Chapter 359: Who Saw His White Hair First

Xu Beizhi had initially thought that once they neared Maolong, he would need to be cautious to infiltrate the south. However, he soon realized the situation was unexpectedly different. Tens of thousands of refugees were frantically streaming along both sides of the post roads, many of them in luxurious clothes, on fine horses, and in grand carriages. In Beiliang, several main post roads were, by law, off-limits to anything other than military horses; violators would be immediately executed. Many imperial family members had already risked their lives to test the Beiliang Empress's resolve, so even in their desperate flight, no powerful family dared to set foot on the main post roads. Fortunately, the massive flow of people had already trampled two flat paths on either side of the post roads, allowing carriages and horses to pass, albeit slowly. Beiliang's post roads crisscrossed like a net. Xu Beizhi's carriage traveled against the current of refugees, while behind them, iron cavalry from military garrisons, having galloped from other post roads, rapidly moved south. Xu Beizhi instructed an accompanying Archer Ridge cavalry officer, who was escorting them, to gather information. The answer he received left him even more astonished. Despite Huang Songpu personally leading 90,000 elite cavalry to confront the Beiliang army, a contingent of Beiliang iron cavalry had still broken through the hastily erected defenses and was thrusting directly south towards the capital. Their momentum was unstoppable, as if they regarded the three great generals as insignificant, the two banner-bearing commanders as mere decorations, and intended to wipe out all civil and military officials in the Southern Imperial Court in one swoop! Such audacity was historically only seen when northern cavalry moved south.

This cavalry force, whose exact number was still unknown, were undoubtedly the Great Snow Dragon Riders, as they all rode white horses and wore white armor. Their movement further loosened Huang Songpu's already less-than-strict defenses. The Great King of the Southern Court, who always advocated winning through conventional means, speculated that this was another devious tactic, similar to the "besieging the city to strike reinforcements" strategy used in the Battle of Hulu Pass. With numerous military garrisons behind them, none of whom were easily defeated, only 20,000 light cavalry were dispatched to pursue. Strict orders were given against initiating engagement, with more attention focused on constructing defenses and closely monitoring the remaining Beiliang iron cavalry. Furthermore, two uncompromising military directives were issued.

The people in the southern parts of the Southern Dynasty didn't care whether the generals had flawless plans, were confident, or would eventually eliminate the Beiliang barbarians. They only heard that if those barbarians' hooves entered a city, it would mean a massacre, until the city was empty. They also heard that even the sharp Beiliang knives had become dulled from repeatedly beheading people. A mere 10,000 Dragon Elephant soldiers were already so fierce; the combined force of over 10,000 from Wazhu and Junziguan was not even enough to satisfy their appetite, let alone Xu Rentu's 30,000 personal troops. If King Xu personally came to Beiliang, could ordinary people drown that butcher with their spit? Who the hell swore to them that if Beiliang's iron cavalry were willing to go south and fight, they could fill the Ganliang river bend with the corpses of 300,000 Beiliang armored soldiers, piling them into an unprecedentedly huge mound? Which son of a bitch dared to trick them like that again? They'd punch him until his teeth were scattered on the ground!

Xu Beizhi lifted the curtain and, smiling, introduced a cavalry unit outside the window, whose expressions were unusually solemn, to Xu Fengnian. "That's the army from Huangxian Town. The general commanding them is Gu Luo, the son-in-law of the Longyao Prefecture's banner-bearing commander. He usually looks down on everyone, but it seems you've truly scared them. The cavalrymen's expressions are like those going to their deaths. A few years ago, when the Beiliang army was mentioned, they would just sneer."

Xu Fengnian said flatly, "Puffed up with pride."

Xu Beizhi laughed, "Are you talking about me?"

Xu Fengnian frowned, "When you're in Beiliang, don't always talk about 'your Beiliang' this and that. Beiliang is inherently exclusive, and it's much the same in both the military and officialdom. I won't discuss the pros and cons of this stubborn habit, but in short, you need to be careful."

Xu Beizhi nodded, "I have my own considerations."

Xu Fengnian muttered to himself, "They won't really push all the way to the Southern Imperial Court in one go, will they? That would take thousands of pounds of bear heart and leopard guts. Who could be leading them? It doesn't seem like Yuan Zuozong's style."

Xu Beizhi hesitated, then slowly said, "Have you noticed that Beiliang is a bit like the fields we saw on the southern foothills of Mount Rouran?"

Xu Fengnian asked, "Lacking a fresh supply?"

Xu Beizhi slowly said, "Among the King of Beiliang's six adopted sons, Chen Zhibao goes without saying; he could be granted territory and become a king anywhere, and with his talent, he could even start his own domain. Yuan Zuozong is an undisputed military talent; leading a single front would certainly be easy for him, and he could effortlessly conquer cities and strongholds with tens of thousands of elite soldiers, but commanding an entire situation is another matter. Qi Dangguo is merely a brute, charging into battle, carrying the Xu family's royal banner. Ye Xizhen excels at overt strategies, praised as the next Zhao Changling, a brilliant tactician. Ultimately, he's still a strategist behind the scenes, waving a feather fan, who needs to rely on others. Yao Jian is a geomancer skilled in unusual practices, always peace-loving, so there's no need to mention him further. As for Chu Lushan..."

Xu Fengnian smiled, "Among Xu Xiao's six adopted sons, if anyone could barely stand alongside Chen Zhibao, it would be him. He's a true all-rounder; everything he knows, he masters. My master's fame wasn't as apparent because of Zhao Changling, and Chu Qiuer is in a similar situation compared to Chen Zhibao."

