Chapter 24: Raising the Stakes

Ashina Yanyun gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed on the ten thousand heavy armored cavalrymen who had already fallen in battle, and the light cavalry units of Lin Qian’s forces, which were prowling on both flanks like predators. They looked as if they could charge in at any moment and tear his remaining troops to shreds. Furthermore, the "heaven-shaking thunder" devices held by these light cavalrymen filled Ashina Yanyun with shock. He realized that everyone he had faced before was nothing more than fragile straw, mere paper tigers; only Lin Qian had managed to stir his blood.

"Pass the order: retreat fifty miles and return to the main camp!"

Just as the signal officer dispatched the command, he saw Lin Qian riding his horse straight toward his position, followed by his light cavalry. Li Yuanying, taking the initiative, let out a thunderous roar: "Halt!"

Ashina Yanyun was deeply displeased. Since the battle was decided and he was withdrawing, why should he be barked at by the other side? "Audacious! Though I have lost this engagement, do not be so smug. It is merely your good luck today that your light cavalry happens to counter my heavy armored cavalry!"

Behind Ashina Yanyun stood twenty thousand heavy armored cavalrymen, yet Lin Qian rode through the very heart of the battlefield toward him. "Where is the Princess?"

At these words, Ashina Yanyun’s eyebrows twitched, his expression hardening. "The Princess shall not be given to you! She is the consort I have chosen for myself, and the future Great Khatun of our Northern Wu Empire!"

Lin Qian’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. He glanced toward the center of the armored formation, where the carriage carrying Princess Ye Huang stood. "Li Yuanying," Lin Qian said, eyes narrowing slightly, "in the past, you were a man capable of slaying generals and capturing banners. I wonder if your skills have rusted after all this time?"

Li Yuanying felt his own blood surge with fervor. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "They have not! If the Young Commander permits, I am willing to retrieve the Thirteenth Princess!"

"Go then. Let me see you display your prowess in slaying generals and capturing banners once more!"

"Understood."

With Lin Qian’s command given, Li Yuanying pulled his reins, and his black-maned warhorse let out a deafening roar. "Men! Follow me, and watch me cut down their commanders!"

Making such a bold proclamation right in front of Ashina Yanyun caused the latter’s expression to change drastically. He looked at Lin Qian in disbelief. On the battlefield, the mobility of light cavalry and the use of "heaven-shaking thunder" against heavy armor was a natural suppression of cold weapons by hot ones, and of maneuverability by rigid formations. But to charge through an army of thousands, reach the center, and successfully extract the Thirteenth Princess, Ye Huang—that was nothing short of a delusion.

"Heh," Ashina Yanyun sneered, looking up at Lin Qian’s young yet resolute face. "Lin Qian, do you realize you are walking to your death? I admit this Li Yuanying is a talented general, perhaps on par with the top three in my Northern Wu Empire. To think you would be willing to let such a promising talent try to snatch someone from the midst of my ten thousand troops? Are you still dreaming?"

Before Ashina Yanyun could finish, Lin Qian shook his head slightly. "Ashina Yanyun, how about we make another wager?"

Hearing the word "wager," Ashina Yanyun’s expression shifted. He rarely gambled in his life, as he never needed to rely on stakes to gain what he wanted. However, provoked by Lin Qian, his competitive spirit flared. "Fine! What is the bet?"

Lin Qian, still mounted, slowly stretched out a hand and pointed into the distance. "We bet on whether he can reach the central formation. If he reaches it, I take Ye Huang!"

"And if he doesn't?" Ashina Yanyun’s face curled into a sneer. "If he fails, the Princess stays, and you are free to leave—as long as you can! I shall immediately lead my army back to camp."

Unexpectedly, Ashina Yanyun smacked his lips at this result. "Lin Qian, why don't we add another stake?" He pulled an object from his robes—pitch black, yet even in the darkness, it shimmered with a strange luster. As soon as it appeared, the armored old eunuch beside Ashina Yanyun let out a shriek. "Sixth Prince, no! That is the 'Black Cloud Pestle,' a great treasure of our Northern Wu nation!"

The Black Cloud Pestle, forged from meteoric iron, was so incredibly hard that it could shatter even the finest weapons. "It matters not," Ashina Yanyun said, "he will never be able to take it."

Ashina Yanyun’s confidence was rooted in two things: first, he had twenty thousand troops; second, charging to the center to slay a commander was nearly impossible. Even if it were, he would exhaust every means to have his soldiers block the path. These were armored, ferocious warriors—it was not as if they were wolves among sheep!

With a playful, mocking look, he stared at Lin Qian. "Lin Qian! Are you afraid?"

Lin Qian shook his head and slowly drew an item from his own robes. It was a dragon-patterned jade pendant given to him by Sun Ye when he reached manhood. Even within the Great Qian imperial family, princes and grandsons usually wore pendants with owl or hornless dragon patterns; full dragon patterns were rarely seen unless personally bestowed by the Emperor. The value of this pendant was clear.

"Is this sufficient as a stake?"

Upon seeing the dragon pattern, Ashina Yanyun furrowed his brows. "Lin Qian, I did not expect you to have such nerve! Fine! If you lose, the next time our armies face each other, you must retreat thirty miles!"

Lin Qian picked at his ear and said flatly, "And if you lose, you are never to raid any city I am in. Wherever I am, you must depart!"

It was an escalation of the stakes. Ashina Yanyun sneered, "Win against me first before you speak!"

"Then just watch!"

Princess Ye Huang was no longer the only stake. Even those on Lin Qian’s side doubted Li Yuanying could win. After all, against twenty thousand heavy armored cavalry, any strategy could be torn apart. For Li Yuanying to carve a path through the ranks to the carriage was a feat beyond human capability.

How could this be possible?

"Hah!"

Just as the crowd stood in disbelief, they heard Li Yuanying’s thunderous roar, followed by the flash of his blade as he cleaved through the helmet of a heavy armored cavalryman.