Niao Ni

Chapter 602: Autumn Plains, Morning Sun, Black Riders

As a touch of white appeared on the horizon, the sun was still rubbing its eyes, not yet fully open. A faint morning light enveloped the grassland, not quite improving visibility. The people of the small tribe, still immersed in the aftermath of last night's revelry, deep in their cups and slumber, were unlikely to heed the dawn's call. But gradually, sounds began to stir within the tribal tents, suggesting that many were waking.

What roused the tribe wasn't the rising sun, but the thunderous, unified sound of countless hooves from the tribe's rear, and the cacophony of more hooves from the front and sides. It seemed as if a vast cavalry was converging from all directions.

In the morning light, Fan Xian, his face calm, gave Hai Tang a final look, picked up the small knife she had given to Liang Zi from the ground, and solemnly placed it in his bosom.

"Goodbye. I hope I won't have to wait another three years." Fan Xian said to Hai Tang with sincerity. A few strands of blood stained the corners of Hai Tang's lips, making her look particularly pitiful, but the plans on the grassland had already been set in motion. The Khan of the Royal Court had sent troops in pursuit. To escape, they had to leave this very moment.

Hai Tang didn't know how he planned to leave, because the sound of hooves was coming from all directions, suggesting that the Royal Court's cavalry had already surrounded the grassland. She gave him a complex look.

That look seemed like a heavy hammer, striking Fan Xian, sending his body drifting diagonally towards the meadow behind him. He floated away effortlessly, yet with a heartbreaking sadness.

Without visibly pushing off the ground with his toes, Fan Xian's body seemed to be tied to a thin string around his waist, like a kite. He drifted backward, gradually accelerating, transforming into a blurred figure in the morning light, receding into the distance, growing smaller and smaller, merging into a cloud of dust approaching from the left front of the tribe.

That cloud of dust appeared to be caused by a herd of wild horses roaming freely on the grassland. Beside the herd, a dozen grassland men were holding lassos, as if they had been tracking these wild horses for days and nights, waiting to lasso the lead horse in one fell swoop.

Hai Tang quietly watched this scene, knowing that the herd of wild horses was just a facade. It must be a team that Fan Xian had arranged beforehand to meet him. Watching Fan Xian's silent, effortless retreat, she knew that in the three years since they had last met, this young friend from the Southern Qing Dynasty had successfully integrated the Tianyi Dao Mind Technique with the tyrannical true energy within his body, standing firmly at the peak of the ninth rank, close to touching the limits of human potential.

No wonder he was so confident, daring to venture deep into the grassland, launching an assault on the Royal Court and the Left Xian Wang's camp in the dead of night. With such a realm of power, unless a Grand Master reappeared on the grassland, who could defeat him?

But from behind, she could hear the faint sound of cavalry charging. Khan Su Bi Da had been holding back for three days, enduring to the limit. Now he had finally tightened the encirclement. Even if Fan Xian had arranged a horse team to meet him, how could he escape the pursuit of over a thousand Royal Court cavalry on the vast grassland?

Hai Tang's eyes narrowed, and a hint of worry involuntarily surfaced. A strongman of the ninth rank, upper level, would, of course, rarely face defeat in a head-on battle, but after all, the two of them were still infinitely far from the realm of the Grand Master. How could they survive facing thousands of troops?

In the distance, Fan Xian's figure had already landed among the herd of wild horses. Strangely, the wild and amorous horses, seemingly unwilling to be restrained, didn't reject Fan Xian's entry. Even when Fan Xian sat on the lead horse, the ferocious steed merely shook its neck helplessly, without thinking of throwing him off.

The urgent sound of hooves swept past Hai Tang, carrying the wind, grass clippings, and an unstoppable momentum. The valiant cavalry of the Western Hu Royal Court didn't slow down, sweeping across the meadow and heading towards the herd of wild horses in the distance!

The strong wind brushed past her body, causing the leather robe on Hai Tang to rustle. She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and lowered her head in silence.

A fine horse neighed, stopping from its incredible speed. The Hu nobleman on horseback used the momentum to turn around and landed next to Hai Tang with a thud, his feet as stable as mountains, displaying superb horsemanship.

