Chapter 532
Chapter 532 Tragic and Majestic
The city of Bayanhot, situated on the vast and flat grasslands, originally stood as a simple mound of earth towering over the open fields. After the establishment of the Turkic Khanate, due to their need for expansion, they built temporary walls and erected sturdy gates around the mound. Bayanhot thus became a transit station between the grasslands and the great desert and a vital logistical hub for the Turks' incursions into the Great Hua Empire. For the nomads, nearly all their war horses and provisions came from here. Its importance to the Turks was self-evident.
The moment they set foot in Bayanhot, a wave of fervent, tragic yet heroic emotion surged through the hearts of all Great Hua soldiers. They were here precisely for this city. Since the moment they had severed the sky-high ropes on the Helan Mountains, everyone knew they had no path of retreat left. The road ahead was bound to be perilous, offering little more than a slim chance of survival. The grasslands would be their final resting place, yet not a single man chose to withdraw.
Generals can die on the battlefield; as the sharp blade thrust into the heart of the nomads by the Great Hua Empire, they would make the fierce Turks tremble. As General Lin had said, the names of each and every one of them would be inscribed in the annals of Great Hua's history.
"Is this Bayanhot?" Gao Qiu, walking beside Lin Wanrong, entered the city and couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the crude walls, scattered tents, galloping war horses, and towering stacks of grain. "The Turks sure talk big. Calling this a 'city,' let alone the 'city of the grasslands'? By this standard, our Cangzhou County office might as well be a celestial palace."
Indeed, what was dubbed as the 'city of the grasslands' looked laughable to Gao Qiu and his men. Apart from the short walls and sturdy gates, Bayanhot was nothing more than a common pasture enclosed by low walls. To put it bluntly, it was inferior even to the most remote county offices in Great Hua. Yet it was this unimposing, enclosed patch of grassland that held sway over the lives of countless people in Helan Mountain and Xingqing Prefecture.
Lin Wanrong patted Gao Qiu's shoulder and sighed slightly. "Brother Gao, often times, the strength of a nation isn't measured by its massive walls and towering buildings. While we can build grand and expansive county offices in Great Hua, many of our common folk live in abject poverty, struggling to feed themselves. What's the point of such ostentatious grandeur built on the suffering of ordinary people? In contrast, these nomads seem more straightforward. No grand offices, no heavy taxes; whether one's an officer or a commoner, everyone rides horses and lives in tents. The conditions might be tough, but at least they're fair. It's no wonder they are so united."
Although Gao Qiu was a palace guard, he was of humble origins. Hearing this, he nodded repeatedly. Hu Bugui had tears in his eyes as he declared loudly, "General, based on your words today, I'd entrust my life to you. If all the civil and military officials of Great Hua shared your perspective and breadth of mind, what couldn't we achieve? And how could we be humiliated by these foreign nomads?"
Lin Wanrong just smiled without saying anything. Ahead, thousands of war horses had already thundered into the city, followed by several thousand soldiers. With the arrival of this massive cavalry, the city of Bayanhot erupted into chaos, filled with the sounds of galloping horses and their resounding neighs.