Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

It is a place more than ten miles outside Yanbei City.

By this time, the Turks had already set up their battle formation.

Their cavalry were at the rear, while in front of them were tens of thousands of slaves.

These slaves were carrying simple weapons.

This is a common tactic used by the Turks.

Their cavalry were not good at siege warfare, so they usually used slaves to clear the way for sieges.

Generally, the generals defending the city would hesitate to kill these slaves because they were their fellow countrymen.

Then, taking advantage of their weakness, they would infiltrate the slaves and seize the city.

Moreover, among these slaves were many Turkic death row inmates.

If Jiang Ling, who was guarding the city, wanted to open the gates and let the slaves in, the Turks mixed in would be able to sneak in and wait for the signal to open the gates secretly.

...

Han Da stood solemnly atop the city wall, having already witnessed this scene.

With these slaves clearing the way, the horse traps they dug had no effect on the Turks.

Instead, the slaves stepped into the pit and were injured by the thorny trees inside.

After these slaves stepped into the horse trap, the slaves next to them would immediately fill it in.

They proceeded very carefully, so their marching speed was not fast.

Upon witnessing this scene, Han Da's six lieutenants nervously asked him, "General Han, these Turks are so cautious!"

"Yes, General Han, they actually used our compatriots to pave the way! How despicable!"

"General Han, what should we do if these slaves attack the city later?"

The six deputy generals who spoke were the six generals whom Sun Qiang had met back in Lingxiao City: Huang Shan, Zhao Long, Jiang Xing, and others.

Xiao Ce ordered his six lieutenants to come with Han Da.

Han Da discovered that they were all quite capable, so he took them under his wing and entrusted them with important responsibilities.

Han Da listened to the crowd's words, his face resolute: "His Highness has already given the order! Anyone who attacks the city is an enemy, kill them!"

Seeing this, Deputy General Sun Qiang asked in surprise, "Your Highness, did you all anticipate that they would use slaves as cannon fodder?"

Han Da saw this and nodded: "Yes, our prince is a celestial being, planning a hundred steps ahead for every one he takes, with no strategy overlooked!"

Sun Qiang, standing to one side, said, "General Han, these are actually unfortunate people... The Turks behind them are some distance away, so we can let them in first! After all, we are all compatriots!"

Han Da's expression remained unchanged: "What if they mix the Turks among them? We simply won't be able to tell them apart!"

Sun Qiang said, "Then could we let them identify each other...?"

Han Da shook his head with a wry smile: "Deputy General Sun, do you think the Turks will give us time?"

Sun Qiang nodded awkwardly.

Han Da said, "We are doing this for the sake of the thirty-nine cities in the northern desert behind us, and even for the tens of millions of our compatriots in the Xiao Kingdom! I didn't tell you about the intelligence that the Princess sent before, but I can tell you now."

"This time, the Turks have assembled more than 200,000 cavalrymen; they have almost mobilized their entire force! This time, they not only intend to conquer the four prefectures of northern Mongolia, but also aim their swords at the capital!"

The six lieutenants looked extremely grim after hearing Han Da's words.

"Two hundred thousand! Can we hold on?"

Han Da said with a resolute expression, "Take your mother away. If we can hold it, we will hold it; if we can't, we will still hold it!"

As they spoke, the cannon fodder slaves had already advanced quite a bit.

The horse traps they had painstakingly dug were leveled, and their cavalry could now traverse the terrain as if it were flat ground.

Sun Qiang said to Han Da, "General Han, they are about to enter firing range."

Han Da said resolutely, "Everyone, draw your bows and arrows, get ready! Remember to aim before you fire! Heed my command!"

After Han Da finished speaking, he shouted at them.

"Fellow countrymen! I am Han Da, the garrison commander of Yanbei City! Please stop immediately!"

“If you take another step forward, we will attack you! According to my intelligence, there are many Turkic spies among you! Because we must protect the people behind me! I cannot let you pass!”

"I believe that behind me are your family members or your friends. Even if they are not, they, like you, were once unfortunate slaves, slaves who suffered oppression!"

"The King of the Northern Desert has arrived, bringing a new life. We, the people, have been liberated and are now the masters of our own destiny!"

"I won't allow it, and they won't allow it. Anyone who comes to ruin all of this!"

"You now have weapons! Handa is begging you all, if you want to resist, you have knives in your hands! Your knives should not be used to cut our compatriots! Instead, they should be used to cut those Turks!"

"Han Da is begging you all, if you are willing to fight alongside us, raise your left fists! Show me your stance!"

Han Da's words were the rhetoric that Xiao Ce had taught him, and he had learned it quite well.

The slaves stopped in their tracks.

“General Handa, we just want to live! We have no choice. If we back down, they will shoot us!” shouted one of the leading slaves.

Han Da: "If you join us in fighting the Turks, there is a final horse trap 200 meters away. You can cross the trap and fight the Turks for us from below the city! We will provide support with our bows and arrows!"

"Tell us your names. Even if you die, I will erect a monument for you! I will ensure that the people of the four northern prefectures remember you!"

"I'm not sending you to your deaths. I'm sending you to live with dignity! Do you really want to die working for the Turks?"

"We will defend this city, and I swear with you. We will not retreat an inch!"

"There are only fallen soldiers of the Northern Desert Army, not a single soldier of the Northern Desert Army who retreated an inch!"

"Kill all the Turks! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Han Da shouted, spittle flying everywhere, while the soldiers guarding the city beside him raised their arms and cheered!

A truly awe-inspiring shout! And Han Da's words.

This prompted many people to raise their left fists.

Once one person joins, more and more people will follow!

Upon seeing this, Han Da bowed deeply: "The people of the northern desert will not forget you! My heroes, I will not let you die in vain..."

