Chapter 738: Ashes of the Bone

When Hong Biao led his 1,200 horse bandits to the battlefield, the scene before them became an unforgettable nightmare. The Rouran Iron Cavalry, hailed as the finest elite force of the Southern Dynasties, lay dead in heaps forming towering mounds of corpses. The sight of the bright-armored white-clad cavalry shocked and bewildered the bandits. Among the bandits were those well-versed in military matters, who recognized that this cavalry unit was a hybrid between heavy and light cavalry, each soldier having two or even three horses. Yet compared to the cavalry led by Yu Luan Dao, this force appeared even more “majestic and imposing,” for each rider carried a heavy spear, and both rider and steed were clad in “light full-plate armor.”

Upon entering the battlefield, the bandits were ordered to sever the heads of the Rouran cavalrymen and continue stacking the corpses into burial mounds. Meanwhile, the “white-armored riders” began removing their armor and fastening it onto the backs of the spare horses, preparing to withdraw. While chopping off the heads of the Rouran riders, many bandits instinctively stole glances at one particular rider. This rider sat high atop his mount, helmetless, holding a long spear, his figure broad and powerful. This rider approached Xu Fengnian without dismounting, gazing southward alongside him, and sighed regretfully, “It’s a pity that Hong Jingyan escaped back to the Hulu Pass with several hundred personal guards. If he had died here, the remaining Rouran Iron Cavalry would have been insignificant. Yang Yuanzan would have lost all his mobile forces, and we could have directly stormed into the Hulu Pass and competed with the Northern Yan forces to see who could establish an encirclement first. Now, it’s impossible. The two Nabos still have 7,000 elite riders watching from the east.”

Xu Fengnian shook his head. “Things can’t always go perfectly. If you hadn’t arrived in time, the Northern Yan’s Grand Chancellor Taiping would have joined forces with Hong Jingyan, Zhong Liang, and Murong Baoding. Not only would Yu Luandao and his 3,000 cavalry have been doomed, but even I would have struggled to escape. That Song Dia’er betraying us wasn’t a big deal, but that Tuoba Qiyun, who predicted my presence outside the Hulu Pass early on, is someone not to be underestimated. That he could convince the esteemed Northern Yan Imperial Tutor to come here shows how much weight his voice carries in the Northern Yan court. Yuan Er’ge, in future confrontations with him, we must keep several eyes open.”

Yuan Zuo’zong, now the commander of the Beiliang cavalry, narrowed his Under-eye puffiness eyebrows slightly and nodded. “Beiliang has focused more on Dong Zhuo, and we indeed overlooked Tuoba Qiyun.”

Xu Fengnian glanced around. “Where is she?”

Yuan Zuo’zong smiled. “Wang Duwei has already taken a unit of scouts westward. Probably because she dares not face you.”

Xu Fengnian looked slightly helpless. Qing Niao, once a second-tier maid and assassin in the Wutong Courtyard, had returned from her training in the Northern Yan with the legendary spear known as “Shajian,” left behind by Wang Xiu. She had joined the Daxue Long Cavalry and risen through the ranks by merit to become a scout commander. When she heard of the “imperial rescue” at the Hulu Pass, she was the most eager of all, leading a unit of scouts ahead of the main force by nearly a hundred miles. According to Beiliang military law, she should have been severely reprimanded and expelled from the army long ago. Yet after the battle, she vanished immediately. Yuan Zuo’zong, out of the greatest trust and tolerance for this orphan of the legendary spear master Wang Xiu, did not hold it against her—not because she was a “prince’s close aide,” but because, though a woman, she was an exceptional soldier. The first eight Rouran cavalry heads were all shattered in one breath by her “Shajian” spear.

Xu Fengnian turned back and looked. In the distance, his third apprentice, Lü Yunzhang, was beside his eldest apprentice, Yu Dilong. It seemed Lü Yunzhang was doing all the talking, while Yu Dilong remained silent. Xu Fengnian sighed, wondering how Wang Sheng, the girl who had gone to the Northern Yan to train with the White Fox, was faring in her own journey.

Yuan Zuo’zong murmured softly, “It’s time to go.”

Xu Fengnian nodded. “Yes.”

Yu Luandao approached Xu Fengnian and Yuan Zuo’zong. Yuan smiled and asked, “General Yu, the Daxue Long Cavalry still needs a deputy commander. Interested? I may not have the authority to appoint, but the prince is right here. If you agree, I guarantee the prince won’t refuse—he’ll go along with it.”

