Chapter 42
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
In the training ground, the warriors of the Iron Blood Battalion shouted with thunderous cries.
Their training method was different from other soldiers. The soldiers of the Iron Blood Battalion held long spears weighing twenty pounds, and their Xuan Armor was strapped with many iron weights.
They did this to increase the weight during training, so they could adapt to the discomfort brought by wearing heavy armor in the future.
At this moment, Xu Da arrived at the front of the formation, looking at the soldiers of the Iron Blood Battalion who were moving in perfect unison. He smiled with satisfaction and then ordered the soldiers to stop:
“Brothers, I have some good news for you.”
The Iron Blood Battalion soldiers immediately stopped, looking at Xu Da with expectant eyes.
Xu Da had never been this excited before. It was clear that there was good news from the prince to relay to the general.
Xu Da laughed and said:
“Everyone, stop training and turn in your Xuan Armor to His Highness.”
“Huh, what does that mean?”
“General, why do we have to turn in our Xuan Armor?”
“General, what do we do after turning in the Xuan Armor?”
The soldiers all voiced their questions, unsure why they were suddenly being asked to turn in their armor.
Xu Da said:
“I still have one more order to announce, why are you all so impatient?”
The entire training ground fell silent again, and only then did Xu Da say:
“After turning in your Xuan Armor, everyone will gather and march toward Yunzhou.”
“His Highness told us to wait patiently for the arrival of the heavy armor, but I can’t wait any longer. We’re going to meet the heavy armor halfway and bring it back ourselves!”
“What? The heavy armor has arrived?”
“That’s great! The Iron Blood Battalion can finally wear heavy armor!”
“From now on, our Iron Blood Battalion will be like lions charging through enemy lines.”
“Iron Blood’s might is unstoppable!”
Immediately, the soldiers excitedly took off their Xuan Armor, neatly placing it in front of themselves.
Then, under the guidance of the deputy general, they headed toward the camp to exchange their Xuan Armor.
Late at night, on the road from Yunzhou to the Tu Man Tribe, the recently opened trade route had now transformed into a wide road for carriages.
The heavy armor from Yunzhou was currently on the road when a large group of people carrying torches was spotted running toward them.
“Are you the ones transporting the heavy armor from Yunzhou?”
Xu Da asked first, and the leader of the transport team immediately replied:
“Yes, General. We were ordered by His Highness to transport this batch of heavy armor to the Tu Man Tribe for General Xu Da’s Iron Blood Battalion.”
Hearing this, Xu Da burst into laughter and said:
“I am Xu Da. Hand over the goods to us. Brothers, your hard work is appreciated.”
Xu Da then pulled out a silver ingot from his waist and handed it to the leader of the transport team.
The soldiers of the Iron Blood Battalion immediately put on the heavy armor.
As they donned the heavy armor, their faces beamed with joy.
Since its creation, the Iron Blood Battalion had always aspired to fight in heavy armor. Their training weights had been much heavier than those of ordinary soldiers. Now, they had finally fulfilled their dream of wearing heavy armor.
Xu Da then ordered:
“All troops, march back to the training ground! From now on, we will train in heavy armor!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Iron Blood Battalion soldiers responded in unison, running toward the Tu Man Tribe camp.
With the heavy armor on, the Iron Blood soldiers seemed like a completely different unit, brimming with newfound energy. The ground of the grasslands seemed to tremble under the weight of their steps as they ran.
The next day, the Iron Blood soldiers continued to train energetically in their heavy armor.
This made the soldiers of the Steed Cavalry Battalion extremely envious. Even the deputy general of the Steed Cavalry couldn’t help but ask Huo Qubing:
“General, His Highness said that our Steed Cavalry will become the heavy cavalry of the future, but while the Iron Blood Battalion is already wearing heavy armor, we’ve only just been assigned horses.”
Huo Qubing didn’t scold his deputy general for this remark, but instead smiled and pointed at him, saying:
“Do you think heavy armor is something that can appear at will? Its value far exceeds that of Xuan Armor. Equipping the entire Steed Cavalry Battalion with heavy armor would be as difficult as equipping 3,000 Yunzhou soldiers with Xuan Armor.”
“Moreover, heavy armor for warhorses is even more rare. To truly equip the Steed Cavalry as heavy cavalry, there’s still a long road ahead, so don’t rush.”
“Besides, when has His Highness ever broken a promise? Trust that he has his own plans. These matters are not for us to worry about.”
The deputy general scratched his head and said:
“Everyone just got a little excited after seeing the Iron Blood Battalion in their heavy armor.”
“Excited?” Huo Qubing mounted his horse and said, “Brothers, mount up and join me for a hunt on the grasslands!”
Not only had the Iron Blood Battalion and Steed Cavalry Battalion undergone changes, but the Sharp Blade Battalion, Dragon Might Battalion, and Tiger Ben Battalion were also heavily recruiting and expanding their ranks.
Each of the three battalions had previously only consisted of 1,000 soldiers because there simply weren’t enough men.
But now that the grasslands had been conquered, many of the brave warriors from the grasslands, driven by their admiration for Ye Chen, wanted to join the Yunzhou Army and become part of Ye Chen’s elite forces.
At this moment, there were long lines at the recruitment office. Each man in line was a robust warrior from the grasslands, with the strength of a tiger or leopard.
Lao Huang, who was overseeing the recruitment process, issued orders:
“Everyone must be strictly screened. This time, the selection is different from before. We are looking for the true elites, those who can sweep across the grasslands…”
“Elite of the Central Grasslands!”
Zhao Yun and Zhang Zhi were observing nearby. Since it was their own camp, they naturally had to carefully select the soldiers who would serve them in the future.
Meanwhile, inside the command tent, Ye Chen was studying the map of the grasslands, carefully contemplating his next move.
Yao Guangxiao, standing beside him, spoke:
“Your Highness, if our Yunzhou Army expands to 10,000 soldiers, all equipped with Xuan Armor, and we add the heavy-armored soldiers of the Iron Blood Battalion and the Xuan-armored cavalry of the Steed Cavalry Battalion, breaking through the first defense line of the grasslands won’t be an issue.”
There were three defensive lines in the Central Grasslands, each guarded by a powerful tribe.
They were the Canglang Tribe, ruled by the Wolf King Canglang Wang.
The Kuangshi Tribe, ruled by the Lion King Kuangshi Wang.
And the Liefeng Tribe, ruled by the Wind King Liefeng Wang.
These three tribes, being the royal tribes of the grasslands, were immensely powerful.
Every descendant carried royal blood, granting them immense strength and unparalleled bravery. Each was a warrior of extraordinary talent.
Thus, for ordinary grassland tribes, attacking the Central Grasslands was an impossible task.
The first defense line was composed of the Kuangshi Tribe, known as the Kuangshi Defense Line.
True to their name, every member of the Kuangshi Tribe fought with the strength and courage of a mad lion. They feared no challenge and had repeatedly blocked those who tried to invade the Central Grasslands.
The Kuangshi Defense Line had around 20,000 elite soldiers, all of them the best of the best.
Even the Yunzhou Army, wearing Xuan Armor, would need to carefully plan its strategy to launch an attack.
Ye Chen nodded, but what he desired was not a gradual approach. He wanted a swift and decisive strike.
He said, “The first defense line is the Kuangshi Defense Line. The second and third defense lines are no weaker than the first. To attack the grasslands, we must have the capability to break through all three lines in one go.”
Hearing this, Yao Guangxiao furrowed his brow in deep thought. After a long while, he said:
“Your Highness, I have a plan.”
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