Dragon and Tiger Clash (1)
The chaos engulfing the Guangzhou region came to an abrupt end with the sudden arrival of a cavalry regiment. In modern warfare, cavalry typically refers to Armored Cavalry—units rolling in on tanks and armored vehicles—or Air Cavalry, zipping around in helicopters. After all, today's battlefields rely on armor and rotors to fulfill the old roles of mounted troops.
But the cavalry that appeared at the tail end of the disorder and subdued the greater Guangzhou area rode actual horses into battle—literally. What made them extraordinary was that every single one possessed mana power. Not just the riders, but the warhorses carrying them as well.
A horse's biomass is at least four or five times that of a human, even for the lightest breeds, and up to ten times more for larger ones. Thus, a well-qualified Awakened warhorse could easily surpass the power of a T-Hog, the infamous biological disaster plaguing the American South. Sure, if you factored in breeding rates and sheer numbers, wild boar and hybrid pig swarms would dominate—but on a per-specimen basis, that's how it stacked up.
Three days after the Black Sea Party's all-out assault crumbled, that cavalry paraded triumphantly down the bustling boulevards. It was essentially a victory procession. Disorder still lingered in the outskirts, but reclaiming order in the city center was no small feat. And as I'd mulled over before, these kinds of fights hinged on momentum and morale, so the higher-ups who planned this show had their reasons.
While maintaining readiness for instant deployment, Gao Xusen—who'd been saddled with on-site order restoration—couldn't hide his grumbling dissatisfaction.
"We shed the blood, yet those bastards hog all the cheers and spotlight. Sitting pretty and reaping the rewards—it's infuriating. Thieving scum."
Well... Devouring a ready-made feast on the battlefield is a skill in itself. In tactical terms, it's called claim amplification. Straightforward: exaggerating your achievements. And the cavalry from Beijing had executed it masterfully.
The Public Security command post was one of the prime spots for broadcasting the parade. I kept my eyes glued to the multiple screens, offering a measured consolation.
"Still, the central government knows the bureau's hard work. I heard your uncle's finally cleared of suspicion. Congratulations."
Mentioning his uncle Gao Ninghui visibly softened Gao Xusen—I could tell even from the corner of my eye.
"Well, for now it's only half-vindicated. He's out of prison, but full rehabilitation won't come until he reclaims his Discipline Inspection Commission chairmanship. Only then will the shame truly be washed away."
Vindication meant clearing false accusations; purging shame meant restoring honor. As if a Communist noble like his uncle was spotless of corruption anyway. But in a land of the one-eyed, the cyclops was king.
Gao Xusen glanced at me slyly, cleared his throat, and added, "Don't misunderstand. I'm not belittling your efforts, Director. Just thinking back to those nail-biting days when execution loomed any moment—things have improved vastly. He asked me to pass on his thanks, and to set up a meeting once his situation stabilizes further."
"It'll happen soon enough. Consider all the gold and goods we've shipped up to the capital."
"True enough."
He nodded along, but it rang hollow. Ever since the cavalry deployed, no more Communist noble vaults had been cracked open for looting.
The mobility of Awakened ability user cavalry—unhindered by terrain—made me cautious in my moves. Especially since they operated their own command structure, stonewalling info-sharing with other departments. A minor setback for me.
The broadcaster on the feed adopted an exuberant tone, reading from the script.
「Our People's Liberation Army's newest pride, the August 1 Iron Cavalry, stands as the world's strongest ability user combat unit—the bold first step in the Party and people's united 「Ability Rise」 initiative. As long as this peerless cavalry guards the motherland, China's national body shall remain unshakable, come what may.」
August 1 marked the founding of the Red Army, precursor to the PLA—specifically the Nanchang Uprising spark, though the distinction hardly mattered.
Her words jogged a memory.
"You mentioned once that the center was prepping some trump card. Looks like this is it."
Gao Xusen nodded more earnestly this time. "Hearing it now, yeah."
Amassing Awakened horses wouldn't have been hard in a vast country like China. But training them into warhorses? No small task.
They couldn't just use old methods.
Not widely known, but China had maintained actual mounted units even before the Awakening. In rugged, infrastructure-poor areas like Inner Mongolia or Xinjiang, horses beat vehicles. Mostly ceremonial, sure—but in the 21st century, a military drilling mounted dual-swordplay? Civilians would scoff. Yet smugglers crossing wastelands often lost heads to real blades. Uyghurs especially.
