The next day,
the weather was fair and sunny.
Jiang Hao was dressed neatly, and even Queen Dina wore fitted riding clothes. With a fifty-man escort, they rode out of Kuqa City.
Two Grey Eagles soared through the sky. These two Golden Eagles had been tamed by Jiang Hao in this world. They were not simply coming along for fun; the two Grey Eagles were also responsible for scouting and keeping watch. Hawkeye could see an enormous distance, and if any large force approached, the two eagles would sound the alarm at once. That was why Jiang Hao dared to venture out with only fifty guards.
It was now May, the finest season in the Western Regions, when spring flowers bloomed and water and grass were abundant. The group arrived at the horse ranch and looked out from a hillside. Rivers and canals wound through the land, horses grazed on the riverbank, and waterfowl occasionally flew overhead. Everything before them brimmed with life.
Just then, a squad of riders thundered toward them. Though there were only a dozen or so, they charged with tremendous momentum. Jiang Hao chuckled and said to Dina beside him, "It's Su Mu, Pang Xiong, Cheng Yong, and the others."
These fellows were all commanders under Jiang Hao: Su Mu, Pang Xiong, Cheng Yong, Niu Kaishan, Ke Ji, Du Bin, Luo Weina, Samoyed, General Hachi, Asga, Kelim, Qina, Ulhai. All right, the Paw Patrol had assembled.
"Greetings, my lord!"
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The dozen or so riders halted before Jiang Hao and clasped their fists in salute from horseback. Men of the grasslands and desert were not as particular about etiquette as those in Zhongyuan, and Jiang Hao himself had required them to salute on horseback. He did not like turning excessive formalities into shackles.
"Everyone's