“Puh!”
The great army was defeated, and Cao Du, the commander-in-chief, was even wounded by an arrow, spat blood, and fell to the ground, his life hanging in the balance.
At this moment, the retreating soldiers crowded beneath the city gate, eager to get inside. Their faces were as red as blood, and in the struggle for survival, some even turned their swords against their former comrades.
“Follow me!”
Wu Ming’s eyes flashed, and he led his unit behind the fleeing soldiers.
“Hurry! Hurry! Close the city gate!”
Several officials were anxious, but with so many disordered soldiers, chaos reigned, and who would obey the order and abandon their comrades, even close friends and relatives outside?
Clatter! Clatter!
At this critical moment, Wu Ming took the lead, his long saber flashing, severing heads, and shouting, “Surrender and be spared!”
Behind him, Zhong Ting and Niu Yong led the soldiers, using Wu Ming as the spearhead, cutting through the chaos and shouting, “Surrender and be spared!”
“We surrender!”
“We surrender!”
…
The defeated soldiers, having lost all will, shouted as they dropped their weapons.
“First to scale the walls! Squad Leader Wu Ming!”
Wu Ming took two steps in three strides, directly rushing to the top of the city wall, cutting down the original flag, and raising the Jiu Shan banner, roaring again.
The entire army cheered, mingled with the surrendering voices of Cao’s forces, signaling the outcome was decided.
“Puh!”
At this moment, Li Rubi, who was drinking water, nearly spat it out: “Again this person!?”
He called over a close aide: “How is the credit for the first breach calculated?”
The aide hesitated: “The siege was difficult; the first to scale the walls gets promoted one rank! And this is a prefectural city, not a small town, so by regulation, another rank should be added…”
His face showed more struggle: “The most critical thing is… before the general set out, he ordered that whoever takes this city will be promoted three ranks, and the entire army will be informed…”
Li Rubi and those around him exchanged glances: “Previously, he killed a cavalry general and was promoted to Battalion Commander. Now, promoting him three ranks? Skipping Deputy Regiment Commander and Regiment Commander, could he actually be promoted directly to Deputy Commander-in-Chief?”
“General! This person is merely a squad leader; promoting him to Battalion Commander is already a great favor. Now, holding back a bit would actually be your way of protecting and caring for him!”
At this moment, a palace guard stepped forward and spoke with a glint in his eye.
“That’s also true…”
Li Rubi hesitated for a moment: “However, I am not a man of broken promises! And I had the entire army informed previously… Well then! Counting both the previous general’s death and the city’s capture, promote him four ranks, making him a Regiment Commander… The Xin Shan Division just lost a Regiment Commander, so let him take that position!”
At this moment, those around him were still somewhat envious.
But capturing the city and killing the general was indeed a great achievement, with so many witnesses. Knowing their lord was pleased, and perhaps even saw the young squad leader as a lucky charm, they decided not to risk making trouble.
…
In the Battle of Zhen Ding Commandery, the Jiu Shan army decisively defeated the provincial forces, killing one thousand and capturing two thousand. They captured Zhen Ding Commandery city, and the defending general Cao Du, severely wounded, was escorted in a desperate escape through the back gate by his loyal guards.
Meanwhile, good news came from other fronts—either cities were captured or provincial and commandery forces were destroyed. The situation was looking very favorable.
That evening, after cleaning up the commandery city, Li Rubi moved his headquarters into the city and held a grand banquet to entertain the officers and soldiers, rewarding those who had contributed.
“Subordinate Wu Ming pays respects to the General!”
Wu Ming, the top achiever, was naturally given priority and received first.
Wu Ming entered the hall, feeling the terrifying aura around him, knowing it must be the high-level guards. He ignored it, keeping his eyes lowered, respectfully performing the salute.
“Hmm! You are Wu Ming, who killed the general and was the first to breach the city? Rise!”
Li Rubi waved his hand, eyeing Wu Ming.
Wu Ming secretly opened his spiritual eyes, his heart trembling.
He saw that around Li Rubi, golden qi surged like a tide, forming a hazy blue vapor, with a faint black-purple qi at the center, quite extraordinary.
“It is said this person has activated the dragon vein; perhaps the rumors are not baseless, considering such fortune cannot be accumulated by just a few commanderies… but the presence of black qi indicates a great calamity, a difficulty for becoming a king…”
Wu Ming’s heart stirred.
At this moment, his spiritual eyes continued to open to the limit, and he made another discovery.
He heard a wolf’s howl as the fortune above Li Rubi connected with the stars above, and under the brilliant starlight, a beam of starlight descended, several times stronger than the previous one.
Under the brilliance, Li Rubi’s appearance seemed to change, with a wolf-like gaze and eagle-like eyes. The fortune above his head transformed into a dragon-wolf-like creature, pitch black in color, with purple eyes.
“The True Life of Tan Lang! Indeed, this person is destined to be Tan Lang, worthy of being a reincarnation of a Star Lord!”
Noticing the wolf’s eyes move as if aware, Wu Ming quickly withdrew his supernatural ability, not daring to look anymore.
Li Rubi didn’t seem to notice much and continued speaking: “…You have achieved great merit, which cannot go unrewarded. I will promote you four ranks and appoint you as a Zheng Qi Pin Zhi Guo Xiao Wei, commanding five hundred soldiers of a regiment, still under the jurisdiction of Xin Shan Division!”
“Thank you for the General’s great favor, my subordinate will certainly give my life to repay it!”
