Chapter 2: The Gathering of Armies

  Riding on horseback, walking at the forefront of the team, a military general, he wore a red cloak, his black long spear emitted a pressing cold light, standing upright on the horse's back like a mountain, his eyes tightly gazing forward.

  He was the commander of this cavalry, Wei Lin Army Lieutenant Colonel Guo Lun.

  At the moment he heard the sound of galloping horses, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he shouted urgently, "Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"

  The Yu Lin riders beside him took orders and immediately began to urge the horses forward, drawing their battle knives in front of the carriage and forming a semi-circular cavalry array, guarding the carriage in the middle, waiting strictly.

  At this moment, with the sound of thundering hooves, a cloud of dust suddenly rose on the official road ahead, and then felt the earth shaking, as if a fierce tide was approaching. In an instant, a cavalry of three hundred people finally appeared in the smoke, with red armor and red horses, holding high hundreds of pure white lion flags, the flags covering the sky and sun, and in the center of the flag, the large white banner with the huge "Lí" fluttering in the wind.

  Banners and flags filled the sky, for a time the wide and long official road was all white.

  "It's Hu Bao Qi —!"

  "Tiger and leopard cavalry of a foreign land!"

  In the feather forest riding array, someone suddenly shouted a name, and the knights on horseback heard this name, all of them were slightly startled.

  Goodness! It's actually the Imperial Guard Cavalry of the Emperor himself.

  Under heaven, who can contend with this leopard cavalry that gallops and traverses the vast territory of the Great Li Dynasty, several thousand miles from north to south?

  In the past, the Great Yan Dynasty claimed to have an army of one million, with 300,000 soldiers who could fight on horseback. However, it was not until the Battle of Huāng Zǐ River thirty years ago that 200,000 elite troops were completely annihilated, and all surrendered soldiers were killed, wailing like thunder. As a result, the four states of Qiú, Liáng, Guā, and Qián, covering an area of 800 miles, were ceded to the territory of Dà Lì.

  Guo Lin discovered the anomaly of the Youlin Riders, his hand gripping the gun tightened a few more, he shouted loudly, "Majestic Great Yan, eternal and unyielding! Blood will not stop flowing, the battle will not cease!"

  "Mighty Great Yan, eternal and unyielding! Blood will not dry up, the battle will not cease!" The feathered guards on horseback loudly chanted out the war song of Yan, only then did they steady their minds.

  The cavalry charged right before their eyes in the blink of an eye.

  The leading bay horse let out a long whinny, the person on its back raised their whip high, and immediately someone blew a cow horn. The well-trained war horses halted their iron hooves in the yellow dust, and the entire troop came to an urgent stop while running, but was not chaotic at all.

  The dust raised by the horse team swept over with the wind, and Guo Lin and Yu Lin cavalry dared not block it. In the dust, he couldn't see anything clearly, his heart racing wildly, his hand gripping the gun tightly. He pointed the black long spear in his hand forward, his eyes fixed intently on the commander of the enemy cavalry in front of him, shouting in a cold tone full of murderous intent, "This is the carriage of the Ninth Prince of Great Yan, we have already received the edict from your emperor, and are about to head south back to our country. I am Zheng Fang, the captain of the Great Yan Yu Lin Army, may I ask who is the general in front? Why do you want to block the prince's carriage?"

  "Hu Bao rides the iron rock, specially to fulfill Your Majesty's order, and comes to respectfully invite the Ninth Prince to meet at the Yangguan Pavilion!" The general on horseback said coldly, his crimson heavy brocade battle robe fluttering rapidly in the wind. His chilly gaze met Guo Lin's gaze.

  "Since General Iron has come to pay respects to Your Highness, please produce the imperial edict sent by your emperor. If not, then please ransom me, Guo Lin," said Guo Lin in a cold tone.

  Before leaving the country, His Majesty the Emperor had made it clear that he was to safely deliver the Ninth Prince to Junlin, and he did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

  "How can the great Emperor of our country, who is far away from his homeland, want to see a hostage son in a foreign land and still issue an imperial edict that cannot be disobeyed?" Tiěyán let out a loud roar, with killing intent revealed in his eyes.

  "How dare you, a mere imperial guard, to yell at me, the ninth prince of Great Yan?" Guo Lin shot back.

  "Hmph!" Tieren coldly snorted, somewhat annoyed at the Yu Lin riders' lack of tact. His right hand slowly grasped the five-foot long knife "Broken Blood" at his waist, preparing to give the order to attack, wanting to teach this Yan Kingdom cavalry a lesson.

