That is, inside the sheep pens set up by the Xiongnu, everywhere there were bound Han men hiding in places where the torchlight couldn’t reach, quietly discussing how they might escape. Most of these men looked fierce and had no intention of being lambs to the slaughter. For them, rather than being escorted deep into the grasslands as slaves, it was better to risk their lives to escape—after all, death was inevitable either way.

Every time the Xiongnu raided and drove people deep into the grasslands, only two or three out of every ten Han people actually made it that far. In other words, at least seven or eight out of every ten died. The harsh environment and the Xiongnu’s unwillingness to waste food were the main reasons for the massive deaths of Han slaves during the migration.

Samuel Harris refused many invitations from people who came over to discuss escape. He quietly rested at the edge of the sheep pen. Perhaps because Samuel Harris was tall and sturdy, besides Matthew Cooper, another six people asked to stay close to Samuel Harris, hoping to seek temporary protection.

Matthew Cooper was the strong man who had sworn that afternoon to kill all the Xiongnu. According to him, the Dou family was a prominent clan in Guanzhong, and even the current Empress Dowager of the Han court bore the surname Dou. However, Matthew Cooper and the Empress Dowager Dou were worlds apart—one was a noble of the imperial court, the other a commoner from a border region.

“Can anyone really escape?” A boy of about fifteen or sixteen always liked to stick close to Samuel Harris, afraid that if he strayed too far, he’d be killed. His name was David Clark, and he claimed to be a scholar, looking very frail.

Samuel Harris was also pondering how he might escape safely. He had spent the whole day observing the Xiongnu soldiers and paying attention to the surroundings, discovering that once the Xiongnu mounted their horses, they became incredibly formidable. The environment around them was mostly unsuitable for hiding from pursuers—at the very least, it was impossible to hide many people.

Most of the area here was endless plains, mostly yellow sand and desert, with only a few patches of grass and sparse woods. The forests weren’t large; the Xiongnu could easily search the entire area with just a little effort. Not far away, Sanggan was the only town in the vicinity, but seeing its tightly shut gates, it was obvious that the people of Sanggan would never allow escapees to enter.

The Xiongnu divided over ten thousand able-bodied Han men into groups of a thousand for guarding. Each ‘sheep pen’ holding Han captives was located in a different place. For example, Samuel Harris’s ‘sheep pen’ was set at the foot of a slope. To the northwest was a Xiongnu camp with about two hundred soldiers; to the south was another ‘sheep pen’ holding Han people; further south was a camp with five hundred Xiongnu soldiers. Only the northeast and west, which were desert areas, had fewer guards.

“I could escape alone, but if I take you with me, it’ll be much harder to get away,” Samuel Harris said with great confidence. In this era of cold weapons, as one of the Republic’s most elite paratroopers, he had reason to be confident.

Matthew Cooper, David Clark, Lu Wu Zuo Mu, and the other four whose names were unknown all looked at Samuel Harris. David Clark nearly lunged at him, as if afraid that if he didn’t keep a close eye on Samuel Harris, he would suddenly disappear the next moment.

Almost at the same time, those gathered around Samuel Harris whispered, “Brother, you go escape by yourself! (Big brother, please take us with you!)” Matthew Cooper urged Samuel Harris to go alone, while most others pleaded to be taken along.

“I…” Samuel Harris was unfamiliar with everything here. He didn’t doubt his ability to escape, but he hesitated—if he did escape, could he survive in a completely unfamiliar environment? In the past half month, if not for the old man’s help, he would have starved to death long ago.

As he spoke, he squatted down, his bound hands tapping his right calf, discovering that the dagger in his camo pants was still strapped to his leg. His expression grew serious, as if he was weighing a difficult decision.

“Brother, if you don’t go now, once you’re out of the border region and into the grasslands, you’ll never get away. Take advantage of the night—while the Xiongnu are busy dividing up loot and abusing the women and children—go now!”

Samuel Harris stared at Matthew Cooper, suddenly feeling that Matthew Cooper was someone he could truly befriend. “If I leave, what will you do?”

Matthew Cooper gave a bitter smile. “Brother, if you really make it out, please kill a few more Hu barbarians for me if you get the chance. That way, you’ll have avenged me and my old father!”

“Big brother, big brother, don’t leave Tong behind.” David Clark sobbed and pleaded, and the others also begged in low voices.

Samuel Harris fell silent.

Chapter 3: The Stifling Night

A night before the Common Era, with a moonless sky so clear that every star could be seen. Beneath the starry sky, aside from the noise of the Xiongnu camp and the torchlight, there were women, clothes in disarray, occasionally running out of the sheep-hide tents, crying and wailing. The whole world felt bleak; the darkness beyond the torches was like a lurking giant beast, ready at any moment to stir and swallow people whole.

The Han court only began establishing border regions during the reign of Emperor Wen. The areas near the grasslands were mostly uninhabited, with nothing but low yellow earth mounds, none more than a few meters high. Perhaps because the border people also had herding habits, there wasn’t much grassland. From a high vantage point, all one could see was yellow sand and thick earth. The border regions lacked windbreak forests, so when the wind blew, sand filled the air.