess both sides are still testing each other. This battle may be a long one." Shen Hui'e said with a cold look in her eyes, "Let's pay attention to their movements and let them fight!"

"Sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between tigers." Huang Zhongchang said to her with a smile.

&*&

The following year, when spring came and flowers bloomed, Shen Hui'e and her companions rode back to the capital.

For nearly half a year in the northwest, Shen Hui'e led the cavalry and carried out a carpet-like clearing of the grassland.

Spread their great reputation to ensure that when they face Yu's army, the Huns will not take advantage of the situation.

During the wheat harvest, Shen Hui'e and her family returned to the capital and reunited.

After pacifying the northwest, their attention turned to the government troops and the Yu family army.

"Spread the news now. The capital has been captured." Huang Zhongchang said directly.

"Second brother, you are trying to shake the morale of the government troops!" Huang Shuchang said with a grin.

"That's right!" Huang Zhongchang looked at them with his dark eyes and said, "Since they are so slow, let's help them and break the balance!"

As expected, upon hearing that the capital had been captured and the empire had collapsed, the government troops panicked and their morale was low, allowing Yu's army to take advantage of the opportunity to encircle and suppress them.

The empire was gone, and the soldiers who no longer wanted to work for the empire surrendered and were killed by Yu's army.

When Huang Zhongchang received the news, he looked at the civil and military officials in the hall in disbelief and said, "Kill all the surrendered soldiers."

"This is really against the harmony of nature! It is unlucky to kill the surrendered!" Zhang Jixian said, smacking his lips.

"Why? We basically didn't kill anyone!" Shen Changsheng looked at them in confusion and asked.

"Because the Yu family is the descendant of princes, they have a grudge against the government army for the destruction of their country and the loss of their family." Shen Hui'e said with cold eyes, "So the Yu family has no psychological burden in killing the surrendered soldiers. Even the Yu family army thinks that the killing is a good thing."

"This is really..." Huang Zhongchang looked at them with difficulty in explaining.

Next, Young General Yu seemed to be in a state of wits and killed his way forward.

All officials passing through the city were killed without mercy.

"What's this operation? I don't understand." Huang Zhongchang looked at them and asked after receiving the battle report.

"The court has been overthrown. Although no official is clean, it is not convincing to kill them like this!" Shen Changsheng said, pursing his lips.

"Maybe Young General Yu thinks that killing is no big deal." Shen Penglai said to them with his dark eyes.

Huang Shuchang thought for a moment and said, "Why would we bother to punish the offender and sentence him according to the law?"

Shen Hui'e's eyes lit up when she heard this and said, "Maybe that's what he thought." She took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, he didn't kill the common people."

"The common people have no grudge against him, and they are quite clear about gratitude and resentment." Huang Zhongchang looked at them with his black and white eyes and said, "The scouts reported that he also distributed food and land to the people."

"He's imitating us!" Shen Hui'e said, blinking her ink-black eyes.

"The Yu family also granted fiefs to the princes." Huang Zhongchang looked at them with deep eyes and said, "But they are a little stingy."

"What is the Yu family's attitude towards us?" Zhang Jixian looked at them with his dark eyes and said.

"He's still a marquis." Huang Zhongchang snorted, "No matter what attitude he has, we can't coexist. There's no room for two tigers in one mountain."

"Okay, okay!" everyone said happily.

"By the way, inform the officials of the previous dynasty about Young General Yu's killing of surrendered soldiers and massacre of officials." Shen Hui'e said with a gleam in her eyes.

"You are so vicious." Shen Changsheng said to his second sister.

"I'm just relaying the story, I'm not exaggerating." Shen Hui'e looked at them with her innocent eyes and said, "If you want to fight, just fight. Don't be afraid of them."

"Our current strength is no longer the same as it was a year ago." Huang Zhongchang said domineeringly.

After more than a year of preparation, the battle was fought and Major General Yu was defeated and committed suicide.

"The world has been unified just like that." Huang Zhongchang stood outside the tall palace, looking down at the majestic imperial capital in the night, "It feels like a dream."

"What do you want? Have a fierce battle!" Shen Hui'e said, standing side by side with him.

"What should we name our country?" Huang Zhongchang asked her with his dark eyes.

"Look at the stars in the sky gathered together. What is it called?" Shen Hui'e said, pointing to the Milky Way above her head.

"Han River, the stars are shining brightly." Huang Zhongchang looked up at the sky full of stars, his deep eyes twinkling with stars.

"Han!" Shen Hui'e looked at him with her bright eyes and said, "As long as there is Han in the sky, there will be light in the prison. As long as the Han River is inexhaustible, the Han will never perish!"

"This Han River is called Han River, Tianhe, Yunhan, Xinghan, and Tianhan in different places." Shen Hui'e said with her beautiful eyes as if falling into the Milky Way.

"As long as the Han River runs dry, the Han people will never perish!" Huang Zhongchang muttered with stars in his eyes, "Han people!"

"You made it so clear, aren't you afraid that they will rebel? Their achievements will shock the ruler!" Huang Zhongchang looked at her with deep eyes and said, "When the birds are gone, the good bows are hidden."

"Haha..." Shen Hui'e looked at him with a smile, "As long as I live longer than them, I can subdue them and won't be criticized."

"The purpose of starting a rebellion is to live well. Now we have to live well for the sake of our vast land." Huang Zhongchang said slowly. Only when we live can everything be possible! He looked at his wife. Some things don't need to be said out loud. Only when you do what you say can you be convinced.

(Finish)