Chapter 622: Assault

The Northern Border Iron Cavalry of the Xuanjia Black Horses appeared outside Runan City before the morning sun, accompanied by the booming of horse hooves, as yellow dust rose from the ground. Like a subterranean beast awakening, they emerged on the horizon in an unstoppable formation.

Inside the watchtower on the city wall, the King of Runan nervously dug his fingers into the cracks of the stone bricks. He was old, his cloudy eyes fixed firmly ahead; at this age he felt he was not so afraid of death.

With Emperor Ningde's death, the chaotic age arrived, yet it unleashed his ambition fully. His faction too had once been the legitimate heirs of the Central Palace; how is he any different from the inept Ningde who was captured by the barbarians? Even Ningde's young sons dared to rebel, so what does Bai Li Cheng have to fear?!

Advance, and he would hold the realm of ten thousand miles in his grasp; retreat, and his descendants would forever kneel in tribute.

The cavalry approached, and the dust kicked up by their iron hooves obscured half the sky.

"They're here." His voice was dry and excited.

Bai Li Cheng hadn't expected Bai Li Jing to point his spear at Runan so quickly, catching him off guard. When he first heard the news, he panicked for a moment, then excitement followed.

Bai Li Jing couldn't possibly know so soon that he had killed an angel; this brat simply wasn't giving him a chance to apologize. He was aiming to strike at Runan!

Bai Li Cheng once again raised his brows in front of his subordinates; though he harbored designs on Runan, there was no lack of opposition. Now he saw that Bai Li Jing's rise as a princely lord could not tolerate the existence of other lords like him. He knew best how he himself had ascended to that position.

Bai Li Cheng believed in striking first.

Within Runan's territory there were several iron mines; besides those controlled by the court, he also held two sizable ones, so his land produced a local specialty called black iron rock. This stone was pitch black and harder than ordinary stone, and the walls of Runan City were built from it, making it one of the King of Runan's relied-upon assets.

He once nicknamed Runan City the "Eternal Unfallen City" at a banquet; though it was a joke, it revealed his confidence.

This Eternal Unfallen City now faces its severest test.

The muffled thunder of iron hooves boomed like thunder, waking the entire city. The looming storm's oppression made the wall guards silently draw breath; after all, they were mere flesh and blood, and the pressure of the steel forest left them breathless. Everyone said the steppe barbarians' cavalry were fearsome, nomads born on horseback; they could never have imagined what the Northern Border's Xuanjia Iron Cavalry—the force that scattered the steppe cavalry and made them pay tribute—looked like, but now they knew.

They wore black scale armor that reflected a cold, hard metallic sheen in the morning sun. Their horses were extraordinarily tall, pitch-black and glossy, clad in iron armor like the riders, with even sharp spikes on their heads.

Bai Li Cheng narrowed his eyes to look, seeing only a dark mass with a few bright spots.

A white creature taller than a horse, unknown what it was, and another: a rider on a white horse in silver armor, followed by a golden-furred creature smaller than a horse. This combination was still quite conspicuous.

Seeing the silver-robed junior officer suddenly rein in his horse, he raised his right hand, and the surging torrent of steel behind him halted instantly.

"Go shout, tell the Runan Rebel King not to be obstinate, lest he implicate the people of Runan." The Great King ordered, speaking from experience.

The officers who had been familiar with him these days volunteered for the task, vying to go forward and challenge the enemy; only then did the King of Runan realize that the Little Emperor himself had taken to the field!

Having just ascended the throne, he wasn't guarding his throne in Chang'an, but instead personally campaigning against Runan—this was beyond his expectation.

He hadn't even attacked the King of Jing or the prosperous King of Guangling, yet he mustered forces to attack Runan?!

Bai Li Cheng thought the Great King was picking on a soft persimmon, not taking him seriously! "His first campaign after ascending the throne—heh, let him repeat his father's mistakes and never return!"

The Great King knew he had such ambition and would surely praise this relative's confidence, which was on par with his own.

