Chapter 476: Mountains and Rivers Change Color

Peng Er forever remembered that afternoon, when a deep, distant horn came from the horizon, tearing apart the silence of the wilderness beneath his feet, and in the next instant he felt the earth tremble.

Yes, a huge tremor.

He belonged to the Vanguard Battalion, and even after the whole formation he remained at the very front, unfortunately facing the sharp aura of the world-renowned Black Armor Cavalry.

The sharp aura cut with a glance.

Warhorses with iron hooves charged into the wasteland, kicking up sky‑high dust. At the far end of his vision, black‑clad cavalry bearing myriad sharp auras swept in and crashed down upon him. Their iron hooves, wrapped in copper, produced a dull rumble that grew from distant to near, like rolling thunder over the wasteland.

Peng Er, however, felt his own heartbeat louder, and once again realized his fellow townsmen had been right—they were indeed coming to die.

Peng Er felt his legs were no good anymore; he looked down at the plain iron broadsword in his hand and his tattered clothes, wondering if he was supposed to rely on this gear to fight the cavalry ahead, whose warhorses were even wrapped in gleaming dark armor.

Knowing the battle would be hopeless, a nine‑to‑one chance of survival, but… he hadn't expected such a lopsided situation.

Are we now trying to crack copper and iron with eggs?

Not only him—the Vanguard Battalion, lured by both real cakes and painted cakes, had already panicked before the fight even started, instinctively looking back at the horsemen of the regular army behind them.

The Vanguard Battalion was still dazed, but the unit's commander, Chen Kai, was clear‑minded. A black flag with a golden dragon pattern bearing the character "You" snapped in the autumn wind, and the black horses of the Black Armor Cavalry—none other than the direct line of the Northern Border King—had arrived.

Before, he had only heard of them; this was his first time seeing the Black Armor Cavalry in person.

The hatred in his eyes felt tangible.

"What rat‑scum dare not even raise a flag, yet dare to bring mercenaries into the Northern Border?!"

Chen Kai gestured for his subordinate to reply; the other side stepped forward, shouting at the top of his lungs, saying nothing more than the usual spiel used to dupe the refugee Vanguard Battalion. They called themselves a civilian uprising, claiming that life in the south was unbearable and they sought a path to survival for all the suffering people under heaven—anyway, anyone who opposed the king deserved death.

Zhang Tu snorted with laughter; those cavalry behind them couldn't compare to the Northern Border's cavalry, but they certainly weren't some ragtag makeshift civilian uprising either.

Knowing the other side had no intention of revealing their true identity, they turned their shouts toward the refugees ahead.

"Brothers of the Vanguard Battalion ahead who are marching to their deaths! I, the commander, know you are all subjects of Great Jin, standing here only for a bite to eat—but you must open your eyes and see the situation clearly, know whose lives you are selling, for they are certainly no uprising!"

Chen Kai wouldn't let him finish, cutting him off roughly: "Don't listen to their lies that sap morale—once we take Youzhou, our good days lie ahead; the enemy is just bluffing, and we outnumber them five to one!"

The refugee camp had already been terrified by the Black Armor Cavalry—what a joke, how many times over is this? With those spike‑laden horses charging in, what could they possibly use to stop them?

They weren't even a death squad anymore—this was pure suicide!

"By order of the Northern Border King, the Great Jin subjects who were tricked into coming here will not be killed if they surrender!"

The Vanguard Battalion stirred uneasily; Chen Kai drew his sidearm and declared, "Deserters—cut down!"

Zhang Tu snorted coldly, "Those who offend the Northern Border shall be executed!"

The commander raised his sidearm, the cavalry began to move—first a slow shift, then accelerating, ten thousand horses galloping, the earth trembling!

"Kill!" the battle cry rose to the heavens.

Fighting for the Northern Border, their battle spirit shook the heavens.

The black‑colored surge lifted dust, the formation instantly split in two, and from both wings they lunged at the enemy's main force in the rear!

Zhang Tu could hardly fail to see the fear in the faces of those yellow‑skinned, muscular people ahead; they were not their enemies—this was a mutual slaughter caused by the greed of those in power. They were all low‑born folk of the fallen state, possibly former neighbors and friends from the king's original three‑thousand‑strong personal guard battalion, poor souls lured here by a pastry and sent to die just to buy time. Meanwhile, the Youzhou cavalry had the strength to spare their lives, as long as it didn't affect the battle's outcome!

"Great Jin subjects ahead, scatter! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Peng Er was dumbfounded; he thought he'd soon be ripped open by the spikes on the cavalry horses' heads, but instead the Youzhou cavalry abandoned them, these cannon fodder, splitting to flank from both sides and riding after the horsemen behind! He stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Run!"

The middle ranks had already left them a gap—what are they waiting for if not to run?

"Run fast!"