The person who came was the master of the grassland, Khan Su Bi Da. He glanced at Hai Tang, and anger and resentment gradually surfaced in his eyes. "You're injured?" he asked.

Hai Tang nodded and smiled with some difficulty.

"Fan Xian of the Southern Qing Dynasty?" Khan Su Bi Da was tall and sturdy, with resolute features and piercing eyes. He looked at the figure in the distance galloping southeast with the herd of wild horses, and asked softly.

"It's him," Hai Tang replied softly.

Khan Su Bi Da never underestimated any of his enemies, especially a ruthless and important figure like Fan Xian of the Southern Qing Dynasty. He had endured for three days, but he had also been preparing for three days, gathering the Hu sons and daughters on this grassland to make sure that this powerful minister of the Southern Qing Dynasty remained on the grassland.

Since the other party dared to venture deep into the grassland, approach the Royal Court, and challenge his dignity, Khan Su Bi Da would definitely use the most direct method to express his anger.

The Royal Court's preparations were thorough. They had confirmed that there were no Qing cavalry patrolling the grassland, preparing to secretly meet Fan Xian. But the scouts hadn't noticed the herd of wild horses, because herds of wild horses were everywhere on the grassland. Most importantly, they had seen these wild horses near a water source and judged from their jumping postures and habits that they were indeed a herd of wild horses.

No one had been able to use wild horses to escape before taming them. This was the law of the grassland, but today this law seemed to be broken.

Dust billowed from all directions as over a thousand Royal Court cavalry charged over, rushing past the tribe's tents. Under the shocked and fearful gazes of the Hu people, they rushed towards the herd of wild horses, about to encircle them at a distance of three miles, surrounding the horses, the dozen men beside the horses, and Fan Xian hidden in the herd. But...

All that could be heard was a long neigh rising into the sky. The herd of wild horses seemed to be driven by some force, and suddenly awakened from a state of chaos. Stretching the muscles on their bodies, they fiercely raised their hooves, suddenly accelerated, and charged towards the gap in the encirclement in the southeast direction!

The morning light was faint, and the wild horses neighed. Hundreds of steeds reflected the weak light, radiating a black luster, galloping across the grassland. In an instant, they had rushed out before the Royal Court cavalry could complete their encirclement!

This scene had a primal, powerful beauty that shocked countless hearts.

Khan Su Bi Da held the reins with one hand, standing beside Hai Tang, coldly watching this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly, but concealing the shock in his heart very well. He flipped his body and jumped onto his horse, saying, "I'll capture this pretty boy and vent your anger."

In fact, he had already admitted at this time that this young and powerful minister of the Southern Qing Dynasty, comparable to the Immortal Ling of Songzhi, was definitely not just a pretty boy. Just looking at his miraculous ability to control wild horses, it was likely that no one else on the entire grassland could match him.

"The Royal Court was attacked last night, and the Left Xian Wang was assassinated, his life or death unknown." Hai Tang stood on the meadow, among dozens of Khan's guards, and calmly spoke out the matter that Fan Xian had confessed.

Khan Su Bi Da paused slightly, then squeezed his horse's flanks with both feet and charged down the meadow.

So that Chief of the Qing Dynasty's Supervisory Council ventured deep into the grassland for these things. The attack on the Royal Court was a small matter. As long as it wasn't an elite cavalry of the Qing Dynasty that had charged over, what did it matter if some people died? Khan hadn't expected that the Qing Dynasty's Supervisory Council was also very selective about who they killed. Those who died were of extreme importance to his ideal of building a nation on the grassland.

The key was the assassination of the Left Xian Wang. This news made Khan's heart turn cold. Could it be that the grassland, which had been peaceful for two years, was about to descend into chaos again due to the death of the Left Xian Wang? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but curse inwardly. The Left Xian Wang was his uncle. He had been extremely arrogant in front of him in the past, but who knew that a Qing Dynasty assassin would end him with a single strike? Truly, he was extremely muddle-headed.

