The Three Kingdoms: Rise of the Western Liang Cavalry

Qin Lie's knuckles turned slightly white from the force he exerted, and every word on the bamboo slip felt like a branding iron burning into his heart.

The situation was both better and worse than he had imagined.

The curtain was then gently lifted.

A slender figure walked in silently, his footsteps barely a sound, like a shadow.

It is Jia Xu.

This strategist, who had once served under Niu Fu, Dong Zhuo's son-in-law, had received great kindness from Qin Lie's father in his early years. After Dong Zhuo's death, he quietly moved around and eventually stayed by Qin Lie's side. His face was calm, but his eyes were as deep as a bottomless, icy pool.

"Is the captain worried that the morale of the army is about to collapse?" Jia Xu's voice was not loud, but it was so clear that it seemed to be right next to his ear.

Qin Lie looked up at him, not surprised, and just gave a deep "hmm".

Jia Xu took half a step forward, his tone as calm as if he were talking about an ordinary, trivial matter:

"Xu has a plan that can immediately stabilize the entire army, and even... allow the captain to seize control of the three battalions surrounding Fufeng without losing a single soldier."

Qin Lie's heart skipped a beat, but looking into Jia Xu's calm eyes, he suddenly became alert—this cunning strategist's schemes never failed, yet they were never truly "clean."

He spoke almost instinctively: "Mr. Wenhe, what's your plan?"

Jia Xu spoke calmly, but his words caused the temperature in the tent to plummet: "Tonight, we will send assassins disguised as messengers from Chang'an, carrying a copy of Wang Yun's secret order into the camp, instructing them to 'investigate the families of the Xiliang army and execute them on the spot to prevent future troubles.' We will then have our trusted men spread the message among the soldiers and 'intercept' the order. When the crowd is in a frenzy, the captain only needs to raise his arm and call to arms, and not only will the soldiers of this camp fight to the death, but the neighboring camps, which are in a state of panic and have no one to lead them, will also come to surrender."

He paused, then added, "Afterwards, the messenger was killed to silence him, so there was no way to verify the story. Even if someone suspected something, they wouldn't dare to speak up. This is what is meant by... first eliminating their hope, then you can drive them away."

A chill suddenly ran down Qin Lie's spine.

Jia Xu's strategies were always the same—precise, ruthless, and always successful.

He could almost imagine the wave of despair and rage that the forged secret order would unleash within the army, and how he could use it to firmly control those five thousand men, or even more...

But what will be the cost?

Once that "Wang Yun's secret order" is released, whether true or false, it will inevitably ignite a deep-seated hatred between the Xiliang army and the imperial court, leaving no room for reconciliation. Not to mention, if such methods were ever exposed, Qin Lie's name would likely be forever etched in history as that of a treacherous villain.

"Sir's strategy is indeed..." Qin Lie took a deep breath, suppressing the momentary wavering in his heart, and shook his head decisively:

"But it shouldn't be that bad! It shouldn't have come to this!"

He abruptly stood up, his eyes flashing with a sharp, razor-like light once more: "I can handle this small situation. The morale I need isn't something that can be 'forged' in this way."

Jia Xu looked at him quietly for a moment, his face showing neither embarrassment nor surprise at being rejected. He simply nodded slightly and quietly retreated into the shadows of the tent, as if he had never made that suggestion that could overturn the game.

Qin Lie withdrew his gaze, but his mind was clearer and more determined because of the choice he had just made.

The good thing is that this unit has a very solid financial foundation.

With ample provisions, complete weaponry, and excellent warhorses, this was an elite force ready to be deployed for tough battles at any time, the culmination of years of hard work by the original owner's father and himself.

The problem is that morale is already stretched to its limit, and the slightest misstep could cause it to snap completely.

The wavering of nearly a thousand people is enough to cause the entire army to collapse at a critical moment!

He couldn't wait, not even for a moment!

"Captain?"

After Qin An finished dealing with the matter of sealing off the camp gates, he hurriedly returned to his tent. Seeing Qin Lie's solemn expression, his heart tightened again.

"Send the order: beat the drums to assemble the generals!"

"No, relay my order: assemble the entire army at the drill ground!"

"Anyone who fails to arrive within fifteen minutes will be executed!"

Qin Lie slammed the bamboo slips heavily onto the table, his eyes showing no more hesitation.

"All troops assembled?"

Qin An was greatly alarmed.

"Captain, the morale is low right now. Five thousand men are gathered together. If a few people with ulterior motives incite unrest, it could lead to chaos!"

"chaos?"

Qin Lie sneered and strode towards the silver-white armor hanging on the shelf.

"If we don't let them gather now, they'll gather in secret; if I don't intervene and prevent them from causing chaos, they'll create chaos in secret!"

"Rather than letting panic slither through the shadows like a venomous snake, we should drag it into the sunlight and sever it once and for all!"

He picked up the helmet, which was engraved with eagle patterns, and the cold touch made him even more alert.

