Chapter 18: The Strong Wind Howls Against the Horn-Strung Bow

"Whiz!"

A sharp, whistling arrow pierced the sky. A Grass Army cavalryman, lacking the protection of armor, felt a blinding crimson burst from his throat. He fell from his horse, his blood staining the grass and soaking into the earth. The ownerless horse wandered aimlessly through the battlefield, gazing at the blooming red on the turf, unsure of where to go.

"White Tiger, a beautiful shot!" a resonant voice praised.

Yet, no one saw from where the arrow had been fired. It was only certain that the Grass Army rider had been felled by a long-range projectile. To achieve such precision at such a distance required far more than ordinary archery.

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The Taining Army, which had been slowly trailing the retreating Grass Army, suddenly surged in morale, letting out thunderous shouts. Every soldier’s eyes glinted with a fighting spirit sharp as lightning.

Just as the soldiers of Huang Chao’s army stood in bewilderment, a roar of horse hooves erupted from a high ridge on the left flank, and a torrent of soldiers came howling down from the summit in an instant.

A group of riders traversed the steep slope as if it were flat ground. Like hawks diving for rabbits, they tore through the ranks of the Grass Army.

Leading them was a cavalry commander wearing a purple-gold crown, a red-based battle robe embroidered with green floral patterns and gold thread, and bright Lion-emblem armor. He rode a purple-dapple Dawan horse and held a powerful horn-composite bow. He was handsome, imposing, and full of vigor.

The most striking detail was the exceptionally robust falcon perched on his right shoulder. Even as its master galloped, it remained as still as a clay sculpture; only its piercing, brilliant eyes betrayed that it was a living creature. The falcon on his shoulder only added to his majesty.

With his arrival, the Taining soldiers in the woods were emboldened, their morale surging like a rainbow. The troops, who had previously been hesitant to pursue the orderly ranks of Huang Chao’s army, now roared like a tidal wave. They surged forward like a rapidly advancing Great Wall, crushing the retreating Grass Army and forming a pincer movement with the new arrivals.

A green shadow darted out from the group, carving a bloody path through the rebel ranks.

"Big Sister, aren't you pushing a bit too far ahead?" shouted a young rider with a high nose, deep-set eyes, and chestnut hair spilling from beneath his silver helmet. On his back was a long, white-backed bow—evidently the one called "White Tiger."

The green shadow was a spirited woman in green armor on a pure green horse, looking like a streak of green cloud. Her features were as sharp as if carved by a knife, yet she possessed a powerful physique; at the cuffs of her armor, one could faintly see bulging tendons.

"Hahahaha..." The woman let out a laugh even more heroic than a man's. "What’s there to fear? White Tiger, you’ve shot too many arrows and grown cowardly! If I find myself surrounded, Commander Kou will naturally come to save me!"

As she spoke, she licked her lips, her eyes flashing with bloodlust. She charged forward with excitement, only to be surrounded in an instant.

The man she called "Commander Kou" spurred his horse, moving as fast as lightning. He arrived in a flash, firing two consecutive arrows that unhorsed two more Grass Army riders. Then, wielding his long saber, he unleashed a flurry of blade-light. With breathtaking speed, he cut down several men, tearing the encirclement around the green-clad woman to shreds!

"Didn't I tell you? Commander Kou would never ignore us!" The woman threw a triumphant look at "White Tiger" before bowing gracefully to "Commander Kou" from her saddle.

Her weapon was a snake-spear over twenty feet long—two feet longer than the one used by the mighty Zhang Fei.

"Commander Kou" let out a laugh as loud as rolling thunder and turned his horse around. The riders who had followed his charge also began to cut their way out of the enemy formation.

Zhu Wen, within the Grass Army ranks, narrowed his eyes. He realized that the commander was leading a mere twenty-eight riders, yet they had charged into and out of Huang Chao’s army of over ten thousand as if it were empty space, without losing a single man.

Even more terrifying was their ability to traverse mountains and slopes as if on flat ground. They shot as they rode, never missing a target. Though they appeared to be Han cavalry, they possessed the demeanor of the legendary Xiongnu archers of old, capable of facing a hundred men alone.

*The horn-bow rings with strength, the general hunts near Wei City.*
*The grass is withered, the falcon’s eyes are swift; the snow is gone, the horse’s hooves are light.*
*Suddenly passing Xin-Feng market, returning to the Willow Camp.*
*Looking back at the place where the eagle was shot, the evening clouds stretch for a thousand miles.*

"Such spirit," Zhu Wen thought, "perhaps only the poem 'Watching the Hunt' by Wang Wei can describe it."

