Chapter 44: The Five Legions, Heavy Cavalry

“Boom!”

Ying Zheng’s powerful and resonant words once again ignited the enthusiasm of the empire’s people. Roars echoed one after another, and the soldiers frantically beat their weapons. The clanging sounds once again stirred the nerves of the Qin citizens, with each wave of roaring surpassing the previous one.

At this sight, not only did the civil and military officials of Qin stand up excitedly on the reviewing stand, but even Ying Zheng and Yang Ziling clenched their hands tightly in excitement.

The visiting envoys were already sitting in a daze on the reviewing stand. This scene thoroughly shattered their worldview; the Great Qin was truly a global superpower. The mere thought of attacking Qin vanished from their minds—as long as Qin didn’t wander around looking for trouble, that would be enough. It was simply too terrifying.

Having once again pacified the emotions of the people, Ying Zheng did not know how else to express his current state of mind, so he immediately took the lead in singing: “How can you say you have no clothes? We share the same robe with you. When the king raises his army, let us repair our spears and weapons!”

Following Ying Zheng’s lead, “Qin Feng - No Clothes” resounded across Xianyang. This stirring and soul-stirring melody united the hearts of the Huaxia people.

“Pay tribute to the martyrs!” As Yao Jia’s voice rang out, the chime bells and ceremonial music played. Everyone in the empire focused their attention on the Yanhuang Martyrs Monument in the Imperial Square, observing a moment of silence for thirty seconds.

“The military parade begins!” With Yao Jia’s voice ringing out once more, the entire ceremony ushered in its most thrilling moment. Everyone gazed at the Qin elite soldiers slowly approaching from the right side of the reviewing stand, their eyes wide open as they looked at the advancing military formation!

“Tread, tread, tread!” Accompanied by neat and uniform footsteps, a massive 30x100 formation marched into view along Xuanwu Avenue. A huge military banner embroidered with a cyan divine dragon led the way. The representatives sent by this entire legion were exclusively archers and crossbowmen.

The first twenty rows of warriors wore cyan dragon masks and leather armor, with broadswords hanging at their waists. Each held a heavy crossbow at the ready and carried a crossbow box on their back, containing ten crossbow magazines and a hundred bolts.

The next twenty rows of warriors wore cyan dragon masks and leather armor, with broadswords at their waists and longbows in hand. They carried two quivers on their backs: one containing fifty standard-fletched arrows, and the other holding thirty three-sided armor-piercing arrows.

The final ten rows of warriors pushed four parallel heavy crossbow carts. Three crossbow bolts, as thick as an infant’s arm, lay quietly in the grooves, their cold-glinting tips inspiring endless terror.

“Advancing before us are the crossbowmen of the Great Qin’s Azure Dragon Legion. The Azure Dragon Legion guards the eastern frontier of the empire, numbering 150,000 soldiers. Every single one of them is an outstanding son of our Great Qin, established in the sixth year of His Majesty’s reign...” The specially trained host introduced the approaching troops with deep emotion and vivid description.

The formation slowly passed the reviewing stand with neat paces.

The commanding general shouted loudly, “Salute!”

“Long live His Majesty!”

Ying Zheng stood at the front of the platform, waved his hand, and couldn’t help shouting, “Soldiers, you have worked hard!”

“Long live Great Qin!” A battle-hungry roar immediately pierced the clouds.

Feeling the devotion of the soldiers, Ying Zheng’s lips curled upward with excitement. He looked back at Yang Ziling; needless to say, this was definitely the State Preceptor’s idea.

The crossbow formation gradually passed by. Their upright postures violently stimulated the visiting citizens, and screams and roars continued endlessly, making the envoy delegation feel like a small boat in a violent storm, at the mercy of the wind and rain.

“Walking toward us next are the soldiers of the Great Qin’s Xuanwu Legion. They are the strongest shield in the empire’s hands, silently blocking blades, spears, and arrows for their comrades and compatriots. They are the most lovable people. Let us cheer for them!” The host immediately followed up by introducing the primary combat branch of the Xuanwu Legion, while also adjusting the atmosphere of the scene.

