Chapter 581: Warhorse Nickname, Rust Dingdong

A detachment of fifty cavalrymen galloped across the grasslands on the Liang-Mang border towards a heavily guarded pasture. Northern Liang's emphasis on horse management was unparalleled in the world. Every man in this detachment carried a saber and a crossbow, and their warhorses were all top-grade. Clearly, they were elite combat forces—they were the skirmishers of Northern Liang.

Among Northern Mang's eighty types of cavalry units, apart from Dong Zhuo's "Crow Riders," which were fed with vast amounts of gold and silver, there were no other enemy scouts that the skirmishers paid attention to. This wasn't merely the skirmishers' arrogance, but confidence accumulated through numerous close-quarters, bloody engagements. As for the White Horse Scouts, who were considered the most formidable among the skirmish cavalry, to put it plainly, if you picked out any one of them, even a regular border army captain would respectfully make way for them, completely convinced!

This detachment, formerly part of the Little Snow Camp Skirmishers, had just accumulated enough military merits to all be promoted to White Horse Scouts. Therefore, the Northern Liang Protector-General, Chu Lushan, specially granted them permission to select warhorses at Xianli Pasture. If these fifty cavalrymen weren't entitled to pride, who in the world would be worthy of pride in front of them? This detachment, in last year's raid that riddled the Southern Dynasty, cleared the way for eight thousand Dragon-Elephant Army and the Great Snow Dragon Riders, dismantled over ten Northern Mang signal towers, and beheaded no fewer than two hundred people. Of the fifty scouts who penetrated deep into enemy territory, only four ultimately remained: Detachment Commander Li Hanlin, Vice Commanders Lu Dou and Li Shiyue, and Squad Leader Fang Hutou.

Forty-six of the cavalrymen were mostly seasoned scouts, but there were also skilled individuals transferred to the Little Snow Camp from the Liangzhou Border Army, like the youngest squad leader in the detachment, also the youngest in age, a baby-faced youth nicknamed "Flea." He was once a cavalryman in the Dragon-Elephant Army and personally participated in the Battle of Hulu Pass. He killed four enemies, which wasn't too astonishing. But he killed eighteen horses, leaving the record officer, who meticulously documented military achievements, speechless. This youth, whose ancestors were all border herdsmen, also made people not know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't want military merits; he just squatted beside his beloved warhorse, which had died in battle, and wailed. This alarmed Yuan Zuozong and He Zhonghu, the Deputy Commander of the Cavalry Army, who were passing by at the time. Old General He patiently knelt beside the child, comforting him for a long time, but it was useless. The old general, exasperated, slapped the rascal's head and angrily ordered his personal attendant to bring over a magnificent horse that had only been ridden for less than half a month. The youth didn't stand on ceremony with Commander He and accepted it reluctantly, with an arrogant attitude that implied, "I'm only taking it to save your face." If Yuan Zuozong hadn't dragged him away, the hot-tempered Commander He would have kicked the little scoundrel.

No one in this detachment called the youth by his name; anyway, his two warhorses were called "Little Flea" and "Big Flea." Everyone was used to calling him "Flea." If anyone dared to touch "Big Flea" now, the young squad leader would surely fight them to the death. He'd get even more agitated than if someone touched his wife. This was no joke. When he first became a skirmisher, Squad Leader Hong Run had a taste of it, and the youth, as agile as a wild ape, beat him black and blue. The youth's martial arts had no system; they were all wild techniques learned from unknown sources, especially his horsemanship, which was so superb and skilled that he could sleep on a galloping horse. In this detachment, only Commander Li Hanlin could touch "Big Flea." As for fighting, the double-pupiled Lu Dou could easily defeat the youth. But he couldn't withstand this persistent fellow who, despite losing repeatedly, would entangle you for days and nights. Lu Dou also couldn't truly kill this stubborn child, and he wasn't interested in teasing this subordinate. In the end, only Li Hanlin could "enjoy the favor."

They were already approaching Xianli Pasture, one of Northern Liang's best. The air was filled with the strong smell of horse manure. The fifty cavalrymen almost simultaneously inhaled deeply, their faces filled with delight. Many men wouldn't feel so comfortable even when lying on soft-skinned women in brothels. The young squad leader stood on "Big Flea's" back as if his feet were firmly nailed to it. He looked around and quickly made a unique hand gesture of the Little Snow Camp Skirmishers. Vice Commander Li Shiyue, having received the "enemy report," jokingly cursed: "Flea, you're crazy about fighting, you haven't even tasted a woman yet. You're a perfectly vigorous young man. Last time, the detachment commander finally took us to 'eat meat.' At the brothel, the brothers thought one was too few, afraid of diminishing our commander's prestige. Look at Fang Hutou, he called for three 'sisters,' not at all worried that our wealthy Commander Li's purse wasn't fat enough. But you, you squatted at the room door, saying you were keeping watch for us. Aren't you ashamed?"

