Chapter 371: Snow Cavalry Forms a Unit

【A chapter has been added before】

The celebrity effect of Xie Yuan and Xie Tu is real; the Great King could see it from the Academy.

Recently, besides the Lu brothers, the North Border Academy has also seen many newcomers. He asked the Doctor, there are people from other provinces of the North Border coming to study, and also some southern students following the Xie Clan.

They are bound to be disappointed; now it's not easy to see Xie Yuan in the Academy, Xie Tu is similar, and the Great King has plenty of business to attend to with him.

The Great King felt that letting the Xie Clan serve as an advertisement was a very promising policy.

Xie Yuan went to see the Grand Tutor who also served as the Minister of Rites, and deliberately asked: "I heard His Highness wants to casually organize a military parade to welcome the envoys from the Xiongnu and Western Regions; does the Grand Tutor know about this?"

"Ah?" Just heard.

The Great King didn't think this was a big deal at all; he thought just polishing the armor and weapons and practicing marching formations a bit would suffice.

The next day, the General Military Competition kicked off.

The first round was voluntary sign-up, and most people signed up. On the first day, 30,000 were reduced to 10,000, at the East-West Great Camp and the Old You King's Mansion. On the second day, 10,000 were reduced to 6,000; on the third day, the Great King personally attended, reducing 6,000 to 3,000. After three rounds, those who ranked in the top 3,000 automatically entered the Snow Cavalry.

To be honest, the Great King felt the spectator appeal was a bit lacking compared to the Eagle Cavalry's internal sparring.

There were too many people, and dust flew up on the field.

The Great King couldn't see clearly, so he took his entourage of beloved companions to observe near the front lines; he didn't spot any top-tier experts, but he saw a few with promising looks, saying, "These two look good; if they can join the Snow Cavalry, let them stand in the front row for the parade!"

Zhang Tu: …Who said the Snow Cavalry only looks at strength!

The Great King suddenly found a new hobby; he began selecting the Honor Guard, and despite eating a mouthful of dust, he strove to push forward among the crowd.

As the sun set, the competition was nearing its end and results were about to be announced; Zhao Ba came down and shouted for the Great King to return to the stage, and thanks to the highly conspicuous Weini, he quickly located the position. When he arrived nearby, he found a dust-covered Great King.

Zhao Ba felt hopeless, and could only first drag that mess back to change clothes and tidy up.

After the Great King went back to freshen up and reappeared at the East Great Camp's training ground, the matches had already ended.

The top 3,000 stood in the middle of the field, while the others retreated to the sidelines.

The Great King, accompanied by several officers, personally distributed new armor and newly refined weapons. He commissioned a bright snow‑colored long sword for the Snow Cavalry, which was an upgraded version of the old straight blade with improved craftsmanship and a changed color.

The three thousand in the field were truly excited, and some even burst into tears upon receiving theirs.

As the Great King passed by and glanced at them several times, this king hasn't even painted the pie yet—we've barely begun!

"This king first congratulates you! Congratulations on taking a big step forward in your life's success. Welcome to join the new designation of the North Border Cavalry—the Snow Cavalry."

From now on, you may stop farming and devote yourselves to training, pursue higher martial skills, and take on more challenging missions.

In these troubled times, your goal is not merely to defend home and country; you may someday bear heavier responsibilities. I hope you all strive hard. Opportunities abound, and when they come, I hope you are well prepared.

Once more, this king judges only by strength; perhaps a future marquis who earns his rank through battle is among you!

At the same time, starting tomorrow, salaries will be doubled!

Below, an officer led the cheers.

"The eliminated soldiers need not be disheartened; go home and hone your martial arts, and at next year's General Military Competition you can replace the Snow Cavalry by outperforming them. This king, I judge only by strength."

"The commander-in-chief of the Snow Cavalry is Chang Li; I hope you bond well, and if you get a chance to test your strength against the Eagle Cavalry, all the better. If you can bring down the Eagle Cavalry, this king will reward you handsomely! Earlier, Zhao Chuan and Chang Li each led a detachment in drills; the fact that an old general of the military strategists is not given for nothing— they thoroughly trounced Zhao Chuan and thus gained command of the Snow Cavalry."

After the cheers below subsided, the Great King announced the matter of the parade.

"…This parade will have envoys from the Xiongnu and the Western Regions, as well as many commoners from outside Youzhou coming to watch, so it's quite important. This concerns the face of this king and the entire North Border; I hope everyone takes it seriously and makes good use of this time to train well!"

After thinking, he added another sentence: "Especially the Snow Cavalry, wearing such fine armor—if you dare to mess up, this king will send you to guard the city gate!"

That… absolutely not!

Just having been formed and then sent to guard the city gate is no ordinary disgrace. Seeing them put away their excitement and wear solemn expressions, the Great King knew the intimidation had succeeded.

Beside, the parade enthusiast Wei Shen's eyes lit up: "The Great King is really considerate, knowing what his cousin wants to see!"

Seeing Wei Ke give him a look hard to describe, he stuck out his neck and said, "What are you looking at, boss? You too ought to broaden your horizons!"

"Look at the area of your face."

Wei Shen: "…Are you secretly playing with Wei Tai Ping?" His mouth is poisonous!