Following the host’s introduction, everyone’s gaze shifted to the ink-black formation trailing behind the crossbow troops. Looking across the entire formation, these soldiers were muscular beyond belief, far outstripping the crossbowmen.

It was also a 30x100 formation, but not a single gap could be seen. The soldiers of the Xuanwu Legion wore Xuanwu masks, lined with leather armor and covered by iron armor on the outside. Even their necks were thoroughly protected. A broadsword hung at each waist, and both hands gripped a human-height Xuanwu shield. Each shield featured three rows of grooves on the left and right, allowing them to interlock with other shields during battle to form a protective wall.

Renowned for its defense, the Xuanwu Legion possessed the strongest defensive force in the entire Great Qin.

The Xuanwu shield was crafted from high-hardness timber, sun-dried, coated with tung oil, dried again, covered with a layer of oxhide, and finally edged and reinforced at key points with copper and iron. It was larger and possessed higher defensive capabilities than ordinary shields, though it was correspondingly heavy.

The front of the Xuanwu shield was curved to deflect most of the force from incoming arrows, and two-inch-long bronze spikes were hammered into the front face, allowing shield-bearers to utilize shield-charges to inflict damage upon enemies during close-combat.

The heavy shield-bearers of the Xuanwu army were men of formidable strength selected from the ranks. Their daily training consisted of shield-holding and shield-wall drills. Many citizens initially thought the Xuanwu shield-bearers were no different from conventional shield-bearers, but moments later, everyone recognized the terrifying power of the Xuanwu shield.

“Form up!” With a loud roar from the commanding general.

“Bang!”

An explosive sound stunned the crowd. The Xuanwu soldiers simultaneously slammed their heavy shields down onto the concrete ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. As the formation passed, exactly one hundred one-inch-deep white lines were left etched into the road surface. These marks were entirely forged by the impact of the massive shields, giving a clear picture of the sheer force behind the Xuanwu shields.

Regaining their composure, the crowd looked back with lingering fear at the passing shield wall. With that kind of weight combined with the strength of the shield-bearers, a direct collision would result in death or crippling injury, with no chance of minor wounds.

Next came the soldiers of the White Tiger Legion, wielding twelve-foot-long spears tipped with hooked heads for thrusting and pulling; the rear of each spear shaft featured a conical spike, which could be used to bludgeon enemies or drive the spear into the ground to increase stability. The soldiers similarly wore full facial masks and iron armor, carried a round shield on their backs, and had four double-edged battleaxes hanging at their waists. This forest of spears was absolute poison for cavalry.

Unfortunately, Great Qin’s current iron production was not yet sufficient to equip every soldier with iron armor, but as time passed, Great Qin would undoubtedly achieve full iron-armor equipping.

“Clack, clack, clack!”

Crisp sounds struck against the concrete avenue. The neatly lined cavalry formation belonged to the Vermilion Bird Legion, which guarded the northern grasslands. The Vermilion Bird Legion primarily consisted of cavalry, and among those participating in the review this time was the newly formed heavy cavalry belonging to the Imperial Guard’s Qilin Legion.

The light cavalry wore uniform facial masks and leather armor, wielding a large bow and a cavalry lance, with four four-foot-long short spears carried across their horsebacks. They did not differ drastically from past cavalry, save for the addition of the short spears. However, the appearance of the heavy cavalry stunned everyone. Even Ying Zheng was witnessing the true face of the heavy cavalry for the first time; both the heavy cavalry and another military unit had been undergoing secret training, remaining hidden until now. Their high-profile announcement this time demonstrated that Great Qin feared no one whatsoever.

To build such a military force was something ordinary nations simply could not afford. Putting aside the technology, the sheer amount of refined iron consumed just to craft their weapons and armor was more than most countries could produce.

Sustaining a single heavy cavalryman was equivalent to supporting fifty ordinary infantrymen!

Happy Army Day! Saluting all the heroes of the Republic!