Chapter 685: Knife Drawn

Over eight thousand fierce Qiang cavalry, just as Chu Lushan had predicted, cut directly between Qingcang and Linyao cities from the border of Gusei Prefecture. The fast, lightly armored Qiang cavalry were used by Liu Gui to sever the connection between the two military strongholds.

The Qiang tribe had long been a thorn in the side of successive Central Plains overlords. The Great Feng Dynasty was harassed for two full centuries by the elusive Qiang cavalry. Every Qiang child learned to ride sheep and shoot small birds and rodents; as they grew older and stronger, they would ride horses to hunt foxes and rabbits, almost born warriors on horseback. The various light cavalry units in the Central Plains gradually rose to prominence, largely as a forced countermeasure against the Qiang cavalry, making the Qiang cavalry one of the "teachers" of Central Plains cavalry. Around the time Xu Xiao took control of Beiliang, the Qiang tribe gradually declined, especially since the Xu family's iron cavalry often used large groups of Qiang cavalry for training exercises. This was undoubtedly a disaster that added insult to injury for the Qiang. Therefore, the Qiang tribe was a natural ally of Beimang. During this southern invasion of the Central Plains, leaders of various Qiang tribes, large and small, set aside their grievances, exchanged hostages, and made vows. Under Beimang's leadership, they even allied with other tribes and some northwestern ethnic groups oppressed by the Xu family's border army. This allowed them to gather nearly nine thousand cavalry and over twenty thousand warhorses, and under the banner of the Qiang cavalry, launch their revenge against the Xu family of Beiliang.

This Qiang cavalry force, which had once been impoverished along the long border, with the strong support of Beimang's Southern Dynasty, finally achieved their centuries-long dream of having both riders and horses fully armored. Slightly different from ordinary cavalry, the Qiang cavalry's sabers were arm-ringed blades, a type that had already withdrawn from the stage of war. The blade was strapped and connected to an arm-ringed armor, forming a single unit; the blade would not leave the hand unless the entire arm was severed. In addition to the arm-ringed blades, the Qiang cavalry also carried a traditional Qiang short knife called a "Paibi," worn close to the outside of their thighs. Much like villagers harvesting rice in autumn, they used this weapon to cut off enemies' ears and heads as war trophies.

As over eight thousand Qiang cavalry galloped south, a burly horseman bent down and caressed the Paibi that had been passed down through generations. The myriad commander's eyes were fierce and filled with hatred.

Back then, the Central Plains butcher surnamed Xu invaded the Northwest. All local adults who resisted were killed on the spot. Even children no taller than a horse's back could not escape; though not immediately executed, their thumbs were cut off by the Xu family's cavalry! This meant that even if these children miraculously survived, they would be unable to firmly grasp weapons or wield a blade against the Beiliang border army. This middle-aged myriad commander, surnamed Jin, was lucky. When his tribe was flattened by the Xu family's cavalry, he was out hunting with a small group of young adults to gather winter provisions. When they returned to their tribe, besides the dead bodies scattered everywhere, there were only crying children whose hands were covered in blood. At their feet lay the corpses of their parents.

He swore to personally use this Paibi to sever the thumbs of every person surnamed Xu in Beiliang. As long as they were surnamed Xu, not even infants in swaddling clothes would be spared! Especially the son of that butcher, the fellow who inherited the title of the new King of Beiliang. He wouldn't just cut off that young man's thumbs; Xu Fengnian's head, limbs, and all ten fingers must all be severed one by one!

The myriad commander slowly straightened his back, looking out at the vast, open lands to the south, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

He heard that there was a young son of the butcher named Xu Longxiang within Youzhou, who was quite famous among the noble lords of the Southern Dynasty. Last year, he had riddled several military strongholds in Gusei Prefecture with holes. He didn't expect to capture this person single-handedly with fewer than nine thousand cavalry. But before completely leveling Youzhou in cooperation with General Liu Gui, he must thoroughly revel in the blood of Beiliang's common folk. He wanted to make that young man, in whose veins flowed the butcher's vile blood, suffer agonizingly. The Dragon Elephant Army under the young man had only thirty thousand cavalry; did they truly expect to defend all of Youzhou? In the myriad commander's view, that was merely the old Central Plains trick of brotherly discord. It was clearly the young feudal king's fear of his brother's immense military achievements on the border, which led him to deliberately leave Xu Longxiang and all the young man's direct lineage to die.

