Xunfeng Tribe.
The tribal lord of the Xunfeng Tribe, Xunfeng Xi, knelt on the ground in his camp, prostrating himself devoutly like a dog.
In his place sat a figure clad in Black Cavalry armor.
“Respected black cavalry commander, I will obey any order you give.”
“Enough nonsense, Xunfeng Xi. I’m here this time to convey general Xuan Yue’s orders. According to our investigation, that Li Zhen came to Dan Prefecture.
You must find him by any means necessary and hand him over to me. Also, I had a scout squad disappear in Dan Prefecture.
Go investigate immediately!
If you cannot uncover the truth, you understand the consequences!”
After speaking, the Black Cavalry soldier rose and left.
Outside, many people of the Xunfeng Tribe looked at him fearfully. Their expressions were much like those of the people from the Shuoyan Tribe back then.
Although Xunfeng was a horse-breeding tribe dedicated to Great Yu, in the eyes of the Black Cavalry, they were still nothing more than dogs!
Would you care who fed your horses in a stable?
You would not.
If that horse feeder was no good, you could simply replace them!
Only after the other party had left did Xunfeng Xi slowly rise.
He spat toward the direction in which the man had departed.
Among the Six Great tribes, the Xunfeng Tribe ranked near the top. They had many people and many weapons. All the standard weapons discarded by Great Yu were given to them.
Even so, they treated all of it like treasure.
Anyone who could become a tribal lord had tens of thousands of people under them. The weakest were like the Shuoyan Tribe, possessing twenty thousand able-bodied youths!
They were not born with servile bones!
They certainly had their own thoughts, but given the circumstances, all he could do was spit at the other party’s back.
To put it without exaggeration,
the twenty thousand Black Cavalry stationed at Northern Cold Pass could sweep across all of Dan Prefecture, including that long-defunct royal court.
“Someone come.”
“Master!”
The servant at the entrance came in and knelt.
“Notify Xunfeng Yi, Xunfeng Qi, and Xunfeng Zhuanyan!”
The three were the three most elite troops commanders under him, each commanding a ten thousand cavalry unit. Dan Prefecture did not have the complicated military rank system of the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains.
There was only the ten thousand cavalry—each unit consisted of ten thousand men!
Soon, three figures rushed in and knelt before Xunfeng Xi in salute!
“The Black Cavalry has issued an order for us to search Dan Prefecture for their missing chancellor. They also lost a scout squad here!
Tomorrow, each of you will take one ten thousand cavalry unit and search for him!”
The commander-in-chief of the first ten-thousand cavalry frowned. “Master, I know about this, but it seems the Zhelan Tribe is also searching for someone on behalf of the Qi Kingdom...”
Xunfeng Yi hesitated before immediately saying, “What should we do if we run into them?”
“If you encounter them, send someone to Northern Cold Pass for the Black Cavalry. This was their order; let them handle it!”
Xunfeng Xi snorted coldly!
Clearly, he was also dissatisfied with his master.
Every time they clashed with the Zhelan Tribe because of Great Yu’s orders, they suffered heavy losses!
And Great Yu would casually give them a few things to send them away!
Especially the last time they fought the Shuoyan Tribe over territory—the Black Cavalry had actually sent only a Thousand cavalry unit to watch the spectacle!
They had not even lifted a hand!
“Yes, master. Then we will depart tomorrow!”
“Mm. In short, there is only one rule: once you find him, if you happen to encounter people from the Zhelan Tribe, do not go to war. Go directly to find the Black Cavalry!
The warriors of our Xunfeng Tribe are not Great Yu’s cannon fodder!”
“Yes, master!”
The three bowed and withdrew.
“Big Brother, should we report this matter to the Black Cavalry? That old codger is becoming more and more timid!
If we do not fight the Zhelan Tribe, how will we obtain weapons from Great Yu?” After Xunfeng Zhuanyan emerged, his expression changed drastically.
“Hmph. He is already an aging wolf king and has become useless. You two go and tell the Black Cavalry’s lord what that old codger said!
Also make it clear that the three of us brothers are willing to pledge allegiance to the Black Cavalry!
