Chapter Thirty-Seven: Such Shamelessness

"Captain Su, what do you think you’re doing! The enemy is still in pursuit; are you trying to lead your own men to their deaths?"

Luo Fang and his men were struck with fury. Those were their horses. Had Xue Chengqian’s judgment been wrong and the Northern Barbarians intercepted them, they would have accepted it as their own misfortune. But now, Su Youfang and his men—supposedly their "allies"—were stooping to such base, petty tactics.

Su Youfang, however, had long since calculated his move. He had observed that the group calling themselves the "Zhenyi Battalion" was not like ordinary local militia; they dared to defy his orders and stand their ground even against the Imperial Guard. With the main army having suffered a crushing defeat, Su needed more than just the safety of the young Lady Wei to boast of his accomplishments—he needed spoils of war.

He knew that if he had ordered them to hand over their mounts, Xue Chengqian and his men would never have complied. But the need to evade the Northern Barbarian pursuers had presented him with a god-sent opportunity.

Of course, he never intended to let his own men die. In Su’s mind, the only reason they had failed to outrun the pursuers was the presence of so much infantry and the poor riding skills of "dirt-dwellers" like Xue Chengqian. He believed his own men, being elite Imperial Guards, would surely be faster. By leaving the foot soldiers behind and taking their horses, they would all be cavalry, and surely, the Northern Barbarians could not easily catch them.

Seeing Luo Fang’s rage, Su Youfang merely wore a triumphant smirk. "Why should so many horses go to waste? My men have all been trained in horsemanship within the Imperial Guard. You need not concern yourselves."

Just then, the Northern Barbarian cavalry caught up. They hesitated upon seeing the Liang army split into two groups—one on the mountain and one below. However, they soon concluded that the group fleeing up the mountain must be the scattered remnants of the defeated army, while the main body of the Liang forces was the one galloping below on horseback. With guttural cries and wild howls, they gave chase with blistering speed.

From their vantage point on the high ground, Xue Chengqian, Su Youfang, and the others could see the pursuit clearly. Only now did Su Youfang realize he had made a grave mistake.

His Imperial Guards were originally infantry. While they had undergone some basic cavalry training for the Northern campaigns, their horsemanship was far inferior to the Northern Barbarians—or even to the border-dwelling soldiers under Luo Fang and the former horse-traders under Xiang Rui.

Furthermore, this was their first time riding in formation over such uneven, rugged mountain terrain. They could not gain any speed, and many of them, lacking experience, found their horses misstepping; horse and rider tumbled together in a heap. Even with mounts for everyone, how could they hope to outrun the Northern Barbarian cavalry at such a pace?

***

Tong Zhan and Yonghai rode at the forefront. As the two commanders of this cavalry detachment, they used their personal skill in the saddle to scout the mountain paths, guiding the tribal warriors behind them.

"Ha! Yonghai, look! Those Liang soldiers don't know the first thing about riding!" Tong Zhan roared with laughter at the sight of the Liang army’s clumsy horsemanship.

Yonghai remained composed. "Do not be careless. Speed up and catch them. We must capture that Liang woman the Commander insisted upon! Only by capturing her will we earn a great merit; the Commander will surely hold us in high regard."

Both Yonghai and Tong Zhan were leaders of minor tribes, each commanding two or three hundred warriors—insignificant figures in the grand scale of the Northern Barbarian army. However, the Barbarians held simple views, now governed by strict military law. They knew that by capturing the woman, they would be heavily rewarded and earn prestige among the other tribes. If luck favored them, their small tribes could rise to power, expanding their influence across the grasslands or winning the favor of the great clans.

Though the Northern Barbarians were prone to infighting over spoils or tribal grievances, under the strict discipline imposed by Tian Cheng, they had learned to prioritize "military merit." They understood that such merit brought rewards and a bright future for their tribes, making them all the more ferocious and willing to die in battle.

This was one of the reasons why, despite having won a few small skirmishes, Xue Chengqian felt increasingly apprehensive with every engagement. The Liang army was not only physically inferior to the tribes tempered by the harsh northern winds, but they were also far outmatched in sheer will to fight, hampered by internal backstabbing and poor command.

Su Youfang’s men, having been ordered to "pilfer" the horses, now found themselves unable to outrun the pursuers. As they watched the enemy close in, leaderless and panicked, even the elite Imperial Guards began to lose their nerve.

As the two sides clashed, it immediately devolved into a one-sided slaughter.

"Quick! I command you, get down the mountain and save them!"

When they had fled back to the Baguzi Pass, the sky was already brightening. From halfway up the mountain, Su Youfang clearly saw his men being butchered.

Xue Chengqian retorted angrily, "If you hadn't been so clever, would your men have been driven into such a desperate trap? And now you want us to save them?"

From the very beginning, Su Youfang had looked down on the Zhenyi Battalion, relying on his status as an Imperial Guard. Now that a real crisis had emerged, he expected them to come to his rescue—it was enough to set anyone’s blood boiling.

Before he could vent further, Luo Fang tugged on his sleeve.

"Xue, lad, don't say that. We must find a way to save them."

Xue Chengqian turned to see Luo Fang’s expression of awkwardness and helplessness. Kang Yu stomped his feet in frustration, "Boss Luo, how can we save them with just this many men!"

Previously, they had only managed to defeat a hundred or two Northern Barbarians by relying on ambushes. But now, there were five or six hundred enemy riders below! Even if the mountain terrain hindered the Barbarians from utilizing their full strength, there was almost no chance of victory in a direct confrontation.

Like Xue Chengqian, Kang Yu and the others had long been disgusted by Su Youfang’s attitude. However, only Kang Yu voiced it; the other soldiers, born of military households, could only sigh after looking at Boss Luo. Like Luo Fang, they were mostly descendants of military families or remnants of border garrisons, and they still harbored a sense of brotherhood. They despised Su Youfang’s actions, but the thought of leaving allies to die sat heavy on their consciences.

Moreover, they still harbored hopes of reclaiming their status in the Imperial Guard or performing great service to the court by resisting the Northern Barbarians. Luo Fang and the others had their own pride, and as men of military stock, they were usually quick-tempered. Yet, faced with the real Imperial Guard and a legitimate Captain like Su Youfang, Luo Fang chose to swallow his pride—a sharp contrast to his usual character.

Xue Chengqian snorted but stopped his taunts. Boss Luo had helped him in his darkest hour, and he had to consider Luo’s position. But any fool knew that descending the mountain would lead to a brutal battle, and they had to plan carefully. Their ranks were no longer just Luo Fang’s men; they included Xiang Rui’s soldiers and those fighters selected from the refugees. Though he and Luo Fang commanded immense respect, they could not simply order everyone to their deaths with a few words.