The Snow Dragon Cavalry retraced their path. During the young prince’s brief absence, Yuan Zuo first led his troops southward. The Green Province army, numbering less than a thousand, collapsed like a landslide. Their cavalry was utterly annihilated, and with no city to rely on, they were driven back over forty miles, abandoning armor and weapons. No matter how valiantly the Green Province commander fought, personally executing forty deserters, he couldn’t stem the infantry’s retreat. Meanwhile, Northern Liang’s Captain Niu Qianzhu led two thousand cavalry to intercept twenty thousand Shu troops but failed to achieve anything. The Shu commander, Che Ye, unexpectedly chose to avoid confrontation, leading his army on a detour northward, their path forming a wide arc. Niu’s cavalry closed in several times, coming within less than a mile of the Shu army, but each time, the Shu troops stood firm, ignoring the Snow Dragon Cavalry’s provocations. To feign weakness, this isolated Shu force even withdrew all their scouts, willingly blinding themselves.
Niu Qianzhu dared not initiate battle and risk military failure, but frustration gnawed at him. Before rejoining the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, he led twenty riders to within three hundred paces of the Shu army’s flank, halting and raising his spear menacingly. The Shu troops remained unmoved, continuing their eastward march. Finally, Niu spat in disgust and turned his horse south.
With one route collapsing and another avoiding battle, the defensive line crafted by Xu Gong, the Ministry of War’s Left Vice Minister, became riddled with gaps. General Yuan Tingshan of Ji Province refused to act alone, leaving the unscathed Snow Dragon Cavalry to easily breach Guangling Province. This enraged the unprepared Southern Expedition Marshal Wu Zhongxuan, who, accompanied by his trusted general Tang He, rushed to Chaisang County to demand answers from Xu Gong. Thus, the Left Vice Minister and the Minister of War of Liyang had their first—and contentious—meeting. Wu Zhongxuan then joined Yuan Tingshan’s ten-thousand-strong Ji Northern Cavalry on the front lines, while Xu Gong merged with twenty thousand Shu infantry and rallied the scattered Green Province troops, slowly advancing toward Guangling.
The Snow Dragon Cavalry pressed forward relentlessly. At the chaotic Guazizhou front, they successfully retrieved over five hundred lightly armored scholars from Western Chu. To smuggle these frail intellectuals out, the Western Chu army launched desperate counterattacks across four battlefields, losing nearly ten thousand men in a single day. The five hundred “young carp,” nearly dying of thirst, finally leaped into the Snow Dragon Cavalry’s “pond” to catch their breath. Xu Xiao and the Northern Liang Iron Cavalry would never forget the sight: the bedraggled Western Chu survivors, after being rescued, showed little joy. Instead, they dismounted in unison, knelt eastward, and wept bitterly—like homeless strays whimpering under another’s eaves.
Yuan Zuo’s mood darkened as he reviewed the hastily scribbled roster. Of the 496 “surrendered,” 416 were young Western Chu scholars, with only a dozen or so being military officers. The roster’s opening lines, written in neat small script, were chilling: “These five hundred of Great Chu shall not speak of restoration. Those surnamed Chu shall remain in Northern Liang, never to leave the northwest.” Signed: “Cao Changqing, the sinner who doomed Chu.”
The east wind thawed the ice, turning it to rain—now only awaiting the spring thunder to herald the waking of insects.
The relentless drizzle slowed the Snow Dragon Cavalry’s advance, their horses slogging through mud—a stark contrast to the desert sun and sand they were accustomed to.
Riding alongside Xu Xiao and Yuan Zuo, Xu Fengnian glanced at the Western Chu “deserters” mixed into the cavalry. Yuan Zuo murmured, “For Northern Liang, this is a long-term boon, but for now, it’s a mess. These scholars will have to stay hidden in the northwest. The worry is their youthful arrogance might breed resentment toward us. If conflicts arise, we can’t discipline them, so we might have to send them to Huang Shang’s Lingzhou Academy, far from the border wars, to bury themselves in books. Most refused to even wear Northern Liang’s light armor, let alone carry our sabers or crossbows. Niu Qianzhu nearly drew his blade on them.”
Xu Fengnian reassured, “Scholars without pride would be a tragedy for the Central Plains. I’d rather they be proud than broken. Five hundred Western Chu intellectuals are no threat—even a skilled Liangzhou woman could best two or three of them. Don’t expect them to adjust quickly, but I trust Cao Changqing’s judgment. Some will broaden their horizons once they see the northwest’s splendor and witness Yu Luandao and Kou Jianghuai’s successes. Ultimately, while older Chu remnants might hate the Xu family more than Liyang, these youths likely despise Liyang far more. My real concern is…” He trailed off, smiling wryly.
Yuan Zuo chuckled. “What? Afraid of five hundred Zhao Changlings whispering rebellion in your ear?”
Xu Fengnian snorted. “With the second Liang-Mang war looming, Northern Liang’s survival is priority enough.”
Xu Xiao quipped, “Had Cao Changqing’s plan unfolded as intended, Northern Liang would’ve been the safest, merely holding the northern front with Wang Sui while watching the Central Plains burn. Why did he change his mind at the last moment, dooming Chu’s revival and denying us a chance to profit?”
Xu Fengnian touched his saber hilt. “My master once said scholars die four deaths: in obscurity, in their province, for their nation, or for the world. Cao Changqing… initially meant to die for a person and a nation, but he reconsidered. Of all the martial masters I’ve met, Wang Mingyin died for family, living and dying with honor. Tugutuo of Northern Mang craves power and glory. Deng Tai’a lives free, indifferent to emperors or chaos. But Cao… he never left Chu’s court in spirit.”
