Chapter 836 The War of Liang (Third Update)

At dawn, all the Black Wind Riders who had been resting on the ground outside the city had woken up and stood in neat rows against the wind.

No matter how tired or depleted their bodies are, once the troops are mobilized, they can quickly enter a state of combat readiness.

Having worked tirelessly all night without a moment's rest, Gu Jiao was now riding on the back of the Black Wind King. Her red battle armor was like fire, and her black iron armor was like a blade. The howling wind in the vast world could not dispel the murderous aura and fighting spirit on the young man's body.

After yesterday's fierce battle, everyone looked at this young commander with new respect.

Whether we can entrust our loyalty to him is another matter, but we can absolutely trust him with our backs. On the battlefield, he is king!

Gu Jiao gripped the reins with one hand and held her helmet in the other, calmly surveying all the Black Wind Riders, and announced, "Military regulations number ten and number nine!"

Everyone straightened their backs and recited with open and honest expressions—

"Those who steal others' property for their own benefit, or those who take others' heads for their own merit, are called thieves, and those who commit this offense shall be beheaded!"

"Wherever they go, they oppress the people. If they force women to commit adultery, they are called treacherous soldiers, and those who violate this rule shall be beheaded!" (Note ①)

Gu Jiao said, "Very good. You are soldiers of Great Yan. The people of Quyang City are the citizens of Great Yan. Remember your mission and do not harm the people in the city in any way."

Having said that, she glanced at the Great Yan national flag and the Xuanyuan Flying Eagle flag held high in the hands of the cavalrymen, and ordered, "Enter the city!"

Nearly 50,000 troops marched into the city in a grand procession. It was still early, and the people in the city were still resting. The Black Wind Riders' hooves clattered softly, and the soldiers tried to minimize the sound of their armor rubbing together.

Even so, by the time they reached the halfway point, people in the city were starting to get up and work.

When they saw the Black Wind Iron Cavalry, which looked like gods, they were so frightened that they stood still.

In the market, a vendor carrying mountain goods whispered to his companion, "I told you I heard them ramming the city gates last night, but you didn't believe me! Look, haven't they broken in?"

The people were all silent with fear.

The differences between the Black Wind Iron Cavalry and Nangong's army are quite obvious. First, their auras are different, and second, their armor and warhorses are also vastly different.

Not to mention that one of the flags held at the front of the procession was different.

Gu Jiao took the lead and walked at the front. She wore a helmet, but did not remove her mask, revealing her young and innocent face, as well as the birthmark on her left cheek.

The people were terrified.

Black Wind King was the king of warhorses, and its aura always kept strangers at bay.

This strange-looking person, along with a ferocious warhorse, terrified some children so much that they cried on the spot.

The child's mother quickly covered the child's mouth, fearing that the little devil might kill her son if he got angry!

Gu Jiao didn't pay any attention and rode Black Wind King forward on her own.

Bang!

I wonder whose window is closed.

Bang!

Someone else closed the door again!

The people on the street seemed to finally come to their senses, and they scattered in all directions, carrying their children and pushing their stalls. The bustling street was deserted in an instant.

Hu, the clerk riding behind Gu Jiao, opened his mouth: "Sir, it seems... we're not very popular. After all, we're the ones who quelled the rebel army and saved the people of Quyang from their suffering. Shouldn't these people line the streets to welcome us?"

Gu Jiao said calmly, "In their eyes, we are the rebels."

Master Hu: "Uh..."

A toddler, about one year old, was placed in a basket next to a vegetable stall. The basket tipped over, but the adults didn't see it, and the little one didn't cry.

He climbed out of the basket using both his hands and feet, and eventually reached the main road.

Cheng Fugui was walking at the very edge of the front of the group. Upon seeing this, he quickly stepped out of the line, dismounted, and picked up the child.

Cheng Fugui's appearance was not fierce, but after a battle, his face was bruised and swollen, and he looked rather fierce and scary.

The little one burst into tears and reached out his hand to his parents who were not far away.

The parents were terrified and rushed into the room next door, closing the door behind them without saying a word!

Cheng Fugui was completely bewildered: "No, you don't want your child anymore?"

The little guy wailed loudly, crying his heart out, and even used his chubby little hands to pull Cheng Fugui's ears.

Cheng Fugui cried out in pain as the hand was pulled: "Ouch! It hurts!"

Finally, Mu Qingchen rode over, dismounted, and came to Cheng Fugui's side: "Give it to me."

The little one stopped crying as soon as he was in his arms; he was very well-behaved, and his chubby little hands were also very quiet.

No wonder he's such a handsome uncle who can even charm a young princess.

