Chapter 158
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Chapter 158: The Cavalry Chief’s Identity
Over at the Iron Wall Tribe…
After nightfall, Zhao Pan lit the brazier in his tent and diligently recorded the soldier casualties from the battle on a piece of animal hide paper using a charcoal pen.
Time passed minute by minute.
By the time he finished his last entry, it was almost deep into the night.
Supporting himself on the table, he painstakingly struggled to his feet, intending to go to sleep and rest.
However, after only two steps, the world suddenly spun around him, and with a muffled thud, his exhausted body crashed heavily to the ground.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, having just finished a task at hand, Luo Ji exhaled a long breath.
Seeing Liu Zheng enter, he took a sip of water and casually asked.
“What is it?”
“Chief, it’s about that, that…”
“Cavalry.”
Luo Ji interjected, seeing Liu Zheng stumble over his words.
“Oh right, cavalry!”
“I thought about the identity of yesterday’s cavalry chief for a long time last night, and finally came up with a possibility…”
Here, Liu Zheng paused slightly.
After all, it was just his guess, and he was still hesitant about whether to voice it.
“Tell me about it.”
Luo Ji was still very annoyed by the cavalry that had appeared out of nowhere and ruined his plans.
Upon hearing that Liu Zheng might have a clue about the cavalry chief’s identity, he immediately perked up.
“If your subordinate’s guess is correct, Chief, you might know him too…”
“I know him too?”
Luo Ji frowned.
His memory wasn’t bad.
Although he had been incredibly busy with various matters recently and occasionally forgot some things, there was no reason for him to forget such a troublesome character.
Furthermore, Liu Zheng even said they both knew him, which narrowed the possibilities even further.
Thinking of this, as if recalling something, Luo Ji’s expression suddenly froze.
“Could it be him? Impossible!”
As he muttered to himself, Luo Ji’s gaze fell back on Liu Zheng, as if seeking confirmation.
“Is it him?”
“Yes.”
Liu Zheng nodded.
“Impossible!”
“His strength wasn’t that strong!”
The “him” they both spoke of was precisely the young chief who had originally settled near the coal mine and was later forcibly driven away by Luo Ji.
When this young chief was leading his tribal people to find a new settlement, he had also fought with the original Black Jackal Tribe over food, which met the condition that both he and Liu Zheng knew him.
But Luo Ji hadn’t thought of him before.
Why was that?
The reason was simple, in Luo Ji’s mind, the information about these two individuals simply didn’t match.
The key point causing this mismatch was strength.
In yesterday’s battle, he had witnessed the cavalry chief’s strength.
Fighting two opponents, simultaneously facing the combined attacks of Luo Yong and Liu Zheng, he not only wasn’t forcibly knocked down in a short time but also stabbed a hole in Luo Yong’s shoulder with his spear and then retreated unscathed!
The advantage of the mount was certainly a factor, but his personal strength was undeniably formidable.
It was even clear that the cavalry chief’s strength already surpassed Luo Yong’s.
Now, thinking back to that young chief from before, throughout their several confrontations, Luo Yong had basically always suppressed him!
Luo Yong had also clearly stated that defeating the opponent was just a matter of time.
Since then, although a considerable amount of time had passed, it didn’t rule out the possibility of the opponent’s strength improving.
But during this time, Luo Yong hadn’t been idling either!
Assuming both sides were actively improving their strength, if the cavalry chief and that former young chief were indeed the same person, then this guy’s improvement speed was simply terrifying.
“Liu Zheng, are you sure?”
“70% sure.”
Liu Zheng didn’t speak too definitively, after all, it was just his guess.
“His changes are indeed significant, but some subtle habits in his attacking moves still retain traces of his former self.”
Since the conversation had reached this point, it was very likely that it was indeed him.
Thinking of this, Luo Ji couldn’t help but rub his temples, feeling silently frustrated.
“It seems I’ve been too lucky recently, and now my bad luck is starting!”
Originally, with Luo Ji’s current development, he generally didn’t pay much attention to the native people of this world.
But that young chief had unexpectedly discovered warhorse resources and, by sheer coincidence, managed to form a cavalry unit.
If one were to categorize the military forces of a cold weapon era into three main types, most people would likely answer,
“Infantry, Archers, and Cavalry!”
Cavalry occupies one of the three major categories!
Its status and value are unquestionable.
The opponent’s cavalry wasn’t used very well, after all, for that young man, he was pioneering a completely new military branch.
How should this branch develop?
How should it be trained?
How should it fight on the battlefield?
All of this was unknown to him.
Unlike Luo Ji, who, upon hearing the word ‘cavalry,’ generally knew what to expect.
But regardless, the cavalry’s most basic advantage had already been utilized by the opponent.
That was mobility!
Or rather, speed.
If you can’t win, just run.
How simple is that principle?
And what truly gave Luo Ji a headache was that his two legs genuinely couldn’t catch up.
However, there were countermeasures.
He couldn’t chase them, but he could wait for them to come to him.
Since that young man wanted revenge, he surely wouldn’t just stop at annoying him, and there would definitely be follow up actions.
Before that, he needed to take some precautions.
“Oh, right, in that previous battle, it seems we captured quite a few spoils of war…”
Thinking of this, Luo Ji decisively looked up and asked Liu Zheng.
“Where’s Zhao Pan? How are the statistics on casualties and spoils of war coming along?”
“Zhao Pan, he…”
Hearing this, Liu Zheng replied instinctively without much thought.
But after only three words, his voice trailed off.
Thinking carefully, he realized he hadn’t seen Zhao Pan since this morning.
Seeing Liu Zheng’s reaction, Luo Ji sighed.
“Never mind, I’ll go myself.”
“Chief, I’ll go too.”
Liu Zheng decisively followed.
After leaving his temporary tent, Luo Ji casually hailed a passing soldier and asked.
“Where’s Zhao Pan?”
To his surprise, the soldier’s reaction was almost identical to Liu Zheng’s.
“Since morning, I haven’t seen the Commander.”
Hearing this, Luo Ji frowned.
Liu Zheng, who witnessed this, felt his heart tighten and quickly explained.
“Chief, Zhao Pan is probably in his tent handling the aftermath of yesterday’s battle…”
“Let’s go. Let’s check Zhao Pan’s tent.”
At this moment, Liu Zheng, who had already established a camaraderie with Zhao Pan, couldn’t help but inwardly groan.
“Oh, Old Zhao, Old Zhao, it’s not that your brother won’t help you, but you’re usually up early and working late every day.”
“Why are you sleeping in now that the Chief is here?”
