[The Orphan's Love Affair with a Beauty's Rivalry] (Volume 2, Chapter 63)

Chapter 63 Still as a Virgin

The Jurchen people have lived for generations in the forests, tundra, and swamps of Northeast Asia, nestled between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River.

The singular nature of their natural environment long determined the singularity of their way of life. Under these conditions, the Jurchens

relied on hunting for survival, with fishing and hunting being their primary means of obtaining food. This was perhaps the right choice, as

the Xianbei people, who lived in the region earlier, did the same. The Jurchens never ventured beyond the forests to the lush grasslands, thus

failing to separate into nomadic tribes.

While their hunting economy saw the weapons—no longer the rugged bows and stone arrowheads, but horn bows, iron arrowheads, iron spears, and iron knives—

and even, like the Han and Korean people, their handicrafts had developed significantly, becoming the specialty of individual households in each village,

these artisans served hunting and warfare, manufacturing bows, arrows, and weapons.

Unlike agricultural or nomadic peoples, hunting peoples did not have stable food sources.

The Jurchens, often endured hunger. Once they caught prey, they would eat their fill, only to go hungry for a day or two afterward!

Like the Siberian tigers and wolves living in the same region and often facing hunger, they were a truly formidable people!

Surviving in a harsh natural environment, the endless tribal wars forged the Jurchens into a resilient, brave, strong,

and composed people. A Jurchen force of less than ten thousand is invincible when it reaches ten thousand!

This people valued the protection of wildlife and the natural environment; they preferred to plunder other peoples rather than

exploit resources to the point of depletion. If wild animals were driven to extinction, what would they eat? Agricultural societies, focused on foraging in the soil,

easily caused devastating damage to the natural environment and wildlife. Perhaps it was the arrival of hunting societies to curb the endless waste, greed, and destruction of resources by agricultural

societies , just as God used predators to control

the excessive growth of herbivores and prevent desertification of the grasslands.

Murong Ziyan always prioritized offensive and defensive equipment, sparing no expense to centrally procure various types of gear.

The powerful Rakshasa Banner soldiers had to pay the full cost; the four poorer tribes within Murong's fiefdom

only needed to pay half price; and the elite guards and Tyrannosaurus Army, directly under the supreme commander, paid for everything themselves.

She wore gleaming silver armor, with her helmet, neck guard, chicken-breast plate, back plate, shoulder guards, arm guards, elbow guards,

gloves , and knee guards all made of solid iron plates. Her divine steed

was also clad in similar plate armor on its head, neck, chest, body, and legs. A wisp of black hair pierced from the top of her smooth, gleaming round helmet,

flowing behind her like a horse's tail swaying in the wind. The iron faceplate attached to the helmet had been pulled down, resembling a single

tile , revealing only two eye openings and one each for the nose and mouth.

The breastplates, backplates, and other joints of both the rider and horse were linked by chains. The plate armor was lined with cotton padding, providing

warmth, sturdiness, and flexibility, completely covering both rider and horse from head to toe! She wore a white

cloak and heavy high-top leather boots, with a large round shield tightly bound to her left arm by a leather strap. Her tall, muscular frame, five feet six inches, with

broad shoulders and a slender waist exuding power, combined with her majestic and

imposing warhorse, made her appear commanding, awe-inspiring, and menacing! She was the very image of a heavily armored Crusader knight appearing on an ancient Eastern battlefield!

This equipment, considered the most advanced and protective in the world, had only recently arrived. Utilizing state-of-

the-art metallurgy , its protective capabilities were two to three times greater than her previous satin-plated iron-plate armor, capable of withstanding

attacks from crossbows, swords, spears, and blunt force. She experimented with her best longbow, firing it at a dummy wearing

a chicken-breast and a round helmet. Almost all the arrows were deflected by the smooth, sloping shape, only

creating a dent.

The biggest advantage was the significant weight reduction; the entire suit of armor was only two-thirds the size of her original,

greatly improving mobility—the most crucial element for cavalry!

Behind her were Zhou Yun and Fei Shuang's seventeenth squad leader, Erling, along with the Elite Guard and the Tyrannosaurus

Regiment of Heavy Cavalry, arranged in an arrowhead formation, arrows pointing forward. A vast, dark mass, yet utterly silent; not a human voice,

not even a horse's neigh! The soldiers' armor was almost identical to Murong Ziyan's, except the armor lacked the exquisite lily pattern,

and her long-handled scimitar was a size larger than everyone else's!

