Chapter 152: Tiger-Backed and Bear-Waisted

In the early spring of the fifth year of Yuanguang, several events of great significance to the entire Western Han Dynasty took place. First, Liu Che dispatched Wei Qing and Tang Meng as envoys to Yelang, a small state on the southwestern frontier, successfully bringing it into the territory of the Great Han and establishing the Jianwei Commandery. From then on, the territory of the Western Han Dynasty expanded toward the southwest for the first time, opening the prelude to a massive territorial expansion of the dynasty. Wei Qing, serving as one of the key figures in this operation, made his second high-profile appearance in the view of the court ministers following his participation in the suppression of the King of Minyue in the sixth year of Jianyuan.

Shortly afterward, Empress Chen was deposed for witchcraft and confined to Changmen Palace. The position of head of Liu Che's inner court fell vacant for the first time. It was also from this period that Liu Che's favor toward Wei Zifu grew day by day, reaching a new peak, and he was already practically considering making Wei Zifu his empress.

Both events significantly accumulated the young Wei Qing's political capital. His position in the Western Han court gradually transitioned from a close attendant to the public eye, laying a solid foundation for him to wield greater practical authority in the future.

An era is never shaped by a single individual; rather, it is composed of countless people together. After completing these two matters, Liu Che appointed Zhang Tang as Grand Palace Grandee and Zhao Yu as Palace Grandee to jointly formulate laws and decrees, vigorously advancing the ruling ideology of the Great Han—outer Confucianism and inner Legalism. All of this served to prove that the Western Han Dynasty was marching toward a glorious height previously unimaginable by predecessors.

Meanwhile, the Xiongnu in the north grew silent. Aside from joining forces with the King of Wuhuan earlier in the year to raid the Han borders, they made no further moves. However, certain ministers and close attendants in the Han court knew well that this was merely the calm before the brewing storm; a truly major war between Han and Xiongnu would erupt before long.

These events, directly or indirectly, influenced Qin Cheng, who was intensely drilling troops in Shanggu Commandery at the time.

While the Han court was a turbulent storm of political shifts, Qin Cheng’s days in Shanggu were far from tranquil.

On the fifteenth day of the second month in the fifth year of Yuanguang, new conscripts entered the Shanggu garrison camp. On the nineteenth, five thousand new cavalry recruits were selected. On the twentieth, the most crucial core of the Shanggu military drill—and the very foundation upon which Qin Cheng established himself in this era—the training of the Elite Cavalry Battalion officially began.

With a total of ten thousand veteran and new cavalrymen in Shanggu, Qin Cheng gave them a resounding designation: the Elite Cavalry Battalion. Of course, if Qin Cheng were a Great General, he would have preferred to call it the Elite Cavalry Army.

The ten thousand-strong Elite Cavalry Battalion comprised four thousand heavy cavalrymen organized into a heavy cavalry corps, led by one Heavy Cavalry Commander, under whom served four divisions (front, rear, left, and right), each consisting of one thousand men commanded by a Heavy Cavalry Colonel. There were also six thousand light cavalrymen organized into a light cavalry corps, divided into two major divisions, each led by a Light Cavalry Commander. Each major division was further divided into three minor divisions (front, left, and right) of one thousand men each, commanded by a Light Cavalry Colonel.

Destined to become the executioners of Xiongnu cavalry in the future, the Elite Cavalry Battalion (Army) had thus taken its initial shape!

Because this new Elite Cavalry Battalion exceeded the conventional cavalry numbers of the Shanggu garrison by four thousand men, the space within the Cansang Military Camp in Shanggu appeared somewhat cramped. Anticipating the high intensity of future cavalry training, Qin Cheng ordered the construction of a new cavalry camp at Laomayuan, designating the entire area of Laomayuan as the parade ground for cavalry training.

Not only that, Qin Cheng also established a temporary Commandery Governor's Office within the Laomayuan cavalry camp, handling all daily administrative affairs of Shanggu Commandery right from the camp. Consequently, the center of Qin Cheng's life and work shifted entirely to Laomayuan, making it difficult for him to find the time to return to Cansang City—less than fifty li away—even once every half-month or ten days.

