Chapter 207 - Desolate Liangzhou (Part Seven)
Dark clouds pressed down as fierce winds howled.
Thunder crashing mingled with the deafening sound of galloping hooves, echoing across the heavens and earth. Occasionally, a flash of lightning would illuminate the horizon, casting the stark silhouette of the charging cavalry across the city.
In that fleeting moment of lightning, the glimpse of the vast cavalry alone left the guards on Liangzhou’s walls pale with terror. They had never seen such an imposing cavalry before! Beyond the thunderous clamor of hooves, the tens of thousands of cavalry moved in eerie silence. They charged without a battle cry, in a deathly stillness that chilled the heart amidst the noise.
The sound of hooves echoed like the drumbeats of doom, enveloping all of Liangzhou Prefecture.
For a moment, chaos overtook the walls. People ran frantically in all directions, some shouting loudly, others trembling behind battlements, and still others hurriedly descending from the walls.
A fully armored deputy general, strode up to the wall. He grabbed a soldier fleeing down the wall by the collar, dragged him to the ground, and bellowed angrily, "Get back up there!"
The soldier scrambled away, crawling as he went.
The deputy general strode to the battlements, kicking aside a soldier who cowered there with his eyes shut. Shielding his eyes with his hand, he squinted into the distance at the Northern Qiang cavalry pouring forth like a tsunami.
After the initial chaos, the guards of Liangzhou Prefecture began to recover their discipline. Finally, the first order rang out from the walls.
"Prepare for battle!"
The governor and the city commander of Liangzhou Prefecture both ascended the wall. The deputy general turned to them, saluting with cupped hands. "Greetings, General. Greetings, Prefect."