Xu Fengnian smiled knowingly. In the Beiliang border forces, the personal armies left behind by Xu Xiao for his children were considered the most luxurious inheritance in the world. Other than Xu Fengnian’s 800 White Horse Volunteers, whose numbers had never grown significantly, his younger brother Xu Longxiang’s “private army” had grown from 10,000 riders to 30,000, becoming the backbone of the defense of Liuzhou. Xu Fengnian’s two sisters, Xu Zhihu and Xu Weixiong, each had their own personal cavalry units, and the nearly 10,000 heavy cavalry of Beiliang were drawn from these two units. The Beiliang Headquarters could deploy these personal armies under the names of Xu Xiao’s children, but rarely interfered with specific military appointments.

Yu Luandao calmly replied, “The Daxue Long Cavalry is indeed excellent, but my Youzhou cavalry is no worse.”

Yuan Zuo’zong smiled without speaking, not offended by Yu Luandao’s “ungratefulness.” On the contrary, he felt genuine respect for this outsider’s persistence.

Xu Fengnian suddenly said, “Back then, due to the obstruction by Cai Nan, who held supreme military authority over He and Ji provinces, only 10,000 of the 30,000 Youzhou cavalry could cross the border. Old General Tian Heng was furious at the Beiliang Headquarters, or rather, at me for not being firm enough, and angrily refused to serve as deputy commander, choosing instead to retire and enjoy family life. I heard he even privately cursed that my courage had been exhausted in that one act of defiance against the imperial decree.”

Yu Luandao’s heart tightened. “General Tian’s anger may have been inappropriate, but he is a cautious and steady general, and Youzhou cavalry cannot afford to lose such a stabilizing force. If the prince intends to punish him, I, Yu Luandao, am willing to offer all my military merits to redeem his sins.”

Xu Fengnian shook his head. “I have no intention of settling old scores. I just hope that when you return to Youzhou, you’ll deliver a message to General Tian Heng: tell him not to hold a grudge. I know how his family situation is—he lost both sons before they reached adulthood. How can he have a grandson to dote on? The 30,000 Youzhou cavalry will be under his command, and you, Yu Luandao, will be his deputy. Shi Yulu and Su Wenyao will be appointed as cavalry generals and Swift Cavalry generals, each commanding 10,000 Youzhou riders. When the old general refuses the position, tell him it’s both my and the Headquarters’ order—he either takes the command or continues ‘doting on his nonexistent grandson.'”

Yu Luandao’s face lit up with joy. He saluted and said, “Understood, my lord!”

Xu Fengnian said solemnly, “This 3,200 cavalry will be named ‘No Retreat Battalion,’ and you, Yu Luandao, will be its first commander! As for the soldiers in this battalion, I will also be listed among them, though not counted as an active rider.”

Yu Luandao bit his lip, his eyes reddening. He suddenly turned his horse, galloped out a few hundred steps, took the Xu family flag from a Youzhou rider, and faced the 3,200 riders. He roared, “The Great General has ordered: the Youzhou 3,200 riders shall form the ‘No Retreat Battalion!'”

Yu Luandao raised the blood-soaked flag high. “No Retreat Battalion! We raise our banner today!”

The 3,200 riders collectively drew their Beiliang sabers.

All the Daxue Long cavalry also mounted their horses and drew their sabers, willingly honoring this first Youzhou border cavalry unit to earn a “battalion name.”

Yuan Zuo’zong, a veteran general of Beiliang who had personally participated in the Spring and Autumn Wars, instinctively looked at Xu Fengnian after drawing his sword.

Yuan Zuo’zong did not see the usual fiery passion and longing that younger generals would display. He murmured softly, “War brings death—it’s unavoidable.”

Xu Fengnian said softly, “Let’s go.”

The cavalry quickly moved westward, leaving behind the horrifying mounds of Rouran Iron Cavalry corpses outside the Hulu Pass.

About half an hour later, over a hundred riders slowly arrived at the bloody battlefield. The two leading riders were Northern Yan generals in their thirties. One of them looked at the mounds of corpses, his expression complex. “In a battle of equal numbers, is there truly no way to defeat that 10,000-strong cavalry?”

