CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 38 DEATH WITHOUT LIFE! _6

The military might of the Yan people was truly awe-inspiring.

Zu Dongcheng shook his head and said, "The battle hasn’t started yet."

Zhong Mao asked curiously, "Brother Dongcheng doesn’t believe it?"

"Not at all. The West Mountain Battalion of the West Army Division has always honed its skills against the North Qiang, but the Yan people have been constantly fighting with the barbarians along the desert border. How do the barbarians compare with the North Qiang?"

Zhong Mao shook his head and responded with a bitter smile, "Obviously, they are incomparable."

Shortly after, Zhong Mao asked again, "Does Brother Dongcheng think that these are troops from the Yan’s North Border Army?"

"My father loves military equipment. He has a collection of armor from the various military forces of Qian State and other countries, even some from the distant West, stored in his attic. The Yan Army’s armor we see now is austere and rustic, completely different from the bright armor of the Yan’s Jingnan Army. Furthermore, the Yan people’s warhorses remain calm when facing the battle line. Brother Zhong, you should understand the spiritual nature of warhorses better than I. On the battlefield, the grim, murderous aura is palpable, and the warhorses can naturally sense it."

"Indeed."

"From this, we can infer that the Yan cavalry we are facing now is probably their proudest, the North Border Army."

Zhong Mao deeply inhaled, then slowly exhaled and said, "Don’t make fun of me, I’m really scared, truly terrified. But when I heard you say it’s the North Border Army, I suddenly felt a bit fiery, like that agitation from years ago when I first touched a young servant girl in my house and then, after joining the army, didn’t ’taste meat’ for several months on campaign."

Zu Dongcheng chuckled.

The fact that the Zhong Family was able to hold the leading position among the many military families of the West Army Division for decades was not simply due to good fortune. From Zhong Mao’s previous words, it could be inferred that the fighting spirit of the Zhong Family was still alive.

"If only our Great Qian hadn’t neglected its horse administration, if only our Great Qian could have enough cavalry."

Previously, when battling sea raiders, pacifying the Southwest chieftains, or suppressing other rebels, the imperial army was actually sufficient. As long as they were properly trained, adept at fighting, and had high morale—satisfying these basic conditions—they were truly more than enough for ordinary domestic conflicts.

But, when facing the enemy, clearly feeling the overwhelming pressure their cavalry brought, a sense of powerlessness inevitably arose. Cavalry, cavalry! Without sufficient cavalry, this battle felt suffocating right from the start!

Hearing this, Zhong Mao sighed.

Honestly, the claim that the lands of the Yan people are suitable for raising horses while our Great Qian has no such lands might deceive outsiders. But for those like us, who grew up and came of age in the military, we don’t believe it. In previous years, it wasn’t that the imperial court didn’t put great effort into horse administration; however, the results were a complete mess.

Furthermore, to take a big step back, even if a lack of warhorses resulted in insufficient cavalry, if military salaries were fully disbursed—or even if not entirely, a ten or fifteen percent shortfall would be within an acceptable range for everyone—then the three border commands alone would still have over six hundred thousand troops. The Imperial Guards could easily field three to four hundred thousand to march from the capital. Without mobilizing the West Army Division, still less transferring troops from the Southeast, or even recruiting volunteer soldiers, Great Qian could easily dispatch an army of a million. What could the Yan people’s formidable iron cavalry do then?

"The Yan people are coming on strong this time. Father and my uncles must be under immense pressure over there," Zu Dongcheng said.

"Brother Dongcheng, shouldn’t we be focusing more on whether we can withstand this wave from the Yan people?"

"If we can’t hold, we can’t hold. What use is there in us overthinking it? We can’t conjure up troops either."

"Brother Dongcheng is indeed carefree."

"Brother Zhong, if you have the chance in the future, you might as well take a trip to the Southeast. See the sea more often; it will surely be a different experience."

"Why does it sound like Brother Dongcheng is teasing me?"

"At a time like this, one has to be a bit more talkative; otherwise, there might not be another chance."

"That’s true."

Zu Dongcheng said, "Stupid man of Guanxi."

Zhong Mao immediately responded, "Bastard."

"I’ve been holding that in for a long time."

"Me too."

These were the kinds of epithets their elders commonly used for each other. It always felt more natural to shout such nicknames, especially when they were coated with a bit of regional disdain and metaphorically "fried in oil" to get that perfect "flavor."

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

The two young commanders laughed heartily together.

Around them, the soldiers, whose faces had been etched with tension, felt their hearts calm considerably.

"Brother Dongcheng, the Yan people are making their move!"

"TIGER!"

"TIGER!"

"TIGER!"

The cavalry of the Yan people began to move. All around, the thunderous rumble of hoofbeats echoed, as if thousands of war drums were being beaten simultaneously. The sound was like thunder, their momentum like the wind!

"Direct Thief, Yan bastard! Come on, your grandpa is waiting for you!" Zhong Mao roared.

Under the pressure of this terrifying atmosphere, maintaining composure was incredibly difficult. Venting one’s anxiety in this way was a viable option.

Zu Dongcheng, however, spurred his horse forward, raised the long saber in his hand, and shouted, "Pingnan Army!"

All the Zu family forces in the front formation roared in unison:

"VICTORY!"

"VICTORY!"

"VICTORY!"

The Zu family’s forces naturally couldn’t be called the "Zu Family Army" openly, even though it was clear to everyone that this army was indeed theirs, bearing the deep imprint of the Zu family. Even the various ministers in the imperial court and the Emperor himself would have no immediate means to break up this army.

However, to shout "Zu Family Army" openly on the battlefield, under the watchful eyes of all, would be far too taboo.

Their situation here was vastly different from that of Lord Jingnan and the Earl of North Border when those two lords passed through Nanwang City. Those two lords could chat and laugh casually while being kowtowed to by hundreds of thousands of Yan State soldiers and civilians, without needing to worry about imperial suspicion.

But these two were different. Even old Minister Zhong and Zu Zhuming wouldn’t dare to be so arrogant.

Dust swirled.

Before long, everything returned to an eerie calm.

A battlefield could never be truly silent, of course, but this current stillness made everyone tense up, to the point where it seemed they could only hear their own breathing.

Finally, the Yan Army moved!

"Brother Zhong, quickly lead five hundred axemen from the West Army Division to the eastern formation to help them stabilize their lines, in case..."

Suddenly, Zu Dongcheng’s words caught in his throat.

He saw the Yan people’s main direction of attack.

It was not the eastern formation where the Imperial Guards were stationed, but the main formation composed of the Zu family’s forces and the West Army Division!

"How... how dare they!"

Zhong Mao was also taken aback and exclaimed, "The Yan people are actually planning to charge the front formation!"

「 」

The whites of Li Fusheng’s eyes began to fill with red veins.

He raised his horse-lance, pointing it towards the most heavily defended front lines of the Qian army, and roared, "Momentum of the charge!"

Behind Li Fusheng, thousands of knights from the charging contingent roared in unison, "Advance, no retreat!"

Li Fusheng raised his horse-lance high.

"Will to break the formation!"

All around, thousands of North Border Army knights spurred their warhorses into a charge, shouting as they galloped forward, "Only death, no survival!"