My lord, spare his life!

"Not bad, your strength hasn't declined over the years."

Lu Yuan spoke as if they were chatting casually, but only the military general knew the life-or-death pressure he was under. He thought Lu Yuan always used a clever and cunning approach, but he didn't expect that the other party's open and powerful style was just as terrifying. After only a few direct confrontations, his blood was churning, his arms were numb and heavy, and even his determination to win was shaken.

"Still so sharp-tongued and sarcastic."

Saying he hasn't made any progress in years is even more sarcastic than mocking him for regressing.

His counterattack was almost drowned out by the heavy rain, but with Lü Yuan's keen hearing, the latter could definitely hear it clearly. Not only did Lü Yuan hear it clearly, but he also retaliated with a powerful blow. The warrior's burst of energy shattered the raincoat that Lü Yuan had thrown, only to see his opponent disappear on horseback.

No, it's above!

The general looked up, and a familiar figure swooped down from the sky like an arrow. She held a crimson-purple spear upside down, a fiery serpent with wings swirling at its tip as she hurtled towards the ground. In an instant, like a meteor falling to earth, before the spear tip even reached the general's face, the force of the spear piercing the air compressed it, making it difficult for him to breathe. A force of a thousand pounds, a thunderous strike, intended to pierce through both man and horse.

The sound of something cutting through the air was piercing and sharp, making Xiao Sui feel nauseous.

But that didn't stop a hint of amazement from flashing in her eyes.

I used to think of Lu Yuan as just a bunch of good-for-nothing friends, but I never imagined he would be so sharp and dazzling when he unleashed his full power on the battlefield. My lord, adopting this goddaughter was definitely the right decision.

Clang——

A ball of crimson and purple flames, burning fiercely.

The fire serpent scattered into countless sparks, leaping and dancing even under the pounding rain, showing no sign of extinguishing. The flames, having just touched the armor, seeped in through every crevice, spreading like wildfire, climbing up the limbs, and instantly engulfing the person in flames. But Lu Yuan was not naive enough to believe that this would kill them by explosion or burning.

A muffled thud.

The aura of a military general burst forth from within, shattering the flames.

His armor still radiated intense heat, and the rain sizzled as it hit him. His decorative feather cloak was ruined, with only a pitiful remnant hanging there. The general was scorched by smoke and flames, looking disheveled, and the shadowy figure of a dog could be vaguely seen around him.

Xiao Suili stood on horseback directing the battle.

Occasionally, I would take a moment to glance at the battle situation on Lu Yuan's side.

"Lou Jingou? What bad luck."

The bad luck that Xiao Sui mentioned was not the bad luck of Lu Yuan.

The Three Palaces produce prime ministers, and the Four Symbols produce generals. Each of the Twenty-Eight Constellations of the Four Symbols has its own attribute. The star of the Law Yuan constellation is the Vermilion Bird - Winged Fire Serpent, while the general is the White Tiger - Lou Golden Dog. Fire overcomes metal, and since the difference in strength between the two is not significant, the attribute advantage plays a decisive role in the outcome.

Lu Yuan was completely at ease and confident. He probably could defeat this enemy general even without any elemental advantage. The latter was indeed unlucky.

"Ritsumoto——"

The general chose to abandon his warhorse.

"My life is right here; come and take it if you dare!"

Although his warhorse was no ordinary warhorse but a half-beast with star beast blood, with Lu Yuan's strength, continuing the mounted battle would only be a pointless sacrifice, and might even hinder him. The warhorse was extremely intelligent and understood its master's mind, knowing the general's choice. It let out a series of low, mournful cries, but its master no longer cared about it. With a single strike, the ground beneath Lu Yuan's feet cracked, and the shattered rocks and soil, under the influence of an invisible force, rose in the opposite direction of the ground.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, the strong wind shattered the raindrops that had not yet hit the ground.

The dog's shadow did not leave the body; instead, it docilely transformed into another layer of armor on the general's body. It appeared light yet was impervious to blades and spears. The weapon in his hand had a restrained luster, with faint star patterns arranged on its blade.

He twisted his body and charged up his strength for a slash.

The chaotic light and shadows clashed and slammed towards Lu Yuan.

On another part of the battlefield, the commander of the Imperial Throne City was itching to fight them. She hadn't had a proper duel in years, and seeing the two of them fighting so fiercely today made her tempted. However, reason held her back. First, the other man was Lu Yuan's opponent, and the unspoken rule was that the other man's military merit was for Lu Yuan's benefit, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her to interfere. Second, Lu Yuan was charming but not without pride, and he disdained bullying the weak with numbers. Third... she didn't want to exert herself too much; she should just focus on the soldiers she had brought from the Imperial Throne City and didn't need to go out of her way to benefit others.

