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

Silent all night.

After the barbarians retreated, they did not launch another attack on the city until dawn.

The soldiers guarding the city leaned against the battlements, weapons in hand. Some were dozing, some were eating dry rations, and some were changing their wounds. No one spoke, not because they didn't want to, but because they didn't know what to say.

Shen Chuxiao walked down from the city wall, through the passageway filled with wounded soldiers, and arrived at Zhao Hongyuan's room.

Pushing open the door, Zhao Hongyuan was standing by the window, a patch of dark red seeping through the white cloth wrapped around his shoulder blades, but he seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the gray snowfield outside the city.

Judging from his appearance, he probably hadn't slept a wink all night.

"Still not resting?"

"I can't sleep."

Shen Chuxiao glanced at him and waited for him to continue.

Zhao Hongyuan remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Captain Shen, there's something... that's been weighing on my mind."

Shen Chuxiao turned his head.

Zhao Hongyuan's expression was complex, like something that had been suppressed for too long was about to burst forth.

"Actually, it was Lord Wang who strongly recommended me to be the garrison commander of Lingshuang Pass back then."

Shen Chuxiao was taken aback at first, then he understood.

The "Lord Wang" he mentioned was naturally Wang Yilu's father, the former Minister of Personnel, Wang Jingyuan. It was unexpected that Zhao Hongyuan also had this connection to the Wang family.

Do you know him?

Zhao Hongyuan nodded, his eyes slightly red.

"Lord Wang was my former superior. Few officials in the court were as incorruptible and impartial as him. Others would accept bribes for favors, but he wouldn't. Others would form cliques for personal gain, but he wouldn't. Others would turn a blind eye, but he would keep both eyes open."

"Back then I was young and working under him, and I always felt that he was too rigid and inflexible. But after I came here and saw so many things, I realized how valuable his rigidity was."

Zhao Hongyuan took a deep breath: "When Lord Wang was executed after his family's property was confiscated, I was at Ling Shuang Pass. The border region is far away, and the news didn't reach me until half a month later. That night, I sat alone in my room and drank all night. I was someone he promoted, and to mourn him would be to be his accomplice. So I didn't dare to cry."

He smiled bitterly and said, "Over the years, I've pretended that I have nothing to do with him, pretended that I'm just an honest and simple border general, and pretended that I don't know what Liu Wenzhao is doing. But I know in my heart that I have disgraced him."

Shen Chuxiao's heart sank.

No wonder Zhao Hongyuan worked so hard last night.

He wasn't just after Ling Shuang Pass; he wanted to prove with his death that Wang Jingyuan hadn't misjudged him back then.

As he thought of the past, Zhao Hongyuan's gaze gradually became hazy.

"rest assured."

Shen Chuxiao said in a deep voice, "Justice will prevail. Lord Wang will one day be exonerated, and none of those who framed him will escape."

Zhao Hongyuan closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again and asked, "Miss Wang... are you alright?"

Shen Chuxiao remained silent for a moment.

"After the war, come to my house for drinks. Save those words for when you're alive to tell her in person."

Zhao Hongyuan was stunned for a moment, then realized that Wang Yilu was now Shen Chuxiao's wife. He nodded emphatically: "Okay, I will live to tell her face to face."

Two hours later.

Shen Chuxiao ordered all troops to assemble.

The barbarians retreated but did not withdraw, clearly preparing a major attack.

As expected.

After everyone had been on edge for most of the day, just as they were about to have lunch in the afternoon, the barbarian army arrived.

Three bugle calls rolled in.

Then came the mighty barbarian army, and the remaining five catapults opened fire at full power, boulders crashing against the city walls with a whooshing sound, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.

Iron Ox stood atop the city wall, covered in blood.

From the time the barbarians besieged the city until now, he has never taken off his armor, nor has he slept a full night.

A huge rock crashed into the crenellations of the city wall, sending debris flying. Two soldiers were knocked down on the spot, their blood seeping into the snow – a horrifying sight.

