Dingzhou was one of the nineteen great provinces of the Great Zhou Dynasty, divided into seven commanderies: Rinan (Sun South), Zhuwu (Red Martial), Jiude (Nine Virtues), Pingshan (Peaceful Mountain), Dingyuan (Steadfast Plains), Chufeng (Chu Phoenix), and Nanfeng (Southern Phoenix).
Since the rebellion of Huang Jie, which marked the beginning of the chaotic era, control over the various provinces and commanderies had gradually slipped away. Refugees ran rampant, regional warlords rose in power, and heroes and villains alike emerged from the chaos.
Previously, Dinghou governed the Dingyuan Commandery, and Qi Lin governed Pingshan Commandery—both were famous regional powers within Dingzhou.
But now, their fame has been completely overshadowed by the growing prestige of Wu Zhi, the Jiedushi (military governor) of the Nanfeng Army.
Regardless of what outsiders say, the fact that this woman, as a mere female, has boldly embarked on the path of vying for supremacy and even unified two commanderies is nothing short of astonishing.
In the sixth year of the Peaceful Reign, after performing the ritual of sacrificing to heaven and praying for rain—thus gaining the Mandate of Heaven—she boldly listed the Ten Crimes of Dinghou of Dingyuan Commandery and launched an army of twenty thousand to attack!
At once, the entire Dingzhou region was thrown into upheaval, drawing the attention of many across the land.
Pingshi County.
Chufeng and Nanfeng commanderies were located in the southern part of Dingzhou, separated from Dingyuan by the Rinan Commandery. To launch an attack, they had to first remove this obstacle.
Within the county city, the county magistrate, county assistant, and county military commander were all clad in armor, gazing down at the dense sea of enemy troops below—over ten thousand strong—leaving them trembling with fear.
“Listen well! Our army only wishes to pass through to attack Dingyuan. Open the city gates now, and it will not be too late. Our lord is merciful and promises to cause no harm. Otherwise, you will regret it. Do not say we did not warn you!”
Below, several mounted officers continued to shout.
“Nonsense!” Huang Ziping, the county magistrate, was furious, his face flushed red with anger. “What audacity! Wu Zhi has usurped control of two commanderies. That the imperial court has not yet sent troops to attack her is already a miracle of fortune. Now she dares to provoke conflict and attack imperial territory. Does she wish to rebel?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the other officials exchanged uneasy glances: Wasn’t that exactly what she was doing?
Fifty years ago, or even twenty years ago, such an act would have shaken the heavens. But in this chaotic era, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
The idea that might makes right had long taken root in people’s minds. The only reason they still stood here was not out of loyalty to their duty, but because their families, ancestral halls, and estates were all within the city.
“You have one day to decide. We only need passage through the city!”
With a whistle, the mounted officers rode off. The army roared like mountains collapsing, making the officials on the city walls turn pale with fear.
“County Magistrate… they only ask for passage…”
One official hesitated, speaking up: “The Nanfeng Army’s Jiedushi has not gained a reputation for breaking promises. Perhaps…”
“Fool!” The magistrate immediately flew into a rage, glancing at the county assistant behind the speaker, knowing it was likely his suggestion—and the opinion of some of the local noble families.
The Wu family was a prestigious clan. In the past, they might have had connections with these local elites. If they truly kept their word and caused no harm, perhaps it was possible.
But all these families cared about was preserving their wealth and lives. They had no concern for the consequences of the magistrate losing the city.
“Absolutely no passage!” Huang Ziping set the tone. Anyone who believed the Nanfeng Army’s promises was a fool! Once the army entered the city, what chance would they have? They would be at their mercy, completely under their control.
As county magistrate, he was no fool. He raised his voice: “Dinghou was appointed by the imperial court, and for two generations has governed with a reputation for integrity. The court and the provincial governor will certainly not sit idle. I have already received an urgent imperial decree from the commandery. The court has granted authority to the Inspector to mobilize the provincial army. If we can hold out for three days, reinforcements from the commandery will arrive. If we can hold for a month, the entire province will send troops, and we will surely repel the attack and capture that woman who has usurped power and dared to rule like a hen crowing at dawn!”
“Three days?!”
Honestly, even though the Wu family was prestigious, many people did not believe in Wu Zhi’s chances. Even within the county’s elite families, opinions were divided.
Especially now, upon hearing that reinforcements would arrive in three days and imperial troops in a month, the official who had spoken up turned deathly pale.
The county assistant, however, remained calm and indifferent, as if the matter had nothing to do with him, causing Huang Ziping to curse inwardly at the old fox.
He did not dwell on it now but turned directly to the county military commander, Xiang Fu: “How many soldiers do we have in the county?”
As the commander of the military, even though Xiang Fu had previously pursued a scholarly path, his face now bore a fierce expression: “We have eight hundred soldiers, fully armed, and five hundred village militia. We will fight the rebels to the bitter end!”
This village militia was actually Xiang Fu’s personal force. Now that he had brought them forward, it surprised many.
“Excellent! That makes thirteen hundred soldiers!” Huang Ziping was delighted: “Director Xiang, you truly are a loyal servant of the court!”
He did not care whether Xiang Fu was loyal to Dinghou, the province, or simply a bookish fool who had taken loyalty too seriously. As long as he was determined to resist, that was enough!
With this military strength, Huang Ziping’s confidence surged. He turned to the other officials: “With over a thousand elite soldiers ready to die defending this city, will none of your families show their loyalty?”
