Chapter 737: Cicada, Mantis, Yellowfinch, Slingshot

Chapter 163: Cicada, Mantis, Oriole, Slingshot

Xu Fengnian rode forward, dragging his spear. As he and his horse were about to cross the entire battlefield, a young, raw-faced Northern Mang cavalryman lay at the edge of the field. A Liang saber had cut his neck during the charge, and blood gushed out. The dying young cavalryman raised an arm, attempting to lift his Northern Mang battle saber. Xu Fengnian glanced at him, did not offer his iron spear, and continued riding. However, soon after, two You cavalrymen behind him simultaneously drew their bows and fired. One arrow pierced the Northern Mang cavalryman's arm that held the saber, while another arrow struck the young barbarian's cheek from the side. The dozen or so cavalrymen approaching Xu Fengnian were all clad in iron armor, but their styles were mismatched, not appearing to be from regular border armies. Most exuded an unmistakable bandit air. The leader of the group, upon seeing Xu Fengnian up close, was still somewhat shocked. After dismounting, he dared not reveal Xu Fengnian's identity. He knelt respectfully and said, "Your humble subordinate Hong Biao is late. My death would not atone for it!"

Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "Get up."

After rising, Hong Biao stated solemnly, "Song Diao'er is already on his way. He has over 1,200 cavalry under his command. Before coming, there was a major incident involving an internal purge of more than 300 people, among whom four were discovered to be Northern Mang 'Spiderweb' spies."

Xu Fengnian neither confirmed nor denied, his smile playful as he asked, "Discovered?"

Hong Biao dared not speak. The stout, not-so-tall middle-aged man kept his gaze lowered, barely daring to breathe, yet his eyes burned with fervor.

Hong Biao was once the second-ranked guest elder who personally trained the private cavalry of Huishan. Later, he parted ways with the chief guest elder, Huang Fangfo. Huang Fangfo remained on the Great Snow Plateau, like a wild swallow unwilling to nest in the homes of emperors and ministers. The more ambitious Hong Biao joined the ranks of Northern Liang, hoping to achieve great deeds on the northwest battlefield, but unfortunately, he was never given significant responsibilities. Later, under Huangfu Ping's instruction, he infiltrated Song Diao'er's bandit lair, serving both as an assistant and a monitor. Although Xu Fengnian's cultivation had greatly declined, his discernment remained sharp. Figures like Hong Biao and Huang Fangfo had been stuck at the threshold of being minor grandmasters for many years, unable to break through that barrier or make courageous advancements. Then, like Mi Fengjie, they were fortunate enough to encounter a "great year" in the martial arts world, ultimately accumulating enough to reach the first rank. Hong Biao was now a genuine first-rank Vajra Realm martial artist, only a step away from the Zhixuan Realm, where one could "gently tap a finger and inquire about immortality." However, calling it a "great year" for the emergence of martial arts luminaries was not entirely accurate, as too many grandmasters had died in recent years. In the Liyang Dynasty alone, there were successively Wang Mingyin (ranked eleventh in the world), Sword God Li Chungang, Sick Tiger Yang Taisui, Jianchi Song Nianqing, Human Cat Han Shengxuan, Jingcheng Liu Haoshi, Longshu Monk of Liangchan Temple, Xie Lingzhen of Chuntie Caotang, and many others, not to mention Wang Xianzhi and Hong Xixiang. The departure of these astonishingly talented top masters was not merely about vacating seats; it also involved many subtle changes related to destiny and fortune, such as Wang Xianzhi's generous gift to Yu Dilong and a certain person from Western Shu's "usurpation" after the death of Longshu Monk.

Among the fierce bandits behind Hong Biao, someone sarcastically taunted, "Leader Hong, I just learned that your esteemed self is not called Hong Biao, but Hong Piao! So formal with your brothers, that's not what a hero should do, is it? What, did your knees go soft just seeing General Yu of Northern Liang?"

