Chapter 106 – When a Man Dies

Sunset, the two riders slowly walking on a flat sand commonly known as the Dragon’s Eye, and 30 miles to the south, is the northern Liang border the first city of Tiger City. Inside and outside the city, there are 30,000 elite soldiers, 3,000 iron horsemen, 6,000 light horsemen, and more than 20,000 foot soldiers. Even if the people in the city are not included in the military, as long as they are young and strong, they can put on their armor and get on their horses and fight in a hurry. Behind the tiger’s head city is the new north liang capital of waiyang pass, and waiyang pass line about two willow buds, iron poria two big pass city, with more than 10,000 soldiers, and the number of foot soldiers absolutely dominate the tiger’s head city is not quite the same, willow buds and iron poria two military towns are almost all fast horses and light armor of the cavalry, obviously with the main used to stop the north mang army southward of the “defend the city”! “Tiger’s Head City” on the contrary, these two cities scale is inferior to the border city, more take the initiative to take the task of attack. After this first line of both offense and defense, there is a second line of battle with the Jin Yuan Qinghe Chongzuka three passes as the fulcrum, XuanShenShenWu two cities for the north of LiangZhou for the two flanks, followed by the perennial stationed at the border of LiangZhou of the great snow dragon cavalry, as well as infantry and cavalry, two vice marshal ChenYunTuiHeZhongKu’s army. Together with the crisscross of Fort E towers, there is no doubt that the border north of Liangzhou, is the entire northern Liang most difficult to shake the battlefield is located, in general, the North Mang most unlikely to attack the heavily guarded and stable as a rock of Liangzhou northern line, the northern barbarians really want to open their mouths to eat here, I’m afraid that it is not only the collapse of the teeth and blood swallowed so simple. Compared to the Liangzhou northern line of larger horses and fast swords championing the northern Liang, Youzhou side of the foot soldiers mostly, so the foot soldiers Marshal Yan Wenluan’s tent is also there, whether it is the terrain north of Youzhou or the distribution of the garrison, have decided that Youzhou is a typical sense of the northern nomadic and the Central Plains farming offensive and defensive war, one side attacking the city one side defending the city, not like Liangzhou North kind of Xu family iron horsemen, dare to set out with the North Mang cavalry on horseback to attack the frame. The first is the Dragon Elephant Iron Cavalry, which was originally stationed in the city. Originally, the Dragon Elephant Iron Cavalry is stationed in the middle of the cool and cool states, and can support both sides at any time, and even take the initiative to roam around looking for opportunities to fight, there is no fixed position, just with the new fourth state flow state, 30,000 Dragon Elephant Army stationed in it, the close connection between the cool and cool states invariably cuts a rift.

The first big city in the northwest of the Liyang Dynasty is not the state city of the three states of Liangling and You within the Northern Liang territory, but this Tiger Head City that stands out and looks down on the Northern Mang!

There are still a few passes on the border of Youzhou, such as the Inverted Horse Pass, for merchants and travelers to enter and exit Liangmang, but north of Liangzhou, there is none!

Here is destined to have only smoke and yellow sands, and never hear the sound of camel bells of caravans.

Although there were only two riders, one of them was dragging a wretched woman with her hands tied. She was covered in dust, her lips were dry and cracked, and the pair of delicate embroidered shoes on her feet, like those of a gentlewoman in the south of the Yangtze River, were torn and tattered, exposing her toes that were dripping with blood. Her figure was shaky, but she was still holding on painstakingly. When she was able to look up and see that Tiger’s Head City, which was said to be the favorite place to display the heads of Northern Mang prisoners on the city’s head, she was unable to stand up because of this ill-timed pause, and then she was dragged by the warhorse and flopped on the ground, the cavalryman didn’t turn his head, and she did her best to struggle to get up or else she would have been dragged so much towards Tiger’s Head City, but exhausted, she really couldn’t stand up any longer, and would only roll over, and there came from her back a slithering on gravel fiery stinging pain, a pain that did not lie in how much severe pain was produced in a flash, but in the unceasing, little by little accumulation.

The Northern Mang cavalryman who had been ordered to do so couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at the fact that such a woman sitting high on a cloud had just fallen off the pedestal and ended up being dragged forward like a dog on a leash by him and his mount.

