The Black Qiang Cavalry Attacks

"Where did those horsemen come from?" "Are they cavalry from the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor?" Inside the cart barricade, Niu Zilian's heart leaped to his throat. Although their ranks still numbered over three hundred, they were entirely infantry. Even equipped with bows, spears, sabers, and shields, foot soldiers in open terrain were simply no match for an equal number of cavalry. Facing three hundred Iron Eagle Cavalry riders had already pushed them to their wits' end. Now, watching the dust rising to the north, the approaching force clearly numbered over a thousand. If they were reinforcements from the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor, Niu Zilian felt there was no point in even fighting. While Niu Zilian panicked, Wang Yu and his companions were just as astonished. "Cavalry from the Kingdom of Loulan? Has Loulan grown so bold?" "Or horsemen from the Jushi Kingdom to the north? Have their eyes turned to this treasure as well?" Wang Yu knew very well that he had brought only three hundred cavalry with no reinforcements to follow; the Northwestern Army certainly would not cross the border at will. Yet if it was merely cavalry from the Western Regions, he had nothing to fear. As everyone knew, the combat strength of Western Regions cavalry was notoriously dismal. Against them, the Iron Eagle Cavalry could take on at least five to one. Suddenly, a black wolf-hair pennant emerged from the billowing dust. An Iron Eagle centurion let out a shrill shout: "Black Qiang cavalry!" The cry reached not only Wang Yu's ears, but also Niu Zilian's inside the cart barricade not far away. Niu Zilian's face turned ashen. "Why have the Qiang come to join the fray?" Though the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions would be a colossal power if united, the trouble was that they could never unite. Even when it came to the strongest among them, such as Wusun and Dayuan, Niu Zilian held little regard for them. The Qiang, however, were an entirely different matter. As one of the three great nomadic tribal peoples threatening the northern borders of the Central Plains, the Qiang might have been the weakest and divided into the Black and White Qiang, but in the eyes of the Central Plains people, they still possessed all the savage ferocity of the steppe—incomparable to the rabble of the Western Regions. "The Qiang are far away in Mobei. How could they know about the Loulan treasure?" Niu Zilian cursed under his breath. "Is the imperial court truly as leaky as a sieve nowadays?" Song Chengyue and his sister Song Qingchuan, who were also among the Shuntian ranks, looked visibly embarrassed at his words. "With the Iron Eagle Cavalry to our south and the Black Qiang to our north, Strategist, what do we do?" Duan Rui asked urgently. Niu Zilian's face was dark enough to drip water. Even the cleverest housewife could not cook a meal without rice. Caught between two forces totaling over a thousand horsemen, he had only three hundred foot soldiers on an open Gobi plain. What could he possibly do? Summon a meteor from the heavens to crush them all? Recognizing the enemy as the Black Qiang cavalry, the Iron Eagle Cavalry instantly shifted into high alert. The First Centurion observed them intently for a moment before stepping before Wang Yu to report. "That appears to be a Black Qiang thousand-man detachment, My Prince. This humble officer advises against a direct clash. We would do better to wait until they and the Shuntian Army inflict mutual losses before deciding our move." The Black Qiang cavalry's arrival at this moment made it obvious that they had also come for the Loulan treasure, which was currently in the hands of the Shuntian Army. What had just been a contested prize had abruptly turned into a scalding potato. The First Centurion's logic was straightforward: the Iron Eagle Cavalry were entirely mounted. If they wished to withdraw, the Black Qiang had no hope of stopping them. The Black Qiang's objective was the Loulan treasure, and if the Shuntian Army refused to surrender it meekly, a clash between the two was inevitable. Though the Black Qiang had cavalry and numerical superiority, the Shuntian Army possessed heavy bows and a cart barricade. If they dug in to defend, they could certainly tear a bloody chunk of flesh out of the Qiang. Even if the Black Qiang cavalry would ultimately triumph, they would suffer losses and be saddled with a hundred heavy carts. This place was vast distances away from the grasslands of Mobei. The Iron Eagle