Chapter 966: Great Head

The sound of the Northern Mang main army's hooves was already heard south of Hutou City, heading directly for the line between Huaiyang Pass and the two towns of Fuling and Liuya. Murong Baoding's cavalry scouts had even advanced as far as Chongzhong Military Town. After the Liangzhou White Horse Rangers relocated to Liuzhou, these Northern Mang scouts, far inferior to the Crow Scouts, roamed freely in all directions.

The two Grand Generals commanding the Northern Mang central army were Dong Zhuo and Murong Baoding, the Governor of Juzi Prefecture, who had not participated in the first Liang-Mang war. For some unknown reason, Murong Baoding's forces, originally tasked with attacking Huaiyang Pass, were temporarily reassigned to besiege the two towns of Fuling and Liuya. Dong Zhuo personally led his army to Huaiyang Pass, where the Beiliang Protectorate General's office was located. Although there was a suspicion of acting impulsively, neither the Northern Mang royal court nor the two imperial courts in Xijing raised any objections. The reasons were simple: firstly, Dong Zhuo's brother-in-law had just been abruptly killed in Longyan'er Plain, and no one wanted to provoke the vengeful Fatty Dong at such a critical juncture. Secondly, Huaiyang Pass was the only notoriously treacherous and strategically important stronghold outside Beiliang's borders, truly a formidable natural fortress—extremely easy to defend and incredibly difficult to attack.

Although Murong Baoding commanded twenty thousand elite infantry, this imperial relative clearly lacked the confidence to capture Huaiyang Pass, which was garrisoned by over thirty thousand Beiliang border troops, with only twenty thousand men. If he were to use his premier Northern Mang cavalry for a siege, it would not only be a waste of resources but also deeply regrettable for Murong Baoding. This Winter Thunder Elite Cavalry, numbering no more than thirty thousand, was renowned for its superior armor, excellent warhorses, and formidable combat strength, always looking down on the border garrisons of the Southern Dynasty.

When the Northern Mang Emperor personally presided over the Xijing council and decided that Murong Baoding's forces should attack Huaiyang Pass, the Governor of Juzi Prefecture, whose surname was the same as the Old Woman's, nearly erupted in anger on the spot. Subsequently, Hong Jingyan and Dong Zhuo's brother-in-law, Yelü Chucai, both died in the scout battle north of Hutou City. The Rouran Iron Cavalry suddenly found themselves leaderless, and Murong Baoding was able to absorb a full thirty thousand Rouran cavalry, which somewhat eased his mind. This might have been the Northern Mang Emperor's way of compensation. Otherwise, if Murong Baoding had to compete with Dong Zhuo, who was known for monopolizing gains, and Wang Yong, the Governor of Baoping Prefecture with deep roots in Beiting, and also contend with the countless grassland chieftains whose eyes were red with greed over the Rouran Iron Cavalry – a sudden windfall – Murong Baoding would at most have gained only four or five thousand cavalry. Therefore, when Murong Baoding reaped such immense benefits, Fatty Dong surprisingly volunteered to attack Huaiyang Pass. This made the entire grassland envy the Juzi Prefecture Governor's incredible luck; it was like sleeping with the world's top courtesan, regretting the expenses afterward, only for someone foolishly to come along, help pull up your pants, and declare the bill settled.

Dong Zhuo, the youngest Grand General of Northern Mang, and Chu Lushuan, the Protector General of Beiliang, were jointly known as "Dong in the North, Chu in the South." Their long-standing grievances and rivalries were not only renowned throughout Liang-Mang but also well-known in the Central Plains officialdom.

Had it not been for the sudden emergence of Dong Zhuo, a military genius, the Xu family's cavalry might have long since swept through and broken the northern steppes, reducing the precarious usurper empress to a prisoner of the Liyang Zhao imperial family. Dong Zhuo's only defeat was at the hands of Chu Lushuan. It was in that interception battle that Chu Lushuan's eight thousand Yeluohe Iron Cavalry truly distinguished themselves. Previously, both sides had raided four hundred li in separate directions. Dong Zhuo's cavalry had already completely broken free from the Liyang cavalry's encirclement, yet Chu Lushuan, having launched a daring unauthorized attack, clung tightly to them, eventually leading to a head-on collision with heavy casualties on both sides. Neither side could claim victory, but Dong Zhuo was severely wounded, having been dismounted by Chu Lushuan's spear.