Presently, the Elite Cavalry Battalion at Laomayuan represented all of Qin Cheng's blood, sweat, and capital, requiring him to dedicate the vast majority of his energy to its supervision.

Following the entry of the new cavalry recruits into the battalion, the horses, armor, Han halberds, long sabers, and miscellaneous logistical personnel and supplies needed by the cavalry were successively transferred into the Laomayuan camp through the imperial court and various other channels.

After more than a month of basic training, the five thousand new cavalrymen of the Elite Cavalry Battalion were divided into two batches. Half a month apart, they successively mounted their warhorses, taking their first steps toward becoming qualified cavalrymen.

By mid-July in the fifth year of Yuanguang, almost all the new recruits of the Elite Cavalry Battalion had been riding horses for three months. Aside from a few eliminated due to exceptionally poor aptitude, all cavalrymen were now capable of galloping on horseback, executing tactical maneuvers such as mounted archery and charging, and conducting basic tactical formation drills in an orderly fashion under the command of division colonels and other officers.

After nearly five months of training, the Elite Cavalry Battalion had basically taken shape. Although their current combat effectiveness could not yet be held to excessively high standards, these new cavalry soldiers had at least completed the metamorphosis from infantry to cavalry, transforming into a true cavalry force!

***

Laomayuan Military Camp.

A contingent of more than ten riders galloped dustily from outside the camp straight to the main gate. Qin Cheng, leading the group, dismounted without a word and strode briskly toward the central commander's tent. Le Yi and Shan Jia, riding in the middle of the procession, exchanged glances, seeing the confusion in each other's eyes, and then hurried along with the others to follow Qin Cheng.

By this time, both Le Yi and Shan Jia had become Light Cavalry Colonels, each commanding a vanguard division of light cavalry.

Just moments before, Qin Cheng, in his capacity as general of the three armies, had inspected the cavalry's military drill—specifically, formation charging and combat. For an entire morning, Qin Cheng had stared fixedly at the soldiers fiercely drilling and fighting on the Laomayuan grounds without dismounting, without uttering a single word, and without showing any expression whatsoever. This left many commanders, who had previously been quite confident in the new recruits they had trained, feeling rather uncertain.

Entering the main tent, Qin Cheng walked straight behind the commander's desk and sat down. He unbuckled his ring-pummel saber, placed it on the desk, swept his gaze across the uneasy commanders, and asked, "How do you all feel about the results of today's drill?"

The commanders looked at one another, hesitant to speak since they had no idea what Qin Cheng was thinking.

After waiting for a long time without hearing a response, Qin Cheng called out by name, "Ji Zhu, as the commander of the light cavalry vanguard, you speak first."

"Reporting to the General... this subordinate feels that today's drill went quite well. The coordination among the various cavalry units was reasonably close, and whether it was tactical formation transitions or soldiers fighting in combat, there were no particularly major flaws. Of course, there is still some gap compared to the demands of actual battlefield charges," Ji Zhu said somewhat uncertainly, casting a glance at Qin Cheng.

Qin Cheng showed no reaction upon hearing this, turned to Ma Dashan, and said, "Heavy Cavalry Commander, what do you say?"

"This subordinate believes General Ji is right. During today's drill, all officers and men performed up to the standard of our daily training. If there was anything amiss, it stemmed from errors in ordinary training, not from today's execution," Ma Dashan said in a booming voice.

Qin Cheng nodded, swept his gaze around the group once more, and then addressed Liu Mu, who stood at the upper-left position of honor, "Does Deputy General Liu have nothing to say?"

"Nothing," Liu Mu wisely chose self-preservation in the absence of clear intentions.

"Hmph," Qin Cheng let out a formal grunt and then said, "Since none of you have anything good to say, I will speak." Pausing briefly, Qin Cheng continued, "Today's drill yielded truly impressive results. Less than five months after training began, and with only three months of riding experience, the new recruits were able to flexibly master tactical formation evolution under the guidance of veterans, advancing and retreating with discipline—that is indeed commendable. However, as General Ma stated, any flaws stem from daily training, not today's performance. Therefore, the single greatest flaw I wish to point out in this drill is this: the new cavalry's reliance on the veterans is far too heavy!