Fang Hutou, who looked fierce but had an extremely gentle nature, chuckled, touched his lips, and looked somewhat smug.

Flea curled his lip in disdain: "'Sisters'? Calling them aunts or grandaunts would still be too young. Old squad leaders used to say 'old ox eats young grass.' Fang Hutou, on the other hand, 'young ox eats old grass' – what a waste! How is that different from a foal nibbling on grass roots? And he's talking about me? I feel ashamed!"

Fang Hutou grinned, showing his teeth.

Li Hanlin chuckled softly: "That brothel in Liangzhou border town is just passable. But compared to my hometown in Lingzhou, it's truly miles apart. In the future, if there's a chance, I'll take you to Lingzhou to 'ride horses.' Plump ones, slender ones, tall ones, petite ones, ones with pointed chins, ones with shapely behinds, ones with big bosoms – you'll find them all."

"Riding horses" was a slang term used by the Northern Liang border army. The more than forty cavalrymen behind Li Hanlin all had drooling expressions. And Li Shiyue even wiped his mouth and drool directly. Only the youth rolled his eyes and said: "You guys go on with your nonsense, don't drag me into it. I'm fine with just Big Flea. If I ever truly find a girl I like and connect with, I'm going to marry her."

A bald cavalryman, sitting cross-legged on his horse, chewing on a sweet grass stalk, chuckled: "Flea, you're not into big burly men, are you? How about me? Brother here is a two-hundred-pound man; I have muscles, stamina, and spear skills. If you try it and don't like it, you can always return it."

Although Flea was a virgin, having been in the army for many years, he had heard all sorts of crude and vulgar talk. He cast a sidelong glance at the large bald head. "Xie Gong, just go ride that mare under your butt. No wonder I hear your 'Little Date' neighing in the stable every night. Take it easy; treating warhorses well is an iron rule of Northern Liang. If you, Xie Gong, really 'ruin' Little Date, even our detachment commander can't cover for you."

Li Shiyue, Fang Hutou, and the other rough men burst into laughter together. Xie Gong didn't mind, shaking his bald head and chuckling to himself. He didn't forget to lean down and pat his mount's back. This man, who had once gouged out and eaten the eyeballs of a Northern Mang scout with his fingers, said in an unusually gentle voice: "Little Date, don't mind our squad leader. Higher rank bullies people; there's no logic to argue with that."

This detachment of skirmishers originally didn't have the habit of nicknaming their warhorses. But the youth had given nicknames to all fifty warhorses in the detachment. For example, Xie Gong's "Little Date," Fang Hutou's "Big Round," Li Shiyue's "Plum," and Kang Zhen's "Old Father-in-law," and so on. No one escaped. Over time, everyone simply accepted it.

Flea suddenly shouted, "Commander!"

Li Shiyue rolled his eyes and said, "You brat, you're always peeing. Big one or small one? Can't you hold it a bit longer? It's only a few steps to Xianli Pasture."

The youth, for the first time, said awkwardly, "Small one."

Li Hanlin snapped his fingers, and in an instant, the fifty men separated from their horses. Then they stood in a line, pulling their Northern Liang sabers behind them, and simultaneously unbuckled their belts. The fifty warhorses almost simultaneously stopped their hooves, turned their heads, and slowly halted behind their masters.

For Northern Liang's three hundred thousand iron cavalry, warhorses were truly the wives they depended on for survival.

And they were much more obedient than real wives, never leaving or abandoning them.

How many Northern Liang cavalrymen died on the battlefield, and how many warhorses starved themselves to death after their masters died?!

"Commander, I heard last time when you, Vice Commander Lu, and Vice Commander Li went to the Northern Mang signal towers, you liked to use barbarian heads as urinals as you fought your way north?"

"Nonsense."

"Commander, why are you still being polite and humble? All the brothers in the Little Snow Camp say so, even the Commander-in-Chief didn't deny it. Vice Commander Lu, isn't that right?"

"Spoon, you're still too young and naive! What's the point of asking Wooden Lu? You should ask me, the brilliant, mighty, and handsome Vice Commander Li! I'll tell you the truth..."

"Vice Commander Li, Vice Commander Li, you peed your pants."