Tomorrow I will lead three ten thousand cavalry units to search for Li Zhen’s whereabouts. You two deal with that old codger!
With the Black Cavalry’s support, the three of us will become the new masters of the Xunfeng Tribe!”
“Yes, Big Brother!”
Xunfeng Zhuanyan and Xunfeng Qi exchanged a glance before turning and leaving.
An old wolf king was no longer useful!
The new wolf king would cast him aside without mercy.
…
Another half a month passed.
During this time, the Shuoyan Tribe had undergone a complete transformation. Oh, no— it was now called the Great Zhen Royal Court.
Since this was only the beginning, Li Zhen did not make a grand announcement everywhere. He merely replaced his grand banner.
He redrew the divisions of the area!
It was too chaotic before!
Previously, the Shuoyan Tribe had combined eating, drinking, battle, and training together, without dividing the area into so many sections.
This was also related to their habit of migrating!
But things were different now. Li Zhen divided the area into several sections according to their functions, the first being the rest area.
The Shuoyan Tribe had more than forty thousand people in total, including the elderly, the weak, women, and children! This was the largest area.
There were also areas for horses and livestock, as well as a dining area!
Communal meals!
He no longer regarded the tribe as an administrative area, but as a military area!
The elderly, the weak, women, and children handled logistics such as cooking and laundry, while the more than twenty thousand others were combat personnel.
During this half month, Li Zhen distributed twenty thousand complete sets of Wolf Cavalry equipment to everyone: stirrups, saddles, bows and arrows, light armor, sabers, and more!
They had everything!
In just half a month, these people had undergone earth-shaking changes. They had grown up on horseback since childhood!
They had their own inherited experience in horsemanship, charges, countercharges, and so on; they simply had never organized it systematically.
Now that they had the things provided by the System, everything suddenly became clear, and their horizons opened at once.
In half a month, three of them had reached the first grade realm. Of course, this did not mean they possessed extraordinary talent; it was mainly the result of years of accumulated potential finally erupting!
This was inherently a cultivation method for cavalry, so its cultivation realms were naturally divided according to horsemanship and related aspects!
Li Zhen had not claimed the three thousand iron pagoda cavalry. Such a force would be most effective when used at the critical moment!
Inside the royal court’s main tent!
Li Zhen looked at his golden armor, stroking his face with eyes full of admiration!
“Great King, you have been admiring it for half a day. Aren’t you tired?” Shuoyan Yu’er walked over and wrapped her arms around Li Zhen’s waist.
Even she had been unable to suppress a gasp of amazement when she first saw this armor. It was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, and its materials were superb!
Li Zhen shook his head. She did not understand!
The allure armor held for men!
Especially for him.
When he had first arrived in this world, he had not wanted to become some Civil Official.
Who, in a world with martial arts, would not want to become a carefree swordsman of the martial world? Or a general who could break an army with a single spear on the battlefield?
Back in his hometown, eighty percent of people yearned for the former.
Only when there was truly no other choice would they console themselves.
Being a Civil Official was fine too.
Li Zhen now even suspected that Shao Xuxue had deceived him back then.
How could he possibly have not possessed even the slightest talent for martial arts?
He could not even learn basic martial techniques?
Looking back now, they had probably feared that he would possess both Civil and Military talents and pose an internal threat to Great Yu.
This possibility could not be ruled out!
“Many major events have happened outside during this time.”
Shuoyan Yu’er leaned against Li Zhen’s shoulder and spoke in a soft, delicate voice.
“I know. It will be soon. At this rate, the Great Zhen Royal Court will soon be able to launch its first battle!”
A cold glint flashed in Li Zhen’s eyes.
It could be said that all the chaos in Dan Prefecture now was because of him.
The Xunfeng and Zhelan Tribes were now searching for him under orders.
They were practically turning Dan Prefecture upside down.
The other tribes had also received their own instructions and joined in.
The Xunfeng Tribe had even suffered an internal revolt, during which the former master, Xunfeng Xi, died.
The three who had newly risen to power were even more frenzied.
In half a month, they had fought the Zhelan Tribe six times, with more than ten thousand casualties!
“Let it descend into chaos. A little more chaos, and it will be time for my Great Zhen Royal Court to act!”
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