Woniugu Valley.
The battle cries shook the heavens.
"Loose arrows! Send down the rolling stones!"
Bayan Timur stood on the hillside, excitedly waving the curved saber in his hand and shouting himself hoarse.
Countless arrows poured down from the hillsides on either side like dark clouds, blanketing the entire valley floor.
Massive rolling stones and flaming logs whistled through the air, crashing fiercely toward the black cavalry charging below.
This was a death trap they had prepared with meticulous care.
Under such a dense, multi-layered assault, any army would be torn to pieces.
But the scene that unfolded next froze the smiles on every Oirat soldier's face.
Facing the arrow storm blotting out the sky, the Great Snow Dragon Riders didn't even try to dodge.
They simply raised their arms in silence, shielding their horses' eyes.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
A dense clatter of metal rang out.
The sharp arrows, powerful enough to pierce leather armor, struck their pitch-black armor and did nothing but throw off a shower of sparks. They didn't leave behind so much as a white mark.
As for the mighty rolling stones and flaming logs...
"Boom!"
A boulder the size of a millstone hurtled down with tremendous force and smashed into the charging formation of the Great Snow Dragon Riders.
The imagined scene of horses and riders tumbling in disarray never came.
The knight at the front merely swayed a little. The Wuzhui Horse beneath him let out an annoyed snort, and then... nothing more happened.
The boulder shattered like an egg dropped onto steel, breaking apart into countless small stones.
The knight and the horse beneath him were completely unharmed!
"H-how is this possible?!"
The smile on Bayan Timur's face froze completely.
The Oirat generals around him stared as though they'd seen ghosts, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.
"Are they... men or ghosts?"
"Eternal Heaven! What are their suits of armor made of?"
"Demons! They're an army of demons!"
Panic began to spread through the Oirat ranks.
The ambush they had prided themselves on was, before their enemy, nothing more than a ridiculous children's game.
"Hold your ground! All of you, hold your ground!" Yesen dragged his battered body to the front and cut down a Commander of a Thousand who was retreating.
"They only have three thousand men! We have fifty thousand!"
"Bury them under our dead! I don't care how many lives it takes—bury them here!"
Yesen's brutality steadied the Military Morale, at least for the moment.
More Oirat cavalrymen, eyes bloodshot, charged down the gentle slopes on both sides of the valley, hoping to swamp the Black Army with their superior numbers.
On the valley floor, Zhu Zhanjun looked at the enemies surging in from every direction and let a playful smile appear on his face.
"Finally decided to come down and die?"
He glanced at the distance. They had entered the ideal range.
"All right. Warm-up's over."
He slowly raised the Horse Spear in his hand. His voice wasn't loud, but every Great Snow Dragon Rider heard it clearly.
"Whole army, heed my command!"
"Whole army, halt! Form ranks where you stand!"
Zhu Zhanjun's icy command carried through the wind and snow.
The three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders stopped in perfect unison, without the slightest hesitation.
Their hooves carved a vast arc through the thick snow as they silently moved to encircle the rear of the valley.
"Your Highness, are we really going to fight?"
The Commander of a Hundred beside him lowered his voice.
"That's fifty thousand men. Even if they're a bunch of stragglers, there are still..."
"Stragglers?"
The corner of Zhu Zhanjun's mouth curled into a cruel smile.
"In my eyes, they don't even qualify as stragglers. They're just a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered."
He raised his hand and pointed to the dense cluster of red dots on the 3D map only he could see.
"They think they're the hunters, hiding in a trap and waiting for us rabbits to hop right in."
"Too bad for them, they don't know we're no rabbits. We're tyrannosaurs with God's-eye view."
"Relay my order. Send scouts a hundred li ahead and seal off every possible escape route."
"Today, I'm going to bury Yesen and his fifty thousand troops right here, in neat rows!"
The Commander of a Hundred's heart leapt. From his prince's tone, he heard absolute confidence that brooked no doubt—and a murderous intent that chilled him to the bone.
He asked no more questions and immediately passed on the order.
Meanwhile, in the narrow valley, Yesen paced back and forth, restless and uneasy.
The wind and snow were growing fiercer, cutting across his face like blades.
"Grand Preceptor, it's almost dark. Why hasn't that Ming army come yet?"
A Commander of Ten Thousand approached, worry written all over his face.
"Could our movements have been exposed?"
"Impossible!"
Yesen flatly denied it, pointing to the steep cliffs on either side.
"This is the only route they can take to return and reinforce the army. Unless they can grow wings and fly over!"
"The messages from Prince Han and Prince Zhao were accurate down to the hour. There can't be a mistake!"
"But... Grand Preceptor, I can't shake the feeling that something's wrong."
Another Commander of a Thousand rubbed his hands, stiff from the cold. His voice trembled.
"Last time... last time we were just as confident, and then..."
"Silence!"
Yesen spun around, glaring at him with a savage look.
Before you continue