Chapter 3, the sweltering night

Closer, closer... Kill him, we cannot let him pick up the horn to call for help! Lin Bin was unaware that he was no longer breathing; he tensed the muscles in his body, gripping the dagger tightly in his right hand, just five steps away from the Xiongnu soldier...

In the midst of the chaos, Lin Bin and the eight others were jostled together in the crowd, unable to control their direction and only able to move with the throng. Unknowingly, they were being swept towards the area guarded by the Xiongnu soldiers. Sima Tong cried out helplessly; the arrow still lodged in Dou Shiyan's left arm had not yet been removed, and he was struck against the arrow shaft by the crowd, causing excruciating pain that nearly made him faint. Taking advantage of his height, Lin Bin fixed his gaze on the Xiongnu soldier ahead, who was fiercely chopping at the Han people with his drawn sword.

Lin Bin counted the Xiongnu soldiers on watch and also observed that a patrol of Xiongnu would pass by approximately every twenty minutes. He knew that what Dou Shiyan said was true

The Xiongnu soldiers stationed in the barracks were busy committing acts of debauchery and dividing the spoils among themselves. Perhaps the Xiongnu had forgotten human nature; once faced with certain death, the instinct to resist would arise. They had always believed that the Han people were a group of docile sheep, never considering that the captured Han might dare to attempt an escape, especially when the chaos was escalating and they had yet to react.

Lin Bin forced a bitter smile; he did not even know if he could survive, let alone how to care for a stranger with whom he had barely exchanged a few words. Regardless of whether Gongsun Hong could see him, he nodded slightly as a form of response. At this moment, they were less than ten meters away from complete darkness, and behind them, the haunting sound of Xiongnu horns echoed, accompanied by the piercing screams that reverberated through the sky.

Dou Shiyan grimaced in pain, supported by Lin Bin as he stood up. "Damn it... damn those Xiongnu! Damn those bastards who shot me!" He pointed at the arrow that had pierced his left arm. "Brother Lin, I have been struck by an arrow from the Xiongnu. I fear I cannot escape. Quickly take Sima and the others and flee!"

Lin Bin hurriedly ran towards Dou Shiyan, and upon getting closer, he noticed that the arrow had struck his left arm. However, there were many footprints on his body, and he was softly crying out in pain. Lin Bin felt a sense of relief in his heart, "Brother Dou..."

The howling yellow sand lashed against the bound Han men, and the night began to grow sultry. It was unclear whether it was the alluring yellow sand or the men stirring the sand that caused the originally clustered Han men to slowly disperse. The faint sound of rustling could be heard everywhere, and an uneasy atmosphere lingered in the air, with the subtle sound of grass ropes being untied growing increasingly frequent.

What Lin Bin saw when he turned around was precisely the scene of the Xiongnu soldiers shooting arrows. He had originally intended to wait for the chaos to escalate before taking action. However, upon seeing the Xiongnu soldiers already in motion, he realized that further waiting would be futile. When he saw Dou Shiyan fall to the ground after being struck by an arrow, the darkness of the surroundings made it difficult to see where the arrow had hit, leading him to believe that Dou Shiyan had been killed. In a fit of rage, he let out a loud shout and turned to kick against the wooden railing, hoping to attract the attention of the Xiongnu soldiers and the chaotic crowd.

You know nothing! Do you understand what it means to be driven to the brink of death before being reborn? That is what the Martial Saint Sun Wu said! Have you not seen the Xiongnu cavalry heading south? I, Dou, support Brother Lin's words; we shall head towards the grasslands

"Someone is coming, brothers, do not panic!" With a loud voice, Dou Shiyan sprang up from the ground and shouted as he threw a punch at the person who had been pushed close to him. The punch struck the person's chest, causing him to gasp and spit out blood, collapsing to the ground, clearly demonstrating Dou Shiyan's immense strength. Before Dou Shiyan could finish laughing, an arrow shot through the air and struck his left arm, piercing the flesh with a 'thud.' Dou Shiyan, in pain, staggered and fell to the ground, quickly becoming engulfed in the crowd.

Lin Bin, disregarding the burden of Dou Shiyan on his back, crouched down to pick up a stone from the ground and hurled it with force at the Xiongnu soldier who was blowing the horn for help. Fortunately, the distance was not far, and the stone struck the soldier on the head, causing him to fall to the ground with a loud thud. After completing this, Lin Bin crouched down again to help the cursing Dou Shiyan to his feet, saying, "Let’s go, we must not follow the crowd, run towards the darkness!"

Dou Shiyan inquired in confusion: "What is this for - a map - a book? If someone runs away first, it will surely lead to imitation. When there are many people, chaos will ensue, and in the midst of chaos, one must find a way to survive. Is this not the best opportunity granted to us by heaven to escape?"