Why not?

Sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, calmly fishing from the fishing platform?

The commander withdrew her gaze and deftly thrust her long spear into a man on the path, knocking him off his horse. The horse swept past, and without even glancing at the fallen enemy soldier, she flicked her wrist, retracting the spear as it sliced ​​across the soldier's neck, splattering blood—another life lost.

Ordinary people wouldn't die immediately if they were killed.

There is a certain probability that the evil spirits of the stars will descend and become the host of ghosts.

The reinforcements from Zongzheng County were overwhelmed and unable to defend the area. They couldn't even coordinate their forces to defend, let alone split up to return to their posts. The torrential rain continued to fall, and the ground reinforcements were being cut off layer by layer by the relentless, surging attacks. Their rout seemed unstoppable, and their commander was entangled with Lü Yuan. The deputy general shouted sharply, his voice piercing through the rain and making his soldiers tremble with fear until fear overcame their panic.

The deputy general barely managed to quell the demoralization of the troops and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control. In a hasty maneuver, he sharply ordered his men to rally firmly in one direction, first avoiding the enemy's strongest attack, then reorganizing their forces and directing them into formation, shoulder to shoulder. Blades flashed, spears gleamed like a forest, their cold tips flashing in a continuous barrage, resisting the relentless onslaught of violence.

The lieutenant roared, "We cannot retreat!"

Taking a step back would truly mean total annihilation.

The ground trembled violently.

The clash of metal was accompanied by screams and the sound of bones cracking.

The lieutenant stared wide-eyed, inwardly cursing the treacherous ambush troops. It turned out that once Xiao Sui saw that the lieutenant's side was gradually stabilizing, she did not continue to charge. Instead, she divided her troops to block the remaining soldiers approaching this side, and also took the opportunity to harass the morale of the army with mounted archers.

Despite the fact that Lu Yuan's personal troops and the elite forces of the Imperial City have not been fully integrated, their inherent high quality means that even though they work independently and follow orders separately, they can still demonstrate amazing efficiency.

Even if it's just grinding, it can kill a person here!

"puff--"

The reinforcement general coughed up blood.

There was a clearly visible, piercing burn wound on his abdomen, and if you smelled closely, you could also smell the distinctive acrid odor of burnt flesh. He had been sent flying more than ten feet by Lu Yuan, and it took him several rolls to barely stop his momentum. As soon as he landed, he was already panting heavily. He didn't even need to sense it carefully to know that more than half of his strength had been depleted, and he had lost a lot of blood. And he... still hadn't seen a glimmer of hope for turning the tide.

If this continues, we will die.

The general's hand trembled as he gripped his weapon, swallowing the sweet, metallic taste in his throat.

Lu Yuan said, "Why don't you subdue my adoptive mother?"

The military officer, thinking he was hallucinating, asked in a hoarse voice, "Lu Yuan, you only have a godfather, so where did you get a godmother?"

He suddenly realized what was happening and blurted it out.

"The one who staged the mutiny wasn't you, but your so-called adoptive mother?"

So why did Lü Yuan endure this for so many years, only to suddenly overturn the table without warning? Was there a mastermind behind it all? The mastermind launched a coup and killed the previous prefect of Chesi County? The military officer's eyelids twitched: "Your adoptive mother not only took everything from your adoptive father, but also you?"

Lu Yuan felt that this statement was somewhat ambiguous.

I will inherit everything from you, including your adopted daughter.

The old man and his stepmother aren't even from the same family.

As Lu Yuan charged in, gun in hand, she delivered her final message to her fleeting lover: "Will you surrender or not?"

"Pah, I'll curse you my foot!"

Zhang Yang tilted his head to avoid the mouthful of blood, staring expressionlessly at the enemy general, whose head was stained with a trace of blood and whose body was covered in blood: "Losing the fight doesn't mean losing the argument, right? You may lose the fight, but you have to win the argument?"

Her words were somewhat infuriating.

But Zhang Yangzhen didn't mean to mock.

Even in a different world, as an NPC, she still didn't quite understand why it was always them, whether it was this defeated opponent or the player she had slashed and could only lie on the ground cursing, who were the ones cursing and getting angry? What was the point of cursing?

It seems to have no other meaning besides making me even angrier.

Zhang Yang won't get angry.

"Then kill them."

Despite feeling a chill run down his spine, Fan You hurriedly offered his advice.

"My lord, please reconsider."

