Volume One, Chapter 37: When Something Strange Happens, Something Must Be Amiss

The ramparts of Zhenbei Pass stood towering amidst the wind and snow. The massive grey-blue stones were scarred with deep blade marks and arrow holes. Though the three characters for "Zhenbei Pass" above the gate had been eroded by time and weather until they were nearly illegible, they still exuded a lethal aura that suppressed the entire northern frontier.

Beneath the gate, several battalion commanders gathered, surrounded by reinforcements summoned from various regions. Their armor was skewed, their clothes stained with blood, and every face bore such exhaustion that even their coughing sounded feeble.

Alas.

With a full hundred thousand iron cavalry pressing against the borders, the two sides had fought until the heavens grew dark. The Zhenbei Pass garrison alone had suffered thousands of casualties—one could only imagine the sheer brutality of the conflict.

"Green hills are everywhere to bury loyal bones; why bother to be brought home in a horse-hide shroud?"

Yet, when truly faced with such a fate, how many could remain calm? The commanders gathered at the gate, sighing with heavy hearts.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Enemy sighting!"

The scene at the gate descended into chaos.

Boom!

The heavy city gate slammed shut, making the ground tremble. The soldiers scrambled to grab their weapons, while the garrison atop the walls drew their bows to their full capacity, arrows aimed squarely at the distance.

Out of the wind and snow, a troop of cavalry charged forth. The mist of snow kicked up by their horseshoes obscured the sky, resembling a black torrent of water surging forward with a biting, relentless momentum.

A battalion commander on the gate tower bellowed, "Who goes there? One more step and you shall be executed without mercy!"

They drew closer and closer.

The troop of cavalry was flying the banners of the Great Liang!

The commanders at the gate looked at one another, their faces filled with disbelief. Since when did the Northern Frontier have cavalry? Could these be reinforcements sent by the Prince of Beijing?

In that brief moment of hesitation, the cavalry reached the gates.

Wu Kexiong pulled hard on his reins, causing his warhorse to rear up on its hind legs. With a deafening neigh, the horse’s front hooves carved a sharp arc through the air—a display of absolute majesty.

"Hahaha!" Wu Kexiong laughed heartily and cupped his hands in a salute. "Gentlemen, have you been well? It seems I haven't arrived too late, have I?"

"Old Wu?!" The commanders rubbed their eyes, utterly stunned. "You... you only had five hundred men in Sifang County. How did you manage to put together a cavalry battalion?"

Wu Kexiong patted the deputy general’s token at his waist and sighed deliberately. "Oh, that’s nothing worth mentioning."

"De-deputy general?"

The commanders all gasped in unison. Everyone knew that Sifang County was the poorest of the sixteen northern prefectures. When they had first arrived to reinforce Zhenbei Pass, their men hadn't even been able to scrape together decent armor, with some wearing straw sandals and shivering in the cold.

But now? Each man wore leather armor with reinforced edges, wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, and shod in warm felt boots. The warhorses they rode were plump and sturdy—at a glance, there were over five hundred of them, neatly arranged in a formation more impressive than the reinforcements from the major prefectures.

For several heartbeats, time seemed to stand still.

The commanders finally snapped out of it, quickly dropping to one knee and bowing. "We pay our respects to the Deputy General!"

Wu Kexiong, his grin stretching from ear to ear, dismounted and hurried to help them up. "Oh, get up, get up! We’re all old brothers, why the formalities?"

"Old Wu, did you not see combat at Hufeng Pass? How does it look like not a single man is missing?"

"We didn't fight much, truly," Wu Kexiong said, smacking his lips with feigned nonchalance. "We just had a brief skirmish with five thousand Blood Wolf Cavalry, killed nearly two thousand of them, and burned their supplies along the way."

*Gasps!*

The crowd exploded into an uproar. The Blood Wolf Cavalry were the most elite troops of Northern Yan, each a fierce warrior capable of taking on ten men. For an ordinary unit to survive an encounter with them was a miracle; for Wu Kexiong’s five hundred to kill two thousand? It sounded like a preposterous boast.

A commander named Fang Yuanqing sneered, "Deputy General, do you even believe that yourself?"

"You don't believe it? Then where did these warhorses come from?"

"You don't believe it? Then how did I become a deputy general?"

"If you don't believe it... that's your business. I am going to pay my respects to General Xiao now."

Having finished his display, Wu Kexiong waved his hand. "Come, let us enter the city!"

