Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

“Big Brother, are you okay? Grandpa said bad people hurt you. Yang’er came to see you.”

The moment Yang’er entered the military tent, he rushed to Luo Yu’s side in a panic. He looked him up and down, his eyes filled with worry.

“Big Brother helped us drive back the Qiang bandits and protected the neighbors. Auntie Zhang and the others all say you’re a good man. Why would bad people want to hurt you? Those people are so mean. Big Brother, are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“How can you be fine? Look, there’s blood here! Does it hurt a lot?”

Yang’er’s eyes turned red. He had spotted the gauze wrapped around the wound, where faint traces of blood were still seeping through.

“Your brother is an adult. I’m not afraid of pain. I’m truly fine.”

The child’s tender voice made Luo Yu’s heart soften. He quickly pulled the boy into his arms and rubbed his head.

Yang’er remained skeptical. He suddenly pulled out the wooden knife Luo Yu had made for him and brandished it twice, the blade whistling through the air. “If anyone dares to hurt Big Brother again, Yang’er will help you beat them away. Grandpa says I’m an adult now, too!”

Old Li stood nearby, carrying a wooden box with an apologetic expression.

“I know the centurion is busy with military affairs, and I shouldn’t have come to disturb you. But as soon as this child heard you were injured, he started pacing in circles. He cried and shouted that he had to see you. This old man couldn’t win against him, so I had to bring him along.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Luo Yu reached out and pinched the boy’s small face. “The northwest wind is cold outside. You waited for an hour. You must be freezing, aren’t you?”

The child’s cheeks were flushed bright red from the cold, and his nose was running.

“Yang’er isn’t cold! No matter how cold it is, I have to see Big Brother!”

“Oh!”

Yang’er suddenly jumped up and scurried over to his grandfather’s side.

“I even brought you mutton soup! Grandpa says it can nourish your qi and blood. Since Big Brother is injured, you definitely have to drink more mutton soup!”

Yang’er took a bowl of mutton soup out of the wooden box and handed it to Luo Yu with both hands. He looked guilty.

“We waited too long, and it’s gone cold. Maybe Grandpa and I should go back and get a fresh bowl.”

“It’s fine. As long as Yang’er brought it, I’ll drink it.”

Luo Yu downed the mutton soup in one go. He found that there was actually quite a lot of mutton inside, which moved him deeply.

Every time he went with Xiao Shaoyou to eat mutton soup with pita bread, they usually just had the broth without any meat. The amount of mutton Old Li used for his daily stew wasn’t much to begin with. After all, ordinary soldiers couldn’t afford meat, so having a bit of flavored broth to satisfy a craving was already enough. Yet today, there was so much meat in this bowl. For a common street vendor, this amount of meat represented a significant cost.

Luo Yu spent quite a while playing with Yang’er before Old Li finally led his reluctant grandson away. Before leaving, Yang’er waved his arm vigorously.

“Big Brother, Yang’er will come see you again in a few days!”

“Alright!”

Luo Yu smiled, his expression genuinely happy.

Since joining the army, most of the people he encountered were full of schemes and deception. He often couldn’t distinguish friend from foe, and even Xiao Shaoyou had set traps for him before.

But Yang’er was different. The pure child simply saw him as a big brother and wanted to be close to him. This kind of warmth was something Luo Yu cherished deeply.

“So you actually know how to smile.”

Shen Li muttered from behind him, “I thought you were going to keep that frozen iceberg face forever.”

“Mind your own business!”

Luo Yu shot her a fierce glare.

“Go brew the wine!”

* * *

“Giddyup!”

Clop! Clop! Clop!

“Kill!”

On the training grounds, dozens of cavalrymen were galloping across the field, each wielding a long spear. Numerous straw dogs had been set up throughout the area. The riders charged back and forth, slashing and stabbing as they practiced their mounted combat techniques.

Including the twenty warhorses traded from Han Shuo, Luo Yu now had fifty mounts in his possession. Among the many centurions in the city, his foundation was now considered quite wealthy. Originally, his 130 brothers practiced horsemanship daily, but now Luo Yu had selected the fifty strongest men to become formal cavalry, giving them extra training in mounted combat.

In the mornings, they practiced the infantry Three-Three System tactics. In the afternoons, they pushed through grueling sessions of horsemanship, spearwork, and mounted battle. For the past half-month, Luo Yu had put them through hell.