Cavalry would have ample time to wear them down, or even ride back to Yumen Pass to summon a detachment of the Northwestern Army cavalry for aid. Thus, pulling back for now and watching the Black Qiang clash with the Shuntian Army was the optimal choice. "Not necessarily," Li Yunxiu observed after studying the horizon. "There are a thousand horsemen before our eyes, but we do not know if more are trailing behind. Even if there aren't, they could break down the treasure and pack it onto their mounts. Even if they couldn't take it all, carrying off seventy or eighty percent wouldn't be difficult, and we might not be able to catch them." Ma Bojun gripped his spear, his gaze blazing. "A mere thousand Black Qiang horsemen! I'll be the spearhead—let's charge straight through and scatter them!" While Wang Yu's side weighed their options, Niu Zilian's side was already on the verge of disaster. The Iron Eagle Cavalry still had room to choose; they had none. Zhao Lü swept his spear and barked orders to his men. "Ready horses! Escort the strategist and the Song siblings away!" "General Zhao!" Niu Zilian started, instantly grasping Zhao Lü's intention. Zhao Lü spoke with grim resolve. "The Shuntian Army can do without Zhao Lü, but it cannot do without our strategist. Everyone here is a brother of our army. If we scatter, the Qiang will only slaughter us like cattle. We might as well make a desperate stand and kill as many as we can!" Duan Rui let out a hearty laugh. "To fall on the battlefields of the Western Regions and return wrapped in horsehide is an honorable death!" Song Yuanjing had already led a horse forward. "Strategist, please mount!" Niu Zilian's face flushed crimson. He had always prided himself on infallible calculations, yet this westward journey had been fraught with missteps, and the arrival of the Black Qiang cavalry had driven his contingent into a dead end. A dead end... A death ground... Could there be a way to survive by plunging into death? Niu Zilian's eyes flickered. Glancing at Song Chengyue and Song Qingchuan beside him, his mind raced back to what Song Chengyue had told him earlier, and inspiration struck like lightning. *The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor and the imperial court do not share the same heart!* *The Prince of Zhenxi's Manor and the Black Qiang are also enemies!* *If they let the Black Qiang kill us, they can kiss the treasure goodbye as well!* *The Black Qiang have only a thousand-man detachment, but together, our two sides number six to seven hundred, with masters like General Zhao and Ma Bojun. We can fight this!* Niu Zilian grabbed Song Chengyue's arm at once. "Brother Song, all three hundred of our lives depend on you!" Song Chengyue asked in surprise, "Why do you say that, Strategist?" Speaking rapidly, Niu Zilian laid out his analysis and said, "The Prince of Zhenxi promised General Wang to spare your life, and his words showed considerable goodwill toward you. Please take your sister to the Iron Eagle Cavalry and tell them that the Shuntian Army is willing to join forces with the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor against the enemy. Once the Black Qiang cavalry is driven back, we shall split the treasure equally!" Song Chengyue looked at Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing, both ready to die, and nodded heavily. "I will do everything I can to persuade the Prince of Zhenxi. If he refuses, I will return to die alongside you all!" Brother and sister mounted their horses, shot out through an opening cleared in the cart barricade, and galloped toward the Iron Eagle Cavalry. "Greetings, Prince of Zhenxi! Song Chengyue has an urgent matter to report!" Reaching Wang Yu's side, Song Chengyue conveyed Niu Zilian's proposal and pleaded for military assistance. Wang Yu could not help but chuckle. "He certainly knows how to strike a bargain." Li Yunxiu smiled as well. "What a clever ploy to snatch life from the jaws of death. Facing total annihilation and the loss of the treasure, he not only wants to borrow our strength against an enemy, but even keep half the treasure for himself?" Song Chengyue said, "Yet it benefits the Prince's Manor as well. The convoy carries ninety-four chests of treasure. Beyond gold, silver, coin, and precious vessels, there are countless pearls, agates, gemstones, and jade disks, worth tens of millions." Hearing this, the surrounding Iron Eagle Cavalrymen began to breathe heavily. Song Chengyue pressed on, "Moreover, the Black Qiang are bitter enemies of the Prince's Manor. If they claim the Loulan treasure