He turned his head to look at the rider in front of him, he didn’t know why this man didn’t kill him, and he didn’t know why he didn’t kill her either.

In the distance, dust rose as an imposing cavalcade of hundreds of men shook the earth and roared into view.

His heart contracted violently, this was the first time in his life that he had seen such a large number of Northern Liang cavalry, and he also quickly discovered the difference between the Northern Liang cavalry and the cavalry of the past where he had been in the Liu word army, the latter trapped and killed the enemy, undoubtedly very valiant and also brutal, and after he had joined the army, he himself had been the same, or else he would not have been able to become one of the cavalry of the personal guards of the great general Liu Gui. But the front of these Northern Liang cavalry gave him the feeling, but to be more terrible, previously with that standard crossbowmen fighting is not obvious, but is to think that those long-established reputation of the Northern Liang crossbowmen is indeed amazing, but when beyond the number of three hundred people, it gives a person a very strange feeling, like this three or four hundred riders are all in one piece, their steering, full of a kind of will let all the Northern Mang warriors will feel extremely twisted stoic and Restraint. The Tiger’s Head City garrison in front of him even followed the undulation of the horse’s back every time their bodies followed the horse’s back, all of them were the same.

He had only heard that the two big tent heavy cavalry that had been fed with countless gold and silver were able to truly move in unison when spreading out their formation for a line charge.

These four hundred riders almost simultaneously rolled over and dismounted, with a middle-aged rider at the head kneeling on one knee, bowing his head and cupping his fists and saying, “My general Liu Yunu, see Your Highness!”

The next four hundred riders said in unison, “See you, Your Majesty!”

Xu Fengnian smiled and said, “Get up all of you, I’ve bothered General Liu to come out of the city to meet you on this trip.”

The young captive behind Xu Feng Nian who was still able to ride his horse with his armor froze for a moment, his brain was a bit spinning, but then he saw that the General Liu whose clothes, armor, swords and crossbow were exactly the same as the riders behind him appeared to be crippled as he got up?

Then he knew who this mediocre looking crippled military general was, the first of the border generals under all the commanders of Northern Liang, the guardian of Hutou City, Liu Cripple!

He didn’t know anything about Liu Yunu, but almost every soldier of Liu Zi Army had heard of this legendary Liu Cripple in the desert. This person and many side of the greater the North Mang scolded the more North Liang generals are not the same, Liu crippled in the North Mang South Dynasty readers mouth, that is recognized as the world’s good generals, the rule of law is strict, but outside the battlefield as soldiers such as pro-children, two sons and two daughters, the son has been killed in battle on the border, the youngest son died at the time of death, but only sixteen years old. Both daughters were married to his subordinates, and both became widows. Liu crippled never merciful to the enemy, but never kill the innocent, in a retaliatory raid fourteen years ago, deep into the hinterland of the territory of the Gusei state, all the way to the decapitation of the tens of thousands, that leg is a captive woman with a dagger through, but Liu crippled still did not kill her, only left a sentence I do not know the truth, but in the prairie widely circulated words, “Whether it is our Northern Liang or your Northern Mang , only when the men die out will it be your women’s turn.”

Liu Yunu accompanied Xu Fengyen to the majestic Tiger Head City, where he had spent most of his life, looking at the tall walls, the eyes of this battle-successful military general were unusually warm.

Behind them, four hundred elite cavalry slowly turned their horses to return, they could not help but look at the strange two people, the young man on horseback in a northern barbarian attire, carrying weapons is quite a lot, and then dragging a sable-covered woman who can only walk in a pitiful manner.

After entering the city, Xu Fengyen took a bath and changed his clothes, Liu Yunu and a few Tiger Head City lieutenants stood respectfully at the bottom of the outer courtyard steps.

