The Grand National Master (??i Qu?c S?) returned to the capital, presenting the situation and the importance of attracting Prophet Noe without using material wealth to the King ?? in an easily understandable manner. Instead of offering gifts, he requested to build a specialized Immortal Mountain ??? for Flying Knights (K? S? Bay) near Doanh Thành. The King listened to his thorough explanation and immediately agreed, granting permission, abundant resources, and manpower to construct the Immortal Mountain.
Six months later, the majestic structure was completed. The sound of chisels and the cheers of builders were now silenced ??, yielding to a strange stillness on the massive artificial mountain, which was intricately carved like a natural masterpiece. Curiously, no wild flying horses spontaneously sought residence there, except for Aeris ???♂? and ten Royal Flying Knight Immortals of the Jewel Kingdom.
Afterward, the Grand National Master publicly announced a ranking of the 10 strongest Flying Knights, shaking the entire kingdom. Aeris was initially ranked second, but after only one year, he climbed to the top rank, receiving many prestigious rewards. This ranking challenged the self-confidence and pride of Flying Knights throughout the kingdom. Whispers and discussions about the Immortal Mountain and Aeris echoed through every tavern and alley, the image of Aeris on his majestic winged steed being widely circulated. Many sought out the Immortal Mountain to participate in the competition; others wished to win the grand prizes, hoping to alleviate difficulties for their families or themselves.
From this, the Grand National Master skillfully selected, persuaded, guided, and even "bribed" these elites, creating a new army named the Pegasus Corps (Phi M? Quan) ??, directly under the Jewel Kingdom, and its first commander was none other than Aeris.
Some time later, the Northern Barbarian Kingdom (V??ng Qu?c B?c ??ch), a powerful alliance of many kingdoms north of the Jewel Kingdom, began to act. The two sides were perennial enemies; they clashed whenever they met. This time, they mobilized over 10 armies, each with no fewer than 200,000 troops, constantly attacking the North. A large army was immediately assembled nationwide. Doanh Thành was also compelled to contribute soldiers, though the number of men was small, primarily half of their horse keepers and horses were called to the battlefield, leaving only the breeding stock.
?oàn Chính was also drafted into the army, fulfilling his duty as a citizen. He was assigned to the 17th Armored Cavalry Team (??i Thi?t K? Binh s? 17) ???, consisting of 5,000 armored cavalry and 12,000 light cavalry. The newly formed Pegasus Corps (Phi M? Quan) was also called to the battlefield, with a force of less than 200 members. All were highly motivated by the great rewards the King had promised them, ready to prove the value of the new military branch.
Because the King's order was urgent, the 17th Armored Cavalry Team immediately set off in a rush. ?oàn Chính brought with him three letters from his master, Noe. After two days of hurried travel, the entire army was exhausted, but no one dared to slow down.
At that moment, ?oàn Chính approached the young commander-in-chief, the son of a renowned general in the court.
?oàn Chính: "I beg you to slow down, sir. Otherwise, the entire unit will be annihilated, and both you and I will perish. If you slow down, you will claim your first victory in this battle. This is what the Prophet has said." ??
The young commander-in-chief, upon hearing this, felt his eyebrows twitch, and his hand tightened on his sword hilt, wanting to cut down the insolent man immediately. But he stopped, regained his composure, and said:
"Very well, I will provisionally believe your words, but there is one condition: if your prophecy is false, I will behead you immediately afterward. Do you dare pledge your life for the truth of this statement?"
?oàn Chính did not hesitate: "I am ready." ??
Commander: "Do you know how far it is from here to the Northern Barbarians? Over 3,000 miles. What makes you think the enemy would travel that far? I permit you to retract your statement. Do you agree?"
?oàn Chính: "I beg for death if that event does not occur."
The commander saw ?oàn Chính's resolve and trusted his words, slowing the army down and sending the fastest light cavalry ahead to scout. They discovered a Northern Barbarian ambush ?? ahead, hidden in the dry thorn bushes and low mounds. Immediately after, they witnessed the 16th Armored Cavalry Team being besieged and annihilated. The pounding sound of hooves ??, the screams of soldiers, and the clash of swords tore through the air from afar, then abruptly ceased, leaving only an eerie silence under the blazing sun of the prairie.
The light cavalry returned to report. The commander of the 17th Team, V??ng Kh?c ??ch (V??ng Kh?c ??ch), was astonished, not understanding why the Northern Barbarians had penetrated so deeply and knew the exact route of the Armored Cavalry teams. Without hesitation, he organized a surprise attack on their flank, winning a quick victory and reporting the triumph to the Central Command, the overall commander of the entire front, who was also his father.
The news of the first victory on the Northwest front was reported nationwide. The marching plan changed from singular movement to coordinated movement, with units covering each other and actively hunting the Northern Barbarians within the territory.
