Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 448 Massacre of the City (5,000 words)
Blood stained the city walls red.

The morning sunlight shone on it, giving it an eerie glow.

The walls and surrounding areas were littered with corpses, and in some places it seemed that fires had been lit, producing black ash.

The crimson blood pooled together and spread out, like a crimson river, until it was swallowed by the morning mist.

Occasionally, two or three warhorses would pass by on the battlefield, their backs covered in blood. The Huns, wielding scimitars, would either slash down on any Ningguo soldiers who were only seriously wounded but not yet dead, or tighten the reins, causing their horses to leap high and stomp heavily on the chests of their opponents.

With a cracking sound, the ribs broke, and the heart was probably shattered as well.

The surviving soldiers soon fell silent.

Many Xiongnu people secretly searched the corpses for valuables, but most of the time it was in vain. However, occasionally they would find a few pieces of silver, which was a small surprise.

After Abaluna shouted "Kill them all!", the eyes of the Huns gleamed with a blood-red light, their throats filled with greedy panting, as they howled and charged into Yongchang City.

Kill everyone who sees them.

They looted everything of value.

Burn down all the houses.

It's said that there's an extremely cruel general in Ningguo who's ruthless towards foreign tribes, killing anything taller than a cartwheel. But in Abalu's opinion, this man is too kind. After all, he doesn't have the time to compare cartwheels; he just kills anything that's alive.

Of course, as the eldest prince, Abal would naturally seek more benefits for those who depended on him. Therefore, he entrusted the burning, killing, and looting to his warriors. As for Alibu and Agsan's men, Abal left them behind to clean up the corpses on the city walls and outside.

The bodies were to be piled up and then burned.

After all, the weather was getting warmer, and if these corpses weren't dealt with promptly, they would quickly rot, easily leading to a plague. He didn't want the Xiongnu warriors to suffer heavy casualties due to the plague. By the time they finished dealing with the corpses, the county town should have been almost completely looted by his men.

Of course, this order was opposed by the strategist.

However, Abal has always looked down on scholars and doesn't really obey the strategist's orders.

Moreover, he felt he had done nothing wrong. As the eldest prince, if he couldn't secure benefits for those who followed him, who would be willing to risk their lives for him? Alibu and Agsan's men might be dissatisfied, but even if they were, what could they do to him, the eldest prince and commander-in-chief of the three armies? He wanted to make these people understand the consequences of following the wrong person.

With this thought in mind, Abalu looked again at Wei Tiancheng's corpse, which was nailed to a pillar on the city wall... This man completely shattered his understanding of the Ning people.

He knew perfectly well that the soldiers on the city wall were no match for the Xiongnu army, yet they fought to the death. Where did these soldiers who were defending the city get their courage from? They were all fearless, and even when they were seriously wounded, they would hug Xiongnu warriors and jump off the high city wall.

They seemed to have no idea what death meant.

Even when only one in ten survived, and the survivors were all wounded, they did not flee. Instead, they launched a final charge like a pack of wild beasts.

Especially Wei Tiancheng, who, despite having more than a dozen holes pierced through his body, still managed to sever the necks of two Xiongnu warriors with his gleaming battle sword.

Are they all crazy?
Abalu simply couldn't understand what kind of belief supported these Han people to go to such lengths!

The casualty statistics have also come out: of the 150,000-strong army that launched the attack, more than 800 cavalrymen were shot dead and more than 34,000 infantrymen died in battle.

The casualties appear to be higher than those of the defenders in Yongchang County.

This number made Abalu's face darken.

Although they were the attacking side, they were facing an army starving and dizzy from lack of rations. They thought a single charge would crush the enemy's will and body, but so many had still died. If they were given a full meal, it was uncertain whether they could capture Yongchang City; even if they did, the losses would likely be unbearable.

Abalu was in a bad mood, especially thinking about the 35,000 people who had died, half of whom were his own men. Abalu felt a pang of heartache. Looking down at Wei Tiancheng's head, Abalu wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the corner of the lifeless man's mouth seemed to be curving up slightly.