The Vanguard Battalion, as if waking from a dream, surged forward heedless of danger, ignoring whatever the superiors were shouting; at this moment survival instinct took over their minds—they truly couldn't win, and their only thought was to avoid being trampled by iron hooves and to escape at all costs.

Chen Kai was furious—these weaklings! One glance and they were scared into this state!

"Whoever dares to flee, I'll have them charge! Deserters—cut down!"

Who would listen to him? Have them fight in rags that don't even cover the body against fully armored cavalry? Better to flee, where the chance of survival is higher! They had no leisure to think about the consequences of desertion, nor any thought for the future; only survival instinct filled their hearts. They also had no conviction that they could defeat the Northern Border army; everything was just about staying alive.

Chen Kai, enraged, declared, "Anyone who retreats again will be killed without mercy! Follow me in the charge!"

Sadly, the refugee rabble that followed him for a meal had no one who listened to him.

Chen Kai snorted coldly, waved his hand, and said, "Obstinately unresponsive—loose the arrows!"

The archers behind him turned their arrowheads on their own Vanguard Battalion—wails, falls, deaths…

Refugees who glanced back saw their fallen comrades, did not stop, but fled in even greater panic. More people collapsed, and those who fell were trampled underfoot, never to rise again…

But Chen Kai soon had no time for them either; in a moment the Black Armor Cavalry had outflanked from both sides.

The Black Armor Cavalry, fighting to protect Youzhou behind them, surged with battle spirit.

The front rank of heavy cavalry with lances gleamed with icy light, the rear rank of light cavalry bore bows and swords; as the horses rose and fell, metal rasped with a chilling sound. These regular troops from the south were still a distance from the Xiongnu cavalry, let alone the Black Armor Cavalry that the king had lavished great wealth upon.

This gap could not be bridged by merely having several times the numbers.

After less than a quarter of an hour of combat, Chen Kai's face turned ashen; he knew the tide had turned against them.

He had long heard rumors of the Black Armor Cavalry, with many tales about them, yet no one in the south fully believed them.

It turned out they were not just for show; they were genuinely strong, strong beyond anything one could imagine.

It was not that a famine had weakened the Xiongnu and Xianbei; it was that the Northern Border had truly risen.

But there was no turning back for him; in his dreams he longed to kill the Northern Border King and avenge himself.

Chen Kai stubbornly refused to surrender; this was a one‑sided massacre.

Iron cavalry swept across the land, and mountains and rivers changed color.

The Great King, who had been watching the battle from afar, let out a sigh; even at that distance he seemed to smell the blood filling the air.

Just moments ago he was all smiles, but now his face changed; Wei Shen walked over and asked, "You're about to reach home—why sigh? Youzhou has thirty thousand cavalry; even if the Xiongnu main force were gone, they could still hold it, let alone that rabble from the south."

The Great King shook his head. "Poor those soldiers—though they claim to serve their lords, in truth they had no choice."

"But war is just like that!"

The Great King, lost in thought, said, "Yes, war is just like that. We ought to study how… to end war."

Ling Yin, who was at their side, suddenly made a gesture, then looked toward the distant thicket; the personal guards around the Great King had already drawn their sidearms and shouted loudly, "Come out!"

Just as the words fell, a grubby-faced boy rolled out of the grass……

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A scrawny boy with a fuzzy head rolled out, the sword‑holding guard felt no fear, he sprang up, eyes shining, and ran straight for Changli beside him.

"General, I've come to join you!"

Seeing it was a scrawny boy, everyone relaxed; waiting for him to speak, even the king leisurely watched Changli.

The taciturn old general seemed well‑liked?

Changli examined carefully…… he didn't recognize him.

"I'm afraid you've mistaken the person; I'm not any general."

The boy stepped closer again: "No mistake, you're the Northern Border General—I know, I've seen you twice, and my home is in Remote Valley!"

The king interjected, "Oh dear, Remote Valley—that's not Above the Party, is it? You're not from our Northern Border!"

They ignored him, continued staring at Changli: "General, take me in—I want to follow you and fight the Xiongnu!"

Wei Shen clicked his tongue: "Lately I've run into two who eagerly enlisted, but they're just kids."

The king was vexed, yet seeing the old general in trouble still made him quite cheerful: "How to put it? Youthful fervor is hard to cool; once they grow into real stinky adults, who'd still do this sort of thing!" This one looks simple‑minded at a glance. The king has seen plenty of the world; he could tell at a glance the boy's eyes were clear, his thoughts simple, different from the one he'd tricked into going to Upper Yang Pass, bearing a hint of his little friend Wan Qie.

Changli saw the king was very interested, so he returned to talk with the star‑eyed boy: "When you come of age, you're welcome to join the army, but you're too young now—we have a rule that you must be at least sixteen."

The boy—namely Da Shan—pointed straight at the king with one hand: "Liar! I don't believe he's sixteen!"