It was widely rumored in the Central Plains that Chu Lushuan had uttered a defiant remark to the young Northern Mang general who was hastily rescued: "There are only two kinds of cavalry in the world: not your grassland cavalry and Central Plains cavalry, but our Xu family's Iron Cavalry and all other cavalry!" This very statement earned the Beiliang Iron Cavalry much criticism.

Longyan'er Plain was where Yelü Chucai, the provisional commander of the Crow Scouts, had fallen in battle.

A Northern Mang general, extraordinarily burly but without any sense of flabbiness, squatted down. His upper and lower teeth lightly and habitually tapped against each other as he squinted towards the south.

Beside him stood a little girl sobbing uncontrollably. A beautiful snow-white pony, looking bewildered, circled the girl, occasionally nudging its small owner with its head.

Two young women, dressed in white mourning clothes, stood nearby. One, with a sword at her side, was exquisitely beautiful and exuded a cool, detached aura. The other, with a dignified presence, held an urn of ashes, grasping handfuls and scattering them to the wind.

They were Fifth Fox, the only daughter of Fifth He of Tibingshan in Northern Mang, and Yelü Chucai's older sister, a noble Northern Mang Princess.

Fifth He had died at the hands of the new King of Liang, and Yelü Chucai had fallen on this battlefield outside Liangzhou, a place the young Vassal King had personally visited. Both deaths were directly related to that young Vassal King named Xu.

The little girl, Tao Manwu, though young, already had a slender figure like a budding willow, hinting at the beauty she would become. Her father, Tao Qianzhi, had left the Gusai Prefecture border army to serve as a city magistrate in Liuxia City, Longyao Prefecture, and had died suddenly a few years prior on a Qingming Festival, when yellow paper offerings drifted in the wind.

Tao Qianzhi and Dong Zhuo were comrades in arms who had faced life and death together on the border, especially close as they had entered military service at the same time. After Tao Qianzhi's death, Tao Manwu became the apple of Dong Zhuo's eye, a man renowned for his cold blood and iron fist in the Southern Dynasty. The fat man had even bluntly told his two wives that even if he were to have his own sons and daughters in the future, he would never be as affectionate with them as he was with Little Manwu.

Little Manwu's uncle, who always liked to pick her up and prick her cheek with his beard, and that young elder who often joked about marrying her as his child bride when she grew up – though she would always roll her eyes at him, she secretly cherished him deeply. It was as if, because he was her closest relative in the world, there was no need for politeness in their words or actions.

Tao Manwu watched with her own eyes as the Yelü family aunt scattered the ashes, her eyes swollen and red from crying, her sobs uncontrollable. She had to clamp her hands tightly over her mouth, fearing that her unending cries would further distress her already heartbroken uncle and aunt.

Seemingly noticing that the girl's crying had subsided, the stout man, clad in iron armor beneath white mourning robes, turned his head. Upon seeing Little Manwu's pitiful appearance, he gently pulled her slender hands away from her mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "It's alright, cry if you want to. For women in this world, other things are hard to say, but crying is always possible."

This general, whose renown in Northern Mang rivaled that of the God of War Tuoba Pusa, could look the little girl in the eye even while squatting. It was difficult to imagine such tenderness from this majestic man, who in a mere twenty years of military life had risen to the rank of Southern Court King.

After scattering an urn of ashes, the Northern Mang Princess raised her arm high and casually tossed the urn into the distance, letting the simple earthenware vessel, crafted by Central Plains refugees, shatter with a crash.

Fifth Fox's eyelids trembled subtly.

The Northern Mang Princess turned to her husband and said in a detached tone, "Revenge. As Yelü Chucai's brother-in-law, and the foremost general in our Great Mang Dynasty's southern campaign, you must exact it."

Fifth Fox frowned but remained silent.

