The Three Kingdoms: Rise of the Western Liang Cavalry

Where do you want to go?

His voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Captain!"

The leader of the team, his eyes bloodshot, knelt on the ground and wept.

"We...we're not defecting! It's just that our families are all in Jingzhao Yin, only a few dozen miles from Chang'an!"

"Wang Yun gave the order, so...they won't survive!"

"Please, Captain, spare our lives! We want to bring our families out. Even if we die, we can die in peace!"

Looking at these men, tears streaming down their faces and filled with despair, Qin Lie's murderous intent gradually faded.

He knew that it was impossible to stop it; simply suppressing it would only allow this desperate flame to burn the entire camp to ashes.

He took a deep breath, looked around at all the soldiers who had gathered because of the riot, and his voice carried to every corner.

"Your family members are also my family, Qin Lie's family!"

"What difference is there between comrades-in-arms and blood relatives?"

Everyone was stunned and stared at him in silence.

"Wang Yun is wicked and attempted to exterminate my entire Xiliang family; this enmity is irreconcilable!"

Qin Lie's voice suddenly became firm and powerful.

"But with your reckless courage, rushing out will only lead to your deaths and destroy the last hope of your families. What else can you do?"

"Can you break through Chang'an's defenses, or can you withstand the imperial army of tens of thousands?"

The soldiers who stormed the camp lowered their heads in shame.

Qin Lie looked at them, his tone suddenly becoming incredibly firm.

"I promise you! Within ten days, I will send men to infiltrate the area around Chang'an and rescue your families, every single one of you!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone looked at Qin Lie with disbelief.

How...how is this possible?

"I know you don't believe me."

Qin Lie seemed to see through their thoughts. He pointed to his command tent and said loudly.

"My Qin family has been operating in Fufeng for generations. All our assets—land deeds, gold and silver, horse ranches—will be moved to the drill ground first thing tomorrow morning!"

"I will give away a portion of my family fortune to recruit heroes and righteous men from Guanzhong to form a suicide squad to go to Chang'an and rescue my family!"

"The other portion, as a settlement fund, can be received by all my soldiers to help them settle their families in Fufeng County!"

The night breeze seemed to stand still at that moment.

The hundreds of soldiers who stormed the camp and the thousands of onlookers were all frozen in place, staring blankly at the figure on the stage.

Squander all family wealth?

These four words are more awe-inspiring than the charge of a thousand troops.

In an era where powerful families valued wealth and land as much as life itself, Qin Lie's promise was tantamount to uprooting his own foundation and laying it under everyone's feet.

The captain kneeling on the ground slowly lost his madness in his bloodshot eyes, and what welled up was hot, uncontrollable tears.

He wasn't crying for himself, but for the young captain before him.

He suddenly slammed his head against the ground, his forehead hitting the cold earth with a dull thud.

"Captain...Captain's kindness is immense! I...I am less than a pig or a dog!"

He burst into tears.

"We are guilty! We are willing to accept military law, even unto death!"

"Please, Captain, punish him!"

Behind him, hundreds of impulsive soldiers knelt down in unison, their weapons scattered everywhere, clanging as if shattering the last vestiges of selfishness and cowardice in their hearts.

Their heads were bowed low, shame and gratitude mingling into a silent torrent.

Qin Lie watched them quietly, his gaze devoid of victor's smugness, only filled with a profound sense of pity.

He stepped down from the platform, personally helped the team leader up, and patted the thick dust off his shoulders.

"Your sin is in distrust of me."

"But your affection lies in your concern for your family."

"What crime have those with feelings committed?"

His voice softened.

"Get up, everyone."

"From this day forward, I will protect your families."

"Your lives must be spared; for me, for Xiliang, you must fight for a brighter future!"

He turned to Qin An and gave the order.

"Detain them temporarily, but do not torture them."

"After the family property is moved to the training ground tomorrow, they will be responsible for distributing it, to prove my conscience and atone for my mistakes."

"Yes, sir!"

Qin An gave Qin Lie a deep look, his eyes filled not only with loyalty but also with heartfelt reverence.

The riots were thus quelled.

However, Qin Lie's taut nerves did not relax at all.

He knew better than anyone that the chaos in Chang'an had only just begun.

Inside the central command tent, the glow of the oil lamp cast long shadows of several people.

"Chen Wu,"

Qin Lie tapped his fingers on the map on the table, his gaze fixed on the area between Fufeng and Chang'an.

"Wang Yun's actions, though seemingly righteous, were in fact extremely foolish."

"By cutting off Li Jue and Guo Si's escape route, he forced tens of thousands of Xiliang troops to counterattack Chang'an."

"Although Lü Bu is brave, he is not a capable general. The people in Chang'an are restless and cannot be defended."

A hint of worry appeared on Chen Wu's usually calm face.

"Does the captain mean that Li Jue and Guo Si will soon besiege Chang'an?"

"Not sooner, but at any time."

Qin Lie's fingertips landed heavily on the two characters "Fufeng".

"And we are stationed at the western gate of Chang'an."

"Once war breaks out, Fufeng will be the first place to be hit."

"Whether Li Jue and Guo Si flee west, or the imperial army pursues them, we will be drawn into it."

The air inside the tent suddenly became heavy.

Qin An gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and said in a deep voice.

"Captain, we only have five thousand men. If we are attacked from both sides..."

"Therefore, we cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom."

A glint of light flashed in Qin Lie's eyes.

"We not only need to stabilize our internal situation, but we also need external support."

He raised his head and looked at a young general standing at the entrance of the tent.

The man was in his early twenties, with a handsome face and features that were more defined than those of ordinary Han Chinese. His eyes shone like stars. He was his cousin, Ma Dai.

"Bo Zhan".

Qin Lie called out.

Ma Dai strode into the tent and knelt on one knee.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I have a mission with a near-certain death toll, and I have to entrust it to you."

Qin Lie stared at him.

"My Qin family once saved the life of the old chief of the Shaodang Qiang tribe in a time of crisis and became sworn brothers with him. This kindness, along with my mother's Qiang bloodline, is the only force we can turn to for help."

Qin Lie's mother was Ma Dai's aunt, a Qiang woman.

This blood relation is a bond that money can't buy.

"I command you to immediately select twenty of your most elite guards, and take with you half of the gold, silver and jewels, silk and tea from the Qin family's treasury, as well as this token."

Qin Lie took out a bone whistle carved with a hawk from his bosom. It was a token that his father had exchanged with the old chieftain of the Shaodang Qiang tribe.

"We traveled day and night to the royal court of the Shaodang Qiang to meet the old chieftain."

"Tell him that his Han brother's son is in trouble and needs his help."

"I urge him to mobilize the entire army of his tribe and march south to Fufeng, so that we can support each other from both sides!"

Ma Dai took the bone whistle with both hands, and the bone whistle seemed to be warm in his palms.

He looked up, his eyes filled with unwavering trust and determination.