A procession of soldiers marched past, and the sound of footsteps and murmurs in the entire square never ceased.

"Gasp... this is already the thirty-second phalanx! Three thousand two hundred people!"

"All marching with such steps, forming such formations, so orderly, over three thousand people moving as one... this, this is just terrifying!"

"A true elite force, this is what an elite force should be!"

Amongst the countless whispers, the faces of several hidden individuals were extremely grim at this moment.

"How did Emperor Zhengyong manage this? To actually train mortals to such a state!"

"Puppets! These are truly puppets!"

"Indeed, only the word ’puppets’ can describe this situation..."

"Thud thud thud thud..."

At this moment, another violent rumbling sound came.

Everyone could clearly feel the ground beginning to shake.

"The ground is shaking! What’s happening?"

"An earthquake? What’s happening!"

"It’s not an earthquake! It’s not an earthquake! It’s..."

"Cavalry!"

"Border Cavalry!!!"

Everyone stood on tiptoe, looking ahead.

Sure enough, cavalrymen clad in white horses, fully armed, awoke from afar.

Their entire bodies were adorned with the latest fish scale armor, fully armored, almost entirely encased in iron.

Under their helmets, sharp faces were revealed.

Holding long spears, pointed slantwise to the sky, their gazes extremely sharp.

Even the fine horses beneath them were all clad in armor, resembling moving iron puppets.

At the forefront of the cavalry was Zhao Tieshan, who had left the Capital City several years ago.

His frame had grown even more robust, with armor specially forged by the Ministry of Industry to fit his build.

Under his lead, groups of cavalry suddenly charged forward.

"Charge!"

The cavalry surged like an iron torrent, charging headlong amidst the great tremors, causing the ground to shake so much that even the water in the moat began to ripple and tremble.

"The ground, the ground is shaking!"

"Heavy cavalry! It’s actually heavy cavalry!"

"This armor alone must cost at least a thousand taels of silver, and so many cavalry..."

"These are truly the elite of the Border Army!"

"Boom boom boom...!"

The thunderous roar continuously sounded, and when they were about thirty meters from the main city gates, they suddenly pulled the reins hard.

"Neigh~!"

Over a hundred fine horses reared up suddenly, emitting a chorus of neighs.

Then the entire formation miraculously came to a halt.

In perfect unison, it was almost like a single entity.

Under Zhao Tieshan’s command, they then marched forward slowly.

"For the loyalty to Great Yu!"

"To serve the people!"

"To lay down our lives for Your Majesty!"

Calls that drew countless cheers echoed vociferously from Baixing.

"Long live!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"With this mighty army guarding the border, we common folk can live in peace!"

"Yes, yes, alas, I only have one son; otherwise, I would definitely let him join the army!"

"Hahaha, me too!"

The Border Cavalry, under Zhao Tieshan’s leadership, passed through the city gates, once again reaching the square beside the Vermilion Bird Gate, where they stood in formation.

At this moment, he glimpsed another phalanx behind him.

Cavalry.

It was also cavalry.

However, this time, the cavalry came clad in blood-red armor.

Even their battle flag was a red backdrop with a black dragon insignia.

Dragon-soaring Army, Xu Mujun!!

Of course, Xu Mujun at this moment was observing the parade ceremony from the city gate tower, not leading the Dragon-soaring Army.

Still, it did nothing to diminish Xu Mujun’s formidable prestige.

The moment the Dragon-soaring Army cavalry appeared, it elicited cheers from countless people.

Watching the approaching Dragon-soaring Army step by step, a glint of zeal appeared in Zhao Tieshan’s eyes.

"Dragon-soaring Army, in this world, a true man should be like this!"

"I, Zhao Tieshan, will also build a powerful army comparable to the Dragon-soaring Army in the future!"

"Step!"

"Step step step...!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Dragon-soaring Army came forward step by step; the earth trembled, the wind howled, and their banners flapped loudly.

Their armor bore some semblance to that of the Border Cavalry, but overall it was blood-red, with different embellishments at the edges.

