Chapter 211

Chapter 211
The moving speed of Xiao Yu’s convoy wasn’t fast. It was as if they were leisurely walking and enjoying the scenery along the way. They weren’t here to make money so there was no point in moving rapidly. In contrast, Xiao Yu was observing the terrains along the way. He was planning about attacking strategies if he had to go to war with Western Cloud Empire in the future. However, he was shocked after a few days of the travel.
There were no mountains or hills. The terrain was very open. It was suitable for using cavalry units. It wasn’t for nothing that Western Cloud Empire encouraged horse breeding in their territory. It seemed that the only way to defeat Western Cloud Empire would be using Huo Qubing’s methods against the Huns in the ancient China. However, to do that he needed excellent generals! Even the Raiders wouldn’t be of use if the man leading them didn’t have the right qualities.
It was easy to find 1000 warriors but hard to find a good general. A good general could lead 10000 people for thousands of miles killing countless enemies. A bad general would ruin a prospering county. A good general played a vital role in the victory.
The Huns would be unbeatable even if the whole nation went against them if it wasn’t for Huo Qubing and Wei Qing. Some say that Huo Qubing was lucky to achieve such results but it is ridiculous to link those results to mere luck. Tens of thousands of enemies were killed. How could Huo Qubing be slandered with a word such as luck!
Could Huo Qubing get such results if it not was for preparing for the war in advance and his keen judgment? The seemingly instant decisions made on the battlefield save the lives of thousands of men. It is the natural born talent that is seen in moments such as those.
Some don’t believe in talents like them. They say that they would get the same results if they were in Huo Qubing’s shoes. But it is definitely a big joke. Xiao Yu didn’t have talents like Wei Qing or Huo Qubing so he was powerless against Western Cloud Empire for now.
He had to train cavalry units which would take at least three years. Moreover, he had to find good generals which was much harder.
Xiao Yu glanced at the vast grasslands. He understood that it was an extremely difficult environment to wage a war. A careless move would make all his troops have this vast grasslands as their burial ground.
The later Emperor Wu had fled back while living 10 thousands soldiers in the desert to die. Huo Qubing had faced such a situation as a 18 year old boy. But he was able to behead tens of thousands and claim the victory.
Xiao Yu knew that he wouldn’t be able to have such a feat if it was him instead of Huo Qubing back then. Xiao Yu wouldn’t be able to move tens of thousands of soldiers for such distance, win a victory and return back.
The environment was very bad along the way as the roads were paved in sand. Fortunately, Xiao Yu had interspatial rings which had all the food and drinks they could enjoy along the road.
Xiao Yu wasn’t using his luxurious carriage on this trip. Most people would be aware of his identity if Xiao Yu used that carriage. However, the current carriage wasn’t bad either. It was pulled by 4 horses and could accommodate about a dozen people.
Xiao Yu, Leah and Suesha were playing chess and drinking red wine along the trip. Leah was accustomed to Xiao Yu actions. She knew that Xiao Yu would act more relaxed when he faced greater enemies. This attitude of Xiao Yu made his troops feel at ease too. Who would be afraid of the enemy if their boss was so confident?
Suesha thought that the trip to Western Cloud Empire was a big task. She didn’t eat or sleep well.
They faced some bandit groups when they got close to the boundaries of the Western Cloud Empire. However, they were able to kill them all as they weren’t a threat to Xiao Yu’s group.
The bandit groups within the Ankagen Mountains and the Lion territory were destroyed. But this place was far away from the Lion territory so it was inevitable for bandit groups to appear in here.
The Western Cloud Empire made sure that the merchants coming to the empire from the Sky Lion Dynasty were protected and the people of the Western Cloud Empire weren’t free to plunder them. The Western Cloud Empire acted as a big bandit nation as they often dispatched large number of people to plunder some countries. However, they were keen on protecting the merchants that came to their country.
Moreover, in this part of the continent there were few more countries. The Western Cloud Empire wasn’t the only hegemon but it was one of the strongest and absolute boss of the region.
Wei Ming explained these things to Xiao Yu along the way.
“The first town between the Lion territory and the Western Cloud Empire is Wuhe town. It is the most important town that connects Western Cloud Empire to this part of the continent. There would be some brawls and fighting in the Wuhe town where the properties of the merchants would be snatched but it has a strategic value as a location. We have to be careful while we are there. Afterwards, we will move to Habash city where we would sell our goods. The people who will buy our goods in Habash city will take it to other parts of the Western Cloud Empire and sell for high profits.” Wei Min explined.
Wei Ming told Xiao Yu that it was very hard to move in the past to the Western Cloud Empire because of the bandits. The profits were high but the life was much more valuable.
Only the people with lots of bodyguards dared to pass through these place untouched.
The strength of Xiao Yu’s group was powerful. He had 400 knights, and 50 footmen with him.
“There is a very famous bandit in this part of the Western Cloud Empire called Red Beard. He had been rampantly ravaging this area for many years. The military of Western Cloud Empire doesn’t make a move against him too. It is said that his group carries a flag which has a red beard as a banner. The merchants that meet them either get killed or pay a lot of ransom to them.”
Just as Wei Ming was finishing his explanation to Xiao Yu the huffs of horses echoed from the distance. They looked at the direction of the sounds. There was a huge flash which had a red beard drawn on it.