Dong Zhuo ruffled Tao Manwu's hair and said gravely, "Of course! When I married you, I promised that my brother-in-law would not die on the battlefield as long as he hadn't become the fourth Grand General of the Southern Dynasty. It is I, Dong Zhuo, who broke my word first. Close relatives settle accounts clearly, and it's the same between husband and wife. This revenge will begin at Huaiyang Pass! I will settle every single score with that man named Xu."

She turned her head, looking north towards her distant homeland, and said softly, "However, Dong Zhuo, as my husband, you must not die."

Dong Zhuo grinned, propped his hands on his knees, and slowly stood up. "The Beiliang Iron Cavalry might be considered the best under heaven, but it won't be easy to kill me."

She smiled sadly and murmured, "You've broken your word once; make sure there isn't a second time. If there is, who would I even scold?"

Her family's influence within the grassland royal court was deeply entrenched. The elite cavalry unit under Dong Zhuo's command, which had disrupted the Liyang northern expeditionary army's deployment, was part of her dowry when she married him. Over the years, Dong Zhuo's rapid ascent in the Southern Dynasty's officialdom, reaching the pinnacle in one fell swoop, was greatly propelled by her family's support. The Dong family's infantry and cavalry were both undeniably the strongest in the Northern Mang Southern Dynasty. How could Dong Zhuo afford nearly 150,000 private troops? Especially in the early days, it was her dowry that sustained them. In contrast, her younger brother, Yelü Chucai, as the eldest grandson and a certain future pillar of the family, insisted on joining his brother-in-law's army after leaving the Royal Guard, which all young men from the Yelü and Murong clans were required to join. He also insisted on starting as an ordinary squad leader. As a result, after nearly twenty years in the military, he died as a general whose authority was somewhere between a chiliarch and a myriad commander – neither high nor low. In any other Southern Dynasty border army, who would dare to so recklessly sideline and suppress Yelü Chucai?

She hesitated, then said to herself with a distressed expression, "After the Battle of Hulukou, when you ordered him to lead cavalry reinforcements to Yang Yuanzan, I became very worried about that stubborn boy's safety. So, behind your back, I successfully persuaded my father, who shared my concerns, to try and get him into one of the two royal elite cavalry units, to serve as the commander of the Yelü Heavy Cavalry. But in the end, just as my father's efforts were bearing fruit, that stubborn Yelü Chucai absolutely refused, saying that if we forced him away from his brother-in-law, he would run away from home, simply take off his armor, and roam the Central Plains martial world alone on horseback."

Dong Zhuo clenched his fists. "This is the first I've heard of this."

Dong Zhuo gazed into the distance. "But if I had known earlier, and if Yelü Chucai had agreed to your plans, I certainly wouldn't have stopped him. However, if he didn't want to leave, I wouldn't have tried to persuade him either."

Dong Zhuo continued, "The men of my Dong family army are the most sought-after soldiers on the entire steppe, worth a hundred gold. None of them worry about their future; as long as they wish to transfer, they are guaranteed at least a one-rank promotion. But for all these years, only after major, arduous battles have outsiders clamored to join my Dong family army, taking pride in being a soldier under my command. No one has ever chosen to leave this army..."

Dong Zhuo suddenly chuckled and corrected himself, "I misspoke. Actually, there are, and many of them! Like my brother-in-law, who died in battle."

Dong family sons, swords and spears in hand,Die by their horses' backs or by their horses' sides.Young wives at home, do not weep your hearts out;Young sons at home, become Dong family men again!

She suddenly walked up to him and hammered his chest hard. Ultimately, Dong Zhuo, with his thick skin and iron armor, felt nothing, but her fist instantly became red and swollen.

After this, she neither cried nor made a fuss. Taking a deep breath, she said softly, "Don't die at Huaiyang Pass, don't die at Jubbei City. If you must die, then die on the shores of the South China Sea, the farthest point from the steppe in the Central Plains. Only then can I be out of sight, out of mind."

Dong Zhuo grinned, "Alright!"

She turned and left. "I'm heading back to Beiting now; no need to see me off."

Perhaps like the little girl Tao Manwu, this resolute woman, who at a young age had famously declared, "My only regret is not being born a man, otherwise I would surely become a myriad household lord," and whose words had made the Northern Mang Empress laugh heartily and praise her with three "Good!"s, also dared not cry aloud in front of him.

