Frontier Hero: From Receiving a Convicted Woman to Becoming an Emperor for All Time

Shen Qiao nodded in agreement, but just as he was about to step off the city wall, Shen Chuxiao followed him.

Tie Niu followed behind and asked, "Boss, where are you going?"

Shen Chuxiao took a breath and looked at Shen Qiao, whose expression was equally solemn, and said, "These rockets can only temporarily suppress the enemy's infantry. The real threat is the catapults hidden in the darkness. If we don't get rid of those things, we won't be able to hold out until dawn."

But at that moment, a deep voice called out to him.

"Captain Shen."

A voice came from the side.

Shen Chuxiao stopped and turned to look.

Zhao Hongyuan stood not far away, followed by more than twenty soldiers, all of whom were his old subordinates. Each of them had a resolute expression and was fully armed, as if they had been waiting there for a long time.

"General Zhao, what brings you here?"

Zhao Hongyuan took a step forward, the torchlight reflecting on his face. This garrison commander, who had once been his nemesis, now had no trace of his former arrogance and scheming, nor the resentment he felt from being forced by Shen Chuxiao; only an indescribable calmness.

"We have been defending the west side, but the barbarians have concentrated all their forces at this north gate and haven't fired a single arrow from the west."

Zhao Hongyuan was silent for a moment, then said frankly, "I can't tell that Liu Wenzhao is colluding with the enemy. I can't find out that the grain supplies were embezzled, but this time, shouldn't I be the one to make a contribution?"

To put it nicely, it's called making a contribution; to put it bluntly, it's called sending yourself to your death.

"I am also a soldier of the Great Jing Border Army, and the garrison commander of this Ling Shuang Pass military camp."

Shen Chuxiao looked at the soldiers behind him and asked:

"What do you want to do?"

In truth, he already knew the answer in his heart.

"Go and destroy the catapults."

Zhao Hongyuan said calmly, "This is what you were going to do anyway, right?"

Shen Chuxiao did not deny it.

"Let me go."

Zhao Hongyuan looked into his eyes. "This kind of thing requires veterans."

Shen Chuxiao looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"I might die."

Zhao Hongyuan smiled, but there was no bitterness in his smile; instead, there was a sense of relief.

"I am the garrison commander of the military camp. If I were to cling to life and fear death, how could I be worthy of the title of garrison commander?"

Seeing that Shen Chuxiao still didn't speak, he immediately said bluntly, "Just consider it a chance for me to atone for my sins."

"How many people do you need?"

That's all.

Zhao Hongyuan glanced back and said, "Twenty-three brothers, plus me, that's enough."

Shen Chuxiao gave Zhao Hongyuan a deep look. The torchlight made his features sharp and distinct. For the first time, he realized that the military garrison commander he had cornered no longer had any scheming in his eyes. It was something that had been suppressed for a long time and could no longer be suppressed. It turned out that he hadn't grown old. He had just had his fighting spirit worn down and then been awakened by the flames of war.

"The catapult is located slightly west of the north gate. Each of you should carry a can of kerosene. Once you get there, pour the kerosene on it and set it on fire. After that, don't linger in the fight; just run. I will meet you at the city gate."

Zhao Hongyuan took the tinder and held it in his hand.

"Captain Shen."

He suddenly spoke, "If you can hold Ling Shuang Pass, remember what you promised me."

"I usually only drink two ounces of alcohol, but with you, I'll drink half a pound."

Zhao Hongyuan laughed heartily and said, "I usually only drink half a jin (250ml) of liquor, but drinking with you is like risking my life!"

After saying that, he led the twenty-three old soldiers downstairs without looking back.

Tie Niu stood beside Shen Chuxiao, watching the group disappear into the night.

"Boss, is he coming back?"

Shen Chuxiao did not answer and turned back to the city tower.

Zhao Hongyuan and his men also secretly left the city under the cover of night.

They walked in silence, with Zhao Hongyuan leading the way. Before long, they approached the barbarian catapult and found two barbarian sentries rubbing their hands around a fire, their spears resting on their shoulders, and white breath coming from their mouths.

Zhao Hongyuan raised his right fist, and the line stopped silently.

He ordered two people and ran his finger across his throat.

Two old soldiers crouched down, gripping their short swords in reverse. One sentry had just opened his mouth to yawn when a rough hand covered his mouth from behind, and the tip of a sword pierced his lower back. He went limp before he could even groan. The other sentry, hearing the commotion, was about to turn around when the blade had already slit his throat, blood spurting onto the snow, steam rising.

The body was dragged into the shadows.

Zhao Hongyuan made a gesture, and the team continued forward.

The tremors on the ground grew stronger, the creaking of the catapult's boom was almost audible, and the air was filled with the smells of kerosene and pine resin. Zhao Hongyuan lay prone behind a snow slope, parting the withered grass in front of him.

Less than two hundred paces ahead was the catapult position.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongyuan's emotions were not simply anger, but shame, anger, and regret. These catapults were sold to the barbarians by Liu Wenzhao, and he himself was aiding and abetting the evildoer. He was utterly unworthy of being a local garrison commander.

"Liu Wenzhao, you old scoundrel! You're feeding the barbarians with Da Jing's equipment, and now they'll use it to kill us!"

Before my eyes, a dozen or so catapults were lined up, each over two zhang tall, their massive arms swaying in the firelight, like a group of giant beasts feeding.

Each catapult was surrounded by a dozen or so barbarian soldiers, some carrying stones, some pulling ropes, and some calibrating the direction, busy but not chaotic.

There were guards around the perimeter of the position, but not many, only forty or fifty people.

After composing himself and confirming that everyone had found their target, Zhao Hongyuan ordered everyone to disperse.

He took one last look at his twenty-three old brothers who had fought alongside him through thick and thin, including veterans who had fought with him for ten years, fellow villagers who had come from the military camp together, and personal guards he had personally promoted.

They were watching him too.

No one spoke, they just nodded.

Zhao Hongyuan took a deep breath and pointed the short knife forward.

"I've lived most of my life, I can't let people talk behind my back in the end."

Then, twenty-four figures suddenly sprang up from the snow.

The guard was the first to react, drawing his sword and shouting.

But the veterans were faster. Three or five of them rushed forward together, their short knives aimed at the gaps in the armor on the neck and ribs, killing one person with each stab, clean and efficient.

Zhao Hongyuan led five men straight towards the catapult in the very center.

He ripped the oil canister off his back and smashed it against the wooden frame of the catapult. The canister shattered, and oil dripped down the wood.

A barbarian soldier swung his sword at Zhao Hongyuan, who dodged to the side and stabbed the soldier in the waist with a backhand. When he pulled the sword out, blood splattered all over the soldier's face.

"ignition!"

Zhao Hongyuan took out a tinderbox and was about to light it when a series of rapid footsteps sounded behind him.

A large number of barbarian soldiers poured out from all parts of the camp, a dark mass, at least three hundred in number.

Wochijin was not unprepared; he had simply used the catapult as bait.

Zhao Hongyuan glanced around, gritted his teeth, and stuffed the tinderbox into the hand of the old soldier next to him.

"Order! Order now!"

The tinderbox landed on the oil-soaked wood, and flames shot up, instantly engulfing the entire catapult.

The other veterans also set fire to their targets, and fireballs rose one after another from the catapult positions, billowing smoke and flames shooting into the sky.

But the barbarian soldiers also surrounded them.

"Don't let them get away!"