Chapter 227

The auspicious time has arrived; the military band on the walls on both sides of the gate tower began to drum, then the long bugle sounded.

The ceremony was simple, and the proceedings quickly moved on to the Great King's speech.

Grand Tutor Xu had written the manuscript as usual, but the Great King thought the common folk would definitely not understand, so he gave it an unauthorized translation.

The general idea was roughly:

The opening praised everyone's efforts over the past year; this year Secluded Province finally managed to pay the full tribute, and the Great King thanked everyone for their hard work in reclaiming land to support him.

The atmosphere was heated, and when the Great King spoke passionately, he led the applause.

Chancellor Xue began to rub his forehead, and Grand Tutor Xu lowered his head.

He dared not claim ownership of this speech manuscript.

He quickly finished his happy remarks, and the Great King made a sudden turn: ……But! The silver in the warehouse disappeared after just two days lying there; we in Secluded Province have too many places to spend money, and we still haven't paid this court tribute; in two days my imperial father will surely send people to demand it.

"Cough! cough!"

This time the coughing was Chancellor Xue's; you don't need to say you're trying to dodge the debt—it's obvious you haven't paid.

The King glanced at him, then changed the subject: "We need to give the city guards their stipends and feed them; most importantly, we must buy weapons for the guards to defend themselves. Our Prince of You Prefecture's border line is long, yet the land is vast and the people sparse. Even though I have built high, great walls, I cannot sleep soundly. With this heavy snowfall, experienced You Prefecture folks should be able to guess what we will face next, right? You might be thinking, if the Xianbei people really move south, we might as well flee south? I have been to Long Peace and can tell you, it's not easy out there either—haven't you seen refugees fleeing to take refuge in You Prefecture? Do you think they'd come to You Prefecture? To the west we face the threat of the Western Qiang people; Long Peace is not far from Jade Gate Pass, beyond which lie the Western Regions; to the northwest, we face a foe stronger than the Xianbei people—the Xiongnu people. Along the Two Rivers, floods are constant, and the refugees who come to You Prefecture are from there. So where could you run? To the Southern Border? Everyone should just stay put in You Prefecture, protect your homes—You Prefecture is wonderful!"

Many of the commoners listening below shouted excitedly that they would go nowhere else, that they would stay in You Prefecture, for You Prefecture was their home.

Ge Zhong was extremely impressed. This kid must have become a spirit—look at how good he is at stirring things up. Besides, apart from this lousy You Prefecture, where else could you go in the whole world, right? But think about the current You Prefecture… it's not that; they're actually not bad.

The commoners' response was good; the King's tail almost perked up—looks like they understood the speech I revised.

At least the money spent raising you wasn't wasted!

"Although I don't have many soldiers, each one is an elite who can hold his own. Today I'll bring them out for you to see—being a soldier isn't scary; learn martial arts in advance, you'll survive war and be able to protect You Prefecture."

He waved his hand, the military music then struck up, the drums beat again, this time with a different rhythm.

The troops taking part in the review were the eight thousand personally selected by the King; these were picked from thirty thousand as the more straightforward type.

Previously, the King had weeded out those with hunched backs, uneven shoulders, especially short or especially tall individuals; this time the square formation consisted of people of nearly uniform height.

The review troops exited from the Eastern Hua Gate, circled around to let the commoners see, then returned via the Western Hua Gate.

While the King was speaking, they had already lined up not far off; as the military drums sounded together, the first flag-bearing unit appeared in everyone's view.

In the sky, a yellow flag bore a large embroidered 'You' character; the You Prefecture military flag snapped in the wind.

The first formation was the flag-bearing cavalry unit, a square of seventy-two cavalrymen.

The Black Wind horses stepped in unison, the clink of their horseshoes on the plaza unusually clear. Gleaming armor, steadfast gazes—their spirited debut made the onlookers hold their breath. I've never seen anything like it! I've never seen anything like it!

The 'You' flag is precisely the You Prefecture military flag. The King won't waste it; this is the flag he'll use on future battlefields.

The commoners were just there for the spectacle, but the Duke of the Eastern Capital and his entourage were examining the cavalry's horses and armor—even equipping horses like these?

Before they could dwell on it long, the second formation appeared—a unit of heavy infantry, holding huge, roughly rectangular shields, marching forward in neat unison; as they moved, the front-row commoners could hear the clatter of the heavy armor.

When they reached the gate tower where the King stood, they uniformly raised their shields, making a blocking gesture; the King, rather unsteadily, rose and clapped.

"Good! Good!"

Grand Tutor Xu thought there, fortunately they performed so mightily, otherwise the King would look like… a nursery attendant.

Behind that was the King's impressive equipment showcase.

These are all small squads; the larger formations coming after are long columns, looking even more neat and lethal.

First came an infantry formation that could number a thousand, each holding a curved blade in one hand and a round shield in the other; they marched to the gate tower, halted, and performed a practiced sequence of thrusting and blocking moves.

They wore brand-new armor, each spirited and sharp-eyed, their blade arcs even more lethal. At a glance they were well-trained, as if they had drilled this maneuver countless times.

The Duke of the Eastern Capital exhaled, exchanged a glance with Ge Zhong beside him, their eyes complex.

Behind them came more units wielding long spears and long swords, displaying all of the King's weapons in turn, each formation longer than the last; the Duke of the Eastern Capital just watched silently.

He lifted his head to see the blazing sun above, the tumultuous, excited commoners below, heard the clashing of iron armor in his ears, and his pounding heart gradually cooled.

When I get back I'll have Xiao Er come to Upper Valley Pass—just don't go playing with the Prince of the Wide Mausoleum; it'll lead nowhere.

Later, a glance at the battle‑pressing cavalry made him feel his cooling off had come too early.

What kind of cavalry was that? For many years afterward the Duke of the Eastern Capital could not forget the shock of that first glimpse.

The battle‑pressing force was the King's treasured unit—the Owl Cavalry.

One could not tell the material of the sleek black armor covering the whole body, the black helmet flashing with metallic luster, the owl‑totem covering the entire face, revealing only a pair of cold, sharp eyes.

A hundred‑strong unit could match the might of thousands of troops and horses.