After the catapults finished firing, the siege ladders were set up.

The barbarian soldiers, braving the rockets and oil, climbed upwards recklessly.

"Kill them all! Kill them badly!"

Tie Niu cleaved a newly emerged barbarian soldier in two with a single axe stroke; the man fell to the ground before he could even scream.

But the people behind them continued to surge forward, stepping over the corpses.

Shen Qiao led a troop of Jingnan soldiers in repeated charges on the city wall, drawing his long sword and plunging into the crowd, managing to push back the barbarian soldiers time and time again.

Tie Niu was even more bloodthirsty, swinging his two battle axes with ferocious force, and wherever he passed, barbarian soldiers fell to the ground.

A barbarian soldier attacked from behind, his scimitar slashing at the man's arm. Tie Niu grunted and swung his axe backhand, splitting the man's head open.

In the barbarian people's perception, the Da Jing border army was a bunch of good-for-nothings, all cowards who only knew how to bully the common people. So they thought that as long as they climbed the city wall, they could massacre them all at once.

But the army before us is completely different.

Their eyes were bloodshot, and they fought to the death without retreating. When one fell, the person next to him immediately took his place, like a group of madmen who knew nothing of fear.

The two sides fought a protracted battle on the city walls, with every inch of the wall being exchanged for corpses.

The barbarian soldiers charged forward, only to be cut down. They charged again, only to be cut down once more. One group of defenders fell, another took their place. When the torches on the city wall were extinguished, they hacked and slashed in the dark. When their swords dulled, they used their fists. When their fists could no longer break through, they grabbed barbarian soldiers and rolled off the city wall together.

Its brutality was so extreme that it was practically a meat grinder.

The moat beneath the city walls had been mostly filled with corpses, some of them from the barbarians, others from the Great Jing. The remains of siege ladders lay scattered on the snow, mixed with the bodies, making it impossible to distinguish between wood and people.

Several fierce attacks yielded no results, and instead resulted in the loss of countless elite soldiers. The battle raged from afternoon until nightfall, with both sides suffering heavy losses. Left with no other option, the barbarians once again ordered a retreat.

Ögedei sat behind his desk, with a group of generals standing before him.

"waste!"

Wochijin slammed his hand on the table.

"After all this time, you still can't take Ling Shuang Pass. What use are you to me?"

It's well known that Liu Wenzhao had already exposed all the secrets of Ling Shuang Pass, but despite having the intelligence, he couldn't break in. It's impossible for him not to feel frustrated.

The generals looked dejected: "General, it's not that we're incompetent, but Ling Shuang Pass is simply too treacherous. Too many men can't maneuver effectively, and too few can't form a proper offensive. Moreover, last night the enemy dug trenches outside the city, so the catapults dared not advance further, otherwise they would have entered their rocket firing range."

"Yes, General," another general chimed in, his voice filled with frustration, "I've fought so many battles in my life, and I've never seen such a tough nut to crack. In the past, those border troops would crumble with a single charge, but this time… it's like they're completely different people!"

Wochijin's face was ashen, his chilling gaze sweeping over the faces of the generals one by one, making their scalps tingle and their breath catch in their throats. After a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "I don't care if they've changed their men or not. You just need to remember, in the next siege, I will personally supervise the battle. Either take Ling Shuang Pass, or die on the city walls."

The generals dared not say it aloud, but they were all wondering in their hearts: those people were all crazy. How easy would it be to take Ling Shuang Pass?

Just then, a scout stumbled into the tent, only to be met with Wochijin's murderous face. His legs went weak with fear, and he stammered, "Report...reporting to the general! Shen Chuxiao, the garrison commander of Ling Shuang Pass, has...put a sign on the city wall!"

Wochijin's eyes flashed sharply: "What did you say?"

The scout's voice betrayed a barely concealed fear: "He...he said, he'll fight to the bitter end!"