Chapter 125: A Gift of Horses from Emei (Part II)

Cavalry possess immense shock power, especially on the open plains where this advantage is indisputable. However, this is not the most formidable aspect of cavalry; compared to infantry, their true lethality lies in their mobility.

Cavalry can choose whether or not to engage in battle. If they do, they can dictate the direction of the attack and choose their tactics. In contrast, infantry are placed in a completely passive position. Against cavalry, infantry cannot run away, nor can they catch up. Therefore, to truly defeat the iron cavalry of the Hu people, one simply cannot do without horses.

Yet, how could one find enough horses in such a short time to equip a cavalry force? Clearly, this was difficult under the current circumstances. Without cavalry, how could one contend with the Hu army?

Chengdu could not be left to its fate; if it fell, the situation in the Shu region would change entirely. What was to be done? Zhang Chi fell into deep thought. Attacking was unlikely to succeed, yet not attacking would leave Chengdu defenseless. He was truly trapped in a dilemma.

After a long time without a solution, Zhang Chi knew that overthinking was useless. Saving Chengdu was imperative, so he decided to take it one step at a time and ordered the army to prepare to march to its relief.

"Young Master," ever since Zhang Chi became the commander and led the army on the expedition, An Ren had followed him closely as his bodyguard. An Ren was cold and aloof, rarely speaking, but just as Zhang Chi was furrowing his brow in worry, she suddenly spoke: "Young Master, there is someone outside Pingwu City who is an old acquaintance of yours. They have asked me to tell you to leave the city to meet them."

"An old acquaintance? What do you mean?" Zhang Chi was puzzled.

Zhang Chi knew what "old acquaintance" meant, of course; he was asking who specifically was being referred to. However, San Tong misunderstood. Believing himself to be quite learned, he chimed in: "An old acquaintance simply means an old friend you knew before, Brother Zhang."

"I know that," Zhang Chi waved him off. San Tong was always eager to show off his limited learning at every opportunity. Zhang Chi spread his hands; he had not been in this era for long since his transmigration, so where would he have old friends? "I am asking *who* the acquaintance is."

An Ren did not elaborate: "You will know once you leave the city to see them."

Zhang Chi felt a bit suspicious, but having known An Ren for many days, he did not believe she would harm him. After a moment's thought, he said, "In that case, I shall go with you to see them outside the city."

"This matter is confidential. Only the Young Master is requested to come," An Ren replied with her customary coldness.

"That won't do," San Tong said, immediately worried. "We are at war. If Brother Zhang goes out and meets with danger, there will be no one around to look after him."

An Ren ignored San Tong. Although she said nothing more, her stance was clear: if Zhang Chi did not go alone, she would not lead the way.

Zhang Chi had his doubts, but upon reflection, he felt at ease. Given An Ren's martial prowess, if she wanted to harm him, she could have done so at any time while she was by his side. Moreover, he knew that despite her cold exterior, she possessed a warm heart—she was a classic example of someone cold on the outside but warm within. Since she insisted he go alone, there must be a reason.

Zhang Chi nodded, led his horse, White Snow, over, and signaled for San Tong to rest easy, promising to return shortly. An Ren mounted her own horse, and the two rode quickly out of the city.

An Ren led Zhang Chi away from the main road and into the mountains. After traveling several miles, they reached the top of a peak.

An Ren stopped her horse. Seeing that they had arrived, Zhang Chi dismounted and looked around. The area was surrounded by dense forest, and not far ahead was a steep cliff with no path forward.

The place was desolate, and seeing no one, Zhang Chi asked, "We are here now; surely you can tell me who I am supposed to meet?"

Before his voice had faded, White Snow suddenly tossed its head and neighed at the sky. Zhang Chi was in tune with the horse and could tell from the sound that it was filled with joy.

He was still wondering what could make White Snow so happy when he heard a beautiful voice behind him: "Young Master, I trust you have been well."

Zhang Chi turned around and was startled to see someone standing there where no one had been a moment before.

He steadied himself and looked closely. The person before him was indeed an old acquaintance—the woman he had met only once shortly after his arrival in this world, while traveling with Miss Wang’s caravan to Jiankang. She was the one who had given him White Snow—Emei!

Emei was just as she had been when they first met: dressed in white as snow, elegant and fairy-like, as if she were untainted by the dust of the mortal world.

"Fairy Emei!" Zhang Chi blurted out. Ever since she had saved him, he had addressed her as "Fairy," and Emei, not offended by his boldness, smiled slightly: "It is rare that you still remember me."

The smile of such a beauty could make even an empire swoon, and Zhang Chi was no exception. He had never expected An Ren's "old acquaintance" to be Emei. It was so unexpected that his mind went blank for a long moment before he could recover.