  Guo Yun was fearless and had already made preparations for a fierce battle with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!

  The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became bleak and chilly!

  Suddenly, just as Tiewu was about to draw his sword, someone in the Imperial Guard shouted loudly, "Zheng Fang, you're quite bold! How dare you be unreasonable with His Majesty the Emperor of Liguang? Get back immediately!" Immediately afterwards, a horse carriage guarded by the Imperial Guards not far away stopped, and Ji Qingchen and a middle-aged scholar got out.

  Zheng Fang heard the voice of the Ninth Prince, hastily turned his head to look, and found that the Ninth Prince and Ye Shaoqing had already gotten off the carriage. He responded with a "yes" and withdrew his long spear, taking two steps back to clear a path for the two men.

  Ji Qingchen stepped forward calmly and bowed his head in respect, saying "Qingchen, greetings to Second Brother."

  "Third Master, His Majesty and our teacher are waiting at the Yangguan Pavilion up ahead. Please follow me immediately, Third Master, so they won't have to wait anxiously!" Tieyan's tone softened slightly as he saw Ji Qingchen, his master's youngest disciple.

  "Is the teacher also here?" Ji Qingchen was slightly surprised, "I don't know why Your Majesty summoned me? Since you've asked Second Brother to come and summon me, please have him lead the way!"

  "Please, younger brother!" said Tie Yan.

  The tiger and leopard riders beside him led a red fine horse in front of Ji Qingchen.

  Ji Qingchen sprang up and flipped over, landing on the horse's back.

  "Fall back! His Majesty only wants to see the Ninth Prince alone!" Just as Guo Lin and Yu Lin cavalry followed Ji Qingchen, Tie Yan suddenly let out a loud roar.

  "Guo Xiao Wei, you wait here with everyone!" Ji Qingchen said to Guo Lin, and before Guo Lin could respond, he mounted his horse and followed Tieren, hastily departing.

  Following Iron Rock, they galloped forward for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea. Ahead on the road, there were checkpoints every five steps and sentries every ten steps. A large cavalry contingent appeared, followed by a luxurious carriage that quietly stopped on the official road.

  Tieyan has already informed Ji Qingchen that Emperor Li Guo wants to see him.

  But when he saw the large vehicle and the thousands of Tiger and Leopard Riders surrounding it, Ji Qingchen's body still shook. This morning, he had already bid farewell to Emperor Li Changchun in the Grand Celebration Palace. But why did the young emperor come out of the city ten miles to see him off, with so many elite riders by his side? Was there another reason for this?

  Thinking of her, Ji Qingchen's heart skipped a beat, and his expression also turned somewhat melancholy.

  At this time, he had already ridden his horse to the front of the carriage. The eunuch beside the carriage saw Ji Qingchen and immediately stepped forward, saying in a low voice, "Your Majesty has been waiting for a long time, Your Highness, please!"

  "Thank you, Lord Zhao." Ji Qingchen nodded slightly and dismounted the horse, then walked quickly towards the large carriage.

  As he boarded the carriage and saw the people inside, a hint of disappointment appeared on Ji Qingchen's face. She still hadn't come after all! He let out a soft sigh in his heart.

  He was slightly stunned for a moment, then immediately came back to his senses and bowed to the two people in the car, saying "Greetings Your Majesty, greetings Teacher."

  The teacher Li Qingyi, who was sitting in the second seat, nodded slightly at him.

  The young emperor sat in the middle, but didn't speak, instead shifting his gaze to Ji Qingchen, scrutinizing him with a discerning eye, sizing up the friend he had known for ten years.

  Suddenly, his eyebrows furrowed as he found that the friend who had been together for ten years did not show any excitement or joy because of returning to their country, but instead appeared so calm and composed under the siege of thousands of fierce tiger-like cavalry.

  Suddenly, he recalled the warning his mother had given him when they left the city: "Imperial son, Da Yan's ninth prince, Ji Qingchen, is clever and quick-witted, good at unusual strategies, and brave. He wins without being arrogant, loses without being discouraged, has a shocking thunder in his chest but a calm face, he is a talented general. If he inherits the throne of Da Yan one day, he will surely be a great ruler. I hope you can handle this carefully, don't use public power for private interests because of Xie Er, and leave a great hidden danger for the country."

  The little prince's face turned slightly cold, but when he inadvertently saw the jade pendant on Ji Qingchen's waist, he thought of his beloved sister's reminder again, and his eyes slowly softened a lot.