This guy seems to be laughing at himself.

damn it.

Abal cursed and casually tossed Wei Tiancheng's head to his bodyguard: "Take him away and find someone to polish him properly. I'm going to use this guy's head to drink later."

Abalu entered Yongchang County.

Although it is a county, Yongchang County, like Xinhou County, is a large border city. Although it is not as prosperous as Anzhou or Pingyang, it is not much inferior in terms of area.

However, as soon as he arrived in the county town, Abalu keenly sensed that something was amiss.

The whole county town was very quiet.

It wasn't that there wasn't a single person, but apart from his subordinates, there wasn't a single Han Chinese to be seen.

The wide street was lined with houses. Abalu watched as his warriors angrily kicked open a door. The room was in complete disarray. Almost all the gold, silver, food, clothes, and even pots and pans of any value had been looted. Nothing was left except an empty house.

At this moment, Abal finally understood why the 30,000 border guards on the city wall fought to the last moment.

Those soldiers, including the generals, fought all night, exhausted to the point of collapse. Even if they were all wiped out, they did not retreat a single step, just to buy time for the people in the county behind them to escape.

crunch.

Abal's fingers clenched unconsciously.

Clang!

Right beside him, another kick was delivered, and a Hun man kicked the door open.

This time, however, things were a little different. In the otherwise empty room, there was actually someone. Abalu looked over and was shocked to find an old man with white hair and beard sitting cross-legged on the bed, motionless. The room was also in disarray; all the valuables had been taken away. As for the old man, perhaps due to his advanced age and physical limitations, he had been abandoned by his family.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Hun charged forward. With a hiss, he plunged his scimitar into the old man's chest. The old man's body trembled violently, his gray hemp robe instantly turning crimson, and streams of bright red blood gushed from the corner of his lips.

Strangely, the old man didn't scream. He just groaned and suddenly rammed his upper body forward, letting the sharp scimitar pierce his chest and rub against his bones. He then fell into the arms of the Hun, followed by a series of squeaking sounds.

The Xiongnu man never expected such a thing to happen. His eyes widened, and he staggered backward.

A pair of scissors was suddenly poked into his neck.

He frantically reached for the scissors, and blood immediately spurted everywhere. His fingers instinctively rose, trying to stop the bleeding from the wound on his neck, but to no avail. Blood continued to gush from between his fingers. He retreated to the doorway, tripped on the threshold, and fell backward. Like a pathetic insect baking in the sun, he wriggled and struggled, blood rushing back into his lungs. Within two or three minutes, the Hun was completely silent.

The old man slowly closed his eyes.

He was once a border guard in Yongchang City. Even though he had retired, how could he just stand by and watch those little kids fight in front of him?

We should always do what we can.

I broke even, so it wasn't a loss.

Now that he had arrived in the underworld, he had something to brag about when he met his old comrades. He grinned, and memories of decades ago, when he, the general, and his brothers charged out of Yongchang City and fought against the Xiongnu wolves in the wilderness, seemed to resurface in his mind.

That was truly exhilarating.

Only at this moment did Abal realize that the old man's knees were empty, and his two legs had long since disappeared.

His lips twitched, then he took a deep breath and waved his hand to summon his personal guards: "Notify Alibu and Agsang that, according to the pre-arranged plan, we will divide into three routes—upper, middle, and lower—to completely take Anzhou. I, the prince, will be in charge of the middle route."

"You, gather all the warriors under my command, and the army shall set off immediately to attack the next county town... I promise that after the county town is captured, I will not sheath my sword for three days!"

This is preparation for... a massacre of the city!
The Han people are a threat.

We cannot let them continue to live in this world.

……

Ten days later.

Dehua County.

Song Yan had taken over the county town a few days ago.

The black-armored soldiers and garrison troops have taken over the city's defenses.

