Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

After agreeing on the terms with Shen Lang, Shatuo strode back to his tent.

As soon as he stepped into the main tent, a large number of leaders of various ranks came forward to greet him: "Chief Sha, how did your talks with those Koreans go (it was unclear what country Shen Lang was from)?"

Shatuo patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I've already made arrangements with them. After Rangzhou City falls, half of the women and wealth in the city will be at our disposal!"

"Great."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately clapped their hands.

"Chief Shatuo, you are truly amazing. With women, our tribe can reproduce smoothly and our lineage will not be interrupted."

"And there's grain. I've heard that Rangzhou has been managing its grain reserves for many years, and the city has enough grain to last thirty years. If we divide it in half... how long will it take us to eat it?"

"Oh, and those porcelain bowls that can be used to hold soup, and those pots that can be placed over a fire, those are all treasures."

An aura of greed permeated the entire tent, and for a time, Shatuo became a hero among these foreign tribes.

Little did he know that this was a condition that Shatuo had agreed upon with Shen Lang beforehand. Now, Shen Lang had promised him the wealth and women of the entire Rangzhou City.

By deliberately concealing half of the information from these people, they were exploiting an information gap.

After calming everyone down, Shatuo sat down in the main seat and picked up a water bottle: "Alright, although wealthy women are alluring..."

But we still have to risk our lives to earn that. Tomorrow's siege will require us to show real skill, so people don't think we're just shirking our duties.

"Don't worry, we might not have the ability under other circumstances, but right now there are only a few thousand people guarding Rangzhou City. Do you think we can't take it?"

"Gantu, you must not let your guard down. The Goguryeo people are very capable fighters, and Rangju City is so high up. I'm afraid we'll lose quite a few men."

"Fortune favors the bold. After this battle, we won't have to suffer from hunger and cold anymore."

As they were talking, two foreign warriors carried a freshly roasted whole lamb into the tent.

Without saying a word, Shatuo tore off half a lamb leg and took a big bite of the lamb meat, chewing it vigorously.

The other leaders also quickly divided the whole roasted lamb among themselves, and in no time the entire lamb was distributed.

Suddenly, one of the alien leaders seemed to realize something and said to Shatuo, "Oh no, we forgot to inform the Solon tribe in the Savage Mountains. Isn't that a bit too unethical?"

Upon hearing this, Shatuo said disdainfully, "Why should we give those stinking beggars a chance to turn their lives around? Let them continue to stay in that poor mountain valley eating grass roots and tree bark."

"Hahaha."

A burst of mocking laughter erupted inside the tent.

Regional and ethnic discrimination knows no boundaries.

The Solon tribe was disliked by everyone in Liaodong, who considered them a group of "lower people" who survived by begging and scavenging.

In fact, the main reason is that the Solon people have a characteristic that other ethnic groups in Liaodong do not have.

That means they are very trustworthy; once they've made up their mind about something, they'll see it through no matter how unwilling they are.

Moreover, the Solon tribe had a population of nearly 100,000, making it the largest ethnic group in Liaodong besides Goguryeo, and thus it was frequently suppressed by Goguryeo.

When Goguryeo occupied Liaodong and became a regional hegemon, the land allocated to the various tribes was in the worst condition among them. Moreover, Goguryeo secretly instigated the other tribes in Liaodong to hate the Solon tribe.

Over time, the various tribes in Liaodong developed an innate contempt for the Solon people.

"Forget it, after we take Rangzhou City, we'll send them some grain and salt to keep them from causing trouble."

After dropping the half-eaten lamb leg, Shatuo sucked on his greasy fingers before settling down with a satisfied expression.

"I inspected the city walls of Rangzhou today. If we launch a full-scale attack tomorrow, I fear we will suffer extremely heavy casualties. Therefore, we should wait until later."

I'll discuss this further with the Duke of Zhenguo and see if we can send the Koreans as the vanguard to wear down the arrows falling on the city walls, thus reducing our casualties."

"Would they agree to that? After all, they already have the wealth of half a city."

"He will definitely agree. After all, although there are many Koreans, they are all unreliable. In the end, the key is still for us to take the lead. I will discuss it with the Duke of Zhenguo."

Hearing Shatuo say this, the others naturally had no objections, since the smaller the loss, the more beneficial it would be for the tribe.

……

Inside Rangzhou City, a scene of tragic desolation unfolded.

"Next!"

At the makeshift military outpost beneath the city gate, a Goguryeo warrior shouted.

Soon, a boy who had just turned twelve came to the officer.

The officer grabbed his cheek, looked him up and down, and then patted his head, signaling him to collect his weapon.

Before the boy could react, a helmet that looked completely out of place on his head was shoved onto his head.

At the same time, he now had a siege gun that was over three meters long.

Before the boy stood an old man, wielding a battle axe, wearing leather armor, and with gray hair.

The old man and the young man each had their own feelings upon meeting.

Meanwhile, the rousing speeches of Goguryeo soldiers echoed from the sidelines.

"Goguryeo was the overlord of Liaodong. Every Goguryeo man should defend his homeland and shed his blood on the battlefield for the king!"

"The Taegi Kingdom was founded by the lowly Goryeo people. For hundreds of years, we have conquered that arrogant and conceited nation time and time again."

Now they dare to challenge the sacred authority of Goguryeo, which is absolutely intolerable.

"Let us, the Goguryeo people, teach them a lesson with facts: what it truly means to be a hegemon, and what it truly means to be a lord!"

"Goguryeo soldiers, summon your courage and pile up these Goguryeo corpses as high as the city wall!"

"roar~"

Encouraged by the officers and soldiers, the Goguryeo people roared in unison.

In order to defend Rangzhou City, Xue Yan mobilized all available able-bodied men in the city to defend it.

More than 4,000 people were successfully selected in a short time.

Unfortunately, these Goguryeo civilians had no combat experience whatsoever. They just nervously pressed themselves against the crenellations of the city wall, trying to imitate the veterans and put on the air of seasoned generals.

Xue Yan stood on the tower on the city wall, watching the garrison gradually gathering below. While he felt a little relieved, a touch of worry also appeared on his face.

Looking up, one sees densely packed square formations outside the city, a dark mass that instills immense pressure.

"General, you should go and rest first."

Deputy General Lou Tai'a brought over a bowl of wheat porridge.

"Leave this to me. It looks like the enemy won't be attacking the city today."

Xue Yan sighed, took the porridge, and took a sip.

"We have finally managed to expand our garrison to six thousand men, but four thousand of them are either going to the battlefield for the first time or are too old. The situation is still not optimistic."

Lou Tai'a: "General, there is no need to worry. With the city walls of Rangzhou as our base, we can hold out until Your Majesty returns with reinforcements."

Xue Yan: "I hope Your Majesty can achieve a resounding victory, defeat the Yan people as soon as possible, completely sever the kinship ties, and end this endless war."