Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 3 Dragons and Snakes Will Rise
The Great Yao, the Central Plains.

This place is rich in natural resources and densely populated, with fertile fields crisscrossed by paths. From the air, the landscape is breathtakingly beautiful, and on this beautiful canvas, the great city of Shen Du is inlaid like the finishing touch on a dragon.

As the viewpoint falls upon this city, the aura of an emperor lingers between the rivers and the grand buildings.

First, four artificial canals run across the surface of this great city, two running vertically and two horizontally, forming a grid pattern. And across these canals, towering bridges stand on both banks. The capital city has eight such bridges. These bridges, spanning hundreds of meters, act like nails locking the earth, securing the entrances and exits of the capital city's wealth.

The archway on the bridge allows dragon boats as tall as five stories to pass through. Once the dragon boat enters the river, the turbid water surges upwards, and the arched undercurrents cause the two-zhang-long, several-ton turtle-shaped water beasts to surface. They use their mouths to hold the tow rope and, upon hearing the horn sound from the dragon boat, begin to pull, dragging the dragon boat into the river.

These aquatic beasts are said to have faint Qilin blood. But now they are merely laborers under the "Legalist laws" of the Great Dao.

After the dragon boat is pulled into the designated position, these water beasts will sink into the pool, leaving behind eddies in the water.

…The arched bridge locks in the waterways…

If it is nighttime, and you look up at the sky, you will see "dragon light shooting towards the ruins of the Ox and the Dipper."

At the center of the nine districts divided by the artificial canal, the architectural layout faintly resembles a dragon, and at the top of these buildings that form the dragon's spine, there are faint electric clouds floating around.

As night fell and the lights gradually went out, this radiance surged into the sky. Correspondingly, nine palaces appeared hundreds of feet above the ground.

This is not a mirage, but a real palace suspended in the sky, where auspicious beasts and birds fly in, and where the emperor and his many officials handle the affairs of the world.

Of these nine palaces, the one located in the southeast is the "Qian Palace".

In the central hall of the Qian Palace stands a massive sundial, fifty feet in diameter.

Within the complex areas defined by the sundial, streaks of Yin and Yang are forming a "calculation" array. The astronomers working here record the intersections of each streak of Yin and Yang and then perform deductions.

Lu Shaoqi, a second-rank official of the dynasty, was drawing a star map on silk with a brush made of spirit fox fur. Suddenly, his gaze grew increasingly solemn, and his hands moved faster as he calculated. After finishing, he looked up at the direction of "Wukang Star" in the sky and murmured, "An extraterrestrial calamity?"

At that moment, a comet faintly appeared in the sky.

…the dividing line between the comet's double tails…

The following day, at the court assembly, Emperor Xu, wearing a twelve-tassel crown, looked at the star chart on the silk cloth in his hand and said calmly to the courtiers standing quietly beside him, "A descendant of a dragon who has abandoned his people has returned." Upon hearing this, the entire court fell silent.

The military officials exchanged glances, while the civil officials raised their jade tablets, ready to offer their advice.

Da Yao had only two options for dealing with the surrounding alien races and demons: either assimilate them or expel them to the wilderness. The descendants of the dragons were naturally an extremely noble lineage, while the fleeing people were the lineage that had left with the Cheng Dynasty six thousand years ago when Da Yao replaced Cheng Dynasty.

The emperor's use of the term "abandoning the people" already expressed his attitude.

The Emperor's stern voice descended from the top of the white jade steps: "Yun Residence, Han Sheng."

The Grand Marshal and the Grand Minister of Works stepped forward in the court, and the eunuchs beside them began to take out yellow silk to record the decree. All the officials also knew the imperial edict that His Majesty was conveying.

The great hexagram indicates that the land is now overflowing with wealth and resources, leaving no surplus to bestow. Therefore, it commands soldiers from all directions to defend the borders.

Subsequently, the officials in charge of astronomy received the decree, and the ceremony commenced at the central altar of the Zhen Palace in the due east direction among the nine celestial palaces. As the Emperor's decree was inserted into the central gap, the power of heaven and earth was mobilized, the perspective was raised, and the signal fluctuations on the planet's surface spread through the vast space, issuing a warning to extraterrestrial forces.

However, it wasn't just the Dragonborn who arrived this time; four other evil forces were also secretly following behind.