One of the leaders of Song's bandit group clearly mistook the young martial general on horseback for Yu Luandao, the commander of the You Cavalry. After all, border generals so young yet capable of commanding tens of thousands of men, whether in Northern Mang or Northern Liang, might not be as rare as phoenix feathers, but they could still be counted on one's fingers. For most of the bandits under Song Diao'er, they only learned the truth after the sudden bloody incident. They weren't particularly repulsed by the fact that their "home" was the Northern Liang army. Having become bandits, they killed without recognizing kinship, caring not whether one was surnamed Xu from Northern Liang or Murong or Yelü from Northern Mang. Whoever offered silver and good horses, whoever was generous, was their "master." As for any deep-seated goodwill, that was naturally quite scarce.

Hong Biao, with his extreme utilitarianism, was more than willing to be a mere pawn for Xu Fengnian, the co-lord of the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry. During his time in Song Diao'er's lair, he had suppressed his anger and endured everything for the greater good, accumulating a belly full of resentment. Hearing the babbling of that minor leader, who wasn't even one of Song Diao'er's confidants, his killing intent surged. Just as Hong Biao was about to smash the wretch's skull with a single palm, Xu Fengnian extended his iron spear and tapped Hong Biao's shoulder, shaking his head with a smile. Xu Fengnian gazed into the distance; Song Diao'er's thousand cavalrymen were almost here. Yu Luandao, Shi Yulu, Fan Fen, and Yu Dilong also rode over at this time. Seeing these bandits, who exuded a brigand aura even in armor and with sabers, they didn't pay them much mind. However, Fan Fen, a veteran scout, felt somewhat ashamed. He had been so engrossed in the fighting on the battlefield that he had overlooked these dozen or so disheveled riders. The ill-intentioned captain stared menacingly at these fellows. Who was the most ruthless in "black eating black" (gang warfare) on the border? It wasn't large bandit groups swallowing smaller ones; it was the Northern Liang border army using bandits as training targets. This was similar to Northern Liang scouts going to refugee areas to practice killing and thus get promoted to skirmishers. In particular, the Rouge Army, a terrifying heavy cavalry once armored, would often venture out of the pass in light armor and with light cavalry when idle, preferring to break into groups of a hundred cavalrymen to search for bandits beyond the frontier. They carried no Liang sabers or bows, only iron spears. And that was not all; another unit, the Wei Xiong Army, had a popular saying even in Northern Mang's Southern Dynasty: "It's better to fatten them up before killing them for the New Year." This meant that whenever the Wei Xiong Army received intelligence from Northern Liang skirmishers about bandit strongholds, if the numbers were less than a thousand, they wouldn't even bother. They would deliberately "raise a tiger as a problem." But as soon as they learned the bandit numbers exceeded a thousand, they would choose a random day before the New Year, push deep into enemy territory, and kill every last one.

When Xu Fengnian appeared alone, the few bandits behind Hong Biao didn't feel much. They even dared to act arrogant. But when Yu Luandao's four cavalrymen lined up, the inherent gap in presence between the bandits and the Northern Liang border army was instantly revealed.

Xu Fengnian quietly said to Yu Luandao, "Over 1,200 bandit cavalry will appear soon. Although nominally allies, it's hard to say for now if there will be any unexpected turns. First, bring a thousand You Cavalry over. We will plan for the worst-case scenario."

Fan Fen was eager to try. He secretly swallowed the honorific "Your Highness" that was on the tip of his tongue and loudly declared, "My four hundred men are enough! We haven't had a satisfying kill yet, and the brothers are itching for a fight!"

Yu Luandao didn't act on his own initiative but looked at Xu Fengnian, who nodded with a smile.

Fan Fen didn't even need to give orders. When he raised his arm high and made a gesture of gently clenching and then opening his five fingers towards the west, the four hundred scouts immediately surged forward like a tide.

This blatant display of "I am showing off my might" caused the dozen or so bandits, excluding Hong Biao, to instinctively retreat.

Yu Luandao glanced at these bandits, who were adequate in small skirmishes but would certainly be precarious in large-scale cavalry charges. He rode up to Xu Fengnian, giving him an inquiring look.

Xu Fengnian explained, "The area outside Calabash Pass is extremely familiar to these bandits. They can help us find a place for the main army to rest."

