That night, a mass of dark cavalry appeared on the wasteland east of Jinling Ferry.
The air on that early spring night was damp. The spring wind howled past, and in just a couple of days, the snow and ice stretching for thousands of miles would melt into spring mud.
Yet although the moonlight was dim, clouds of dust rolled across the wasteland, surging straight into the sky.
Nearly five thousand cavalry galloped beneath the moon, terrifying as a surging tide.
But they were only the vanguard of the seventy thousand barbarian troops led by Deputy Marshal Mu Wentian.
The army had marched through the night, hoping to catch the defenders before Jinling Ferry off guard.
Meanwhile, the thirty thousand troops led by the Senior General of the Cavalry had switched from the East Sea to large riverboats and were heading up the Qinhuai River to attack Jinling Ferry.
Just as Wang Xian had predicted, the barbarian army swept through every pass and stronghold, splitting into two forces as they advanced on the imperial capital of Jinling.
On the wasteland ten miles from Mount Sumeru Stone, Qin Yu and his men watched in silence.
After a sleepless night, Qin Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking weary.
He carefully reviewed the preparations along the riverbank. Only after convincing himself that nothing had been overlooked did he say to one of his deputy generals, "I hope this battle goes smoothly."
The deputy general replied respectfully, "With Your Highness commanding, the men have done all they can... It's just that the barbarians are so numerous. How long can we hold them off?"
"We don't need to hold them off. We just need to make them chase us," Qin Yu said.
The deputy general considered this, then continued, "Your servant will stand