A person's name, a tree's shadow.
When Qi Gulong's name appeared, the court was in an uproar. People discussed it among themselves, and their eyes seemed to be filled with both admiration and fear when they looked at Qi Gulong.
Liu Jinghong, however, curled her lip in disdain.
Jing Zhe asked in a low voice and found out who Qi Gulong was.
Just like the invincible Jinghong Iron Cavalry of Anguo, the Southern Qi also had such a force, and it was much larger than the Jinghong Iron Cavalry, covering about half of the Southern Qi's military strength. It was called the "Silver Thread Army," and the general of the Silver Thread Army was Qi Gulong.
In fact, compared with other armies, the real strength of this army is not in the individual combat power, which is different from the Jinghong Iron Cavalry.
Their strength lies in their equipment, specifically the silver-threaded armor.
The silver-threaded garment was a unique protective garment of the Southern Qi dynasty, specifically designed for soldiers and their warhorses. It was made of aluminum and other metals and was called the silver-threaded garment because it was entirely silver-white, resembling silver.
In addition, their general Qi Gulong was once a disciple of Tongtianque. He injured someone and was hunted down by the righteous faction. He eventually fled to Nanqi and became a general of the Silver Thread Army because of his outstanding martial arts skills.
Furthermore, he was granted the imperial surname by the Southern Qi royal family and renamed Qi Gulong.
This greatly enhanced the combat strength of the Silver Thread Army.
Having fought on the battlefield for many years, Liu Jinghong was quite familiar with these things.
"How effective is the silver-threaded garment?"
After hearing her finish speaking, Jing Zhe asked curiously.
"Wearing silver-embroidered robes, swords and spears cannot harm the body." This is a rhyme composed by soldiers who fought against the Southern Qi. In battle, men can dodge arrows from afar, but horses cannot. Many soldiers died on the battlefield not because they were killed by their own men, but because their horses, startled by arrows, threw them off and trampled them to death!
"After donning the silver-threaded armor, it becomes very difficult for arrows from afar to penetrate it, greatly enhancing the combat effectiveness of the Silver-Threaded Army. That's why Southern Qi's combat strength is so strong now!"
Liu Jinghong recounted the details with great familiarity, which piqued Jing Zhe's curiosity.
"Compared to the Silver Thread Army, which is more powerful, the Flying Eagle Iron Cavalry or the Silver Thread Army?"
"Before our Swift Iron Cavalry, the Silver Thread Army and the Golden Thread Army are nothing!"
After Liu Jinghong finished speaking, he sighed again: "It's just that the Jinghong Iron Cavalry is too few, while nearly half of the Southern Qi's forces are Silver Thread Army. If we use human wave tactics, the Jinghong Iron Cavalry will be no match for them."
Although confident, Liu Jinghong was not arrogant and directly pointed out their disadvantages.
After hearing this, Jing Zhe couldn't help but worry about the upcoming martial arts test.
"Fifth Sister, can we win?"
Liu Jinghong, however, took it all in stride: "A martial arts contest is not a battlefield. We can't fight with all our might. The power of our Jinghong Iron Cavalry has been greatly reduced, so it won't be easy to win. But victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, so there's no need to worry about it."
That's what they say, but who doesn't want to win?
So Jing Zhe started to come up with an idea.
...
Hearing the mere mention of Qi Gulong's name caused an uproar throughout the Anguo court, and Qi Junguang was extremely pleased with himself.
"So it's General Yinlu. I've heard of your name before. I've also heard that you have some connection with Tongtianque?"
Emperor An knew that he was a traitor who had abandoned Tongtianque but went to Southern Qi. He was displeased and deliberately used this to subtly criticize him.
Sure enough, Qi Gulong's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, these are all things of the past, so much time has passed that I've almost forgotten them! But I am now the Silver Thread General of Southern Qi!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Qi Junguang, seemingly to show his loyalty.
Emperor An pursed his lips, somewhat disdainful, but still asked, "How does the Third Prince intend to conduct the martial arts test?"
Qi Junguang stepped forward and said with a smile, "Everyone here surely knows very well that the most important thing to win a great battle is to deduce the outcome. Only with proper deduction can we win the war! So, let's have a deduction contest!"
Qi Junguang was a man of both literary and military talent, and he was very skilled in strategy. The Silver Thread Army was the one who charged into battle, but he was the one who formulated the battle plans, so he was very confident in his ability to strategize.
But Liu Jinghong stepped forward and said, "I disagree!"
"Oh? This must be the famous General Jinghong of Anguo, right?"
As he spoke, Qi Junguang glanced greedily at Liu Jinghong again, but Liu Jinghong did not answer him, which made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
He immediately came to his rescue, saying, "What, does General Jinghong think that the most important thing in war is not simulation?"
"Drills? I never believe in them. I only believe in my army and the spear in my hand!"
"Didn't General Jinghong conduct pre-battle simulations?"
Liu Jinghong shook his head and said domineeringly, "Just fight, what's the use of deduction?"
"..."
If someone else had said this, most people would probably have thought she was showing off.
But since these words came from Liu Jinghong's mouth, everyone felt that they were perfectly reasonable and not at all out of place.
Because all the battles won by the Jinghong Iron Cavalry were won by Liu Jinghong himself, who led the team and fought his way through each battle with spears!
The Iron Cavalry is as fierce and domineering as ever!
Qi Junguang paused for a moment, then asked, "So, General Jinghong, how do you think the competition should be conducted?"
"..."
Liu Jinghong seemed to be thinking when Qi Gulong spoke up.
"Since this is a martial arts test between two countries, simple individual combat is not appropriate. How about we simulate a battle between two armies?"
"Also..."
Liu Jinghong thought for a moment and then agreed.
Upon hearing Liu Jinghong's agreement, Qi Junguang and Qi Gulong exchanged a smile, as if this was something they had planned in advance.
When Emperor An saw this scene, he had a bad feeling, as if he had fallen into a trap, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
At this moment, Sui Shouren whispered a few words in Emperor An's ear. Emperor An was shocked and immediately asked, "Third Prince, has the Silver Thread Army of Southern Qi arrived?"
Qi Junguang nodded: "Since Anguo has sent General Jinghong, it is only right for us to summon the Silver Thread Army, isn't it?"
Emperor An glanced at Qi Gulong again, thinking to himself that he should have guessed it sooner. If General Yinlu had come, why wouldn't the Yinlu Army have?
Then he asked, "How many people did you bring?"
"Not many, only five hundred people!"
"Whoosh!"
A flurry of activity erupted in the imperial court.
Qi Junguang's arrival with his envoy could be considered a visit, but bringing five hundred Silver Thread Army soldiers to Anguo suggests impure motives!
Qi Junguang, however, did not take it seriously and said, "Your Majesty, do not worry. The Silver Thread Army is stationed outside Jingzhou City and will not enter the city!"
Of course, even if you wanted to get in, you couldn't.
"Since Anguo can send its most valiant Jinghong Iron Cavalry to fight, I should of course send our Southern Qi's strongest Silver Thread Army. That would be fair, wouldn't it?"
After hearing his explanation, and remembering that Liu Jinghong had just agreed to his request to simulate a battle between two armies, Emperor An frowned.
"General Jinghong, how many cavalrymen did you bring to the capital this time?"
"Fifty people."
Liu Jinghong said calmly.
"..."
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