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

The Yanmen Pass stands like a steel behemoth across the desolate plains!

The vanguard of the Xiongnu army pressed in like a black torrent that could destroy everything, rolling in and encircling the entire fortress.

At this moment, the sun shone brightly in the sky, without a single cloud. The blinding sunlight poured down on the earth without any warmth, as if draping the cruel battlefield, which was about to be stained with blood, in a layer of cold golden armor.

At noon, a mournful horn ripped through the sky, and the Xiongnu launched a fierce and relentless offensive.

"kill--!"

"kill--!"

"kill--!"

The deafening battle cries, like rolling thunder, echoed wildly above the walls of Yanmen Pass, wave after wave of sound, seemingly threatening to shatter the weathered and sturdy walls.

Jia Ren stood atop the city wall, gripping a blood-stained broadsword, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

With each swing of the broadsword, a bloody storm ensued, and wherever the cold light passed, enemy chieftains were beheaded.

Just as a Xiongnu warrior climbed onto the city wall and hadn't even gotten a foothold, Jia Ren swiftly and decisively swung his broadsword down with a roar, cleaving the Xiongnu man from head to toe in two and killing him instantly.

Hot blood splattered all over Jia Ren's face, but he didn't even blink. He casually wiped away the blood and his gaze swept downwards like lightning.

A massive battering ram, accompanied by a dull thud, slowly approached the city gate. Towering high and covered in iron, it resembled a ferocious beast from hell, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

"General Xu!"

Jia Ren wiped the blood off his face and turned to shout at General Xu, who was fighting fiercely beside him.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Xu suddenly turned his head.

He immediately locked his gaze on the giant battering ram, his pupils contracting sharply, clearly still haunted by the harrowing scene of the city gates being breached yesterday.

Just then, a Xiongnu soldier pounced on the enemy, but General Xu didn't turn around. He turned and slashed the Xiongnu soldier in the chest.

The Xiongnu man was kicked away like a broken sandbag, screaming as he fell from the city wall and died instantly.

"What are your orders, General?"

General Xu turned around, his armor clanging, his tone heavy as iron.

"Immediately muster eight hundred elite troops and rush to reinforce the city gate. Make sure they are held there like nails!"

"The city gate is the throat of Yanmen Pass. If it falls, the entire pass will perish, and neither of us can bear the consequences!"

Jia Ren's face was ashen, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an unquestionable iron will.

"Rest assured, General!"

"Your subordinate is here; the city gate stands!"

"Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will never let those Xiongnu bastards set foot on my territory!"

General Xu knelt heavily on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke with a powerful and resounding voice, revealing a heroic spirit that was ready to die for his cause.

Before he finished speaking, Commander Xu had already drawn his sword and led hundreds of elite troops down the city wall like arrows released from a bow, heading straight for the city gate with an indomitable spirit.

.......

The bloody battle continued until sunset, the setting sun turning the entire battlefield a blood-red hue, and the air was filled with a nauseating, heavy smell of blood.

In this fierce tug-of-war, Yanmen Pass was like a candle flame in a storm, teetering on the brink of collapse but never going out.

At least, not a single Xiongnu soldier could stand intact on the walls of Yanmen Pass; every inch of the wall was soaked with the blood of soldiers from both sides, blood flowing like rivers.

"General, the Xiongnu...have they retreated?"

On the city wall, a general from Yanmen Pass, holding a blood-dripping broadsword, shouted at Jia Ren with a face full of excitement and disbelief.

The blood and flesh fragments dripped slowly from the heavy hammer, as if silently recounting the cruelty and horror of the close-quarters battle that had just taken place.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Ren was taken aback at first, then, filled with doubt, he quickly walked to the top of the battlements and looked down.

The Xiongnu army below the city retreated in an orderly fashion, just like the receding tide.

Upon seeing this, Jia Ren's brows furrowed instantly, and doubts arose in his mind.

Logically speaking, this should be the time when the attack is at its most intense, and the Xiongnu would have no chance of retreating voluntarily.

Below the city wall, corpses piled up like mountains, covering the ground with the bodies of the Xiongnu people; the horrific scene was truly shocking.

If we retreat now, wouldn't we be wasting the lives of tens of thousands of people?

This is completely contrary to the greedy nature of the Xiongnu!

"General, could there be a trap here?"

After calming down, Xu Canjiang wiped the blood off his knife and asked Jia Ren with a puzzled and wary expression.

Jia Ren frowned, his gaze fixed on the retreating enemy troops below. After a long while, he slowly shook his head.

"The enemy situation is currently unclear, making it difficult to determine whether it is true or false, but in any case, we must not let our guard down."

"Fine, whatever tricks they try, their retreat is ultimately a good thing. At least we can breathe a little easier."

Jia Ren racked his brains but still couldn't figure out why the Xiongnu had withdrawn their troops at this critical juncture.

However, for Yanmen Pass, this was a much-needed respite.

Every moment counts now; time is what Yanmen Pass needs most right now.

Previously, Jia Lang had burned all of the Xiongnu's supplies and provisions, and now their voluntary withdrawal was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.

After all, Yanmen Pass could afford to wait, but the Xiongnu could not.

With their food supply lines cut off, their hunger and panic increased with each day of delay.

"No matter what schemes or tricks he has, as long as we give ourselves some breathing room, we can catch our breath!"

"We can use this time to repair defenses and reorganize our military equipment!"

Upon hearing Jia Ren's words, the officers nodded in agreement, their fighting spirit rekindled.

"Who knows when those wolf cubs will come back next time."

Jia Ren clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, and gave the order in a deep voice.

"First, take stock of the casualties and see how many able-bodied soldiers we have left!"

"At the same time, conscript laborers to repair the damaged city walls and defensive structures overnight!"

"yes!"

The assembled generals clasped their hands in acceptance of the order, their voices resounding throughout the world.

........

Five miles away, in a secluded mountain forest.

Jia Lang, Li Tiedan, and several scouts were lying in ambush in the grass, keeping a close eye on the movements of the Xiongnu camp.

Although there were only eight hundred men, the men could hold their breath and remain silent, but the horses could not hide their restlessness.

The warhorse snorted occasionally, which seemed particularly conspicuous in the deathly quiet morning and easily gave away its tracks.

If they were accidentally discovered by the Xiongnu cavalry, a mere eight hundred men would not even make a splash in an army of one hundred thousand.

Rather than risk being surrounded and annihilated, it's better to retreat further away, hide in the shadows and observe the situation quietly, becoming the deadly viper.

Of course, Jia Lang made this decision because he discovered that the Xiongnu Chanyu Touman was cunning and treacherous, and never left the central command tent.

Even when he occasionally appeared, he was surrounded by dozens of heavily armored guards, like an iron barrel, so tight that not even a fly could get in, leaving him no chance to assassinate anyone.