075. The Nemesis of the Langya Cavalry

“Very good, very good!”
“Rewards, rewards for everyone!”
“Beauty, have a drink with me!”

In Wuhu of Danyang Commandery, within the makeshift imperial palace of Yuan Shu, a group of slender, lightly dressed dancers twirled gracefully. Emperor Zhong of the Yuan clan, Yuan Shu—known as Gonglu—held a bottle of Taibai wine and a gilt goblet, weaving through the dancers, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, cheeks flushed red.

Suddenly, several armored men burst into the hall. The startled dancers halted their performance and withdrew to the side, leaving only Yuan Shu swaying unsteadily in the center.

“Why have you stopped?”
“Continue the music! Continue the dance!”
Yuan Shu waved his wide sleeves, shouting.

“Your Majesty, General of the Central Army, Zhou Yu, requests an audience!”
Yuan Yin, Prefect of Danyang, stepped forward with clasped hands.

“Who? Who seeks an audience with me?”
Yuan Shu turned, swaying, squinting at the people beside Yuan Yin. The man in front was strikingly handsome, with rosy cheeks and clad in an elegant robe of white brocade, a white feather fan in hand, exuding extraordinary grace.

At the sight of this man, Yuan Shu’s eyes lit up. He grinned, drooling slightly, “Such beauty~” and reached out to touch the man's cheek.

With a sharp clang, the gentleman in white's expression chilled as he drew the long sword at his waist.

Yuan Shu immediately shuddered, dropping his goblet to the floor. He stumbled backward several steps, shouting,
“Guards! Protect me!”

In a flurry, several armored imperial guards rushed into the hall.

“Your Majesty, do not be alarmed. This is Zhou Yu, styled Gongjin, our reinforcements here to help us against Cao Xin, not an assassin!”
Yuan Yin waved his hand, signaling the guards to withdraw.

“Zhou Gongjin? Oh, I remember, I remember now—the young master of the Zhou family.”
Yuan Shu clapped his forehead, realization dawning.
“Gongjin, you are here to help me reclaim Yang Province? Good, good! Gongjin, I appoint you General of Chariots and Cavalry, to command one hundred thousand troops and help me retake Huainan, to restore my capital!”

“Hmph! Yuan Shu, your kingdom has long since fallen. You hold only Danyang—a single commandery. Among all the lords of the land, you are the weakest. With such conduct, do you dare claim the title of sovereign?”
Zhou Yu, his face cold, spoke with biting sarcasm.

“Outrageous! Insolence!”
Yuan Shu roared.

“Hahaha, Yuan Shu, your capital is occupied by Cao Xin, your palace is his residence, your beloved consort lies in his embrace—and instead of seeking vengeance, you indulge in wine and pleasure. Hah! The world calls you petty and narrow-minded, but to my eyes, your tolerance is boundless!”

“Insolent wretch! Guards, seize him, have him dragged out and hacked to pieces!”
Yuan Shu’s voice cracked with fury, echoing through the hall.

A squad of armored guards burst in, spears leveled at Zhou Yu.

“Who dares!”
Behind Zhou Yu, two towering men stepped forward.

One was dark-faced with a wide mouth, a thick beard, clad in black iron armor, his bearing formidable. This was Zhou Tai, styled Youping, from Xiacai of Jiujiang. Years ago, he had followed Sun Ce in defeating Yan Baihu and Wang Lang, a man of peerless valor.

The other, of heroic appearance with flowing beard and a fierce aura, was none other than Taishi Ci of Donglai. Once under Liu Yao, Prefect of Yuzhang, he had been defeated by Sun Ce the previous year and, after capture, now served Sun Ce as a Commandant of the Vanguard.

As these two stepped forward, over twenty imperial guards were cowed by their imposing presence, not daring to advance a step.

Yuan Shu, too, recoiled in fright, falling heavily onto the steps.

“Guards! Protect me, quickly!”

“Your Majesty, do not fear!”
An elderly man with a white beard stepped forth; this was Yan Xiang, Yuan Shu’s Chancellor, formerly his Chief Clerk, renowned for wisdom and counsel.

“Your Majesty, Zhou Gongjin and the two generals have come by order of General Sun to assist our army, to help defeat Cao Xin’s forces and reclaim Huainan. They are not our enemies.”
Yan Xiang spoke with hands clasped.

“Defeat Cao Xin? Ha! That cur once led three thousand Langya soldiers and crushed eighty thousand troops of Jingzhou in Nanyang—eighty thousand! Now in Huainan, the traitor commands over ten thousand, even stronger than before. I have only thirty thousand—how can I defeat him? How can we retake Shouchun? Tell me!”
Yuan Shu thundered.

“Your Majesty, if I may, according to Luo Jiang’s report, Yu Jin leads five thousand at Lu'an, holding off the Luo Jiang and Jiangxia forces. At present, Cao Xin commands only six thousand troops. Within our walls are thirty thousand elite of Danyang, outside are several thousand reinforcements from General Sun, and we have the support of Huainan’s gentry. While Cao Xin has yet to establish himself, if we strike with all our might, we can rout his army, defeat him, and reclaim Huainan.”
Yan Xiang responded with confidence.

