The pressure from competition is indeed astonishing, especially when the cavalry aims to uphold national pride.

With morale, everything else becomes easier.

Though military orders are strict, General Qiao Yan strictly forbade her soldiers from mentioning today’s visit by Bao Hong.

Yet, this temporary forgetfulness did not stop everyone—

In fact, General Qiao is not competing for the position of General of the North, but is determined to prove herself, ensuring victory in the upcoming battle in ten days!

She also aims to achieve more outstanding results than her peers!

Of course, this doesn’t mean Marquis Qiao finds it easy.

Even with just five hundred troops, communication on the battlefield is challenging.

Basic training ensures her soldiers understand signals, distinguish flags, and interpret drum beats.

Given more time, Marquis Qiao could have adapted these soldiers to her tactics.

However, with only ten days, she needs to coordinate her own operational style with the soldiers, differentiate between the army’s offensive and defensive teams, and thus isn’t suited to forcefully change the habits of these Northern Army soldiers.

Therefore, she studied the Northern Army’s command patterns, adapting herself to them instead.

Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one who needed to study this.

As Qiao Yan put it, her unique advantage in this battle formation is having two brains.

With weapons that can’t harm and ensuring a high level of safety, she can take the initiative to attack when necessary, temporarily handing command over to Guo Jia.

For Guo Jia, who hasn’t yet experienced many battles formally, this is a rare opportunity for training.

He’s not lacking in the ability to think on his feet in combat; what he lacks is accumulated experience.

Guo Jia increasingly feels that working under Qiao Yan was a wise decision.

He wants to add another advantage for his side —

This clear and efficient preparation using the ten days to their maximum advantage, this hidden competition simmering beneath seemingly normal camp training, is not something other independently set teams can perceive.

So much so that as the first battle looms, when Wang Kuang sees the cavalry and archers approaching from the other side, he can almost believe that the soldiers Qiao Yan leads aren’t from the same military camp as his.

Even though she rewarded her people with food and drink yesterday, it’s not only Qiao Yan who would do that as a motivating action.

When Wang Kuang’s aides go to buy, they ask about the rest of the camp.

At this time, everyone knew that feeding the soldiers well was crucial to bolster their courage and effectiveness.

But from Wang Kuang’s perspective, as he faced off on the high platform, the five hundred soldiers lined up opposite him gave off a sense of unleashed beasts.

In the midst of the deployment, to prevent any unfair treatment, it was clear they had observed the enemy’s troops.

What were Qiao Yan’s five hundred soldiers like under her command?

Due to the busy training over the past ten days, Wang Kuang couldn’t immediately recall.

They seemed similar to when he first received them, perhaps even more relaxed.

For this reason, when the draw revealed Qiao Yan as his opponent, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, this didn’t mean Wang Kuang underestimated Qiao Yan.

As a young man known for his chivalrous and generous nature, rising to the position of Grand General’s secretary, Wang Kuang, like Qiao Yan, was from Yanzhou and understood the immense difficulty she faced during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

His underestimation was solely of Qiao Yan’s soldiers.

Yet, it seemed that perception was flawed now.

Lord Leping, supervising the central army, raised his whip and pointed.

At the forefront of the formation were the troops of the Changshui Camp’s Hun cavalry, eager to prove themselves as the best cavalry.

On the wings, the stationed cavalry and Yue cavalry were poised, their readiness palpable, as if they held iron spears instead of wooden staves!

From where Liu Hong stood, this formidable aura of the soldiers, like a piercing rainbow, was vividly evident before him.

Although the battle had just begun and victory was uncertain, the noticeable gap in performance among soldiers of the same caliber within these short ten days was enough to impress him.

His gaze subtly shifted towards the small platform erected by the opposing side.

To emphasize the significance of this military encounter, the Emperor himself attended, erecting a grand platform adorned with twelve layers of colorful canopies.

Grand General He Jin, on the other hand, set up a smaller platform with nine layers of canopies as his ceremonial display.

However, when Liu Hong glanced towards He Jin, it was not with the Emperor’s favor, but rather an intent to caution him.

Just as now, with Qiao Yan clearly demonstrating overwhelming superiority against Wang Kuang, Liu Hong’s expression relaxed even more.

It should be this way!

He Jin already wielded authority as an influential relative controlling the military, yet he continued to appoint officials and promote talented captains, displaying growing ambition and disregarding imperial authority.

Being chronically ill for many years, Liu Hong did not harbor high expectations for his own lifespan. If within two years he were to depart this world, at that time, He Jin’s

Human power and military authority, could any of his princes really suppress them?

There was a flash of gloom in his eyes, but fortunately, when he looked down at the audience, he saw a scene that pleased him greatly.

When cavalry faces cavalry in a battle of spear and shield, the side willing to fight must have enough confidence to break through the enemy’s formation, and she indeed did not miscalculate.

From the high platform’s viewpoint, you couldn’t see the spirited expressions on the faces of the soldiers eager to prove themselves.

All that could be seen was the figure in the center army, riding with the infantrymen advancing alongside the sound of shooting, standing firm like a steadfast rock in a raging sea.

But these cavalry charging out were undoubtedly her other arm.

Others wouldn’t see the “open and hidden struggles” between these sides!

Under the command of the Northern Army’s five banners, Qiao Yan led the supporting cavalry, which only had the option to advance and halt at designated positions.

Their only choice was to do their best.

How to prove it? Only by defeating the opponent!

The escalating competitive atmosphere in the attack formation, aiming to break through the enemy, was indeed being maximized.

Liu Hong couldn’t decipher the battle signals and flags, but he could see Wang Kuang’s frontline retreat at this moment was no feigned withdrawal to lure the enemy for a counterencirclement.

It was clearly caught off guard by Qiao Yan’s unusually fierce attack.

The intellect and courage of Qiao Yan alone couldn’t change the entire team’s strength.

Similarly, Wang Kuang couldn’t synchronize this team, originating from the Northern Army’s five Division, entirely with his own intentions!

In this adverse situation, different from the actual battlefield scenario, losing meant just that—losing without fatal consequences.

Instances of surrender due to fear of falling off a horse were now occurring before his very eyes.

The Changshui cavalry charged even more aggressively, almost reaching the central army.

He suddenly ordered the archers to shoot.

It was indeed the most suitable distance for the archers to attack, limiting the use of specially made wooden arrows to minimize casualties during this mutual shooting in the current battle.

However, between the opening shots, the coordinated advance of the Yue and Tun cavalry shifted them from auxiliary roles that needed protection from collisions to frontline attackers.

This transformation came precisely when the Hu cavalry became the primary target of the opposing archers, further responsibility for tearing apart the formation.

Hu horses gathered like clouds, Yue cavalry scattered like stars.