Given Zhang Yang's personality, forget about getting any generals or soldiers to surrender. Who doesn't have a temper when they surrender? She'll kill people as soon as she gets angry. How many people will she leave to do the work?

He quickly pulled Zhang Yang aside and whispered something to her.

And so on, and so forth.

Finally, Zhang Yang reluctantly agreed.

His core persuasion boils down to one logic: a ruler must always leave some capable people behind. Other warlords did not grow stronger by recruiting others; they all grew stronger by fighting while turning enemies into friends.

After persuading Zhang Yang, Fan You then went to persuade the enemy general.

The fact that the enemy general could still stubbornly cling to life after being beaten twice by his lord shows he's incredibly lucky; we should try to win him over.

The enemy general turned his face away and closed his eyes.

I only regret that my arms are injured and I can't cover my ears as well.

Fan You also had ways to deal with her.

"The general wouldn't want his prisoners to have no way out, would he?"

The enemy general said, "You are Lu Bafeng's men. I know what kind of shit Lu Bafeng is going to do just by looking at her. She would never be willing to slaughter so many people. You can't scare me with this."

Fan You said, "Then the general is mistaken."

The enemy general chuckled.

But she stopped abruptly before she could finish her mockery.

Fan You: "Lü Yuan is my lord's man."

Zhang Yang added from afar, "Not a person, but an adopted daughter!"

Fan You corrected: "Lu Yuan is my lord's adopted daughter."

The enemy general practically wanted to stand up: "Is Lü Bafeng crazy? He lacked fatherly love before, and now he lacks motherly love. Has he never been weaned?"

Zhang Yang also introduced herself to the enemy general on the battlefield, saying that she was the adoptive mother of Lü Yuan, but the enemy general only thought that she was just being glib.

How old is Lu Yuan? How old is Zhang Yang?

Even if they were truly mother and daughter, Zhang Yang should not be considered the mother.

I never expected it to be true.

Fan You said to himself, "So, who should listen to whom?"

"...Hmph, I don't believe you'll kill me."

He said that, but he was actually a little unsure.

She knew Lü Yuan, but not Lü Yuan's suddenly appearing adoptive mother, nor did she know whether Lü Yuan had taken the initiative to become her adoptive mother, or whether Zhang Yang had asked for her. Either way, it was quite shameless.

"We didn't bring much food or manpower."

Fan You's voice wasn't loud, even softer than the sound of rain, but the words he spoke made the enemy general feel far colder than the rain.

"you--"

Limited provisions meant they couldn't take the two thousand prisoners with them. With enough rations left for themselves, where would they find the surplus for the prisoners? Insufficient manpower meant they couldn't guarantee they could control the prisoners. Without someone of sufficient prestige to restrain and appease them, preventing any thoughts of resistance, the prisoners might seize the opportunity during the intense fighting to mutini and betray them, blocking their retreat—a disastrous outcome. To prevent future trouble, massacring them alive was the safest option.

Even the bloodstains on his face couldn't hide the fury on the enemy general's face.

Fan You said softly, "General, there is only hope if you live. Zongzheng County is not a good place to go either. How can we protect you in this chaotic world? Why throw away your best years and precious life because of a momentary argument? I also feel sorry for you."

Loyalty and belonging—to evoke these emotions in people, you not only need to spend a lot of money, but also need time to cultivate them.

In Zongzheng County, where can one find people who are willing to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their cause?

The enemy general was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth to dust.

"General, think it over carefully; time is running out."

"There aren't many, but once reinforcements arrive—"

"There won't be any reinforcements..." Fan You said with a light laugh, the smile reaching his eyes, as if this was something very interesting. "The general's reinforcements won't be coming."

The enemy general's pale lips trembled a few times.

"Did you send men to ambush us? Or is there a mole within our ranks?"

"Bribing an inside man is a troublesome and time-consuming task."

Fan You's words undoubtedly acknowledged the former.

The enemy general was severely injured from blood loss, his internal star power was completely depleted, and even the demonic hound had lost its usual manic temper. His physical condition had dropped to an unprecedented level, and under these circumstances, being drenched by the heavy rain caused him to show signs of high fever and his mind to become dizzy.

My mind is foggy, but my thoughts are still active.

"Where are you going to ambush the reinforcements—" She paused, as if keenly calculating the direction the reinforcements were coming from and the route they would have to take to ambush them. The enemy general's heart sank. She uttered an answer, "Imperial Throne City, you've colluded with Imperial Throne City? Very well—a feint, a covert maneuver. I underestimated Lü Bafeng. Well done, you son of a bitch—"

She couldn't bear to die without strangling Lu Yuan to death.

