Chapter 6: The Northern Rong Cavalry

  As soon as they left Ningwu Pass, they stepped into the territory of Da Yan. Four hundred miles south was the city of Ningzhou, where a large army of 100,000 soldiers from Da Yan were waiting in formation. Moreover, Guo Lin had already sent someone to send a message to Ningzhou City, asking General Liu Donglou, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Ning Camp, to dispatch another battalion of cavalry to escort the prince. Therefore, as they walked on the vast snowy plain, Ji Qingchen and Ye Qingchen felt much more at ease in their hearts. It was only then that they realized the fatigue from days of rushing had suddenly caught up with them.

  Ji Qingchen took a glance at the vast open plain in front of her and asked Guo Yun, who looked exhausted beside her, where they had arrived.

  Kuō Lín began to carefully examine the map he was carrying, and after a moment, respectfully replied that they had already arrived at Ning Chuan. If they continued forward for about three hundred li, they would probably arrive at the administrative center of Ning Prefecture, Ningzhou City.

  Ji Qingchen let out a gentle sigh. Since Ningzhou City was already in sight, it was as if they had already entered the heart of Da Yan. There was no need for them to rush anymore. Looking at the exhausted people and horses, he ordered Guo Lin to set up camp on the spot and rest until dawn before continuing their journey.

  Guo Zhen accepted the order and left with big strides!

  Night, cold wind howls!

  Ji Qingchen was sleeping drowsily in her own large tent when she seemed to hear the sound of urgent horseshoes coming from afar and getting closer.

  He was suddenly awakened and just about to ask the guard outside what had happened when Guo Lin rushed into his tent, fully armed, and said in a hasty tone, "Your Highness, we're under attack!"

  Ji Qingchen was taken aback, "Isn't this already Ningzhou? How can there still be enemies? Could it be the nearby horse bandits?"

  Guo Zhen did not open his mouth to answer, the candlelight in the account shone on his face, making his complexion look very ferocious!

  Ji Qingchen saw Guo Lin's expression and suddenly seemed to understand something. He said in a cold tone, "In the heart of Great Yan, there are actually people who dare not put the Youlin Riders in their eyes and openly raid the camp. Their audacity is not small! Prepare my horse, I'll go take a look and see who has such great audacity." As he spoke, he hastily put on his clothes, fastened his Wolf's Edge knife, and strode out of the large tent.

  Guo Lin was taken aback, not expecting the usually gentle-looking Ninth Prince to have such a strong side. He had intended to refuse, but seeing the Ninth Prince's cold and ruthless face, with a hint of killing intent in his eyes, he hesitated and swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, following Ji Qingchen out of the large tent.

  As soon as he came out of the big account, Ji Qingchen found that his uncle Ye Qingchen had also rushed to the front of the account, and the whole camp had already lit up the torches. Under the fiery red light, 100 Lin riders were already armed and ready to go.

  "Did you know all along that someone would come to raid the camp?" Ji Qingchen suddenly turned his head, his eyes piercing as he stared at Guo Yun.

  "Your Highness, please hurry up and mount your horse. As long as Guo Lin and the Feathered Forest Cavalry have one person left alive, they will definitely protect Your Highness's safety in a breakout. The question of Your Highness can be explained when we arrive at Ningzhou, if Guo Lin is still alive."

  "The enemy situation is unclear, how do you plan to break through?" Ji Qingchen said coldly, ignoring Guo Yun's pale face beside him, and mounted his warhorse Xiying.

  He had already guessed from Guo Lin's expression earlier and the content of his conversation with Ye Qingchen in the carriage over the past few days that the mastermind behind this cavalry ambush was definitely someone who wanted to stop him from returning to Yan.

  So he never had the slightest fear!

  Guo Lin was momentarily speechless, his red face swallowing the words he wanted to say, and could only quickly mount his horse and follow closely beside Ji Qingchen.

  Ji Qingchen rode his horse, charging to the front of the Yu Lin riders. Suddenly, he saw a fiery red tide surging towards him from afar. In an instant, a cavalry of about 500 men appeared before his eyes.

  The enemy also seemed to have not expected that the Youlin riders were already waiting in formation, they saw that the hundred Youlin riders in the camp did not appear disorganized due to the sudden raid earlier, but were already armed and ready, so they very confidently did not launch a charge, but instead reined in their warhorses at a distance of one hundred paces from the Youlin riders.

