Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

After seeing off the envoy sent by the Great Khan of Lotus, Cen Jilu discussed with Huang Daiqian, "Brother, His Majesty has summoned us. If we go, we may be taken hostage; if we don't go, we may incur His Majesty's wrath. It seems that we can only get through this ordeal by each sending one of our sons."

“What Cen Gong said is very true. I will send my son Huang Zi there immediately,” Huang Daiqian agreed.

Cen Duanlu nodded. "My eldest son, Cen Qidai, is both brave and resourceful, and is capable of shouldering this important responsibility."

After the two finished their discussion, the eldest sons of Cen and Huang were supposed to go to the Wei army camp to pay homage to the Great Khan. However, loyal officials intervened! Upon hearing that their lord intended to send the heirs to the Wei camp, the virtuous local officials—Cen Jixiang, the prefect of Zhen'an; Cen Maoren, the prefect of Tianzhou; Cen Jigang, the prefect of Guishunzhou; Huang Tingjie, the prefect of Jiangzhou; Huang Guangsheng, the prefect of Zhongzhou; and Huang Jiazheng, the prefect of Fengyizhou—immediately came to see Cen Jilu and Huang Daiqian. "Our army is currently at odds with the Wei army. If the two heirs enter the Wei camp and become hostages, wouldn't they be in grave danger? Please send someone else instead!"

After much persuasion from everyone, Huang Daiqian wavered. Of all his sons, he favored Huang Zi the most, and he would be heartbroken if Huang Zi were to be lost! He said to Cen Jilu, “Master Cen, what everyone says makes sense. His Majesty summoned you and me. Sending anyone in our place would be disobeying the imperial decree. Since it's disobeying the decree anyway, we might as well send someone from a distant branch of the family. If His Majesty really wants to punish us, even if we go in person, we will still be doomed; if he doesn't want to punish us, whoever he sends will be safe and sound.”

Cen Jilu was actually reluctant to send his son. His eldest son, Cen Qidai, was highly skilled in martial arts and had long been regarded as his successor. How could he bear to see him perish in the guard camp? Seeing this, he went along with it and said, "In that case, let's choose someone else."

Ultimately, the Cen family appointed Cen Zhaoxi, whom Cen Jilu considered useless, and the Huang family appointed Huang Tingjie, the local prefect of Jiangzhou, as their chief and deputy envoys. The two, accompanied by three hundred followers, escorted a large quantity of gifts and supplies for the army into the garrison camp. Inside and outside the camp, soldiers wielding sharp blades and glaring menacingly filled the area, causing the two men to break out in a cold sweat.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Upon seeing the Emperor, Cen Zhaoxi and Huang Tingjie led everyone in bowing according to the etiquette they had rehearsed beforehand.

Looking at the long line of people kneeling in darkness, the Great Khan didn't even bother to glance at them, and coldly questioned, "Why did Cen Jilu and Huang Daiqian not come when summoned? Aren't they David's subjects?"

“Your Majesty is wise. Recently, colds have been prevalent, and Prefect Cen and Prefect Huang have also caught colds and are unable to see Your Majesty,” Cen Zhaoxi replied tremblingly.

"What a coincidence? Both of you caught a cold at the same time? Hmph~" The Great Khan sneered repeatedly and continued to ask, "What is your relationship with Cen Jilu and Huang Daiqian? What are your current positions?"

“I am the head of the Cen family stationed in Sicheng, and Prefect Cen is my head of household,” Cen Zhaoxi said respectfully.

"I am from a collateral branch of the Huang family, and hold the official position of Prefect of Jiangzhou," Huang Tingjie replied humbly.

"Damn it! It's one thing for Cen Jilu and Huang Daiqian not to come themselves, but they didn't even send one of their sons, only two insignificant figures to fob me off. They clearly don't respect me, and their rebellious intentions are obvious! Guards! Leave one behind to send a message, and drag the rest away to behead them!" The Great Khan roared like a lion, fiercely ordering, "All troops, move out and march on Tushan!"

The emperor's wrath sent three hundred heads rolling. Looking at the severed heads of Cen Zhaoxi, Huang Tingjie, and others, Cen Jilu felt as if he'd been slapped hard across the face. He grabbed the lucky one who had been released and demanded, "Why did this happen?"