In winter, water dried up and grass withered, and warhorses were far less robust than in autumn or summer. In the eyes of Central Plains people, especially those in Jiangnan, this was the worst time for military campaigns. However, for both Beiliang and Beimang, long accustomed to the harsh cold of the border, if they were determined to fight, even in cursed, heavy snowfall, they could still fight to the death on any battlefield.

The Qiang myriad commander Jin Cheng, on the other hand, most enjoyed fighting in deep winter. The sight of a long spear piercing an enemy's chest, then dragging a crimson trail of blood across the snow, was more exhilarating than drinking fine wine.

The Qiang cavalry's raids were renowned for their lightning speed, too swift to cover the ears. While praised, this also revealed the Qiang cavalry's weakness: they could only execute a "one-strike deal" on the battlefield. While they could advance and retreat freely, it was difficult for them to expand their gains in a balanced situation before achieving an absolute advantage and launching a full pursuit, as they had neither infantry formations nor heavy cavalry to hold the line. This time, Beimang's envoy was extremely disrespectful to their Qiang cavalry. Even though they were seeking help, they remained arrogant. Before discussing terms, they even openly stated that the Qiang cavalry were merely "icing on the cake," and warned that if they dared to demand exorbitant prices, they should beware for their heads. They also threatened that if the Qiang cavalry did not follow General Liu Gui's military orders, they wouldn't need to return to their territory at all; at that point, Beimang's army would directly treat their Qiang cavalry as enemy forces.

Jin Cheng ground his teeth fiercely. "If I wasn't thinking of getting revenge on the Xu family," he muttered, "who the hell would like to deal with you pig-headed, fat-bellied civil officials!"

Jin Cheng looked into the distance and suddenly felt an inexplicable unease.

Over eight thousand Qiang cavalry rushed south, severing the connection between Qingcang and Linyao cities, leaving Qingcang City, the capital of Youzhou, isolated and unsupported. In his view, this was indeed an excellent surprise strategy, and the Qiang cavalry wouldn't have to take many risks. However, during their southward journey, he continuously sent out over twenty scout cavalry to reconnoiter ahead. Each scout had to ride ten li (about 5 km) ahead of the main Qiang army; regardless of whether they encountered enemy forces, they had to return, with the second scout behind them taking their place. This process was repeated among the scouts, forming a meticulous cycle. Logically, a scout should have returned to the front of the main army by now. Furthermore, for this campaign into Youzhou, Beimang had specially gifted him a scout: an old man exuding a dangerous aura, with a sword at his waist and a deep, steady breath. He knew full well, without even thinking much, that this was no mere army stableman, but a hidden master of the martial world. This showed that Beimang had truly gone all out in attacking Beiliang, even fully deploying martial arts factions they had cultivated for twenty years.

Jin Cheng was not a madman driven insane by revenge; he understood priorities, otherwise he wouldn't be this myriad commander. His purpose on this trip was to assist General Liu Gui's army in plundering while exploiting the chaos. The scenario he most feared was a direct confrontation with the main force of the Dragon Elephant cavalry. However, the Beimang envoy, whose attire and demeanor were indistinguishable from a Central Plains noble, had given assurances that apart from a small number of troops possibly patrolling this route, the vast majority of the thirty thousand Dragon Elephant Army would be pinned down in Qingcang City and the area east of Qingcang. Otherwise, Beiliang would be effectively treating Youzhou as a disposable piece, sacrificing the battle-hardened elite Dragon Elephant cavalry for nothing.

But Jin Cheng, who was not a madman, began to worry that he might encounter a mad King of Beiliang, who would stop at nothing to secure his throne, and a deranged Dragon Elephant Army commander who had been abandoned.

He waited a moment longer, but still no scout cavalry returned.

Jin Cheng, his brows furrowed, raised his arm and waved it slightly back and forth, signaling his cavalry to slow their pace.

Approximately half an incense stick's time later, a scout finally appeared in the Qiang army's sight. His warhorse galloped furiously towards them. Jin Cheng and several chiliarchs who spurred their horses forward were horrified to see several crossbow bolts lodged in the scout's back!

Before taking his last breath, the heavily wounded scout struggled to relay the precious military intelligence obtained at the cost of over twenty Qiang scout lives.

Eight li (about 4 km) ahead, there were three thousand enemy Dragon Elephant light cavalry.