The family heads were alarmed. They realized that if they did not contribute now, Huang Ziping might actually kill them. Their faces turned pale, as if they were being asked to give up their flesh: “We are willing to supply the army!”
Defending the city required massive resources—wine and meat every day, and constant supplies of medicine and other materials.
“Supplying the army?” Huang Ziping said coldly: “That’s not enough! Even the brave villagers know to help defend the city. Could your loyalty be less than that of commoners in the mountains?”
“We are willing to contribute manpower and resources!”
Hearing this, the others had no choice but to agree to provide a certain number of strong laborers, finally settling the matter.
…
“Uncle! This probably won’t work!”
As soon as they left the city wall, one of the county assistant’s men spoke up: “No matter how elite the commandery or provincial armies are, if they don’t arrive today, distant water won’t put out a nearby fire!”
“That may be true, but Huang is determined to be a loyal official. What can we do about it?”
The county assistant narrowed his eyes: “Let them fight. Let them fight. We’ll make our plans after the first battle!”
He knew clearly that the magistrate and the military commander had reached an agreement. Unless all the noble families in the city united, there was no way to overpower them.
Unless the first attack caused heavy losses among the defenders, the families would certainly begin to lose heart. That would be their opportunity.
…
The next day, the attack began.
“Kill!”
The soldiers of the Nanfeng Army roared, raising their shields, pushing earth carts, and carrying siege ladders toward the city wall.
“It seems Pingshi County has some capable people!”
The commander of this operation was Chen Jingzong. With Wu Ming’s help, his chronic illness had been completely cured. Now fully recovered, he was a true master of military arts, brimming with confidence.
Having earned multiple merits, he was now a Youji General (Fifth Rank), commanding five thousand troops.
Beside him was his nephew, Chen Shuncheng, now a Zhiguo Xiaowei (Seventh Rank), commanding a battalion of five hundred soldiers.
The Nanfeng Army’s system followed traditional structure, but above the Zhiguo Xiaowei was the Zhaowu Xiaowei (Sixth Rank), commanding a thousand soldiers and known as the Commander of a Battalion.
Generally speaking, the structure was as follows: five soldiers formed a Wu, two Wus formed a Shi, five Shis formed a Dui, two Dui formed a Ying, five Ying formed a Wei, two Wei formed a Du, and five Du formed an Army. This binary-quinary system created a clear and organized military structure.
Only when one became the commander of an entire army—leading five thousand troops as a Youji General of the Fifth Rank—could one truly be considered a general, addressing others as “this humble general.” Those below the rank of Xiaowei were still considered subordinates, addressing superiors as “this humble officer.”
“Names and titles must never be given lightly to others.” As a dragon aspiring to unify the world, Wu Zhi was very cautious about granting titles and ranks from the very beginning.
Chen Jingzong pointed toward the city wall: “Look. A general is the heart of the army. The county military commander dares to stand on the wall, so his soldiers dare to face arrows head-on. That’s no easy feat. When you go down, remember this: treat your soldiers with care, give them your clothes when they are cold, share your food when they are hungry… only then will they fight to the death for you!”
He suspected that, given Wu Zhi’s character and the military system, she would not allow both uncle and nephew to remain in the same army for long. They would surely be separated.
Otherwise, his nephew would never be promoted. Now was the time to pass on all his experience.
“Uncle, don’t worry!” Chen Shuncheng smiled. “I memorized these military strategies when I was three!”
“Nonsense! In the army, you must address me as General!”
Chen Jingzong’s face darkened: “Go to the military judge later and receive five lashes!”
“Bi… Bi Zhi, yes sir! General!” Chen Shuncheng’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment, nearly choking on his own words.
Seeing this, Chen Jingzong sighed inwardly.
Before, when his health was failing, he had thought his days were numbered.
But now that he had many more years to live, he would take his time to discipline this young man. After all, jade must be carved to become valuable.
“Order the troops to withdraw temporarily. Archers, suppress the enemy. Artillery unit, advance!”
With a wave of his hand, Chen Jingzong halted the attack. Amid the hail of arrows, a unit of artillery soldiers moved forward.
In this world, trebuchets existed, but unlike ordinary ones, these artillery units used a special tool—a counterweight mechanism—with key parts made of metal, giving them a fierce and menacing appearance.
These trebuchets were designed by Chen Jingzong himself. In terms of performance, they represented the pinnacle of cold-weapon technology, capable of hurling hundreds of pounds of stone onto city walls.
Unless gunpowder or magical techniques were developed, there was no better weapon on the battlefield.
Since ancient times, martial and military arts have been inseparable. As a descendant of a military family, Chen naturally possessed several powerful military weapons, with the trebuchet being the most basic.
If he had once harbored any thoughts of keeping some secrets, those thoughts had vanished after Wu Ming provided the medicine that cured his old illness. Now, he was determined to give his life in service to his benefactor.
This was only natural. If he had simply left after receiving such a great favor, people would have looked down on him, and no future lord would trust him.
Under such values, those who were disloyal would face almost fatal consequences.
At this moment, even if Chen Jingzong still had other thoughts in his heart, he had to bury them and devote himself entirely to serving Wu Zhi.
Wu Zhi, in turn, trusted him completely, promoting him directly to the rank of Youji General, commanding five thousand troops to besiege Pingshi County.
“Load the stones!”
Hundred-pound boulders were rolled forward on logs and levered onto one side of the trebuchets.
“Fire!”
At Chen Jingzong’s roar, the trebuchet’s main axle groaned under unbearable strain. The counterweight dropped heavily, hurling the massive stone from the other end.
Boom!
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