Volume One, Chapter Four: Three Quarters Past the Tiger Hour—A Night Raid on the Enemy Camp!

"Anyone willing to join the army to defend the country shall be rewarded with twenty catties of grain and ten catties of meat!"

"This subordinate obeys!"

Meng Jun’s eyes shimmered with hope as he nodded vigorously. He had long been eager to conduct a large-scale recruitment. Over the past month, due to the shortage of provisions and weapons, even successful recruitment could not sustain normal military operations. Now, without the need to worry about supplies, he was confident that with enough manpower, he could completely annihilate the Xiongnu right-wing army that was currently besieging the city.

Under Meng Jun’s command, two squads of a thousand men each mounted their horses, loaded up with sufficient provisions, and departed Suiye City with all possible speed.

Qin Feng walked slowly onto the city wall. Resting his hands on the ramparts, he gazed down at the citizens with a resolute expression, his voice booming like a great bell: "Fellow citizens! The Xiongnu have invaded, and the Northern Frontier Army is fighting with all its might to hold the city!"

"However, even with provisions secured, if there is no one to hold the walls, the Xiongnu will breach the city, our loved ones will suffer, and our homes will be destroyed!"

"Today, I implore all you brave, hot-blooded men to take up arms, join the Northern Frontier Army, and fight alongside us to repel the foreign enemy, guard our Suiye, and protect our homes!"

"Who is willing to follow me in defending Suiye and protecting the Great Yu?"

As his voice faded, there was a momentary silence among the people inside the city, followed by countless figures stepping forward, raising their arms and shouting.

"I am willing!"

"I am willing too!"

"I've had my fill; it's time to kill some Xiongnu scum for the thrill of it!"

Even a seventy-year-old man, leaning on a cane, stepped forward with a trembling gait and shouted, "Your Highness, this old man is willing, too!"

Qin Feng’s forehead creased with dark lines as he hurriedly waved his hand. "Old man, you should sit this one out..."

Before long, groups of citizens gathered beneath the city walls, their gazes firm and morale soaring.

"Good! You are worthy of being the hot-blooded men of our Great Yu!"

Qin Feng nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Meng Jun and said, "General Meng, tally the numbers, distribute weapons and armor, and give them some brief training!"

With only a few hours left until dawn, the Xiongnu could launch an attack at any moment. Before then, the men had to undergo some basic training to be ready to face the enemy!

Meng Jun cupped his hands and obeyed, "Yes, Your Highness!"

At midnight, led by the Northern Frontier Army, the newly joined citizens donned dark armor and held cold-tempered blades, practicing techniques like slashing and blocking.

Meng Jun approached Qin Feng and said, "Your Highness, the tally is complete. There are 8,848 people in total!"

Qin Feng nodded and said, "Good, incorporate them into the infantry units of the Northern Frontier Army."

"Understood," Meng Jun replied.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Just then, the sound of hooves echoed. Qin Feng looked up and saw the cavalry squads returning from their recruitment in the surrounding villages. Each horse carried two, or even three, men.

The two commanders of the thousand-man squads dismounted and hurried forward, saluting. "Reporting to Your Highness and the General, we have recruited a total of 3,025 men!"

Qin Feng’s sword-like brows lifted slightly. More than three thousand new recruits exceeded his expectations.

Meng Jun stepped forward and said, "Good, distribute weapons and armor, incorporate them into the infantry units, and start the training!"

"Yes!" The two commanders took their orders and began to organize the men in an orderly fashion.

Meng Jun grinned and said, "Your Highness, with this, the number of troops in the Northern Frontier Army has exceeded twenty thousand!"

Qin Feng nodded, checked the time, and gave a wicked smile. "It is time to give the Xiongnu a surprise!"

Meng Jun was startled at first, but soon grasped Qin Feng's meaning, his tiger-like eyes filled with battle-lust and excitement!

Half an hour later, more than twenty thousand Northern Frontier soldiers were ready for battle. Though it was deep into the night, there was no fatigue on their faces; instead, they were filled with excitement and fervor.