Yu Luandao let out a soft sigh of relief and said with a happy smile, "If these bandits can truly be useful, then, without boasting, even against the ten thousand Rouran Iron Cavalry, our 3,200 cavalrymen would not only recoup our losses but definitely have a surplus."

Half an hour later.

More than a thousand cavalrymen surged forward from a distance. With the arrival of Song Diao'er's main bandit force, the dozen or so riders behind Hong Biao grew bolder. Some of the more restless and violent ones even dared to glare angrily at the four hundred Youzhou scouts.

Of course, this was the greatest display of boldness they could manage, losing face but not spirit. As for actually drawing their sabers and fighting, they wouldn't dare even if given more courage. During this period, rumors of the Youzhou cavalry's ferocity and wildness spread throughout the Liang-Mang border. Bandits, who valued keen intuition the most, naturally didn't miss out on this. Starting from Youzhou, they rode non-stop to northern Jizhou, finally raiding all the way north of Calabash Pass. The young general named Yu Luandao had actually fought a force of ten thousand Youzhou light cavalry down to only three or four thousand men. Among the enemies they had already engaged were two veteran wanfu commanders from Northern Mang's eastern front, and Hubu Pass, Changyu, and Binglu from the three major military towns on Longyao Prefecture's border. Moreover, they were soon to face the "hunting expeditions" of the two Nabo (hunting season leaders), Autumn and Winter. Hong Jingyan personally led ten thousand Rouran Iron Cavalry north to intercept, and then there was the "Spring Nabo," Tuoba Qiyun, who was urgently rushing to Calabash Pass from the west! Of the four Nabo, except for the Summer Nabo, Yelü Yuhu, a member of the imperial family who remained on the great plains, the other three were all hopefuls to become Northern Mang's Grand General, vying for who would reach the top first. All of them were coming for Yu Luandao's head. There were also rumors that whoever could eliminate the Youzhou cavalry could take Yu Luandao's head to the Southern Dynasty's Western Capital to meet the emperor, becoming another Northern Mang Grand General, like Dong Zhuo, with no limit on the number of private troops they could raise!

When the more than one thousand bandits saw the four hundred Youzhou scouts arrayed before them, they quickly reined in their horses and stopped. A cacophony of curses immediately erupted.

Xu Fengnian said to Hong Biao, "Let's go together."

The two riders moved forward. Xu Fengnian calmly asked, "Qingliang Mountain sent a total of six masters. You only know the identities and backgrounds of three. How many of those three died?"

Hong Biao replied, "Only one died in battle after confronting the Spiderweb spies. I received orders from General Huangfu of Youzhou not to reveal my identity prematurely, so I did not act openly. However, I secretly intercepted and killed sixteen riders who had sneaked out of the bandit lair, all of whom were Northern Mang barbarians."

Meanwhile, Yu Luandao quietly turned back to the battlefield.

Song Diao'er, the pale-faced scholar, held the reins with both hands, gently nudged his horse's flank, and rode forward with a leisurely demeanor. As the horse bobbed up and down, he exuded the air of a wandering immortal who bowed neither to heaven nor to kings.

However, when he saw that figure, he was struck as if by lightning. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and his face was filled with an inconceivable panic. He instinctively straightened his back and urged his horse to gallop forward. Once Song Diao'er recognized the face, the bandit leader, who had been living a carefree, almost divine life beyond the frontier in recent years, breathed a sigh of relief. Although the rider before him had a similar demeanor, fortunately, it was not that person after all. Song Diao'er freed a hand to habitually touch the mutton-fat jade pendant at his waist and asked with a smile, "May I ask if you are General Yu, who has slain thirty thousand enemies?"

Xu Fengnian, dragging his iron spear, sneered, "What, Song Diao'er, you don't recognize me? Is this what they call important people being forgetful?"

Hearing that deeply familiar voice, Song Diao'er's fingers, which were stroking the jade pendant, trembled. With his exceptional intellect, he naturally guessed that the handsome young master who could casually command Huangfu Ping, the Valiant Captain, was none other than the "Crown Prince" who would later return to Northern Liang with the heads of Xu Huainan and Fifth He from the heart of Northern Mang—the current Xu Fengnian, the foremost vassal king of the Liyang Dynasty! Song Diao'er tumbled off his horse in utter disarray, propped himself up with his hands on the ground, and bowed his head, saying, "I did not know Your Highness would grace us with your presence. This humble Song Diao'er deserves to die!"

