Chapter 384

Nonsense Mini-Theatre:

【Xue Ming: Your Majesty really is learned! Sincerely·JPG

Great King: Come, come, come, I'll grant you an office! It's not that I enjoy flattery; it's that the Northern Border truly needs talent like yours! You simply possess unique insight, fiery golden eyes, vision like a torch, and extraordinary foresight!

Xie Yuan: Let him be your study partner?

Great King thought, "Is he a poor student? I only accept poor students as study companions, so that my outstanding grades can shine!"

Xie Yuan: "Then consider Wei Ni."

Great King: ……He'll skip class tomorrow!!】

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【Report! Northern Border Naval Battleship Squadron forms up!】

Most of those present didn't even know what a warship was, but the Great King's navy arrived.

The flag on the vanguard unit read:

Their attire differed from ordinary soldiers, being more convenient for movement and lightweight tops and trousers; their armor was a vest-like armor plus a helmet, protecting the front and back while facilitating sea activity.

Each held a crossbow, about three hundred people. After they passed, another unit followed, whose flag read:

They were no longer holding crossbows; the landing troops had close-combat weapons, some with spears, some with swords. A swarthy group of burly men shouted an earth-shaking slogan as they passed through Southern Hua Gate, and the Great King, fond of drama, shook himself.

"The seaside sun is so fierce, it's tanned them too dark, fierce and menacing, shouting wishes for the Great King's eternal happiness, but the Great King doesn't really believe it!" He was extremely satisfied with Ke Tu; this navy trained so impressively that, due to the uniforms, each showed bulging muscles, extraordinarily valiant.

Prime Minister: ……

Only the Great King had the mind to put on this affected display; everyone else was excited to no end, what is this, killing intent! With such an army, what could be frightening in the Northern Border!? Didn't you see those three foreigners' faces turned green?

Soon they realized the green was premature; the front lines were merely appetizers.

The naval fleet had passed; the true main show was about to begin.

The bugle sounded again, the Southern Hua Gate Square drill field emptied, and the true pillar of the Northern Border State arrived!

【Report! Northern Border State Xuan Jia Cavalry forms up!】

Whether it was the Great King on this watchtower or the countless spectators below, everyone craned their necks!

【Driving away the Xiongnu, conquering the Western Regions, unifying the Northern Border】 Mysterious Armor cavalry — the Northern Border's heroic designation! The watching crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers! Just now they didn't dare to breathe; saying this on purpose was to let them them cheer, right? Never mind! Shout!

"The navy that had just passed and hadn't gone far, upon hearing 【...】, 'Damn, how do they still have this kind of introduction?!'"

"They really have fought in battle—who doesn't know the title of the Northern Border's Mysterious Armor cavalry!"

"I too am a cavalryman, I participated in the western campaign……"

"So you are what officer?"

"Alright, that's the reasoning."

Then his defense was still broken; their horn didn't stop this time, the drum tune was also changed to match the warhorses' march. The audience, who had been holding their breath in earnest due to the atmosphere, suddenly got excited, and the venue erupted with overwhelming cheers.

Xie Tu suddenly noticed that the soldier shouting from the front of the second floor was somewhat interesting; he initially thought only those on this floor could hear his shout, but now the cavalry hasn't arrived yet, and after he finished shouting, several ten thousand spectators in front erupted! Could it be that everyone could hear clearly?

He kept glancing at the horn in their hands—could it be some divine artifact again?

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The Mysterious Armor cavalry enjoyed the treatment of a superstar's debut clearing the stage, enjoyed a while of the cheers specially sent for them, then stepped onto the field to the drumbeat.

This is a massive cavalry unit; a few hundred lack the intimidation the king wants, so this is actually a solid eight-thousand-strong cavalry formation.

Just as the wind rose, the black war flag finally unfurled, letting everyone see clearly the true battle flag of the combat unit.

Black Wind horses, Mysterious Armor.

The entire square, golden halberds blocking the sun, iron horses neighing against the wind.

Same horses, same armor, same resolute soldiers.

As soon as the Mysterious Armor cavalry appeared, at some point only the drum and horn shaking the earth remained, and the crowd fell silent again.

The vanguard held shields, the center held swords and spears, the rear grasped bows and crossbows.

The formation was neat, steps uniform.

Those seeing it for the first time only felt astonished—those are horses, livestock; how could their steps possibly be the same!

"What's going on, not to mention they all step forward with the left forefoot together, but even the size of their steps is the same!"

The front-row spectators and cavalry on the same plane found it even more shocking than from upstairs; the horses' legs crossing back and forth before their eyes looked perfectly orderly, surprisingly not chaotic at all!

Do you understand what it's like to see a copy-pasted image of eight thousand cavalry?

