The autumn sky was high, and the horses were well-fed, with lush water and grass aplenty.
Yet, as one traveled south from the Gusai Province of the Northern Wilderness, the scenery grew increasingly desolate and dull.
Nothing but yellow sand.
Truly befitting of Northern Liang—so bitterly cold and barren that even the hardy Mang horses, considered the closest kin to camels, struggled to adapt.
However, it was said that the pastures within the Liangzhou Pass, particularly in the Long region, were a fabled land that bred the finest warhorses in the world. The mere mention of the name “Long” had the civil and military officials of the Southern Dynasty of the Northern Wilderness coveting it, treating it as their destined prize. Several high-ranking figures, who could speak boldly in the Western Capital’s court, had already boasted before the campaign that they would trade the heads of Yang Guangdou, Chen Xiliang, and Kou Jianghuai—each worth a prince’s ransom—for the ownership of those pastures, such as the renowned Xianli and Tianjing ranches.
Yet this southern expedition had been plagued by misfortune. Not long after the Western Capital received the good news that the eldest grandson of the Zhong family, who had risen to the rank of Summer Nabuo through military merit, had successfully persuaded the bald monks of Mount Lantuo to submit to the Northern Wilderness, disaster struck as soon as the army’s hooves crossed the barren borders of Liu Province. First, a sudden force of Northern Liang light cavalry charged straight through the border defenses, bypassing heavily guarded military towns like Junzi Hall and Wazhu, heading straight for the Western Capital, shaking the court. Then, Zhong Tan’s elite cavalry of ten thousand was ambushed and trapped at Miyun Pass, with Zhong Tan’s fate still unknown. Zhong Shentong, the general overseeing the central route’s second line, swiftly submitted a plea for punishment to the Northern Court’s royal tent. The emperor wasted no time in issuing an order, summoning Zhong Liang—Zhong Shentong’s younger brother and the uncle of the Summer Nabuo—to lead eight thousand elite cavalry from their garrison to Gusai Province to intercept the Northern Liang cavalry that had penetrated deep into their territory. Nominally under the command of Marshal Huang Songpu, the message was clear: since the Zhong family’s descendants had ruined the favorable situation in Liu Province, eight thousand Zhong warriors would pay the price. If they succeeded, all would be forgiven. If they failed, more Zhong lives would be spent. And if Zhong Liang proved inadequate, Zhong Shentong himself would have to step in, leaving the battles outside Liangzhou Pass to others while he cleaned up the mess in Gusai.
After Hong Jingyan’s inexplicable death on the Dragon’s Eye Plains, the tens of thousands of Rouran cavalry were left leaderless and swiftly divided among the major factions on the frontlines.
The great chieftains of the northern steppes, who had suffered losses in the first Liang-Mang war, were already calculating how many of Zhong’s battle-hardened veterans they could claim once Zhong Shentong fell from power.
On the steppes, sitting around discussing philosophy like the effete scholars of the Southern Dynasty made everyone uncomfortable. But dividing the spoils? That was something they all knew well.
The Northern Wilderness’s western army advanced south methodically, though not swiftly. Ten days prior, they had been abruptly ambushed by ten thousand Northern Liang Longxiang cavalry. In less than half an hour, six thousand of Huang Songpu’s vanguard cavalry lay dead on the battlefield. From the initial clash to the hasty burial of the dead, many of the Longguan nobles eager to conquer Liangzhou were left reeling.
In truth, there had been signs. After crossing from Gusai Province into Liu Province, their scouts had clashed fiercely with Northern Liang reconnaissance units. When the Northern Wilderness commanders learned the truth, they cursed in frustration—damn it, it was the White Horse Rangers from outside Liangzhou Pass causing trouble here! Though they had already marched south, far from the capital, both Marshal Huang Songpu and the Longguan generals leading the elite cavalry had to keep an eye on their rear. The emperor had personally decreed that not a single Northern Liang scout should be seen near Hutou City. Yet what happened? Dong Fatso’s Crow Scouts were wiped out, General Liu Gui’s Black Fox Scouts were annihilated, and even Dong Zhuo’s brother-in-law reportedly died on the Dragon’s Eye Plains. In the end, all it did was make that young Northern Liang officer surnamed Li famous overnight across the steppes—and now he was swaggering around northern Liu Province, flaunting his might!
