Chapter Thirty-Three: Don’t Worry, Plenty of Barbarians Coming Your Way!

The horse farm.

Fatty Li gazed at the hundred or so warhorses before him, filled with a sense of emotion. He couldn't help but pat Su Mu, who stood beside him, on the shoulder.

"Look at this, little brother! Old Man Lei was actually quite generous this time; he sent these hundred warhorses without a second thought!"

"With these mounts, you can finally be considered a formal cavalry unit!"

Hearing this, Su Mu glanced around and couldn't help but shake his head.

"Commander, you should be able to see that these horses are at best mediocre. Given their physique and condition, I doubt they were ever fed properly while they were with the Xilin Army."

In his past life, Su Mu had dealt with horses often. He could distinguish the quality of these animals at a single glance.

Fatty Li was stunned by the remark. He offered an awkward, embarrassed smile.

"We should be grateful to have horses at all right now! You know as well as I do that war is raging everywhere. Manpower is one thing—the Great Liang has countless people—but horses? Every one that dies is one less we have."

Su Mu sneered, sighing with self-mockery. "In this day and age, it seems human lives are worth less than horses."

Su Mu walked to a nearby stone table, picked up a cup of wine, and remained silent for a moment before turning back to look at Fatty Li.

"Commander, if our Tiger Might Battalion wants to grow and thrive, we cannot remain stagnant. We need to cultivate these horses ourselves. We should build a professional breeding farm dedicated to training and raising warhorses!"

"When that day comes, the horses of our Tiger Might Battalion will be the finest. Paired with soldiers who can fight ten men each, what would we have to fear, even against the savage Tiger-Wolf Cavalry?"

Fatty Li was rendered speechless, spreading his hands helplessly. "Easier said than done. Not to mention the cost, where would you even get enough horses to begin with?"

Su Mu downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, his expression turning exceptionally serious.

"It’s simple! I will handle the issue of the horses. You just need to find a place to house them, Commander!"

Fatty Li froze, looking at Su Mu in bewilderment. Solving the horse problem? Was he serious?

***

The training ground.

A hundred soldiers stood with solemn faces, looking up at Su Mu with eyes full of reverence. Over the past period, though they had endured training of such intensity that it felt worse than death, they could clearly feel a transformative change in their own strength. Their endurance and raw power had increased dramatically.

Most importantly, after the recent training on wooden horses, they were now able to engage in combat while mounted. This only deepened their awe for Su Mu. Without him, they would never have experienced such a radical metamorphosis.

Looking at the soldiers before him, Su Mu smiled.

"I believe you all know what my expectations are for you!"

"Cavalry! You are going to become the most elite cavalry in all of Great Liang!"

"I hope that in the future, the mere mention of your name will strike terror into the hearts of the savages!"

Upon hearing this, the men clenched their fists, their faces alight with fanaticism. They were exhilarated, as if the scene he described was already playing out in their minds.

Su Mu clapped his hands, his expression turning cold.

"Until now, it has always been the savages entering the lands of our Great Liang, slaughtering our villages at will!"

"To them, we are nothing more than livestock in a slaughterhouse, harvested whenever they please!"

"So! Today, I am going to lead you to infiltrate the savages' territory in secret. We are going to kill those savages! And from their own hands, we will seize their warhorses!"

"Do you have the courage?"

As soon as Su Mu finished speaking, the men responded in unison: "We do!"

Off to the side, Suyi stood silently, wiping the long blade at her waist, as if preparing for the coming battle. Seeing this, Guan Qing approached her and couldn't help but tease, "Little Suyi, are you coming along too?"

"Don't worry! Just stick close to Brother Guan, and I guarantee you won't get a scratch!"

Suyi raised her head and glanced at Guan Qing. "When it comes to killing enemies, you are no match for me."

Guan Qing was silenced. It was true. When facing the savages, Suyi’s small stature made her incredibly agile. Coupled with her swift, precise, and ruthless strikes—always targeting the blind spots in the savages' vision—she took them down one by one. In terms of sheer killing speed, even Guan Qing fell short.

Moreover, they had all noticed something: every time they rested, Suyi would get up alone to continue training. She completed the tasks Su Mu assigned three times over. This filled Guan Qing with profound respect.

"Guan Qing, stop fooling around and go pack your gear, or the Captain won't take you on this mission!"

At that moment, Jiang Hongluan shot a glare at Guan Qing and spoke sharply.

Seeing Jiang Hongluan, Guan Qing stuck out his tongue and sheepishly began to gather his things. Of the five of them, she was the one he feared most. The consequences of offending her were never pleasant. During this period, he had been beaten by her more than anyone else, and the most infuriating part was that he could never win against her!

As they were talking, Su Mu, with his long blade at his hip, walked up to them.

"Still have the energy to chat?"

"Do you want to spar and let me see if you've made any progress lately?" Su Mu asked with a playful look.

Guan Qing’s mouth twitched. Spar? That was just being abused! Their recent skirmishes had made them realize just how vast the gap between them and Su Mu really was.

Su Mu’s strength was nothing short of monstrous! Even though their martial arts had improved significantly, they couldn't last more than a few moves against him. Within a handful of rounds, they would be soundly defeated, usually ending up bruised and battered.

"Captain! That won't be necessary!"

"The Wing Chun you taught me last time—I've finally gotten a grasp on the basics, so I think I'll go practice that some more," Guan Qing said, coughing and offering an awkward laugh.

Su Mu raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Quit the nonsense. Get everyone ready to move out at nightfall!"

"Since this is their first time facing the savages, you will each lead twenty men and attack the savages' camp from different directions."

"But remember: you may kill the savages, but the warhorses must be kept intact! We are to bring them all back. Do you understand?"

Guan Qing looked at Su Mu with curiosity. "Captain, I have a question. How large is the savage camp we're attacking this time?"

"With so many of us, if the number of savages is too small, there won't be enough for everyone to fight!"

Su Mu looked at Guan Qing and the others with a meaningful smile.

"Don't worry! There will be plenty of savages to go around this time!"