Myriad commander Jin Cheng felt both joy and concern. He was pleased that the enemy consisted of only three thousand cavalry, not the main Dragon Elephant Army force. His concern was that his own army was there to fish in troubled waters, not to confront the Dragon Elephant Army, renowned as invincible on the border, the moment they entered the battlefield. Now, the Qiang cavalry had two paths they could take. First, continue south, use their numerical superiority to destroy the three thousand cavalry, and grit their teeth to complete their task of severing Youzhou. However, the Qiang cavalry would suffer heavy casualties, weakening their leverage when bargaining with Beimang after Youzhou's victory was secured. The second path was to avoid their sharp edge, not risk their lives against the three thousand Dragon Elephant light cavalry, but also not retreat; instead, they would outflank them. If an inevitable skirmish occurred later, they could at most engage in a few symbolic clashes. With the Qiang cavalry's centuries-old reputation for unparalleled mobility, they could fight or retreat as needed.

Jin Cheng pondered for a moment, then decisively chose the latter. Their Qiang cavalry was not Beimang's million-strong army, whose national power was sufficient to contend with the entire Liyang Dynasty. Compared to the pitiful Beiliang, neglected by all, the Qiang tribe struggled even more to survive in the cracks. After Jin Cheng made his decision, two chiliarchs from other tribes clearly showed expressions of relief. A young Qiang chiliarch named Ke was extremely indignant at his commander Jin Cheng's cowardly and timid behavior. He loudly rebuked him from horseback, vowing to lead his over sixteen hundred tribal Qiang cavalry to fight to the death. Jin Cheng, his face grim, patiently told the hothead that although the Dragon Elephant light cavalry's combat power was inferior to their original heavy cavalry, they were by no means an enemy that could be easily defeated. If, in addition to these three thousand troops, there were other Dragon Elephant Army forces providing distant support, then their over eight thousand men could forget about leaving Youzhou alive.

But the young chiliarch, who as a child had personally witnessed all his male elders beheaded by the Xu family's "Liang" blades, refused to listen, insisting on engaging the enemy and fighting to the end. He also didn't forget to sneer at Jin Cheng, saying that as a myriad commander, he had disgraced the Qiang men.

Jin Cheng sneered inwardly. He gently turned his horse's head, clearing the way. "Ke E," he said, "if you want to die, I won't stop you."

The young chiliarch raised his arm and gave a shout. Behind him, over a thousand Qiang cavalry roared in unison, fiercely brandishing their arm-bound sabers.

As the young man named Ke E's mount passed Jin Cheng's warhorse, his expression calmed somewhat, and he sneered. "I am willing to let my tribe's sixteen hundred cavalry serve as vanguards and death-squads," he said. "If Commander Jin still wishes to secure the first military merit of the Beiliang-Beimang war, I presume with your shrewdness, you already know what to do."

Jin Cheng narrowed his eyes, ignoring the fool's barbed words, and began to weigh the pros and cons.

If Ke E's unit used their lives to blunt the sharpness of the three thousand Dragon Elephant light cavalry, then if they won this tough battle, the rest of the Qiang army, excluding Ke E's unit, would not suffer significant losses.

This was a deal worth making!

Jin Cheng, expressionless, watched as the sixteen hundred cavalry broke away from the main army first and charged forward.

Watching the cavalrymen, many of whom still had boyish features, disappear into the distance, Jin Cheng suddenly felt an untimely pang of emotion. Had he grown too accustomed to a life of ease with fine wine and beautiful women over the years? Was the hatred in his heart not as profound as he had imagined?

Jin Cheng shook his head, trying to cast off these cursed, superfluous thoughts. His gaze grew resolute and cold. He turned to the eager chiliarchs beside him and said, "We will follow Ke E, but keep a distance of one li (about 0.5 km)."

Five or six chiliarchs nodded eagerly, their eyes burning with fervor.

Jin Cheng suddenly laughed. "Brothers, don't forget those barbarians on the great plains who are willing to pay hundreds of taels of silver for a 'Liang' blade. Hey, what a coincidence! There are over three thousand blades waiting for us up ahead to take. As for who gets to take more, it depends on who can kill more Beiliang cavalrymen! I, Jin Cheng, won't break this rule just because I'm the myriad commander, so brothers, go ahead and kill to your heart's content!"

Six li (about 3 km) away from Ke E's unit of sixteen hundred Qiang cavalry.

Three thousand cavalry, uniformly clad in black armor and riding black horses, advanced slowly and silently, steadily and powerfully.

