Explosive Cavalry

Zhen Jin wasn't in a hurry to find Zi Di. With Cang Xu following behind him, the two of them arrived at the camp together.

Many people were lying inside.

These were all injured individuals who had recently taken the potion and were weak and powerless.

All of them needed comfort.

"My lord."

"Greetings, my lord."

Seeing the arrival of the Temple Knight Zhen Jin, the injured struggled, wanting to stand up and salute.

"Just lie down," Zhen Jin extended his palm, making a downward pressing motion.

"Don't worry, everyone. The Empire's banner is still flying, and the gods of the Temple are watching over you and me."

"This little setback is nothing. As long as you haven't lost your lives, anything is possible."

"Follow me, and I will lead you out of the Sea Island and gain glory!"

After offering some encouragement, Zhen Jin and Cang Xu walked out of the tent.

"As long as my lord is here, the morale here won't collapse. You are the pillar in our hearts!" Cang Xu sighed.

Zhen Jin smiled.

Cang Xu's words were heartfelt, not pure flattery.

Zhen Jin indeed had such an effect.

This was a leader, one of the influences of a strong person.

"Of course, more importantly, it's my identity as a Temple Knight," Zhen Jin knew clearly.

In the hearts of the Empire's citizens, the status of a Temple Knight had always been quite lofty.

Leaving the camp, Zhen Jin took Cang Xu to a nearby hillside.

Here, a very simple thatched hut had been temporarily built.

Around the thatched hut, a fence had also been erected. Inside the fence, several Bonehorn Goats were being kept.

These goats were all former leaders of the flock, possessing Bronze-level life aura.

During the Exploration Team members' weak period after taking the medicine, these few goats would be kept isolated here.

The one responsible for taking care of the goats was none other than Bai Ya.

Because this young man didn't eat goat meat, he wasn't eroded by the chaotic magic, avoiding a disaster. He thus gained a nickname - Lucky Kid.

Lucky Kid Bai Ya had been extremely busy these past few days. Not only did he have to take care of these few goats, but he also had to run around for the injured. Many people received his care and were indebted to him, which made him very popular. Among them, Huang Zao had previously misunderstood Bai Ya, but after receiving Bai Ya's care, Huang Zao voluntarily offered to teach Bai Ya the Battle Qi Formula.

Noticing the arrival of Zhen Jin and Cang Xu, he quickly opened the gate and respectfully welcomed the two in.

"My lord, I'm sorry, I failed to live up to your expectations of me. I, I didn't manage to..." Bai Ya looked ashamed.

Zhen Jin patted the young man's shoulder and comforted him, "It's alright, I know you've worked very hard."

Although Zhen Jin was younger than Bai Ya by age, when Bai Ya heard this, the tension and worry on his face immediately dissipated a lot, and his feeling of shame turned into gratitude towards Zhen Jin.

"Thank you, my lord, you are so magnanimous!" Bai Ya said.

Zhen Jin waved his hand, signaling Bai Ya to withdraw.

He had previously given Bai Ya an order to train these Head Goats, intending to domesticate them as mounts.

If this plan succeeded, it would be of great help to Zhen Jin now and in the future.

Zhen Jin had always been fixated on the idea of goat cavalry.

The reason he assigned this task to Bai Ya was, firstly, because he was lively and hadn't been eroded by magic, and secondly, because he was the son of a hunter and had dealt with wild beasts quite a bit.

But looking at the results now, Bai Ya was unable to domesticate these goats.

Zhen Jin wasn't exactly disappointed; his initial hope was very small. Usually, this kind of thing was done by beast tamers, or Druids could also do it. Expecting a hunter's son, and just an ordinary young man at that, Zhen Jin knew his idea was a bit unrealistic.

"My lord, I shall withdraw." Bai Ya retreated.

Soon, only Zhen Jin and Cang Xu remained in the enclosure.

Only then did Zhen Jin speak, "Regarding the food shortage problem, I already have a solution. That is to mass-produce potions, have the goats take them, and make them vomit out the magic in their bodies, purifying all the mutton."

Upon hearing this, Cang Xu hesitated for a moment before carefully choosing his words, "My lord, I'm afraid this method won't work. We can clear the magic from our bodies because we were merely eroded. However, these goats are the source of the magic itself; this magic is a part of their lives, like limbs or internal organs."

"If we force the flock to drink the potion, although a large amount of the magic in their bodies will be expelled, there will always be some residue that cannot be completely removed. At the same time, these flocks will suffer severe damage, far more profound than ours, and instant death is the most likely outcome."

Zhen Jin laughed heartily and looked deeply at Cang Xu, "These goats are actually the same as us, they are all victims. The true source of the magic is not them, but the seemingly ordinary green grass growing nearby."