Huang Songpu was a seasoned veteran, so as reports of scout casualties flooded his command tent, he began tightening his formation and slowing the southern advance. Clearly, he prioritized avoiding mistakes over seeking glory. This army’s backbone was the former Southern Court King Huang Songpu and the unruly Longguan nobles who had grown accustomed to lawlessness in the Northern Wilderness’s Southern Dynasty. The core of the army consisted of the elites from the major Longguan clans. Though Huang Songpu still held the title of one of the Northern Wilderness’s thirteen great generals, his Southern Court King hat had long been removed. He was a retired old man at heart, and at best, he commanded only thirty thousand cavalry—fewer than even Liu Gui, who had been demoted to the Youzhou battlefield.
Truth be told, in the first Liang-Mang war, the central route led by Dong Fatso had been an undeniable victory. They had even taken Hutou City, and the body of Northern Liang’s general Liu Jinu had been sent back to the Southern Dynasty in a coffin. The situation had been excellent. The Liu Province battlefield, overseen by Liu Gui, had at least been a stalemate. Though losses were heavy, even Longxiang’s deputy commander Wang Lingbao had died in battle. The real problem was Youzhou, where Yang Yuanzan—perhaps too old—had suffered a total defeat, trapped in the Hulu Pass like dumplings in a pot. Only a single Rouran cavalry unit escaped, leading to the Northern Wilderness’s overall defeat. Thus, in their hearts, the Longguan nobles didn’t find the Northern Liang border army particularly fearsome. Especially compared to Liangzhou’s cavalry and Youzhou’s infantry, Liu Province’s forces were inherently weaker. Aside from the battered Longxiang Army from the first war, did they have any other elite troops worth mentioning? No matter how hard they looked, the answer was no. So these men nursed a grudge, particularly against the persistent Liangzhou scouts, who grew ever more irritating.
At dawn, an elderly man who had stayed up all night emerged from a heavily guarded leather tent, accompanied by several sturdy attendants. He climbed a small hill to gaze south. Among his entourage, a middle-aged man dressed like a Central Plains scholar stood out. Facing the still-imposing old general, he showed no trace of restraint. The old man was tall, with white hair and beard, clad in armor and armed with a saber, exuding no frailty. In terms of presence, the two men, separated by a generation, were evenly matched. The old man was none other than Huang Songpu, one of the Southern Dynasty’s few great generals. The scholar-like man was Zhong Liang, a figure of little renown in the Northern Wilderness military but a top-tier martial arts master in the jianghu. With no prior experience leading troops, he was supposed to take eight thousand family elites straight to Gusai to quell the crisis. Yet for some reason, he had detoured here alone, leaving the eight thousand Zhong cavalry to plunge into the Southern Dynasty’s heartland. Given the stakes for his family, Zhong Liang’s actions seemed almost reckless.
Zhong Liang happened to witness the annihilation of the six thousand Northern Wilderness vanguard cavalry and decided to stay put. He had lingered with the army for days, even finding time to personally eliminate forty or fifty Liangzhou scouts who had escaped the battlefield. Huang Songpu’s scouts, trained by the old man himself, were somewhat renowned in the Southern Dynasty’s border army, though they paled in comparison to Dong Zhuo’s Crow Scouts or Liu Gui’s Black Fox Scouts. This wasn’t to say Huang Songpu was inferior in military command. Having dominated the Western Capital’s politics for years and shared power with Northern Court King Xu Huainan, he was no ordinary figure. But over the past two decades, his role as Southern Court King had overshadowed his military duties. As the Southern Dynasty’s leader, he had to prioritize the interests of the Western Capital, the Longguan clans, and his subordinates in both court and battlefield. Over time, he had grown distant from frontline command. Thus, leading this southern campaign left him with mixed feelings. Though his strategic acumen remained sharp, many details no longer flowed as smoothly as in his prime.
Had it been the Huang Songpu of a decade ago, those six thousand vanguard cavalry would never have recklessly charged into ten thousand Longxiang troops. But what truly exhausted the old man were the hidden truths behind the scenes. On the surface, the Longguan nobles’ arrogance and greed for merit had led to the disastrous engagement. In reality, Huang Songpu had intended for the mediocre vanguard to serve as bait, luring the Liu Province cavalry into a trap. He had prepared ten thousand elite troops to reinforce the battle at the critical moment, aiming to annihilate the Longxiang Army. Even at the cost of twenty thousand for ten thousand, Huang Songpu would have considered it a great victory—both in morale and tangible gains.