China preserved cavalry traditions. But how useful were they for training Awakened mounts? Better than starting from scratch, perhaps—but taming Awakened warhorses, teaching ability users equitation, syncing rider and mount... all uncharted territory.
That explained why the central government delayed deploying this August 1 Iron Cavalry as long as possible.
Still, solid debut.
They couldn't risk their showcase elite embarrassing themselves from the jump. So they'd held off on Guangzhou until victory was assured and impact maximized.
「Ah, and there's 3rd Company Captain Qu Tonghui of the August 1 Iron Cavalry waving to the citizens. Official reports say the black stallion he's riding hits zero-to-100 kph in just 2.9 seconds unloaded with rider—that's a legendary steed. Top speed: 140 kph. During the Black vermin's massive uprising three days ago, Captain Qu led the charge on this black horse, slaying or butchering forty-nine rebels.」
2.9 seconds to 100 kph? Barely shy of a cheetah's acceleration—and with rider. Supercars couldn't touch it.
Exploiting that power maximally, though? Different story. From what I'd seen, most Iron Cavalry riders were mediocre horsemen at best.
Horsemanship is a noble pursuit akin to hunting, and I carry my aristocratic mentor's memories. I know how brutally hard it is to master professionally.
Basics alone take two years.
Rare geniuses halve that, but even they need years more for true proficiency. Average talent? Twenty years on horseback, still feeling deficiencies. It's a pro field where veterans who've spent half-lives in the saddle show vast gaps.
Over half the Iron Cavalry I observed seemed less "controlling their mounts" and more "clinging for dear life," content to avoid falling while firing.
Yet the Black Sea Party lines and corpse puppets couldn't withstand their charges. All-weather mobility leaping two-story obstacles, mid-caliber MG durability, firepower scaled to mass—it synergized perfectly.
Even from my aerial vantage, Black Sea bike cavalry clashing with PLA warhorse cavalry made for a hell of a show. The PLA heavy cavalry steamrolled the infamous bike blitzers effortlessly.
Gao Xusen shot me a sidelong glance and muttered, "To keep up in future ops, we'll need some of those ourselves..."
I finally looked away from the screens. "You mean Awakened warhorses with ability users?"
"Precisely. With the Black rats scattered to hills and fields, it's inevitable for ongoing fights. Public Security budgets have limits, so I'll bolster my private hunter regiment with personal funds."
Already whining about budgets—hoping he doesn't divert them to his pet force. But after all we've funneled upward, his head's safe for now.
"Could the Nameless Company procure horses? Your eye for talent should spot prime warhorses too."
"Possible, but pricey. Even with our ties slashing fees, the horses alone run millions per head. Can you swing it?"
"Millions? Just livestock—why so steep?"
"That's conservative. Pre-Awakening racehorses fetched that; a world-class ability steed? Tens of millions easy."
"Tens of millions..."
The gold-worshipping noble paled instantly. Even with the yuan's plunge, ten million was over 2.5 billion won—a Gangnam apartment or three.
Say we snag decent Awakened horses for a few hundred million total. Factor training for horse and rider, and per-unit costs top 1-2 billion easy.
Gao Xusen stared queasily at the screen, grasping the cavalry's price tag at last.
One rider equals one armored vehicle—fair investment.
Not identical roles, but tactically equivalent value. No rule says you can't spend vehicle budgets on cavalry. Japan drops 7 billion per APC, after all.
"Anyway, shouldn't approvals be through by now?"
He looked puzzled. "Approvals? For what?"
"My private ability hunter regiment's operating permit."
That's why I'd come here today. A militia under our org on Chinese soil would snag national Awakened contracts, aid arms smuggling and stockpiling. Way better than piling gear on some remote Pacific atoll like Fiji.
I needed firm yes before leaving China.
He hesitated, then sighed theatrically. "Ah, that. Forgot to mention—it's approved. Even picked a compliant overseer."
"Really?"
"Of course. Who do you think I am? Piece of cake. Honestly slipped my mind. You know how slammed I've been, Director?"
"Understood."
Yeah, I get it. Early approval meant I'd cherry-pick talent, leaving him dregs. His hesitation screamed it.
As expected, he brushed it off casually. "Hunter selection going well?"
"No worries. I'll oversee screening personally. You'll see the regiment launch before I leave China."
"Leave China?"
"My business spans the globe. Can't stay rooted here forever. I'll return for big matters, of course."
"Hmm. Fair enough..."
Gao Xusen reluctantly accepted my departure from Guangzhou.