Zhen Jin's frankness stunned Cang Xu on the spot.

The old scholar looked at Zhen Jin, their eyes meeting in mid-air. The old scholar blinked, and a sudden realization dawned on him, understanding the meaning behind Zhen Jin's words.

Zhen Jin continued, "Didn't Mr. Cang Xu notice this secret?"

Cang Xu's heart trembled slightly. Zhen Jin's continuous pressure gave him a misconception, as if he were facing a sharp swordsman with an endless offensive.

A hint of hesitation flashed across the old scholar's face, and his eyes flickered as he replied, "It is I who am dull and did not notice this secret."

Zhen Jin stared at Cang Xu for a while, and seeing that the latter had no further reaction, a feeling of disappointment arose in his heart.

Zhen Jin let out a faint "hmm," slowly turned around, and walked towards the gate.

Cang Xu followed closely behind.

Just as Zhen Jin was about to open the gate, Cang Xu behind him suddenly said, "Lord Zhen Jin, your honesty and foresight are truly admirable. You possess the foresight of an excellent superior. Although currently in a difficult situation, you are still attempting to form cavalry. Indeed, cavalry is very useful, capable of both offense and defense. Having an excellent cavalry force in hand often allows one to seize the initiative. However, in my opinion, these goats are not your best choice; you have a better option."

"Oh?" Zhen Jin placed one hand on the gate, slowly turned around, and looked back at Cang Xu, "Then let me hear Mr. Cang Xu's insightful opinion."

"My lord, although these goats have a high life level, they are not natural products themselves and harbor huge hidden dangers."

"They cannot coordinate their magic, and even if cavalry is formed, the upper limit is very low."

"Furthermore, when my lord takes charge of White Sand City in the future, the terrain around White Sand City is flat, and in the direction leading into the Wilderness Continent, there are vast forests. There are no hilly landforms, which are not suitable for the performance of goat cavalry."

Cang Xu spoke eloquently.

Zhen Jin's face was expressionless, but he fully agreed with Cang Xu's words in his heart.

Zhen Jin was well aware of these shortcomings.

But the crucial point was, besides forming goat cavalry, what else could he form?

Zhen Jin was currently penniless. Although he was a dignified Temple Knight, even his subordinates had only recently been brought under his command.

Furthermore, whether these people would be willing to continue following Zhen Jin once they left this Sea Island was still up in the air.

Cang Xu suddenly asked, "I wonder how much my lord knows about Explosive Hoof Warhorses?"

"Sounds a bit familiar." Zhen Jin furrowed his brow slightly, thought for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Duke Hengle?"

In his youth, Duke Hengle was a notorious profligate. His parents died early, and he was deeply pampered by his grandparents, indulging in pleasure and lacking in strength. However, when the eastern nobles rebelled, his grandparents were ambushed and died on the battlefield.

Hengle thus rose to power and became the clan leader. Before he could even react, the allied forces of the nobles swept in with great momentum, attacking.

Hengle didn't even have time to grieve. Supported by the family knights, he took on the role of commander and led the army to resist the allied forces.

In the battle between the two armies, the Hengle family knights fought bravely to defend their homeland, killing enemies, but they were willing yet powerless, being pushed into a disadvantage and falling into a difficult situation.

Seeing that the overall situation was about to collapse, the timid Hengle decided to secretly escape to save his life.

But in his panic, he didn't clearly identify the horse and mistakenly mounted an Explosive Hoof Warhorse.

Explosive Hoof Warhorses have impulsive and explosive, even crazy, temperaments. Once provoked, they will fight back desperately, regardless of whether they lose their lives.

As Hengle galloped away, a stray arrow accidentally hit the mount's rear.

The Explosive Hoof Warhorse was instantly enraged. Ignoring Hengle's shouts and tugging on the reins, it turned and charged towards the brutal battlefield where the armies were entangled in a desperate struggle.

The family army, which had originally low morale, suddenly saw their contemporary Duke Hengle's "single-man charge." They were immediately infected by his spirit, roaring in anger, their morale soaring, and launched a fierce counterattack without regard for their lives.

Caught off guard, the allied army's formation was broken, and they became the defeated side.

By a strange twist of fate, Hengle won a crucial victory and preserved his family's territory. This story about him was revealed by himself six years later while drunk, and thus spread widely throughout the world, becoming known to all.

Cang Xu nodded, "Precisely the kind of horse Duke Hengle rode back then. I know a method to cultivate Explosive Cavalry."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Jin couldn't help but show a hint of shock: "Are you sure?"

Explosive Hoof Warhorses have wild temperaments and easily fall into anger. With even a slight provocation, they will attack madly, fighting to the death.

But besides that, Explosive Hoof Warhorses themselves are very robust. They are very tall, with their heads exceeding most warhorses by about a meter. Their hooves are thicker and harder than most warhorses, like steel.

They have strong explosive power. Once they start running, they can reach their fastest speed in just a few breaths.

Not only for short distances, but they also possess considerable endurance for long-distance raids.

Zhen Jin himself was a Temple Knight. Although his memory was incomplete, he possessed common sense and deeply understood how important a good mount was to a knight and how much it could increase their combat power.

The height of an Explosive Hoof Warhorse allowed a knight to fight from a commanding position. On the battlefield, even a slight advantage could mean the difference between life and death. The height advantage provided by an Explosive Hoof Warhorse was more than just a slight one.

The hooves of an Explosive Hoof Warhorse were also very powerful weapons. Excellent cavalry could make their warhorses rear up and use their front hooves to kick enemies. One kick from an Explosive Hoof Warhorse could pierce a normal iron shield!

Not to mention the terrifying impact force brought by the bulging muscles all over the Explosive Hoof Warhorse's body.

Such excellent qualities led many nobles or faction leaders to attempt to form Explosive Cavalry.

However, the performance of this cavalry on the battlefield had always been very poor.

Because the cavalry had no way to control these Explosive Hoof Warhorses. Especially when these warhorses were provoked, they would disregard how the cavalry tried to restrain them and charge desperately towards their enemies.

Explosive Cavalry were too easy to manipulate.

A little enticement and provocation would make the cavalry charge forward, entering the range of the mages.

Under the bombardment of magic, the Explosive Hoof Warhorses, carrying the cavalry, would actively rush to their deaths, completely fearless.

If they encountered a slightly cunning enemy leader, this cavalry unit would be even more easily manipulated, charging into their own lines and becoming pawns in the enemy's hands.

Explosive Hoof Warhorses had many advantages, but they had one huge flaw that gradually turned the Explosive Cavalry into a laughingstock.

But now, Cang Xu was suggesting to Zhen Jin that they form an Explosive Cavalry unit.

Zhen Jin stared at Cang Xu with sharp eyes. Although they hadn't known each other for long, he didn't believe Cang Xu was someone who didn't know his limits.

As expected, Cang Xu immediately added, "I have a way to allow the cavalry to basically control the volatile Explosive Hoof Warhorses."

"The reason Explosive Hoof Warhorses couldn't form cavalry was because of their explosive temperament. But with this method, this flaw can be compensated for."

"It's just that the Battle Qi Formula is still in its initial stages, not yet mature, let alone perfected."

"If you don't mind, I am willing to present it to you with both hands."

Zhen Jin withdrew his gaze and nodded, "Mr. Cang Xu, I will remember this contribution of yours."

The relationship between cavalry and their mounts was not just a simple riding relationship.

Besides spending time together day and night, training together, and building rapport, cavalry would also use Battle Qi and infuse it into their mounts.

The Battle Qi would circulate and flow within the mount's body, making the mount move faster, defend stronger, recover quicker, have greater strength, and so on.

When the cavalry charged, the activated Battle Qi would connect the cavalry and the mount more closely, forming a single entity.

According to Cang Xu, he possessed a newly created Battle Qi Formula. Using this Battle Qi, the cavalry could effectively control the Explosive Hoof Warhorses and prevent them from easily going mad.

The value of this Battle Qi Formula was, of course, very high.

Cang Xu continued, "Lord Zhen Jin, although these goats have strong life force, they are still monsters after all. They cannot independently coordinate their magic to make the magic within their bodies balanced and stable. This means that the cavalry cannot infuse Battle Qi into the goats' bodies. Even if they form cavalry, they won't have much potential, and there are significant hidden dangers."

"It would be better to use potions to clear the chaotic magic within their bodies, then slaughter them directly to obtain a large amount of food, thereby solving the current problem."

Although the processed mutton might still contain residual magic and pose a risk.

Given the current situation, what else could the entire Exploration Team hope for?

PS: Recommending a good book - "Top Tier Providence, Secretly Cultivate for a Thousand Years". The mechanical setting is novel, and the atmosphere is relaxed and happy.

Han Xiao, a veteran power leveler in "Star Sea", was thrown into the transmigration army by a mysterious force from the East (author). Carrying a player panel, he became an NPC and returned to before the public beta of "Star Sea", resolutely choosing the most difficult Mechanical class.

Warships lined up across the star sea, star mecha soared like dragons, psionic cannons destroyed the heavens and earth, and there was an endless mechanical army, quietly waiting in his portable warehouse.

One person is an army!