A gigantic black tiger roamed freely along the outer edge of the cavalry formation.

The leading rider was a black-clad youth, unarmored. A "Liang" blade lay across his saddle in front of him, still in its sheath.

A half horse-length behind him rode a scar-faced general. He held an iron spear diagonally upward, its tip impaling a fresh head. This was the scout cavalryman who had been embedded in the Qiang army; he carried a sword, though his swordsmanship was unknown. In any case, when he saw things going south, he dismounted and ran quite fast. Unfortunately, he wasn't faster than the iron spear swiftly thrown by the black-clad youth. Before the scar-faced man passed the corpse, feeling there was nothing else to do, he pulled the spear from the corpse, lightly sliced off the head, and impaled it on the spear tip.

The scar-faced man was none other than Wang Lingbao, a fierce and distinguished general of the Dragon Elephant Army.

He shouldn't have been there. Instead, he should have dutifully remained near Qingcang City with Li Mofan, who was also a deputy general. They were supposed to patiently endure their impatience, waiting for that old scoundrel surnamed Liu to arrive with a bunch of showy, useless Beimang trash to flaunt their power.

However, the commander-in-chief had learned, from who knows where or which loose-tongued fellow, that a force of eight thousand Qiang cavalry had already breached the border and were rushing headlong to their deaths.

Wang Lingbao certainly wanted to stab these weary Qiang cavalry to death. But the Protectorate General's office had already sent an urgent military dispatch to the Youzhou Governor's mansion, ordering all units of the Dragon Elephant Army to hold their positions. Governor Yang Guangdou even personally left the city to visit their camp, and cheerfully chattered many well-intentioned warnings into his and Li Mofan's ears.

Wang Lingbao naturally dared not defy military orders. Not to mention it was the new King of Beiliang's command; even if it were just Protector General Chu Lushan's instruction, no matter how unruly Wang Lingbao was, he wouldn't dare to unilaterally mobilize troops.

However, since their own commander-in-chief wanted to kill, and the commander would bear the responsibility even if the sky fell, how could Wang Lingbao miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?!

To intercept this wave of Qiang cavalry, whose southward route was concealed, across the vast terrain, the over ten thousand Dragon Elephant light cavalry who had set out secretly had to split into three groups, searching for the enemy between Qingcang City and Linyao military stronghold.

As the ten thousand-strong army set out, Yang Guangdou and the young scholar named Chen Xiliang quickly rode to block their path, seemingly trying to dissuade them. But Wang Lingbao hid at the back of the army, picking his ears and pretending not to hear or see anything.

As for the ten thousand Dragon Elephant Army splitting into three divisions, which violated military taboos, Wang Lingbao genuinely didn't care. The accusation that the Dragon Elephant Army disregarded Youzhou's overall situation was true. But to say that three thousand Dragon Elephant Army cavalry would suffer losses against eight thousand Qiang cavalry? Wang Lingbao would be the first to cut off his own head and use it as a urinal.

Wang Lingbao saw that the Governor was quite furious at the time. If he genuinely couldn't defeat their commander-in-chief, he probably would have resorted to violence. The scholar, who seemed to be highly valued by the prince, showed no obvious expression.

Wang Lingbao knew full well that once they returned to Qingcang City, the news of the Dragon Elephant Army defying military orders would surely reach the Huaiyang Pass Protectorate General's office immediately. At that point, even if the Dragon Elephant Army's commander took the fall, he, Wang Lingbao, as a deputy general, would still face severe repercussions. But what did that matter?

After more than ten years, the true Beiliang-Beimang war had finally arrived. A woman carrying a child in her belly only endured pregnancy for ten months, but he and rough men like Li Mofan had waited bitterly for over a decade!

For this first battle, if he, Wang Lingbao, didn't lead the charge, he would be letting himself down first!

As for why the young commander-in-chief in front of him insisted on fighting this Qiang cavalry force, Wang Lingbao couldn't be bothered to care.

Wang Lingbao exhaled a long breath. With a flick of his wrist, he shook off the troublesome head. He looked into the distance; the two sides were less than two li (about 1 km) apart, and the enemy cavalry could be seen picking up speed.

Wang Lingbao murmured softly, "Beiliang is guarded by us, General. Rest assured."

Xu Longxiang slowly drew his Beiliang blade.

Under the sunlight, it gleamed brilliantly.

At the same time, the three thousand Dragon Elephant cavalry began to raise their spears!