He observed for a few days and found that although the Emperor had intervened, the generals were actually incompetent. Many men had been lost, and the able-bodied men in the city had mostly perished in battle, leaving behind only the old, the weak, women, and children. Meanwhile, the Xiongnu continued to taunt them from outside the city.
After suffering several defeats, the generals defending the city had stayed shut behind their gates for days, awaiting rescue. They saw the Third Prince as a savior.
Despite spending so many years in the imperial mausoleum, he was well aware of the outside world. For instance, in previous years, the Zheng family had guarded the borders, deterring the Xiongnu, so the Emperor had no worries. However, the entire Zheng family had been wiped out a few years ago. The current generals were either sent to the border for experience or were mere pretenders, not valued by their families, which explained the state of the troops.
The reason for the constant minor skirmishes and lack of major engagements at the border over the years was primarily the lingering prestige of the Zheng family. The Xiongnu believed all Central Plains soldiers were like the Zheng family's army and thus dared not launch a full-scale invasion. However, after years of daily interaction, the Xiongnu fully realized the disparity between these soldiers and the Zheng family army, leading to this large-scale war.
The Third Prince toured the area and discovered that the provisions in the warehouse were scarce, barely enough for one or two days. Weapons and military uniforms were even more lacking, and their own contingent of twenty to thirty thousand men could not compare to the strong and numerous Xiongnu soldiers.
The next day, when the Xiongnu taunted them from below the city walls, they expected another fruitless outcome. To their surprise, the main gate slowly opened, and a troop emerged. Although this group consisted of only a few thousand men, their spirit and demeanor were unlike ordinary soldiers.
This caused the opposing General Amu to hesitate, not daring to act rashly. However, with so many soldiers watching his back, despite his heightened vigilance, he couldn't help but mock, "I heard a rescue party arrived yesterday; was that you? You came to meet our challenge immediately. You're quite bold. State your name quickly."
Before the Third Prince could speak, An Jin stepped forward dismissively, "Let me tell you, my master is the Third Prince who dominated the border twenty years ago. What do you say? Scared now? It's not too late to retreat. We'll meet on the battlefield later. Swords have no eyes, so don't say we bullied you."
Amu looked at the refined demeanor of the middle-aged man before him and found it difficult to associate him with the "god of war," the Third Prince. If they met on the street, an uninformed person would mistake him for a scholar. This time, he was truly surprised. He had expected them to send more insignificant troops to their deaths, but it turned out to be him?
Although he was younger than the Third Prince and had never faced him directly, he had heard his great name from his father and other clan members. He knew of his prowess, and many of his kinsmen had died at his hands. He wanted revenge for them. Of course, if the Third Prince was as formidable as rumored, he would surely not be his match.
He glanced sideways and noticed the perplexed looks of the soldiers behind him. That was right; although he was very famous among the previous generation, this generation knew little about him. Regardless, he had to maintain his dignity. He quickly adjusted his mindset and said disdainfully, "Just you lot? Many have spoken such bold words recently, only to be trampled under our feet. You will be no different."
After a moment's thought, he continued, "I heard you only brought twenty to thirty thousand men. We have two hundred thousand. I don't believe all your soldiers can fight ten against one."
"You're right about that. Although my army is small in number, they have all undergone my rigorous training. Fighting ten against one is the basic requirement; dealing with thirty men is more than enough."
The Third Prince looked at him with full confidence. In fact, he had taken a liking to the armor, and he felt it was a pity that the Heavenly Dynasty's army did not have such provisions. Moreover, they had two hundred thousand troops. Although he had brought a few thousand men to show off, he knew his forces were no match for theirs. However, he did have a good strategy.
"You certainly know how to brag. A few days ago, my men hurled insults outside the city walls daily, and you never came out. Today, with a different person, you immediately appeared. Let's have a good spar." Amu also dared not act rashly. Like the Third Prince, his intention was to probe the opponent's true combat strength.
"I am An Mu. I will lead the charge. I wonder which general is willing to fight me." When the Third Prince's gaze fell upon him, he understood immediately and rode his horse forward. Su Dan Novel Network.
"My grandfather's name is Aku Le, and I do not change my name or surname." After speaking, he raised his long spear and charged forward to engage him.
As the two clashed, everyone was stunned. It turned out there was always someone better. An Jin, confident in his unremitting practice over the years and his highly skilled martial arts, was astonished to find himself evenly matched with his opponent. This was something he had never encountered before.
What he didn't know was that Aku Le was equally surprised. He was the foremost warrior on the prairie, naturally possessing the highest martial arts skill. He had defeated all opponents without fail in recent days. He had initially thought this young man would be at a disadvantage against him but was surprised to fight to a draw.
He wondered if only this one individual on the other side was so skilled, or if all of them were formidable. After all, training a few masters was not difficult, but training thousands was no easy feat. It required immense financial and material investment, and martial arts training was a long process. Some people were simply not suited for it. How large would the base pool of recruits need to be to select outstanding talents?
Unnoticed, General Amu frowned involuntarily. Aku Le was his trump card. He deployed him at the outset to crush the opponent's rising morale. The Third Prince's words had already begun to waver their hearts, with some even feeling a sense of despair, which was not good. At this juncture, a victory was urgently needed to boost their spirits. He had expected General Aku Le's intervention to end the duel quickly, as it always had. He never imagined they would fight for an entire hour.
An Mu fought with growing excitement. After all, this was the first time in many years he had encountered such a strong opponent. In the two hours he had been fighting, he had gained considerable practical combat experience.
The Third Prince ignored them and directly ordered several men to go and provoke them. Soon, they were entangled in combat. However, based on their movements and techniques, they were clearly beginners who needed extensive practice.
Apart from An Jin, the subsequent waves of fighters were mostly from Wu Caiwei's side. The one-sided victories allowed the enemy to witness their terrifying strength and learn not to confront them lightly.