I, a useless prince, started with the Xiang Yu template.

beside.

Li Wanqing sat quietly.

She wore a plain-colored cloak, pulled up to her sides, and gazed out at the desolate wilderness.

Having grown up in the capital, she had never seen such a barren place.

The capital city is a riot of color, with towering buildings everywhere.

The streets and alleys are bustling with activity, and the fireworks never cease.

But here, there is only yellow earth, scattered rocks, withered trees, and cold wind.

A long silence followed.

She spoke softly, "Your Highness."

Chu Yun turned his head: "What?"

Li Wanqing sighed softly, "Beiliang... is too bitter."

"The land is barren and vegetation is scarce."

"No villages can be seen, no people can be seen."

"The people who are able to survive here truly live a very difficult life."

She was born into a prestigious family and lived a life of luxury.

I have never experienced hunger, cold, war, or displacement.

The desolation before her eyes was shocking to her.

Chu Yun's gaze returned to the window, his expression calm.

"This place is right next to the northern barbarians."

"There is war every year, and looting every year."

"When the barbarians marched south, the people of Beiliang were the first to suffer."

"The flames of war burned the fields, and warhorses trampled the homes of civilians."

"Corrupt government officials, constant natural disasters, and freezing cold."

"It is under multiple forms of oppression that it has become what it is today."

Just then.

A knight clad in black armor galloped up to the carriage.

It was Zhang Bin, the commander of the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry.

He tightened the reins, clasped one hand in a fist, and spoke in a loud voice.

"My lord!"

"Our army has now completely entered the territory of Northern Liang!"

"At our current marching speed, we should reach the main city of Beiliang in two more days!"

Chu Yun nodded slightly and gave the order in a deep voice.

"Pass on the order."

"The entire army should accelerate its march."

"Arrive in Beiliang City within two days."

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Bin clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, turned his horse around, and quickly charged back to the front of the column.

........

at the same time.

In the northern part of Beiliang, there is a desolate and uninhabited Gobi Desert.

The wind whipped up yellow sand, swirling wildly across the sky, and the withered, hard grass was blown flat on the ground.

On the vast, desolate plains, a cavalry unit galloped at breakneck speed, raising billowing yellow dust.

A full three thousand light cavalry from the Northern Barbarians.

The warhorse was tall and blackish-brown.

The cavalrymen were all dressed in simple animal skin armor, with curved swords at their waists and short spears slanted across their backs; they were fierce and savage.

The ranks were disorganized, yet the march was extremely fast.

With thunderous hooves, they marched straight south.

Their target was Chu Yun's northward marching army.

Since the spies sent back intelligence.

They learned the marching route and speed of King Chu Yun of Qin.

Yelü Qi did not hesitate at all.

The order was given that night.

Three thousand elite light cavalry were drawn from the royal court.

It was led by the fierce general Hak.

They crossed the border and infiltrated the heart of Northern Liang.

Regardless of the cost, intercept and kill Chu Yun.

.......

The land of Northern Liang.

In the eyes of the northern barbarians, it was never considered part of the Great Qian territory.

It's more like an unclaimed hunting ground.

Come whenever you want, leave whenever you want.

They looted and trampled at will.

No one could stop it, and no one dared to stop it.

The reason is simple yet cruel.

The entire regular army of Beiliang Prefecture was holed up inside the main city of Beiliang.

There were no troops stationed outside the city, no sentry posts, and no beacon towers.

The vast wilderness, Gobi Desert, and valleys are all left empty.

The scattered mountain villages are few and far between.

The village was poor and dilapidated, lacking money, food, and livestock.

The barbarian army looked down on them and didn't bother to plunder.

Instead, they left it behind, using it as a supply point when they occasionally passed by.

In earlier years, the Northern Liang originally had 100,000 northern border troops.

Unfortunately, after years of bloody battles and repeated defeats, they were brutally crippled and rendered useless by the Northern Barbarian cavalry.

The army suffered heavy losses, with most of its elite troops killed or wounded.

The two sides later signed a peace treaty.

The imperial court completely abandoned its duties and stopped allocating funds to rebuild the border troops.