The number of Han slaves escorted by the Xiongnu was originally only over 1,000, and the Xiongnu soldiers assigned to guard the Han slaves were even fewer. Such a small number of people could not possibly oversee everything, which is also the reason why Lin Bin was confident he could escape

Dou Shiyan nudged Lin Bin with his shoulder and lowered his voice, saying, "Many people will die tonight." Clearly, he had sensed the unusual movements around them, and whether it was due to excitement or worry, his voice had become somewhat trembling.

In the end, three people turned back and ran towards the south, with the first one who had voiced his unwillingness to escape towards the grassland closely following Lin Bin and the others.

The sound of the Huns' horns began to echo continuously from all directions, and the Hun barracks on the right side of the camp also responded with their horns. However, for the moment, no Hun cavalry could be seen emerging. On the contrary, there was a commotion within the barracks, accompanied by the screams of women.

"Wait and listen to me, I did not give the order to move, you all stay still, lie flat on the ground!"

Lin Bin knew that once the Xiongnu soldiers sounded the horn, the other Xiongnu soldiers would quickly arrive: "Stop him at all costs!"

At this moment, the Xiongnu garrison stationed in the northeast finally took action, with dozens of cavalry charging out. The attire of these Xiongnu horsemen was disheveled, most of it hastily thrown on, clearly indicating that they had just engaged in acts of debauchery. They split into three groups, directly pursuing the Han people fleeing southward. For reasons unknown, they sent out fewer than ten riders to chase after the Han who were escaping towards the grasslands.

The bodies of the Xiongnu soldiers lay on the ground. Lin Bin inserted his dagger into his waistband and reached for the hilt of the curved blade tucked under his left rib. As he touched it, he felt the camouflage fabric on his left side tear from the blade, and upon touching the wound, he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, gaining a deeper understanding of the ferocity of the Xiongnu soldiers. Just as he was about to bend down to unfasten the water pouch from the Xiongnu soldier's belt, he heard a series of urgent horn blasts.

... ...

There are one hundred thousand iron cavalry of the Xiongnu over there, and fleeing in that direction leads only to a dead end

"The picture book is escaping! The Xiongnu will not let us go, everyone run!" This was not someone else calling out, but rather Dou Shiyan, who was lying on the ground, suddenly raised his head to stir up the situation. He, along with six others, was lying beside the sheep pen. Lin Bin stood beside them, and whenever someone was pushed and tried to come closer, they were all blocked and thrown out by Lin Bin.

Lin Bin still did not speak. He looked at the anxious faces of those around him, and with a slight exertion of his arms, he broke the grass ropes binding him. He then helped Dou Shiyan to free herself and nudged the young scholar Sima Tong, who was lying nearby, urging him to wake the others.

Lin Bin dodged the arrows shot by the Xiongnu, "Lu Wu Zuo Mu protect them, stay close to me..." The person Lin Bin referred to as Lu Wu Zuo Mu was not a Hu, but a true Han. This individual rarely spoke, yet exuded a formidable presence. In the chaos, Lin Bin could only entrust him with the protection of Sima Tong and the others.

Dou Shiyan's personality is straightforward, and he speaks with sarcasm: "Aren't you supposed to die in the Han Dynasty? Why did you come over?!" He was being carried by Lin Bin, speaking without a hint of embarrassment or breathlessness.

Lin Bin was originally resting with his eyes closed. Upon hearing Dou Shiyan's call, he opened his eyes, sighed, and remained silent

The scene of tens of thousands of people crowding together to escape was extremely chaotic, with many wooden barriers of the sheep pen having been knocked down. The fleeing crowd faced the danger of being killed by the Xiongnu soldiers as they rushed towards the soldiers standing with drawn swords. One person was struck down, while more took advantage of the openings created when the Xiongnu soldiers swung their blades without the ability to retract them and managed to escape. Heaven knows why they only suffered blows and did not unite to overwhelm the Xiongnu soldiers.

As more and more people sought to escape, the turmoil escalated into chaos. Lin Bin found himself unable to single-handedly block the surging crowd. "Dou Shiyan, Lu Wuzuo, get up and help me!" He turned to look outside and discovered that in the northeast direction, where there should have been five Xiongnu soldiers, only two remained. One of these Xiongnu soldiers stood with a drawn sword, his gaze fierce, while the other was nocking an arrow to his bow.

