The villagers worked through the night and all sorts of simple and crude fortifications were finally completed by midnight. Although these fortifications were simple and crude made of earth, wood, sand, and stone, they could not be preserved for long and could not withstand the trampling of a few battles, the mountain people who had built them with their own hands knew how useful they could be.
It could reduce the number of casualties on one's own side by more than one fold, and at the very least, cause more than two times the damage to the side attacking the stronghold. With these simple fortifications, even if more than a third of the defending personnel were to be reduced, the remaining personnel would still be able to play a greater role than the original defensive strength.
The fortifications this time were simple and crude, so their sturdiness and destructive power would be greatly affected. However, after learning how to build and use these things, they could slowly transform their village into a mountain city that could not be invaded.
The people in the village were simple and straightforward, so Yang Fan's abilities easily won their respect. Yang Fan had also used his actions to win the trust of the mountain people. They believed that this imperial envoy was on their side. Yang Fan could now move about as he pleased in the village. No one was following behind him to keep an eye on him. Those who saw him would respectfully make way for him and bow.
Yang Fan only went to sleep after midnight. He did not sleep for long, only about six hours. When he woke up, the sky was dark. There were no tools to measure time in the village and there was no sun in the sky, so he did not know what time it was.
Because it was a dark day, a thick fog covered the forest and the village. Looking down from the top of the village, one could not see a single person after 300 feet. Even if one could see people within 100 feet, they would still be indistinct.
"From the looks of it, there will probably be a heavy rain in the afternoon. They won't come, will they?"
Xun Er appeared out of nowhere and lay next to Yang Fan. She stuck her head out and looked down the mountain.
She was still wearing that unfashionable armor. It was as simple and unadorned as a terracotta warrior that had been dug out from the ground. However, this terracotta warrior was alive, beautiful, and filled with the vitality of youth.
There was no powder on her face, but her skin was as smooth and white as jade. There were a few droplets of water on her cheeks. She had probably just washed her face. Bright red lips, neat white teeth like those of a rhinoceros …
Yang Fan could also notice that she had two faint dimples on her cheeks. Although they were a little lighter than his, they looked much cuter than him.
Yang Fan looked appreciatively at the little beauty in military attire, then cast his gaze down the mountain and said, "That's hard to say! Let us wait and see. If he will send a messenger, it will be all right. Otherwise, even if the heavens were to rain knives, he would still come. He would send an army, because as long as I am alive, he will not be at ease! "
Xun Er tilted her head and thought for a moment. She furrowed her thin, curved brows that were like mountains in the distance. She came to a sudden realization and said, "Originally, I was quite grateful for your help to the stronghold. But now that you mention it, it seems that if you weren't here, I wouldn't have suffered such a serious blow? Doesn't that mean … this disaster was caused by you? "
Of course, Yang Fan refused to admit that he was a jinx. He immediately denied it. "You can't say that. When they sent their troops, they didn't know I was on the mountain. Besides, you were the one who pushed me out, otherwise … "
Yang Fan was just about to lay out a few more pieces of evidence to prove his innocence when a sharp cry suddenly came from the fog. Yang Fan's expression tightened. He hurriedly crouched on the bunker and looked down the mountain. He said in a low voice, "I'm afraid they're here."
Xun Er also crouched beside him. She stretched her slender white neck and opened her almond-shaped eyes wide. Unfortunately, the fog was so thick that she couldn't see anything.
After a while, the cries came closer. The cries were very fast and the syllables were very strange. Yang Fan couldn't understand them.
Xun Er said in surprise, "It's a cry for help! Eh? It seems to be people from the barbarian tribe … "
Before she could finish speaking, many indistinct figures appeared in the fog. They were running in the direction of the stronghold. After running for a short distance, they cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Gao Qingshan stood up from the wall of the stronghold. He covered his mouth and shouted down the mountain in the same strange language.
It seemed that he was telling the people at the foot of the mountain that there were caltrops scattered on the slope and telling them to run along the mountain path. Sure enough, the people at the foot of the mountain quickly gathered and ran along the mountain path.
The mountain path was not a straight one, but a winding path along the mountain. However, the grass on both sides was covered with caltrops. Although the pursuers seemed to be getting closer and closer, they could only run along the winding mountain path. Some of them had already been injured by the caltrops. They had to be supported by others as they limped and ran with great difficulty.
At this time, the shadows of many tall horses appeared in the fog behind them. The pursuers were chasing very quickly, so the speed at which they fell off their horses was also fast enough. The horses stepped on the caltrops and the caltrops pricked their legs. The horses neighed and jumped in pain. The riders couldn't sit still and all fell off their horses. As a result, they sat on the caltrops and cried out in pain.
The people running in front were getting closer and closer. In the thin morning fog, Yang Fan could already see their faces clearly. Some of them were draped in tiger skins, sheepskins, and some wore strange close-fitting robes. Their tanned arms and legs were bare, and they held forks, spears, and other weapons in their hands.