…a dividing line that stretches across the north and south of the country. …

In the 23rd year of the Great Yao's reign, in the southern border region, Wu Fei (Xuan Chong) was encamped on a rocky highland near water. At the same time, he was directing his troops in a standoff with the "things" outside the camp.

Outside the camp, the snake-men, writhing in pain, were emitting hissing battle cries. The sound was unsettling, like the stench of fish hitting one's face.

Inside the main camp, Xuan Chong was relaying orders: deploy more chevaux-de-frise, have lookouts rotate shifts, and scatter caltrops in the grass where there appeared to be gaps in the fence that could be infiltrated. Two squads of armored warriors and axemen were on standby, sleeping in tents near the camp entrance, using their shields as blankets. Some of these tents near the camp entrance were still empty; rattling metal plates hung inside to ensure that the enemy could not get the first move if they infiltrated the camp.

Xuan Chong: I heard that the special forces king in the novels of my previous life is quite powerful, so we have to be careful.

Most of the fighting took place outside the camp, with snake-men occasionally throwing spears that struck the shields. However, these throws were all from fifty paces away and lacked the force to penetrate the shields. On the other hand, the human light archers fired ignited "sulfur rosin" arrows from the main camp, which could burn the skin of these snake-men.

Xuan Chong stood on the third high platform, watching the snake people blocking the door.

Wu Fei yawned and ordered, "Same as always. When the sun sets and a cold wind blows in the afternoon, send two battalions to drive them away. The rest of the battalions can sleep peacefully. Get up at the appointed time during the night and cook snakes."

The cavalry general stepped forward as if to say something, but Wu Fei preemptively asked him, "By the way, where are the next batch of brothers transporting grain?"

He then unfurled the silk scroll on his own, revealing a shimmering river and a small boat logo on it.

Looking at the scroll map, Wu Fei muttered to himself, "Oh, there are still six hours of waterway travel." Then, he clearly instructed the cavalry general who was preparing to volunteer for the battle, "Send some people to keep in touch with the grain transport officer, arrange a time, and deliver the grain into the camp."

The cavalry captain looked at the exhausted young general, opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed his words in the end.

As for what the cavalry general was going to say, Wu Fei knew.

"The snake people blocking the door right now are few in number, but that's a great military achievement! If General Wu is more ambitious, he'll definitely impress the old general!" This was what he was saying to Wu Fei.

But in reality, what those camp leaders were complaining about behind their backs was: "This little sparrow, she stays right outside the camp gate and never leaves, just like a lady from a wealthy family!"

Wu Fei (Xuan Chong) completely ignored the gossip and whispers behind his back. He went back to sleep, and as for the snake-man at the door, he figured the afternoon sun was too cool to see anything, so he was out of commission. —As for fighting his way out? Better to avoid trouble. He remembered the story of "Losing Jieting" from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms he had read before his transmigration.

Wu Fei thought to himself, "Why go out and have fun when I could just do my job properly?" Then he glanced at the squad leaders in the tent.

These teams were naturally obedient under his uncle's command, but he himself could not "control them at will."

As a modern man, Wu Fei lamented that his subordinates were a typical feudal army. Once he gave the order to unleash the dogs, well, that is, to let these idiots charge out of the camp, they would get so engrossed in the fight that they would pretend not to hear the retreat signal.

In feudal armies, performance was based on military merits, and the heads of snake people were extremely valuable.

He lacked the prestige to persuade these veterans to lay down their heads and return to camp at the crucial moment of battle. And if his own garrison was lured too far away and ambushed, his primary duty would be in jeopardy!
Wu Fei surveyed the surrounding terrain. There were three roads leading to the granary: two land routes to the north, one leading to the hills and the other into the jungle; and a river to the south. —The scouts Wu Fei had dispatched brought back a series of reports, leading Xuan Chong to believe that the snake people were trying to lure him out of their den.

Wu Fei: I've been frequently shirking my duties lately, so I must make sure these snake people also shirk their duties.

Note: The snake-men can directly go into the river to feed on fish. Fishing in the river near the camp should be possible, but there were none, so Xuan Chong estimates there are at least five or six hundred snake-men. Wu Fei: If we really lose the grain station, my own father might not kill me, but I'll definitely get a hundred lashes, plus face tattoos, and be executed in the clan's community shrine.