To maintain mobility, each cavalryman was equipped with an average of two warhorses.

Depending on their position within the formation, their equipment varied slightly. The front fifth consisted of the assault

group, with the heaviest armor on both men and horses, wielding maces, long-handled scimitars, and spears. The middle two-fifths

were of slightly lower armor, armed with spears and large scimitars, primarily focused on hand-to-hand combat. They also provided support and services to the front in pairs

, such as changing horses. The rear guard had the lightest armor, wielding scimitars, primarily for decapitation, and also

served the assault group, such as carrying their equipment and rations.

In short, everyone carried an equal burden and had equal tasks, forming a highly efficient killing machine. This

distribution of personnel with different armor was the result of Murong Ziyan referencing her daughter's successful training of the Tyrannosaurus Army, and subsequently promoting and improving upon it within the Elite

Guard and the Rakshasa Banner troops.

In Murong Ziyan's view, among the outstanding figures who wield great influence today, Xiaohong

is unmatched in her wisdom and strategic planning; in terms of strategic planning and experience in leading troops, she is second to none; and in terms of tactical

deployment and maximizing the power of heavy cavalry, her eldest daughter is undoubtedly the best! If

we consider a comprehensive range of abilities in politics, economics, military affairs, and culture, especially in the ability to govern a country, the eldest princess

surpasses all others.

The chaotic scene opposite her roused her from her reverie. Looking up, she saw government troops

chasing after her across the hillside, all seemingly exhausted and scattered in formation. A dozen or so officers rode back and forth, frequently

shouting, "Damn it! Keep your formation! One after another, don't scatter!"

The soldiers were panting heavily, like marathon runners nearing the finish line. Some had

collapsed to the ground, only to be scolded and whipped by their officers before slowly getting to their feet and trudging forward. There were quite a few of these

soldiers , making it difficult to maintain a proper marching order.

One of the officers riding ahead looked up and exclaimed, "Good heavens!" The Rakshasa Gate soldiers were all clad in gleaming silver armor, their military

bearing impeccable, their imposing presence overwhelming. Even before they moved, a chilling killing intent emanated from them!

Were these just a bunch of outlaws? They were better equipped and far more imposing than the most elite field cavalry!

Overwhelmed by the formidable might of the Rakshasa cavalry, he hastily ordered his troops to halt and form an infantry

square . The vanguard, exhausted from their hasty advance, were further harassed by their subordinate officers, who punched and thrashed them.

After a barrage of kicks and shouts, and the time it takes to drink a cup of hot tea, the square formation finally took shape, led by spearmen, each one

on high alert.

Looking at his men's chaotic disarray, resembling more of a rabble than their opponents, the

vanguard officer was furious. These brothers had followed him for years, suppressing bandits and fighting Goryeo;

the soldiers selected for this vanguard were no cowards, and they had done their best. However, chasing the enemy

cavalry so quickly with infantry was already a feat; what more could he ask of his men?

Some sharp-eyed spearmen spotted the terrifying ghost face and fluttering blue peacock feathers in the opposing Rakshasa formation and

exclaimed, "Blue peacock feathers! Rakshasa witch! That demon is right there!"

In an instant, the morale of the government troops plummeted, and fear gripped them before the battle even began.

The Rakshasa Demoness is already invincible in the Central Plains. I wonder if she can recapture her mother's former glory and become

an eagle soaring over the Tyrant River in the borderlands?

Looking at the vast, dark mass of government troops gathering and assembling, Ai'erling suggested to her wife that they should

launch a preemptive attack while the enemy's foothold was still unstable.

Murong Ziyan shook her head, saying, "My intention is to lure the main force of the government troops here, so that Zhaiyue has enough

time to calmly evacuate Beifeng and the families of the team to the Yinan Hunting Ground, which will be our

base . As long as the government troops don't attack, I'm happy to wear them down, the longer the better, to see who can outlast

whom."

Zhou Yun agreed with her mother's view. To be honest, she was a daredevil, with a stronger desire for battle than anyone else.

The reason for this wasn't for Beifeng and the others' sake; recently, she had been thinking that Wuyue had been gone for a month,

traveling back and forth on an eagle, and should be back by now. These government troops are really annoying; they drove us out of Jinan.