Xu Beizhi continued, "The younger generals like Wei Fucheng, Dian Xiongchu, and Ning Emei are all far behind Chen Zhibao. Moreover, those who lean towards you, the Prince, are pitiably few. So, apart from Chen Zhibao and Chu Lushan, there are truly no other outstanding military generals in Beiliang who could single-handedly contend with figures like Dong Zhuo."

Isolated and without help, Xu Zihugu was naturally hit many times. However, after surrendering, she secretly slipped a snowball into Xu Fengnian's collar and was quite content. Xu Fengnian grimaced as he pulled snow chunks from inside his clothes and said to his second elder sister, "How about we go enjoy the scenery at Tide-Listening Pavilion?"

Xu Weixiong refused without hesitation, "No, I need to study."

Xu Zihugu helped her brother remove the snow chunks and laughed, "Girls just need to marry into a good family and find a good husband. You read so many military books, do you want to be a general?"

Xu Weixiong glanced at her older sister, who had been like an adversary since childhood, couldn't be bothered to speak, and turned to leave.

Xu Zihugu made a face at her younger sister's retreating back. Xu Weixiong seemed to have eyes in the back of her head; she paused, turned, and coldly said, "How many more years do you think Xu Fengnian has left to play?"

Seeing that things were taking a bad turn, and knowing he'd certainly be caught in the crossfire if he stayed, Xu Fengnian quickly pulled Huang Man'er away from this battlefield.

He only learned later that his two elder sisters had made a bet.

That year, the snow in Beiliang was exceptionally heavy.

The young prince almost thought the heavens were an old farmer raising geese; otherwise, how could so much "goose-feather" snow fall?

Led by a man cloaked in black, Xu Fengnian entered Maolong military garrison by carriage. The taciturn man himself acted as the coachman.

The armored guards patrolling Maolong, who were under strict martial law, all stood solemnly at attention upon seeing the man's token.

A General's Token.

In the vast Beiliang, with its 300,000 iron cavalry, there were only nine such tokens in total.

The Great General's six adopted sons each held one, while the other three were in unknown hands.

Xu Fengnian recognized the General's Token, and thus knew the coachman's identity.

He had only one title: Chou.

One of Xu Xiao's Earthly Branch Death Warriors.

In the Battle of Concubine's Tomb, Yuan Zuozong was not the only one who survived; this death warrior also lived.

The number of people he killed was actually not much less than that of Yuan Zuozong, the White Bear.

Xu Fengnian did not reveal his identity as the Prince or stay at the general's residence in Maolong garrison. Instead, he chose a quiet inn. The innkeeper and his staff had already fled, but with Qingniao by his side, Xu Fengnian didn't need to do anything himself; everything was comfortably taken care of.

When Xu Fengnian said he wanted to stay there for a few more days, Chou naturally had no objections.

This steel-hearted death warrior, upon first seeing the Prince, had a momentary lapse of composure.

As he wrote four specific characters in a secret letter, his hand trembled slightly.

The Prince's white hair.

After waiting for three days, Xu Fengnian set off, leaving the city and heading south.

The carriage had not yet reached Ligu military garrison.

Waves of iron hooves thundered across the ground.

No fewer than five thousand white-horse iron cavalry surged forward like a sweeping line of heavy snow.

Xu Fengnian stepped out of the carriage with a wry smile, facing the iron cavalry pursuing them from behind.

The leading rider galloped swiftly, then slowed down. A woman rode her horse to within a dozen paces of Xu Fengnian, looking down at him with cold eyes.

She had so many reprimanding words hidden within her, even thinking of giving him a few lashes with her whip and then tying him up to take him back to Beiliang. But when she saw the unusually unfamiliar sight before her, this valiant woman, who could enter Beiliang as if into an uninhabited land, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Xu Fengnian hesitated to speak.

She raised her horsewhip, pointed it at Xu Fengnian, and furiously said, "Xu Fengnian, if you have the guts, then die in Beiliang!"

She turned her horse and galloped away.

After turning her back on the white-haired man, her vision blurred, and she clutched her chest with one hand.

Xu Fengnian stood frozen in place, looking up at the sky, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the dazzling sunlight.

The snow-like iron cavalry arrived quickly and departed just as swiftly.

As Xu Fengnian was about to return to the carriage, a barefoot boy in black robes plummeted diagonally from the sky, crashing down and forming a huge crater.

Xu Beizhi, who had stepped out of the carriage and was standing by the horses, gaped.

The black-robed boy, initially beaming with a simple smile and gazing foolishly at his older brother, suddenly burst into tears. Then he let out a roar towards the north. Even with his hands over his ears, Xu Beizhi couldn't bear the sound, and the two horses immediately bled from all seven orifices and died on the spot. If Chou, the death warrior, hadn't grabbed Xu Beizhi's arm, his fate would have been no better. Only Xu Fengnian, who no longer had the Great Huangting accompanying him, was entirely unaffected.

The black-robed boy squatted down, picked up his brother, whom he thought was gravely injured, and intended to carry him home like that.

Xu Fengnian patted Huang Man'er's head and smiled, "I'm fine. You go and stop Second Sister first; don't let her lead the troops north."

Huang Man'er vigorously shook his head.

The heavens and earth could be vast, but nothing was more important than protecting his brother on his back.

Xu Fengnian patiently said, "Be good. The three of us siblings will go home together."

Just as Huang Man'er was carefully setting Xu Fengnian down, a rider returned.