Chapter 735: Town Spirit Song

Under the vast northwest sky, dusk arrived late.

The six thousand Youzhou cavalry did not march closely along the outskirts of the two border prefectures of Jihe. Instead, they traced a semicircle. If Jihe's northern defense line was a relatively straight bowstring, then the path of the Youzhou cavalry was the bow itself. Within the area encompassed by the bowstring and the bow, numerous Northern Mang malanzi (scouts) had ventured out from Hulukou, roaming and gathering intelligence. Their mission was to prevent Youzhou skirmishers, willing to penetrate deep into enemy territory, from launching flank attacks on the main army's supplies. Yu Luandao's advance this time maintained the cavalry's "forced march" intensity, covering an astonishing six hundred li in just three days. To military laymen who only knew tactics on paper, or to common folk accustomed to hearing tales of famous northwestern steeds that could travel a thousand li in a day, such a pace might not seem like a forced march at all. However, if they could witness the dust-covered state of the Youzhou cavalry resting on the spot, or see nearly a hundred warhorses collapsing or even dying immediately after the cavalry halted, they would understand the immense difficulty of such a rapid, long-distance march, especially one that could lead directly into battle at any moment.

In the twilight, Xu Fengnian was washing his warhorse's nose at a water source where winter snow had melted. This time, their six thousand Youzhou cavalry had a total of over fifteen thousand horses, nearly three horses per rider. More than four hundred warhorses died during the march, almost all of which were Northern Mang warhorses captured from the battle north of Yinyao City. This wasn't because Northern Mang horses were far inferior in stamina to Youzhou warhorses; in fact, it was the opposite. Although Northern Mang warhorses had less explosive power during battle charges compared to Beiliang's large horses, their stamina was actually superior. However, Wanfuzhang Hui Lulv and Lang Si'en had made a forced march to Jibei, and to account for the larger eastern front, they had less than two horses per rider. Even with a day's rest before battle and feeding the horses high-quality grain to fatten them, it wasn't enough to fully recover the warhorses' strength. This time, the Youzhou cavalry, feeling protective of their "wives"—their long-serving horses—deliberately rode the Northern Mang warhorses more often during the march, and showed clear favoritism in feeding them fodder. Thus, the large number of Northern Mang horses that died from exhaustion was inevitable. Yu Luandao, having removed his armor and rolled up his sleeves, carefully cleaned his mount's back. He chuckled, "We wouldn't have lost so many warhorses if each rider had evenly distributed the effort among their three horses. At most, we would have lost fifty or sixty."

Xu Fengnian looked around, smiling faintly. "That's fine too. Starting tomorrow, there will undoubtedly be continuous battles, so consider this a way to conserve strength. My cavalry is clearly more familiar with the habits of Youzhou warhorses. It's better to lose a few hundred Northern Mang warhorses than to lose more men on the battlefield."

Yu Luandao nodded, speaking softly. "Fan Fen's three hundred-plus scout cavalry have all been dispatched, mostly in groups of fifty, and at least half a group. After all, we started encountering Northern Mang malanzi this morning. To prevent our movements from being exposed, Fan Fen's scouts must kill any enemy scout they encounter; otherwise, if even one Northern Mang rider escapes, our efforts will be in vain. I am very grateful that Your Highness was willing to send out those three personal attendants to assist Fan Fen's scout detachments. With them along, our chances of annihilating the Northern Mang malanzi are much greater."

Xu Fengnian chuckled, "That young woman is a high-ranking official of the Fushui Chamber, the 'Xuan-character Grand Eunuch'. The old man is a swordsmanship grandmaster of the Zhixuan realm. As for the child, he's named Yu Dilong, my eldest disciple among my three students."

Yu Luandao joked, "Them killing Northern Mang malanzi is a bit like using a siege crossbow to hunt sparrows."

Xu Fengnian shook his head, hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "I won't say anything yet. Just wait; Beiliang will give Northern Mang a small surprise later."

