"Form up—!"
"Woooooom—wooooom—wooooom—wooooom—wooooom—!"
More than 900 soldiers gathered at full speed on the grand training field. Though the camp was chaotic, its basic order remained intact.
"Report!"
"Two beacons have been lit at the border! One signal tower raised its flag, one stack of firewood was burned—enemy numbers estimated to be more than 10 but fewer than 100 riders!"
Xiang Tingchun immediately made his decision.
"Zhao Kang, listen to my order! You are to take 100 light cavalry and rush to the Great Wall for reinforcement. If the enemy numbers around 100, hold position and do not advance. If there are about 50, pursue them for 30 li. Regardless of success or failure, you are forbidden to go beyond 30 li."
"Liu Jinkui, Xiong Qiu'an, Wang Zhi—you three lead your own troops to the Great Wall as well and strengthen the defense. Report immediately if there's any development."
"Yes, my lord!"
The Hundred-Household Officers saluted and went to carry out their orders at once.
When Zhao Kang's 100 light cavalry charged out of the camp, a cloud of dust erupted into the sky—it was truly a grand sight.
"Thousand-Household Officer!"
Chen Sanshi cupped his fists. "Allow me to follow Hundred-Household Officer Zhao!"
"You?"
Xiang Tingchun hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead, but follow command strictly. Absolutely no acting without orders!"
"Yes, sir!"
Chen Sanshi vaulted onto his White Swan horse.
Within two minutes, he had caught up with the main force and rode up beside Zhao Kang.
"Good horse!"
Zhao Kang's eyes gleamed with envy. "That white horse of yours might even be faster than the Thousand-Household Officer's!"
Chen Sanshi could clearly feel it too—the White Swan horse was growing faster as his Horsemanship proficiency improved.
But he wasn't the commanding officer in this battle, so he dared not act on his own. He simply stayed close to Zhao Kang's side.
"This is really strange!"
Zhao Kang pulled his reins tight. "It's been how many years since we've seen enemy cavalry in Poyang territory!"
"Hundred-Household Officer Zhao, have you fought in battle before?"
"Three or four times," Zhao Kang replied in a low voice. "The first time was nine years ago. Eighty barbarian riders ambushed the wall, broke through, and slaughtered an entire village.
"Back then, Thousand-Household Xiang was only a deputy. The military discipline here was even worse than when you first arrived—almost no combat power at all. The barbarians killed, plundered, and left freely. We couldn't even hold them back.
"That afternoon, Thousand-Household Xiang's mother, younger siblings, and his whole family were returning from the county town after shopping. They ran into the barbarians on the road—not one survived.
"The next year, the former Thousand-Household was promoted and transferred away. When Lord Xiang took the official position, the military finally began to improve.
"After that, whenever barbarian cavalry came again, most of them suffered heavy losses. Gradually, they quieted down.
"Today's attack really came out of nowhere."
Chen Sanshi understood instantly.
So Xiang Tingchun's obsession with subduing the Xi River tribe wasn't just for promotion—there was personal hatred mixed in.
"Yah—!"
The Thousand-Household Division was stationed to guard the Great Wall, so the distance wasn't far.
Before long, their conversation ended as they reached their destination.
After years of peace treaties, trade between the Central Plains and the barbarians had become common.
Therefore, the Great Wall wasn't always sealed off completely; one of the gates was usually kept open for exchanges.
The smoke beacon was rising from right beside that gate.
When they looked up, they saw two soldiers' corpses hanging from the battlements, arrows buried deep in their chests.
"Old Zhao, you're here?!"
Feng Yong poked his head out from the wall and shouted, "The enemy isn't many—only one tempering bone Hundred-Household Officer leading about 50 elite riders!"
The barbarian tribes had copied the Great Sheng's military household system.
Every adult male in the grasslands had a duty to serve in war. All men rode to battle when called and tended herds when not, living under a military-pastoral system that combined soldiers and shepherds.
"Open the gate!"
Zhao Kang barked. "By order of the Thousand-Household Officer—open the gate and ride out to kill the enemy! Quickly!"
"Creak—!"
The heavy iron gate rumbled open.
A hundred light riders surged out like a flood.
"Chase!"
Zhao Kang raised his saber high.
As the city gates creaked open, the barbarian cavalry began to retreat. By the time the Great Sheng soldiers rushed out, the enemy had already fled far into the distance. Now, it was a contest of whose horse could run faster.