The other rider replied calmly, “In terms of pure combat effectiveness, our Yelü and Murong royal heavy cavalry are not inferior. In battles where both sides deploy over 100,000 troops, heavy cavalry still has some advantages in breaking through enemy formations. But if you’re talking about choosing a place to fight them one-on-one, there’s absolutely no suspense. The truth is, the top elite of the entire Beiliang cavalry is concentrated in the Daxue Long cavalry. The riders are between twenty and thirty years old, the middle and lower-ranking officers are around forty, and the high-ranking generals are all veterans of the Spring and Autumn Wars. Each rider’s horse is of the highest quality in Beiliang. If we Northern Yan want to build our own Daxue Long cavalry, it’s not impossible, but the key is who will be the commander? Dong Zhuo qualifies, but he already has over 100,000 Dong family troops. Even if the emperor is fine with it, the Northern Court would be wary, and no one in the Southern Court would agree. Generals like Liu Gui and Yang Yuanzan, who are skilled in court politics, are unwilling to take on this hot potato.”

The first rider dismounted gracefully, squatted on the ground, picked up a Rouran saber with fresh blood still on it, and wiped it clean on his armor with a sneer. “Hong Jingyan really had it rough. He had the elite forces of the entire Rouran Mountains under his command, yet he still couldn’t secure the title of Southern Khan and was instead made a Western Capital Ministry of War official. He thought the Hulu Pass was an easy target, hoping to lead 20,000 riders into Youzhou for a massacre. But he wasn’t even involved in the attacks on Wogong and Luanhe cities. Yang Yuanzan and Zhong Tan had already started attacking Xiaguang, and finally, he got his chance. He rushed out of the Hulu Pass, only to have half his forces wiped out by the Daxue Long cavalry. The worst part is, he didn’t even dare to fight. I wonder if he can still hold onto his title of ‘Rouran Overlord.’ As for competing with Dong Zhuo in the future, I think he knows it’s hopeless.”

The other rider remained mounted, shaking his head. “Hong Jingyan is not that simple.”

The rider squatting on the ground gently touched the edge of the Rouran saber with his thumb. “I’m curious why he didn’t confront Taiping Ling directly. If he had killed the ‘medicine jar’ Tuoba Qiyun and that woman who’s about to lose her title of ‘Summer Nabos’ to Zhong Tan, and then died bravely at Zhong Liang’s hands, that would have been perfect.”

The other rider laughed. “This shows that he really was seriously injured in the Liuzhou battle.”

The Northern Yan rider standing up turned to the one on horseback and said with a smile, “Winter Nabos, remember when Yuan Tingshan in Ji Province personally forced Wei Jingtang to come out and fight us? At the time, I was completely stunned. How could seven or eight hundred cavalry and four thousand infantry dare to come out and fight our nearly ten thousand riders? I thought there must be several tens of thousands of ambush troops from Liang or a large cavalry force from Liaoxi following us. But in half an hour, Wei Jingtang’s entire force was wiped out, and Yuan Tingshan and his father-in-law’s 7,000 private cavalry didn’t even make a sound. If I hadn’t seen this mound of 10,000 Rouran cavalry corpses today, I would have thought that the Northern Yan could easily bypass Beiliang and march straight into the Central Plains with just 100,000 riders.”

The one called Winter Nabos said solemnly, “Yuan Tingshan’s Ji Bei cavalry and the private army of the Yan Fortress Li family are definitely waiting somewhere for our return to the eastern front. You and I must not be careless.”

Autumn Nabos sneered, mounted his horse, and threw the Rouran saber, sticking it on top of a mound of corpses. “That mad dog Yuan Tingshan doesn’t even deserve my attention. But those two in the Guangling Road, Kou Jianghuai and Xie Xichui, are quite interesting. After Kou Jianghuai quit, Zhao Yi’s favored general, Song Li, quickly recaptured the lost territories. The Eastern Front’s advantageous situation quickly deteriorated to the point where they were being crushed so badly they dared not show their faces. It’s said that all the officials in the Western Chu court changed their attitudes. Those who had been flooding the court with memorials accusing Kou Jianghuai of holding too much power were now all stunned into silence and started praising him instead.”

Winter Nabos said softly, “As long as Cao Changqing hasn’t acted yet, it means that even if Western Chu doesn’t have the upper hand, they haven’t fallen behind either.”

Autumn Nabos chuckled. “The more chaos, the better.”