  The two sides are two hundred paces apart! In the faint light of the fire in the dark, they can see each other's commander's face.

  The princess gazed into the distance and saw that there were about five hundred enemy cavalrymen across from her, all of whom were iron cavalrymen from Beijun.

  Ji Qingchen's face changed color.

  Just now he was thinking that since there were people in the court who didn't want him to return to Yan, his journey back to the capital would definitely not be smooth. But he didn't expect that as soon as he set foot on the land of Da Yan, he would encounter an assassination attempt by a 500-strong elite cavalry from Beirong.

  A large number of Xianbei cavalry appeared in the Yan region, could it be that someone in the court had already colluded with the Xianbei? In order to kill himself and then shift the blame onto Prince Ning, they were so bold as to allow the Xianbei cavalry to pass through Yangmen Pass and set foot on the land of Ningzhou. Ji Qingchen's body was chilled to the bone, only now did he clearly realize how powerful the enemies he would face upon his return to Julin would be, and how difficult his situation would be.

  Ji Qingchen dared not think further, he immediately withdrew his mind and found that a general in his thirties among the Beirong cavalry was also quietly watching him.

  The main general of the Northern Rong cavalry, Ji Qingchen, shifted his gaze to him and loudly shouted, "Is it possible that the one riding ahead is indeed the Ninth Prince of Great Yan, Ji Qingchen?"

  "Are you the elite troops of the Eight Banners of Beijiang, the Iron Cavalry of the Yellow Banner?" Ji Qingchen asked back without answering.

  "Your Highness indeed has good eyesight! In these dark eyes, you can recognize us as the Imperial Guard Cavalry of the Northern Khan's tent at a glance! That's right, I am Tahe Ni, the great general under the Khan's tent, and the deputy commander of the Yellow Banner." The main general of the Northern Khan's cavalry replied proudly.

  "Deputy General of the Yellow Banner, Tuoba Ni? The name isn't bad. But you people's guts aren't small either! Daring to ambush and kill the prince of Great Yan in the heart of Great Yan's territory, does General Tuoba think that Great Yan is so easy to bully? Does he think that with just these few hundred elite cavalry, he can run amok here?" Ji Qingchen coldly rebuked, seeing the arrogance on the face of the Northern Rong commander.

  "Your Highness is joking, isn't this not the first time you've killed someone? Why must Your Highness scare Tuoba Ni?" Tuoba Ni laughed maniacally and said, "In the past, wasn't the Crown Prince of Great Yan, Ji Chengqian, known as the number one archer in the Central Plains? Yet he was beheaded by me, Tuoba Ni, with a single slash of my sword at the Battle of Yanguan. To tell the truth, I came here today specifically for Your Highness, wanting to take another Great Yan prince's head back to report my merit to the Khan."

  "How bold!"

  "Damn it—"

  Guo Lin and Ji Qingchen shouted together.

  Kuo Lun's face was already filled with rage, the Battle of Yanmen ten years ago, the 100,000 elite soldiers of Great Yan were all defeated by the 30,000 iron cavalry of Northern Rong, the Crown Prince of Great Yan, Ji Chengqian, died in battle. This had become a shame for Great Yan, a shame for the soldiers of Great Yan. Now his enemy was right in front of him, how could he not be enraged?

  Ji Qingchen was more surprised, at the time of the battle of Yanmen, he was only seven years old, and only remembered that his elder brother had died in Yanmen, without thinking that it was actually beheaded by the Northern Barbarian general who looked not very heroic in front of him.

  "What? Your Highness is angry? What a pity, anger is useless, and the war knife of Great Yan is not swung with anger. However, even if you are angry, Ta Ba Ni will not blame you, tonight you are destined to die here, why should I bother with a dead man?" Ta Ba Ni laughed loudly.

  The You Lin riders were already filled with righteous indignation, their eyes blazing with fierce anger, waiting for Ji Qingchen's order to charge forward.

  Kuo Lun also tightly grasped the rifle, his hand gripping it so hard that it was trembling.

  But Ji Qingchen did not speak, and instead quietly gazed at the enemy cavalry in front of him. He was very clear about the combat strength of the Beijun Eight Banners. In the Battle of Yanmen that year, 100,000 elite Great Yan troops were defeated by the 30,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Eight Banners, which was enough to illustrate the ferocity of this barbarian cavalry.