Anger made her bare her teeth: "You bastard!"

The enemy general didn't keep Fan You waiting long. Before she even heard his answer, Zhang Yang saw from a great distance that the [Zongzheng County Military General (Guiquan)] had changed from a glaring scarlet to a stable yellow.

Fan You also had the army doctor treat her wounds.

Zhang Yang was curious.

How did Fan You persuade the other party?

Looking down at the system logs, Zhang Yang saw that the chat logs on the nearby map were practically flooding the screen, mostly filled with screams and cries of pain from wounds being treated, with a few small, casual greetings. He squinted, scrolling for what felt like forever before finally finding the conversation between these two people.

"Uncle Yan, violence and threats are still the most effective methods, aren't they?"

Fan You heard her words as soon as he arrived, and laughed angrily, "If time weren't so tight and we didn't need her help, why would we do this? Forcing her to submit is nothing, we still need her loyalty. We should lock her up for a while, treat her well, and then our lord can persuade her with reason."

The process is always the same.

Regardless of why Zhang Yang spared her life, she survived. From the enemy general's perspective, this was a necessary signal of persuasion, a kind of unspoken rule in chaotic times. If an enemy general didn't want to die, offering a way out would make them accept.

Pulling and pulling takes time, but there isn't enough time right now.

Including the troops stationed here and the reinforcements that have arrived, the military strength of Zongzheng Commandery has been almost completely wiped out, leaving it utterly unable to defend the commandery seat and the surrounding counties and towns. The complete takeover will only take place in the next two days. They've started picking on the weak. Does it make a big difference whether they pick on Zongzheng Commandery or Zongren Commandery? In Fan You's view, it makes no difference at all.

"Moreover, the Zongzheng County, Zongren County, and the neighboring Bodu County have been closely connected through marriage for many years. If the Zongzheng County suffers a disaster, whether out of friendship or because they feel they are in the same boat, they will send troops to stop it. If they don't, they will all be waiting to die."

In other words, there will be more battles to fight in the near future.

Then there won't be time to go through the procedures.

Fan You deliberately played the villain, using the pretext of prisoners to forcefully coerce the enemy general, thus offering him a way out and saving face for both sides. Expecting his lord to have such a thought? Fan You thought wearily, there was no way he could count on his lord.

Her mind is smooth and straightforward.

As long as the enemy verbally says they would rather die than surrender, she really wants to kill them.

Zhang Yang seemed to understand, but not quite: "I see."

Fan You thought expressionlessly: [It would be best if they truly understood.]

"Savages, I'm curious why you regenerate health so quickly?" As night fell, the rain had turned from a downpour into a drizzle, and the soldiers hurried to clean up the battlefield. No ordinary people dared to approach, so Zhang Yang didn't worry that his soldiers would kill innocent people to claim credit, and confidently left the cleanup to Guan Zong, He Zhi, and others.

She found a corner to crouch and take shelter from the rain.

It's supposed to be a corner, but it's actually Zhang Dami's version of "Umbrella".

Neither Guan Si nor Wang Qi wanted to take shelter under the tiger's belly from the rain. One was enjoying the downpour, while the other pouted and used his star power to create an invisible rain shield to keep the rain away: "Mountain Spirit, Brother Savage is nothing like a savage. If you're asking for advice, shouldn't you at least have a humble attitude?"

Zhang Yang: "This brother is not that brother."

Does this mean I'm seen as someone who's constantly making friends with other people?

No wonder they didn't seem to have much of a problem with each other's nicknames.

"Are you referring to restoring blood and energy when you say 'replenishing blood'?"

Zhang Yang: "Mm."

"For something that's neither human nor ghost, whether it has vital energy or not is irrelevant." To be precise, the physical body in the public's perception isn't actually that important; it's merely a vessel for ghosts to reside in. Otherwise, what about those flying ghosts that can easily lift their heads off the ground?

Zhang Yang: "That means the health bars aren't actually interchangeable."

I still only vaguely understand it.

Having learned from the experience of using the name color as a precedent, Zhang Yang didn't dwell on it for too long; she simply considered the health bar as one of the criteria. Not long after, the battlefield was cleared, and the rain completely stopped. Zhang Yang prepared to set off to meet up with Lu Yuan.

Before that, the enemy general requested an audience with Zhang Yang.

Although his face was still deathly pale, he had at least regained his basic mobility. Despite the discomfort in his body, he bowed down to Zhang Yang.

"Greetings, my lord."

Since we do not know Zhang Yang's surname or identity, we can only address him as such.