  Like this, he silently stared for a long time, and the Emperor of Li Guo only withdrew his gaze, seemingly having a hard time making up his mind. "It is said that the Great Yan Wei Lin Lang is the Imperial Guard of your country's imperial court, selected from among 300,000 elite soldiers of Great Yan to become a great general of the Han Dynasty. Today, I want to ask Brother Ji, compared to my Tiger and Leopard Riders, can they win in one battle?"

  "Majestic Great Yan, eternal and unyielding! Blood flows endlessly, battles never cease! Your Majesty wishes to fight, what fear do the Yan Lin Riders have? It's just that I'm telling the truth, currently the Yan Lin Riders are still a bit inferior compared to the Tiger Leopard Riders of the departed country." Ji Qingchen replied calmly, he was not one to belittle himself.

  "Brother Ji, if Great Yan had a hundred thousand elite cavalry like the Feathered Forest Riders, I'm afraid it would be quite difficult for me to unify the world even if I were to leave the country?" The young emperor of Li Guo asked with a hint of a smile.

  "Your Majesty, the Great Yan has not only the Feathered Forest Guards, but also the Wolf Warriors, Sharp Steps, Dragon Cavalry and Black Eagles - four elite troops. With the current military strength of our country, Your Majesty wants to unify the world, I'm afraid it's still a bit overestimating." Ji Qingchen slightly furrowed his brow, still speaking in an unhurried tone. He was well aware of the implication behind the young emperor's words.

  The Emperor of Li Guo's expression, which had been smiling just a moment before, turned slightly awkward after hearing Ji Qingchen's response. However, he did not get angry and instead spoke in a condescending tone, saying: "Brother Ji, Yan State boasts one million elite soldiers and thirty million mounted warriors who can fight on horseback. Yet, wasn't it the case that thirty years ago, at the Battle of Huāzhī River, you were defeated by my Li Guo's famous general Li Qingyi and the Tiger and Leopard Riders?"

  "Your Majesty's memory is truly poor! You only remember that thirty years ago, our Great Yan lost eighteen million troops in the war against your country, but how can you not know that three hundred years ago, our Great Yan general Chen Qingzhi used only seven thousand white-robed soldiers to break through your country's capital city?" Ji Qingchen replied calmly.

  It is said that "the great general Mo Ziliang was not to be underestimated, and the white-robed Chen Qingzhi's thousand soldiers and horses were avoided." The great general of Yan, Chen Qingzhi, with his silver spear on a white horse. The Emperor of Li Guo's face turned somewhat gloomy, and he didn't know how to refute it either. Three hundred years ago, the great general of Yan, Chen Qingzhi, was indeed the nightmare of Li Guo, who used only seven thousand soldiers and horses to sweep through from the northern capital all the way to the border of Li Guo, and effortlessly broke through the ten million-strong army of Li Guo garrisoned in Shangjing City.

  This is the most shameful period in the hundreds of years of national history. The monarchs of successive dynasties have all used this to warn their descendants, and at the same time thought about wiping out past shame, but ultimately failed to do so.

  "It took the Great Yan 800 years to produce a Chen Qing, but our Great Li can establish a powerful and majestic Tiger Leopard Cavalry in just ten years. Which one is superior and which one is inferior, Brother Ji? I suppose it's already clear at a glance?" The Emperor of Li Country fell silent for a moment before speaking with a smile instead of anger.

  Ji Qingchen did not argue with the Emperor of Departed Country!

  The Emperor's tone suddenly changed, a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes, and he narrowed his eyes, saying, "But to be honest, although the Yan Kingdom is powerful, I don't think there's anything to fear if I want to unify the world. However, there is one person that I fear in my heart, Brother Ji, do you know who it is?"

  Ji Qingchen's heart suddenly shook, and his eyes stared tightly at the face of Emperor Li Guo. After a long time, he calmed down and said slowly, "So, Your Majesty led the Tiger and Leopard Riders here today to leave Ji Qingchen behind?"

  "What does the princess's brother think?" The Emperor of Li Guo was extremely solemn, a cold glint bursting out from his eyes as he met Ji Qingchen's icy gaze without fear.

  The two locked eyes, like seawater crashing against rocks, splashing up a fierce killing intent.

  For a moment, a murderous atmosphere pervaded, and the narrow carriage was shrouded in the breath of war.

  Friends who have known each other for ten years are now at odds with each other.