After she had walked away alone, Fifth Fox said, filled with worry, "Why do you insist on gnawing at Huaiyang Pass, this hard bone with no meat on it? Wouldn't it be better to leave that headache to Murong Baoding?"

Dong Zhuo scoffed at himself, "Hard battles, death struggles – someone always has to fight them. If His Majesty still wishes to make an impact on the Central Plains map with what little is left of our reserves, we cannot afford to fight childish battles like the first Liang-Mang war again. The grassland's sons are not like spring grass that regrows every year, cut down one crop only for another to appear. Now, the various grassland tribes, large and small, have all suffered significant losses. If Beiting pushes its luck further, internal strife is likely to erupt. Such a colossal mess, not even gods could fix it. And when that happens, I, Dong Zhuo, would be the one to suffer, allowing the Beiliang border army to reap the benefits and achieve unparalleled merit for nothing."

Dong Zhuo looked south, towards Hutou City, which he had personally breached and left in ruins. Further south lay Huaiyang Pass, a natural fortress. It was ironic; the grassland's million-strong army had fought Beiliang for twenty years. During the lifetime of the Old Man Butcher, the Southern Dynasty's border army rarely even saw Hutou City. It wasn't until the Butcher Xu Xiao died that Dong Zhuo finally gained full authority, and only then did Northern Mang's hooves touch ground slightly further south, though it was merely a small advance. Yet now, the ten thousand light cavalry of Beiliang's Yuluandao unit had once again penetrated deep into the Southern Dynasty's heartland, treating the various military towns and fortresses of Gusai Prefecture as if they were nothing, following in the footsteps of the early Snow Dragon Riders.

Dong Zhuo pointed south and said to his young wife, "In the Protectorate General's office at Huaiyang Pass sits a man even fatter than I am. It's said that the Liyang court has always claimed that at the end of the battle between me and Fatty Chu, this adopted son of the Butcher uttered a brazen, rebellious boast: that there are only two kinds of cavalry in the world – the Xu family's Iron Cavalry and all other cavalry. The truth is, that's not what happened. It's just that the Beiliang border army is so arrogant that they gladly accepted this slander from Liyang's civil officials, viewing it as a compliment instead."

Dong Zhuo did not lower his arm, continuing to point south, his smile grim. He slowly continued, "Chu Lushuan did indeed say some things back then. I remember that fellow sitting high on his horse, pointing his iron spear tip at me, and laughing loudly, 'I hear your name is Dong Zhuo? My adopted father had certain considerations and couldn't go all out, so Chen Zhibao and Yuan Zuozong couldn't be bothered to play with you. I, Chu Lushuan, was just so bored and restless that I came here to spar with you. Otherwise, with your meager abilities and the ragged army you command...'"

Dong Zhuo remained silent for a long time.

Fifth Fox asked curiously, "What happened next?"

Dong Zhuo withdrew his hand and said with a sheepish look, "Then I, being severely wounded, fainted."

As if feeling somewhat embarrassed, Dong Zhuo lowered his head and made a funny face at Little Tao Manwu.

The little girl, her face streaked with tears, gripped Dong Zhuo's wrist tightly. She was not amused; instead, she seemed even more on the verge of crying.

The little girl looked up and choked out, "Uncle Dong, don't die!"

In the mind of this child, whose life had been so difficult, she felt like the 'jinx' of popular legend, always causing the death of those closest to her. From her father, Tao Qianzhi, to Yelü Chucai, who would be next?

So she was very afraid.

Dong Zhuo squatted down, extended his large, calloused hand—a hand accustomed to wielding a blade and taking lives—and gently wiped away the little girl's tears. "Little Manwu, don't cry. Bad people like Uncle Dong live the longest; even King Yama doesn't want them."

Upon hearing this, the little girl's tears flowed even more profusely.

Because in her heart, besides her father, Uncle Dong had always been tied for the second-best good person in the world.

And the one she had once considered the very best now quietly slipped to second place.

Unsure how to console her, Dong Zhuo let her ride on his shoulders. After standing up, they both looked south. Dong Zhuo softly said, "Don't worry, Uncle Dong will take you to see him one last time."