The 17th Armored Cavalry Team constantly reported victories, but the news of losses across the entire front was still more frequent. The Pegasus Corps led by Aeris was initially held back from battle. Finally, the Pegasus Corps was transferred to the 17th Armored Cavalry Team to continue creating small victories.
But the overall commander of the entire Northwest front lost contact with the 17th Armored Cavalry Team for a whole month. When communication was restored, the 17th Team had penetrated deep into the Northern Barbarians' rear. The commander was furious and ordered:
"Recall the 17th Armored Cavalry Team immediately! They do not realize that penetrating so deeply cuts off supply lines, not to mention the Northern Barbarians' semi-desert land severely lacks water and features unusual sandstorms ??? that even the natives can barely withstand!"
More than two months later, the letter ordering the 17th Armored Cavalry Team to retreat finally reached them.
Commander V??ng: "When a general is deployed to the front line, he has the right to make decisions. If there are any consequences, I will bear them myself." ??
After he spoke, everyone stopped worrying about the issue and returned to planning.
On the table lay Noe's second, already torn, letter ??, containing two maps. One was a map of the underground water sources on the desolate land; the second was a map of the enemy's food supply routes and the sandstorms that would occur within the next year.
V??ng Kh?c ??ch, the commander of the 17th Armored Cavalry Team, son of the famous multi-generational general V??ng Bách Ti?n, initially doubted ?oàn Chính and the Prophet Noe. But the prophetic letter proved surprisingly accurate; even if not perfectly correct, 9 out of 10 points were right.
The second letter was even more astonishing, providing two strategic maps and a method for achieving overall victory by striking deep into the enemy's rear, exactly as they had been doing. With enough food and water, he had nothing to fear.
For the next year, the 17th Armored Cavalry Team became the terror of the Northern Barbarians' rear. Everyone worried about this army, which was sometimes visible, sometimes hidden. When they arrived, they were like a blizzard—the pounding of hooves ?? shaking the prairie, shouts echoing, and dust clouds rising to form a giant golden wall ??. When they vanished, they left no trace, like a "ghost" army ??.
The Northern Barbarian army sent many units to pursue them but always failed due to the sudden appearance of sandstorms. The fierce sandstorms roared like demons ??, swallowing everything, creating a perfect screen for the miraculous disappearance of the 17th Team. The enemy even nicknamed this army: "Sons of the Storm God" ???.
Gradually, two opposing factions formed within the Northern Barbarians: one group opposing the war, the other wanting to continue. This was because the 17th Team had no intention of killing, only stealing food, and often left some water behind for the survivors to live. Although they were raiders, they were surprisingly polite: taking food but leaving water, even better than the officials within the Northern Barbarian ranks. Thus, they earned the populace's affection, who began calling for an end to the war.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Although they tried to avoid battles with the Desert Warriors (Th?n Sa M?c), it was difficult to escape their sight. The Northern Barbarian Warriors, nicknamed "Gods of the Desert," were extremely fierce fighters; many of their soldiers had awakened their energy, and their generals were formidable opponents. Their horses were also the best warhorses, far superior to ordinary warhorses, with sleek black coats and extraordinary stamina.
Therefore, ?oàn Chính proposed a method of opening the meridians, pushing themselves to a higher energy level but resulting in 3-10 days of immobility. The generals immediately agreed, and soon after, 5,000 armored cavalry, both men and horses, had their meridians opened. Due to the large numbers, the Pegasus Knights also had to learn how to assist ?oàn Chính in activating the Acupoints.
When preparations were complete, Commander V??ng Kh?c ??ch lured the army known as the Desert Gods to a decisive battle. Archers were placed on high ground ??, traps were buried in the sand, and many other preparations were made. The Desert Gods army, tired of this "Ghost" army, seized the opportunity for revenge. They were mostly Horse Archers (Cung x? k?), their hooves rapidly beating ??, arrows whistling ??? through the air.
But they did not know about the Flying Archer Cavalry (Cung Phi K?)—an elite unit of archers and mages that specialized in wide-area attacks—positioned on high ground. Their range was vast, over 1,000m, exceeding the Horse Archers' range. The glowing magic arrows ?? whistled through the air, piercing the enemy formation. When the Horse Archers closed in, the Flying Archer Cavalry flew even faster, either soaring high or moving ahead, continuously depleting the Horse Archers' forces.
The Desert Gods saw the flying horses were too difficult to deal with, and their numbers were small, so they changed direction, attacking Commander V??ng's ground forces. But they fell into the pre-arranged traps. Even so, their combat strength was immense. The two sides began a chase across the desert: Commander V??ng ran, and the Desert Gods army pursued, while the Pegasus Corps followed closely behind, constantly harassing them.
When the arrows were depleted, they clashed, fighting fiercely. Initially, the fight was balanced, but the Desert Gods grew fiercer, forcing Commander V??ng's army to retreat. Aeris called for the mages to use all their support magic on their allies, such as fire, ice, lightning, and earth resistance. Aeris and 150 Pegasus Knights engaged in close combat, attacking the enemy's rear. 50 mages hovered above, preparing support spells when needed. This Hammer and Anvil tactic ?? was devastating; Aeris, like the hammer, shattered the enemy formation, completely crushing the Desert Gods army.
