The fierce wind whirled up bits of gravel and sand, making them roll and bounce on the ground. To the west of Yanmen Pass, on a slightly elevated sandy area, a few figures sat quietly on horseback, waiting solemnly for the impending arrival of the enemy.

"I must say, are you really planning to do this..."

Tiran's expression revealed his inner conflict as he lightly nudged his horse forward to join Xiang Ling at the front.

Xiang Ling's plan to deal with the steppe people was actually quite straightforward and brutal – to ambush them simultaneously as they attempted to circumvent Yanmen Pass with two separate forces. She had confidence in the army she led, knowing that even with numerical inferiority against seventy thousand steppe riders, defeat was not an option.

As for the thirty thousand here...

Tiran looked around, realizing there were only himself, Xiang Ling, Mo Yi, and Zhi Lan. Of course, Xiang Ling must have brought more people, but adding the additional scouts didn't make much of a difference.

Are we really going to stand alone at the gate? Or, if it's a lady, be a one-woman army?

Honestly, being a one-woman army wouldn't be enough. After all, facing thirty thousand cavalry on the open Gobi Desert, even though Tiran didn't know much about military matters, he knew how terrifying it could be when cavalry charged. A few times the infantry or enough heavy armor and shields couldn't possibly stop them.

Of course, theoretically, a Holy Rank powerhouse was definitely more than capable enough to be a one-man army. The gap between them and the world laws couldn't be bridged by numbers, but that was just theory. Defeating a general among thousands was easy without another Holy Rank on the other side, but stopping a whole army was a bit far-fetched.

Four against thirty thousand, an unequalled massacre?

— especially when it's fast-moving cavalry they have to intercept. Tiran felt that it would definitely be challenging if he were alone, but since Her Royal Highness had this idea, might as well see it through.

"General, we have found traces of the steppe people, directly north, and they are about to arrive."

A rider galloped over from the distance, the scout who was sent out earlier. It seemed like he had already encountered the steppe people and had battled them — there was a piece of broken arrow shaft on his shoulder, probably from a pursuit during retreat.

Even so, his expression showed no signs of pain, as he halted steadily in front of Xiang Ling to report with a salute.

"You've worked hard, well done." Xiang Ling nodded, her gaze pausing on his shoulder for a moment. "Immediately return, see a physician to treat your wounds."

The scout didn't linger and promptly left, while the distant thundering of horses began drawing closer.

...

Forward, the iron hooves of the steppe men will flatten anything in their path!

Such fervor grew even stronger within the army of the western steppe as they advanced. Of course, they truly had the confidence to match their zeal — thirty thousand steppe cavalry, all direct elite forces of the royal court. They believed that no one could stand in their way.

— The defenders of Yanmen Pass?

Thinking about the solitary army underneath the gate always dampened the excitement of every steppe rider.

Yes, for so many years, they had been held back by that majestic pass, even trying to bypass it resulted in heavy casualties due to the dense shield formations and the unbelievable heavy artillery from the rear ranks of the city's defenders. Over the years, the shifts of power within the steppe royal court were often tied to the severe blow to their morale after banging their heads on Yanmen Pass's defenses.

But with them, it would be different!

So thought the steppe king, surrounded by a team of elite riders, as he gazed fervently at the distant junction of the deep blue sky and the golden earth.

All his confidence stemmed from the intelligence he had recently acquired from a mysterious man, information regarding the Western Empire Chu.

The Yanmen Pass had always been an insurmountable barrier for the steppe people, and the vast empire beyond that formidable pass was even more of a mystery to them.

All they knew was that there was a country beyond the Yanmen Pass that could continuously send reinforcements, allowing the few lucky steppe people in history who managed to break through the pass to ultimately be driven back home.

But things were different now.

The man who called himself "Yuan" informed him that the Emperor of Xichu was critically ill, and his three capable heirs were preparing to vie for the throne, with the General Xiang Ling, the commander of the pass, being one of them.

Facing an attack from the steppe people at this moment, Xiang Ling was highly likely to be isolated and left without support due to the obstruction of his two elder brothers. If it was a normal invasion, it would have been manageable, but now, the steppe king had gathered nearly all tribes obedient to the steppe king's court, totaling a force of a hundred thousand cavalry. With such a massive invasion, even if the fifty thousand defenders had three heads and six arms, they could not possibly defend against both fronts.

The defenders were limited in number, and with those left to guard the fortress, even fewer would be able to fight outside the city. If the forces were divided, they might be broken through on both sides. Thus, the most likely scenario was to intercept one group and let the other pass.

Therefore, the steppe king chose to split his hundred thousand iron riders into two groups, gambling that the defenders would focus their efforts on stopping the other seventy thousand, while he led his tribe's thirty thousand riders to the western road. Even if the defenders at Yanmen Pass were remarkably powerful and managed to rout the seventy thousand cavalry, his tribe could still plunder the empire's interior and return to the steppe in grand style.