Yuan Shu frowned, hesitating.

“Your Majesty!”
Yuan Yin, Prefect of Danyang, stepped forward. “General Sun has sent three thousand veteran warriors to support us—all battle-hardened, each one worth a hundred men, no less than the Langya troops. Moreover, Generals Taishi and Zhou are the martial equals of Cao Xin; together, they will surely defeat him.”

“Oh?”
Yuan Shu looked over Zhou Tai and Taishi Ci, noting their imposing stature and fierce demeanor, no less impressive than Sun Jian, Lü Bu, or Cao Xin.

Some hope flickered in Yuan Shu’s heart, yet the memory of that day—Cao Xin charging through his ranks with a hundred horsemen, cutting them down at will—made his resolve falter, his spirits flagging once more.

“Your Majesty, what causes your hesitation?”
Yan Xiang and the others frowned.

Yuan Shu waved them off, “Have you ever witnessed the Langya cavalry charge? When they attack, no force can bar their way—Cao Xin leads them through any formation as though none exist. Sun Ce’s infantry may best them on foot, but who can counter their cavalry?”

“You mean the jet-black Langya horsemen?”
Zhou Yu sneered.

Laughter erupted.

The Langya cavalry had never known defeat—until Zhou Yu, at Juchao, doused fifty of them in ink, earning the tale “Zhou Gongjin’s ink stains the Langya cavalry,” now a jest among the people of Jianghuai at Cao Xin’s expense.

Yuan Shu’s lips twitched. He wished to laugh, yet could not—the shadow of the Langya cavalry weighed too heavily on his heart, snuffing out even the desire for concubines.

“Your Majesty, do not worry. Jingzhou has devised a means to counter the Langya cavalry. This man is Kuai Yue, Gentleman of the Palace from Jingzhou, sent by Governor Liu to assist us.”
Yan Xiang indicated a gaunt scholar at his side—this was Kuai Yue, once driven to cough blood by Cao Xin at Xinye.

With only Jiangxia Commandery between Nanyang and Lujiang, if Cao Xin were to seize Lujiang, in five years Jiangxia and Xiangyang would be surrounded. Thus, when Yuan Shu’s army sought aid, Jingzhou dispatched Kuai Yue to forge an alliance.

“Greetings, General Yuan!”
Kuai Yue bowed, “Our Jingzhou army suffered greatly at the hands of the Langya cavalry. In the aftermath, our strategists racked their brains for half a year, devising and testing, until at last we created two weapons—both capable of halting and even destroying the Langya cavalry on the field.”

“Oh? Is that so?!”

Yuan Shu’s eyes shone, his voice trembling with excitement.

“I have brought several hundred of these weapons to deal with the Langya cavalry. General Yuan, if you wish, come with me to the horse grounds and see for yourself—their efficacy will be plain at a glance.”

“Very well! I shall go with you.”
Yuan Shu left the hall, with Zhou Yu and the others following.

Over an hour later, bursts of exuberant laughter rang out from outside the hall.

“Hahahahahaha!”
“Hahahahaha—ah, hahaha!”

Yuan Shu, surrounded by his confidants, Zhou Yu, Kuai Yue, and others, strode back into the hall, faces alight with excitement—none more so than Yuan Shu himself.

“With these weapons, what fear have we of the Langya cavalry? What fear of that cur Cao Xin?”

Yuan Shu mounted the jade steps, seizing a gleaming golden tiger tally.

“Zhang Xun!”

“At your command!”

Grand General Zhang Xun stepped forward with cupped fists.

“I order you to take twenty thousand men—together with Gongjin, attack Shouchun and bring me Cao Ziyu’s head!”

“I accept the order!”
Grand General Zhang Xun received the tiger tally with both hands.

“Gongjin, General Zhou, General Taishi—the task of defeating Cao Xin and the Langya army is yours.”

Yuan Shu warmly grasped Zhou Yu’s hand.

Zhou Yu gently withdrew, replying coolly, “Lord Yuan, my master General Sun risks breaking with Cao Mengde to forge this alliance and resist Cao’s armies. I trust that, should we succeed, you will honor our pact and cede Lujiang to us.”

“If you win back Shouchun and defeat Cao Xin, Lujiang is yours.”
Yuan Shu waved dismissively.

“General Yuan,”
Kuai Yue spoke, “If we defeat Cao Xin and his cavalry, all Jingzhou asks is for the armor of the Langya horsemen and Cao Xin’s corpse. That villain seized our Nanyang, killed over ten thousand of our men—our enmity is boundless. Only by displaying his remains upon Xiangyang’s walls can we appease Jingzhou’s wrath. I hope you will grant us this.”

Yuan Shu frowned, “That villain robbed me of Shouchun and my beloved consort—our hatred too runs deep. But if Governor Liu asks for it by name, you may have his corpse.”

“Thank you, General Yuan!”
Kuai Yue bowed in earnest.

“Hahaha! Prepare a banquet! Tonight, we drink deep—tomorrow, we unite as one to destroy the traitor Cao!”

Yuan Shu raised his cup, shouting.

“To destroy Cao together!”
All present echoed, raising their cups.

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