Upon receiving the order, the Wuhuan army continued marching west.
They had not gone more than ten li when a scout rode back in haste.
"My lord! A city has appeared ahead—and the Yellow Turbans are stationed inside!"
"A city?" Qiu Liju frowned. "What city could possibly be here?"
He had traveled this road countless times over the years. There had never been a city.
He turned to Tadun.
Tadun was just as confused. "Uncle, when I came through here, there was no city."
He paused, then looked at the scout. "Did you mistake a camp for a city?"
Before the scout could answer, Tadun shook his head again.
"No… that's not right. Zhang Xin has been surrounding me at the mountain these past days. When would he have had time to build another camp?"
He was completely at a loss.
Qiu Liju asked calmly, "Did you question any nearby Han people?"
The scout shook his head. "All the locals seem to have been taken into the city. We couldn't find anyone."
Qiu Liju lowered his gaze, thinking.
"Could it be that reinforcements have already arrived…? But if so, why didn't Zhang Xin send them to attack the mountain? Why leave them here to build a city instead?"
He muttered to himself, then shook his head.
"No… there hasn't been enough time."
At last, he raised his hand decisively.
"We'll go see for ourselves."
__
When the Wuhuan army reached the pavilion, a wall of packed earth came into view.
It stretched across the official road—over a hundred paces wide and eight feet high—blocking their path completely.
Qiu Liju rode up a nearby slope with a handful of men and looked down from above.
Behind the wall stood more earthen ramparts, enclosing the area like a small city.
Dozens of large cauldrons burned within, steam rising into the cold air. Yellow Turban soldiers stood behind the walls, spears in hand, waiting in silence.
After counting carefully, Qiu Liju's expression changed.
The number of enemy soldiers… had not increased.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Zhang Xin… possesses the wisdom of gods and ghosts."
Even he was shaken.
The Yellow Turbans had been besieging the mountain for days. They could not possibly have had the time or resources to build such a structure.
And yet—
In a single night, a city had appeared.
__
Back at the front, Tadun hurried forward.
"Uncle, what did you see?"
Qiu Liju shook his head in amazement and described what he had witnessed.
When Tadun heard that the number of troops had not increased, his face went pale.
"Could… could he have divine assistance?"
For the first time, fear crept into his voice.
"Uncle… should we retreat?"
Qiu Liju's expression hardened.
"A mere dirt wall frightens you like this? Do you still deserve to be called a prince?"
Tadun swallowed. "But if not divine aid, how could he build a city overnight?"
Qiu Liju snorted coldly.
"Every year, our tribesmen kill one another. Have you ever seen the gods intervene?"
He pointed toward the wall.
"I don't know what trick Zhang Xin used—but this 'city' is barely a hundred paces wide and less than eight feet high."
"I have five thousand men. Do you think we can't break through it?"
__
At his command, dozens of riders galloped forward in a line.
They charged straight at the wall.
With a sharp cry, the riders leapt from their horses just before impact, rolling aside.
"Bang!"
The warhorses slammed into the earthen wall.
The wall did not move.
Qiu Liju's eyes narrowed.
So—it wasn't just for show.
He immediately sent more riders, this time in waves, focusing their charge on a single point.
Impact after impact rang out, mixed with the anguished cries of horses.
But the wall still stood.
From behind it, the Yellow Turban soldiers erupted in cheers.
Zhang Xin remained calm on the surface—but his palms were damp with sweat.
Thankfully… the method worked.
__
He had taken the idea from an old story—building walls by pouring water over packed earth in freezing weather, letting it harden into ice.
It was a desperate gamble.
But now, seeing the wall withstand repeated impacts, he finally relaxed.
__
Unable to break through by force, Qiu Liju changed tactics.
Arrows rained toward the city—but the defenders remained hidden behind the walls, suffering minimal losses.
With a frown, he ordered several hundred men to dismount and scale the wall.
The Wuhuan warriors rushed forward.
Gripping the top, they pulled themselves up—
Only to be met by waiting spears.
Before they could even draw their weapons, they were thrust back down.
Blood splashed across the frozen wall, melting the ice beneath their hands.
More climbed up—only to slip and fall.
Again and again, they were repelled.
After more than two hundred casualties, Qiu Liju finally sighed.
"Withdraw."
They did not have the supplies for a prolonged siege.
The nearby villages had already been looted—there was nothing left to sustain them.
To take this city would take at least three to five days.
By then, they might not even have enough food to return.
It wasn't worth it.
__
The Wuhuan army slowly pulled back, Qiu Liju personally covering the retreat.
From a distance, he looked once more at Zhang Xin standing behind the wall.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind…