Northern Mang Approaches the Border

## Chapter Nineteen

Inside the central army tent, the atmosphere was as heavy as cast iron.

All officers above Squad Leader from the Vanguard Camp stood solemnly on either side, their gazes fixed on Captain Zhou Han, who occupied the main seat. Even this general, usually as steady as a mountain, was shrouded in an unshakeable gloom.

"I've just received an urgent military report, rushed here from eight hundred li away," Zhou Han's voice was low, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. "The Northern Mang Royal Court has officially declared war on our Great Yan. Their main force of three hundred thousand, known as the 'Azure Wolf Cavalry,' led by the Northern Mang Khan's own brother, the 'Blood Wolf King' Wuzhuchi, is dividing into three routes and charging directly towards our Northern Frontier defense line!"

A wave of suppressed gasps echoed through the tent. Three hundred thousand Azure Wolf Cavalry! The Blood Wolf King Wuzhuchi! Those were the true elites of Northern Mang, a fearsome reputation that could stop a child's cries in the night!

"Our position here," Zhou Han's finger stabbed heavily onto the Northern Frontier map behind him, landing precisely on their current location, "is the path of one of those routes, a necessary passage for eighty thousand elites! It's also the first breakthrough point they've chosen!"

"Eighty thousand..." a Squad Leader of considerable seniority said with a dry throat, "Captain, our Vanguard Camp is only at full strength of five thousand. Adding the main camp and other auxiliary soldiers, we barely reach over twenty thousand... This..."

The disparity in forces was nearly fourfold! And their enemy was the most elite Azure Wolf Cavalry of Northern Mang!

"Are you scared?" Zhou Han's gaze was like lightning as he swept over everyone. "Fear is useless! Behind us lies our homes; there is nowhere to retreat! The higher-ups have strictly ordered that we must hold this position for at least ten days to buy time for the rear defenses!"

Ten days! Using twenty thousand miscellaneous troops to resist eighty thousand elite cavalry for ten days? This was an almost impossible mission!

Everyone's faces turned incredibly grim.

"We can't defend," Zhou Han's tone shifted, carrying a desperate resolve. "We can only attack to defend! We will use our lives to buy them time!"

He slammed his hand on the table. "Vanguard Camp! Effective immediately, all rest is canceled! Break down into smaller units, with each squad acting as a sharp knife. You will harass the Northern Mang vanguard forces day and night without stopping! Burn their provisions, cut off their water sources, kill their scouts! Make them pay a bloody price for every step forward they take!"

"Use your lives to delay them! To wear them down! Until the last drop of blood is shed!"

The tent fell into a deathly silence. This was a suicide mission! Using five thousand men to harass an army of eighty thousand was no different from moths flying into a flame.

"Your subordinate... accepts the order!" After a brief silence, Squad Leader Zhao was the first to cup his fist, his voice hoarse but firm.

"Your subordinate accepts the order!"

"I accept the order!"

One by one, the officers declared their assent, their faces etched with tragic resolve.

Chen Qing stood in the ranks, feeling the tragic and murderous atmosphere pervading the tent, yet his heart was exceptionally calm, even harboring a hint of... excitement.

Eighty thousand elites! This meant a massive amount of vital energy, a massive amount of malevolent energy! For him, this was not a desperate situation, but an unprecedented... gluttonous feast!

Zhou Han's gaze finally fell on Chen Qing. "Squad Leader Chen."

"Your subordinate is here."

"Your squad is the new blood, and also the sharpest blade in our camp," Zhou Han stared at him, speaking each word deliberately. "What I want you to do is not harassment, but to pierce through! Find an opportunity, like a nail, and hammer yourself deep into the Northern Mang vanguard formation, to turn it upside down! Do you dare?"

To pierce through the enemy vanguard? This was a hundred times more dangerous than simple harassment! It was almost certain death!

All eyes focused on Chen Qing.

Chen Qing raised his head, his eyes calm and unfathomable, only the faint dark red glinting deep within.

"Your subordinate accepts the order."