This time, without Fan You needing to give him a signal, Zhang Yang reached out and helped the other person up. A skill for observing samples popped into his mind, and he shouted, "Good, good, good! Today is my lucky day. I have gained another ally."

Everyone: "..."

That was really hard to hear.

She was sincere when she said that, wasn't she? She deliberately used the sarcastic terms "arm" and "lucky day" to imply that she wanted to see who shot the bloody gash on the surrendered general's shoulder. Today was indeed her lucky day, but it was very unfortunate for the surrendered general.

But to say she's sarcastic or weird—

Seeing the pure joy on Zhang Yang's face, the surrendered general swallowed his anger.

I almost suffered even more serious internal injuries from holding it in.

Looking at the yellow name above the surrendered general's head, Zhang Yang asked him his name.

"My family name is Zhe, and my given name is Meng."

"Is there any writing?"

"Word Rabies".

"What?"

"Word Rabies".

Zhang Yang read the system logs three times.

"...A fierce dog is a suitable candidate."

I wonder if the person who chose this name knows that there is an acute infectious disease of the central nervous system with the same name?

Zhang Yang racked her brains, mainly trying to recall from which observation sample she had learned the habit of giving people nicknames, suppressing the urge to offend. When she had nicknamed Guan Siwang two times, her relationship with them was not good, so she could give them nicknames. But Zhe Meng was now one of her own people, a subordinate general, which meant he was like a daughter to her, so she couldn't do that.

In the current context, this is indeed an extremely dynamic word.

"Is your body still able to handle it?"

Zhe Meng hesitated, "Then, where does my lord intend to go?"

Zhang Yang suspected that she was asking a question she already knew the answer to.

"Naturally, we'll go and join up with Bafeng and the others."

The two armies joined forces and marched straight in to capture the seat of Zongzheng County.

Zhe Meng's lips twitched a few times. She shouldn't have asked, and she was really a bit dazed from being beaten tonight, so she asked such a pointless question.

The meeting point for the two armies was not too far away.

They traveled swiftly and met up before dawn.

Just to be on the safe side, Fan You advised against direct contact: "What if Lu Bafeng's side fails and sends thieves disguised as her personal guards to ambush us? Let's verify their identities first..."

Zhang Yang replied, "No need, it's the Eight Winds."

Fan You hadn't slept all night, and his eyes were dry, but he had to keep going.

"My lord..."

Zhang Yang Leiting commented: "This is called a mother and daughter being in sync."

The real reason?

Naturally, it was because she had already seen the green name of the person who had been clipped through the model.

Fan You felt darkness engulf her vision, filled with deep resentment. However, she couldn't show her displeasure to her lord in front of outsiders, lest it damage her prestige.

"Stepmother!"

Before even getting close, he flipped over and jumped off his horse.

Having won a great victory, Lü Yuan was in high spirits.

The way she called out "Godmother" in public came naturally, without any awkwardness or hesitation. It was natural for her, but it was painful for those who knew her well. Almost the instant she uttered that cry, several pairs of eyes fixed on Zhang Yang. The weak Zhe Meng's eyes widened, the half-dead, dazed, and bound general of the reinforcements on his horse managed to raise his head in his death throes, the Imperial City garrison commander who had followed Lü Yuan on horseback nearly fell off, and Guan Zong was blown to bits.

Right now, all I can hear in my mind is that echoing word "godmother".

Stepmother, stepmother, stepmother, stepmother...

The garrison commander of the Imperial City didn't look directly at Zhang Yang, but secretly glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. At first glance, he thought Lü Yuan was mocking him. No wonder, this foster mother was too young. However, she did indeed respond to Lü Yuan's question: "My son, did your operation tonight go smoothly?"

Lu Yuan said, "It will surely be a great victory."

They have the advantage of being ambushed.

If she loses again, where will she put her face?

"Godmother, I have brought you a great gift."

As she spoke, she lifted an old acquaintance off the back of another warhorse with one hand, but her movements were too rough and the old acquaintance was weak, causing him to stumble upon landing. After regaining his balance, he first glanced bitterly at Zhe Meng, who was also disheveled and looked like a stray dog, then looked unwillingly at Zhang Yang. He pressed his bloodless lips tightly together, stubbornly remaining silent.

"Why not just kill them all?"

The person who asked this question was not Zhang Yang.

He has gloomy eyes.

He Zhi knew better than anyone exactly who Lu Yuan's romantic entanglements were. Seeing them only served to remind her of them. Killing all those male lovers in that courtyard wasn't enough; she also had so many old and young former lovers.

Martial artists are most sensitive to killing intent.

Even in his weakened state, He Zhi's murderous intent was palpable.