The last time Xu Fengnian toured the border as the new Liang King, he stopped at Huaiyang Pass and didn’t come here, and it was said that the lieutenants were complaining that the king looked down on them, treating the soldiers of Hutou City as if they were the sons of Northern Liang’s stepchildren. The captain who led the 3,000 heavy cavalry openly threatened that if he had the ability to let the Huayang Pass gang of soft-headed garrison to play with him once, he would not be happy to bully the Huayang cavalry to be a light cavalry, the worst thing is that he would let them borrow 2,000 or 3,000 more soldiers, and as usual, he did not need to use three rounds of charge to dry up that gang of guys to throw away their armor. Xu Fengyen saw one of the strong man pretending to be calm but obviously some constraints shrinking, beckoned these Tiger City pillars military generals to sit down and talk, Liu Yunu’s seniority and achievements are there, he was able to talk calmly with the old Liang King, facing the new master of Northern Liang Xu Fengyen, of course, not to be at a loss for words, openly sitting on the stone bench, out of the corner of his eye, I glanced at the horse tribulus that had been drinking and swearing most fiercely earlier, and now he was like a delicate girl who did not dare to see her lover, he was like a girl who did not dare to see her lover, and now he is like a girl who is not afraid of seeing her lover. Like a shy little lady who didn’t dare to see her lover, she moved the stone stool and sat at the end, shrinking her head.

Xu Fengnian cocked his head as if he was looking for someone, and deliberately asked with a smile, “General Liu, I wonder if that Captain Ma who threatened to drink me down even though he couldn’t beat me with his fists and feet, is present?”

Liu Yunu held back his laughter and didn’t say anything.

A few of the lieutenants here whose temperament is as rough as the wind and sand of the border could not help but burst out laughing at once, and their laughter was full of straightforward goodwill.

The nature of even more gentle men, probably will be here year after year the hot sun sun hardened.

The narrow-minded man, probably also will be here day after day the sky and the earth, to hold out the amount of gas.

That horse thistles straighten up the waist, in the robe behind the high exposed head, broken cans, said: “Your Majesty, humble in, if your old man is really angry, want to humble to eat whip, absolutely no second words. That is, when you get whipped, can you find a place where you can’t see the subordinates of my job? Otherwise it will be laughed to death by those guys later.”

Xu Fengyen obviously had no intention to bother with this Han and asked, “General Liu, all of you can drink?”

Liu Yunu nodded his head and laughed as he joked, “Of course all of you can drink, these guys fight like that, but on the wine table, they are all the king of heaven first. However, both Horse Tribulus and Chu Hanqing have to be on duty to patrol the night, as long as the others don’t get drunk, there is no harm.”

Xu Fengnian hmmmed, “Then let’s drink to the point, what we owe from last time, we can only make up for it later when we have the chance.”

Liu Yunu turned his head and shouted, “Horse Tribulus, go carry two jars of wine with Chu Hanqing himself, and then get the hell out of there and do your nightly rounds.”

Horse Tribulus is relieved and jogs out of the courtyard with another lieutenant, quickly carrying two altars of green ant wine.

The weak-minded Ma Tribulus didn’t dare to stay longer, and wanted to hurry up and slip away, the elegant temperament Tiger Head City lieutenant Chu Hanqing hesitated for a moment, looked at Xu Fengyen, and asked, “Your Highness, my humble servant can’t drink tonight, and I don’t know when and where the next time I’ll be able to drink, so can I take the empty bowl, and honor Your Highness?”

Xu Fenian nodded.

Chu Hanqing raised the empty wine bowl at a high end, while Xu Fengyen stood up and drank the bowl of green ant wine in one go.

Ma Tribulus asked apprehensively, “Your Majesty, would you like humble servant to toast you as well?”

Xu Fenian smiled and drank another bowl.

After Xu Fengyen sat back on the stone bench, he looked at the border generals and colonels who all had sincere smiles on their faces and asked, “General Liu, is there anything else Tiger Head City needs? Feel free to ask.”

Liu Yunu held a bowl in one hand and rested one hand on that limp leg, smiled and shook his head, “No more.”

Xu Fengnian did not say anything more and accompanied these veteran Northern Liang generals, who were all in their forties, to drink silently together.

Liu Yunu, at the end, only said, “Since Your Highness is sitting here, then there is a sentence that I originally thought I couldn’t say, I can say it, more than 40,000 people in Hutou City, today, let’s say that they all drank Your Highness’s send-off wine, even though they died, they have no regrets.”