Border Soldier: My fiancée snatched credit and broke off the engagement, so I promptly became a marq

The manure ditch was even narrower than Ma Sanque had described.

People could only crawl forward bent over, with icy water dripping constantly from above. The ditch was filled with horse manure, rotten grass, and frozen corpses. Halfway there, the water had already reached chest level.

Lu Shuangyi walked at the front.

She wasn't wearing armor, only carrying a short gun. The cloth wrapped around her left rib was quickly soaked with sewage, and every step she took felt like someone was twisting a knife into her wound.

Ma Sanque followed behind her.

Despite his hunched back, the old man walked faster than others. He felt along the ditch wall, counting seven cracks in the rocks, before stopping under an icy wooden plank.

"That's the horse warehouse up there."

The small iron gate was hidden behind a wooden board.

The bolt left by Ma Sanque was still half-inserted, but a new iron chain had been wrapped around it. The guards discovered that the door wasn't locked properly and had already repaired it.

Lu Shuangyi did not return.

She ordered the people behind her to pass up the pistols one by one, and a dozen gun barrels were simultaneously threaded through the iron chains. The crowd pressed down into the stinking ditch, and the iron chains creaked and groaned.

It didn't break on the first try.

Footsteps came from the door.

"There's someone in the ditch!"

A spear pierced through a crack in the wooden planks, striking a young Han soldier in the front row squarely in the shoulder. He didn't cry out, but instead grabbed the spear shaft with both hands and pulled downwards. The guard above didn't let go, and half of his arm was dragged into the crack.

Ma Sanque picked up the manure shovel hook and stabbed the wooden board three times.

The screams echoed into the ditch.

More guards arrived, and a corner of the wooden plank was lifted. Arrows rained down from above, and the men, crammed into the ditch, had nowhere to hide. The first seven men were hit by arrows one after another, yet they still held their gun barrels firmly.

Lu Shuangyi inserted the short gun into the iron chain buckle.

"Together!"

More than a hundred people sat down at the same time.

The chains finally broke.

Two guards were dragged into the ditch along with the small door. Lu Shuangyi stepped on one of them in the chest, stabbed him in the jaw with a short gun, and then climbed over the door frame into the stable.

One hundred guards were already lined up behind two rows of mangers.

The arrow came first.

Lu Shuangyi had only a dozen or so men on the wall. The three in the front row were shot down as soon as they stood firm, and Ma Sanque was also hit in the shoulder by an arrow. The old man did not dodge, but dragged himself and stumbled towards the nearest stable.

Hidden under the manger was an iron fork used for shoveling manure.

He pulled out a weapon and stabbed it into the soldier's stomach with his backhand.

"I've been shoveling horse manure in this barn for thirty years!"

"It's not your turn to guard this place!"

People kept climbing out through the small door.

The young Han soldier who had escaped the pass yesterday was the first to step forward, wearing his brother's armor. His black teeth were smashed flat, and he charged into the guard ranks, three arrows lodged in his chest. The arrowheads didn't pierce the armor; he lifted the man onto the horse trough and slashed him repeatedly with his sword.

More and more people in black armor, covered in soot, poured into the warehouse.

Upon discovering that the small gate had fallen, the centurion guarding the granary immediately ordered his men to burn straw.

Once the more than six hundred horses were scattered by the fire, no one could take them with them. He had just thrown the tinder into the hay when Anato's arrow pierced through two rows of men and pierced his open mouth.

The second arrow extinguished the fire.

Anato was the last to emerge from the stinky ditch.

She couldn't fully draw the bow with her left shoulder, only pulling the string halfway, but enough to kill at close range. She jumped into the manger and whistled a short whistle towards the horses in the darkness.

The warhorse, which had been kicking wildly, gradually quieted down.

Ma Sanque blew another whistle.

More than 600 horses turned their heads in unison.

The Han family's guards tried to hide behind the horses' bellies, but Anato had already cut the first row of reins. The herd surged towards the south fence, forcing the guards to come out and provide cover. Lu Shuangyi and fifty men followed the horse troughs, stabbing them with short spears, targeting their thighs and armpits.

The hundred men guarding the granary only lasted for half an incense stick's time.

More than forty people died by the manger, and the rest threw down their knives and knelt down.

Anato didn't even look at the prisoners.