"You are... He Feiye?" The reinforcement general moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue, licking someone's blood, which brought him back to his senses. He had met He Zhi before. He Zhi, the chief strategist of the former prefect of Chesi County, had died young for unknown reasons.

In chaotic times, there is no shortage of talented people who come and go, and the turnover is very fast. Except for a few outstanding or long-lived old turtles, the names of the rest are not easy to remember, including He Zhi.

The military officer thought for a while before remembering the other person's name.

How are you still alive?

"snort."

Intuition told the military officer that it was best not to investigate further. Now that he was a prisoner, at the mercy of others, he had no time to delve into the source of He Zhi's malice. He didn't pursue the matter, but Lu Yuan, as the person involved, knew exactly what He Zhi was planning.

Does this guy really want to kill all her past casual lovers?

That's absolutely insane.

If you really push her too far, she'll turn around and persecute He Wen.

Who can't hurt each other?

In public, she couldn't say much, only giving He Zhi a subtle warning look, which naturally didn't scare him; he just responded with a sneer. The undercurrents of the elite circle were something Zhang Yang, unaware of, was naturally oblivious to.

She simply used Fan You's words to shut He Zhi up.

Besides, she wasn't some kind of butcher who would kill anyone she saw.

"I wonder if the general has any intention of seeking a better position elsewhere?"

The weary general asked, "What if there isn't?"

Zhang Yang turned to Fan You and said, "Kill him."

The general thought he was hallucinating from exhaustion and looked at Zhang Yang in disbelief and anger. The latter smiled awkwardly and tried to cobble together a few kind words: "I was just joking with the general. I cherish talent the most. If you don't believe me, ask my daughter Bafeng; she can testify. Although we don't have much of a foundation at present, the prospects are good, and I will certainly not let the general's talent go to waste. The general's power is waning; why not face reality and surrender sooner rather than later?"

Everyone thought she was being sarcastic and unsettling.

Zhe Meng, who was standing to the side with her head down, took a deep breath, glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, and then immediately looked away. Sure enough, her earlier sarcastic tone was not a misjudgment.

Zhang Yang looked at the military officer with a puzzled expression.

She felt she had been very tactful in her words.

You see, when she teamed up with the observation group to play in the Arena each season, everyone's kill shouts were pretty much the same. To make her impersonation of a player more realistic, she also copied a lot of popular kill shouts. But for some reason, if she ran into them outside the Arena the next time, the other person's attitude was quite bad, which made her wonder if her imitation was accurate enough.

Seeing that the military officer did not answer, Zhang Yang followed Fan You's example and threatened him with prisoners.

Lu Yuan was greatly alarmed: "Godmother, no!"

Why?

"The prisoners have all surrendered; how can we break our promise and kill them again?"

Zhang Yang was at a loss. She said, "I was just using this as an excuse to scare and coerce him. I didn't intend to really kill them all."

Zhe Meng: "..."

The injured general: "..."

Fan You clutched his chest, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

He gritted his teeth: "My lord, let's not talk about this now."

Let's lock him up first and go through the proper procedures.

"Please ask him to leave first..."

Zhe Meng was enough to appease and restrain the prisoners.

If Zhang Yang were to provoke us further, and truly anger us, even those who wished to submit would be forced to fight to the death.

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Godmother, I'll have someone keep an eye on him."

She felt more at ease using her own trusted confidants; if He Zhi were to get involved, her fleeting romance from eight hundred years ago would likely end in an unknown and unexplained manner. Zhang Yang didn't see through Lu Yuan's wariness, but He Zhi saw it clearly and gave a very soft sneer.

Lu Yuan remained completely composed, even managing to act coquettishly.

Zhang Yang naturally agreed.

The two armies had other matters to attend to after their meeting. After a brief inventory, they set off to seize the seat of Zongzheng Commandery. Although Zongzheng Commandery held the title of a commandery, the commanderies in the mountains had long since broken away from the rule of the Tian Shi Royal Court and were no longer under the jurisdiction of any vassal state, but had fallen into the hands of warlords. The governor of Zongzheng Commandery was merely a figurehead, not the sole person in charge.

Half of the elite troops guarding Zongzheng County were here; one surrendered, and another was captured. The blow to morale was immeasurable. The remaining half of the troops could do little more than defend the city walls.

Zhang Yang acted quickly.

As soon as the news reached Zongren County, she led her troops to the city walls. Of the two cities along the way, one surrendered without a fight, opening its gates to let Zhang Yang's army in unimpeded. The other attempted to resist, assuming that Zhang Yang's army was lightly equipped, without any heavy siege equipment or even a single log, and planned to stall for time—lightly equipped meaning they hadn't carried enough rations for three to five days, so they thought the enemy would retreat. However, they failed.