"Huh? You son of a gun! You dare to trick me, Spoon? You just went to a brothel and now you dare to make fun of your Vice Commander? Take this!"

"Damn you, Vice Commander Li, are you alright, old man? Why are you peeing all over me? Go pee on Spoon instead..."

"Alright, alright, stop! Old rule: whoever pees the farthest, their warhorse gets to enter the stable and eat grass first. Who is it today?"

"Commander Li!"

"Yes, absolutely you, Commander Li! That pee could definitely reach Northern Mang!"

"Exactly! Who else but Commander Li can pee with such charm? Anyone shameless, step forward! I'll be the first to beat them up!"

"Damn it, I can tolerate others flattering, but you, Gao Changhong, clearly peed the farthest! You're a squad leader, at least show some ambition! Commander Li, even if this kind of scoundrel pees the farthest, he's only fit to be at the bottom. So you're still first, it's set in stone!"

Lu Dou, the double-pupiled, rubbed his forehead. Having such a shameless bunch of subordinates was truly a headache.

Detachment Commander Li Hanlin, with a stern face, solemnly nodded, buckled his belt, and swung onto his horse.

After a brief period of laughter and horseplay, all fifty White Horse Scouts re-mounted their horses. No one was lounging around, standing, sitting, crouching, or lying; they all stood tall and straight. The fifty cavalrymen then "charged" one by one through Xianli Pasture's gate. Just fifty men, fifty sabers, and fifty crossbows, yet that arrogant air of "whoever blocks our way dies" was fully displayed in this silent, grim, and rapid entry on horseback.

The soldiers in the pasture's watchtowers stared blankly at the mere fifty cavalrymen, their minds swayed, their faces showing heartfelt admiration and awe.

A group of people ascended the beacon tower at the summit of Luohu Hill. Among them were the Old Grand Tutor Sun Xiji; the green-robed scholar Cao Changqing, who still held the fourth position in the world's martial arts rankings; Jiang Ni, carrying a zitan sword-case on her back; and over ten remnants of Western Chu who had emerged from Red Deer Cave. Most were descendants of meritorious figures who had followed their fathers into reclusion in the mountains for many years, now in the prime of their youth. It was hard to imagine that this very group of young people would become the pillars supporting Western Chu's restoration. The youngest among them, not yet an adult, carried four long swords on his back. He was the grandson of Lu Dantian, Western Chu's last remaining grandmaster of the sword, named Lu Sichu. His descent from the mountain was mostly for wandering the martial world; no one expected him to get involved in the restoration. However, the youth had spent some time with Li Chungang in Red Deer Cave, but at the time, he didn't know that the old man in sheepskin who was planting rice was the Sword God. He regretted it immensely. So this time, he secretly slipped down the mountain, unwilling to return until he had earned some fame. The youth's gaze constantly, secretly flickered towards the princess ahead, lightly touching and then moving away. This happened many times over a long period. But the elders beside him had no mind to pay attention to a child's nascent affections. And Jiang Ni, ranked among the top three beauties, never paid any attention to this refined youth whom she always felt hadn't grown up. As they ascended, Pei Sui, a "survivor" of the Pei clan, one of the Ten Great Clans of the Spring and Autumn period, spoke softly: "Zhao Ying, the King of Huainan, who is effectively a puppet, has already stationed troops at Huashan. King Jing'an Zhao Xun's six thousand cavalry have also reached Gaao Lake. As for Zhao Zhu, the Crown Prince of King Yanchao, his thousand men are currently nowhere to be seen. In my opinion, if our Great Chu wishes to manage the northern territories, we must first defeat these 'King-Pacifying Armies' that claim to suppress rebellion, to eliminate future troubles. Moreover, after they suffer losses, various forces will naturally rise up in the territories governed by the different vassal kings. I doubt King Guangling Zhao Yi would risk his life and fortune to raise troops in support of the other vassal kings."

A burly old general, veteran of a hundred battles, nodded in agreement: "Old Grand Tutor, Mister Cao, Pei Sui's words are not wrong."

Sun Xiji found the climb arduous, panting, and seemed oblivious. Cao Changqing looked at the mighty Guangling River at the foot of Luohu Hill and smiled faintly: "Xie Xichui, what do you think?"

