Liang Qiang gazed into the distance across the wilderness.
The autumn-steppe stretched out in withered yellow, not as a flat plain but with undulating rises and falls.
The setting sun cast a radiant glow along the horizon.
Without needing further explanation from the soldier, he knew how to turn the tide and restore glory—it even seemed visible to him now.
Amid the horizon's shimmering colors, he saw Xiliang soldiers desperately tearing into their foes. The dozen or so Great Xia soldiers, fearless and unyielding, clung to their enemies even in death. But even the fiercest tiger cannot withstand a pack of hyenas—one by one, the soldiers fell, until only the general remained.
Zhong Changrong, pierced by countless blades and spears, still managed to cut down several more foes before finally halting.
He stood firm, gripping his sword with eyes wide open, his body bristling with embedded weapons—dead, yet unyielding.
Liang Qiang wanted to close his eyes, but even darkness couldn’t block the scene. He saw the jeering, triumphant Xiliang soldiers, saw himself charging through the dust and smoke, leading his troops to crush these hyena-like Xiliang forces. He saw his men following him in swift pursuit, driving Western Liang back across the desert—
Then returning, cloaked in glory.
The soldier’s voice drifted in and out, now near, now distant: "This time, Great Xia won’t have to pay the price. No cities will be lost, no civilians harmed."
"Zhong Changrong has grown wary of you. With him around, not only will you be stripped of command, but you’ll also face charges and be sent back to labor camp."
"Can Young Master Liang bear to see two years of effort come to nothing? Everything wiped away?"
"And Young Master Liang, you are a man of valor."
At these words, the vision before Liang Qiang faded. He turned to the soldier. "Valor?"
He laughed bitterly.
"How can someone shielded by you on the battlefield speak of valor?"
The soldier clenched a fist and thumped his own chest. "Do not be modest, Young Master Liang. Precisely because we’ve fought alongside you for so long—even while protecting you—we can see you possess a valiant heart."
A valiant heart. Liang Qiang pressed a hand to his own chest. So they too believed he had a valiant heart, just like Miss Chu.
Yes. Whether as a wealthy young master or a conscripted laborer, his heart had never abandoned courage.
"I do have a valiant heart," he murmured.
The soldier’s expression was earnest. "So, if you take up the Border Army’s heavy responsibility, you will be no less than Zhong Changrong—perhaps even better. You will become Great Xia’s pride, the people’s blessing. Your name will surely be recorded in history."
Liang Qiang kept his hand over his heart, his gaze firming. "Yes. I will achieve it."
The soldier smiled. "Then—"
"So what should I do?" Liang Qiang cut in, looking at the soldier beside him. "I understand why you’ve been urging me to seek Zhong Changrong’s favor—so I could stay close to him and discover his ambush in time. But how do I handle this crisis? How do I crush the Xiliang ambush with valor and sacrifice, without saving Zhong Changrong?"
He had only a dozen or so soldiers with him.
He shook his head.
"I don’t believe our small group can defeat the Xiliang forces that killed Zhong Changrong."
"Or—"
He studied the soldier.
"—rely on your arrangement to make the Xiliang troops withdraw. But that wouldn’t count as a valiant, bloody victory, would it?"Hearing his words, another soldier laughed. "Captain Liang is quite meticulous." He lifted his chin. "They won't escape this time. Captain Liang must personally slaughter them all, because Zhong Changrong's trusted followers need to witness this scene."
"And of course, we won't rely solely on our dozen men. Right now, a cavalry unit of several hundred is patrolling nearby. We've planted our people among them."
He drew five whistling arrows from his back.
"When Captain Liang charges into the enemy ranks, it would be best if Zhong Changrong is already dead. If he isn't, we'll take the opportunity to kill him while simultaneously firing the whistling arrows."
"Our men will immediately lead that cavalry unit here. This way, Captain Liang can display his valor without being hopelessly outnumbered and suffering a tragic death."