But compared to the grand cavalry clashes of the past, Huang Songpu found himself outmatched in this fleeting skirmish. First, he overestimated the Longguan vanguard’s strength and underestimated the Longxiang Army’s ferocity, turning his planned ambush into a desperate rescue. Worse, he suspected the Liu Province commander of also luring him deeper, so he hesitated before ordering the ten thousand elites to pursue—but only within fifty li of the main force. The result? After fifty li, the remaining three thousand enemy cavalry escaped unscathed, with no reinforcements in sight except for a few dozen White Horse Rangers lurking on the fringes.
Who fought like this?
The Northern Liang border generals Huang Songpu had faced—whether Hutou City’s Liu Jinu, former Grand General Zhong Hongwu, or even Zhong Hu—none had been this insane!
Huang Songpu gazed into the distance, frowning in silence.
Zhong Liang, the Northern Wilderness’s infamous demon, glanced at the old general’s expression and chuckled. “Marshal Huang, aside from the vast western regions around Linyao and Fengxiang’s military towns, Liu Province is just a small place. No matter how clever Northern Liang’s tactics, they’re working in a snail’s shell—they can’t stir up much trouble. Even if the battle at Miyun Pass added twenty thousand Lantuo Mountain monks to Northern Liang’s ranks, it’s still just a drop in the bucket.”
Huang Songpu shook his head. “Qingcang City in Liu Province has several elite Xu family border armies coordinating with it, plus Yu Luandao’s Youzhou light cavalry tearing through our lines. In terms of strategic depth and troop numbers, they’re not as disadvantaged as we think. Besides…”
Zhong Liang cut in, smiling wider. “What, Marshal, are you worried that the Western Chu’s twin jewels, Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai, are both advising Northern Liang in Liu Province?”
The old man admitted frankly, “Do you think any general in the world could afford to underestimate those two working together?”
Zhong Liang, whose demeanor resembled an immortal from a landscape painting, laughed. “As long as Liu Province’s forces remain scattered, I doubt they’ll be a match for you. The current thirty thousand Longxiang troops, though numerically unchanged since the first war, are now filled with elites drawn from Liangzhou’s left and right cavalry—yet their combat power is still lacking. As for Kou Jianghuai’s ragtag Liu Province militia, they’re hardly fit for hard battles. Xie Xichui’s remnants are even less noteworthy, which is why Liang Province’s capital and the Protectorate handed him the twenty thousand Lantuo monks. At most, Liu Province has seventy thousand troops. You command a full hundred and fifty thousand, with reinforcements always available from the Southern Dynasty’s borders. Unless you suffer a crushing defeat…”
He trailed off with a self-deprecating smile.
First, it was an ill omen. Second, the idea was absurd.
Liu Province wasn’t the bizarre battlefield of Youzhou’s Hulu Pass, and Huang Songpu was no Yang Yuanzan. Moreover, the beleaguered Liangzhou border army couldn’t spare any more surprise forces for Liu Province.
The old man dismissed it with a laugh. “Just two youngsters, Xie Xichui and Kou Jianghuai, humiliated veterans like Yan Zhenchun and Yang Shenxin. Now Liu Province has even more young talents—how is an old man like me supposed to keep up?”
Zhong Liang recalled a certain secret and sighed sincerely. “The older, the sharper.”
He turned his gaze westward, beyond Qingcang City.
Thirty thousand of the Northern Wilderness’s elite infantry, the Bubazu, had been hastily assembled from various garrisons and were now charging into the western regions.
By now, they had likely stormed Fengxiang and Linyao.
Northern Liang’s Cao Wei and Yu Luandao’s cavalry were now cut off from retreat.
※※※
Yet neither the Northern Wilderness’s Southern Dynasty court nor this western army—nor even Liang Province’s capital or the Huaoyang Pass Protectorate—had anticipated that Xie Xichui, the newly appointed deputy general of Liu Province, who was supposed to lead twenty thousand monks to Qingcang, had split his forces and quietly stationed them in Fengxiang and Linyao, lying in wait.
Meanwhile, Liu Province’s general Kou Jianghuai was leading ten thousand makeshift light cavalry northward at lightning speed, halting abruptly just beyond the range of Huang Songpu’s scouts.
After a brief rest, the cavalry that surged forward with renewed vigor belonged to Xu Longxiang’s thirty thousand elite riders.
Liu Province’s main field forces had mobilized in full force!
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