Xie Xichui was a thin young man, only about four or five years older than Lu Sichu. He slowly said: "If we do that, our forces will be too scattered, playing right into Lu Shengxiang's hands. Gaining temporary local advantages would harm the overall situation in the Central Plains. This is a trap set by the Liyang court. The bait is the repeated 'revolts' of the remnants of the fallen Spring and Autumn states, making us believe there's an opportunity. In reality, when it comes to fighting, comparing them to the truly elite tiger-wolf armies under the Zhao imperial family, Eastern Yue, Northern Han, and Southern Tang are far inferior. It was like this twenty years ago, let alone now; only our Great Chu still has a chance. Since they can't even be relied upon for battle, don't expect them to achieve great things. Contesting for the empire is just empty talk and offers no benefit."

Pei Sui was contradicted directly by someone younger than him, but instead of getting angry, he fell into deep thought.

Xie Xichui, the only one among the group from a humble background, showed no sign of nervousness. He stopped, extended a finger, and traced from west to east, saying solemnly: "According to the strategic analysis of Gu Dazu, the foremost general of Southern Tang, because the world's geography is generally higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast, and mountain ranges and waterways mostly run east-west, leading to north-south stalemates, the north often prevails over the south. Especially since the southeast is bordered by the sea, lacking room for maneuver, and being low-lying, it's difficult to attack uphill and largely remains on the defensive. Many southern separatist regimes prefer to rely on large rivers for naval battles to obstruct northern cavalry's land advances. However, Guangling Dao, located in the central north-south section, is somewhat different. It has both the natural advantage of defending the river and the valuable foundation of its strategic geography being interdependent with the major towns of the Two Huais. Therefore, if defending the river fails, one can retreat to defend the Huai; if that also fails, there is still the final fallback to defend the He, preventing a complete rout for a thousand li. Since we have such geographical advantages and popular support, we shouldn't waste them. Just two things: one is to attack; directly concentrate forces, seek opportunities, and decisively defeat Lu Shengxiang, Yang Shenxing, and Yan Zhenchun in one fell swoop, settling the matter. If we fight, we must directly shatter their morale. The second thing is very easy: take a beating. There are four major strongholds guarding the He, and six locations guarding the Huai, all currently in our hands. Let those vassal kings' personal armies come and attack; with them?"

Cao Changqing neither said Xie Xichui was right nor wrong. He chuckled softly, "Go on. I know you're nicknamed 'Xie Half-Sentence'."

Xie Xichui nodded and said: "Regarding taking a beating, it's not that I, Xie Xichui, underestimate the heroes of the world; it's truly that our Great Chu holds all the advantages and there's no need to worry. Back when the Xu family's iron cavalry swept southward, our general defending the River defected, but the two defense lines along the Huai and He still made Xu Xiao suffer greatly. The desperate battle at Princess Tomb, the Great Halberdiers holding Jing River, and then the decisive battle at Western Rampart, along with many smaller skirmishes mixed in... which one wasn't fought until only bones remained, no flesh? At that time, it was almost to the point where if Xu Xiao gave Chu Lushan three thousand soldiers today, he could wipe everyone out on the same day. If not for Chen Zhibao's meticulous art of command, reaching a state of perfection; if not for Yuan Zuozong, with his excellent strategic vision, winning several crucial tough battles consecutively; Xu Xiao might not have been able to swallow Western Rampart in one gulp, like a snake swallowing an elephant..."

As the young man spoke, the Old Grand Tutor Sun Xiji suddenly lamented: "Unfortunately, history has no 'ifs.' Winners become kings, losers become bandits. The mighty Great Chu became the fallen Western Chu, and Liyang soared to become the co-ruler of the world. In fact, at that time, Great Chu viewed Liyang just as Liyang now views Northern Mang: both were uncivilized barbarians, even if they wore scholarly robes, they were still insignificant."

Xie Xichui respected the Old Grand Tutor and waited quietly for a moment. Seeing that the old man seemed to have nothing more to add, he continued: "Now, as the great war between Liyang and our Great Chu is about to begin, the Zhao imperial family lacks popular support. They think they have victory assured and are trying to win on two chessboards simultaneously: one is to defeat us, and the other is to win the world. We actually don't need to overcomplicate things. Liyang wants to use Great Chu's knife to kill people, to extinguish the last breath of the Spring and Autumn remnants. But they need to see if they have the ability to firmly grasp this knife. Therefore, our strike must be swift, precise, and ruthless. Taian City, in the end, only has two protective screens: one is Gu Jiantang's old faction, long since moved north to the Liangliao border; the other is the nascent force led by the 'Two Lus' of the Ministry of War, Lu Baijie and Lu Shengxiang. Gu Jiantang is constrained by Northern Mang, and Lu Shengxiang, with his wings still unfledged, has led his troops south. If we don't strike now, when will we?"

Pei Sui frowned, "Lu Shengxiang was originally an old hand at Guangling Spring Snow Tower; he's no stranger to us. Wouldn't he have countermeasures hidden?"

