Outside Fengjing City, on the banks of the Hun River.
The autumn wind was bleak, whipping the many-colored banners spread across the mountains and plains into a loud flutter.
A vast, dense military formation covered the broad, flat plain along the riverbank. Blades and spears stood like a forest, their cold gleams flashing.
The Tangzi Festival had just ended. The emperor of Wuzhen Kingdom, Wuerhan, ascended the high platform built from rammed yellow earth, surrounded by the various kings and Beiles, civil and military officials, and the princes of the Manggu tribes.
Below the platform stood nearly a hundred thousand carefully selected, murderous allied troops from the various tribes.
Wuerhan wore bright yellow gold armor, symbolizing the authority of both emperor and Khan King. Standing at the edge of the high platform, he looked down over the endless ranks of soldiers and horses, a surge of heroic pride rising naturally in his chest.
This southern expedition against Great Jing was the first large-scale military campaign he had launched since inheriting the Khan's throne and formally ascending the throne as emperor.
If he could win a great victory, seize enough wealth and people within the Pass, or even capture several fortified cities in one fell swoop and display the unsurpassed might of his Wuzhen warriors, then his authority would become even more secure.
The various Manggu tribes that had begun stirring restlessly after the late Khan's death would surely settle down completely as well.
For this reason, he had specially appointed his younger brother, Nartai, the Banner Lord of the Snow Python Banner, who was in his prime and renowned for his ferocity and valor, as commander-in-chief of the southern expedition.
In terms of marching, battlefield formations, and command in the thick of combat, Wuerhan believed he was a cut above