Chapter 978: Only a Death Battle

A closer look at the Liyang map reveals that Beiliang Road resembles a narrow blade, while the region outside the pass – south of Gusezhou in the Northern Mang Southern Dynasty and north of Liangzhou – appears like a grindstone.

This vast battlefield, acting as a whetstone, ultimately honed the Beiliang Iron Cavalry into the most formidable force under heaven.

Murong Baoding's vanguard cavalry split into two forces: thirty thousand elite Winter Thunder cavalry pushed deep into enemy territory, actively seeking out the Left Cavalry, while thirty thousand Rouran Iron Cavalry charged directly towards the Right Cavalry. As an imperial relative of Northern Mang and the Governor of Orange State, Murong Baoding personally commanded the central infantry, choosing not to put himself in harm's way.

After besieging the military towns of Fuling and Liuya, Wang Yong, Governor of Baoping State, and Helian Wuwei, Governor of Hexi State, each dispatched twenty to thirty thousand cavalry south to reinforce the Winter Thunder and Rouran Iron Cavalry. Murong Baoding's clear objective was to engage the main forces of Beiliang's border cavalry in open combat. This was an overt strategy by the Northern Mang Emperor and the Grand Peace Regent: to use Murong Baoding's two elite cavalry divisions to tie down Beiliang's Left and Right Cavalry outside the pass. Their goal was twofold: to draw these two cavalry forces out, distancing them from Jubbei City, and to prevent them from reinforcing the Huaiyang Pass defenses. In essence, Northern Mang sought to exhaust these two primary Beiliang field armies between the fronts of Jubbei City and Huaiyang Pass.

Despite Northern Mang's obvious intentions, the Jubbei City council hall, following a discussion among the young lord and senior military commanders, showed no hesitation. Throughout the meeting, no one questioned whether these two battles should be fought; rather, the focus was entirely on how to fight them.

Zhou Kang, the "Brocade Partridge" and commander of the Right Cavalry, stayed behind in the council hall, likely to discuss further matters with the young lord. Lu Dayuan, the deputy commander of the Left Cavalry, and Li Yan, the second-in-command of the Right Cavalry, both of similar age, happened to step out together. Li Yan was not familiar with the suddenly prominent Lu Dayuan. He paid no mind to Lu Dayuan's reputation as the "youngest deputy general in Manjia Camp history," "Old Squad Leader of Prince Limi Lingbao," or an "elderly Xu family veteran who once held equal standing with Xu Pu, Wu Qi, and Liu Jinu." Li Yan valued only military merit. It was noteworthy that Li Yan, who rose through the ranks during Chen Zhibao's tenure as the first Protector of Beiliang, along with the colonels who transferred with him to the Right Cavalry, possessed distinctly different personalities and military approaches compared to the older generation of Xu family generals who emerged during the Spring and Autumn period. For instance, even after Lu Dayuan's return to the border army and his assumption of effective command over the entire Left Cavalry, he never adopted the "three fires of a new official" custom. He was always amiable with his subordinates, never stern during cavalry inspections, and largely overlooked Chen Zhibao's rigid Beiliang military regulations, choosing not to be overly concerned with trivialities. Unlike the humorless Li Yan, Lu Dayuan was relaxed even during military strategy discussions in the council hall. Even when questioned directly by the increasingly imposing young lord, Lu Dayuan maintained a laid-back attitude, as if nothing in the world troubled him. This demeanor naturally irked the strict and disciplined Li Yan, who had no desire for a closer acquaintance.

Lu Dayuan and Li Yan walked side by side toward the military office. Several specific matters required coordination with Yang Shenxing, as large-scale troop deployments like this involved not only Deputy Commissioner Yang Shenxing but also the Ministry of Households, led by Bai Yu.

Li Yan suddenly stopped and, on his own initiative, asked Lu Dayuan, "Could we step aside and have a word?"

Lu Dayuan naturally agreed. Instead of immediately entering the military office, they descended the steps. Directly opposite the council hall and the six offices on its east and west sides stood a wooden archway. Inscriptions adorned both faces: the south-facing side bore the four gold characters "Northwest" on a red background, personally penned by the young lord. The north side displayed a Beiliang official maxim written by Li Yishan: "Deceive Heaven and Earth, but never the common people." Members of the lord's household, when attending to military and political affairs, would see this maxim simply by looking up.

Lu Dayuan led Li Yan to the wooden archway, smiling as he came straight to the point: "I know this position should have been yours, Li Yan. If you have any strong feelings about it, I wouldn't be able to stop you even if I tried."

Li Yan frowned deeply but remained silent.