The tip of Xu Fengnian's iron spear lightly scraped the sandy ground. Song Diao'er only heard a question from above his head, "The secret letter instructed you to escort the Youzhou cavalry. It did not say you should brazenly bring over a thousand illicit riders."

Song Diao'er's face was pale as he stammered, "Reporting to Your Highness, the area outside Calabash Pass is currently swarming with Northern Mang scouts, and there are even many regular Northern Mang border troops, often in numbers exceeding a thousand. Furthermore, due to my ineffective governance, there was a recent internal conflict in one of our lairs, causing disunity. Forcing the entire nest to move was a last resort, an absolute necessity. To ensure a smooth path for Your Highness and General Yu, and to prevent any leakage of secrets, I had no choice but to bring all my brothers along so we could accompany the Youzhou cavalry to that most hidden valley. This way, even if there were Northern Mang remnants with lingering treacherous intentions in my ranks, the news would not escape."

Xu Fengnian turned his head to look at the sky, then turned back and smiled, "That doesn't sound like a last resort at all. It's clearly a flawless, foolproof plan. Song Diao'er, you are very thoughtful."

Song Diao'er still kept his head bowed, "To serve Your Highness with loyalty unto death is an immense blessing I've cultivated for lifetimes! If not for Your Highness and General Huangfu's patronage, this humble Song Diao'er would merely be a miserable wretch leading thirty-six riders, barely surviving beyond the pass. How could Song Diao'er dare not give his utmost?!"

Xu Fengnian looked at the more than one thousand young and robust bandit riders two hundred paces away, his indifferent gaze sweeping over them. Many bandits, in turn, cast curious, scrutinizing glances, seemingly wondering why the young "Yu Luandao," despite his rising fame, would make the fearless leader Song Diao'er so cowardly. The atmosphere in the field was exceptionally tense. Over a thousand bandits and four hundred Youzhou cavalrymen faced each other from a distance. In the middle sat Xu Fengnian on horseback, with Song Diao'er kneeling on the ground, and Hong Biao on horseback behind Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian raised his arm, a movement that sent shivers through the bandits. They thought a disagreement would immediately lead to a bloody conflict. It was true that their thousand-plus bandits could run rampant in the desert beyond the frontier, but before them were over three thousand Youzhou "Iron Cavalry"! Only a fool would dare to turn against the Northern Liang border army and engage in charges and battles. They must be tired of living! At that time, Song Diao'er had used bloody means to suppress factions that supported Northern Mang. Many neutral forces stood by or even leaned towards Song Diao'er, not only because of Song Diao'er's ruthless tactics but also due to their deep-seated fear of the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry. Although Northern Mang's massive army was currently pressing Northern Liang, all the bandits inherently feared the Northern Liang cavalry more, as they never treated bandits as human beings. They always felt that even if the Northern Liang border army couldn't defeat Northern Mang's million-strong army, since a few thousand men led by that "Yu" could turn the area outside Calabash Pass upside down, it would be effortless for them to dispatch a few thousand Xu family cavalrymen to deal with their thousand-plus bandits if they were truly determined.

However, all the bandits quickly breathed a sigh of relief when they saw a bird of prey pierce the clouds and land on the armored general's arm. Many bandits secretly wiped away sweat, thinking, "Damn it, this You Cavalry commander 'Yu Luandao' is not only a master of troop deployment but also excellent at showing off his might!"

Xu Fengnian lightly shook his arm, allowing the gyrfalcon to depart. He paid no attention to Song Diao'er, who remained with his head bowed, his expression unreadable. Xu Fengnian lifted his iron spear and pointed to two individuals among the bandits, asking, "Hong Biao, how long have those two been with Song Diao'er?"

