The sun was setting in the west, and the two riders were riding slowly on a flat sandy land commonly known as Longan. Thirty miles to the south was Hutou City, the most majestic city in Beiliang's border. There were thirty thousand elite soldiers, three thousand heavy cavalry, six thousand light cavalry, and more than twenty thousand infantry inside and outside the city. Even if the people in the city were not listed as soldiers, as long as they were in the prime of their lives, they could put on armor and fight on horseback in a hurry. Behind Hutou City was the newly established Huaiyang Pass of the Protectorate of Northern Liang. To the left and right of Huaiyang Pass were the two great pass cities of Liuya and Tiefuling, both of which had more than ten thousand soldiers. Unlike Hutou City, which had an absolute advantage in terms of infantry, Liuya and Tiefuling were almost entirely composed of cavalrymen in light armor. Clearly, they were different from Hutou City, which was mainly used to stop the Northern Mang's army from advancing south. These two border cities, which were slightly inferior in scale, were more responsible for taking the initiative to attack. Behind the first line of defense was the second line of defense, with Jinyuan, Qinghe, and Grave as the fulcrum, and Xuancan and Shenwu as the flanks in the north of Liangzhou, followed by the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, which was stationed at the border of Liangzhou all year round, and the two deputy commanders of infantry and cavalry, Chen Yunchui and He Zhonghu's army. Coupled with the crisscrossing watchtowers of Wubao Castle, there was no doubt that the northern border of Liangzhou was the most difficult battlefield in Beiliang. Generally speaking, Beimang was the least likely to attack the heavily guarded northern line of Liangzhou. If the northern barbarians really wanted to open their mouths and take over this place, it would not be as simple as breaking teeth and swallowing blood. Compared to Northern Liang's Liangzhou's Northern Line, Youzhou's side was mostly infantrymen. That was why Infantry Great Commander Yan Wenluan's tent was also located there. Regardless of whether it was the terrain of Youzhou's Northern Line or the distribution of troops, it all decided that Youzhou would be a typical offensive and defensive battle between the nomads of the north and the farmers of the Central Plains, one side attacking, one side defending. It wasn't like Northern Liang's Northern Line where they relied on Xu Family's armored cavalry to fight Northern Mang's cavalry on horseback. Originally, the Dragon Elephant Cavalry was stationed in the middle of Liangzhou and Liangzhou, so they could support both sides at any time and even roam around looking for opportunities. However, with the establishment of the fourth province, Liuzhou, and the thirty thousand Long Xiang Army stationed there, a crack appeared in the close relationship between Liangzhou and Liangzhou.
The number one city in the northwest of the Liyang Dynasty wasn't the provincial capital of the Northern Liang, Liangling, and Nether Provinces, but rather this Tigerhead City that appeared out of nowhere and looked down on Northern Mang!
On the border of Liangzhou, there were some passes like Tuma Pass for merchants to enter and leave Liang Mang, but to the north of Liangzhou, there was none!
This place was destined to be filled with smoke signals and a hundred battles, but never the sound of the camel bells of the caravans.
Although there were only two riders, one of them was dragging a wretched woman whose hands were tied up. She was covered in dust, her lips were dry and cracked, and the pair of delicate embroidered shoes on her feet, which looked like those of a graceful girl from Jiangnan, were also in tatters, revealing her bloody toes. Her body was on the verge of collapse, but she was still holding on. When she was able to raise her head and look into the distance towards Tigerhead City that was rumored to be most fond of displaying the heads of Northern Mang captives, because of this untimely pause, she was dragged to the ground by the warhorse. That horseman didn't turn around. She struggled with all her might to get up, or else she would be dragged towards Tigerhead City like this. However, she was already too exhausted to stand up, only able to turn around. A wave of scorching pain came from her back as she slid across the gravel. This type of pain didn't come from how great the pain was in an instant, but rather from the endless, bit by bit accumulation.
That Beimang rider who was following orders couldn't help but turn his head to shoot a glance. This woman who was sitting high up in the clouds fell off the altar just like that, and in the end was dragged forward by him and his mount like a dog.
He turned his head to look at the rider in front of him. He didn't know why this person didn't kill him, and he also didn't know why he didn't kill her.
In the distance, there was a commotion. A group of several hundred riders with a majestic aura shook the earth as they approached.
His heart contracted violently. This was the first time in his life that he had seen such a large number of Beiliang cavalry. He also quickly discovered that the Beiliang cavalry was different from the Liu cavalry he used to be in. The Liu cavalry was undoubtedly brave and ruthless when they broke through enemy lines and killed the enemy. After he joined the army, he was also like this. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become one of General Liu Gui's personal guards. However, the feeling these Northern Liang Cavalry gave him was even more frightening. Previously, when he fought with the crossbowmen, it wasn't that obvious. He only felt that those well-known Northern Liang crossbowmen's strength was indeed astonishing. However, when their numbers exceeded three hundred, it gave him an extremely strange feeling, as if these three to four hundred cavalry were a single entity. When they urged their horses and brandished their whips, it was filled with a type of forbearance and restraint that would make all of the Northern Mang's brave warriors feel extremely uncomfortable. The Hutou City garrison in front of him even had the same degree of movement every time their bodies rose and fell along with the backs of their horses.
He had only heard that the two large groups of heavy cavalry that had been raised with countless amounts of gold and silver could truly advance side by side when they were completely spread out in formation to charge in a single line.
These 400 riders dismounted almost at the same time. The leading middle-aged rider knelt on one knee. He lowered his head and cupped his fists. "General Liu Jinu pays his respects to the Prince!"
Then the 400 riders said in unison, "Respects to the Prince!"
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Rise, all of you. This time, I've troubled General Liu to come out of the city to welcome me."
The young captive behind Hsu Fengnian who could still ride a horse and put on armor was stunned for a moment. He couldn't quite wrap his head around it. However, when he saw General Liu, who was wearing armor and carrying a crossbow and looked exactly like the rider behind him, stand up, he seemed to be a cripple.
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