CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 38 DEATH WITHOUT LIFE! _3

The world’s most elite cavalry regiment—their glory, their terror, their very bearing—would be displayed for the first time on this foreign land, before the soldiers of Qian State. This was a moment they had awaited for a century! Finally, as the wind rose and dust swirled, the cavalry began to move!

...

"Brother Dongcheng, those crossbow shots just now were really exhilarating!"

In the heart of the Qian army formation, a young general spoke to his companion, also a young general, riding a white horse beside him.

The young general who spoke first was Zhong Mao, a member of the Zhong Family. Although he was one generation younger than Zhong Tianlang—being the grandson of Zhong Wenhao’s third brother, Zhong Wenqin—like Zhong Tianlang, he was considered a leading figure among the younger generation of the Zhong Family.

The tradition of military families and the circle of civil officials were similar in one aspect: both needed to build up hype and establish momentum when grooming the next generation of leaders.

However, the military environment had its own uniqueness. First, without genuine capability, one would struggle to bear the weight of leadership, and their subordinates would not obey.

Although Qian had not seen a second rebellion on the scale of the one initiated by the Southwest chieftains after it was quelled, it was not entirely peaceful either.

In fact, though Qian was wealthy and rich in resources, farmers’ uprisings were incessant. Coupled with occasional disturbances from the Southwest chieftains and the North Qiang tribes, there were still wars to be fought.

Civil officials, after gaining an unwarranted reputation, could still secure a post in a relaxed government office. If their family influence was adeptly managed, they might even spend a few years in the Hanlin Academy to add luster to their name.

But while one often heard of useless officials, one rarely heard of useless military generals. Any such clay-footed martial figures would likely have perished in battle long ago.

Of course, as Zhong Wenhao’s son, Zhong Tianlang naturally received the most substantial support from the West Army Division. In comparison, the support Zhong Mao received was far inferior.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been assigned the task of leading this rearguard force northward.

Everyone knew that the sooner one reached the front lines, the sooner one would find battles to fight, establish a reputation, and more easily accumulate merits.

Thus, Zhong Tianlang had gone north with the first contingent, alongside his father, Minister Zhong. He had even once charged into Yan territory on a snowy night, raiding multiple enemy camps, thereby greatly enhancing his reputation and boosting the morale of the Qian army.

Zhong Mao, on the other hand, had to lead eight thousand West Army Division infantrymen from the rear, slowly making his way north while escorting weaponry, equipment, and grain rations forcibly requisitioned by the Military Commissioner of Shu Prefecture en route.

Actually, the young general before him had received similar treatment, yet it was clear his future prospects would be far better than Zhong Mao’s own.

Moreover, this young general’s earlier tactical arrangements had genuinely impressed Zhong Mao.

This young man’s surname was Zu, and his name was Zu Dongcheng.

His father was the founder of the Zu family’s army, Zu Zhuming, also known as Commander-in-Chief Zu.

Zhong Mao knew that the Zu family’s army currently wielded considerable influence in the southeastern region of Qian State. Given time, it might become another powerful frontier commandery in the Southeast, much like the West Army Division.

In the past, the ministers in the court would not have allowed such a situation to arise, and the Emperor would certainly have disagreed. But now, with the Yan people frequently provoking conflicts in the north and creating an extremely tense situation, even the most foolish civil officials would not dare to undermine the authority of military leaders at this critical juncture. Of course, they would still attempt to divide and rule as always, but they wouldn’t go so far as to repeat what they did to the Tattoo-faced Master—first suspending him, then finding a pretext to attack.

If the Zu family’s army could indeed establish its own fiefdom, then Zu Dongcheng, the man standing before him, would surely become the next leader of the Southeast frontier commandery.

"Brother Zhong, you flatter me. In fact, I didn’t want to use the ballistae so early," Zu Dongcheng sighed.

Zhong Mao nodded.

Although these two young men came from different backgrounds, they had been guided by their fathers since childhood and possessed outstanding natural aptitude. Thus, each had his own understanding of military affairs.

Zhong Mao knew that the sudden appearance of the Yan Army’s cavalry had already sown fear among his troops. Coupled with the Yan people’s harassing volleys, the pressure on his forces was immense. If he didn’t employ some countermeasure, make the Yan people bleed a little, the morale of his troops would plummet. They might even rout.

Trump cards, naturally, were best kept hidden and used as late as possible. However, the current situation allowed no room for hesitation.

The eight thousand West Army Division troops Zhong Mao led, being a transport unit, were certainly not among the elite of the West Army Division.

Additionally, there were five thousand newly recruited "Brave Warriors" from Beihe Prefecture, selected from the strongest men among Beihe Prefecture’s Xiangjun garrison troops. However, Qian’s Xiangjun troops had always been lax; though numerous, their primary role was often to absorb refugees during disasters to prevent civil unrest.

Armies were used for maintaining stability, and in the case of the Xiangjun troops, this stabilizing function was even more fundamental to their purpose.

As for the nearly ten thousand Imperial Guards from the imperial capital, they put on quite an impressive show, but Zhong Mao knew it was mostly for appearance.

Otherwise, when the various armies had set out a few days prior, there wouldn’t have been the laughable situation where the imperial capital’s garrison, supposedly eight hundred thousand strong, had nearly failed to muster even one hundred thousand soldiers.

However, in recent days, the Emperor had been repeatedly angered, and many high-ranking officers from military families within the Imperial Guard had been demoted. This had finally caused panic among the upper echelons of the Imperial Guard.

Finally, there were these seven thousand rearguard troops from the Zu family army. The first contingent of the Zu family army to head north numbered fifty thousand, personally led by Zu Zhuming. After reaching the north, Zu Zhuming had ordered his son to lead the rearguard forces to continue northward, carrying a considerable amount of military equipment.