Hong Biao looked over and, seeing the young man and woman, slowly said, "I heard that the young man first appeared about a year ago but soon left the bandit group. Not long ago, he returned with that woman. The Spiderweb spies hidden among the bandits were exposed by him, leading to that internal strife. Your humble subordinate only knows that this man is a bastard son of the Bingzi family from Guse Prefecture, and he has known Song Diao'er since childhood. Song Diao'er said that this man almost entered the Chess, Sword, and Music Academy, where children of powerful families congregate, but for some reason, he is a sickly fellow, always smelling of medicine. As for the woman, her identity is unknown, but she is said to be from Jinchan Prefecture and has the nickname 'Sea Buckthorn.' She usually enjoys challenging people to drinking contests. I have observed this woman; her skill is roughly close to that of a minor grandmaster, and her hands are full of calluses, indicating she's a martial artist, but she doesn't carry a strong 'jianghu' (martial world) air."

Xu Fengnian looked at the thousand bandit cavalry and suddenly said, "Song Diao'er, did you not expect that not only would you reel in 3,200 Youzhou cavalry, but also me, the King of Northern Liang? Don't hold it in, laugh out loud if you want to."

Song Diao'er looked up, his face blank.

Hong Biao's heart gave a massive jolt.

Xu Fengnian looked at this bandit, whose luck was beyond measure, and smiled, "There were two groups from Qingliang Mountain, overt and covert. It's not surprising that you kept Hong Biao and his overt group to help you stage this play to lure Yu Luandao's Youzhou cavalry. But I'm very curious how you managed to kill all those hidden Northern Liang masters. Logically, Listening Tide Pavilion and Flushed Water Chamber dispatched three minor grandmasters. With your meager top martial strength, Song Diao'er, even if you succeeded, you shouldn't have been able to hide it from veterans like Hong Biao. I suspect you started having thoughts of playing both sides about a year ago, only fully deciding to defect to Northern Mang when Yang Yuanzan led 300,000 troops into Calabash Pass. Tell me, who are those young man and woman from Northern Mang?"

Song Diao'er was stunned and bewildered. He lifted his head and met Xu Fengnian's gaze.

Then, little by little, his face tensed up, a slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, and then his smile began to gently ripple across his face.

When he patted the dust from his robe and stood up, his face was already an openly radiant smile.

The enraged Hong Biao was about to crush this audacious ant.

Xu Fengnian, dragging his spear with one hand, shook the other to stop Hong Biao from killing. He asked, "Besides those two young people, who else is hidden that makes you so calm in this perilous situation? Or are there several?"

Song Diao'er's smile did not diminish. He extended a finger and wiggled it, "Not many, just one. What a coincidence, just enough to contend with Your Highness. Of course, this old ancestor wasn't originally coming for Your Highness. So, ever since I met Your Highness, my luck has been so good, it's unstoppable."

Suddenly, three riders emerged from the bandit ranks.

Xu Fengnian muttered to himself, "Tuoba Bodhisattva, Hong Jingyan, Murong Baoding, Deng Mao, Zhong Liang... Northern Mang doesn't have many martial grandmasters left to speak of now. Tuoba Bodhisattva shouldn't be here. Of the remaining four, besides Deng Mao, who was defeated by Wang Xiu, I've already met them all, and they aren't here either. Since the Grand True Man Yuan Qingshan ascended, the Dao De Sect has had no successor. Chess, Sword, and Music Academy had five first-tier masters; Jianqijin is dead, the Bronze Man Ancestor is effectively gone, and the Great Musician also died recently. 'Han Gu,' who won the two-character title and is now the Crown Princess, is even less likely to be here. Fifth He of Ti Bing Mountain is dead; as for top experts, there's no successor. Princess Tomb, I heard Xiao Nian Tou died in Youzhou, and the person who killed her is still waiting for Xu Yanbing's third spear."

Song Diao'er said with a smile, "Your Highness, you could never have predicted this. In the end, Northern Mang's sincerity is greater than yours in Northern Liang. Before your appearance, the price they offered was for a wanfu commander. After confirming you would appear, hehe, I, Song Diao'er, became the foremost person under the Longyao Prefecture's Administrator!"

Song Diao'er bowed gracefully towards Xu Fengnian in thanks. Not far behind him were the three riders.