Khan angrily looked at the dust in the distance, squeezed his horse's flanks, and took the lead in charging towards the southeast. Although that pretty boy used the cover of the wild horse herd to break out of the encirclement unexpectedly, Khan believed that no one could escape the pursuit of the Royal Court's cavalry on this vast grassland.

From here to the border city of Qingzhou in the Qing Dynasty, even if one spared no effort and galloped wildly, it would take about ten days. To gallop wildly for ten days on the grassland, with the pursuit of the Western Hu Royal Court cavalry behind them, who could withstand it? Khan was riding a thoroughbred steed, one in ten thousand on the grassland. He believed that he could definitely stop Fan Xian. Although the Qing Dynasty's cavalry archery was also extremely powerful, the people on the grassland still believed that the Western Hu children's horsemanship was the most exquisite in the world. If they couldn't catch up with an enemy whose shadow they could see on the grassland, they might as well commit suicide.

The morning light gradually grew stronger, and visibility increased. The deformed sun peeked out halfway from the eastern horizon of the grassland, illuminating everything on the autumn plains.

Hai Tang quietly watched everything before her, a trace of worry and gloom flashing in her eyes. She saw the Western Hu cavalry, like a flood, failing to complete the encirclement. Relying on the Hu people's exquisite horsemanship, they quickly formed into a team, transforming into a fan shape. A thousand cavalrymen were like one, speeding towards the east.

And two or three miles ahead of these Hu cavalry pursuers, hundreds of black wild horses were galloping wildly, their hooves kicking up dust, like one or two, or ten thousand strands of light smoke, heading east, advancing towards the red rising sun. Suddenly, some people jumped out from the herd of wild horses and mounted their backs. No one knew where these people had been hiding before, or how they had been able to keep up with the wild horses. Over a hundred Qing Dynasty heroes were riding on hundreds of wild horses, galloping on the grassland ruled by the Hu people. Before the red sun, those steeds and the figures on horseback looked so spirited, so arrogant.

……

……

The Western Hu pursuers made a major error in judgment. They originally thought that when it came to horsemanship, the Royal Court's cavalry was naturally unparalleled in the world, and no one could compare to them. And they didn't know how those Qing people were controlling the wild horse herd. But although wild horses were powerful, they were ultimately not as obedient and tireless as warhorses. So they thought that on this flat grassland, it would take at most half a day to catch up with those Qing people who were chasing the sun.

Khan Su Bi Da thought so too. He was even thinking that once he had surrounded these Qing people, should he first shoot and kill that Qing Dynasty minister named Fan Xian with an arrow, and not give the Princess Songzhi any chance to plead for mercy?

However, everything developed differently from the Western Hu Royal Court cavalry's judgment. Half a day passed, and a day passed. The knights who were proud of the grassland still couldn't catch up with those Qing people, and couldn't even close the distance!

The reason was simple. The herd of wild horses in the eyes of these Hu people weren't wild horses at all, but rather the military horses that the Qing Dynasty's Supervisory Council had been raising for a long time. And the reason why they could deceive the eyes of countless people on the grassland, deceive those tribes famous for judging horses, and become a herd of wild horses frolicking between the water and grass, was all because these horses had been drugged.

A drug mixed with ephedrine made these military horses of the Supervisory Council appear more active, wilder, and more freedom-loving than ordinary horses. Moreover, this herd of horses had been careful not to be shod with iron, branded, or even trimmed their manes. Once they started running, they really had the feeling of... flowing hair. Anyone who saw them would think they were a herd of wild horses. So that night, under the vigilance of the Royal Court cavalry, they had quietly approached Fan Xian's location.

Fan Xian held the reins with one hand, bent down, and lay on the horse, carefully feeling the horse's condition. The troops who came to meet him totaled one hundred people. In addition to the dozen or so elites disguised as lasso-wielding men, the others initially relied on their superb horsemanship to hide in the herd of horses.

After a lot of experimentation, the medicinal effect of ephedrine was not as strong for horses as it was for humans, not enough to make these warhorses disobey orders. But for the pursuers of the Royal Court, the running speed of these horses was a bit terrifying.