The biggest difference lay in the headgear.

The Dragon-soaring Army cavalrymen had a black face mask to protect their faces.

In a night march, these cavalrymen, faces obscured by masks, would resemble evil ghosts crawling out from Hell.

"For the loyalty to Great Yu!"

"To serve the people!"

"To lay down our lives for Your Majesty!"

The cries erupted once more, while Zheng Yi waved toward the Dragon-soaring Army with a smile, saying: "Xu Qing, the Dragon-soaring Army has performed well under your leadership, I am very pleased."

Xu Mujun replied respectfully, "It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s benevolence."

"Mm, indeed."

Zheng Yi nodded, asking, "By the way, who is currently leading the Dragon-soaring Army?"

"Xu Qilin, my nephew, Your Majesty."

"Well... now that the south is initially settled, it is not advisable for the Dragon-soaring Army to move away, let him continue to be stationed in the south."

"Nanyue County is a good place; it must be completely suppressed."

"I will obey Your Majesty’s decree!"

Xu Mujun respectfully stated, "Your Majesty, I request to resign from the position of commander of the Dragon-soaring Army."

"Hm? Why is that?"

Although the Dragon-soaring Army was said to be a Great Yu army, its initial formation was independently established by Xu Mujun, housing many descendants of the Xu Clan, almost like Xu Mujun’s private army.

Now that Xu Mujun wished to relinquish his command position, it was indeed good news for both Zheng Yi and the entire Great Yu.

"I am of advanced age and no longer suited to lead the Dragon-soaring Army; I hope Your Majesty will grant this request."

Looking at the aging Xu Mujun, Zheng Yi nodded, "Alright, I accept your request."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Wow...!!!"

Just then, a chorus of calls erupted, like a tsunami.

Next to Zheng Yi, numerous First and Second Grade Officials also rose on tiptoe to look outside.

From the direction of Vermilion Bird Gate, yet another contingent emerged.

New Army.

Or rather... Firearms Army!

One by one, soldiers carrying long rifles and donning simple military garb marched in step in perfect order.

The concept of the flintlock gun, having existed for almost a decade by now, had already been developed into the latest version.

The entire Great Yu already had more than five hundred thousand new troops equipped with new-style flintlocks.

Even other units were being gradually phased out, transitioning into new-style armies.

Watching the Firearms Army approaching step by step, Zheng Yi’s gaze turned a tad peculiar.

"The flintlock gun is the most advanced firearm of this era; this should be where technological advancement stops..."

He had devised a plan to issue a Holy Decree to halt firearms research after this parade ceremony.

Currently, the firearms technology of Great Yu was to remain at the level of flintlock guns, hand grenades, and ordinary black powder, with no further advancement.

After all.

He was a Cultivator.

And firearms were weapons capable of posing a threat to Cultivators among mortals.

Just like the existence of crossbow arrows, a regular person could assassinate a Martial Artist in an instant.

Therefore, the progression of firearms research should be limited or even stopped.

Furthermore, no firearms were to appear among the people.

"For the loyalty to Great Yu!"

"To serve the people!"

"To lay down our lives for Your Majesty!"

As one formation of New Army followed another, Zheng Yi also waved to show his approval.

Following this came artillery units, with Red Coat Cannons pulled by horses.

These Red Coat Cannons had developed over many years, gradually heading in the direction of mortars,

with narrower barrels, more powerful shells, and significantly reduced overall weight.

The appearance of artillery sparked endless cheers and discussions among the populace.

"Red Coat Cannon! That’s the Red Coat Cannon!"

"I heard a single shot can blow down a city wall!"

"So terrifying...!"

"Red Coat Cannons..."

Within the crowd, several figures noted the presence of these artillerymen with wary expressions in their eyes.

"I’ve seen the Red Coat Cannon’s power before in Xuzhou," an old man remarked.

"A single shot rivals the power of one of our flying swords."

"If fired in thousands, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would fall!"

"This, then, is Emperor Zhengyong’s greatest reliance in establishing the Great Yu Immortal Dynasty?"