  The Northern Barbarians' Eight Banners have always had a saying that there are eight banners but less than 10,000 people, and it is impossible to defeat more than 10,000.

  Now, I only have a hundred Lin riders, while the enemy has five hundred elite riders. Moreover, I can feel a terrifying aura of slaughter emanating from these five hundred elite riders, which is in no way inferior to the Tiger and Leopard Riders of Li Guo.

  Ji Qingchen knew that relying solely on the hundred Lin Riders by his side, tonight's battle would be a tough one to survive!

  No wonder Tuoba Ni dared to speak such arrogant words! He indeed has this ability!

  "General Guo, how long have our scouts been sent out?" Ji Qingchen asked in a low voice.

  "Your Highness, I'm afraid we won't be able to wait for reinforcements!" Guo Yun sighed and said.

  Ji Qingchen was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly she understood the meaning behind Guo Yun's words.

  Suddenly, a melancholy breath swept over his heart.

  I spent ten years abroad as a hostage, bitterly practicing spear techniques, sword techniques, riding skills, archery, and studying military strategies, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Wasn't it all for this day? To return to the State of Yan, contend for the position of Crown Prince, make myself stronger, and no longer be at the mercy of others.

  Today, I finally returned to my long-separated hometown. Am I going to die before achieving my goal?

  It's so unfair! It's so unbearable! Ji Qingchen let out a sigh, and a pained expression appeared on his pale face.

  At this moment, he saw that the Northern Rong cavalry across from him were about to launch a charge! Tuoba Ni was giving orders to the five hundred golden armor cavalry.

  Seeing the tiger-wolf-like Northern Yan cavalry about to charge towards him.

  Ji Qingchen's body shook, and suddenly a sentence that Teacher Li Qingyi had once said to him floated up in his mind: In the confrontation between cavalrymen, the brave one wins when they meet on a narrow road! On the battlefield, even if facing an enemy several times stronger than oneself, as a commander-in-chief, one must have the courage to draw their sword and fight.

  Suddenly! Ji Qingchen felt his whole body filled with strength, and a surge of overwhelming battle intent burst forth in his heart!

  Suddenly, he drew his own war knife and shouted loudly, "The generals of the Great Yan, ten years ago in the Battle of Yanmen, 100,000 elite soldiers were lost to the Northern Rong, and the Crown Prince of Yan was also beheaded. This is a shame for us men of Yan, it's a shame for us people of Yan. Now our enemy is right in front of us, are you afraid? Do you dare to fight?"

  "Fearless! Battle! Battle! Battle!" One hundred Lin riders drew their war knives, their eyes ablaze with fierce battle fire, and shouted loudly.

  "Mighty Great Yan, eternal and unyielding! Blood will flow endlessly, the battle will never cease!" Guo Yun shouted out the war song of Great Yan.

  "The blood will not dry, the battle will not end!" Ji Qingchen roared.

  "The blood will not dry, the battle will not end!" The hundred Lin riders shouted loudly.

  At this time, the Northern Rong cavalry had already launched a charge.

  "Kill!" Ji Qingchen raised his Wolf's Edge battle knife and pointed it forward with a fierce thrust.

  That terrifying blade howled in the night wind. A roar rose to the sky. Behind him, Guo Yun and the You Lin riders raised their battle knives and followed him in a charge towards the Northern Rong cavalry.

  Two hundred steps...

  One hundred steps...

  Fifty Steps

  As the Northern Xiongnu cavalry approached, the wind hit his face like a knife cutting across it.

  Cavalrymen clad in yellow iron armor are indeed the most fearsome warriors of the Northern Rong, charging forward without making a sound, with only the thunderous pounding of horse hooves on the ground filling one's ears.

  Suddenly "Boom" a loud crash, both sides of the cavalry heavily collided with each other.

  Facing the wolf-like North Rong cavalry, Ji Qingchen led his war horse to meet a North Rong cavalryman. His long knife slashed fiercely towards the man's face, and scarlet blood spurted out with the withdrawal of the blade, splashing all over him.

  This vigorous and smooth slash made him roar loudly, with a face full of blood holding his battle knife, continuing to charge towards the next enemy.

  Kuo Hsien and a hundred Lin cavalrymen followed closely behind him, charging towards the Northern Jung's cavalry.