News travels slowly in ancient times. News of the attack on Anzhou City by the Xiongnu army hadn't yet spread, and Dehua County remained peaceful and prosperous. Even disaster victims and refugees hadn't yet entered Dehua. The people in the county town were surprised that the prefect had brought so many soldiers, but no one thought much of it, assuming that what the prefect was doing was surely right—perhaps it was to suppress bandits. However, inside the county government office, a man dressed as a peddler was reporting the situation in Anzhou City to Song Yan.

When they heard that the mighty Yongchang City, the most formidable pass in Ningguo, had been breached overnight, Song Yan, along with Zhang Zhen and Lei Yi beside him, all changed their expressions.

How can this be?

Yongchang City has tall and thick city walls, which are even better than those of Xinhou County.

Back then, Xinhou County was captured by the Jurchens because of that stupid Qian Yaozu, who forced the general to lead the army out to fight the Jurchen cavalry in open battle, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.

What's the situation in Yongchang City?
This peddler, surnamed Chen and named Jiliang, was a member of the Imperial Guard stationed in Anzhou City, mainly responsible for collecting and transmitting messages.

Seemingly noticing the confusion on Song Yan's face, Chen Jiliang explained, "There are three main reasons why Yongchang County fell so quickly this time."

"The first reason: military rations!"

"The military rations originally allocated by the imperial court to the Yongchang border army were embezzled by Ma Zhifeng, the prefect of Anzhou... Of course, Ma Zhifeng was not the only one who embezzled; from high-ranking officials in the imperial court to officials at all levels in Anzhou, and even minor officials in the prefect's office, everyone was involved."

Some members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard infiltrated the Anzhou Prefectural Governor's Office, thus gaining some understanding of the situation there.

“These military rations were secretly sent to the northern desert by Ma Zhifeng and sold to the Xiongnu.”

"It is unknown how much money Ma Zhifeng made from the sale, but the border troops in Yongchang County are going hungry as a result. They only have two bowls of thin porridge to fill their stomachs each day, and they don't even have a cornbread. They are barely managing to stay alive."

"The 30,000 border troops in Yongchang fought against those barbarians, the Xiongnu, while they were starving."

Snap.

The teacup that Song Yan was holding was instantly crushed to pieces.

Even Song Yan, who usually maintains a calm demeanor in front of outsiders, couldn't control himself at this moment.

Zhang Zhen and Lei Yi, standing beside him, also had ashen faces and almost simultaneously cursed, "Bastard!"

Taking a deep breath, Song Yan waved his hand: "Continue."

"The second reason is weaponry." Chen Jiliang looked at Song Yan and spoke again: "According to the information we have gathered, the border troops in Yongchang City have not changed their armor and weapons for nine years."

Nine years?

Upon hearing this number, Song Yan and the other two looked even more grim.

According to Ningguo's regulations, military equipment should be replaced every three years; this is twice as long as required.

Song Yan frowned: "If I remember correctly, last year, despite the empty treasury, Emperor Ninghe still managed to raise several million taels of silver. He even sold a lot of palace collections to allow the Ministry of Works to purchase a large amount of raw materials to manufacture a large batch of armor and weapons. These equipment should have been prioritized for the border troops."

Chen Jiliang smiled wryly: "His Majesty did order the Ministry of Works to produce weapons and equipment, but... once the weapons and equipment were distributed to the governors, they were no longer under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works... and these weapons were also sold to the Xiongnu by Ma Zhifeng."

hiss!
Lei Yi and Zhang Zhen both gasped.

Reselling grain and fodder is one thing, but daring to resell military equipment? Has Ma Zhifeng gone mad? Even Qian Yaozu only delivered grain, money, and women to the Jurchens; he didn't transport weapons or equipment.

Song Yan chuckled. It is said that scholars are weak and powerless, but in reality, their courage is probably much greater than that of military generals... As long as the benefits are big enough, there is nothing they would not dare to do.

So what if we sell weapons, equipment, and food?

If there's enough profit to be made, the government will still sell it.

"The border troops' equipment was already old and in disrepair. Their armor offered little protection, and their weapons were rusty and sluggish. On the contrary, the Xiongnu people on the other side were armed with the latest products from Ningguo. As a result, the situation became even worse."