Suddenly, this Autumn Nabos turned to his fellow Nabos, one of the four great Nabos. “Wang Jingchong, do you ever think that Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai might one day appear in Beiliang?”

Winter Nabos Wang Jingchong was taken aback. His expression turned serious. “Daruozheshi Wei, you also have this intuition?”

Autumn Nabos Daruozheshi Wei rubbed his chin. “That would be fun. But I like it.”

Wang Jingchong, during the Hongjia Northern Flight, was a ten-year-old child of the Spring and Autumn refugees, entering Northern Yan with his family’s private tutor, reciting Confucian classics. He had long forgotten the environment of his childhood, but on that arduous journey, the sound of recitation between neighboring caravans still echoed in his memory. After entering the Gusei Prefecture, his family still upheld the tradition of farming and scholarship. Wang Jingchong, riding on horseback, fell into deep thought, murmuring to himself, “To restore a dynasty for one family, yet cause another collapse of the Central Plains—Cao Changqing, are you truly not in pain deep inside? If you know it’s impossible, why do you still insist? What exactly are you trying to achieve?”

Daruozheshi Wei glanced at this Autumn Nabos, his mood complex. They were of similar age, but over the past decade, the accumulated military achievements made even the proud and self-assured Daruozheshi Wei admit that Wang Jingchong not only surpassed him but also surpassed even the The grassland she-wolf, Yelü Yuhu and, of course, the newly emerged Zhong Tan, who had just made a name for himself at the Hulu Pass battlefield. Zhong Tan had barely entered the military ranks before being promoted to vanguard general, and after capturing the Wogong City, some people already hailed him as a more worthy Northern Yan Summer Nabos. But Wang Jingchong had to start from the lowest ranks, rising step by step from squad leader to hundred-man commander, thousand-man commander, and ten-thousand-man commander. Eventually, becoming an Autumn Nabos was thanks to his family’s alliance with a Southern Court Yi clan through marriage. Daruozheshi Wei’s complex feelings toward Wang Jingchong largely reflected the Northern Yan’s ambivalent attitude toward these Spring and Autumn refugees. The emperor was so enlightened and magnanimous, yet he still personally instigated a bloodbath known secretly among Southern Court literati as the “Gourd Vine Purge.” The cause of this tragedy was ironically simple—just a jar of ashes from an old patriarch of a Bing clan. Normally, the Northern Court wouldn’t even bother to look at such people, but one day, a memorial suddenly appeared on the emperor’s desk, and the emperor ordered the execution of all families whose elders refused to be buried in the Southern Court, and their clan ranks were demoted by one level. Even more than a decade after the tragedy, whenever elderly refugees died, they still hoped to have their ashes buried in the Central Plains, building false tombs in Northern Yan, only to be reported and exposed. It wasn’t until Taiping Ling became the Northern Yan Imperial Tutor that this ban began to loosen, allowing Southern Court refugees to build symbolic tombs with only clothing and leave their ashes to await the hooves of the Northern Yan cavalry to flatten the Central Plains.

Daruozheshi Wei smiled and asked, “Wang Jingchong, we Northern Yan also have places praised as the ‘Jiangnan Beyond the Frontier.’ Compared to the real Central Plains, what’s different?”

Wang Jingchong replied calmly, “I’ve forgotten.”

※※※

When the entire army took a mid-journey rest, Xu Fengnian and Yuan Zuo’zong squatted side by side on a hilltop. Xu Fengnian turned his head and said, “If today’s 300,000 Beiliang border troops didn’t belong to the Xu family but to the Chen family, Beiliang would definitely have fewer deaths.”

Yuan Zuo’zong did not deny it. “Many people think the same way in their hearts. I’m no exception.”

Xu Fengnian placed his hand on the sand. “But Li Yishan said that if Beiliang were handed over to Chen Zhibao, there would be only one scenario: Beiliang would be better, but the world would be worse.”

Yuan Zuo’zong was puzzled.

Xu Fengnian smiled softly. “Yuan Er’ge, let me keep it a secret for now. I hope one day I can help my teacher prove he was right.”

Yuan Zuo’zong smiled and nodded. “I’ll wait. No rush.”

Thinking of that gaunt scholar who lived in the Tingchao Pavilion and whose ashes were scattered at the border after death, Xu Fengnian closed his eyes and said in his heart, “Teacher, rest assured.”