"Hurry and get to the horse trap pit. We'll provide backup for you. This pit is two meters wide and has a log bridge! Their cavalry can't cross it! They'll have to dismount to get across. Then you can engage in hand-to-hand combat. We'll be on the city wall, providing backup for you!"

After Han Da finished speaking, the slaves all rushed over.

Sure enough, some of the Turks among the slaves could no longer hide their true colors and revealed their ferocious faces.

He raised his broadsword, ready to hack at some of the slaves.

However, those hidden Turks were only a minority, and as soon as they were exposed, they were cut down by the slaves beside them.

The slaves now confirmed what Handa had said.

"General Han, you were right! There was indeed a traitor among us. Don't worry, General Han! You're right, we can't die doing things that harm our own people for the Turks!"

As he spoke, the slaves all rushed over.

Han Da, standing on the city wall, pointed out a path for them with an arrow. They ran in the direction the arrows were coming from, perfectly avoiding the horse traps.

...

Meanwhile, the Turks, who lived a mile away from the slaves, were all listening intently.

However, they were too far away to hear clearly.

The tribal chiefs were talking amongst themselves: "What are their guards and these slaves saying?"

"It's nothing more than trying to persuade them to surrender! Or perhaps we should bring them into the city!"

Just then, several Turks dressed as slaves came running over.

Upon seeing these people, the Turkic soldiers all drew their bows and arrows and aimed them at the approaching slaves.

The Turks dressed as slaves quickly raised their hands, crying, "Chief...Chief...Don't shoot! We're one of us...We're one of us!"

Mos Ashina, hearing the men speak fluent Turkic, rode forward and said, "Everyone else is charging, why are you running away? You are death row inmates, and it is the Khan's grace that you are granted leniency for attacking the city."

The Turks disguised as slaves immediately knelt on the ground, raising their hands: "No! No! Please forgive us, Your Highness, there is a traitor among us. They found out as soon as we arrived that there were Turks mixed in with us."

"The general guarding the city has persuaded them all to go against us now..."

These Turks, disguised as slaves, repeated what they had just said.

Several Turkic leaders did not look too good.

"Ashina, what's going on? Was this a scheme you devised? Is there a traitor among you?"

"That's right, Ashina... You said to have those slaves clear the way, but what's going on now! You've turned those slaves into tools to fight against us!"

"Ashina, you bear the primary responsibility!"

The leaders standing nearby began to criticize.

Ashina said with a livid face, "Alright, all of you shut up. The method we used isn't some top secret. Isn't it something we often use to attack the northern desert people? You bunch of pig-brains, you listened to them just because they provoked you!"

"If you are truly so foolish, then all of you should go back! Our Ashina tribe can conquer it!"

Mos Ashina then cupped his hands and said, "Father Khan, I am willing to be the vanguard and lead three thousand shield cavalry to break through the city!"

Ashina listened with a hint of approval in his eyes: "Good! You truly are a fine son of Ashina! Go forth, my child! Let the people of the northern deserts know, know our might!"

Mos Ashina scoffed at the tribal chief beside him, “Uncles, you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. They’re just 10,000 cannon fodder who betrayed us. They were all sent to their deaths anyway… We could wipe out that kind of trash with just a hundred cavalrymen!”

"Not to mention the garrison made up of refugees! Watch how I break through their defenses!"

"Ashina Shield Cavalry, heed my command! Follow me to breach the city!"

Soon, some strong, fully armed horses emerged from one side; these horses were all wearing armor.

The soldiers riding on top were all strong men, and very few were under 1.9 meters tall.

They were dressed in heavy armor and looked exceptionally imposing!

They each held a rattan shield as tall as a person in one hand and a heavy hammer in the other.

This is Ashina's elite force in the siege.

Their method of breaching the city was not the traditional use of ladders, but rather the direct assault on the city gates with heavy hammers.

Although the city walls and gates of this era were reinforced, they were far less sturdy than those of later periods.

At some of the weakest points in the city walls, a unit of shield cavalry could break through in no time!

At this moment, a young man stepped forward from the side: "Father Khan, I am willing to lead five thousand cavalry archers to cover for my elder brother!"

The speaker was none other than the second prince of the Turks, Mosuo Ashina.

Ashina said firmly, "Alright! You may all go together!"

Soon, Mosuo Ashina also followed behind with his mounted archers.

...

At this time, Yanbei City was under its walls.

At Han Da's command, strong liquor and meat were served to everyone.

There are also various armors and protective gear, and weapons!

After the slaves changed into their new clothes, they drank wine and ate meat with gusto!

His eyes were filled with a fearless determination to die!

Han Da asked from below the city walls, "Gentlemen, I have summoned fifty clerks. Tell me your names, where you live, and who is in your household! Scatter down below and shout it out; they will record it!"

As soon as Han Da finished speaking, a slave asked, "General Han Da, if we die, will we receive any compensation?"

"Those of you who sacrifice yourselves will each receive fifty taels of silver! If you have any news of your family members, please let us know!"

As soon as Han Da said this, the slaves erupted in an uproar.

"Good! The King of Mobei is indeed benevolent. My worthless life is actually worth fifty taels of silver. It's worth it! General Han Da, my name is Liu San, and I am from Qinghe City! I also have a younger sister named Liu Ying! If she is still alive, give the money to my sister!"

“My name is Wang Hu. I have a younger brother named Wang Shen. I don’t know where he is... If I die, I’ll give him the compensation.”

“My name is Liu Gua. My whole family was captured by the Turks...and they all died. If I die, please use this compensation money to build a grave for my entire family. I am from Yanmen City. My father's name is Liu Wusi, my mother's name is Liu Sunshi, and my younger brother's name is Liu Shui…”

...

One by one, people started shouting, their shouts filled with a sense of heroic defiance and a willingness to die for their cause!