Mu Qingchen carried the little one over and gently knocked on the door.

The couple peeked out through the crack in the door. If it were Cheng Fugui, they would definitely be too scared to open it. Mu Qingchen didn't have much of a murderous aura, so even though he was wearing armor, he still exuded the noble and refined air of a gentleman.

The two men mustered their courage and opened the door.

Mu Qingchen returned the child to them.

"Be more careful next time," he reminded him.

The couple stared blankly at the handsome young man before them: "Ah, yes, yes..."

Mu Qingchen turned and left, returning to her team with Cheng Fugui.

Looking at the unharmed baby in their arms, the two were in disbelief.

-

News of the recapture of Quyang City soon reached Tianshan Pass, a hundred miles away.

In the Lord of Linfeng City's mansion, Old Master Han and his descendants gathered together. After listening to the scout's report, the atmosphere in the flower hall became somewhat heavy.

Han Lei, the eldest son of Old Master Han and father of Han Ye, exclaimed, "I never expected the imperial army to arrive so quickly."

Han Wuye, with his silver hair, sat opposite Han Lei and said, "The main force hasn't arrived yet; only the Black Wind Riders have."

Han Lei glanced at his younger brother: "That's what I mean. The Black Wind Cavalry is also part of the imperial army."

The Han family had never been so tense before, but with the outbreak of war, everyone was on high alert, and their emotions were naturally more volatile than ever before.

Han Wuye didn't seem to care much about his brother's tone, and simply said, "Of the 50,000 Black Wind Cavalry, less than 20,000 were combat cavalry, but even so, they still managed to capture Quyang City, which was guarded by 80,000 troops."

Han Lei said coldly, "That was Xiao Liulang's trick!"

Fifth Master Han said, "All's fair in war. Even Chang Wei has stumbled. I don't know how much of a chance my Han family has."

Han Lei frowned and said, "Fifth Brother, you're boosting the morale of others while diminishing our own!"

Master Han said calmly, "If it were my elder brother, could he lead the Black Wind Battalion to defeat Chang Wei's 80,000 troops?"

Han Lei choked.

After a long pause, he stammered, "That's because the Black Wind Cavalry is so powerful. They got a free ride. In fact, the current Black Wind Cavalry was trained by our Han family! The imperial court is truly shameless! They took our soldiers and killed our people!"

Fifth Master Han said calmly, "Brother, have you forgotten? We also seized it from the Xuanyuan family."

Third Master Han was a spoiled brat. He couldn't control the war. He would look at his eldest brother one moment and his fifth brother the next, not knowing who to side with.

Old Master Han stamped his cane: "Alright, you two, stop arguing! One Xiao Liulang has thrown you into disarray, what a disgrace to the Han family! The Black Wind Cavalry is the most powerful army of Great Yan, not so easy to deal with to begin with, and the Nangong family was somewhat careless and underestimated their enemy, which is why they fell into Xiao Liulang's trap! This boy is indeed quite capable, but his forces are limited, and it won't be easy for him to defend Quyang City. The imperial army won't arrive for another ten days or so, but the Liang army will break through Yanmen Pass in three days. The Liang army's commander-in-chief this time is Chu Feipeng, a renowned general who was once on par with Xuanyuan Sheng. Xiao Liulang, just wait to be dealt with by him!"

After the Black Wind Cavalry entered Quyang City, Gu Jiao did not move into the city lord's mansion, but instead moved into the military camp with the soldiers.

Mu Qingchen was sent out by her to be a friend of women and to popularize the knowledge among the people that the Black Wind Riders were a righteous army.

Gu Jiao sat in her tent, looking at the small wooden plaques on the sand table. Each plaque represented a thousand soldiers, and they were deployed in the city's major fortresses.

"It's still not enough."

She touched her chin.

If the Liang army were to attack, ten or twenty thousand cavalry would not be enough.

In particular, the Liang Kingdom had a highly developed manufacturing industry. Their siege chariots were incredibly powerful, three times stronger than those of the Yan Kingdom. They also used ropes to climb city walls, making them able to pull people up directly without being hit by arrows.

The advantage of cavalry is in attacking cities; they are rarely used for defending them.

If the Black Wind Cavalry displayed all their advantages in the battle against the Nangong family's 80,000-strong army, then the subsequent battle to defend the city against the Liang Kingdom's army would no longer be their domain.

That will be an even tougher battle.

It's past midnight! Please vote for me with a monthly pass, mwah~

[Note ①] The original source is from Baidu Encyclopedia, Han Xin's Seventeen Military Rules and Fifty-Four Executions

(End of this chapter)