The first line of defense that would determine whether the Shenzhou Kingdom could withstand the coming calamity-he and Division Chief Gongsun Qianxun had been entrusted with this grave task by Guo Dundun and Marshal Jiang, coming together to this deadly, unfamiliar place to face the Cangling Army's elite troops.
Zhang Xiaobai drew a deep breath, a sense of powerlessness rising in his heart.
Were they really going to be defeated here today?
His gaze fell on Gongsun Qianxun's graceful figure. He wanted to say something, but his throat caught.
"Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry?" Gongsun Qianxun's voice was calm. "Never mind the Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry—even if a mountain stood in my way, I would move it today!"
The vast, azure desert stretched endlessly beneath the sky, as expansive as a man's heart. Row upon row of sand waves lay like a sea of gold. Units of Burenjia troops were being deployed in orderly ranks, their footsteps resounding powerfully over the grass.
Through the narrow slits in their helmets, the infantry in the foremost rank could already see the Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry corps slowly approaching.
This was the Self-Defense Army's first head-on battle against the Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry.
Although the enemy numbered only two thousand, the strength of those two thousand Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry soldiers could not be underestimated. The soldiers in the first rank drew deep breaths. As the Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry corps approached, they seemed to feel the ground beneath their feet beginning to tremble.
Their breathing grew heavy as well.
Suddenly, the Self-Defense Army's war drums grew louder and far more rapid. The earthshaking sound rolled like thunder, instantly scattering the fear in their hearts.
"Staff Officer Zhang! The Heavy-Armored Iron Cavalry are taking the left flank!" A scout delivered the latest intelligence, though Zhang Xiaobai could already see their