to recruit soldiers and buy steeds, they will inevitably pose a dire threat to the three prefectures of the Northwest." Wang Yu shook his head. "What the Qiang lack is not jewels, but grain, iron, salt, and tea." Though he dismissed the claim aloud, Wang Yu knew well that if the Black Qiang seized this wealth, it would indeed bolster their strength. Given their hostility toward the Central Plains, it would be enough to fund a campaign threatening the Northwest. Wang Yu pulled aside Li Yunxiu, Ma Bojun, and the three Iron Eagle centurions. "With the three hundred elites of the Shuntian Army added to our ranks, can we take this battle?" "We can!" The three centurions nodded in unison. The Iron Eagle Cavalry were already superior in combat capability to the Black Qiang. With the Shuntian Army holding the cart barricade and a Xiantian master like Ma Bojun capable of turning the tide single-handedly, victory was well within their grasp. "Good!" Wang Yu agreed and turned to Song Chengyue. "We can join forces, but I want seventy percent of the treasure. Furthermore, once our forces unite, I want supreme command over the Shuntian Army." Song Chengyue left Song Qingchuan with the Iron Eagle Cavalry and hurried back to the cart barricade to deliver the terms. Niu Zilian agreed without hesitation, and even Zhao Lü voiced no objection. It was no joke—the fact that the opposing side had not demanded everything was already showing them tremendous grace; they could hardly afford to push their luck. Wang Yu had refrained from pressing further for a simple reason: if he demanded too much, the Shuntian Army could always choose to destroy the carts and scatter the treasure across the steppe, buying themselves enough time to escape while slowing down the Black Qiang. A red flag fluttered above the cart barricade, signaling acceptance of Wang Yu's terms. The Shuntian Army contracted their perimeter once more: bows strung, sabers drawn, spears leveled, shields braced—they braced themselves for a steadfast defense. Meanwhile, the Iron Eagle Cavalry began circling around, waiting for the Black Qiang to assault the cart barricade so they could seize the chance for ranged strikes or flank attacks. The Black Qiang cavalry drew closer and closer. Soon, both sides could make out each other's armor and faces. In the next moment, the Black Qiang split their force: one detachment surrounded the cart barricade, while the other charged toward the Iron Eagle Cavalry. The First Centurion's eyes lit up. "What insolence! To underestimate us so!" Against a thousand Black Qiang cavalry, the First Centurion might have hesitated. But against merely five hundred, he felt not the slightest doubt. Ma Bojun's eyes gleamed as well. Though cadet branches of the Ma clan occasionally served in the military, the main lineage was an established martial family through and through. Ma Bojun had never led a cavalry vanguard into a battle charge before. Facing the incoming enemy, rather than feeling nervous, he felt his blood boiling with excitement. Wang Yu turned to Li Yunxiu. "Please take command, my lady." Li Yunxiu offered an enigmatic smile and wasted no pleasantries. "Three hundred cavalry, loose arrows in three revolving volleys to suppress the Black Qiang! Then, Uncle, lead the charge to break their formation!" "Understood!" *Rumble—* The Iron Eagle Cavalry thundered forward. Wang Yu, Li Yunxiu, Qianqian, and a dozen princely guards remained in place atop the low sand dune. With the Iron Eagle Cavalry's three volleys, dozens of Black Qiang horsemen tumbled from their saddles. The Black Qiang returned fire, but against the fully armored Iron Eagle riders, only five or six fell from their horses. In the next breath, the two cavalry forces collided with a tremendous crash. Ma Bojun spearheaded the thrust, plunging deep into the Black Qiang formation. "A Xiantian master!" The Black Qiang soon realized the terrifying strength of their foe. His silver spear whirled around him like dancing pear blossoms, drifting all about like auspicious snow. Any Black Qiang rider who crossed his path had a gaping hole punched through his chest before toppling from his saddle. Every eye turned toward one figure in their ranks, but that man remained unmoved. Instead, he spurred his mount, broke out of the melee, and charged straight for Wang Yu and his group atop the small sand dune. Flanking him were two riders, one to his left and one to his right. One wore an excited grin, while the other had a savage, twisted glare as he bellowed, "Zhao Yu, what happened to my junior sister?!"