"Your Majesty, there is news of enemy movements."

As the steppe king was still fantasizing about a grand plunder in the Western Empire Chu, his personal guard approached to inform him.

"Hmm?"

Honestly, this news caught the steppe king somewhat off guard. Based on previous clashes with Yanmen Pass, their commanders were not foolish individuals. Why would they send troops to the western road at this critical moment?

Were they planning to abandon the seventy thousand forces in the east to focus solely on the core of his royal court in battle?

The steppe king felt a twinge of unease.

As the ruler of the steppe, he was still considered a king of sorts, with some level of vision. He had always been aware of the gap that existed between the steppe people and the empire, not only in terms of military strategy, tactics, and weaponry but also in overall strength. Hence, their initial goal had been mere looting, in simpler terms, a massive organized banditry.

However, the other side surely considered this a war. If they knew that this "king" was in the west, they would definitely do everything possible to eliminate him first – the people of Xichu followed the principle of capturing the leader before the underlings. The steppe king himself understood this.

Furthermore, thirty thousand soldiers were always easier to deal with than seventy thousand.

If the defenders at Yanmen Pass truly believed this, it would only indicate their lack of understanding of the steppe people. The steppe king was not just a king in the conventional sense; he was more like a wolf king. In a wolf pack, only the strongest wolf could become the alpha, yet if it died, another wolf would step up.

The other seventy thousand steppe riders would be like a storm sweeping across the northwest of the empire, and the outcome would still be unacceptable for Xichu. Similarly, for the steppe king himself, it would be utterly unacceptable.

From the very beginning of his deployment, he had meticulously planned for the other seventy thousand riders from different tribes to confront the defenders at Yanmen Pass, a fight that would leave both sides wounded and bloodied.

This way, his own tribe could plunder a vast amount of resources from the empire, and upon their return to the steppe, other tribes would also suffer losses. With this give and take, the rule of this generation's steppe king would be incredibly stable, ensuring that there would be no possible succession for the next five to ten years or even further into the future.

"Wang, Wang?"

The attendant beside the Grassland King called out twice when he received no response.

The Grassland King, finally reacting, maintained a cold expression as he asked, "How many and in which direction?"

"Well…" The attendant hesitated.

"Stop dawdling, speak up!"

"Just ahead of our march, we can already see them..."

Following the direction indicated by the attendant, the Grassland King indeed spotted a few small figures in the slightly elevated distance. If it weren't for the excellent vision of the grassland people, skilled in equestrian archery, these figures would have gone unnoticed.

"Four individuals? Scouts?"

This speculation was immediately refuted by the Grassland King himself. Scouts would have observed the enemy from a distance and then retreated. However, these individuals showed no intention of moving closer for reconnaissance or of retreating. Instead, they stayed still. Did they really intend to face head-on with three thousand cavalrymen armed only with four people?

At the thought of this, the Grassland King almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

However, his smile froze in place after just half a second.

As the grassland soldiers drew nearer, the movements of those few individuals became clearer.

Therefore, the Grassland King immediately saw the person at the forefront remove the long spear hanging from the saddle... No, it should be called a weapon known in Western Chu as a "long halberd," then raise it high.

The long halberd carried a fluttering crimson flag, waving in the wind like a flickering flame.

The grassland people had encountered this flag numerous times under Yanmen Pass and were quite familiar with it.

The war flag, the banner of the Jiangdong army.

"Is that person out of his mind?!!!"

The Grassland King now understood the intentions of the flagbearer.

Raising a flag in the midst of cavalrymen had only one purpose: to charge.

What a joke! They were only four people! Under normal circumstances, thirty thousand cavalrymen wouldn't even need to pay attention. A single round of shots from the front lines might take them down, rendering such a charge no different from tossing a small stone in the direction of a moving chariot. It wouldn't even raise a splash, let alone a wave.

…

Xiang Ling didn't know that the Grassland King already regarded her as a lunatic and a fool. In her eyes, there was no such person as the Grassland King. Whether the enemies ahead numbered thirty or thirty thousand, whether the grassland people were ordinary nomads or proud grassland warriors, her goal remained the same from beginning to end: to completely defeat them.

"Mo Yi, Zhi Lan, get ready."

Xiang Ling weighed the long halberd, kicked the horse's belly, and advanced alone.

"Finally, Your Highness, been waiting for ages."

Mo Yi seemed to have accompanied Xiang Ling for a long time, showing no surprise at her behavior of leading the troops alone in such legendary tales. Instead, he was prepared and eager.

Zhi Lan also nodded towards Xiang Ling, then flipped off the saddle and landed lightly on the flying sword summoned simultaneously.