"I want to show them that the sky hasn't fallen over in Fufeng Border Camp!"

"I, Qin Lie, am not dead yet!"

Looking at the captain's tall and straight back, Qin An felt a surge of heat rush from his chest to the top of his head.

Yes, the Grand Tutor is dead, but the Captain is still here!

When did these men, who crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, become so cowardly?

"Your humble servant obeys!"

Qin An responded with a resounding roar, turned around and rushed out of the tent, his voice hoarse but full of power.

"Beat the drums! All troops assemble at the drill ground—!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump—!"

The deep, rapid beat of the war drums, like the heartbeat of a giant, instantly reverberated throughout the entire camp.

The drumbeats, suppressing all the clamor, caused every soldier who was restless, confused, and fearful to involuntarily stop moving, their hearts pounding wildly with the drumbeats.

This is a top-level military order!

Countless soldiers emerged from their tents, looking at each other in bewilderment. Finally, under the shouts and urging of their respective squad leaders and platoon leaders, they picked up their weapons, formed streams of people, and surged toward the drill ground.

A quarter of an hour later, the huge training ground in the center of the Fufeng border camp was already filled with five thousand fierce soldiers from Xiliang.

The torches flickered, casting intermittent light and shadow on the rugged and uneasy faces.

The sounds of weapons rubbing against armor rose and fell, merging into a chilling hum.

All eyes were fixed on the command platform, which was three zhang high, in front of the training ground.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qin Lie, clad in silver armor and carrying the ring-pommel sword that had slain countless enemies, steadily and powerfully ascended the high platform step by step.

There was not a single guard behind him.

He stood alone on the edge of the platform, like a god looking down on all living beings in the darkness.

The cold night wind whipped the scarlet cloak behind him, making it flutter like an unyielding battle flag.

The audience fell silent instantly; even breathing could be heard clearly.

Qin Lie's gaze swept across the faces below like a hawk's, taking in their fear, anger, and confusion.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead enveloped the entire training ground with his silent, imposing presence.

Only when the oppressive atmosphere became almost suffocating did he slowly speak, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"I know what you're afraid of."

One sentence was enough to make the bodies of countless soldiers below the stage tremble violently.

"Are you afraid that with Grand Tutor Dong dead, the imperial court will settle scores with us and exterminate all of us from Xiliang?"

Qin Lie's voice suddenly rose in pitch, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

"Are you afraid that your parents, wives, and children, far away in Jincheng and Wuwei, will be slaughtered by those so-called loyal officials of the court because of us!"

"Am I right?!"

The last sentence was almost shouted out.

"Captain..."

Below the stage, a village chief from Jincheng could no longer hold back and roared with bloodshot eyes.

"We don't want to die! My mother is still waiting for me at home..."

His words were like a spark that instantly ignited a powder keg in the crowd.

"Yes! We are guarding the borders for the Han Dynasty, why should we be buried with Grand Tutor Dong!"

"Li Jue and Guo Si are going to their deaths in Chang'an, don't drag us down with them!"

"Captain, please let us go home! We just want to save our families!"

Cries, pleas, and roars mingled together, and the riot that had just been suppressed was about to erupt again.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Qin Lie let out a loud shout, his voice like a dragon's roar, which forcefully suppressed the noise of thousands of people.

He suddenly drew his ring-pommel sword from his waist and slammed it into the wooden plank of the platform!

"Zheng—!"

The sharp sound of a blade piercing wood sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Who told you that the imperial court was going to settle scores with us?"

Qin Lie's gaze was as cold as a knife.

"The assassination of Dong Zhuo was a scheme devised by Wang Yun and Lü Bu!"

"Dong Zhuo wreaked havoc on the court and persecuted loyal officials; he deserved to die!"

"He died because he deserved to die!"

"What does this have to do with us soldiers who are stationed on the frontier, defending against the Qiang and Hu tribes?!"

"Do you think that by surrendering to the imperial court, that old scoundrel Wang Yun will let you off the hook?"

Stop dreaming!

"In his eyes, our Xiliang army was a pack of unruly wolves!"

"Today we've confiscated your weapons, tomorrow we can hang your heads on the city walls!"

"This is called discarding the donkey after it has served its purpose!"

"Do you think that by fleeing back to Liangzhou, you can protect your families?"

"A bunch of deserters, stripped of their military status and comrades, you are bandits!"

"They're bandits!"

"At that time, not only will the imperial court want to wipe you out, but even the Qiang and Hu tribes will see you as the fattest lambs!"

"Your wives and children will only be disgraced because of you!"

Every word Qin Lie spoke was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the soldiers' hearts hard.

The anger and fear on their faces gradually turned into confusion and despair.

Yes, surrendering means death, and fleeing west is also a dead end.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Qin Lie softened his tone, which was full of seductive power.

"The road ahead is a precipice, the road behind is an abyss!"

"But we have a third way!"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it.

"Defend Fufeng!"

Qin Lie spoke each word slowly and deliberately, his voice firm and resolute.