Chapter 55

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Standing at the classroom door, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter given to him by his mother.

In the North凉 army, the four major generals, Dian Xiongxu and Wei Fucheng, who commanded the second most elite heavy cavalry of 6,000 Iron Buddha and one-third of the "White Nucleus Feathered Forest," respectively, were both personally cultivated by Chen Zhibao. At this moment, they were solemnly holding their whips behind the group. Ning Emeyi, who was not particularly close to these two renowned young generals of the North凉 army, only had a working relationship on the battlefield. If it came to military prestige, Ning Emeyi did not feel inferior in the slightest, but in terms of the weight of their command, the gap was far more than just three ranks. Ning Emeyi gave a self-deprecating smile, lifted his heavy halberd, which was second only to the top general Wang Tongshan under the command of Prince Yan, and slowed down the speed of the cavalry, maintaining the half-mile distance required by the Prince.

Dian Xiongxu, with hair like a lion, turned his head and spat on the ground, sneering, "General, is this Prince scared out of his wits? He doesn't even dare to let us see him off. Better not to, Old Dian isn't keen on putting on a show for a cold face. We Iron Buddha are all heroes who use the heads of the Northern barbarians as urinals, we can't afford to lose face!"

Wei Fucheng, who more resembled a private tutor teaching children to read and write, was much more reserved, smiling lightly, "Four years ago, when the Prince set out on his travels, he only brought an old groom. This time, he's making up for it. He's in high spirits and naturally doesn't like our interference. Old Dian, you old brute who only knows how to kill, how could you understand the Prince's romantic side?"

The 6,000 Iron Buddha heavy cavalry, second only to Xu Xiao's personally led Snow Camp Dragon Cavalry in the North凉 army, struck fear into the 350,000 border troops of the Northern barbarians. During the wars of the Spring and Autumn period, the butcher Xu Xiao taught the world a bloody truth: the outcome of battles was never just a matter of the number of armored soldiers or the rate of armor, but the combination of different troop types, the use of both orthodox and unorthodox tactics, and the decisive blow delivered by the most elite forces in a stalemate. At the Western Fort, the Fish Drum Camp, known for its fearless fighting, opened a bloody path for the 3,000 Snow Dragon Cavalry to pierce the heart of Ye Baihui's halberd army. Chen Zhibao commanded the center, strategizing, the princess personally beat the drum, and Xu Xiao, without his helmet, led the charge with a spear. The 3,000 white horses and white armor galloped forward, leaving behind the bodies of over a thousand Fish Drum Camp soldiers. Since the scholars of Western Chu boasted that there would be no Western Chu after the Western Fort, Xu Xiao made sure that Western Chu cleanly perished.

The Spring and Autumn period, a time of great generals and martial prowess, was the most glorious era for warriors. Dian Xiongxu and Wei Fucheng rose to prominence from the fires of war, their fame built on the bones of the great generals of the Spring and Autumn period. They had a pride and ferocity that could not be easily described, and they certainly looked down on the sons of the aristocracy who played with eagles and dogs. What if you were the Prince? The North凉 army valued military achievements above all, and every year, so many young men from wealthy families were sent to the border by their fathers, only to be trained to the point of exhaustion, unable even to cry. In the end, they forgot their ancestors and only remembered their superiors in the army. What do you, Xu Fengnian, have besides the title of Prince?

Dian Xiongxu spat and sneered, "To hell with romance! Last year, I led 600 iron cavalry deep into the Northern barbarian territory for 800 miles, captured the daughter of a provincial governor, and stripped her naked on the horse, then killed her and hung her on a spear. That's my idea of romance!"

Wei Fucheng bent down to stroke his horse's mane, teasing, "And then you were hung on the camp fence by the Grand Marshal for a night, and I heard your manhood was frozen off. Can you still use it?"

Dian Xiongxu slapped his belly and laughed heartily, "Still as strong as ever, Old Dian is a man of action on both horse and bed. Wei Fucheng, if you don't believe me, lend me your daughter for a test, and I'll make sure you can't help but be convinced!"

Wei Fucheng's head ached, "You dare to have designs on my daughter? Do you think my White Nucleus Feathered Forest won't crush your 6,000 Iron Buddha?"

Dian Xiongxu sneered, "You're just talking nonsense. If you have the guts, let's each bring 100 men to the training ground and see whose sons cry for their mothers."