  The northern Xiongnu iron cavalry was not ordinary elite cavalry, they did not need to rely on torches when charging at night, quickly leading their horses to flash through the darkness, agilely and forcefully striking the helmets of the Imperial Guards with the hilt of their swords or striking the legs of the horses with the back of their blades.

  It was just a matter of moments before the powerful Youlin cavalry collapsed and became disorganized.

  It was deep in the night, both sides had already fallen into a chaotic battlefield, as far as the eye could see, there were only the sounds of clashing blades and war horses neighing, the knights' mournful cries.

  Ji Qing's body was followed by Guo Yun and the Beijiang cavalry, who were also scattered, leaving only him alone to fight desperately among the Beijiang cavalry.

  Ji Qingchen was well aware that tonight's battle, with himself and a hundred Lin riders against the Northern Rong's five hundred elite cavalry, made victory almost impossible. The only way to win was to take out the enemy commander in one swift stroke.

  He urged his horse on, continuously slashing at the Northern Yan cavalry around him, his eyes beginning to search for Tuoba Ni's figure on the battlefield.

  This look, however, made him break out in a cold sweat.

  For he found that in the twinkling of an eye, the Feathered Forest Cavalry had fallen into the encirclement of the Northern Rong's cavalry, and Feathered Forest Cavalry were constantly being cut down from their horses by the Northern Rong's cavalry.

  He's getting anxious, if this continues, he'll definitely be done for!

  Suddenly, the sound of horseshoes rapidly approached from behind him. His instinctive war knife turned into a reverse grip and stabbed back diagonally. He felt a sudden vibration in his hand, and his own knife was actually blocked. The screeching sound of metal indicated that his opponent's knife was still scraping against his blade and cutting back up.

  Ji Qingchen's eyes widened slightly, his teacher Li Qingyi's knife skills were the culmination of Li Yaoshi, the War God of Departed Country, a lifetime of battles accumulated on the battlefield, with an unusual knife technique.

  Ji Qingchen also mastered Li Qingyi's true skills in knife techniques, and this knife "Back Thorn" had never failed him on the battlefield.

  Can it be possible for someone to be framed at this moment?

  Ji Qingchen was a bit unbelievable, he suddenly shouted loudly, his long knife shook violently and abruptly deflected the opponent's knife energy.

  At this moment, he was on the war horse and couldn't turn around, so he could only twist his waist and flip over on the horseback. The long knife with a rotating waist cut out, which is the most powerful move in the "Broken Blood Ten Forms" - "Reverse Wind Knife". When the person wielding the knife rotates their neck and releases this move, they can make the power of the knife majestic and terrifying without relying on the momentum of the war horse.

  The long sword swung with a shrill whistling sound, and at such an angle and speed, it completely exceeded the opponent's expectations.

  The two swords met again, without the usual loud clang of metal on metal, only a low "hiss" sound, and his opponent's sword was split into two segments.

  The ambusher let out a shout of surprise, and it wasn't until then that Ji Qingchen saw clearly that the opponent was actually Tuoba Ni, the main general of the Northern Rong Iron Cavalry.

  Ji Qingchen was looking for Tuoba Ni, but unexpectedly Tuoba Ni delivered himself to them. He was shocked and delighted, raised his war knife again, and chopped down with all his might.

  The two armies faced each other, and when Tuoba Ni saw Ji Qingchen on horseback, who looked a bit weak, he thought that the ninth prince of Great Yan was an incompetent second-rate general. He had some contempt for him and didn't take Ji Qingchen seriously. Just now on the battlefield, he saw Ji Qingchen being extremely brave, and suddenly realized that he had underestimated his opponent's strength, so he put away his previous contemptuous heart. When he saw Ji Qingchen beheading several Northern Yan cavalrymen in a row, he gave up the idea of a frontal confrontation and thought of using a sneak attack from behind.

  Never thought that Ji Qingchen's knife method would be so fierce, not only dodged his own sneak attack, but also took the opportunity to give himself a fatal blow, forcing himself into a dead end, and in desperation, he could only defend with all his might.

  Who would have thought that the opponent's war knife was also a sharp weapon, and it suddenly cut off its own curved knife!

  For a moment, Tuoba Ni was stunned!