Fang Yuanqing scoffed, "I advise you not to bother. General Xiao is ill and is seeing no one."

"Ill? What kind of illness?" Wu Kexiong’s heart tightened, though his face remained unruffled.

"Who knows."

"Then it is all the more reason to see him!" Wu Kexiong declared loudly. "We are all here to support Zhenbei Pass; we must let the General see our sincerity!"

This sentiment struck a chord with everyone present. Who didn't want to make an impression on General Xiao Lie, the Guardian of the Frontier? But since the General had kept his doors closed, they had been at a loss. With Wu Kexiong taking the lead, even if they failed to see him, it would not be seen as a breach of etiquette.

"Agreed! We follow the Deputy General!"

"Let’s go, to the General’s Mansion!"

The atmosphere quickly turned fervent. The five hundred cavalrymen led the way, followed by several thousand infantry, marching in a grand procession toward the General’s Mansion.

The common folk on both sides of the street poured out to watch when they heard the commotion. Seeing the well-equipped cavalry, they were filled with surprise and delight.

"Look! Those are the cavalry of our Frontier Guard!"

"Are these reinforcements from the Prince of Beijing? So impressive!"

"With cavalry, we have nothing to fear from the Yan bandits!"

The whispers were filled with awe and anticipation, and many began to wave at the passing troops. Wu Kexiong sat tall on his horse, chest out and head held high, savoring this unprecedented glory. Commanders like Chen Xiucheng and Liu Yunzhao walked at his side, with platoon leaders Zhang Muyang and Tian Chong following close behind. Their high spirits and vigor made the surrounding soldiers look pale by comparison.

However, upon reaching the General’s Mansion, the entire group was blocked.

A large number of soldiers had gathered before the gates, blades unsheathed and arrows nocked. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder, as if a single step forward would ignite a slaughter.

A deputy general drew his sword and shouted, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Zhou Chong?

Wu Kexiong jumped off his horse and called out, "Deputy General Zhou..."

Xiao Lie had four deputy generals: Wang Shibei, Zhou Chong, Zhao Lidong, and Ma Zhiyuan. Previously, when Wu Kexiong and Chen Xiucheng had arrived at Zhenbei Pass, it was Wang Shibei who had sent them to Hufeng Pass. As for the other three, he had only heard their names and never interacted with them, always harboring a sense of reverence.

But things were different now. He, too, was a deputy general, on equal footing with Zhou Chong.

Wu Kexiong walked forward a few steps, raised his hand to signal his men to stop, and cupped his hands. "I am Deputy General Wu Kexiong, here to pay my respects to General Xiao."

Fang Yuanqing and the other commanders followed suit, kneeling on one knee. "We humble subordinates are here to see General Xiao!"

Zhou Chong said coldly, "General Xiao is unwell and is seeing no one."

"What about the other deputy generals? I would be happy to see them instead."

"Wang Shibei and Ma Zhiyuan are occupied with military affairs. Zhao Lidong died a hero's death; you are the one who has been tapped to fill his position."

"What?"

Wu Kexiong’s heart sank. If even a deputy general had fallen in battle, one could only imagine how desperate the situation at Zhenbei Pass truly was.

However, he had no intention of leaving. He said in a deep voice, "Deputy General Zhou, we have a skilled military surgeon in our ranks. Perhaps she could examine General Xiao."

*Clap, clap!*

Wu Kexiong gestured. Bai Zhi stepped out from the crowd. Dressed in simple, plain clothes and carrying a medicine chest, she stood quietly beside Wu Kexiong, her eyes clear and resolute.

To everyone’s surprise, Zhou Chong refused without a second thought. "That is unnecessary! General Xiao has said he will find time to see you in the coming days. You may all go and rest."

"Very well."

Wu Kexiong did not insist further. But the moment he turned around, he locked eyes with Zhang Muyang. With just that single glance, both realized that the old General’s condition was likely far more serious than mere illness—or perhaps... he had already met an unfortunate end.

The unit slowly departed from the General’s Mansion.

Zhang Muyang rode close to Wu Kexiong and whispered, "Commander, shall I sneak into the mansion tonight to investigate?"

"What? Have you lost your mind?" Wu Kexiong was startled. "That is the General’s Mansion, heavily guarded. One wrong step and you’ll lose your life!"

"If one does not enter the tiger's den, how can one catch the tiger's cub?" Zhang Muyang gripped his Hanling blade, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s. "I want to see exactly what kind of game that Wolf King of Northern Yan is playing!"