Xu Xiao sighed, gazing at the muddy road. “Cao’s heart was mired in hesitation.”
Xu Fengnian raised an eyebrow. “Uncle Xu, that was almost poetic.”
Yuan Zuo smirked. Xu Xiao’s lips twitched. “Prince, those Chu maidens’ glances at you are hardly subtle. What’s the phrase—’speechless yet meaning-filled’?”
Yuan Zuo interjected, “Silent yet eloquent.”
Xu Fengnian groaned. “That’s unfair.”
Yuan Zuo teased, “The real mess is your potential domestic strife. As I recall, the Second Princess never warmed to the Western Chu emperor, and your two fathers-in-law are no pushovers. Have you settled the matter of Northern Liang’s principal consort?”
Xu Fengnian fell silent, then said firmly, “It remains unchanged. I’ve never wavered.”
Xu Xiao nodded. “As it should be.”
Yuan Zuo added, “Xie Xi’sui is with us. His talents could bolster our border armies—whether in Liangzhou or Liuzhou, he’d command ten thousand.”
Xu Fengnian smiled. “Two tigers can’t share a mountain, nor two Buddhas a temple. To avoid making Kou Jianghuai insecure, I won’t place Xie in Liuzhou. Since he’s new to border warfare, why not assign him to you, Brother Yuan?”
Yuan Zuo shook his head. “Xie’s talents are wasted under me alone. He and Kou are Chu’s finest tacticians, tempered by Guangling’s battles. Kou excels at abandoning cities, turning desperate straits into victories through mobility, while Xie prefers decisive, head-on strikes. Liuzhou needs Kou’s flexibility; Liangzhou needs Xie’s force. With Liangzhou’s cavalry depleted, assign Xie to He Zhonghu or Zhou Kang as compensation. His rank depends on your boldness and his confidence.”
Xu Fengnian whispered, “Have you… softened him up?”
Yuan Zuo grinned. “Winning hearts is your specialty.”
Recalling Xie’s desolate expression, Xu Fengnian muttered, “I’d hate to be rebuffed!” Grumbling, he turned his horse against the army’s flow.
After the prince left, Yuan Zuo asked, “How strong was Cao Changqing after embracing the Overlord’s Path?”
Xu Xiao answered gravely, “Among the current top four, Tugutuo lags behind. Between the prince, Cao, and Deng Tai’a, none could defeat another without a fight to the death. In such a scenario, I suspect a cycle: the prince beats Deng, Deng beats Cao, Cao beats the prince. Tugutuo, with a proper weapon, could ascend to the Heavenly Realm. Others? Only Gu Jian might have hidden depths. Oh, and two others—the one the prince calls ‘White Fox’ and the elusive Tiantai Pingjing of Guanyin Sect.”
Yuan Zuo asked, “And you? And Chen Zhibao?”
Xu Xiao said flatly, “Not worth mentioning.”
Yuan Zuo frowned. “Why?”
Xu Xiao smiled. “After a fight to the death, the survivor would be a crippled Celestial Phenomenon at best. Need I say more?”
Yuan Zuo was speechless.
※※※
Among the mighty Snow Dragon Cavalry, the five hundred Western Chu riders stood out—not just in physique but in spirit.
During a thirty-mile rest, Xu Fengnian approached the Chu group. Reactions varied: hostility, numbness, hatred, and rare curiosity. He stopped near Jiang Ni, who’d been avoiding him. Surrounded by noblewomen, she’d grown distant even from her own people. The women, initially fearful of the iron-clad Northern Liang riders, had relaxed slightly after seeing their emperor and the prince. Over days of marching, as the cavalry proved disciplined and the prince showed extra care, they’d even begun laughing by riversides, tending their horses with growing skill.
Xu Fengnian halted near a willow tree, eight paces from Jiang Ni. Before he could speak, four young men with swords approached, boots caked in mud, their once-elegant bearing gone. They glared silently.
Xu Fengnian said softly to Jiang Ni, “Cao Changqing will soon reach Tai’an City. Do you want to see him one last time? I’ll go with you.”
One youth gripped his sword, snarling, “Xu Fengnian! Will you block our Minister from the city? Play watchdog for the Zhao family?”
Xu Fengnian shook his head. “I wouldn’t stoop so low.”
Nearby, the Feng Battalion watched intently, the madman Hong Shuwen clutching his blade.
Another shouted, “Our Minister needs no hypocritical farewells from you!”
Xu Fengnian said calmly, “That’s not your call.”
Jiang Ni finally whispered, “Uncle Cao said our parting in the capital was final. He forbade me to go north.”
Xu Fengnian replied, “Ignore him. Now that you’ve left Guangling, follow your heart. If you want to see him, I’ll take you.”
She looked up, tearful. “Really?”
He smiled firmly. “With me, nothing is impossible.”
Before the scholars could protest, the noblewomen—faces flushed—urged their emperor to go.
Nearby, Xie Xi’sui sighed. Not even in Northern Liang yet, and already infighting.
Jiang Ni took a deep breath and nodded.
Then—she shot into the sky on her sword.
The prince’s stunned face made the women giggle. Even Hong Shuwen’s men struggled to keep straight faces.
Xu Fengnian glared at them. They instantly feigned innocence.
He then launched skyward like a white comet, leaving all below—Northern Liang or Western Chu—staring in awe.
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