  At this time, Ji Qingchen's Wolf Blade had already fallen, and suddenly Tuoba Ni felt a bloodthirsty aura rushing towards him. He quickly regained his senses and saw a flash of light slashing towards his throat. Without thinking, he instinctively stretched out his left arm. Just as Ji Qingchen's blade fell, Tuoba Ni's arm flew off into the air, leaving behind a trail of blood that drew an astonishing arc, landing in the chaotic horse formation where it was trampled.

  "Ah——" Touba Ni let out a mournful cry, and immediately the horse began to gallop rapidly.

  Ji Qingchen urged his horse to catch up, but was blocked by several Northern Rong cavalrymen who had rushed over upon hearing the news. By the time Ji Qingchen had dealt with these Northern Rong cavalrymen, Tuoba Ni had already been surrounded and protected by his subordinates in the middle, gazing at him with a cold and sinister gaze.

  Guo Yun in the distance also heard Tuoba Ni's miserable cry, and as soon as he looked up, he saw Ji Qingchen. He urged his horse to rush towards Ji Qingchen.

  At this time, Tuoba Ni's left arm had been cut off, and blood was gushing out. He knew that if he didn't get treated in time, he would be killed by Ji Qingchen, and his own life would also be lost here.

  He reluctantly looked at the slaughtered Yu Lin cavalry and the increasingly brave Ji Qingchen and Guo Yun, let out a faint sigh, and gave the order to retreat!

  The Northern Rong cavalry saw that their commander had given the order to retreat and no longer fought with the Youlin cavalry, and they all withdrew from the battlefield.

  "Ji Qingchen, today's score of cutting off my arm will be remembered by Tuoba Ni for eternity! One day I will take it back on the battlefield." As the Northern Rong cavalry retreated behind Tuoba Ni, he gritted his teeth in pain and coldly said to Ji Qingchen.

  "Remember, this is the price you pay for entering Da Yan. One day on the battlefield, I, Ji Qingchen, will take your head to avenge my brother!" Ji Qingchen responded coldly.

  "Hum! Go!" Tuoba Ni let out a cold roar and hastily led the Northern Rong cavalry to retreat like a tide.

  Ji Qingchen saw the departing Beijun cavalry and a relieved expression appeared on his pale face.

  As the hoofbeats faded into the distance, the black night fell silent once more. He then turned to Guo Lin beside him and asked, "How many casualties? How many men do we have left?"

  "Reporting to Your Highness, out of the 100 Imperial Guards, 80 were killed and 13 injured. Only 7 are still capable of fighting." Guo Lin said with his head bowed, not daring to look directly at the young Ninth Prince.

  After answering the question, he suddenly dismounted his horse and knelt before Ji Qingchen, "If it weren't for Your Highness's precise swordsmanship, which cut off the Northern Rong general's arm with just one strike, I'm afraid tonight's battle would have resulted in the complete annihilation of the Imperial Guards! Guo Lin failed to protect Your Highness properly, please punish me!"

  "Plop——" The remaining Yu Lin riders also collectively fell off their horses and knelt down in front of Ji Qingchen, "Yu Lin riders failed to protect Your Highness, please punish us!"

  "Your Highness, the Ningzhou territory has suddenly appeared with Beijun Iron Riders. I think this matter must have a hidden agenda and cannot blame Commander Guo and the Youlin Riders. The most urgent thing is to rush back to Ningzhou City overnight, and please put the overall situation first!" Suddenly, Ye Qingchen appeared in front of everyone with a gloomy face.

  He is an official, just now when the Yu Lin riders and the Bei Rong cavalry were fighting, he was scared and hid under the carriage.

  Ji Qingchen also knew that tonight's events couldn't be blamed on Guo Lin and Yu Linji, Guo Lin and Yu Linji had thought there would be an enemy attack, but who could have ever thought that the attacking enemy would actually be the Northern Rong cavalry?

  "Those who cannot ride horses, stay here and wait for the Ningzhou army to arrive and deal with the wounded and the bodies of the fallen soldiers. Those who can ride horses, bandage your wounds immediately, we will return to Ningzhou City now. I want to ask Liu Donglou, as the general of Ningzhou, what explanation he will give me about tonight's events, what explanation he will give to the deceased soldiers!" Ji Qingchen thought for a moment and immediately gave the order.

  "Yes!" Guo Lin was taken aback for a moment before immediately acknowledging the order.

  In an instant, more than a dozen riders from the Feathered Forest Cavalry galloped towards Ningzhou City under the cover of night!