Throughout this exchange, the young general Chen Zhibao, whose reputation alone outweighed the combined fame of the four major generals of the North凉 army, did not say a word. He neither reminded his left and right arms to be cautious nor joined in the ridicule of the unpopular Prince. His expression was indifferent. His adoptive father, the Grand Marshal, was about to enter the capital to meet the emperor, so he would not be going to the border where the North凉 and Northern barbarian armies were in close contact. All military affairs would be handed over to Chen Zhibao, and the 300,000 iron cavalry of the North凉 army were already accustomed to this. As the eldest adoptive son of the Grand Marshal and a renowned general with both military and literary talent, who didn't know that if this white-clad figure had not personally declined the emperor's offer to lead an army in the south, he would already be a powerful governor in the south, where the ten barbarian tribes were now causing trouble?

Wei Fucheng smiled, "Ning Emeyi will probably be so bored with this task that he won't be able to sleep at all."

Dian Xiongxu gloated, "Ning Emeyi is not a bad person, he never shows mercy when killing, and he's strong in both mounted and infantry combat. I'm proud to be his equal. As for you, Wei Fucheng, you're a bit lacking, to be honest."

Wei Fucheng was not bothered, knowing that Dian Xiongxu was always straightforward and wouldn't listen to grand strategic theories.

Chen Zhibao looked up at the sky and muttered, "The weather is changing."

——

Yu Youwei, after some hesitation, insisted on riding a horse alone. Xu Fengnian, unable to resist, gave her the white horse and got into the carriage. Inside, the old man with the chicken eyes finally put on his boots and stretched his neck to look at the secret manual in Jiang Ni's hands. Jiang Ni, squatting in the corner, was the most stingy, holding up the cover and reading to herself, creating a standoff with the old man, testing each other's patience. When the Prince entered the carriage, the old man seemed impatient, giving him a cold look.

After sitting down, Xu Fengnian took off his twin swords, Xiudong and Chunlei, placing the simple Chunlei below and the elegant Xiudong above, a beautiful sight that even Jiang Ni couldn't help but look at. She had seen White Fox Face wield the twin swords on the ice of Tingchao Lake, creating a scene of snow and ice, which deepened her hatred for Xu Fengnian. Such a beautiful woman deserved the twin swords, and no matter how hard Xu Fengnian practiced, he was just a two-headed snake with three legs, disgracing the swords! Xu Fengnian, who had come to listen to the story, ignored the old man in the sheepskin coat, closed his eyes, and instructed, "Read 'The Thousand Sword Grass Outline.'"

Jiang Ni opened the chest filled with secret manuals and classics, finally finding the 'Thousand Sword Grass Outline' with its ancient seal script cover, and began to read. Over the past few days, she had not only earned silver but also been forced to learn nearly a hundred obscure characters, each worth ten coins. Every time she encountered a character again, she emphasized it, a true embodiment of her hatred. Xu Fengnian found the reading much smoother and more engaging, his breathing changing with the style of 'The Thousand Sword Grass Outline.' Scholars writing poetry or essays were always inspired by their feelings, and the deeper the emotion, the more moving the reading. The same applied to martial artists writing, and 'The Thousand Sword Grass Outline' was particularly powerful, no wonder White Fox Face had highly recommended it, saying it was one of the top three books in the second floor's vast collection.

Xu Fengnian was completely engrossed.

But he was interrupted, "All nonsense."

Jiang Ni, whose rhythm was broken, poked her head out from behind the book and glared.

The old man was particularly disrespectful to the Prince, deliberately keeping his distance, but he had a soft spot for Jiang Ni, giving her a smile and explaining, "I mean this book is full of nonsense and misleads people."

Xu Fengnian opened his eyes and smiled, "What do you mean?"

The old man, with a temper as bad as his martial skills, rolled his eyes and sneered, "Do you want me to explain the sword path to you in detail, word by word, to make sure I'm not talking to a cow?"

Xu Fengnian was helpless, knowing from Xu Xiao that the old man was as old as Wang Xianzhi, and could only endure.

Jiang Ni, seeing Xu Fengnian being ignored, felt a surge of satisfaction, though she didn't particularly like the strange old man. The old man, seeing her reaction, was delighted and continued to attack Xu Fengnian, "You, a novice