For the first time, Zhu Wen felt a profound shock due to an enemy’s aura. Though he felt a desire to compete, this generous and upright disposition made it hard for him to harbor any true malice.

The man was undoubtedly a top-tier cavalry commander, possessing the transcendent ability to uplift the morale of an entire army just by appearing on the battlefield. Compared to him, Ye Luoliang, the Pulu Army officer whom Zhu Wen had beheaded, was nothing more than dust beside a dragon.

"Qianzhi, well arrived!" Qi Keyang, commanding leisurely at the front of the Taining Army, smiled.

"Kou Qianzhi! It is the Taining Army’s Deputy Military Commissioner, Kou Qianzhi!"

"He is a descendant of the famous 'Young Marshal' Kou Zhong from the early years of our dynasty. With high titles and great achievements, he is worthy of his ancestor," someone in the Grass Army exclaimed.

Kou Qianzhi, Deputy Military Commissioner of the Taining Army and Prefect of Mi Prefecture, held the rank of General of Loyalty and Valor. He shared his name with a famous Northern Wei Taoist master. His ancestor, Kou Zhong, was a renowned hero who had once served under his foster father, Du Fuwei, and had even harbored ambitions for the throne. He later surrendered to Emperor Taizong and made great contributions by defeating Shi Zhixuan, the master of the Demonic Sect, at the Xuanwu Gate.

However, Kou Qianzhi’s status was earned through a hundred battles, not through the shadow of his ancestor.

Due to financial constraints, the Taining Army’s combat troops had been severely reduced. Most of the tens of thousands of men Qi Keyang brought were auxiliary troops responsible for logistics and engineering; there were only five thousand actual combat soldiers. Kou Qianzhi had brought only twenty-eight riders, yet they had instantly sent the Taining Army's morale soaring.

Low murmurs rippled through the Grass Army ranks.

"Those twenty-eight men are all famous martial arts masters. They have traveled to the grasslands, lived by the blade, and fought alongside the barbarians to hone their mounted archery and killing skills. It is said that Kou Qianzhi once led these twenty-eight riders to wipe out an entire tribe in a single night, leaving no one behind."

"Are they really that powerful?"

"Would I lie to you? It is said that Kou Qianzhi's 'Nebula Twenty-Eight Riders' are even stronger than the 'Yan-Yun Eighteen Riders' of the founding general Luo Yi."

"Those twenty-eight riders correspond to the twenty-eight constellations in the sky."

"If that is the case, then 'Azure Dragon,' 'White Tiger'..."

"'Azure Dragon' is Tian Jun, 'White Tiger' is An Renyi, 'Vermilion Bird' is Mi Zhicheng, and 'Black Tortoise' is Gao Siji. These four were all young prodigies who shook their hometowns in their teens, each with unique skills. If they had joined other military governors, becoming a commander of a thousand men would have been easy."

"Yet these four prefer to remain among the 'Nebula Twenty-Eight Riders.'"

As Zhu Wen listened to the whispers, his calm and casual expression turned grave. Only such peerless warriors could charge down a hundred-foot ridge as if it were level ground. Kou Qianzhi’s soaring ambition and heroic spirit could perfectly compensate for Qi Keyang’s excessive coldness. The increase in the Taining Army's combat power was not to be underestimated.

These twenty-eight men alone were worth an entire army!

Zhu Wen mused, *Qi Keyang alone was already difficult enough to handle. With the addition of Kou Qianzhi, they are truly a perfect match. The situation for the Grass Army is now quite worrying. How, then, can I break this deadlock?*

***

*Kou Zhong was the foster son of Du Fuwei of Jianghuai. He was trusted by Fuwei and earned many merits in battle, known in the army as the 'Young Marshal.' When Taizong attacked Wang Shichong at Luoyang, Fuwei sent Kou Zhong to support him. They were soundly defeated by Taizong, and Zhong fled alone, causing Fuwei to lose his nerve and surrender. When Taizong attacked Jiancheng at the Xuanwu Gate, the Demonic Sect master Shi Zhixuan aided Jiancheng. Taizong fought Shi Zhixuan, and Kou Zhong assisted Taizong, wounding Zhixuan's arm. Zhixuan fled, and for his merit, Taizong appointed Zhong as a Great General of the Sixteen Guards.*

— *Wild Records of the Tang Rise: Biography of Kou Zhong*