Lying in his tent, Wu Fei looked up at the sunlight streaming through the tent. It was "Wei Shi" (1-3 pm). He figured he could sleep for another two hours, but he was too nervous to fall asleep. He was afraid that if he did, some of the veteran soldiers in the camp would wander off on their own.

Wu Fei sighed, "Damn, leading this bunch of old soldiers is harder than capturing 300,000 pigs in Huaihai."

…The dividing line between lush forests and ever-present threats…

It was past Shenshi (3-5 PM), and the sun was already blocked by the distant mountains. Although it was still bright, the shadows of the mountains cast a chill in the air in front of the granary by the river, and the snake people moved less frequently a hundred feet away from the camp.

The sound of bugles rang out in the camp, followed by the sound of horses' hooves grinding against the ground.

A troop of sixty laborers on cavalry, armed with spears, prepared to leave the camp. The snake-men, seemingly sensing something, began to twist and turn, preparing to run.

Meanwhile, in the camp, as the four flags changed, the peaceful atmosphere of the camp shifted, and the hexagram changed from "yang" to "yin".

As the camp's feng shui was activated, the chilling air from two meters below the water was drawn up and then, carried by a sudden gust of wind, was scattered onto the snake-men outside the camp. These snake-men, lacking clothing and covered in scales, suddenly shuddered, as if a cold hand had been placed behind their necks in winter, and their midday dragon-like movements vanished. Even their swimming became much slower.

Wu Fei joked: "Cold-blooded animals have scales to retain water, but no fur to keep warm. The wind picked up this afternoon, and they were sprayed with water. Are you no longer so smug?"

Wu Fei had some understanding of the snake-men's combat capabilities before leading his troops. Every June, the snake-men would stir up trouble in Lingnan. A normal individual is five to six meters long from head to toe, and two meters tall when semi-erect. When they launch an attack, their tails can break a cow's leg with a flick. As for ranged attacks? They can throw a seven-kilogram wooden spear fifty meters away.

The dented shields and dislocated shoulders of the peasant soldiers in the camp have proven the snake people's strength in the waist and arms.

However, according to Wu Fei's summary, the snake people's high burst of power usually occurs in environments above 25 degrees Celsius. Once the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, they are not as powerful.

Therefore, Wu Fei guarded the grain station and waited every day for the sun to hide behind the mountain and the valley wind to lift the flag. At that time, Wu Fei would blow the horn to let the riders drive away the snake people at regular intervals.

The cold water at the bottom of the river, after being blown by the wind, has a distinctly autumnal chill.

The peasant cavalry, fresh from their hot soup, were in a frenzy. They wielded their simple halberds, a combination of kukri and spear, with the same skill as when they were threshing rice with sickles. Using the momentum of their horses, they approached from the side, slashing the snake-man vertically with deep cuts. The wounded snake-man curled up and fought back in a death throes, but his horse had already scurried away in an arc.

Once inside the camp, Wu Fei saw that most of the snake people had fled, so he sounded the retreat.

The attacking farm cavalry had no chance to dismount and cut off the heads, and having just charged, they had mostly only scratched the snake-men's scales, without inflicting fatal wounds. The snake-men were far more resilient than humans.

Even when wounded, the snake-man remains ferocious; his head is not so easy to cut off.

Xuan Chong disregarded the severed head and ordered the riders to drop their spears before dismounting and present them to the examiner when returning to their tents. Anyone whose spear was still covered in blood and flesh would receive a share of wine and meat.

Some of the farmhand cavalrymen, in order to cheat and evade the rules, would even deliberately nick their halberds, leaving more visible red marks on the blade (similar to how a broken fingernail draws blood), so that they wouldn't be reprimanded by the inspectors: "You're just smearing blood and mud on your weapon to cheat for wine!"

Today, Wu Fei dispatched two full cavalry squads, totaling 120 men, and fought quite fiercely. This was because his own grain transport team was about to arrive, and he needed to clean up the area so that his crew could unload their cargo with peace of mind.

As for the cavalry commanders of each squad, Wu Fei awarded them ten heads as battle merits. Others might not be able to produce heads out of thin air, but Wu Fei had an uncle who had collected snake-men heads that had not yet been reported at the later passes, and these heads were stored in a warehouse.

This reward and punishment system was moderate; it didn't get the soldiers fired up, but when it came time to fight, no one slacked off. Even the most seasoned veterans felt they deserved to put up a fight on the battlefield.