Bai Li Cheng directly ordered arrows to be fired; the messenger, seeing this, immediately withdrew to await the emperor's command. The Great King knew it was hopeless— the King of Runan was simply obstinate!

Alright, let's just follow procedure—after all, everyone's time is tight.

"Soldiers, glory lies ahead—capture Runan City and return home with me for the New Year! Order—assault the city!"

"Kill—!!!"

The battle cries shook the heavens.

Either military merit or returning home for the New Year would excite the Northern Border cavalry; together, they were… truly a blessing not felt in ages!

The Great King brought a retinue of civil officials and family members to watch from the high ground outside the city; they dared not retreat privately, and even the two allied forces had to crane their necks to monitor the battlefield—after all, if anything happened, right? Even if they fled, they needed to know the exact timing!

If they ran too early, Bai Li Jing's lot would be nasty to deal with.

Cheng Yi was brought by his forefathers to the front with the best view, because the eye-catching Bai Ze let everyone pinpoint the emperor's position accurately.

His eyesight was good; he clearly saw a glint of silver amid the black masses. He saw the Great King raise a gleaming golden bow, and then the dark sea of cavalry behind him surged toward Runan City like a tide.

Horse hooves shattered the dry grass, making the earth tremble. The pampered young master Cheng, for the first time, recognized the greatness of the new emperor.

The emperor led the charge alongside the spear-and-shield wielding vanguard battalion; his white warhorse was especially conspicuous. Cheng Yi saw him draw his bow while on horseback, the golden‑glinted arrow flying straight for the watchtower on the wall—in the next instant the tower tip exploded, and he couldn't tell whether what fell was stone or person……

He couldn't hold back a low exclamation; his grandfather looked over, and he instantly stood straight. 'I… want to say Your Majesty is truly formidable.'

Cheng TaiChang turned away expressionlessly; he too was stunned.

The frail officials of Chang'an City were forced to listen to the long blare of horns in the open field, watching the cavalry shift formations while fending off arrow storms and charging forward. They were even more nervous than the Great King, because they couldn't understand the tactics; even when their side had the advantage, they still anxiously guessed.

On the opposite side, Bai Li Cheng felt somewhat helpless; he had loosed three volleys of arrows, yet no enemy had fallen, and they had pressed right up to the city walls.

The garrison on the city walls cried out in succession; he berated the commandant for insufficient retaliation, and the next instant a tremendous boom came from the gate.

The Great King felt that Runan's dark walls looked fairly solid, and since powder‑filled crossbows were costly he didn't want to waste them; he ordered the crossbowmen to give their all on the gate. After the successive booms, Bai Li Cheng saw the cavalry surrounding the Little Emperor—those who revealed only their eyes—press forward, brandishing long blades to storm the gate.

"Stop them!" Bai Li Cheng instinctively felt these riders were different from the earlier attackers.

On this expedition called 'returning home,' the Great King certainly wouldn't bring siege ladders; they'd still use their old method—blasting a breach with powder crossbows, then letting the Xiaoqi infantry hack away. The tactic being old didn't matter as long as it worked.

Amid Bai Li Cheng's roar, logs and stones rained down; the Northern Border's warhorses were uncanny—clad head to toe in iron armor yet able to carry riders who dodged with agility.

Bai Li Cheng heard the sound of a weapon chopping the gate; he thought Runan had iron, so its gate wasn't the flimsy wooden door of a poor district—his was an iron‑framed gate, and Bai Li Jing's scheme was likewise far‑fetched… As he consoled himself, a cheer rose from below.

With a boom, it was the sound of the iron‑frame gate collapsing.

The entire city wall trembled; his city… had fallen.

The officials outside the city might have felt even more complicated than he; even Cheng TaiChang stared dumbfounded, and the old man, having lived so long, had never heard or seen anyone fight like this.

"……Three hundred years one cycle, the Great Jin… the Mandate of Heaven returns."

Beside him, the great-grandson Cheng Yi didn't catch his muttering, but it didn't stop him from offering his knee to his grandfather.

"Grandfather, how did you formerly find the courage to speak against Your Majesty?"

Cheng TaiChang: ……