The person was initially unwilling to respond, but upon seeing Lin Bin looking back at him, he suppressed his anger and replied, "You, a rough man, understand the saying 'to die and then be reborn'; how could I, a person well-versed in military texts, not know the principle of 'more death, less life'?" Even while running, he was able to raise his hand in a bow, saying, "Lin the Brave, I am Gongsun Hong from Dai County, and I hope for your support in the future"

The oppressive calm lasted for less than an hour, when suddenly a hurried voice in Xiongnu language came from the other end of the camp where the Han people were detained. As soon as the voice fell, piercing screams echoed frequently through the night sky

Dou Shiyan was indeed very excited; he clenched his fist and nodded vigorously. However, when he saw Lin Bin pull up his trousers and draw a dagger from his calf, he was taken aback.

As one gets closer to the Xiongnu, the number of people becomes increasingly sparse. Lin Bin suddenly pushed aside the Han people blocking his way, took a large step forward, and leaned his upper body to avoid the curved blade swung down by the Xiongnu soldier. With his right hand tightly gripping the dagger, he formed a fist and struck the ground, crouching to trap the Xiongnu soldier's curved blade under his left armpit. Immediately, pain shot through his left rib, and he quickly twisted his body to prevent his entire arm from being severed. He swung the dagger in his right arm, and with a 'thud,' it pierced the heart of the Xiongnu soldier. The series of movements flowed seamlessly, and even in the midst of chaos, Sima Tong couldn't help but exclaim in admiration: "Truly a fierce warrior!"

Sima Tong and the other five individuals displayed varying expressions; aside from the two among them who were expressionless, the four, including Sima Tong, were all filled with fear.

I will not go with you; I want to return to the Han Kingdom. The grasslands belong to the Xiongnu, and we cannot escape. There is either desert or swamp there, and unfamiliar people are doomed to die! Even if I must die, I want to die on my homeland

Lin Bin swiftly cut the rope binding the water bag with a knife and secured it to his waist belt. He then rummaged through the Huns' belongings and pulled out a package, quickly pointing towards the northeast as he began to run, "We are heading that way." Lu Wu and Zuo Mu followed closely behind, carrying Dou Shiyan, while Sima Tong shouted for Lin Bin to wait for him. The other four hesitated, glancing towards the vast grassland, their pace slowing down.

Lin Bin ignored Dou Shiyan and lifted him up, moving closer to Lu Wu, Zuo Mu, and Si Ma Tong. Looking out, he saw that the ground beside the two Xiongnu soldiers was already covered with the bodies of slain Han people. One of the Xiongnu soldiers was about to untie the "deer horn" (which referred to a cow horn, but was called a deer horn at that time) to blow a signal for help.

On a night before the Common Era, under a moonless sky, the clarity allowed one to see every star. Beneath the starry sky, apart from the clamor of the Xiongnu camp and the flickering torchlight, there were women, disheveled and crying, who occasionally rushed out from the sheep-skin tents. The entire world was enveloped in desolation; the darkness, untouched by the torchlight, resembled a lurking giant beast, as if it could stir at any moment and swallow people whole. There were also those women, disheveled and crying, who occasionally rushed out from the sheep-skin tents. The entire world was enveloped in desolation; the darkness, untouched by the torchlight, resembled a lurking giant beast, as if it could stir at any moment and swallow people whole.

The wooden stakes were not deeply embedded in the ground, and with a powerful kick from Lin Bin, an entire row was uprooted and collapsed outward. Upon seeing the wooden barrier fall, the chaotic crowd disregarded the Xiongnu soldiers glaring at them from the front and began to push towards this direction.

Lin Bin's running speed did not slow down, gradually creating some distance between himself and them. Seeing that Lu Wu Zuo Mu was unable to run fast while carrying Dou Shi Yan, he turned back and swiftly took Dou Shi Yan from Lu Wu Zuo Mu, carrying her on his back. "Lu Wu Zuo Mu looked at Si Ma Tong and said, 'Don't let him fall behind. As for the others... you are free to do as you wish!'" After saying this, he began to run wildly again. Time was of the essence; his goal was the dark area to the northeast, over a hundred meters away. As long as he could merge into the darkness before the Xiongnu soldiers caught up, he could at least temporarily evade their pursuit before dawn.

The Han court began to establish frontier commanderies only during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han. The areas near the grasslands were mostly uninhabited, characterized by low earthen mounds, each less than ten feet high. It is possible that the frontier residents also had a habit of herding livestock, as there was not much water and grassland available. From a high vantage point, one could see thick yellow sand and soil everywhere, and the frontier commanderies lacked windbreaks in the form of trees, allowing strong winds to sweep up and disperse the yellow sand.

The chilling scream pierced the air, causing the entire camp to fall silent. Almost immediately, the sweltering air seemed to be ignited by the piercing cry, and the bound Han men erupted into chaos. They stood up and shouted as if suddenly startled, resembling a group of lost lambs without a sense of direction, running about in all directions. Some were knocked down, trampled indiscriminately by the frenzied crowd in an instant