The quality of this small town's gate is nowhere near as good as the gate at the border crossing.

Zhang Yang didn't need logs either.

The army continued its rapid march, with the two cities temporarily taken over by men sent by He Wen. When this news reached the Zongzheng Commandery, panic gripped the city. The situation was chaotic, intelligence was difficult to verify, and understanding the enemy's true nature was even more impossible. Because Zhang Yang's existence was kept completely secret, the people of the commandery continued to focus their attention on Lü Yuan.

"How could it be Lü Bafeng?"

Not long ago, Lu Yuan even sent people to purchase grain and fodder from them.

This action was within their expectations.

When Lü Yuan launched the mutiny, wouldn't she reward those around her who had rendered meritorious service? Military pay was the lifeblood; to keep the soldiers fighting for her, she had to feed them all. They carefully controlled the price and deliberately inflated it, so even though Lü Yuan was unhappy, she agreed.

Overall, both parties were satisfied.

But surely it's not worth turning your back on someone over this?

If you really want to be precise, when Lu Yuan launched her mutiny, they even helped her draw away the troops from Che Si County. If that hadn't happened, it's hard to say who would have lived and who would have died between her and her adoptive father.

"That damn Rikuhachi!"

Some people also reminded others: "Don't use that word."

It's not that the person who reminded me was cultured or refined; it's simply because some people are described as rabid dogs, while others are described as having exceptional talent, and neither of them are reasonable. If you were to fall out with them, they'd just say, "Who wants to sleep with you?"

Who can they reason with?

The other party said, "So what if they curse? They're both prisoners. They're usually so arrogant, bullying others and even having to be careful what others say. Now that we really need them, they're like stray dogs. Besides, they have connections with Lü Bafeng. What if the three of them are working together from the inside?"

It's not impossible.

"The most important thing right now is to figure out how to repel the enemy. We can't just waste our breath talking; the two madmen won't hear us." The enemy is coming on strong, and they're busy fighting amongst themselves. If we have the energy, we should kill one more enemy and buy some more time for the allies to arrive.

If Zongzheng County suffers a disaster, the other two counties will likely take action.

But the question is how to delay it?

"The city is well-prepared. If they dare to attack, we can just defend it. Why worry about holding out for three to five days?" Some people were still out of the loop. Under normal circumstances, this statement would not be wrong. "The enemy is lightly armed and their supplies will definitely be insufficient."

"It might not be enough; perhaps we made up for it in the first two cities."

Everyone's faces darkened again.

He cursed inwardly that the soldiers in those two cities were spineless.

No matter how strong or numerous the enemy, couldn't they hold out for even a day or two with high walls and deep moats? But judging from the enemy's advancing speed, neither city lasted long. Rather than believing that the enemy was stronger, they were more inclined to believe that Zhe Meng, who had defected, had persuaded them to surrender.

But he also knew in his heart that there were only a few soldiers in a small town.

Getting five or six hundred would be pretty good.

This isn't even the most troublesome part.

"Who should be assigned to command the defense of the city?"

"Isn't the Commandant here?"

The crowd fell silent, some looking at the speaker as if he were a fool. The most troublesome thing was that the two most capable military officers in Zongzheng County had fallen into enemy hands, and the county commandant stationed in the county seat was their confidant, who had risen through connections and bloodlines rather than through merit.

When they have nothing to do, they all trust those with connections.

But when it comes to serious matters, who would dare entrust their life to someone?

"A generous reward will surely attract brave men." Perhaps there are undiscovered gems hidden among the county's military forces. The person who made the suggestion wisely swallowed the second half of the sentence to avoid being accused of being sarcastic and attracting criticism.

They were scrambling to prepare at the last minute, while the prefectural commander on the city wall was completely unaware of the situation, only frantically urging everyone to take stock of the supplies. Although the prefectural commander wasn't exactly a good leader, he wasn't completely useless either; he knew the proper procedures and preparations.

But his mental fortitude was lacking; his true emotions were betrayed by his facial expressions. If the commander's mind was wavering, how could his men have the confidence to win? Panic gripped the ranks, but no one dared to speak out.

Smoke billowed and a foul stench filled the air above the city wall.