Among them, knives were rarely seen. Even weapons like forks and spears were rarely made of iron. Most of them were ground animal bones or made of hard wood. Yang Fan also discovered that there were many men and women among them. The number of women was at least several times that of men.
The men held simple and crude hunting bows and led many children. Some of the men even carried babies in swaddling clothes on their backs and chests. They ran forward with all their might. Occasionally, they would hurriedly turn around and shoot an arrow. The light bamboo arrow flew into the white fog. It was unknown if it had hurt anyone.
The ones at the back were women. They held wooden forks, bone spears, and other extremely primitive weapons, desperately trying to stop the pursuers. The pursuers had already discovered the strangeness of the hillside and began to gather their men and horses, chasing along the mountain path. The women at the back were constantly falling under the sharp sabers. The pursuers often broke their spears and died with their heads separated. However, the women were not afraid. They still tried their best to use their own lives to stop the pursuers, fighting for a chance of survival for the men and children.
No one in the village cursed the shameless men who were running for their lives. They already knew that this tribe was the people of Kebaran Village, which was more than ten miles away from the White River Village.
Kebaran Village was a small tribe in the Black Man Tribe. The culture of the entire Black Man Tribe was uneven. They had a primitive social form all the way to a feudal society similar to the dynasties of the Central Plains. The White Man Tribe was more civilized than the Black Man Tribe. There were also differences within the Black Man Tribe. Some tribes were more advanced, while others were extremely primitive.
The Kebaran Village was a tribe that was similar to a primitive society. This tribe lived in the mountains, built nests in the trees, or used caves as houses. They used animal skins as clothes or a special kind of tree bark as clothes. For some reason, there had always been more men and women in this tribe. The ratio of men to women was very different. Generally, only five to ten women could have a husband.
Therefore, the only thing their husbands did was to take care of their children. When the wives went out to hunt, pick, or look for food, the husbands would hold hunting bows to protect their homes and children from the invasion of wild animals.
In a tribe like this, the affairs of the tribe were managed by the women. In a tribe like this, the social status of men and women was completely reversed. The more social rights you enjoyed, the more social obligations you had to bear. Naturally, things like fighting were the responsibility of women.
For example, in the White River Village, once a war broke out, the warriors of the village would naturally charge at the front to protect their women, elders, and children. In a society that was dominated by women like Kebaran, it was natural for the female warriors to protect the men, elders, and children.
Yang Fan already knew that there were all kinds of strange tribes in the Barbarian Tribe. When he saw the men running in front, and the women desperately covering for them, he could roughly guess what kind of existence this tribe had. But he still couldn't accept it. Seeing those women holding simple weapons being chopped to death by the fierce cavalrymen as if they were vegetables, he couldn't remain indifferent.
"Open the gate and let them in!"
"Archers, cover from both sides. Shoot when the pursuers get close!"
Yang Fan gave two orders without hesitation. Xun Er also acted as his messenger without hesitation.
Xun Er had already gotten used to being his messenger for the whole day yesterday.
Xun Er gave the order loudly and turned around to look. Yang Fan, who had been lying next to her, had disappeared. Xun Er was shocked. She suddenly stood up, looked around, and said to herself blankly, "Where is he?"
The village gate had already been reinforced. There were many sharp wooden stakes that faced outwards, and they looked like two vertical boards. After receiving Xun Er's order, the villagers moved the wooden stakes at the top of the gate and pulled open the thick wooden gate that had been reinforced several times. They then let the fleeing people of the Kebaran tribe in.
The crying children, led by their fathers, escaped into the stronghold gate. There were at least a few hundred of them, and they were still rushing into the stronghold gate. Xun Er could not leave them to die, but she was afraid that the pursuers would take the opportunity to rush into the stronghold gate. Holding the scabbard, her palms were full of cold sweat. She did not care about the whereabouts of Yang Fan.
Han Shuang, one of Wen Hao's subordinates, was riding on a horse. He held a sharp saber in his hand and slashed left and right. One by one, the barbarian women were decapitated by his saber. Han Shuang was exhilarated by the killing. Seeing that the gate of the stronghold was only ten feet away and the gate was still open, Han Shuang became even more excited. He raised his saber and shouted, "Kill our way into the stronghold!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed his legs against the horse's abdomen and stopped entangling with the barbarian women who were fighting and retreating at the same time. Instead, he charged straight towards the stronghold gate.
One step, two steps, three steps …
The speed of the horse was extremely fast. The distance of more than ten feet was covered in an instant. In front of him, the elderly and children were still staggering into the stronghold. Han Shuang was in a hurry to charge into the stronghold gate and did not notice that when the refugees reached the stronghold gate, they were like a stream of water that met a huge rock. They automatically flowed to the sides. Because the stream of people split and regrouped, Han Shuang did not notice anything strange until he was near.
When Han Shuang was near, he realized that there was a person standing at the stronghold gate.
The person stood there straight, like a sharp spear. He also held a spear in his hand. His right hand was behind his back, and the spear in his hand was placed diagonally behind him.
The bald spear was white, without tassels, and the spear's edge was like a sword!
…
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