Chapter 2 The Accumulation of Strength

While he led the army, carefully controlling the progress of their advance, the Prince Zhennan and Prince Zhenbei, retreating behind the Shimen Pass, had completely abandoned their initial contempt for Jiang Chen.

They simply couldn't understand how an army that had once been undisciplined and suffered from salary deductions could now erupt with such terrifying combat power.

"It seems the two of us have no choice but to bury the hatchet and pool our strength. Otherwise, if we keep fighting them here, we'll be in deep trouble."

"After all, you wouldn't want to sacrifice all the gains we've worked so hard for to those treacherous dogs who surrendered, would you?"

Just thinking about the origins of the Eastern and Western Princes filled them with disdain. In their eyes, they were the true Huns, while those two who had only joined the Huns through marriage were insignificant nobodies.

"Then let's join forces and strike together. That guy is probably still reveling in his previous victory, complacent and self-satisfied. We'll let them experience the might of the Hunnic cavalry."

Thinking about the men they had lost for no reason, their hatred for Jiang Chen had reached an unprecedented peak.

While they were counting their troops, Jiang Chen was also making corresponding preparations.

The wreckage left behind by Prince Zhenbei's retreat had become an indispensable resource in Jiang Chen's hands.

Using that high-quality timber, the surrounding area was soon filled with chevaux-de-frise and all sorts of traps.

Even as these things were being set up, the worried expressions on the faces of those around him didn't ease in the slightest.

Given their current numbers, they would be at a disadvantage if they faced another head-on confrontation.

They were already at their limit. Although Jiang Chen was trying his best to give them more time to rest, how could the watchful Huns simply ignore the situation?

While most people were resting, two Hunnic cavalry units had quietly crossed the Shimen Pass under the cover of darkness and began preparations.

The dark night became their best protection. As they silently drew their sabers, ready to attack, the sentries on duty seemed to sense a murderous intent and couldn't help but raise their heads.

Unfortunately, that night the dark clouds blotted out the moonlight, and the whole earth was pitch black. No matter how hard the sentries tried, they could barely see the small area illuminated by the torches.

Just as the sentries were starting to think they were being paranoid, the water tank next to them began to ripple intensely. Seeing the change in the water tank, they quickly beat the war drums beside them. In an instant, Jiang Chen's entire camp was in chaos. As everyone donned their armor and prepared for battle, only a few riders charged over. Seeing the mocking look on their faces, many people couldn't help but vent their anger on the sentries.

"Can you guys stop being so paranoid? Before they even attack, we'll probably be exhausted by you."

Hearing the complaints from those around them, the sentries felt extremely wronged, but they didn't know how to refute them.

As they resentfully returned to their posts, the water tank beside them rippled again before long.

Sensing that something was wrong, they couldn't help but stand next to the war drums. But remembering how others had blamed them earlier, their hands hovered hesitantly, unable to react as decisively as before.

Just as they were hesitating, a batch of riders appeared before them. Seeing the increased numbers, they hammered on the war drums again.

When everyone rushed forward in armor once more, the Hunnic cavalry quickly retreated again, showing no intention of fighting.

Seeing this situation, someone quickly reported it to Jiang Chen. Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Send out a portion of the men to stand guard, and the rest can rest as usual. But it's best to be prepared. Their repeated probing must have a hidden purpose. If I'm not mistaken, they'll launch their attack after at most two more tries."

As Jiang Chen spoke, he went directly to the outermost edge of the camp. Seeing the surrounding darkness, where he couldn't even see his own fingers, Jiang Chen sighed.

"Find a way to light up the outside a bit. These guys will definitely not give up so easily."

After speaking, Jiang Chen quietly waited for the next Hunnic probe.

But to Jiang Chen's surprise, the Huns didn't launch any more attacks until dawn.

Seeing this situation, Jiang Chen had a rough idea of what was going on. The Huns probably wanted to use this method to lull them into a false sense of security, so that when they really launched their attack, many people would have become abnormally numb to the urgent sound of the war drums.

"Let the brothers who stood guard last night get some rest. The rest of you should be prepared tonight. If I'm not mistaken, these guys are trying to wear down our energy."

Jiang Chen felt quite uncomfortable with how suddenly intelligent these Huns had become.

"Arrange for someone to find out if they have any new reinforcements arriving. If these guys keep scheming like this, we'll really be in danger."

Thinking about the Huns and the endless stream of reinforcements gradually approaching, Jiang Chen felt a surge of anger. He had clearly allocated almost all of his energy to come and support them, but those people seemed to be deaf, using all sorts of tricks to constantly delay. If it hadn't been for the timely reinforcement of troops by the Su family, Jiang Chen would probably have had to cede the entire area by now.

Thinking about the adverse effects caused by those aristocratic families, Jiang Chen now wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and confront them directly. But before that, Jiang Chen still had to clean up these problems.

Standing guard in the city, Prince Jiangzuo thought about the arrangements the Huns had made last night, and he now wanted nothing more than to start a rebellion and teach them a lesson. However, when he thought about how they were still holding his evidence, the anger that had just ignited in his heart instantly fizzled out.

After all, he had already established contact with them, and no matter what, he had now completely fallen into a state of disloyalty and injustice, unless he could eliminate Jiang Chen as well.

"Don't blame me, you chose this yourself."