No grand pronouncements, just three simple words, yet they carried a chilling coldness and confidence that made one's heart palpitate.

Zhou Han gave him a deep look. "Good! All necessary supplies will be provided! I will give you maximum autonomy! Remember, your mission is not to fight to the death, but to create chaos and demoralize the enemy! If the situation becomes untenable, withdraw immediately!"

"Yes!"

* * *

The military situation was urgent. After the orders were issued, the entire camp began to operate like a war machine that had been wound up, running at full speed.

Chen Qing returned to his squad and briefly explained the mission. Upon hearing the word "pierce through," even the seasoned veterans like Old Niu and Sun Quezi turned pale. But looking at Chen Qing's calm eyes, which held a terrifying power, not a single one raised any objection.

"Check your armor and weapons, carry three days of dry rations, and double the supply of arrows and bolts. Assemble at the west side of the camp in fifteen minutes," Chen Qing's orders were concise and powerful.

"Yes! Squad Leader!"

The soldiers responded with a roar and quickly set to work.

Chen Qing returned to his tent and packed all the remaining elixirs, including some ordinary wound medicines he had saved up. He then went to the quartermaster and requested a large amount of oil and specially made poison smoke bombs.

When he arrived at the assembly point, fifty soldiers were already in formation, fully armored. Though fear flickered in their eyes, it was overshadowed by a fierce desperation born from being pushed to the brink. They knew that this time, there was no turning back.

Chen Qing's gaze swept over them. There was no pre-battle mobilization, just a simple statement: "Follow me, kill the enemy, and survive."

With that, he turned and led the way out of the camp.

The small squad of fifty, like arrows loosed from a bow, plunged into the vast and dangerous wilderness of the Northern Frontier without hesitation, heading towards the approaching black tide of eighty thousand cavalry.

Half a day later, on a patch of withered yellow grassland.

Chen Qing crouched behind a dirt slope, his sharp gaze fixed on the distance. On the horizon, dust billowed like a yellow-brown dragon, slowly writhing its way forward. The muffled thunder of hooves, even from miles away, could be faintly heard, making one's heart pound.

The Northern Mang vanguard had arrived!

Judging by a rough estimate, the vanguard force consisted of about ten thousand men, all lightly armored and mounted on swift horses, moving rapidly. Wolf-head banners were interspersed within the ranks, fluttering in the wind.

"Squad Leader, there are... too many people..." Hei Wa, lying beside him, said with a trembling voice, his hand gripping his spear shaking slightly. Facing an army of tens of thousands, they, fifty men, were as insignificant as ants.

Chen Qing ignored his fear, merely sensing the vast malevolent energy that washed over them, a mixture of bloodlust, brutality, and the pungent smell of the grasslands. The Fierce Tiger Iron Body within him actually began to circulate slightly on its own, emitting a yearning tremor.

"Their marching speed is not fast; they seem to be waiting for the main force," Chen Qing observed for a moment and said in a low voice, "Old Niu, Sun Quezi."

"Here!"

"Here!"

"Each of you take ten men, split into two groups, and carry fire oil and poison smoke bombs. Circle around to their flank. When you see my signal, light the fire oil, throw the poison smoke, create chaos, and then immediately retreat to the east and west. We will rendezvous at the predetermined location."

"Yes!" The two men accepted the order, immediately gathered their men, and under the cover of the dry grass and terrain, silently split up and moved out.

Chen Qing, meanwhile, led the remaining thirty men, continuing to lie in wait, like a tiger before a hunt, patiently awaiting the optimal moment.

Time passed little by little, and the Northern Mang vanguard grew closer, so close they could clearly see the powerful builds and ferocious faces of the riders on their horses.

Pressure, as if it were tangible, settled upon everyone's hearts.

Chen Qing slowly drew the ring-pommel sword from his waist. The blade, under the dim twilight, emitted a cold, eerie glow. He licked his slightly chapped lips, and the faint crimson in his eyes burned like a ghostly flame.

The chaos he needed was about to be ignited by his own hand.

The hunt had begun.