The sounds of iron hooves thundered among the flying dust. The White Stone Pass wasn’t in sight yet, but Yan Liqiang had spotted a wave of dust at the mountain’s entrance in the distance. Among the dust was a cavalry of more than a thousand men strong, and the black mass was riding in their direction…
Without confirming if the cavalry riding toward them was friend or foe, Xiong Gungun who was guarding Yan Liqiang clearly yelled, “PROTECT LORD YAN…!”
The guards riding in front spurred their steeds ahead while the guards at the rear rode up to the flanks, putting Yan Liqiang at the center of their protection. The archers already had their war bows in their hands while many other guards had taken out their crossbows and had them resting on their saddles. They watched the group that was approaching them intently as they prepared to meet them as enemies at any time.
“Don’t worry, the cavalry in front is from White Stone Pass…!”
Upon hearing Yan Liqiang’s words, the guards around him slightly relaxed.
Looking at the energetic faces around him, Yan Liqiang was moved and overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling of comfort. The guards that escorted him were mostly the first batch of students from the archery academy. They still looked quite young and tender when they first joined the academy two years ago. After going through arduous training and battles with the caravans from the Shatu Seven Tribes during these two years, their once youthful faces had matured and their eyes were now as sharp as veterans.
Their faces portrayed youth, devotion, courage, and fearlessness.
The size of the troop riding toward them was two or three times bigger than them. However, none of the guards around Yan Liqiang cowered. They watched the opposing troop intently as they rode ahead bravely like real men!
“Hyaa…!” Emotions stirred in Yan Liqiang’s heart as he squeezed Snowstorm Cloud’s abdomen between his legs. The steed let out a long neigh before it sped up and galloped past the other soldiers like a black shadow, instantly bringing Yan Liqiang in front of the troop.
“Follow me, my men! Today we ride around White Stone Pass! This place will be the starting point when we make contributions in the future by regaining territories for the Great Han Empire! Let us sing our song…!”
The guards at the back saw Yan Liqiang rush to the front, and they were fired up when they heard his words. The several hundred strong troop spurred their steeds as they forged ahead amid the sound of thundering hooves.
Qian Su and Lu Wenbin exchanged glances with each other before rushing up too. Both of them climbed the ladder from the bottom, so riding a steed was not a challenge to them. Although they were not as good as Yan Liqiang’s guards, they had no trouble riding a few hundred li.
“When the fiery smoke rises I look at the vast land towards the north,
the roaring of the dragons and neighing of the horses are echoed by the chilling sword,
my heart is as boundless as the water of the yellow river,
who could challenge the power in the past twenty years?
Hatred is driving me toward madness.
Where my wide sword points,
countless brothers with loyal souls buried their bones in unfamiliar lands,
all would die a hundred times to protect the country and the land,
I sigh with the deepest regret, yet I could not find a word to say, only blood and tears fill my eyes.
The horses run toward the south, but the people look toward the north.
Toward the north, the grass are just dry and yellow, with dust flying high.
I am willing to station here and reclaim my land.
The mighty Great Han should be paid tributes and respect…”
Amid the majestic singing voices, the distance between two cavalry reduced rapidly.
The one who came to welcome Yan Liqiang was none other than the Defender General of White Stone Pass, Huwei Commandant Tie Yunshan.
Tie Yunshan was a veteran from Pingxi Prefecture. In fact, he was the senior soldier serving under the Pingxi Military Governor’s army. The first time he met Yan Liqiang was during the opening of the Qiyun Protectorate Office. This was their second meeting.
At first, Tie Yunshan didn’t want to bring his men all the way out here to welcome Yan Liqiang because he felt that he should just wait for Yan Liqiang’s arrival at White Stone Pass as the Defender General. However, a trusted aide of his gave him a piece of advice.
“The Protectorate General is a renowned individual. He is young, but lacks experience in leading troops. At this moment in time, you are the highest qualified among all commandants and generals in the army under the Qiyun Protectorate. Logically speaking, those who lack confidence would feel more insecure and be more concerned with how others perceive them. Today is the first time the Protectorate General has come to White Stone Pass for an inspection. If my lord doesn’t welcome him, he might perceive you as being arrogant for your negligence toward him. Once the Protectorate General perceives you that way, your future in Qiyun Prefecture will be unfavorable. My lord, please don’t forget how the previous Emperor executed one of the generals in the past…”
Tie Yunshan thought the advice from his trusted aide made sense, so he brought two battalions of cavalry from White Stone Pass. They rode thirty li out from the pass to welcome Yan Liqiang.
