Ian was genuinely moved by Bruce Summers' support. He said, "Sir, the arrow is already drawn and must be released. If we don't send troops to rescue Westwind County, once the Red Wolf Tribe breaks through, they'll attack the other two counties next. By then, Frostmarch will be an isolated city. And if the Red Wolf Tribe gets reinforcements, we won't be able to hold Frostmarch at all!"
Hearing this, Bruce Summers was deeply conflicted. After a long pause, he said, "How about letting Deputy General Sha lead a thousand veterans and five thousand new recruits over?"
"He won't do. Only if I personally lead the team can we resolve the crisis in Westwind County!" Ian replied firmly.
In the end.
Bruce Summers was convinced by Ian's reasoning. Of course, this was really the only option left.
After persuading Bruce Summers, Ian took Chris Chen and headed for the military camp in Frostmarch Garrison Town.
Chris Chen now works in the yamen, but even as Ian's brother-in-law, it's not possible to give him an official post right away. This Red Wolf Tribe invasion is an opportunity—if he can claim a few enemy heads, getting military credentials won't be hard.
"Lord Ian, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing that Ian had arrived, Sha Hanson personally led people to greet him at the camp gate.
Ian said, "Two days ago, the Red Wolf Tribe besieged Westwind County, and now Westwind is in grave danger. Deputy General Sha, quickly assemble a thousand troops for me—I'm going to break the siege at Westwind. The rest of the soldiers, take them straight to Frostmarch Prefectural City to guard against a surprise attack!"
"Sir, isn't a thousand men a bit too few? Why don't I come with you, and bring more troops?"
Sha Hanson said.
"No need! Time is tight, we can't afford any delays. Go assemble the troops, quickly!"
Ian barked.
"Yes, sir! At once!"
Bruce Summers was worried about Ian's safety, but Sha Hanson wasn't nearly as concerned. After all, when Hugh Harris led five hundred cavalry to trouble Ian and shot an iron arrow at him from the city wall...
Ian simply flicked the iron arrow back, shattering Hugh Harris's dantian and leaving him gravely injured. Even late-Innate cultivators would struggle to pull off such a feat, so Wu Jingwei and the others suspected Ian was a Grandmaster-level expert.
The Red Wolf Tribe may have eight thousand troops, but even that many couldn't keep a Grandmaster from escaping.
Soon enough.
Sha Hanson handed over a thousand troops to Ian—and they were all cavalry.
Of course, these were the last remaining cavalry in Frostmarch Garrison Town.
Move out!
At Ian's command, he led a thousand cavalry toward Westwind County.
Victor Wu was a master of public relations and had long been spreading stories of Ian's bravery and strength throughout the camp. As a result, none of the thousand cavalry looked down on Ian as a mere scholar-official; instead, they were all quite curious about him.
Westwind County was more than 130 li from Frostmarch Prefectural City.
Even at cavalry speed, it would still take about two hours to arrive.
However, after just half an hour on the road, Ian spotted Red Wolf Tribe scouts.
He didn't bother to catch them, but let them deliver the news back.
When Ian's cavalry was still thirty li from Westwind County, the Red Wolf scouts managed to get word to Kane Wolf, the general commanding this Red Wolf incursion.
Just a thousand men dare come to Westwind County to die—how utterly clueless!
Kane Wolf sneered at the news, then glanced at his subordinates: "Who will go wipe out that force?"
General, I volunteer to lead eight hundred men to destroy the Frostmarch cavalry!
A burly, dark-faced man with braided hair spoke up.
This was Samir, one of Kane Wolf's three top lieutenants, who had already reached mid-Innate cultivation. Kane valued him highly.
Kane Wolf said, "Good. I'll give you two thousand men. If you fail to wipe out their cavalry, bring me your head!"
Yes, sir!
Samir grinned, saluted Kane Wolf, and strode out of the tent.
Soon, Samir assembled two thousand cavalry and charged toward Ian's force.
Meanwhile—
Ian, riding ahead, suddenly raised his hand to signal a halt.
Boom!
As Ian's sword fell, a terrifying sword qi seven or eight zhang long exploded forth, slicing into the Red Wolf army like lightning.
Samir, the commander, didn't even have time to scream before the sword qi cut him clean in half. The power of this strike was already at the level of a Grandmaster—killing a mid-Innate warrior meant nothing to it.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, the terrifying sword qi smashed into the Red Wolf troops, instantly killing over a hundred and injuring more than two hundred. Countless warhorses panicked, slowing the Red Wolf charge.
Just then—
Ian raised his sword again and unleashed three more slashes.
Three more sword qi, each seven or eight zhang long, tore into the Red Wolf ranks, causing over a thousand more casualties. With the previous strike, more than half of the two thousand cavalry were destroyed.
The thousand Frostmarch cavalry behind Ian were left utterly stunned. Then, they looked at Ian as if he were a god descended to the battlefield.
Kill! Slaughter every last barbarian!
Ian raised his sword and shouted, leading the cavalry into the Red Wolf ranks.
Ian's four sword strikes had already shattered the Red Wolf soldiers' courage. The survivors dared not fight and tried to flee, but chaos made escape impossible.
Slash, slash, slash!
With Ian leading the charge, Frostmarch's cavalry hacked their way through the enemy. Ian's sword flashed, cutting down dozens, while the cavalry fanned out and swung their blades.
Slash, slash, slash!
Blood sprayed everywhere. In less than a quarter hour, the battle was over.
Of the two thousand Red Wolf cavalry, only a few dozen escaped. Over eight hundred were killed outright, and the remaining thousand plus were all wounded.
Sir, what should we do with these Red Wolf soldiers?
Derek asked.
Kill them.
Ian narrowed his eyes and replied coldly.