Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Three days later, the Mulan Hunting Grounds were filled with fluttering flags and a sea of ​​people.

The dust kicked up by the galloping hooves created a dust-free storm within the paddock.

On the warhorses galloping back and forth, the cavalrymen, clad in brightly colored armor, were full of spirit, their eyes filled with a killing intent that could crush any obstacle.

They were the most elite garrison troops of the Wu Zhao Dynasty—the Wu Wei Battalion, a contingent of imperial guards carefully selected by Li Hong from among battle-hardened soldiers.

The mere sight of the Wuwei Battalion soldiers was enough to make the foreign envoys present gasp in shock.

Queen Tian Ying of Qi was so shocked that she trembled and couldn't help but say, "The army of Wu Zhao is so terrifying. Even from a distance, I can feel the oppressive killing intent."

The other foreign envoys sitting beside him also agreed, and they were genuinely terrified of the overwhelming force of the Wu Zhao Kingdom's army.

Only Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju remained calm and composed. Unlike the other bumpkins around them, they were not overwhelmed by the appearance of the Wuwei Army.

In fact, in terms of sheer force, these Wuwei Army soldiers were not necessarily as intimidating as the Solon cavalry; their advantage lay only in their numbers.

Li Hong sat on the main stage, a confident smile on his face, and began today's military parade.

He had absolute confidence in the Wuwei Army, after all, each of them was a warrior of his own clan whom he had carefully selected. Whether in archery, horsemanship, or cultivation, they were all worthy of his double trust.

Today, he will take this opportunity of the military parade to give all the foreign envoys present a warning: the illustrious military prowess of Wu Zhao Kingdom is not just for show, and anyone who dares to question Wu Zhao's strength will be brought to justice.

Before long, two generals clad in iron armor knelt before Li Hong and bowed directly, saying, "Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years!"

Li Hong smiled and raised his hand: "Rise. Xue Dongluo, Fu Lin'an, you two have not disappointed me. I only look at the soldiers behind you."

"I knew you hadn't neglected your training duties. Very good, I'm very pleased."

Xue Dongluo immediately replied, "These are the Emperor's Imperial Guards, protecting the safety of the capital. Even if I had a hundred heads, I would not dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Fu Lin'an also said, "This servant is the same. Every day, we whip them to express our gratitude for the Emperor's grace and to repay the Emperor's trust with martial prowess."

In fact, shortly after its founding, Wu Zhao Kingdom experienced a period of military darkness, suffering repeated setbacks from rebels and foreign enemies, and its national fortune was only sustained by its outer vassal states.

After Li Hong ascended the throne, he immediately reorganized the martial arts camp and strictly required all officers and soldiers of the martial arts camp to train in accordance with the ancestral procedures. If anyone dared to slack off, not only would they be expelled from the martial arts camp, but their property in the capital would also be confiscated.

Under Li Hong's strict rule, the Warriors Camp was finally transformed, regaining its glory during the reign of Emperor Taizu, and its combat strength even surpassed that of the outer vassal states.

Of course, the resources for training martial artists are enormous. In order to have a fighting army under his command, Li Hong did not hesitate to transfer the treatment of two million ordinary soldiers to them.

After all this, the advantage was that the warrior camp's combat strength was significantly improved, but the already mediocre local garrison became even more corrupt and unwilling to exert themselves.

Ultimately, Li Hong was pursuing a strategy of building an elite force; if he could, he would really like to abolish all local garrison troops as well.

Compared to the martial arts camps and the outer tribes, Li Hong didn't care at all about the training level of the local military camps in each garrison area. Even if local military generals reported that there was a serious problem of laxity in the army, he would just reply that he would do his best to appease them and there was no need to be too harsh.

In Li Hong's mind, how could those ordinary soldiers made up of commoners be the same as the outer vassal states and elite warriors?

The more corrupt they are, the more secure their throne will be.

"Alright, let's begin the drill. I'll be watching."

"Yes!"

At Li Hong's command, Xue Dongluo and Fu Lin'an responded in unison and then led their respective troops to begin their drills.

The training exercises included horsemanship, archery, mounted combat, and close-quarters melee; almost all of them involved horses.

As the only empire in the Western Continent with a herd of over 100,000 horses, their tactics and skills left the foreign envoys completely dumbfounded.

Especially the incredible maneuvers performed by the cavalrymen on horseback: sometimes hanging to the side, sometimes flipping over, and sometimes bobbing up and down with their feet on the ground as the horses galloped.

Some cavalrymen even leaped onto their saddles and fired three arrows in quick succession at a rapidly moving target within ten paces, each arrow hitting the bullseye…

These astonishing combat skills left the foreign envoys drenched in cold sweat.

"Wu Zhao Kingdom is indeed unstoppable. Even if Qi Kingdom had another hundred years, it would not be able to train such cavalry."

Tian Ying was completely stunned by the performance of those cavalrymen.

Ban Dingyuan and Pei Ju remained silent, watching the scene unfold.

If you look closely, you'll notice that the two people's fingers are rhythmically shaking in front of the table.

They weren't overwhelmed by the scene before them; rather, they were communicating with each other through a special code.

What do you think of the strength of the Wu Zhao Kingdom's cavalry?

"Judging from the current situation, they are not as good as the Jin and Northern Yan."

"But looking at the surrounding foreign lands, they all seemed to be intimidated."

"They had never experienced cavalry fighting in groups, so it's understandable that they were intimidated."

"I'm not convinced. Should we deflate their arrogance?"

"Stop messing around, you'll kill someone. I want to go home."

After their conversation, the two calmly picked up their teacups and took a small sip.

Their every move was under Li Hong's watchful eye.

To be honest, today's military parade was specifically set up for the envoys from the State of Chu.

However, the "shock," "fear," and "unease" he had anticipated were nowhere to be seen in the two of them.

There was only a faint sense of composure, as if they had experienced similar scenes many times before.

This aroused Li Hong's competitive spirit. As the Emperor of Wuzhao, he had always considered himself to represent heaven and earth.

Your calm demeanor suggests you look down on the military might of Wu Zhao.

Thinking of this, Li Hong immediately whispered a few words in Zhang Gui's ear.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui immediately got up and walked towards Ban Dingyuan and the other person.

At this point, the military parade rehearsal concluded.

All the officers and soldiers quickly lined up on the hunting grounds, and then shouted in unison: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The shouts were deafening, soaring into the sky.

Tian Ying's eyes were already brimming with tears, and she covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud.

She was completely overwhelmed by the imposing presence of the Wuwei Army.

Ban Dingyuan really couldn't understand why someone would cry like this while watching a military parade, especially since it wasn't even Qi's own army.

Tian Ying took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and said, "I was impetuous that night. If I had known this would happen, I should have tried to please the Emperor. To have such an army, their emperor must be incredibly talented and ambitious."

Pei Ju and Ban Dingyuan exchanged glances, still not understanding where Tian Ying's feelings came from.

Just then, Zhang Gui came to the two men, cupped his hands and said, "You two must be envoys from the State of Chu. His Majesty invites you. Please come with me."