Hong Biao looked at the comical sight of the bandit with sweat soaking his back and couldn't help but sneer.

After Song Diao'er stood up straight again, he patted his chest and said with a beaming smile, "As expected of Xu Fengnian, the foremost person under heaven. I was truly scared to death. I thank Your Highness for sparing my life."

After seeing the rider between the young man and woman, Xu Fengnian burst into laughter, "Old sir, so it was you."

It was an old, white-haired Confucian scholar, thin and gaunt. At first glance, he had no distinguished air, appearing merely as an old pedant who had spent his life poring over texts.

Xu Fengnian felt a pang of emotion.

The old man felt the same.

Their first meeting had been inside Yanhuiguan, which was now a Northern Mang army camp. Back then, Xu Fengnian had even teased the talkative old man, saying, "Old sir, bend down and see if you've dropped your book satchel."

The old man was none other than the Northern Mang Grand Peace Administrator, who had traveled Liyang for twenty years!

The old man pointed to the young man beside him, "Tuoba Qiyun, the Spring Nabo. He's also my Chess, Sword, and Music Academy's 'Slow Diviner.' He's not a bad chess player, just too slow. Not long ago, he said you would definitely appear outside Calabash Pass, so I came with him."

The old man then pointed to the woman on his left, "Yelü Yuhu. She bears no ill will; she simply wanted to see you with her own eyes."

The old man pointed to himself, "I, of course, very much want your head, but this is a year or two earlier than expected, which is somewhat disappointing, but mostly admirable. To be frank, besides the 7,000 elite cavalry of the Autumn and Winter Nabo who will enter the field immediately, Hong Jingyan's 10,000 Rouran Iron Cavalry will also fill the gap. If you insist on escaping, I naturally cannot stop you, but you can only go west alone, leaving your 3,200 cavalry behind. Before you leave, if you wish to kill to vent your anger, you cannot kill Tuoba Qiyun and Yelü Yuhu. As for anyone else, I won't even bother to stop you. Do as you please."

Xu Fengnian asked, "Is Tuoba Bodhisattva waiting for me in the west?"

The old man shook his head, "Tuoba Bodhisattva cannot move. Our Great Mang has lost its Qi practitioners, while your Northern Liang still has Tantai Pingjing and Guanyin Sect. This is a matter of give and take. If Tuoba Bodhisattva moves, it will alert the enemy, and Xu Yanbing will surely come. That Hu Yan Daguan would be happy not to fight anyone."

Xu Fengnian hummed in acknowledgment. "If Tuoba Bodhisattva set out, I would certainly be on my way back by now. Is it Murong Baoding and Zhong Liang working together?"

The old man sighed sincerely, "Xu Xiao was the best in the world at fighting and gaining official positions, the best in the world at marrying a wife, and his son is also the best in the world. And he even died of old age in his bed – truly formidable. In my opinion, Zhang Julu is far inferior to Xu Xiao."

The old man, like an elder amiably chatting with a junior, calmly said, "Both sides on the border have tightly sealed off their areas, but intelligence has been sent back from within Liangzhou and Youzhou. This time, Chu Lushan didn't take a reckless, all-or-nothing gamble by moving Liangzhou's main forces to Calabash Pass for your sake. Fortunately, your Northern Liang Protector-General didn't actually do that, or our Southern Court King's five hundred thousand troops would have been exhausted from chasing, and might not have gained anything. However, in the long run, abandoning Liangzhou for quick gains, while seemingly grand in spirit, is destined to be unwise."

Xu Fengnian said helplessly, "Old sir, you already have victory in your grasp, yet you're still helping Hong Jingyan stall for time?"

The sickly Tuoba Qiyun smiled knowingly, while Yelü Yuhu stared intently, carefully observing this young man who was vastly different from the majestic image she had imagined.