Black clouds drifted over the square, making people instinctively hold their breath.

As they approached the Southern Hua Gate, only the crisp metallic sound of armor plates colliding remained in their ears. The eight thousand cavalry moved in unison, turned their horses' heads, raised their weapons, and, mounted, offered the highest military salute to their supreme commander.

"We swear to die in loyalty to Your Highness! Your Highness, eternal joy and boundless!"

Their spirit devours mountains and rivers; their military might shakes the heavens.

The echoing sound like thunder, mountains and rivers tremble.

The cavalry simultaneously slapped their breastplates to the sound of horses' hooves stepping on stone bricks, forming a strange resonance, as if it were the enemy's soul‑capturing Buddhist chant, a comforting melody for the hearts of the Northern Border people.

The envoy delegation's faces were already ashen; they felt the thin air making it hard to breathe.

The king rose and waved his hand, appearing calm. When truly impressive, he began to clap lightly with a nonchalant air, though inside he was extremely pleased!

Black Wind Horses are totally worth it, what about the Thunderbolt Horses' relatives? They are truly spiritual, with excellent genes!

It felt like an instant, yet also like a long time had passed, and Xie Yuan was the first to regain his voice: '……How come these horses are all the same size and height?'

The King said: 'Selected from thirty thousand!' Actually he also noticed that the adult Black Wind Horses all grew to about the same size, with equal shoulder height.

The Xuanjia cavalry withdrew from the east side, and the tens of thousands of spectators, not knowing who led them, again burst into earth-shaking cheers, the sound waves even greater than before.

As mentioned earlier, the wealthy scholar-merchants who had come from afar in the south to watch the spectacle also had a separate viewing area; now these young masters stood there quietly with their servants, almost being buried by the frenzied cheers of the Youzhou locals on both sides.

To be honest, I didn't understand those earlier weapons, but the Xuanjia cavalry looks truly shocking and awesome. Just now they couldn't help but exclaim along, yet now that they've passed, they suddenly sobered up. What the hell are they happy about? This is the rebel king's army, not our Great Jin's!

Heaven, what misery is this!

Just those in Chang'an…… which of them could handle the Northern Border King, such a fierce figure!

One day when the Northern Border King turns his horse southward…… what chance does the court have?! They can't even beat the Xiongnu and Xianbei!

The Xuanjia cavalry withdrew, but the review continued.

【Report! Northern Border garrison troops are forming ranks!】

【First squad, Shanggu Pass garrison formation! Coming from our northern border's barrier, Shanggu Pass!】

Upon hearing that the border guards had also arrived, the populace began enthusiastic cheers again.

The Shanggu Pass contingent is a square formation of forty-nine horsemen, with a banner bearing the three large characters 'Shanggu Pass' fluttering in the wind. Liang the Duke's son trained these forty-nine men to be neat and impressive.

The King stood up to applaud the border soldiers, saying, 'Good! Reward!'

Dongdu Hou stroked his beard proudly, 'Our Shanggu Pass is no inferior to the King's Xuanjia cavalry!'

【【】】

【Next up, the Luoshui Pass garrison formation! Coming from our southern border's steadfast stability troops, Luoshui Pass!】

【Shuofang Pass garrison formation, coming from the first line of defense against the Xiongnu, Shuofang Pass!】 Upon hearing of resistance to the Xiongnu, the populace burst into earth-shaking cheers. The borderfolk know best the importance of the frontier garrisons and their hardships, and they greet the heroes with the most enthusiastic welcome.

The King joined the cheers, 'Reward! Reward them all!'

Ujihans's face went black then green, then green then black.

Among the civil officials, a few old men grew excited and began to wipe away tears……

【The finale is the Shanyang Pass garrison formation! Coming from the foot of the Tian Shan, guarding the extreme western frontier, Shanyang Pass!】

Tang Qian's goal was achieved; the King indeed disliked his uneven, mismatched warhorses and replaced them with Black Wind Horses.

Old Tang stood up and waved vigorously at the burly men he had painstakingly selected, 'Your Highness, our Shanyang Pass doesn't lose face, does it? Look how mighty!'

While the King clapped, he muttered under his breath, 'They're just not good-looking, each more fearsome than the last; won't you put the neatly ordered ones up front?'

Old Tang: 'That won't do; it was hard enough to pick these fearsome-looking fellows out of a hundred thousand!'

The King: ……

Below, there are still some people who don't know about Shanyang Pass.

'So that's the finale, what about Yumen Pass?'

'This Shanyang Pass is actually the original Yumen Pass, pushed forward to the foot of the Tian Shan, incorporating the fallen three kingdoms of the Western Regions and building a new gate, hence called Shanyang Pass!'