The warhorses disguised as wild horses were still warhorses, especially warhorses that had taken stimulants. Fan Xian knew that the effect of stimulants wouldn't last long, but he didn't need it to last long. A hundred people, taking turns riding hundreds of horses, gave the horses under their seats enough rest time and time to recover. If he still allowed the people of the Su Bi Da’s Royal Court to catch up, Fan Xian might as well cut his own neck and be done with it.

A good horse still needs someone to ride it. And this was precisely the second mistake in judgment made by the Western Hu pursuers. They always thought that no one in the world had better horsemanship than their own, and no one was stronger in long-distance raids and long-distance pursuits. But they had forgotten a name.

Black Riders.

The Qing Dynasty's cavalry was already extremely powerful. Apart from armor and protective gear, they weren't much different from the Western Hu cavalry. And the Black Riders were the elite of the Qing Dynasty's cavalry. Under Chen Pingping's careful selection and training, their individual quality was truly staggering.

Especially in the long-distance raids and long-distance pursuits that the Western Hu people were so proud of, the Black Riders had the most illustrious battle history in the world.

Back then, the Qing Dynasty's Northern Expedition was a disastrous defeat, and Emperor Qing was trapped in the remote mountains. Upon hearing the news, Chen Pingping led the Black Riders to rescue him. Within six days, they advanced a thousand miles on the battlefield, single-handedly rescuing Emperor Qing, who was still the crown prince at the time.

Another year, Chen Pingping personally led the Black Riders deep into the territory of the Great Wei Kingdom, capturing the generation's hero Xiao En alive. Before the Great Wei military could react, they withdrew into the Qing Dynasty like lightning, traveling thousands of miles back and forth.

History had long proven that the Black Riders' ability to raid thousands of miles was the strongest in the world, without exception.

The Supervisory Council's Black Riders had become famous for their thousand-mile raids. After their formation, they practiced these types of situations most often. They had also put in a great deal of effort to maintain the medicinal effects on their warhorses. They advanced like the wind and fire, and retreated like water and clouds, disappearing from the battlefield in an instant. Their advance was the best in the world, and their retreat was also the best in the world. How could those elite Western Hu Royal Court cavalry possibly catch up with this group of thrusting troops that were like flying birds?

The autumn wind on the grassland struck Fan Xian's face. His eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Jing Ge beside him. Looking at the silver mask on his face, he couldn't help but smile. If he didn't have absolute confidence in his troops, how could he dare to take such a risk, venturing deep into the Western Hu Royal Court, into the heart of the Western Hu, luring out Hai Tang and the Khan, and dropping those two big bombs?

On the third day of the pursuit, the Royal Court's cavalry finally discovered something strange. They hadn't slowed down in the slightest, and the grassland steeds under them were already exhausted to the extreme, but they still couldn't catch up with the other party. Moreover, those daring and bold Qing people who had ventured deep into the grassland seemed to still have some strength left. It seemed that they could ride away at any time, but they were forcibly suppressing their speed, enticing the Royal Court cavalry behind them.

Hearing the cautious and tired report of the head officer, a hint of coldness flashed across Khan Su Bi Da's face, which was covered in dust. In fact, he was the first to discover the problem. He could feel that the group of strange and even somewhat magical wild horses in front were not quite right. But although the Royal Court's eagles were circling above, there were no large tribes on the grassland from here to Qingzhou that could intercept them, and Khan had no way to do anything.

The news of the Left Xian Wang's assassination had been confirmed. Khan knew what he should do most. Once the entire grassland knew about this news, they would all cast suspicious glances at him or the Right Xian Wang. And those children under the Left Xian Wang's command had definitely begun to clamor for revenge for the Xian Wang.

In order to stabilize the Royal Court's position, Khan Su Bi Da should immediately return, give the Left Xian Wang's side an explanation. The longer he was away, the greater the Left Xian Wang's camp would suspect him.

Khan Su Bi Da naturally wasn't afraid of retaliation from the Left Xian Wang's troops, but if he wanted to become the true ruler of the grassland, he had to prevent bloody infighting from happening. He believed Princess Songzhi's words that building a nation on the grassland definitely couldn't succeed by relying solely on iron-blooded slaughter.