"The Lord of Wei said that you and Prefect Huang are both his subjects, and that your failure to appear before the Emperor is an act of disobedience; not even sending one of your sons clearly shows your rebellious intentions. Killing the envoy is merely a warning; if you do not surrender, he will lead his army to attack the mountains. At that time, not a single chicken or dog will be spared," the lucky man rambled on, acting as the envoy of Wei. "You scoundrel! Get out!" Cen Jilu, enraged, kicked the man hard to the ground.

"Dong~dong~dong~"

"Woo~wu~wu~"

Suddenly, the sound of rapid war drums and melodious bugle calls came from the foot of the mountain. Cen Guangyu, the commander of Anlong who was in charge of scouting the military situation, stumbled into the tent and reported: "Your Excellency, the guards have formed ranks below the mountain and intend to attack it."

"What!" Cen Jilu's expression changed drastically.

"Lord Cen, the Wei army killed my delegation and is trying to seize my land. They've gone too far! We should go down the mountain and fight them!" Wei Rongyao, the native prefect of Siling Prefecture who was affiliated with the Cen family, said angrily.

"Rather than live a life of ignominy, I shall fight to the death! I am willing to be the vanguard! I swear to avenge this blood feud!" Huang Shifan, son of Huang Tingjie, the native prefect of Jiangzhou, who was ordered to be executed by the Great Khan, shouted for battle with bloodshot eyes.

"This humble general is willing to fight to the death with Your Excellency! I would rather die than lose my Sicheng!" Cen Jixiang, the native prefect of Zhen'an, shouted passionately. Following his lead, Cen Maoren, the native prefect of Tianzhou, Cen Jigang, the native prefect of Guishunzhou, and other generals of the Cen clan volunteered to fight; Huang Guangsheng, the native prefect of Zhongzhou, Huang Jiazheng, the native prefect of Fengyizhou, and other generals of the Huang clan followed suit; the native chieftains who were affiliated with the Cen clan, such as Li Youpei, the native prefect of Pingxiangzhou, Zhao Guoliang, the native prefect of Longzhou, Feng Taiyi, the native prefect of Dukangzhou, and Li Zuanding, the native prefect of Mingyingzhou, also joined the ranks of those volunteering to fight.

Seeing this, Huang Daiqian said to Cen Jilu, "Master Cen, the Wei ruler is cruel and has massacred our delegation, arousing righteous indignation. Why not go down the mountain and fight the Wei army? This is what is meant by a desperate army always winning! If we win, all the better; if we lose, we can still defend the mountain!"

"The barbarians ride horses, the Liang people climb mountains. I want to see whether our men's scimitars are faster or the barbarians' curved swords are faster in mountain warfare! Issue my order: the entire army descends the mountain to fight the Wei army! Spears in front, swords and shields on both sides, double swords at the rear. When the war drum sounds, advance is the only option, retreat is not permitted," Cen Jilu issued the order with a sinister grin.

Upon receiving the military order, the wolf soldiers from various tribes descended the mountain and formed ranks. Although the chieftains of the Huang, Li, Xu, Wei, Qin, and Bi clans had all passionately volunteered for battle, Cen Jilu only trusted his own soldiers and ordered the Cen clan's army to be in the center, the Huang clan's army to be on the left, and the other chieftains' armies to be on the right.

The Guangxi Wolf Soldiers were renowned throughout the land. Although not officially registered as soldiers, they were fierce and brave, achieving remarkable feats in wars such as "suppressing bandits" and "defending against Japanese pirates." However, due to a lack of effective discipline, their military discipline was particularly poor, with numerous acts of burning and killing civilians, leading the people to say that they feared the Wolf Soldiers more than bandits. However, the Cen Clan Wolf Soldiers were different. They emphasized battle formation training and discipline, skillfully combining different troop types to form a formidable force, charging into battle and defeating the enemy with unparalleled success. The reputation of the Wolf Soldiers was largely earned by the Cen Clan. This battle was no small matter, so naturally, the most elite Cen Clan wolf soldiers had to be deployed in the center.

"Just as I expected, Cenhuang has dominated Guangxi for many years, arrogant and domineering. After killing their people, they will definitely not swallow this insult and will fight me to the death. How about that? Haven't they been provoked by me? Once they come down the mountain, they are no longer wolves!" Seeing the enemy come down the mountain and form ranks, the Great Khan of Lotus laughed heartily and ordered the various units of the Guard Army not to rush closer, but to let the wolves come down the mountain, the more the better.

The man triumphantly raised his whip and shouted to his men, "Today I vow to form a righteous and honorable battle formation and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!" (End of Chapter)