This Armored Cavalry Team was often daring, attacking straight into cities with high walls or prosperous oases. First, the Pegasus Corps would unexpectedly approach and control the city leaders or Oasis Chiefs, opening the city gates, allowing the Armored Cavalry to safely rush in, take what they needed, and leave, harming no one. Some areas, having been raided too much, had prepared food supplies in advance for them to take without resistance.
Aeris himself was nicknamed "The Black Flash" (Tia ch?p ?en) by the locals. The only light they saw was from the Golden Trident ?? in Aeris's hand, striking directly at the area where the City Lord or Oasis Chief resided. Seeing this, they knew what they had to do: placing food in front of the gate was enough; the army would not destroy anything else.
On the main front between the Jewel Kingdom and the Northern Barbarians, the situation was at its peak, with large battles involving hundreds of thousands of troops occurring daily. The Jewel Kingdom lost over 12 large cities and 56 smaller cities in the North. They suffered many losses and few victories, but internal conflicts grew within the Northern Barbarian alliance due to disagreements over the division of power in the newly conquered cities. In the rear, family members of the soldiers constantly protested, demanding their return. Because of these escalating conflicts, the Northern Barbarians' fighting capability gradually declined.
After one year, the Jewel Kingdom army gradually gained the upper hand, reclaiming small territories, then small cities, and finally large cities. The merits of the 17th Armored Cavalry Team became increasingly valued in the armies of both nations, and their reputation soared. A year and a half later, the war ended, but the 17th Armored Cavalry Team had still not returned.
In a chance encounter, the 17th Armored Cavalry Team fell into a sandstorm ??? from which they could not escape. The wind howled constantly, dense sand swallowed all visibility, leaving only a vast yellow expanse and the sound of panicked hooves mixed with the furious wind. When the sandstorm dissipated, they were completely lost, unable to find the underground water sources. Everyone was severely thirsty, nearly dying.
Commander V??ng Kh?c ??ch called ?oàn Chính over and asked:
"There is one unopened letter left, isn't there? Take it out."
?oàn Chính took out the letter and gave it to Commander V??ng. Inside were two notes:
The first note read: "Find the soldier named ?inh B?c ??ch."
The second note read: "Everything has a limit; it's time to return."
Commander V??ng ordered his men to find the soldier named "?inh B?c ??ch." The soldier initially lied about his name but later confessed that he was a Northern Barbarian who had infiltrated the army to act as a spy. However, after living with everyone and developing affection for them, and seeing that they did not harm his people, he stopped reporting.
He sighed, thinking:
"I can't go back now. As long as my conscience is clear, that is enough."
He said:
"There is a way to find water here by using the evening moisture. When the temperature shifts from cold to hot, moisture will appear. Just hang a sword up in the open air, and the moisture will gather on the sword, forming drops and falling down."
Commander V??ng followed the advice and secured water for everyone. The mages in the Pegasus Corps also took the opportunity to use their magic to condense more water from the dew, securing water for the horses. They gradually recovered and began the journey back to the Jewel Kingdom. Commander V??ng still regretted missing the chance to earn more merit.
Commander V??ng Kh?c ??ch was hailed as a great hero by the people and richly rewarded by the King. ?oàn Chính was granted the privilege of being appointed Minor City Lord (Ti?u thành ch?) in a place far from Doanh Thành, and Aeris was appointed General Guarding the North (T??ng quan tr?n th? ph??ng B?c), also far from Doanh Thành. The Garrison Lord was also rewarded, moved to a larger city specializing in horse breeding, and given two adjacent small cities—a total of three small cities—for his merit in producing good horses.
As for Noe, the King remained cautious, unsure how to proceed. The only course of action was to follow the Grand National Master's advice: reward those who were friends or acquaintances of Noe as a way of showing favor, including Hàn Th??ng, Hàn Trung, Hàn Trung B?o, the Halflings, and several others.
?? Heavenly Scroll Records Update
?? Merit Update (C?ng ??c)
The Heavenly Scroll collected and analyzed notable Merit streams during this time:
- Courage and Resolve (Positive): ?oàn Chính pledged his life to guarantee Noe's prophecy.
- [Yang Merit Resonance (D??ng ??c c?ng h??ng)]: +250
- Trust and Hope (Positive): V??ng Kh?c ??ch and his entire army trusted Noe's prophecy, leading them to victory.
- [Yang Merit Resonance]: +300
- Rescue and Preservation (Positive): Noe's prophecy helped the entire army survive the sandstorm, preventing a tragedy.
- [Yang Merit Resonance]: +500
- Peace (Positive): Despite the war, the army's actions helped end the war sooner, saving many lives.
- [Divine Merit Resonance (Th?n ??c c?ng h??ng)]: +20
?? Character File Update