"Open South Railing".

"Ma, go out first."

To the south of Macang is Ximen Street.

As soon as the three wooden railings opened, more than six hundred horses surged onto the long street. The residents inside the pass heard the horses' hooves and all looked out through the cracks in their doors. What they saw was not the Han family's cavalry, but Ma Sanque riding at the front, holding his grandson's wooden horse in his hand.

"The Han family's stable has opened!"

"Open the door if you want to live!"

The first door along the street opened.

The soldiers who failed to escape yesterday came out carrying kitchen knives. The second and third gates opened one after another, women poured hot water into the street, and old men threw tiles from the rooftops. The Han soldiers who had been hiding in the west gate's arrow tower were beaten so badly they couldn't even lift their heads.

Su Wan led the familiar people from inside the pass straight to the West Gate winch.

Eight guards stood watch by the winch, having already killed two soldiers who tried to open the door. Su Wan didn't hide behind them; she tucked her skirt into her waistband, picked up a shield from the ground, and charged forward.

The personal guard's longsword struck the shield.

The wooden shield cracked.

Using the force of the impact, she lunged into the other man's arms, a short knife hidden in her sleeve plunging into the seam of her waist armor. Two girls who had helped her open the gates of Yanmaji City arrived shortly after; one grabbed her leg, the other slit her throat.

The remaining guards wanted to retreat to the arrow tower.

Lu Shuangyi attacked from the warehouse.

Her pistol was broken, replaced by a bloodstained door bolt. The first guard was knocked down the steps by the bolt, and the second had his breastplate dented by her impact. Her wound on her left side reopened, but she leaned against the winch and did not fall.

"change!"

More than twenty soldiers clung to the wooden pole.

The iron chain at the west gate rose inch by inch.

The door was only raised to half a person's height when Han Wanshan's rebel army arrived.

Three hundred black-armored imperial guards advanced along the main street. Ignoring the city's inhabitants, the leading captain ordered archers to fire fire arrows at the horses. The first volley of arrows struck, sending a dozen horses tumbling about on fire, and the gates that had just been opened slamming shut again.

Anato did not drive the horse away.

She and Ma Sanque blew the whistles on either side, and more than six hundred horses turned around and charged towards the imperial guards. Though no one was on their backs, their hooves could still trample a person to death.

The main street was suddenly filled with chaotic horses.

The imperial guards' shield formation was breached, and the rockets couldn't be fired a second time. Lu Shuangyi grabbed the winch pole and led the men to continue turning.

The city gate rose above the height of a person.

The first black cauldron shield outside the door has already crashed in.

Not cavalry.

Seventy-three elite heavy cavalrymen dismounted, donned the heavy armor of the Han family captured the day before, and squeezed into the gate shoulder to shoulder. Their black teeth were smashed, leaving only patches of soot on their chests. They were like a walking iron wall, pushing the disorderly horses and the imperial guards deeper into the main street.

Three hundred furnace workers and surrendered soldiers followed them into the pass.

The twelve ballistae outside the west gate were already aimed at the gate opening.

Chen Mu sat in the last medical vehicle.

His left hand was still bound with half a broken rope, and his right shoulder and ribs were completely wrapped in white cloth. Lin Qinghe sat by the car, holding scissors in her hand. If anyone dared to let the car move forward, she would cut the reins first.

"You promised not to get off the bus," she said.

"It didn't go down."

"They won't go through customs either."

"Drive the car in."

"Even a car won't do."

Chen Mu saw the guards inside the gate regroup and raised his left hand.

Twelve ballistae fired arrows simultaneously.

A thick arrow grazed the heads of the heavy cavalrymen, pierced through the city gate, and plunged into the imperial guards on the main street. There was nowhere to hide in the narrow street; one arrow pierced three men, and the rear ranks, which had just gathered together, scattered again.

The heavy armored cauldron took advantage of the situation and charged forward.

Some of the Han soldiers inside the gate still wanted to resist, but the deserters from yesterday began calling their names. Some saw their own brothers standing under the ashes of the cooking pot, and their swords immediately fell to the ground. Others turned and slashed at their own troops, just hoping to open a door for their own men.

The captain of the personal guard rode the last armored horse, trampled over two kneeling Han soldiers, and charged straight at the winch.

"The person who discarded the knife will have their entire family executed!"