During this period, Xu Fengnian acted like the most ordinary Youzhou cavalryman. Far from usurping Yu Luandao's military authority, he didn't even roam around like the other generals during brief rests. Instead, he served as a temporary scout several times, venturing away from the main cavalry force to gather intelligence. For this sortie, the Youzhou cavalry were all light cavalry, discarding excess baggage and anything that might hinder their speed. Apart from a very few generals equipped with spears, all cavalrymen carried only a Beiliang saber and a light crossbow. Those with exceptional strength could also carry a hard bow and three quivers. For the past few days, the marching formation had remained in columns. Once they entered the combat zone tomorrow, they would deploy into battle lines. This forced march opened Xu Fengnian's eyes, as he had never before experienced the daily life of the border army at such a grassroots level. For example, the Youzhou warhorses did not need to be led; they could closely follow their masters during maneuvers. Even during temporary halts for rest, no matter how hungry or thirsty, the horses would always remain within a few zhang of their masters. This meant that even if the Youzhou cavalry were to suffer a surprise attack that outer scouts couldn't report in time, the six thousand Youzhou cavalry could still don their armor, mount their horses, and form ranks to meet the enemy within the time it takes an incense stick to burn halfway, all in one seamless action!

Just as "three feet of ice is not formed in a single day," the excellence of Youzhou warhorses was greatly attributed to the saying, "Among the Liyang territories, Beiliang places the utmost importance on horse breeding and management."

A detachment of scouts galloped back from the southwest. Riding alongside the scout captain was a mere boy with a youthful face. His horsemanship was so exquisite that he didn't need to hold the reins, and his posture, with hands tucked into his sleeves, bore a striking resemblance to his master's. The captain had his forty-plus scouts dismount and rest on the spot. He and the boy named Yu Dilong rode over to General Yu Luandao and "Grand General" Xu Fengnian. After dismounting, the captain cupped his hands in a respectful salute and then reported on the military situation. It turned out that sixty li away, they had encountered sixty elite malanzi, the best from a certain military town in Longyao Prefecture. They had expected a battle with heavy casualties. To their surprise, the boy charged ahead, leading the vanguard. He leaped high off his horse and, in one go, hammered to death more than twenty cavalrymen with his bare fists. By the time the Youzhou scouts drew their sabers and charged, it had already turned into a one-sided chase. In one instance, while still airborne, the slender youth caught an arrow wickedly shot at the captain's face by a Northern Mang rider. He then smoothly plunged it into the neck of the malanzi leader, casually pushed the body aside, and squatted on the back of the Northern Mang warhorse, grinning at the captain who rode past with a grateful look.

As a result of this encounter, which should have been evenly matched, only nine Youzhou scouts were injured, and their wounds were not severe. At this moment, the burly captain couldn't help but reach out to ruffle the boy's head. Unexpectedly, the boy sharply arched backward, dodging the captain's hand. With his feet firmly planted in the sandy ground, he leaned back at an extreme angle, seemingly about to fall but remaining upright, instantly drawing cheers from the nearby Youzhou cavalrymen.

Xu Fengnian glared at the child, who was still artfully standing with his hands tucked into his sleeves, and said, "You're just a little kid, stop trying to show off your grandmaster style! Stand properly!"

Yu Dilong chuckled, straightened his body, and only then did the captain successfully ruffle the boy's head. Because his fingers and palms were calloused, even though he tried to be gentle, he still messed up Yu Dilong's hair. The child secretly rolled his eyes, then let out an old-fashioned sigh. Afterward, the captain knelt by the water to quickly wash his face, then glanced at the boy beside him, who was bent over, drinking water with his mouth, and smiled knowingly. "This little fellow is truly formidable! With one punch, he not only easily pounded a Northern Mang barbarian to death, but even the warhorse had all four legs instantly broken and collapsed. And with one sweep of his arm, he could slice an armored body in half." Filled with emotion, the captain turned and softly said, "Little one, when you're on a battlefield with thousands of cavalry fighting each other, you still need to be careful. The Northern barbarians' archery from horseback is not bad. Once they fixate on you, a barrage of arrows from all directions will be very troublesome. Our old captain, who was also quite skilled in martial arts, was wounded in the ribs by a few arrows from the side, which left him with a chronic ailment. Otherwise, he wouldn't have retired from the border army so early."