But... he was unwilling... The steed under Khan's seat slowed down, and he looked at the group of wild horses in the distance that were gradually drifting away and seemed never to feel tired. He sighed deeply in his heart, extremely unwilling.

All the Royal Court cavalry stopped, casting their gazes on the great Khan, not knowing what to do next, whether to continue this futile pursuit or return. They all knew that there seemed to be some chaos on the grassland, but if they just went back like this, watching the Qing people swagger and show off on the grassland, they were really unwilling.

Khan Su Bi Da was of course unwilling, but as the master of the grassland, he sometimes had to suppress the anger in his heart, proceed from self-interest, and choose the most correct path. He waved his hand somewhat gloomily, signaling the Royal Court cavalry to turn their horses around, preparing to return to the Royal Court. At this moment, however, an extremely intense anger suddenly rose in his eyes!

Because when the Western Hu cavalry stopped their pursuit, the fleeing soldiers in the twilight ahead actually stopped as well, stopping on the shallow meadow, looking back as if they were waiting for them!

What kind of humiliation was this? Khan gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes, and after a long while, relaxed his facial expression, coldly saying, "Return."

……

……

"They're not falling for it." Jing Ge glanced at the Chief Officer, whose head was covered in sand, and said, "It looks like they won't be chasing us anymore."

Fan Xian spat out the sand in his mouth, frowned, but his mood relaxed somewhat. The current situation seemed easy for these fleeing soldiers, but only those who were being chased could feel the terror of the Hu cavalry.

These elite cavalry of the Western Hu Royal Court really gave the Black Riders great pressure. Judging from their speed alone, these Western Hu cavalry were indeed the strongest force in the world, far stronger than the cavalry of the Great Wei back then. The Black Riders seemed to be escaping with ease, but in reality, they were already in a sorry state. If the Royal Court cavalry could persist for two more days, and the medicinal effects on the Black Rider's steeds gradually weakened, Fan Xian would probably be in deep trouble.

The reason why Fan Xian hadn't let the Black Riders gallop wildly all along was to put on a confident appearance,打击 (dǎjī - strike) the confidence of the Khan's Royal Court cavalry. It seemed that this plan had worked, and Fan Xian knew that a person with great ambitions like the Western Hu Khan wouldn't be blinded by anger, only caring about chasing himself and ignoring the chaos at the Royal Court, the grassland riot that the Left Xian Wang might trigger.

Several miles behind, the Royal Court cavalry gradually reformed their ranks and retreated. Khan Su Bi Da fell to the back, and the light armor on his body, illuminated by the setting sun, reflected a faint light, still looking as cold as ever.

Fan Xian spat, spitting out the last bit of sand in his mouth, and said, "I must have left him with a very deep impression this time. In the future, when we fight on the grassland again, he definitely won't dare to fight recklessly."

"It's good to scare them off." Jing Ge glanced at him and said, "But the Young Master has been setting up an ambush at Red Mouth Pass for more than ten days, but he didn't get to see the Khan's arrival. I'm afraid he'll be a little disappointed."

"Please, this guy is the master of the grassland." Fan Xian narrowed his eyes, looked at the figure of the Khan standing alone on his horse on the distant meadow, and grinned, "It's not that easy for me to screw him over."

……

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(Someone suggested to just push down Hai Tang here, and then take her home, and solve half of the Western Hu's problems... However... that doesn't seem very good, does it? The one thousand iron riders that the Khanate of Kal'Na can influence are still on the grassland. Fan Xian can't possibly take them back to Qing, and most importantly, if Fan Xian really dares to force himself on her, I'm afraid he'll be hacked by Hai Tang with a knife for the rest of his life. Being hacked by a top expert every day is a truly terrifying life. Actually, to put it bluntly, if she doesn't want to, Fan Xian won't do it. Basic respect must be given.)

(Continuing to reach out to everyone for monthly votes, because I'm getting closer and closer, I feel... very exciting and very excited yeah.)