From start to finish, Song Diao'er had no opportunity to interrupt. He was also astute; besides Hong Biao, anyone else could drown him with a single spit. He wished for no one to pay attention to his "insignificant" self. When Song Diao'er heard Grand Peace Administrator's harsh and ungrateful words about "burning the bridge after crossing," he truly trembled with fear, his gall bladder almost splitting, terrified that Xu Fengnian would casually stab a large hole through him with his iron spear. However, judging by the situation, Xu Fengnian had his own preoccupations and likely didn't care about the life or death of a bandit like him. While feeling relieved, Song Diao'er was also incensed, vowing that once he became an influential figure with full authority over half the border garrisons in Longyao Prefecture, he would definitely invade Youzhou!

Suddenly, Yelü Yuhu noticed that Grand Peace Administrator and Tuoba Qiyun exchanged smiles, but their smiles contained a hint of self-deprecation and a touch of helplessness.

Yelü Yuhu frowned deeply, still fixated on the young man whose actions defied common sense. Thinking forwards, she couldn't reach a conclusion. So, she thought backward: this fellow couldn't possibly be standing still merely to feign composure in front of the Imperial Tutor and Tuoba Qiyun. He must have some reliance. Within Calabash Pass, the two cities of Wogong and Luanhe had already fallen. It was impossible for Youzhou to deploy enough troops to cross multiple defensive lines to support him and the young general named Yu Luandao. And the main force of Liangzhou hadn't moved... the main force of Liangzhou... She finally relaxed her brows. The playful, cat-and-mouse glint in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by an icy expression.

Xu Fengnian glanced at the Northern Mang woman, who was rumored to have boasted about making his second sister, Xu Weixiong, "look good." He smiled and said, "You've been staring at me for ages. Are you trying to get me pregnant or yourself pregnant?"

Before Yelü Yuhu could retort, Xu Fengnian smiled faintly, "Make sure that day never comes when you fall into my hands."

Xu Fengnian raised the iron spear in his hand and looked at her. His smile gone, he slowly said, "Otherwise, I will hang your corpse on it."

The cicada was Northern Mang's supply line outside Calabash Pass. The mantis was Xu Fengnian and Yu Luandao's Youzhou cavalry. The oriole was the Grand Peace Administrator and his two companions, the thousand bait bandit riders, the 7,000 elite cavalry of the two Nabo, Hong Jingyan's 10,000 Rouran Iron Cavalry, and Zhong Liang and Murong Baoding.

This created an "interesting" situation of "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

But what was truly interesting was the "slingshot by the side," which served as the grand finale.

The old man sighed softly but still smiled at Xu Fengnian, "Let's go, let's go. It's a pity that most of Hong Jingyan's Rouran Iron Cavalry probably won't escape, and the two Nabo who toiled to rush here from the eastern front will also have made a pointless trip. Xu Fengnian, I will send a message to Dong Zhuo, telling him to pay more attention to Chu Lushan."

Xu Fengnian suddenly looked towards an inconspicuous rider within the bandit ranks. "Old sir, that's not fair. To let Zhong Liang, a dignified grandmaster, pretend to be a junior for so long."

The old man seemed to have cast off his worries and burst into laughter, "It's simply a matter of stratagem in war."

Xu Fengnian smiled.

The old man had already turned his horse's head, then turned back to ask, "I am very curious when you knew those ten thousand cavalry would come, or rather, if it was a trap set by you and the Protectorate General's office from the beginning?"

Xu Fengnian did not speak.

The old man shook his head and slowly departed.

Grand Peace Administrator, "Slow Diviner" Tuoba Qiyun, Yelü Yuhu, and the great devil Zhong Liang, who had been hidden among the bandits and only appeared at the last moment—the four riders returned north.

Tuoba Qiyun coughed a few times, and after stopping, said, "It's a pity Murong Baoding still needs half a day to arrive, otherwise, we might have had a chance to keep Xu Fengnian."

The Northern Mang Imperial Tutor said plainly, "It's not that Murong Baoding truly couldn't make it, it's that he was unwilling."

Yelü Yuhu, who had not forgotten to make a "knife hand" gesture towards that bastard before leaving, now said coldly, "They are all rebellious traitors!"

All of them.

Besides Murong Baoding, whose surname is Murong, who else?

The old man had already closed his eyes to rest, turning a deaf ear.

Tuoba Qiyun softly exclaimed, "Silence!"

The devil Zhong Liang, who had returned without success, yawned widely, staying out of everything.