"As for the third reason, it is that there are simply too many Xiongnu people this time, at least 100,000."

"In addition, after realizing that he could not stop the Xiongnu, General Wei Tiancheng ordered his personal guards to arrange for the evacuation of the people in Yongchang County, and at the same time sent his personal guards to the governor's office to ask for help."

"However, Ma Zhifeng was indulging in pleasure and, in a fit of rage, killed the personal guard who came to ask for help."

"As for reinforcements, there are none."

"Ma Zhifeng probably thought that since he had a good relationship with the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu would not attack Anzhou City."

"The 30,000 border guards, including General Wei... all died in battle."

A greedy fool.

Everyone's face was unusually grim, and they all felt a surge of anger in their chests, especially when they thought of the fearless soldiers of Ningguo, wearing tattered armor, wielding rusty weapons, and going hungry, resisting an army of hundreds of thousands, until they all died in battle, not one of them left... How heroic! How tragic!

Meanwhile, Ma Zhifeng was indulging in pleasure at the governor's mansion...

That intense frustration ignited a destructive urge in everyone's hearts, a urge to wreak havoc.

"Ma Zhifeng, I will kill him!"

Song Yan shouted in a low voice, slamming his palm on the armrest of the grand master's chair, which shattered instantly.

Chen Jiliang shuddered, seemingly frightened by the almost boiling killing intent emanating from Song Yan, but he still braced himself and continued to report: "Because General Wei bought enough time, the people in the county town withdrew in advance and failed to obtain what they wanted in Yongchang County. The Xiongnu prince Abalu then ordered his soldiers to rush to the next county town and issued an order to massacre the city."

"To date, two county towns, Jiangyou County and Fuxing County, have been massacred."

"However, the magistrates of these two counties left soldiers to defend against the Xiongnu, while they themselves fled with their families ahead of time."

"If my estimation is correct, Abal should be leading his more than 30,000 Xiongnu barbarians toward Ronggu County, behind which lies Anzhou City."

"Ma Zhifeng should also be preparing to flee."

Song Yan took a deep breath: "You did a great job. Continue to have our people keep a close eye on the situation in Anzhou City, especially Abalu and Ma Zhifeng."

"I want both of their lives!"

……

Mid April.

Just as Chen Jiliang had predicted, at this very moment, the Anzhou Prefectural Governor's Office was in complete chaos.

Ma Zhifeng was no longer as composed as before, and he no longer had time to joke around with his seventeenth concubine who had just entered the household. Like an ant on a hot pan, he paced back and forth in the study, his face full of anxiety.

He regretted it.

Of course, he didn't regret reselling military rations and weapons, after all, he made a lot of money.

It wasn't a matter of regret that he hadn't sent troops to support Wei Tiancheng.

Instead, he regretted that he should have prepared earlier when he learned of the Xiongnu army's attack that night, so that he could have evacuated from Anzhou City in advance and thus saved his family fortune of several million strings of cash.

Who would have thought that the Xiongnu would actually do it for real this time?

Who would have thought that those Xiongnu wolves would completely disregard their relationship with him, and the messenger he sent was immediately beheaded.

Two counties have already been massacred. Judging from the direction the Xiongnu army is marching, they are clearly heading straight for Anzhou City. Considering the horrific state of those two counties, once Anzhou City falls to the Xiongnu, the outcome will certainly be no better. Damn it, he is a prefect, a high-ranking official of the third rank, a scholar-official. How can he be beheaded by the Xiongnu like those peasants?

Although there is still a chance to leave, how can we take away those chests of silver, countless gold, pearls, jade, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings?
Bringing too much stuff will inevitably delay the escape.

But he couldn't bear not taking it with him, after all, it was money he had embezzled over decades of hard work as an official.

Moreover, even if one were to escape, where could one escape to?
Pengzhou?

Dingzhou?

Or perhaps Pingyang?
(End of this chapter)