Liang Qiang reached out and took the whistling arrows, examining them in his hand. "Indeed thorough." Without waiting for the soldiers to speak further, he raised his head to look ahead and took up his crossbow. "Then let us go slay the enemy."
With that, he spurred his horse forward at full gallop.
The soldiers hadn't yet reacted, exchanging glances filled with mockery and disdain.
"So impatient."
"Of course, Captain Liang hasn't had a chance to display his valor for a long time."
They whispered and chuckled, but at the same moment, their gazes toward the front turned strange. The jests that had been on their lips twisted into distorted shouts.
"No—"
A sharper explosive sound drowned out their cries.
Liang Qiang, galloping ahead, raised his crossbow on horseback and shot the whistling arrows one by one into the sky.
The whistling arrows burst with sharp shrieks, blooming into brilliant flowers across the sky just swallowed by dusk.
The soldiers' faces looked as if torn apart, disbelief written across them.
They were supposed to witness this scene, but not now!
Summoning reinforcements now would throw everything into chaos!
Liang Qiang hadn't released the whistling arrows by mistake!
He had done it deliberately!
"After him—" The soldiers galloped in pursuit, their eyes filled with rage as they watched the young officer charging ahead. "This damned puppet! If he wants to die, let him die this time!"
Liang Qiang paid no attention to the icy stares and furious shouts behind him. After shooting all five whistling arrows into the sky, he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
His body, always weighed down before, now felt light, as if he were about to take flight on horseback.
He slung his crossbow and charged forward recklessly. After crossing several hills, he heard the sounds of battle and saw the chaotic melee of men and horses.
His entire being burned with excitement.
He had finally understood one thing clearly.
He possessed a courageous heart—this was a fact everyone saw, and one he himself believed.
But that was all he had.
If a courageous heart couldn't transform into courageous action, it was ultimately meaningless.
Moreover, how could it be considered no loss? If Zhong Changrong died, the commander of the Great Xia Border Army would be gone. The morale of the army, the faith of the people, and the prestige of Great Xia would all suffer!
He could indeed replace Zhong Changrong.
But would the one replacing Zhong Changrong still be him?
It would merely be a Liang Qiang with nothing but empty courage and ambition.
Could such a Liang Qiang become the pride of Great Xia and a blessing to the people?
Could such a Liang Qiang have his name recorded in history?
What did such a Liang Qiang have to do with him?
The battling forces ahead were now clearly visible—the chilling glint of blades, the flying blood and flesh, resembling the halls of the underworld in the gradually descending night.
Let such a Liang Qiang die in this underworld.Liang Qiang's eyes blazed with fire as he swung his long blade, shouting.
"Reinforcements are here—"
"Reinforcements are here—"
"Western Liang scum, die—"
……
……
Reinforcements? The soldiers locked in chaotic melee heard this piercing cry that seemed to tear through heaven and earth.
Zhong Changrong swung his blade to cleave through a giant axe, his sword continuing forward without pause to strike the soldier wielding it. The Xiliang soldier let out a wretched scream as he collapsed to his knees, his head rolling away while blood spurted forth.
Through the bloody mist, Zhong Changrong saw a young officer charging from the distance, then leaping without hesitation into this boiling cauldron of battle.
Like a pebble dropped into the ocean.
One, reinforcement?
He looked again and saw a dozen more figures in the distance—
Still not enough, though. But reinforcements or not, it made no difference.
Not a single ripple stirred in Zhong Changrong's heart as he swung his long blade, severing an enemy soldier who had lunged at him from behind.
……
……
Even a small pebble cast into the ocean will still create ripples.
The cries of reinforcements threw the ambushing Xiliang soldiers into disarray.
"They only have one—"
"A dozen or so—"
"Don't be afraid—"
But soon the shouts grew chaotic as the ground began to tremble, and the night sky in the distance grew bright, as if fiery serpents were emerging from beneath the earth.
They came winding forward, then multiplied, spreading across the land and closing in.
"Reinforcements—"
"The Great Xia reinforcements are here—"
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