Qin Feng stood on the city wall, looking down at the high-spirited soldiers, and shouted, "Northern Frontier infantry, listen! Those with elderly parents, step forward! Those who are the only sons in their families, step forward! Those with wives and children, step forward!"

The ten thousand or so men who had just joined looked at each other, and several hundred slowly stepped out.

Qin Feng said, "All who have stepped out, you shall guard the camp!"

As soon as he spoke, the hundreds of men understood his meaning and were unwilling, voicing their protests: "Your Highness, as members of the Northern Frontier Army, our duty is to defend the country. How could we be cowards afraid of death?"

"We swear to follow Your Highness to the death! To defend our country and protect our homes, we will never retreat!"

Looking at the determined faces before him, Qin Feng raised a hand to signal for silence and said, "Assigning you to guard the camp is not because I do not want you to fight the enemy, but because you have another task!"

"The dwellings in the city have collapsed, siege equipment is damaged, and there are many wounded who need to be treated. Your task is far more important than the others!"

After saying this, seeing that some still wanted to speak, Qin Feng’s expression hardened. "As soldiers, obedience to orders is your sacred duty! The entire army, listen: rest for half an hour, then set out at 3:45 AM to annihilate the Xiongnu!"

With the order given, the men said no more and accepted their commands.

Qin Feng turned to look at the endless, pitch-black grassland and asked, "General Meng, do you have a strategy?"

Meng Jun placed his hands on the battlements and pondered. "The Xiongnu are arrogant; they believe Suiye City is already in their grasp and have not sent anyone to watch us."

"We shall use the cover of darkness. The cavalry will lead their horses while the infantry marches at the same time. Once we approach the Xiongnu camp, the cavalry will mount up. In units of five hundred, they will strike the camp from the front, left, and right sides at maximum speed."

"We will disrupt the Xiongnu’s rhythm and defenses immediately. While they scramble to counterattack, the entire infantry force will launch an assault and strike them hard from the rear!"

When he finished, Qin Feng folded his arms and nodded in approval. He trusted Meng Jun’s military command capability one hundred percent!

Soon, 3:45 AM arrived.

Led by Meng Jun and Qin Feng, the twenty thousand Northern Frontier soldiers quietly left Suiye City.

The cavalry led their horses, stepping softly on the grass. Under the howling night wind, the sound of hoofbeats was completely masked and could not be heard at all.

The infantry behind them gripped their cold blades tightly. Deep in their eyes flickered traces of worry and nervousness, and their hands trembled uncontrollably. A few hours ago, they were not soldiers. Having stepped onto the battlefield without extensive formal training—and against the Xiongnu no less—it was impossible not to feel fear!

Fortunately, they were not tasked with the initial charge. Under Meng Jun’s arrangement, they only needed to provide clean-up duties after the cavalry broke into the camp, which eased their inner dread slightly.

Arriving not far from the Xiongnu camp, Qin Feng wore black armor that shimmered with a cold, hard luster under the dim moonlight.

Meng Jun tilted his head slightly, his eyes like torches, carefully observing the layout of the Xiongnu camp.

Tents were scattered in an orderly fashion. Most were pitch black, with only a few showing faint flickers of fire. These were the embers of campfires, swaying in the wind, as if they could be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.

At this time, the Xiongnu army was immersed in the deepest drowsiness of the early morning hours, completely unaware that danger was creeping closer. Perhaps because they had never taken the defenders of Suiye City seriously, the security in the camp was lax, with only a few listless sentries wandering about.

Qin Feng took a deep breath.

He raised his palm, then lifted it slightly and clenched it into a fist.

The Northern Frontier cavalry behind him understood immediately; they mounted their horses, gripped their heavy blades, and bared their murderous intent.

Qin Feng and Meng Jun mounted their horses as well. They exchanged a look, drew their cold blades, and held them high. The cold light flashed across the night as they roared: "Northern Frontier Army, hear my command! Attack!!"