'The garrison of Shanyang Pass used to be under the Commander-in-Chief of Pacifying the West; now they all belong to our King~'

'Our King really is capable!'

Outsider: ……

They look truly terrifying, no wonder they're the garrison from the barren lands!

In the adjacent spectator seat, a dandy stood tired, gesturing for his servant to lie down; he plopped onto the servant's back, finally catching his breath, then had the energy to complain to his friend: 'I see no one in the south can match him; better just give up the spot—whether fighting back and forth is tiring or not, it's left everywhere a mess full of refugees!'

'Hey, that's easy for you to say! Winning means your descendants sit on ten thousand generations of rivers and mountains; losing means from this generation on you have to kowtow to your brothers—who could back out? Not me, I wouldn't do it!'

'True. But if it were me, I'd do it!' Still, one's own life matters most. As for descendants? That still requires the father to stay alive first.

'What did you say?'

'Nothing, I'm just saying Youzhou really is a good place; moving here to live isn't bad……'

'You're eyeing the Spring River Flower Moon Night, aren't you?!'

'Hahaha, it's still Brother Kang who understands me……'

The Xuanjia cavalry withdrew, the drumbeat continued, this time the music switched to chimes, and the whole audience felt the shift in atmosphere.

【Report! Snow cavalry array!】

That reporter's report was extremely brief, just leaving the name of the snow cavalry before lowering the horn.

Everyone felt bewildered—what strange name is this?

After the chime prelude finished, the tune shifted, and a white cloud drifted from the horizon.

In this overcast weather, the snow cavalry was like a lightning bolt, effortlessly splitting the sky over Youzhou.

White horses, white armor.

White horses armored, cavalry masked.

A sheet of ice and snow collapsed from the hundred-li snow plain of Northern Yan, the wind tearing open a fissure and scattering it before the Southern Hua Gate.

The silver-white armor reflected a piercing cold light; many on the gate tower slowed their breathing, as if fearing to awaken something.

Anyone with a bit of experience knew: they widened their eyes, unblinking, dressed like that—special forces couldn't have escaped.

Later, this unit gained fame across the world; today everyone who has witnessed the snow cavalry's full debut shares in the honor.

When the Northern Border snow cavalry appears, a white rainbow pierces the sun—time for the hunt.

Wei Shen was even more excited than the King, couldn't help shouting, got glared by his brother, finally swallowed his scream, and imitated the King's frantic applause—awesome!

This weather really suits our snow cavalry; without the dazzling sunlight, the armor is all icy cold light, intimidation factor five stars.

He hurriedly looked at the three chives the king kept; sure enough, the vegetable hue on his face could no longer be concealed, looking even more like chives.

Old Tang clicked his tongue, 'Snow cavalry? Only for snowy weather?'

Upon seeing the horses and armor, the Eastern Capital Marquis almost drooled, 'This new force is perfect for garrisoning the northern border, Your Majesty!' For example, Shanggu Pass.

The king's eyes sparkled, 'Really handsome!'

Old Tang: 'Our ShanYang Pass actually gets snow too...'

Eastern Capital Marquis: 'Our Shanggu Pass gets snow for two months!'

The king's eyes sparkled, 'Really handsome! I also said they match the White Marsh perfectly!'

Old Tang: 'Your Highness, our ShanYang Pass needs some killer halberds to press the formation~'

Eastern Capital Marquis: 'Your Highness, putting this cavalry in the desert would be a waste, they'd reflect light!'

Old Tang: 'You!'

The king with a solemn face: 'Don't even think about it; only you two have an eye for quality! These are experts, the commander is also an expert, they are my elite forces. A mobile unit, they could appear anywhere; stationing them at the border would be a waste.'

Alright, I understand.

These two, having an eye for quality, drool over fine steeds and weapons, while others are numb. These are white horses, or rather three thousand white horses! A single horse of such pure color is already valuable, and the king has somehow managed to gather three thousand of them.

Furthermore, officials who know how expensive the king's armor set is have already been silently calculating how much silver this troop's passage would cost.

The common folk below are much happier; they have no concept of anything, they only see it as flashy.

Even though the snow cavalry's aura is strong, they aren't afraid, after all they're our own people! I heard that the second son from some family in the neighboring village joined this new cavalry in silver armor, and his pay doubled~

Even the outsiders watching the spectacle are gossiping about the king, '……All pure white horses with not a single stray hair, how much silver would one such horse cost?!'

'There must also be two or three thousand on the field, right?'

'Don't you see? These cavalry are the focus; this unit is surely formidable, obviously top‑tier equipped, and their aura is different!'

'They must be the elite under the Northern Border King, that mask is mighty~'

'How can he afford to keep them?'

'They're kept on Vermilion Bird Street!'

'……That makes sense; I've only been here a few days and already spent over three thousand taels.'