Chapter 152: The Dispute Over the Horse King

The War Horse Contract Meeting in Baiya was finally held as scheduled.

On this day, heroes from all corners of the Longyan Dynasty gathered here. According to the statistics of the Baiya Army, at least a dozen Feudatory Kings, as well as representatives of some Feudatory Kings, had all come to Baiya Prefecture this time.

This was also the most prestigious occasion for the Baiya Army in a long time.

In all things in the world, most reach a point where they reverse; at this moment, the momentum of the Baiya Army seemed overwhelming and its glory unparalleled, but many also knew that after this War Horse Contract Meeting, the Baiya Army would likely no longer possess such glory.

Walking along the way, the entire city was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Early in the morning, the Inspector of Baiya Prefecture, the Prefectural Governor of Liangzhou Prefecture Chen Ping, and the three Great Leaders of the Baiya Army accompanied the Prince of Wei, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and others as they slowly arrived at the racecourse.

Twenty thousand Baiya Army soldiers were responsible for the security work.

The land was flat as a whetstone, with banners fluttering in the wind.

At a glance, war horses of all sizes were galloping, and their neighing rose and fell. It was truly a scene full of vitality.

The Prince of Wei could not help but praise: "Baiya is skilled with horses, and it is truly so. I fear that even if so many horses were taken elsewhere, they might not necessarily be raised this well!"

The crowd echoed his sentiments one after another.

In other places, even the fodder for feeding horses was difficult to collect and transport; where could one find a natural racecourse like this in Baiya Prefecture?

"In the battle against the Qiang last year, if it weren't for these war horses from Baiya, I fear we would have lost three more cities!"

The Prince of Wei's expression turned stern.

The crowd sighed endlessly.

The disaster of the Qiang was not much different from that of the Xiongnu, yet their strength was a notch above the Xiongnu. They were not like the Xiongnu, who would only come to plunder and leave; they would truly attack and seize territory in Zhongyuan. In these years of drawn-out wars, more than a dozen prefectures had already been occupied by these Qiang.

This matter was undoubtedly a pain for the Longyan Dynasty, which had been strong in troops and horses for a thousand years!

"Prince of Wei, rest assured, this year's colts are even more superior than last year's!"

Wei Shao said loudly.

The Prince of Wei tilted his head and asked with a smile: "Whether they are superior or not, one must fight a battle to know! Are there any arrangements for this year? By the old rules, my one thousand personal guards against your three thousand Cavalry, how about it?"

The crowd cheered in approval.

Liu Zheng also listened and clicked his tongue in wonder.

One thousand personal guards against three thousand Cavalry?

Did this Prince of Wei actually have such confidence in his own personal guards?

For a moment, heaven-shaking war drums sounded on the racecourse, banners snapped in the wind, and men roared and horses neighed. At this time, this group of people arrived at the viewing platform prepared around the racecourse, which had an excellent view. Looking at it, both sides were already prepared.

On the Prince of Wei's side were one thousand Heavy Armored Cavalry, while on the Baiya Army's side were three thousand Cavalry.

A fierce battle on horseback was about to begin, and people's spirits became excited along with it.

"The Prince of Wei's armored soldiers are unparalleled in the world! Just this momentum alone, who can compare?"

"Heh, that may not be so. Two fists are hard to match against four hands; are the Baiya Cavalry vegetarians?"

"Let's watch!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou also watched with a smile.

The Crown Prince was also discussing in low voices with several Strategists beside him.

Zheng Yuxing, who was beside the Third Prince, did not know what he was whispering in his ear.

The war drums became more and more intense, and those four thousand war horses could no longer restrain themselves.

Just at this moment, the Crown Prince Xie Fang suddenly smiled and said: "Great Leader, this is my first time here, and only now do I know that this horse meeting has such interesting programs. Could it be that there is no prize for this match between the two sides?"

Others who were here for the first time also burst into laughter and followed up: "That's right, it's so boring just to fight."

"Let's have a prize!"

A flash of light appeared in the Prince of Wei's eyes, and he asked with a smile: "The Crown Prince should say, what would be a good prize?"

The Crown Prince snorted coldly: "I have heard that every year in Baiya, a Horse King is born. I will not hide it from the Prince of Wei, I came this time specifically for the Horse King!"