Everyone in the court knew the truth.

The Northern Liang defense line was practically non-existent.

Even if they spent money to recruit soldiers, build cities, and train troops, they still couldn't stop the barbarian cavalry.

Rather than wasting the national treasury's money, it's better to leave it alone.

This is also the fundamental reason why the Northern Barbarian cavalry dared to recklessly traverse the heart of Northern Liang.

.......

At the very front of the barbarian cavalry.

A burly man sat atop a tall, black warhorse.

This man is the commander, Hack.

He was nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with his scalp shaved off, leaving only a small tuft of hair on the back of his head.

Three hideous scars ran across his face, traversing the bridge of his nose and the corners of his eyes.

He was clad in heavy black bear hide armor, his muscles were bulging and his veins were bulging.

His eyes were murky and fierce, and his whole body exuded a bloody and murderous aura.

Huck held the reins in one hand and fiddled with his sharp scimitar in the other.

The blade reflected a cold light.

He looked up to the south, a disdainful smirk creeping onto his lips, his heart filled with contempt.

King of Qin of the Central Plains, Chu Yun.

They set fire to the grain supplies and launched a night raid on the camp.

This reputation has recently spread throughout the grasslands.

But Hack didn't believe it at all.

In his eyes, men from the Central Plains were weak and frail.

The so-called military achievements were all deliberately exaggerated by the historians of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Exaggeration and fabrication.

The burning of the supplies that night was purely due to the carelessness and negligence of the barbarian army.

It was definitely not because that young prince was particularly powerful.

Huck chuckled and muttered to himself.

"A callow youth from the Central Plains."

"Does he even deserve to be called a god of war?"

"Your Majesty is placing too much importance on this."

"Why need three thousand elite troops?"

"Give me a thousand men, and I can tear his army apart."

Middle of the line.

The barbarian soldiers walked side by side, talking loudly as they went.

A barbarian soldier with a full beard grinned.

"The leader said! That army to the south is the King of Qin's forces!"

"I've found out; they only have two thousand black-armored cavalry!"

A young barbarian soldier next to him licked his lips, excited and aroused.

"Two thousand? We have three thousand! The advantage is on our side!"

"And a whole bunch of civil officials, craftsmen, coachmen, and women."

"They're all useless trash, incapable of resisting!"

Another barbarian soldier let out a rough, hoarse laugh.

"Simple!"

"One charge, and we'll raze their cavalry to the ground!"

"Swords and blades cleave the caravan guards in two!"

"Take all the women away and bring them back to the grasslands to be concubines!"

"Gold and silver supplies will be divided equally among everyone!"

"Tie up all the adult men and take them back to be slaves!"

These barbarian soldiers lived year-round on the harsh grasslands.

There was a shortage of supplies, cloth, and women.

I heard that the King of Qin's entourage consisted of nearly a thousand carriages.

Everyone's eyes were red and their breathing was rapid.

"I've heard the news!"

"The King of Qin brought a full thousand chariots!"

"It's filled with grain, silver, silk, and weapons!"

An old soldier clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Oh My God!"

"How much money and supplies must this be?"

"This wave has made us all rich!"

Rough laughter rose and fell.

The morale of the barbarian soldiers soared.

No one took Chu Yun seriously, and no one feared the two thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry.

In the ingrained understanding of these barbarians.

The armies of the Central Plains are forever weak and incompetent.

As long as the iron cavalry charges, they can crush and tear apart.

........

One day later.

In the central part of Northern Liang, there is an endless wilderness.

A yellow wind howled, and dust swirled.

The withered yellow weeds were blown by the wind and lay flat on the ground.

On the vast, desolate plain, two groups of people collided head-on.

North.

Three thousand northern barbarian cavalrymen lined up in a row.

The barbarian soldiers' warhorses pawed at the yellow earth, their hooves constantly pounding the ground.

A dark mass, exuding murderous intent.

The barbarian soldiers grinned, their expressions arrogant, their curved swords half-drawn, their cold light dazzling.

Huck rode on his black horse, looking down from above.

A pair of fierce eyes stared intently at the Qin King's troops opposite him, a disdainful sneer on his face.