The warhorses Xiang Tingchun had painstakingly gathered were good—strong, swift, well-trained—but they still couldn't compare to those born and bred on the vast grasslands.
As the pursuit dragged on, the distance between them and the barbarians grew wider.
At this rate, continuing the chase would only end in failure.
Then suddenly, a white stallion dashed forward like lightning, leaving all the Great Sheng soldiers behind. Within just a few breaths, it had closed the distance to barely 120 paces from the fleeing barbarian riders.
The Tiger Bone Bow was drawn in silence. A willow-leaf arrow sliced through the air. A barbarian light cavalryman's back was pierced clean through, and his body fell stiffly from the saddle.
Zhao Kang was stunned.
He knew all too well—shooting from horseback was nothing like shooting on foot. The difficulty and instability were on another level.
But even that shot couldn't shorten the distance between both sides. The Great Sheng soldiers were still far behind, their targets fast disappearing in the dust.
"Hyah—!"
Chen Sanshi slung the Tiger Bone Bow back and switched to his Reed-Leaf Spear. He kicked the horse's belly, and the White Swan horse surged forward, galloping straight toward the barbarian cavalry.
"That's dangerous!"
Ahead was a steep slope. Zhao Kang tried to shout, but it was too late—the white horse and rider vanished from sight.
His heart sank instantly.
The enemy might have only one Hundred-Household Officer, but they still had more than 50 riders. Charging in alone like that was suicide!
"This kid's talent is great, but his actions are far too reckless."
'He can't die! If he dies here, that damn Wang will definitely think I colluded with Luo Dongquan to get him killed on purpose!'
"Chase! After him—now!"
...
The barbarian officer in iron armor rode at the very front of his troop.
He turned his head and asked, "Did we shake them off?"
"Not completely, my lord Hundred-Household. There's one rider—his white horse is incredibly fast! He's catching up!"
"How many?"
"Just one!"
"One man daring to chase us fifty strong? Could it be Xiang Tingchun himself?"
"No, my lord. Judging by his armor, he seems to be a Hundred-Household Officer too!"
"One Hundred-Household dares to chase fifty men? He's asking for death!"
The barbarian commander gauged the timing, estimating how far behind the rest of the pursuers were. Feeling it was enough, he barked out an order.
"Spread out! I'll personally take his head!"
"Whoa—!"
He yanked his reins and turned his horse around.
From afar, he saw the white horse rider racing straight toward them, spear in hand. The man thrust once, killing a tempering blood officer instantly.
"What a vicious spear technique!"
The barbarian Hundred-Household immediately changed his plan. "Surround him! Encircle and kill!"
Cavalry was different from infantry.
With warhorses beneath them, their power and speed far surpassed that of foot soldiers.
To wear down a tempering blood martial artist usually took 20 light infantrymen. But if they were mounted riders, barely 10 would be enough. A few waves of charge were all it took—most martial artists wouldn't survive more than a few rounds.
Besides, among these 50-plus riders, there weren't just formation grunts. There were tempering blood experts and martial soldiers as well. Even a tempering bone martial artist could be dragged down and killed by sheer attrition.
At his command, the barbarian riders swiftly turned their horses, spreading out to form a ring around the white horse. Then they charged from every direction at once.
"Slash!"
Chen Sanshi's spear struck straight through the chest of an oncoming rider. As he pulled his spear free, a sharp whistling cut tore through the air behind him. He immediately bent low over the horse's neck to dodge the blade, twisting his waist like a serpent and spinning a full 360 degrees.
The long spear in his hands swept out in a wide arc, forcing back every rider who tried to flank or ambush him. The White Swan horse neighed sharply and surged forward.
Seizing that brief opening, Chen Sanshi thrust again, his spear piercing another enemy clean through the chest as he broke out of the encirclement.
No matter how strong a martial artist was, he only had two arms and two legs.
That was the very reason armies existed—when numbers were high enough and the battle dragged on long enough, coordinated tactics would always find a way to kill even the strongest of warriors.
In this fight of life and death, Chen Sanshi's blood boiled. His veins and meridians burned hot, pushing his body far beyond its limits. The toxins lingering within his meridians began to burn away rapidly. His spear proficiency surged as he fought.
At the same time, the barbarian cavalry reformed their formation, preparing for the second wave of encirclement and charge.
"Come on then!"