The old man was silent for a long time before suddenly speaking, "Whether it's Yelü or Murong, even if one Northern Mang isn't enough, as long as Liyang is conquered, no matter the surname, even the greatest ambitions will be satisfied."

Yelü Yuhu whispered, "Sir, I was impolite."

Behind the four riders, the thousand-plus bandits, who felt utterly bewildered, stood desolate in the wind.

Especially the dumbfounded Song Diao'er, who had no idea what had happened as the situation took such a sharp turn.

Yu Luandao, who had prepared to fight to the death, came up to Xu Fengnian. Xu Fengnian leaned in, patted his shoulder, and said, "Let's return to Liangzhou together, with the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry."

Yu Luandao was momentarily stunned, his eyes instantly growing moist. He quickly turned his horse's head and galloped away.

Xu Fengnian cast a glance at Hong Biao, who nodded with a grim smile, then hesitated as if to speak.

Xu Fengnian, with his back to Hong Biao, calmly said, "You don't need to blame yourself. After you're done, tell those thousand-plus bandits that if they want to live, they don't need to fight desperately. Later, each of them should go to the battlefield and chop off five Rouran Iron Cavalry heads."

No matter how foolish Song Diao'er might be, and he had always prided himself on his keen intellect, he should have known what awaited him. So, he fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing vigorously, and pleaded with a heart-rending cry, "Your Highness, a great man does not remember the faults of a small man. Though Song Diao'er deserves death, I still have 1,200 loyal cavalrymen who can be put to use. I can even help Northern Liang gather another two thousand strong bandits. Song Diao'er will fight to the death to help Your Highness harass Northern Mang's supply lines..."

"Your Highness, I beg you to spare my life! Song Diao'er truly still has his uses!"

No matter how Song Diao'er kowtowed or pleaded for mercy, Xu Fengnian had already ridden far away.

As Song Diao'er caught sight of Hong Biao's feet in his peripheral vision, just before his death, he suddenly lifted his head and roared, "Xu Fengnian, at least let me die by your hand!"

Hong Biao slammed a palm onto the head of the ungrateful bandit, pressing down and exploding his skull and upper body into a puddle of flesh, resembling a crimson tree stump. Hong Biao lightly shook his hand, spat, and sneered, "That was too easy for you."

On the battlefield, which the Youzhou cavalry had just finished clearing, there was no earth-shattering cheer of surviving a catastrophe after hearing the news from Yu Luandao.

All the Youzhou cavalrymen, who had initially thought they would once again have to abandon the corpses of their comrades, now, with red eyes, silently carried the bodies of their fallen brothers onto their warhorses.

After stopping his horse, Xu Fengnian looked at the more than 3,200 Youzhou cavalrymen, and the comrades, whose eyes were forever closed, carried on the backs of many of them.

Xu Fengnian's lips trembled, but in the end, he did not utter a single word. He and his horse turned around and began riding south.

This cavalry force could soon head west, then south again, and enter Liangzhou.

Yu Luandao caught up.

Shi Yulu and Su Wenyao caught up.

Fan Fen caught up.

All 3,200 cavalrymen also followed.

The child Yu Dilong was still lagging at the tail end of the army. He sniffled and muttered to himself, "Big guy, I owe you one for now."

Shi Yulu softly said, "Great General, I didn't dare tell you before, but Liu Tao, who died on the battlefield the day before yesterday, was that young scout waiting for you in the village north of Jizhou. Before he died, he said that if you ever had time, he hoped you could pour a bowl of wine for their squad leader in front of his tombstone on Qingliang Mountain. And if you could conveniently pour a bowl for him too, that would be best."

Captain Fan Fen reached up and wiped his face, his expression unclear. "That kid didn't drink when he was alive."

Xu Fengnian nodded.

He recalled the young scout who, after waiting for his return in the village, had desperately wanted to speak but dared not, eventually saying nothing, only smiling shyly and foolishly.

Xu Fengnian suddenly squeezed his horse's flanks, lifted his long spear, and galloped straight towards the ten thousand Rouran Iron Cavalry and Hong Jingyan.