Ten soldiers sat high on their horses, spears leveled, formed into a single line. In the center of the training grounds, ten straw dogs weighted with sandbags had been prepared for them.

Luo Yu shouted in a cold voice.

“The Three-Three System is equally applicable in small-scale cavalry skirmishes, but if large groups of cavalry clash, then formation is paramount. A disorganized charge will inevitably fail against a unified front. On the battlefield, rushing forward like a hothead without regard for your comrades will only lead to a dead end. Therefore, starting today, you must hone your coordination as a unit.

“Do you see them? There are ten straw dogs ahead. Imagine them as Qiang bandits. You must strike them with a single blow.

“But remember, I am not asking you to just run a spear through a straw dog. I want ten men to advance side-by-side and hit the enemies simultaneously. Only then can you tear through the enemy’s front line on a real battlefield.

“Do you all understand!”

“Understood!”

The men shouted in unison. The ten riders at the front of the line looked much more solemn.

After so many days of drilling, their horsemanship was barely adequate, but achieving perfect coordination between ten people was still a significant challenge.

At Luo Yu’s command, the ten men pulled their reins simultaneously. The horses’ hooves thundered forward as they charged. Every man used his peripheral vision to watch his comrades, ensuring their horses maintained roughly the same speed.

However, every horse had different stamina, every man had a different weight, and their levels of skill varied. How could they possibly ensure the horses moved in a perfect line? Dong Chuan, Meng Hu, Lu Qingyun, and Little Wu were all struggling to control their pace, barely managing to maintain a jagged, uneven front.

As the straw dogs loomed ahead, the ten men gathered their strength and thrust their spears at the same time, letting out a furious roar.

Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!

The ten straw dogs fell one after another. While it wasn’t perfectly synchronized, it was acceptable.

Meng Hu was overjoyed and looked toward Luo Yu with excitement.

“Boss, how was that? Not bad, right!”

“Not bad, my ass!”

Instead of praise, what came back was Luo Yu’s cursing.

“With that performance, you’d only be waiting for death on the battlefield! Today is the first time, so it can be forgiven. But if you look like this tomorrow, don’t even think about eating!

“Get back to training! Every one of you is just dreaming!”

Amid the barrage of curses, everyone raised their spears and remounted, beginning another round of devilish training.

Standing to the side, Xiao Shaoyou finally spoke up.

“Your cavalry is already showing signs of proper discipline. Achieving this effect in twenty days is no small feat. Isn’t it a bit heartless to scold them like that?”

“Heartless? What use is a heart?”

Luo Yu said with a cold face, “On the battlefield, will having a heart make the Qiang soldiers show mercy? No. It will only get them killed! Being cruel to them now gives them a few more ways to stay alive when the real fight starts.”

“You’re ruthless enough.”

Xiao Shaoyou gave him a thumbs-up. “Your training methods are those of a professional. I always thought you just had a good head and strong skills, but I didn’t expect you to understand the art of cavalry warfare as well. You truly surprise me.”

“My strength is beyond your imagination.”

Luo Yu didn’t bother with modesty. He continued, “I’m uneasy because I haven’t been able to root out the traitor. If Yunyang Pass is truly breached, I don’t want these brothers to die in vain under the scimitars of the Qiang cavalry.”

“There are only ten days left until New Year’s Eve.” Xiao Shaoyou’s brow furrowed. “So far, there’s been no movement in the city, and the Qiang show no intention of attacking the walls. Do you really think this traitor will jump out on his own?”

“Yes.” Luo Yu nodded with absolute certainty. “If he wants to seize control of the majority of the military power before opening the gates, he must find a way to deal with the other generals in the city.

“We just have to wait patiently.”

“Boss! Boss!”

Pang Fei suddenly came running over.

“An invitation! General Jun sent someone with an invitation.”

“An invitation? Hosting a party while the enemy is at the gates?”

Xiao Shaoyou frowned. He tore open the invitation and scanned it, his gaze turning cold.

“Interesting.”

“What is it?”

“General Jun’s concubine gave him a son. In five days, he’s hosting a banquet at Zuixian Restaurant for all the officers in the city, including you and me.”

“Oh?”

Luo Yu’s eyes instantly sharpened.

“Could it be him?”