Yu Dilong nodded with a brilliant smile. "I already know that. My master told me that it's hard for two fists to contend with four hands. Killing dozens or hundreds of cavalry is not the same as fighting in battle formations of thousands or tens of thousands. Don't worry, my eyesight is excellent, and even if I don't have eyes on my back, if there's a surprise attack from behind, I can still sense what's called killing intent. Besides, my master also told me that here in Beiliang, when fighting on the battlefield, as long as you're charging into the enemy lines, you just need to push forward. Other things are hard to say, but you don't need to worry about your back. If there's real danger, your paoze (comrades) will naturally block it for you."

The captain asked, "Did the Grand General really say that?"

The child, who had just guzzled several jin of water without fear of bloating, looked up and grunted, "Of course!"

The captain, squatting by the water, stroked his chin and sighed, "Only a veteran from the border army could say something like that."

"Oh, by the way, Big Guy, what does 'paoze' mean?"

"It means people who are equipped with Beiliang sabers and Beiliang crossbows, and who kill barbarians together."

"But I don't have a saber or a crossbow. I asked my master for them a few days ago, but he wouldn't give them to me. So, what about me? Am I still your paoze?"

"Of course you are!"

"Then, Big Guy, will you give me a set of Beiliang saber and crossbow? I'm dying to have them! If you're too stingy to give them, lending them to me would be fine too."

"Little one, it's not that I'm stingy. These sabers, crossbows, and warhorses cannot be lent out casually, or else it's court-martial. Only when I retire someday, I'm allowed to keep a set of armor, a saber, and a crossbow. Haha, then I can give them all to you."

"That'll be in the year of the monkey and horse! Talking to you is boring. Forget it, Master says 'don't bite off more than you can chew' and to first solidify my boxing skills before learning other things. Sigh, but I really want to wear a saber at my waist like Master."

Hearing the child's naive words, the captain burst into hearty laughter.

Yu Dilong turned his head to look at Xu Fengnian, who was standing nearby, and pleaded, "Master! When will I finally get my own Beiliang saber? Big Guy even admits I'm his paoze now!"

"You've only been 'drinking the northwest wind and sand' for two or three days, and you're already calling each other paoze?"

Xu Fengnian chuckled and kicked the child's backside. Yu Dilong lunged forward towards the water, but didn't fall in. Instead, his hands skimmed the surface, leaving two streaks, and with a slight push, his body inverted into a handstand, remaining perfectly still on the water.

Soon, a second team of scouts returned to the main army to report on the enemy situation to Yu Luandao. The burly captain from earlier quickly bid farewell and departed. Xu Fengnian smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. Yu Dilong quickly slapped the water's surface, leaped back ashore, and followed the "Big Guy" captain to continue their scouting mission.

Dusk deepened, but for the Youzhou cavalry, night marches were certainly not something they shied away from. Night blindness, commonly known as "sparrow eyes," might still be prevalent among the Liyang southern armies, but among the major border armies—not to mention the Beiliang cavalry who excelled at night combat—even in Liangliao and Jizhou, night blindness was rare among cavalrymen. This was partly because border garrisons had better provisions than the inner regions of the dynasty, and partly because border soldiers, especially cavalry, underwent specific screening. Naturally, a deep-night raid, relying only on the light of one torch per cavalry detachment as per Beiliang border army regulations, would severely limit the cavalry's advance speed. And open-field night battles, unless they were specific engagements with clear objectives, were generally avoided by cavalry generals if possible.

The six thousand cavalry moved like roaming dragons across the yellow sands.

In the deepening night, Xu Fengnian suddenly asked, "Yu Luandao, have you considered that on this march, we are far from Jizhou's Yinyao and Hengshui cities, and Hulukou is blocked by Northern Mang's ninety thousand strong army? Although we can still live off the land and sustain ourselves with Northern Mang's supplies, it's destined that each battle will become progressively harder. If the war turns unfavorable and