Chapter 2365 2090: Intimidation

After Zhao Yun's wedding ceremony, Liu Bei's entire domain became bustling with activity. Even though various aspects of strategic planning and related preparations for the parade were already in place, the civil officials responsible for planning were still somewhat anxious as the parade approached.

This was primarily because of the number of attendees, which forced Chen Xi and others, who had originally intended to handle things lightly, to treat the matter seriously. After all, the spectacle was so grand it involved the entire family's honor on Liu Bei's side.

Even though dozens of armored soldiers, even if casually organized, would be enough to impress, under these circumstances, that kind of casual organization fell short of Chen Xi and his peers' expectations. For such a major event, you either go all in or don't bother; it should be awe-inspiring.

But these concerns were for the civil officials and others to ponder, not Zhao Yun. He didn't need to worry about these chaotic things; his military parade expertise was well-developed. Even if he wasn't present, Li Tiao could deliver a breathtaking spectacle with dazzling Flower Butterflies.

The advantage of the White Horse was too evident, enabling them to conjure up incredible performances.

Naturally, after delegating the training duties to Li Tiao and Xue Shao, Zhao Yun spent his days primarily enjoying leisure activities with his wife.

In contrast to Zhao Yun and Ma Yunlu's joyfulness, Lyu Qiling was noticeably more melancholic. Unlike Ma Yunlu, who accompanied Zhao Yun in his revelry, Lyu Qiling occasionally reminded Zhao Yun of the need for martial practice. Wang Ling's arrival was not just giving Lyu Qiling more family ties but also reminding her that her father might beat Zhao Yun.

However, whenever Lyu Qiling was having fun, she would forget about the important matters, thinking that family and father were less important than her husband, who claimed he wasn't afraid of troubles.

Thus, compared to Ma Yunlu's straightforwardness, Lyu Qiling, having married Zhao Yun, was quite contemplative, with Zhao Yun perceiving her as sometimes stubbornly denying her deep concerns.

The ten-day period flew by swiftly; those needing training continued their routines, while those indulging in nightlife continued their revels. Everyone kept themselves occupied.

"Why do I have to wear this outfit?" Chen Xi asked, perplexedly, looking at Chen Lan who was helping him dress in the black-colored robes of the Feudal Lords, with golden patterns glowing under the dim candlelight.

"Because you said today was very important, so I prepared the attire in advance," Chen Lan laughed as she fastened Chen Xi's belt. "Moreover, since you mentioned its significance, everyone will dress formally, so you'd better wear it."

"Wearing this means I'll have to ride in a carriage," Chen Xi replied with a hint of resignation but didn't refuse Chen Lan's kind assistance, obediently dressing up and traveling to the East City Wall of Ye City before sunrise, escorted by guards.

Only upon arriving did Chen Xi notice that, in the faint light on the city wall, onlookers from various Feudal Lords and families had dressed in ceremonial finery.

Likewise, the visible military generals donned armor and cloaks, even the warhorses were covered with caparisons.

The citizens of Ye City appeared en masse outside the city wall, awaiting the parade's onset, while numerous non-participating city guards maintained order amongst the crowd with stoic expressions.

"Now, it's over to you," Chen Xi said as he arrived, casually patting the group of military generals still on the city wall, smiling, "We've done our part, now it's up to you."

"Just wait and see," Zhang Fei laughed, the scales of his black fish scale armor stood upright, explosively imposing, drawing everyone's attention.

Finished speaking, Zhang Fei powered off with his left foot, pushed himself off the wall, and flew away. Then, all of Liu Bei's subordinate generals saluted before taking off.

"Wen Ze really had it tough," Chen Xi said with a smile, turning to Liu Bei, noting that Yu Jin couldn't fly, so he had to set off early.

Liu Bei smiled in turn, gathering his civil officials alongside Xuu Chu. Although chairs were prepared in advance, none sat; all stood on the city wall, silently awaiting the sunrise.

As the sun rose over the horizon, the first rays appeared, a flaming arrow pierced the sky, followed by a bright red firework exploding.

Simultaneously, the previously silent and still Ye City resounded with a deep drumbeat, and then an intensely fierce rhythm blared in everyone's ears.

At that moment, Yu Jin in the distance took a deep breath, signifying the culmination of months of training, announcing it was time for the elite troops to show their prowess. At Yu Jin's command, all soldiers naturally stepped forward.

Accompanied by the low war drum, distant steady marching sounds reached the ears, causing many on the wall to change complexion, while Liu Bei and others smiled calmly.

"Watch carefully, the main spectacle is coming," Chen Xi said with a smile to those beside him.

As Chen Xi began to speak, able ministers like Zhou Yu and Li Youu, who were adept at military affairs, looked on in shock at the changes occurring in the army entering the field.