Whether during tactical formation shifts or charging into battle, many new recruits simply watched the veterans beside them and acted accordingly, mimicking whatever the veterans did. While this may not seem like a major flaw on the surface, on a real battlefield, it will severely impair the independent combat capability of the new recruits. If allowed to continue unchecked, it will foster a deep-seated dependence of the new recruits on the veterans, which is extremely dangerous. Therefore, in future training, all of you generals must pay close attention to this!"

"This subordinate understands!" Upon grasping Qin Cheng's intent, the commanders cupped their fists in unison and replied.

In truth, this kind of phenomenon was unavoidable when new conscripts entered the camp; it required time to gradually change. However, given that these were wartime conditions and the next major battle against the Xiongnu could erupt at any moment, Qin Cheng could not help but be extra vigilant.

"Very well, you are all dismissed!" Qin Cheng waved his hand. "Today, I am returning to Cansang City. As per routine, during my absence from the camp, all affairs shall be decided by Deputy General Liu."

The commanders acknowledged the order and withdrew from the military tent together.

***

"Why are you heading back again?" Liu Mu huffed, his tone laced with sourness. "Could it be that you're missing your fair bride at home once more?"

If there was anyone in the army who treated Qin Cheng with absolute casualness in private and did not regard him strictly as a superior, it was Deputy General Liu Mu and Le Yi.

"Not at all!" Qin Cheng chuckled. Just as Liu Mu expected him to offer some sort of excuse, Qin Cheng instead remarked, "Well, she hasn't crossed the threshold yet, so she can't strictly be called a fair bride."

"Scoundrel!" Liu Mu's expression instantly turned exasperated, and he let out a harsh curse. Catching sight of Qin Cheng's peculiar look after cursing, he felt it was somewhat inappropriate, so he abruptly lowered his voice and said, "Where is there a man like you, who hides a beauty in a golden house for half a year and still refuses to marry her? Are you even a man? Have you ever considered her feelings?"

Seeing that Liu Mu was genuinely angry, Qin Cheng could not help but smile wryly. "Is she my woman or yours? I'm not even in a rush, what are you getting so anxious about? Oh, right, it seems you haven't settled down yet either. Looking at your advanced age, shouldn't you sort out your personal matters?"

With that, Qin Cheng let out two strange laughs, sounding partly like teasing and partly like sarcasm.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this "joke" from Qin Cheng, Liu Mu showed no signs of amusement whatsoever. His eyes bulged, anger threatening to erupt like a volcano. He lashed out with a kick toward Qin Cheng, roaring, "Whose age is advanced? Whether I'm married or not, what business is it of yours?"

Qin Cheng sidestepped the incoming kick and dodged to the side. "Why is your temper getting worse by the day? I'm just showing concern for you! If I didn't see that you were dashing, broad-backed, and well-built enough to win a wife's favor, I wouldn't even bother mentioning it! And yet you're starting a fire with me?"

"Go to hell!" Hearing this, Liu Mu's anger flared even higher. He snatched up the ring-pummel saber from Qin Cheng's desk and hurled it straight at him. "You're the damn one who's broad-backed and well-built to win a wife's favor!"

Catching the ring-pummel saber and realizing the situation was getting out of hand, Qin Cheng hastily beat a hasty retreat. Striding out of the tent in a few steps, he muttered back over his shoulder, "What's wrong with this fellow today? Is his male hormone secretion out of balance?"

Inside the tent, Liu Mu took deep, heavy breaths. After a long while, he finally calmed down and muttered to himself, "How dare he say I'm broad-backed and well-built?"

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(The past two days were spent accompanying my girlfriend on a trip, which is why the updates fell behind. My apologies; I already mentioned this previously. One day I even rushed out a chapter while at the hotel, but because time was tight, the quality was a bit lacking. Coupled with having truly no spare time over the following two days, I didn't force myself to push out updates.
PS: There will be one chapter today, and regular updates will resume tomorrow.)