As the most central figure in all of this, Wu Fei didn't have the passion of "holding military power"; on the contrary, he felt a bit weary from the "company boss and his employees scheming against each other."

Xuan Chong: When others become generals, they can obey orders without question, but I suffer.

At this time, Xuan Chong controlled 500 men in seven teams (battalions), and he was constantly forming cliques and engaging in infighting with the middle-level officers below him.

As the sun was about to set, in the main camp, Wu Fei personally inspected the spears and halberds. He carefully sniffed the weapons with barely visible bloodstains to check for any trace of blood, then quickly distributed the day's food and wine. Defending the camp was the simplest task; the only thing requiring careful consideration was the distribution of rewards and punishments.

…ten hours later…

Grain transport ships appeared on the upstream river. The camp's lookouts and the grain transport officers on the ships communicated via torch signals, and Wu Fei waved a command flag. Soon, the peasant soldiers who had been lining up in the drill ground began to enter the dock and form ranks, arranging the wooden rails and wheelbarrows for unloading.

Ten large tortoise-shell ships, each fifteen feet long, docked at the shore. The defensive decks of the tortoise-shell ships were stuck with spears thrown by the snake-men, clearly indicating that the snake-men also had their eyes on this grain transport team.

The turtle ship swung its iron hook and snagged the piles on the dock. After slowly approaching the shore, Wu Fei did not open the door wide to greet them. Instead, he ordered the military camp to be on high alert. The peasant soldiers formed ranks and waited in full battle array. First, they checked the passwords, and then sent people with families into the cabin to take a look. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he open the camp gates!

Wu Fei: What if this ship wasn't carrying grain, but a whole nest of snake people? That would be a wonderful surprise. History is replete with such ingenious schemes that have succeeded when the defenders were off guard.

Bags of grain were first lifted onto a sliding board using foot-operated pulleys, then slid down a track to a wheelbarrow forty meters away. The wheelbarrow, once full of grain, was pushed to the front door and delivered. The grains were pierced by bamboo tubes, and after confirming that there was no mold, they were piled up in the numbered area.

At the left side gate of the granary, every night, the Yin Yao moves, and the Five Ghosts Transporting Magic Array is activated. As ghostly talismans attach to the grain transport carts, the carts gain the ability to move stealthily at night. Meanwhile, another grain transport officer waiting in the camp will roll up batches of grain and transport them to the army camp dozens of miles away.

The Five Ghosts Transporting Food Method relies on "altars" built on mountain peaks and river veins, and its range for transporting supplies is limited to within a single prefecture. However, in this great battle, Wu Fei's grain depot received supplies from other prefectures.

…the line of entrenched positions and maneuvering…

On a hilltop six kilometers away, a pair of vertical pupils were staring at the riverbank dock, where torches were burning brightly and the surrounding area was a large military food camp shrouded in sulfurous smoke.

The owner of these pupils was a white snake-man. The fine scales on his face made his features very delicate, and although he still had a "snake's head," he possessed a level of civilization that other snake-men did not have.

At this moment, the main force of the Wu family army was sweeping through the eight-hundred-mile-long Red Serpent Mountain Range. Fourteen spawning grounds had already been destroyed by the armored soldiers of Wu Hanluan.

The soldiers in Wu Fei's camp were conscripted farmers. Compared to the regular armored warriors under General Wu Hanluan, who were paid to serve their lot, their combat strength was a level weaker.

For the alien races in the Southern Frontier who still use bone weapons, Wu Hanluan's army represents a qualitative difference. Even if the snake people gambled everything they had and gathered four times the strength, they still couldn't stop Wu's army.

Therefore, in the past ten days or so, Bai Lin, the snake-man priest who had been spying on Wu Fei's camp from the mountaintop, believed that the only key to their victory was to cut off the Wu family army's supply depot.

However, Bai Lin, as an opponent, was quite frustrated by the caution of the grain depot guard.

Bai Lin was clearly more anxious lately; his body rubbed against the stone, shedding some of his skin. He unleashed the snake-man's sorcery, and the smoke, like a serpent, formed the faces of snake clan leaders before him, while the snake-men formed by the smoke hissed and communicated.

During this "remote three-dimensional video conference," Bai Lin pointed to the distant grain depot and said, "If we can't outsmart them, we have to seize them by force."

Even the White Scale Priest himself didn't notice that his pupils were flashing an eerie blue.

Blue, blue
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(End of this chapter)