What if Wuyue comes back and can't find us? He's also in the official wanted poster; we might be in danger!

But Mother is stubbornly stopping me from going out to find him… We'd better stay here and stall the government troops, so we

can get Wuyue ready at any time…

Little did we know, on this point, mother and daughter were surprisingly in agreement, though neither of them said it aloud.

Murong Ziyan's enhanced version truly lived up to her name!

At this moment, dawn was breaking. After nearly a night of fierce fighting and running for most of the night, the government army's thousand-odd light cavalry

were alright , but the infantry brothers were exhausted!

After the vanguard infantry formed their spear formation, they stood there for half a day, and as noon approached, the infantry squares were already

starving. They had been standing there for most of the day without receiving the order to attack, and they

hadn't ! Morale was gradually declining, and they were all thinking about having the cooks prepare food as soon as possible.

Murong Ziyan was determined to stall the government troops. What were the government commanders planning? What are they doing now?

Seven or eight miles south, in Yuanjiazhuang, on the northern outskirts of Jinan Prefecture, the government army's central command was located.

The government army commander, Fang Tianji, sat high in a tiger-skin armchair, with Zheng Tian'en, the commander of the Embroidered Robe Pavilion, beside him. The two

were locked . Zheng Tian'en believed the government army had an overwhelming numerical advantage and strongly advocated for an immediate attack

. Fang Tianji, a scholar by training, was well-versed in military strategy. He argued that although their side had superior numbers, most were infantry

, while the Rakshasamen were entirely cavalry. A hasty attack would only result in a crushing defeat at best. This area was the

alluvial , where cavalry could easily escape. Therefore, he advocated gathering troops to surround these bandits on the Yellow River

bank and annihilate them in one fell swoop!

The dozen or so guerrilla generals and allied commanders under his command also disagreed. A group ,

represented , leaned towards Zheng Tian'en's opinion, believing that morale should be boosted and that

an immediate attack should be launched once the enemy was engaged. However, generals, represented by Liang Hongyu, the Pacification Commissioner of Mengzhou, supported General Fang's view,

arguing that although the Rakshasa Sect were outlaws, they were all highly skilled martial artists with formidable fighting power, and a cautious, methodical approach was advisable.

Of course, the majority favored their commander.

Although Zheng Tian'en held considerable power, the military command ultimately rested with the General, leaving him with little choice. Sending his own imperial

guards and Flying Eagle Sect assassins would have been disastrous the previous night; his remaining two hundred-odd

martial arts experts would likely be sent to their deaths.

The meeting remained deadlocked. General Fang launched a lengthy explanation of Sun Tzu's Art of War to Zheng Tian'en, desperately trying

to persuade this favorite of the Crown Prince to accept his battle plan willingly, mainly to avoid future

trouble.

Zheng Tianen frowned, listening impatiently to Fang Tianji's rambling, barely getting a chance to interject. He believed

the government army's 20,000 to 30,000 troops were of average strength; how could they possibly annihilate the Rakshasa Clan? Therefore, no matter

what said, he insisted that while morale was still high, charging forward and hacking away was the best strategy.

The government army was bound by various disciplines; without General Fang's authorization, no one in the army had the authority to mobilize even

a small detachment. Thus, the nearly 30,000 government troops were like a herd of bulls in a pen, while Murong Ziyan and her daughter were like

two hungry tigers lurking in the grass, carefully searching for the weaker targets, quietly waiting for the best

hunting opportunity.

She had plenty of patience.

It wasn't until almost dinnertime that General Fang, urged by Zheng Tianen, finally deployed his troops, tightening

the encirclement , using long spear formations as the vanguard, and advancing step by step towards the Rakshasa Clan cavalry regiment. The only gap was on the Yellow River.

Although there was floating ice, it was certainly not something heavy cavalry could cross.

However, troop deployment required a military tally, but meal service did not. The government troops ate rice and noodles, not beef or mutton;

how long could this last? They couldn't let the soldiers go hungry for a day before going into battle, could they ?

The government troops began to eat in shifts, even the spearmen in the front ranks put down their spears in

groups . Although they were still on guard in shifts, their formation inevitably became slightly loose. Like

two tigers lying in wait in the grass, Murong Ziyan and Zhou Yun slowly raised their heads, glancing casually 　　　at their prey.

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