"I never thought I would have the chance to see you again," Zhang Chi admitted, having secretly hoped for this meeting for a long time.

"More than that, we shall see each other often in the future," Emei said with a smile. "Do you remember, when we first met, I told you that in this lifetime, you would be inextricably linked to two words?"

"Hanmen." Of course, Zhang Chi remembered.

It dawned on him suddenly. Zhang Chi finally understood why he saw Emei here today. An Ren was a member of the Hanmen. Wasn't it because An Ren had seen his horse that she had accused him of being a horse thief, leading her to take him to the Hanmen outpost?

Although they were later besieged by Zhao Qian of Badong Commandery and An Ren had been injured, she had never left his side since he saved her. How had she stayed in contact with Emei? He realized that both were members of the Hanmen, which in his view was clearly a clandestine organization with its own methods of communication. It was no wonder An Ren had stayed with him; it was likely on the orders of the Hanmen.

"What exactly is the 'Hanmen' organization? And why did you say I would be inextricably linked to it?" Zhang Chi asked. The question had troubled him for a long time.

Emei smiled: "The members of the Hanmen are all those of humble birth. Today, the empire is effectively ruled by the aristocracy, while the common people are the ones who truly bear the burden."

Zhang Chi nodded. Emei continued, "The aristocrats hold power but ignore the affairs of the state, spending their days in drunken revelry while the nation falls into ruin. The commoners, who work themselves to the bone for the world, are left starving and separated from their families. How is this fair?"

Emei was right. Recalling a poem by Du Fu, Zhang Chi agreed: "Behind the crimson gates, wine and meat go to waste; out on the road, the bones of the frozen dead."

Emei said: "You are a man of high talent; your words hit the mark. The Hanmen consist largely of these impoverished people, or refugees who fled from the north to avoid enslavement by the Hu. The Hanmen organizes these people. Our members study martial arts and the Tao; they are filled with righteous fury, hate the Hu to the bone, and have sworn to reclaim the north and restore China."

"Studying the Tao through martial arts? Does that mean the Hanmen is a branch of Taoism?" Zhang Chi asked. Honestly, since his arrival, he had had a poor impression of Taoism, especially after his experiences with the Five Pecks of Rice sect.

Emei seemed to read his thoughts and smiled: "The Hanmen is indeed a branch of Taoism, but it is vastly different from the Five Pecks of Rice sect."

Taoism had many schools, and it was hard to explain them all, but Emei summarized: "The Tao gives birth to all things, and all things can lead to the Tao. Our Taoist school is divided into the path of martial arts, medicine, divination, and alchemy. The Hanmen is the martial path; our methods are completely different from those of the Five Pecks of Rice or the Taiping sect."

"Oh? What is the difference?" Zhang Chi was surprised by the number of sects.

Emei laughed: "The path of medicine seeks to save the world, the path of divination seeks to discern the secrets of heaven, and the path of alchemy seeks immortality. In these chaotic times, our martial path seeks to strengthen the body, expel the Hu, and restore China!"

As someone from the future, Zhang Chi knew that the aristocratic families of the late Eastern Jin would eventually decline and the power of the commoners would rise. History proved this; before long, Liu Yu, a man of humble origin, would seize the throne. Miss Wang had also mentioned that the aristocracy was fading and that the one to rule the world in the coming decades would surely be from the Hanmen. Zhang Chi had even recited the poem about the swallows of the Wang and Xie families flying into the homes of commoners, which had left her in awe.

The power of the Hanmen could not be underestimated. Emei was not only elegant and cold as a fairy but also a remarkable woman with the world in her heart. Zhang Chi’s admiration for her grew even deeper.

"Then why did you ask me to meet you today?" Zhang Chi asked.

Emei smiled: "You are working heart and soul to lead the people of Shu against the Hu iron cavalry, so we in the 'Hanmen' also wish to contribute our strength."

"Oh?" Having more help was certainly better. "How can you help me?"

"What do you need most right now?" Emei asked with a smile.

"Horses." To truly defeat the Hu, he could not do without cavalry. Zhang Chi had been pondering this, so he spoke without thinking. However, he immediately shook his head and sighed: "But where in Shu can I find so many horses?"

"Do you remember why we first met?"

Hearing Emei's question, Zhang Chi paused. Emei continued: "When the Wang family was transporting horses from the far north to Jiankang, I first met you while raiding their shipment. I told you then that these horses would be transported in batches into the Shu plains. The plains are vast, and thousands of horses would disappear like a drop of water in the sea, leaving no trace. Do you remember?"

Zhang Chi was speechless with astonishment.

Emei smiled slightly: "Young Master, you and the Hanmen are destined to be inextricably linked. Now, the horses that the Hanmen seized back then have finally arrived at the time to serve their purpose."