Xie Xichui shook his head, "Lu Shengxiang knowing is one thing; whether he can act on it is another. Take the Ministry of War: Lu Shengxiang is only a Left Vice Minister, not even a Minister. How can he control veteran generals like Yang Shenxing and Yan Zhenchun, who are meritorious figures from the Spring and Autumn period? Moreover..."

Pei Sui smiled, "Xie Half-Sentence, you don't need to say the second half. I understand. The Zhao emperor is incomparably arrogant. It's not impossible that he deliberately wants us to taste a little sweetness. As you said, the various vassal kings' armies are all bait. Since the Liyang court dares to harbor such contempt, why don't we generously take the bait and climb up the pole?"

Xie Xichui smiled knowingly.

Sun Xiji entered the beacon tower, ascended the stairs to the top, and gazed at the mighty river flowing eastward at the foot of the mountain. Except for Cao Changqing and Jiang Ni, everyone else intentionally moved away.

The old man said calmly, "The imperial court sending me back here to be the Military Governor of Guangling Dao is nothing but those four words: 'Please enter the urn'."

Cao Changqing said softly, "The forces of Zhulu Mountain, and Huang Sanjia's spies around Guangling Dao, are all at our disposal."

The old man turned to look at the Confucian Sage, whom he had personally watched grow, and said sadly, "Changqing, Great Chu has dragged you down."

Cao Jialongli was the most proud. After entering the palace as a youth, he studied under Imperial Preceptor Li Mi, excelling first in the Great Chu imperial palace. For over a decade afterward, he remained obscure, serving as a royal chess attendant, like an entertainer. After the fall of Great Chu, if not for this Master Cao, who single-handedly challenged Taian City, who would still remember that Great Chu still had people left?!

Cao Changqing shook his head and said, "Old Grand Tutor, you should know what I seek, and what I regret."

The old man rested his hands on the wall bricks.

A young beacon guard on duty at Luohu Hill's beacon tower, with such a large group of important figures standing on the top floor, could only hold his halberd and cower in a corner, unable to suppress his surging excitement. The Old Grand Tutor, Master Cao, and the Princess—just seeing any one of them would have made his life worthwhile!

When the beacon guard with a sword at his waist saw the woman with the zitan sword-case walking towards him, he was stunned.

The beautiful woman, famous throughout the world for controlling swords over Taian City, gently extended a finger. The beacon guard's saber flew from its scabbard and landed in her hand. She gazed at the old sword, which had just been brought out of the armory and saw the light of day again. She used her finger to wipe away a few strands of rust that ordinary people would find hard to remove. She tapped it with a finger, producing a series of tinkling sounds, like a pleasant wind chime.

The beacon guard didn't even know how he took back his saber from the Princess; he was completely beside himself.

Sun Xiji and Cao Changqing exchanged a smile.

Jiang Ni said softly, "I'm going to Western Rampart for another look."

Cao Changqing nodded.

The young woman pressed two fingers together and swiped forward. The Great Liang Dragon Sparrow loudly unsheathed. She stood on the sword blade, floating as if about to ascend to heaven. She descended on the sword, then made a sharp turn, flying along the surface of the great river, heading for the ancient battlefield site of Western Rampart.

Lu Sichu slowly walked to the edge of the tower, gazing entranced at the disappearing figure. The youth had seen the Princess long ago in the beautiful Red Deer Cave in Jiangnan. But he remembered that Sister Jiang was lazy at sword practice back then, and her skill wasn't very profound. She had only learned the art of sword control, but when controlling a sword in the air, she couldn't go more than a few feet off the ground and was still wobbly. The youth only knew that Sister Jiang had traveled to Northern Liang and Northern Mang, and her skill had advanced by leaps and bounds. He couldn't even catch up; he used to have to look up at her lofty presence, and he felt it would always be like that. The youth sighed, wondering what kind of man Sister Jiang Ni would like in the future; it certainly wouldn't be him, Lu Sichu.

Sun Xiji suddenly lowered his voice and indignantly said, "What virtue or ability does that Xu family brat have to be worthy of our Princess?!"

Cao Changqing's eyes were gentle as he softly said, "Unknown beginning, unknown end."

The Old Grand Tutor was still indignant and let out a cold snort.

Cao Changqing kept a thought to himself:

"Xu Fengnian, if I, Cao Changqing, one day transition from a Confucian scholar to a hegemon, achieving the terrestrial immortal realm twice in my life, yet still fail to protect the Princess, you must not disappoint me!"