The rain grew heavier, transforming into a torrential downpour.
Outside Liangzhou Prefecture, the two-hundred-thousand Northern Qiang cavalry soldiers stood in disciplined formation. Their figures were indistinct in the thick curtain of rain.
Wang Yuepi commanded his black bear mount to slowly trot to the front of the formation. He squinted toward the distant city of Liangzhou.
The black bear beneath him was massive, still towering over the nearby horses by a considerable margin even as it stood on all fours. Wang Yuepi, an enormous man himself, fit in perfectly on the black bear's back.
The bear moved almost silently, its padded paws muffling its steps. Wang Yuepi wore a cloak made of some unknown beast's pelt. Rainwater slid off the smooth fur, adding a lustrous sheen to the cloak.
The black bear occasionally let out a low growl, causing the steeds of the surrounding riders to snort nervously.
"Looks like those mangy jackals have been scared stiff." Wang Yuepi licked his lips, excitement flashing in his beastly eyes. He shouted, "Lin Zhongbao!"
A rider nearby spurred his horse forward and responded in a low voice, "I am here."
Wang Yuepi grinned. "Heh, rare opportunity... Take two thousand Arhats and pay them a visit."
"Understood." Lin Zhongbao cupped his hands and accepted the order. He let out a sharp whistle, raised his right hand in a signal, and spurred his horse forward.
Behind him, two thousand Arhat cavalry surged out in pursuit. Their formation transformed into an arrowhead, shooting straight for Liangzhou.
At that moment, the conversation between Governor Wen Yumou and City Commander Zhou Tong on the walls of Liangzhou was interrupted by two sudden shouts!
"What?!" Zhou Tong's eyes widened. He had just guessed Northern Qiang wouldn’t act so quickly, only to have his words proven wrong moments later.
Wen Yumou ran to the wall, gripping the parapet with both hands as he craned his neck to peer outside. The heavy rain obscured his view, rendering everything blurry. After squinting for a while, he said, "They’re charging, but it doesn’t look like there are many of them."
Zhou Tong wasted no time and ordered, "Archers! To the walls!"
The moment the lookout sounded the alarm, he began issuing orders decisively. "Set up the ballistae! Ballistae! Bring up the tower shields!"
After shouting his commands, Zhou Tong turned and saw Wen Yumou still standing by the parapet. He strode over and yanked him down. "What are you doing still standing here? Get back to where you belong!"
Annoyance flashed across Wen Yumou’s face.
"Commander Zhou, I’m not one of your soldiers."
Zhou Tong realized he had misspoken the moment the words left his mouth. Softening his tone, he said, "That was my mistake just now, but Governor Wen, please return. War isn't a game. it’s a matter of life and death."
Wen Yumou understood Zhou Tong's predicament. There was no time to waste, so he nodded noncommittally and descended from the wall.
The five-li separation was neither particularly long nor short. The well-disciplined Liangzhou defenders worked quickly. By the time the Non-Returning Arhat cavalry were within a li of the walls, the defenders were ready.
The remaining li vanished in an instant, and the two thousand elite cavalry soon came upon the city walls.
"Draw bows!" The command echoed from the walls. Soldiers crouched behind the parapets pulled their bows taut, their arrows forming a crescent ready to be unleashed.
Zhou Tong crouched behind a battlement, peering through an arrow slit. From this distance, he could almost make out the patterns etched on the armor of the cavalry. What he saw shocked him even more, the attire of this cavalry was bizarre.
The horses beneath them were clad in iron armor, and the riders themselves wore black iron armor but all seemingly declined to wear helmets. At first glance, they seemed like heavy cavalry meant for frontal assaults. However, their speed and the state of the horses indicated a level of agility far beyond what heavy cavalry could typically achieve.
The riders’ equipment was uniform too, evidence of their cohesion and strength. A thick-backed curved saber hung at their left waists, a small crossbow at their right, short swords tucked into their boots, and even a round shield strapped to the back of their saddles, large enough to cover their faces and chests.
Deeply surprised, Zhou Tong muttered to himself, "What kind of cavalry is this?"
"Prepare!" The voice of the messenger came again, and a bad feeling suddenly rose in Zhou Tong’s heart.
"Fire!" At the loud command, the archers behind the battlements all stood up at once, drawing their bows to aim at the cavalry below. However, a volley of crossbow bolts pierced toward them as soon as they emerged from their cover. The archers were taken by surprise before they could even release their arrows!
The whistling sound of bolts filled the air, accompanied by the sickening noise of rending flesh and the sharp clang of bolts striking stone. Zhou Tong closed his eyes, listening to the screams and groans of the soldiers around him. Only after a long moment did he open them again.
The moment the bolts rained down, Zhou Tong had ducked back behind the wall. While others might not have seen clearly, he had caught every detail. Just before the messenger shouted fire, each and every cavalryman had suddenly reined in their horse and turned sideways, changing their formation from one that faced the walls head-on to one that charged parallel to the walls, all while galloping at high speed!
This maneuver was executed entirely with one hand, as the riders used the other hand to draw their crossbows. As the defenders rose to fire their arrows, the cavalry unleashed their bolts first, taking the initiative.
"Impossible." Zhou Tong stared blankly, muttering, "How could there be such a cavalry? Forget the godlike precision of their synchronized movements... how could heavy cavalry turn so sharply suddenly at such speeds?"
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Tong stood up again, looking toward the base of the walls.
After firing their volley of crossbow bolts, the two thousand riders retreated without hesitation, leaving as swiftly as they came. In their wake, they left dozens of Liangzhou defenders dead.
Some soldiers on the walls had managed to release their arrows while under fire, but the cavalry’s raised shields easily deflected the light rain of arrows.
Watching the cavalry retreat, Zhou Tong’s doubts were finally resolved, but his confused expression became one of bitter resignation. "I see now... A force that doesn't need to return..."
From this distance, it became clear. None of the cavalry wore armor on their backs. Their black iron armor covered only their chests. Their backs were only covered by straps at the back. This design significantly reduced the weight of their armor, allowing their horses to run with greater agility.
Such attire perfectly embodied the ethos of the Non-Returning Arhat Cavalry. A force that never would never look back, they would only charge forward relentlessly. They had no need for rear armor, for they would never flee in battle and show their backs to their enemies.