Chapter Thirty-Two: This Horse Is as Good as Given Away!

"No! Why is this wooden horse so wobbly!"

The first soldier who tried to challenge Su Mu had barely sat on the wooden horse before his body began to sway uncontrollably. This wooden horse, designed for children, felt exceptionally tricky to him at this moment. The oscillation made it impossible for him to steady himself.

What the hell!

The others nearby watched this scene in stunned silence. Because, despite sitting on the exact same type of wooden horse, Su Mu’s body remained remarkably stable. Although he was also moving, Su Mu’s upper body maintained the same frequency as the wooden horse.

Under the collective gaze of the onlookers, Su Mu’s wooden staff suddenly thrust forward, sending the challenger sprawling face-first into the dirt.

Pathetic! He hadn't even been able to put up a fight.

Seeing this, everyone instantly became obedient, scrambling to sit on their own wooden horses, desperately trying to find their balance. As for the talk of challenges, that was thrown to the back of their minds.

Are you kidding? That single move from Su Mu had made them understand the meaning behind his earlier words about them not knowing how to ride! A galloping horse is just like this wooden horse; it is impossible to keep one’s body perfectly still as if standing on level ground. Yet, true masters of equestrianism can achieve a state of perfect harmony between horse and rider. Su Mu, right before their eyes, was a classic example.

"What you need to do is simple: merge your body with this wooden horse until you become one," Su Mu said, looking at them with a calm and detached expression. "The reason I had you practice horse stances all this time was to stabilize your lower body. Only when you can achieve this level of integration with the wooden horse will you be qualified to become cavalrymen!"

"Understood!"

Suddenly, the entire courtyard was filled with burly, muscular men suffering through their training on the wooden horses. Whenever they sparred against each other, the spectacle was nothing short of a circus act.

Su Mu paid them no more mind and walked over to Jiang Hongluan and the others. Xu Qing’s cheeks flushed slightly; she took out a handkerchief from her pocket and looked at Su Mu with anticipation.

"Captain... please use this to wipe off your sweat! It must be exhausting for you to instruct these green recruits. I’ve also prepared some tea for you."

Su Mu glanced at the white silk handkerchief in Xu Qing’s hand, shook his head, and shrugged. "Huh? I’m not sweating. As for the tea, I suppose I could have a sip."

Su Mu took the tea and drank, but his gaze remained fixed on the training of the hundred-man unit. Xu Qing watched the empty cup and hurriedly poured more, a brilliant smile blooming on her face.

Jiang Hongluan shook her head and sighed softly. What a silly girl! However, seeing Su Mu’s expression, she asked with curiosity, "Captain... are you married?"

Su Mu turned to look at Jiang Hongluan and retorted sharply, "Are you that bored? The two of you, go run another ten laps!"

Jiang Hongluan’s red lips parted slightly, and she quickly shook her head. "Captain, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Twenty laps!"

Jiang Hongluan instantly surrendered and turned to start running. Well, she finally understood: the Captain must not be married! He was so ruthless to them—who would ever dare to marry him?

Xu Qing was still standing there, stunned. When she saw Su Mu turn his gaze toward her, her face turned bright red. She shook her head frantically and stammered, "Cap...tain! I’m... going right now!" She turned and ran off.

Watching their retreating figures, Su Mu shook his head. Married? With the barbarians likely to attack at any moment, and the Su family in the capital waiting for a chance to take his life, getting married would only be putting others in harm's way.

A week later, a strange rumor began to circulate in Qinghe Town. In that courtyard, a hundred burly men were seen aggressively struggling against wooden horses. At first, only one person saw it, but soon, crowds were gathered to watch the scene.

"Are these people idiots? Riding wooden horses!"

"I heard it’s the order of their centurion. To have a centurion like that, they must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

"Exactly! If they have that much spare time, they’d be better off hunting in the mountains. That would be much more practical."

Meanwhile, inside the Xilin military tent, Lei Yan stood before a sand table, his brow furrowed. He erased the positions of several villages. An old man beside him watched this and couldn't help but shake his head.

"General, that’s the sixth village in just seven days, isn't it? These barbarians are becoming increasingly unscrupulous!"

Lei Yan remained silent for a moment before letting out a long breath. "They are trying to force us to leave the city and face them in battle!" He clenched his fists, his face looking grim.

Face them? Now the enemy was in the shadows while they were in the light! If they abandoned the city walls to fight in the field and encountered the Tiger-Wolf Cavalry, they would face only one outcome: total annihilation. Once targeted by the Tiger-Wolf Cavalry, even dreaming of escape was a luxury.

A headache! These barbarians really knew how to give him a hard time.

"How are things with the Huwei Army?" Lei Yan asked, rubbing his forehead.

The old man hesitated as he looked at Lei Yan. "That Sun Mu is having his soldiers practice on wooden horses all day long. The sight is nothing short of ridiculous. Now, they’ve become the talk of the town among the civilians of Qinghe. General, if I may speak frankly, this Sun Mu might be personally strong, but he is not necessarily fit to lead a large army."

Lei Yan paused. Wooden horses? He opened his mouth, sounding astonished. "You’re looking at this too simply! This man has great ambition! He is trying to train a cavalry unit using this very method!"

Wooden horses? Lei Yan couldn't help but laugh. He couldn't believe the man had come up with that! Why hadn't he thought of such a trick before?

"General, what do you mean?" the old man asked, looking puzzled.

Lei Yan walked to the sand table and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "That old fox Chen Jun has also noticed this Sun Mu’s ability. He will surely do whatever it takes to recruit him. Therefore, we must increase our stakes."

Lei Yan pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Doesn't this kid want to build a hundred-man cavalry unit? Have Deputy General Chen send him a hundred warhorses! I want to see how much strength the cavalry he’s cobbled together can display in the upcoming battle!"

The old man’s pupils contracted, and he looked at Lei Yan in shock. "General... our horse supply is already low. If we send a hundred away, I fear you will have a hard time accounting for it!"

Lei Yan waved his hand dismissively. "What is there to fear? As long as Qinghe Town does not fall, I still hold that authority! These warhorses—I am sending them!"