Tao Manwu rested her small head on Dong Zhuo's large one.

Dong Zhuo softly asked, "Little Manwu, how does that song go? Uncle Dong always forgets the words. Your uncle used to sing it to me all the time, and he sang it terribly. Little Manwu, why don't you teach him one last time?"

The little girl nodded heavily, but with too many tears and too much sorrow, she couldn't speak immediately.

Dong Zhuo wasn't in a hurry. He inexplicably recalled a scripture. This Northern Mang Grand General, who had slaughtered countless lives, pressed his palms together, bowed his head, and piously recited in silence, "I take refuge in the Buddha, free from all suffering of reincarnation. I take refuge in the Dharma, to enjoy the blessings of the ten directions and three realms. I take refuge in the Sangha, not to fall into any evil paths of rebirth..."

At the same time, Tao Manwu's still-childish voice lightly and airily rose from atop Dong Zhuo's head.

Green grass will grow next year,Wild geese leave and then return.Spring winds blow this year,Will the young lord ever return?Green flagstones, green grass,On the green stone bridge, a lad in green,Humming a Jinling tune.Whose daughter smiles, head bowed?

Yellow leaves fall this year,Year after year passes.Autumn winds will rise next year,Will the lady still be there?Yellow River, yellow flowers, yellow,In Yellow River City, a yellow-flower lady,Chasing after yellow butterflies.Whose son's blade remains sheathed?

The battle blade remains sheathed.The young lord has not returned.

For many living on both sides, Liang and Mang, it was like this. Perhaps in the eyes of the Central Plains, the three vassal kings' combined rebellion seemed to bring war for no reason. But as for those barbarian Beiliang people and barbarian Northern Mang people, the dead there simply died as they should, as a matter of course.

On the yellow sandy plains of Longyan'er, the stout man, still carrying Little Manwu on his back, lowered his clasped hands and said gravely, "Chu Lushuan, since you are so intent on dying, then I will generously accept your three hundred catties of flesh!"

Huaiyang Pass, which controlled the crucial southern route, was divided into an inner and outer city, built against the mountainside with its terrain gradually rising southward. The inner city, in particular, was constructed atop a cliff, its walls entirely made of dressed stones. When Beiliang had spared no effort to build Hutou City, the foremost stronghold outside the northwestern pass, most of the stone used was sourced from Canglang Mountain in Lingzhou. Afterward, it was discovered that three to four tenths of the massive stones remained, so they were all moved south in one go to Huaiyang Pass, which at the time was far from its current scale. Over more than ten years of continuous reinforcement and accumulation, large quantities of equipment and provisions were stockpiled. As long as the outer city held, the water supply was also secure. Except for its strategic importance being less than Hutou City, Huaiyang Pass's impregnability actually surpassed that of the first Liyang border city before Jubbei City was built.

Therefore, when Chu Lushuan insisted on establishing the Protectorate General's office at Huaiyang Pass, far from Liangzhou City, Xu Fengnian did not raise many objections.

However, after the shattered Hutou City lost its defensive significance, both Xu Fengnian and Qingliang Mountain requested Chu Lushuan to retreat to Jubbei City, but Chu Lushuan stubbornly insisted on holding the front line at Huaiyang Pass.

It was hard to imagine that this adopted son of the Butcher, who had once performed the feat of leading a thousand cavalry to open up Shu, and a fierce general who had commanded eight thousand Yeluohe Iron Cavalry, had, after settling in Beiliang, remained content with a low official rank, never complaining, and devoted himself to a decadent, wasteful life of revelry. He claimed to love fine wine, beautiful women, luxurious clothes, magnificent horses, famous calligraphy, exotic flowers, and leisurely excursions.

Yet, after suddenly becoming the Protector General of Beiliang, he transformed again, remaining completely steadfast in the desolate region beyond the pass.

Probably after the death of the Old Man Butcher Xu Xiao, no one in the world could truly understand this profoundly wicked and evil fat man.

On the watchtower of Huaiyang Pass's inner city, a fat man, massive as a small mountain, rested his hands on the battlements, remaining silent.

Enemies are everywhere under heaven, but not a single confidant.

He rubbed his neck and said with a smile, "Truly a fine head."