Dream of the Red Chamber: From a Border Ruffian to a Capital Tyrant

"rise!!"

Jia Lang's face was contorted in rage, and his muscle fibers were being torn apart and reassembled in a frenzy.

The city gate, which originally required dozens of strong men to push, was actually creaked shut by his monstrous strength, making a teeth-grinding sound!

"Quick! Don't let him shut it off!"

As the city gates were about to close, the Xiongnu outside went completely mad. They pushed forward recklessly, and some even swung their swords wildly through the gaps.

As Jia Lang pushed the door open with all his might, several long swords slashed fiercely at the junction of his back armor and shoulder armor!

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered!

The deep, bone-revealing wound instantly stained half of his body red.

Jia Lang's body trembled, and he was in excruciating pain, but he didn't even groan. Instead, he used the pain to unleash his potential, kicking the Hun soldier stuck in the door crack away. Then, with his last bit of strength, he pushed forward!

"boom--!!!"

The massive city gate finally slammed shut, the sound of the bolt hitting the ground like heavenly music.

But he didn't stop!

Jia Lang leaned against the cold door, blood dripping from his chest like a spring. His hands were firmly pressed against the top bar behind the door. He was like an insurmountable monument. Even if he had to die, he would die behind the door!

The remaining enemy inside the gate was quickly chopped into mincemeat by the enraged defenders.

"Quick! Raise the top doorpost! Reinforce it!"

As giant logs fell with a series of thuds, the city gates were completely sealed off.

Jia Lang finally relaxed, his body swayed, and he almost fell over, but was steadily supported by a pair of large hands.

On a distant hillside, the Xiongnu Chanyu put down his spiked club, his sinister eyes fixed on the direction of Yanmen Pass, filled with resentment, anger, and a deep sense of apprehension.

After a long while, he suddenly waved his hand, which was the signal to withdraw the troops.

"Waaaaah—"

A mournful horn sounded, and the massive Xiongnu army, like a surging tide, began to slowly retreat.

"They've retreated! The Xiongnu have withdrawn!"

"We held on!"

"We won! We won!!"

As the enemy troops retreated across the mountains and plains, a deafening roar of joy erupted at Yanmen Pass. Countless tough men embraced and wept, their roars shattering the sky!

"General Jia!"

"General Jia!"

"General Jia!"

Amidst the deafening cheers, Jia Ren looked at Jia Lang, who was being lifted high by the crowd and covered in blood. His face, which had been tense all day, finally relaxed, revealing a relieved smile that was more like a grimace.

.........

night!

The night was as dark as ink, pressing heavily on the walls of Yanmen Pass, making it suffocating.

Inside the council chamber, the candlelight flickered, casting distorted and menacing shadows of the officers and soldiers. The air seemed to freeze, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Jia Ren sat in the main seat, his face full of sorrow, his brows furrowed into a deep frown. The slight joy of the bitter victory he had felt during the day had long been washed away by the cruel reality.

He knew better than anyone that although not every Xiongnu soldier was brave and skilled in battle, their ferocious spirit of facing death without fear, their bloodthirsty and wild momentum like a pack of wolves, and even their numbers were simply beyond the reach of the 20,000 soldiers defending Yanmen Pass.

Once the Xiongnu catch their breath and regroup before launching another attack, winning the next bloody battle will be harder than climbing to heaven!

Of course, the only good news is that we won the battle today. In addition, Jia Lang burned the supplies of more than 100,000 barbarians a few days ago, so I'm afraid these barbarians won't be able to hold out for much longer.

However, as soon as he returned to the pass, Jia Ren, without even removing his armor, immediately summoned each camp to tally the casualties.

A moment later, Lieutenant General Li, whose forehead was wrapped in a blood-soaked white cloth, dragged his legs, which felt as if they were made of lead, into the room.

He stood before the hall, his lips trembling, his face ashen, his voice hoarse as if forced out from his chest.

"General...we've suffered heavy losses in this battle."

Upon hearing this, Jia Ren's heart skipped a beat, and his fist, hidden in his sleeve, clenched tightly, his knuckles turning as white as bone from the excessive force.

"What exactly are the battle losses?"

"How many soldiers...are we still capable of fighting?"

Jia Ren's voice was so deep it seemed to come from the depths of hell.

Li Canjiang swallowed hard, his saliva stained with blood, his voice trembling violently:

"All things considered, it's less than 20,000."

"Moreover... among them, only about ten thousand soldiers are likely to be able to fight despite being wounded."

Upon hearing this, the council chamber fell into a deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop.

The generals looked at each other, their eyes filled with anger and sorrow.

It should be noted that before the war, including the thousand elite troops that Jia Lang led out, there were a total of thirty-three thousand battle-hardened soldiers inside the pass!

After this battle, our forces were cut in half, and only about ten thousand were still able to take up arms and fight. How can we fight the next battle?

What can we use to fight?

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, Jia Ren slammed his fist on the table, sending teacups flying and spilling tea everywhere. His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth clenched so tightly they seemed to grind to powder, and he roared furiously:

"Damn those barbarian Huns!"

"Don't give me a chance, or I'll grind you to dust and tear you to pieces!"

At this moment, Wang Canjiang, who had been hiding in the corner unharmed, stood up.

As usual, as soon as the battle began, this Lieutenant General Wang immediately hid in the rear supply depot, ostensibly to "coordinate logistics and ensure supplies."

Of course, he had considered escaping, but the Great Qian Law punished deserters with slow slicing and collective punishment, and the heads of his entire Wang family were still hanging over his neck, so he dared not gamble.

"General, aren't the imperial reinforcements already on their way?"

"If we just grit our teeth and hold on a little longer, perhaps reinforcements will arrive tonight..."

"Shut up!"

Before Wang Canjiang could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Jia Ren waving his hand.

"wait?"

"We can wait, but will those ravenous barbarians beyond the Great Wall wait?"

"What if reinforcements are late? Are we just going to stand here, craning our necks, waiting to be slaughtered like chickens?"

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others!"

"Does a veteran like you, who's been eating military rations for decades, really need me to teach you this?"

In truth, Jia Ren was more bitter than anyone else. Just now, he received a secret report that the imperial reinforcements would not arrive for at least two days!

The daylilies have gone cold in just two days!

By then, we'll probably only be able to come and collect their remains!

But this information is top secret. If it is leaked, morale will collapse, and Yanmen Pass will fall into chaos on its own without the Xiongnu even needing to attack.

Just as the room was filled with gloom and despair, Jia Lang, who had been sitting silently in the last corner, suddenly had two piercing glints in his eyes, and an extremely crazy idea exploded in his mind.

"A decapitation strike!!!"

This plan may be audacious, but it is the only way to break the deadlock!

"Snapped!"

Jia Lang suddenly stood up, the clanging of his armor clear and melodious, startling the generals around him who were sighing and lamenting.

He strode forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and addressed Jia Ren in a booming voice:

"General, I am willing to lead 800 elite troops in a night raid on the enemy camp and take the head of the Xiongnu Chanyu!"

His words astonished everyone present!