Today the king wore no armor, just a light‑coloured casual outfit with a chubby little topknot, blending in at the edge of the troop, looking even younger than his actual age. Hearing himself being dragged in, he instantly straightened his chest: "Though I'm not yet sixteen, I'm close enough; I have a use in the army—I can read and write and read maps—what could you do if you stayed?"

Wei Shen: ……Where's the "close enough"?

Da Shan's face flushed red—he really can't read.

"Besides you, in this world a lone soul running from Remote Valley to Yi Province and ending up here counts as great fortune. So reckless—who'd dare take you on? ~"

Asked again whether he'd run away from home to join the army, his mother disagreed; he only wanted someday to follow and fight the Xiongnu to avenge his fallen father. The king waved his hand, not letting him risk returning: "Take him back to Youzhou and dump him in school, then find someone to send a word to his mother."

The southern front has already opened fire; that this boy could safely reach here doesn't mean he can safely go home—sending someone to escort him back would still have to flee.

With this little incident, the king again felt a hidden pride—sooner or later all of Dai Jin will know the Northern Border army is the strongest, and every young man should take pride in joining the Northern Border cavalry.

Zhang Tu kept a few prisoners alive, including Chen Kai; as the sun set behind the western hills, the battle also ended uneventfully.

The cavalry caught up with the fortunate vanguard detachment that had escaped: "Invade the Northern Border, death penalty may be waived, but the living cannot escape. His Highness the Northern Border King's grace—granting you a way to live."

Peng Er felt both relief and anxiety; they were driven all night by the cavalry, and the next day over twenty thousand surviving refugees were sent to the military dock near Longtou County, that same day loaded onto transport ships and shipped to Liaodong Commandery. The king ordered them sent to reclaim wasteland.

The Xuanjia cavalry, having completed their mission, returned to Youzhou the same day as the king, and the city once again brimmed with festive atmosphere.

Victorious in clashes with the Xiongnu and Xianbei, and having repelled the southern foe, the Northern Border was destined to be unrivaled for a time.

At this juncture they lacked the strength to scatter silver, but rewarding the hard‑pressed troops was still possible; that night the king decided to hold a lively celebration, conveniently having rounded up plenty of sheep.

Senior officials at court were also invited to the celebration; the king, after sitting a moment in the seat of honor, had his attention drawn by the distant clamor and uproar.

Xie Yuan raised his head; in the king's eyes only the firelight's reflection remained. He struggled to keep his mouth from turning up, then turned away from speaking to the king and clinked cups with Lu Tong. Sure enough, after a moment he looked up again—the king had already fled, leaving only an empty seat.

The king slipped away to join Wei Shen and the Xue brothers' crowd—Liang Bin was there too. The king notified him to come roast lamb; he came hopping over, but the lamb leg wasn't done yet, so Wei Shen led the ruckus, making him get down and dance.

Liang Bin wasn't shy either—he'd seen every sort of scene; dancing in the camp was all about liveliness. As they jumped about in chaotic mess, the king swooped in: "Just three moves? What's there to look at!" He was thoroughly contemptuous.

When Wei Ke finally broke free and drew near, he heard the torrent of cheers and applause that could lift the roof.

A burly bunch of thick‑waisted men jumped to a 'thump‑thump' drumbeat, dancing a wildly improper routine, with the king personally leading the dance……

He stopped to watch; the more he looked, the more familiar it seemed—wasn't this the 'Green Waist' dance from Spring River Flower Moon Night?

All right, lately one can't even look straight at the Green Waist dance.

When the king saw his great‑cousin's eyes light up, he strongly urged the great‑cousin to join the chaotic dance troupe; Wei Ke pretended to be just passing by and didn't look back.

That night there was plenty of mutton, and the gathering didn't break up until the moon stood high in the sky.

After the merriment, the king turned back to face the fate of having to report for duty early; early that morning he also received news that Han Shou had troops moving toward Wuling.

Zhang Tu also reported back that he was the overall commander of the incursion into the Northern Border, the heir of the Chen marquis of Li Shui; the other side only admitted it was to avenge his father, and that he belonged to no rebel king.

"The troops of Li Shui all disbanded at Dun Cheng; when did a mere marquis gain such power, able to march unopposed into the Northern Border!? Yet he remains loyal to the Jing King."

Having said that, the king immediately understood: through generations of intermarriage, the Chen clan must all be in Jingzhou.

To the south a great turmoil was brewing; the court's atmosphere grew much graver; today's agenda: ceasefire.

Actually this needn't be debated; even the youngest king knows what the most effective method is. Helpless that strength doesn't allow it, he thought to ask again—maybe there's another good solution.

Ask Changli; the old general summed it up in six characters: "Only by fighting can we stop war."

Ask Dong Fu; "Same as above."

The king shook his head: "Generals just don't think much—let me ask the Grand Minister of Agriculture."

Zhang, the Minister of Agriculture, felt like dying.