A group of laborers, shirtless, were pushing logs and hurrying to gather firewood to heat the giant cauldron, occasionally stirring the bubbling golden broth with wooden sticks. The broth gradually deepened in color from yellowish-brown, and a ring of charred black rose around the edge of the cauldron. The laborers, their faces flushed from the heat of the broth, were on the verge of vomiting, yet they dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest.

hum-

It was an extremely faint sound, barely audible to the laborers, who assumed it was a hallucination and continued burning the firewood diligently. Then someone noticed a slight movement in the firewood beneath the giant cauldron, so subtle it was barely perceptible to the naked eye. Upon closer inspection, the movement became much larger.

buzz-

The tremors became increasingly pronounced.

At first, it sounded like muffled thunder rolling on the ground.

Upon listening again, it was clearly audible.

The laborers finally discovered the source of this strange disturbance!

A dense, rolling rumble of thunder pressed in from the horizon. At times it was as dense as a torrential downpour, at other times as loud as countless war drums beating simultaneously, all carried clearly by the wind to everyone's ears. But upon closer inspection, what were those rolling thunder drums?

It is clearly—

"The enemy! It's the enemy!"

Dust billowed below the city walls as a massive, dark mass of cavalry surged forth like a torrent.

It was cloudy today, and the sky was dark, but the sharp-eyed laborers could still see the cold metallic glint reflected from the enemy soldiers' armor plates—it was quite glaring. The city walls, which had been calm just moments before, suddenly erupted into chaos, and beneath the boiling water lay an unconcealable panic and fear.

The iron hooves are getting closer and closer.

The enemy troops were getting closer and closer.

The commotion outside the city also reached inside.

Even faster than the messenger was the ground beneath their feet; the tremor, like an earth-shattering commotion, made their faces turn pale. They rose in disbelief, exclaiming, "How could...they arrive so quickly?"

Yes, that's really fast.

"Don't panic, let's see what the thief has to say first..."

The strong tremor abruptly interrupted him.

He swayed before regaining his balance, when a strange noise came from outside. Everyone rushed out at the sound and, in disbelief, saw a gigantic tiger's head emerge from the distant city wall. The large, striped tiger stood on its two hind legs, one claw gripping the wall, and roared incessantly.

"It's a Star Beast!"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

"What's the panic? It's just a star—"

Star beasts are indeed ferocious, but their ferocity relies on consuming large amounts of food or storing up excess energy to gain temporary dominance on the battlefield. Skilled martial artists can also counter them using the Four Symbols Illusion technique. Apart from a very few elite star beasts, most are kept in the army as cannon fodder to deplete enemy resources. These inferior star beasts often don't even reach adulthood, riddled with old wounds and with short lifespans.

The idea was correct, but another one appeared on the other side of the city wall.

On one side is a large, spotted insect, and on the other side is a large, spotted leopard.

The commander naturally wouldn't allow the two beasts to climb the city wall.

"Keep fighting!"

If we are held back, the enemy troops below the city will be able to climb the city walls first.

The bandits carried neither siege equipment nor scaling ladders. Without ladders, it would be extremely difficult for soldiers of average skill to scale the walls. They could not simultaneously defend against attacks from the walls and scale the walls against the rapid onslaught.

It is bound to suffer severe damage.

On the other hand, their side had rolling stones, rolling logs, molten gold, hot oil, arrows... everything was ready, just waiting for the enemy to die.

The prefectural commandant comforted himself in this way.

However, the prefectural commandant still overlooked one thing.

The two star beasts weren't there to attract attention on the city wall and prepare for scaling it; rather, it was a display of competition between them. The troops below had no intention of relying on them.

Those inside the city couldn't see outside, but they could see the two star beasts getting splattered with golden liquid, squealing and screaming in disarray. Their hearts, which had been in their throats, were about to settle. It was clear that neither of these star beasts had much experience in siege warfare. Their helpless state posed no threat to the city's defenses; they were lucky they hadn't even disrupted their own defenses.

Someone murmured regretfully, "If that size were to fall down and roll around, it might crush a lot of blind fools."

Unfortunately, the scene I had envisioned did not happen.

If the star beasts are afraid to fight, then the enemy probably isn't that terrifying.

The thought had barely formed when it was interrupted by a tiny figure. The tiny figure unleashed a huge beam of golden light!

Even from this distance, the golden light was as thick as a finger!

Zhang Yang stepped onto Zhang Dami's body, using it as a path to quickly climb higher, and whispered, "Don't move!"

Zhang Dami remained in her contorted position, afraid to move.

"Red name, long time no see."

The city was filled with red names, like a sea of ​​red, which she found very satisfying.

??Σσ(?Д?；)

You didn't expect it to be a 10,000-word update, did you? Actually, I didn't expect it either.

I'm so tired, I'm never being so flirtatious again.