At the border of the Great Li Empire, the gates of Yefu Pass[1] were wide open. The small number of light cavalry stationed at the city decided to march in the dark of night, something they rarely ever did. Even though there were only a thousand of them, the orderly thud of the warhorses' iron hooves onto the ground still caused the earth to quake. It was as if someone were beating a war drum with vigor and speed. This was a sound that could send ardor and zeal coursing through one's blood.

Beside the post road, a general tugged on his reins and brought his horse to a halt. There was a solemn expression on his face.

A young lieutenant with a vicious scar on his face hurriedly came over on his horse. After slowing down and stopping next to the general, he asked in a soft voice, "General Han, what's the reason behind this accelerated march toward the north and surprise attack? The Great Li Empire has vast expanses of territory to the north of Yefu Pass, so how can there possibly be large groups of bandits or rogues? Even if there are, the responsibility of dealing with them shouldn't fall on our cavalry unit anyway, right?"

"There are some questions that you shouldn't ask," the stocky general replied in a deep voice.

The young lieutenant grimaced in reply. However, he did indeed stop his line of questioning.

The general from Yefu Pass hesitated briefly, and this was most likely because he was feeling uncomfortably stifled as well. After organizing his words, he explained quietly, "Not only is our cavalry unit marching north, but almost half of the infantry and cavalry units from the northern border passes and military towns are marching north tonight as well."

The young lieutenant faltered upon hearing this. "Seasonal hunting that occurs on a four-year cycle? But this isn't the right season! We only just attended a spring hunting session last year, so even if we're to hold a large military exercise this year, it should be in the summer."

The general unconsciously stroked the soft mane of his steed as he replied, "The Ministry of War will naturally give us an order when we arrive at the location. There's no need for us to speculate."

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More than 100 kilometers to the west of Red Candle Town, there rested a small and lonely mountain in the middle of the wide Embroidered Flower River. The local residents had a crude name for this mountain that sat upstream — Steamed Bun...