From afar, he could hear the song that Yan Liqiang’s cavalry was singing. Yan Liqiang rode in front, leading a group of guards with high morale toward him. Although they were small in number, the immense the power they constituted sent a chill down Tie Yunshan’s spine. They reminded him of something his mentor told him back then —’As a general, you are not leading soldiers but a group of energy. If the energy is there, so will the troop. If the energy dissipates, the troop will scatter. If the energy is weak, the troop will rot. If the energy is strong, the troop will be fierce. The commander of the troop is the core — therefore, you will need to oversee the energy of your troop.’
F*ck, who said the Protectorate Governor never led an army?! Tie Yunshan cursed inwardly.
Both parties were now less than a hundred meters apart. Tie Yunshan had slowed down and both parties finally stopped together when they were less than twenty meters apart.
Swish…! Tie Yunshan drew the longsword hanging on his waist, then held it up with a clear greeting. “White Stone Pass’ Defender General Tie Yunshan greets Protectorate General…!”
Tie Yunshan immediately gave Yan Liqiang a military salute on his steed. The other cavalrymen behind him followed suit. All of them unsheathed their swords, held them high in the air and shouted, “Greetings, Protectorate General!”
More than a thousand swords pointed at the blue sky dazzled under the sunlight. It was an impressive sight.
Yan Liqiang swept his gaze over Tie Yunshan’s graying beard and his armor, then over the swords in the hands of those soldiers behind him. He nodded inwardly. From the synchronized movements of those cavalrymen behind Tie Yunshan alone, Yan Liqiang knew they were elites. It would seem like Tie Yunshan had been leading his troops well.
“Thank you for your hard work, everyone! Let us return to White Stone Pass!” The army favored efficiency, so Yan Liqiang didn’t waste time with any nonsense or bother to exchange any pleasantries either. After saying that, he shook his reins and Snowstorm Cloud started running.
Upon seeing this, Tie Yunshan didn’t say anything either. He sheathed his sword, turned his steed around, and rode back to White Stone Pass along with Yan Liqiang.
A distance of thirty li was easily covered by the cavalrymen on their rhinodrake steeds. They arrived at their destination in just less than an hour.
The group rode past the mountain entrance, then rode for another seven or eight li before a majestic pass appeared before Yan Liqiang.
White Stone Pass was lofty. It merged with the steep mountains on both sides, acting like a huge lock between the two mountains.
Before the group reached the pass, they spotted groups of Shatu caravans transporting all sorts of goods out of White Stone Pass.
White Stone Pass was an important checkpoint that connected the Gulang Plains to Gan Province. It was the only way for large groups of Shatu people to enter the Great Han Empire. Aside from White Stone Pass, the Shatu people could only traverse Mount Jade Dragon or travel along the smaller mountain roads among the dense mountains at the Lan Province borders if they wished to enter the Great Han Empire.
Ever since the archery academy started imposing themselves as the Blackwind Bandits and killed many Shatu caravans in the northwestern region, the Shatu people gradually realized that the safer route for them to reach Yingwei County’s border trading post was through White Stone Pass. Since it was more unlikely for them to meet the ‘terrifying mounted bandits’ by using this route, more and more Shatu caravans entered Gan Province through White Stone Pass over the past six months. This, in turn, caused Yingwei County’s border trading post to become more and more lively.
When the Shatu caravans noticed the large cavalry rushing in their direction, they quickly stopped by the roadside to give way to the group.
Yan Liqiang cast a glance at the Shatu caravan. The horses and camels in the caravans were carrying huge bulging sacks that were tied up. It was obvious that those sacks contained wool. In just six months time, wool had become the most important commodity in the trade between the Shatu and the Great Han Empire.
When they were only two or three li away from White Stone Pass, several cavalrymen came rushing out from the pass. They rode swiftly toward Yan Liqiang and Tie Yunshan, and reached them in just a flash. One of the squad commanders with a tanned face immediately shouted to Tie Yunshan before he even managed to take a good look at Yan Liqiang.
“My lord, those sons of b*tches from the Coyote Tribe went to start a fight at the Wind Border Stockade again! Right now, many civilians there have fled to the pass…!”