The louder he shouted, the more doors on the street opened.

The young Han soldier who had eaten meat porridge squeezed out from the heavily armored column. He recognized the captain; his brother had his horse's leg cut off by this man during the retreat.

"One of my family members died first."

"If they execute him again, I want to see it too!"

The captain thrust his spear forward.

The young Han soldier used his brother's breastplate to take the hit head-on. The spear tip struck the flattened black tooth, penetrating half an inch before getting stuck. He clung to the spear shaft, dragged three zhang by the warhorse, two bloody gashes appearing on his leather boots.

They still won't let go.

Two soldiers on the street threw out lassoes.

A rope was wrapped around the horse's neck, and a dozen men pulled it into the shop. The armored horse was pulled to the side, and the captain tumbled into a small pancake shop. The widowed shopkeeper, who had been hiding behind the door, raised a pestle and began to smash it.

The first blow hits the helmet.

The second blow hit his face.

A young Han soldier rushed over, dragging a long spear, and personally pulled the spear's end from his breastplate, then turned it around and pierced the captain's throat.

"This shot is for my brother."

The widow added another pestle.

"This pestle is for my man."

With the captain dead, the personal guards who had come with him were in even greater disarray.

Su Wan stepped onto the winch platform and poured the money pouch she had cut from the captain's waist into a wooden tray. Gold leaves, broken silver, and a few northern pearls rolled all over the floor.

"The person who opens the door takes it."

"Take those who block the imperial guards as well."

Dozens of hands reached out, but no one took it all. The widow picked up only a piece of silver, then turned and completely dismantled the shop door, setting up the planks at the street corner to shield the black-clad soldiers from arrows. The soldier took the gold leaf, went back to his house, and led out two mules he had kept hidden for many years, harnessing them to a cart to transport the wounded soldiers.

Whoever gets the money will immediately put in the effort.

The area near the West Gate quickly became a living camp.

Some people were boiling water, some were giving directions to those entering the city, and others were carrying grain out of the cellar. A distillery owner brought out three jars of strong liquor, but he didn't drink a drop himself; instead, he poured it all onto his wounds and the blade.

Lin Qinghe's medical cart was finally pushed through the city gate.

She forbade Chen Mu from getting out of the car, but ordered it to be stopped in the middle of the main street. The injured were carried in from both sides, and regardless of whether they had been wearing black armor or soot armor, the first priority was to stop the bleeding as long as they had dropped their knives.

A young soldier, wounded in the abdomen, lay by the vehicle, too afraid to call for help. Lin Qinghe cut open his nails, and the boy trembled in pain.

"I just shot at you."

"You missed me."

"Did it hit?"

"Then I'll save you later."

The boy paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. He took off his helmet and stuffed the half-sack of white rice hidden inside into Lin Qinghe's hands.

"There are still more than a dozen warehouses in the East Warehouse of Inner Fort."

"Han Wanshan only fed his personal guards."

The words traveled along the main street faster than a ballista could travel.

The soldiers from within the Great Wall who had been starving for several days all knew that while they were gnawing on tree bark, Han Wanshan had been hiding white rice in his hand.

More doors opened.

Those with knives took them, those without took hoes. Even the people who had just closed the gate to hide from the horses came out and followed the heavily armored man with the black pot towards the second stone street.

Three hundred imperial guards retreated two streets.

Han Wanshan failed to recapture Ximen.

At daybreak, the entire army from outside the pass entered the city.

Six hundred and twelve live horses were cleared out of the West Horse Granary, along with five granaries of fodder, thirty-seven sets of horse armor, and over one hundred carts. More than two hundred rideable warhorses were immediately distributed to the unhorsed light cavalry, while the remaining horses were all driven out of the West Gate and sent to the outer camp.

Ma Sanque didn't choose the best one.

He led away a manure-carrying mule and tied his grandson's wooden horse to its head.

Su Wan asked him why.

"My grandson has never ridden a real horse."

"I'll also go to the inner fort and bring Han Wanshan's horse to him."

Lu Shuangyi, supporting the blood-stained winch, looked towards the end of the long street.

Han Wanshan's men are building carts on the second stone street.

Ma Cang and Ximen have changed owners.

The remaining grain, armor, and silver from White Wolf Pass are still further inside.