The Third Prince Xie Ling also said: "Why don't men carry Wu swords to reclaim the fifty prefectures of the mountain passes! Yesterday, Prefect Liu's poem was thought-provoking and made Xie Ling feel very ashamed. Today, I would also like to see this Horse King."

The Crown Prince's eyes showed displeasure.

Others lowered their heads and remained silent.

Who didn't know that for years, the Horse King of the Baiya Army had always gone to the biggest customer, the Prince of Wei? What was the meaning of the Crown Prince and the Third Prince expressing their interest in the Horse King one after another today?

A strange, tense atmosphere began to permeate the air.

The Prince of Wei looked at the Crown Prince, then at the Third Prince, and then looked at Liu Zheng: "Prefect Liu, do you have no thoughts about this Horse King?"

"Ah?"

Liu Zheng was stunned. You immortals are fighting, what does it have to do with me?

I am standing at the very end, how come you still haven't forgotten me? He gave a bitter smile and stepped out from the crowd: "Prince of Wei, Zheng has not the slightest desire for this Horse King..."

The Prince of Wei laughed loudly: "Prefect Liu dares to lead troops to surround a city, but does not dare to participate in a battle? That is a bit unreasonable! Since you all want a prize, then this year's Horse King shall be the prize. Go lead your troops!"

Only then did Liu Zheng's expression change slightly, knowing that the current situation had developed from a dispute over the Horse King into a game between the several large armies gathered outside the city.

A strong smell of gunpowder began on this very first day!

It seemed that his idea of wanting to shrink back and keep a low profile was also going to fall through.

He turned his head and glanced at Qin Zhangfeng.

Qin Zhangfeng understood immediately and laughed loudly: "If the Young Master is interested, Zhangfeng will help you snatch that Horse King! Young Master, wait a moment, Zhangfeng will be right back!"

Saying this, he rode away from the racecourse, apparently to lead his troops.

The Prince of Wei saw Qin Zhangfeng's might and power, and his eyes lit up: "Is this not the Qin Zhangfeng who beheaded Luoge'er?"

The crowd also exclaimed.

Soon, that rabbit-headed Sweat-Blood Horse was also led out. This horse was still a young horse, and its personality was extremely unruly. As soon as it came out, other horses retreated one after another, not daring to be presumptuous in the slightest.

"A good horse!"

The Prince of Wei praised.

The Crown Prince and the Third Prince also watched with eyes shining bright.

Yang Ke said, "Prince of Wei, this horse is truly a rare steed seen once in a century, gathering all virtues into one body; let us name it Dust-Surpassing!"

"Dust-Surpassing, Dust-Surpassing, what a good name!"

In fact, Liu Zheng had seen this horse long ago and had been very eager for it as well. In this ancient era, horses were the fastest animal-powered means of transport; as long as one was a boy, who wouldn't hope to own their own precious steed? In ancient times there were Shadow-Surpassing, Red Hare, Dilu, and Wuzhui, all leaving their names through the ages; in Liu Zheng's view, this horse was by no means inferior to them!

It was just that at this horse fair, there were many big shots, so he was unwilling to go and compete for it.

Since he had been forced into this situation now, he could not be blamed.

Looking again at the Prince of Wei's one thousand Heavy Cavalry, they were all holding long spears and armed to the teeth. The reason Liu Zheng felt they were comparable in strength to Qin Zhangfeng when he saw these Heavy Cavalry was that this suit of heavy armor alone likely weighed several hundred catties! If they were not experts, they would likely not even be able to stand, let alone wield this set of Weaponry and Equipment.

Of course.

Being comparable in strength to Qin Zhangfeng did not mean they could truly surpass Qin Zhangfeng in prowess.

Otherwise, how could Luoge'er, who was hailed as the number one expert of the Grassland, not have been defeated at the hands of these people?

Since it was decided, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince also brought over three thousand elite soldiers each.

However, the three thousand soldiers brought by Qin Zhangfeng made everyone burst into laughter.

"This is..."

"Prefect Liu, is this meant to be a place to sell weapons?"

"With a mere three thousand soldiers, why are the weapons so miscellaneous?"

"Hahaha, is this a general store?"

Everyone laughed until they were in an uproar, falling over each other.

The Prince of Wei also looked over mockingly, his face full of confusion.

Liu Zheng said calmly, "I reckon Zhangfeng intends to use various weapons to defeat everyone else, one by one."

The scene suddenly went quiet.