Lu Dayuan, clad in armor, raised an arm and vigorously rubbed his hands, the armor plates clanking softly. The new deputy commander of the Left Cavalry, who had ascended so swiftly, let out a quiet sigh. "The Left and Right Cavalry outside the pass have always maintained good relations," he began. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to challenge the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry everywhere, or even turn Qianli Pasture and Tianjing Pasture into our own backyard. I heard that years ago, before the Dragon Elephant Army relocated to Liuzhou, they clashed with the Left Cavalry over two hundred elite warhorses. Back then, Prince Limi Lingbao's two Dragon Elephant Army deputy generals caused such a huge uproar that even Zhong Hongwu, the former cavalry commander, couldn't control them. Chen Zhibao, the Protector at the time, refused to get involved. In the end, the Right Cavalry had to dispatch two thousand of its finest cavalry, riding all night to the Left Cavalry's camp. It was a clear show of support for Old Marshal He, who had already decided to make a concession to settle the dispute. Only then were those two excellent horses recovered. For years, the Left and Right Cavalry have stood united, which is why they've often been at odds with the Dragon Elephant Army, the White Feather Light Cavalry, and the Iron Pagodas. I’ve even heard it said that a junior commandant handling logistics and miscellaneous duties within the Left and Right Cavalry holds more influence than an actual commandant inside Beiliang proper. This is why the commanders of the four major military towns outside the pass – Liuya, Fuling, Chongzhong, and Qingyuan – are all quite wary of our Left and Right Cavalry."

Li Yan replied indifferently, "Lu Dayuan, don't forget you are now the deputy commander of the Left Cavalry. These 'heartfelt' words might be useful if you speak to the lord, but they are meaningless to me."

Lu Dayuan pursed his lips, glancing back at the bustling council hall and its six offices, filled with hurried figures. He casually patted his heavy armor and chuckled, "The Xu family I knew wasn't like this. They were all a bunch of uncouth roughnecks, every one of them wearing sabers, carrying bows, and clad in iron armor. Even the Grand General's only two scholars, Master Li and Master Zhao, used to wear Xu sabers when attending council meetings. But today, in this Grand General's mansion, people like Li Gongde and Bai Yu wear civil official robes, and the military advisors wear scholarly gowns. Everywhere I look, there are so many scholars, and so few of us 'turtle-shelled' warriors."

Li Yan, with many pressing matters to attend to, said gravely, "War is imminent, and military duties are heavy. Lu Dayuan, speak your mind directly. Don't beat around the bush; I have no time for it!"

Lu Dayuan nodded, unfazed by Li Yan's arrogant demeanor. With a smile, he said, "Whether I, Lu Dayuan, am an ass or a mule, I haven't been put to the test in nearly twenty years. Since the lord trusts me enough to effectively place me in command of the Left Cavalry, I certainly can't disappoint him. Besides, I, Lu Dayuan, have fought over sixty battles, large and small, and I've never lost. I won't break that streak now. The reason I pulled you aside today is to be frank: with the Left Cavalry under my command, the lord can rest easy, Old Marshal He can rest easy, and you, Li Yan, can also rest easy. Ultimately, everyone, both inside and outside the pass, will understand one truth: the Left and Right Cavalry have always been arrogant and overbearing, but we have earned the right to be so. If they don't believe it, let everyone watch closely. Whether it's the 'Twin Jades of Great Chu' — Kou Jianghuai and Xie Xichui — or Cao Benlei and Yu Deyu, when they encounter us, the veterans of the Xu family iron cavalry, on the day of rewards and promotions, they'll simply have to step aside obediently!"

Lu Dayuan turned and looked directly at Li Yan, asking, "Well, Old Li, what do you say?"

Li Yan sneered, "Your words are somewhat agreeable, but as for whether you truly possess the ability, I'll wait and see. If the Left Cavalry can slay half as many enemies as my Right Cavalry, I'll treat you to a drink in Jubbei City. If not, then when you next encounter me, you can just go cool off somewhere else."

Lu Dayuan reached out and playfully slapped Li Yan's head. "You brat, your temper is even worse than the Grand General's used to be!"

Li Yan, whose head had almost never been slapped in his life, was momentarily stunned. By the time he recovered, Lu Dayuan had already scurried away.

At the entrance to the council hall, Zhou Kang, the "Brocade Partridge," whose eyes widened at the astonishing sight, remarked helplessly, "This Lu Dayuan is quite bold; he even dares to touch Li Taisui's head."

Xu Fengnian simply smiled and quietly said, "This puts a rather heavy burden on the Left and Right Cavalry."

Zhou Kang snorted coldly. "Since Your Highness believes that Kou Jianghuai and his group of young men can establish a foothold in Liuzhou, I won't waste words on the confused accounts of the Qingyuan military town. However, even without the support of Shi Funing, Emei, and Yuan Nanting, Old He's Left Cavalry and my Right Cavalry, facing Murong Baoding and later Wang Yong and Helian Wuwei, will be more than capable. Your Highness can rest easy."

Xu Fengnian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thirty thousand Winter Thunder elite cavalry and thirty thousand Rouran Iron Cavalry are considered the Northern Mang Southern Dynasty's premier large-scale field forces. Northern Mang is deploying such a significant lure, so you must not take this lightly."

Zhou Kang simply grunted in acknowledgment.

Xu Fengnian suddenly cupped his hands to the old marshal, who had once seen him off to the capital, and said, "Go well."

Zhou Kang, the "Brocade Partridge," returned the gesture, his voice low and firm: "Only death... a fight to the death!"

Both understood each other implicitly.

In truth.

Only death.