Accompanied by the sound of drums and bamboo whistles, the two hundred thousand soldiers cloaked in armor naturally divided into a hundred small units. At this moment, bathed in the radiance of the morning sun, everyone could clearly see the lines as straight as if cut by axes and knives.

Then, during the march, they interchanged and reorganized according to military protocol into forty standard long military formations, the suddenness of which dazzled all observers.

And by the time this wave of change was complete, the soldiers who initially appeared as small dots had already arrived beneath Ye City's east city wall, without any noise, their lines as straight as an arrow.

The radiance of metal armor under the morning sun, coupled with this powerful organizational force that went from orderly to chaotic and then became even more orderly, along with the iron-like tenacity, showcased the unparalleled beauty of power derived from steel at this moment.

At this moment, it was not only the aristocratic families watching in astonishment with agape mouths, but even seasoned veterans of the battlefield like Zhou Yu, Li Youu, Zhang Xiu, Xiahou Brothers also changed their expressions, understanding better than anyone else how difficult such a degree is, and how high the organizational power needed! This army consists of tens of thousands!

Chen Xi glanced at Liu Bei, who appeared calm, but his tightly clenched hands, turning the knuckles pale blue, clearly betrayed the turmoil within Liu Bei. Even Liu Bei found it hard to imagine how strong the entirety of his forces really were.

As the elite talents of the forty odd columns rose, most of the people on the city wall couldn't help but take a deep breath, with Zhou Yu, Xiahou Brothers all having expressions as grim as water.

If the previous display was an exhibition of organizational power and discipline, then now was the demonstration of absolute power. Twenty thousand troops with elite talents, organized into elite legions, were sufficient to defeat all opponents in the Central Plains.

Whether it was 1VsN, the outcome would remain unchanged. The armored soldiers assembled purely from elite soldiers, whether it was the previous or the latter or the entry itself, among these three aspects, not a single feudal lord could match this massive base.

Yu Jin commanded the twenty thousand elite legion, naturally splitting to the sides, marching evenly to the north and south. Their synchronized footsteps accompanied by the clanking of armor echoed, as the twenty thousand elite stood solemnly like stone sculptures on both sides, unmoving.

Next, just as everyone hadn't recovered from that oppressive atmosphere, a reorganized legion began marching towards Ye City with steady steps, slow-paced.

Unlike Yu Jin's massive scale of armored soldiers advancing forward steadily, Zhang Fei commanded his legion, with the drumbeats quickening, gradually entering a charge state.

With shield in left hand, gripping the ring-pommel sword at his waist with the right hand, at the urging of the dense drumbeats, Zhang Fei's infantry surged like a tidal wave.

As the drumbeats abruptly halted, Zhang Fei's soldiers clad in black armor leaned slightly forward and charged forward, suddenly drawing their ring-pommel swords from their waists, the uniform 'clang' sound, the blade's reflection in the morning sun, chilling the hearts of onlookers who hadn't yet shed their autumn heat.

The left hand tightly grasping the thick great shield, while the right hand drew forth the horizontal sword gleaming with cold light, pointing diagonally to the sky.

Meanwhile, the super elite cavalry led by Zhang Fei also raced forth from behind, their berserk momentum allowing those on the walls to feel the bone-chilling cold, a fear rising incessantly from the heart.

With Zhang Fei's legion talent unfolding, many aristocratic family members watching from the wall trembled as if cold.

At this moment, the elite from Zhang Fei's original unit seemed like ghostly deities climbing out of hell, exuding a might akin to the top of the food chain, a threat to all living beings.

The primal fear engraved in human instincts caused the scalps of those on Ye City's walls to tingle, and their hearts felt as though gripped tightly by a giant hand, their breath becoming rapid.

At this moment, even Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun felt a chill in their hands and feet, not out of fear of Zhang Fei's power, but from the fear of the army advancing below the wall.

Sunx Ce, always bantering with Ma Chao, at this moment could no longer suppress the excitement within, his body slightly trembled, eyes fervently fixed on Zhang Fei's legion charging beneath the wall, Ma Chao's body involuntarily sparking electricity.

Jii Ling naturally stood in front of the trembling Yuan Shu, Yuan Shu's eyes gleaming madly, pushing Jii Ling away fiercely, resting his hands on the wall, maintaining his posture, and roaring with fervor towards below.

The civil officials like Chen Xi and Li Youu, whose scalps tingled, were shaken from Yuan Shu's fervent roars, silently distancing themselves from Yuan Shu after coming to their senses.

At this moment, Liu Zhang and Shixie both felt weak in the legs. They finally understood why a row of chairs was placed on the wall; this atmosphere, this army, truly exerted a strong impact on the heart.