Wu Ming sighed inwardly. The duck of Deputy Commander-in-Chief had flown away, but he also knew this was normal, and even being appointed as a Regiment Commander was already the result of the general’s high regard and affection.
After all, the entire Jiu Shan army had only nine Division Commanders, with each division having only two or three to five or six Regiment Commanders at most. This was already considered a high-ranking, powerful officer.
At this moment, once the ceremony was completed, Wu Ming saw a red vapor separate from Li Rubi’s head and flow into his own fortune.
With this assistance, his Dao cultivation advanced rapidly.
“You should go back and rest for a few days, replenish your regiment, and prepare for the upcoming major battles. I am looking forward to your performance!”
Li Rubi spoke a few kind words before dismissing Wu Ming.
…
“Regiment Commander! Congratulations!”
“Come on, Officer Wu, I’ll drink to you first, you can take your time!”
“Regiment Commander, I have a daughter, with a beautiful face and virtuous character, willing to offer herself to you, I hope you will accept her…”
…
As soon as he came out, the enthusiastic clamor almost overwhelmed Wu Ming.
Looking at the faces, some flattering, some sincere, some indifferent, and their intertwined fortunes, Wu Ming sneered inwardly.
But on the surface, he still politely greeted everyone until the third watch of the night, when he finally took his leave.
“You… you… you…”
Back at the recently awarded residence, which seemed to have belonged to some high official, Xiao Jidu stepped out, looking at Wu Ming as if he were a monster.
“Actually promoted four ranks and became a Regiment Commander!”
Xiao Jidu marveled: “Compared to my Lord Liu, you’re only two ranks behind. You’re amazing!”
He said, giving a thumbs-up.
“Above a Regiment Commander, promotions require accumulated merit. As for a Division Commander, those are all Li Rubi’s confidants. How could an outsider like me, who just joined, ever reach that?”
Wu Ming smiled bitterly: “This time, it was just a matter of luck!”
Of course, the fact that he could foresee fate through observing auras and take advantage of opportunities didn’t need to be mentioned.
“Putting that aside, did you see Li Rubi? What was his aura like?”
Beside him, Xiao Di asked the key question.
“How could I see it so clearly…” Wu Ming smiled bitterly, then turned serious: “However… he definitely has the True Life of Tan Lang!”
“The Tan Lang fate…”
Xie Xiaodi calculated with her fingers and shook her head: “Although his fortune is strong, he still lacks a bit to ascend the throne and become a king. Unless he captures the provincial capital and unifies Cao Province…”
“This is troublesome…”
Xiao Jidu’s face showed an odd expression: “I have some news I received from another person. Guess who it is?”
“It can’t be Yuan Tai, who died in battle. Then it must be Yu Shaojun?”
Wu Ming replied.
The new cycle warrior was not skilled in martial arts. He followed Wu Ming in several charges but was unlucky enough to be hit by a stray arrow and died on the spot.
“Right. Do you know where this person ended up?”
Xiao Jidu’s face was flushed, with an expression that said, “You should hurry and ask me” and “beg me to speak.”
After waiting a long time and seeing that both Wu Ming and Xie Xiaodi remained unmoved, he reluctantly continued: “I just found out that this person actually ended up with the Nan Shan Immortal and became a Taoist acolyte…”
“Do you know why the General and the Hei Shan Division, who should have been blocking reinforcements and planning a surprise attack on the provincial capital, appeared here? It’s because the Nan Shan Immortal brought news… the imperial general Wang Xuanfan has already arrived at the provincial capital with six thousand elite troops. With this person present, no matter how arrogant General Li Rubi is, he has to abandon his plan!”
Xiao Jidu touched his nose and continued: “Moreover… I also heard that Wang Xuanfan is not only the true life of Wu Qu but also has the ‘General Star in Favorable Position’ fate. This time, General Li Rubi has finally met his match…”
The ancient text “Zi Wei Dou Shu” states: “When the Military Star (Wu Qu) resides in the palace, guarding destiny in the Chen, Xu, Wu, or Wei positions, it is called ‘The General Star in an Auspicious Position’—like a fish in water or a dragon in the sea, destined to become an extraordinary commander!”
(Note: “Zi Wei Xing Ming” is rendered as “Zi Wei Dou Shu,” the more internationally recognized term for this Chinese astrological system. “Wu Qu” is translated as “Military Star” to convey its astrological significance. The earthly branches (辰Chen, 戌Xu, 午Wu, 未Wei) are kept in pinyin with explanations. The metaphor “鲤鱼得水，蛟龙入海” is adapted to Western idiomatic equivalents while preserving the imagery.)
Xie Xiaodi solemnly said: “I saw in the family’s collection that anyone with the ‘General Star in Favorable Position’ fate is destined to be an unparalleled general across the world… Originally, the Wu Qu Star is slightly inferior to the Tan Lang Star, but with this fate, it becomes uncertain…”
“Moreover… although the imperial court is defeated, it is not yet in decline. Wang Xuanfan’s arrival this time is under the emperor’s decree to suppress rebels, which is righteous and proper, aided by the true dragon emperor’s aura…”
Wu Ming added.
“Does that mean we are doomed…”
Xiao Jidu lamented.
“Not necessarily. The task of the Pantheon is merely to assist Li Rubi in becoming a king and establishing a regime!”
Wu Ming’s mouth curled into a strange smile: “In other words… as long as this person becomes a king, even for just one day, it counts as success!”
“You mean…”
Xie Xiaodi’s eyes lit up: “If Li Rubi declares himself king now, even if it’s just in one city or area, it also counts as completing our mission!”
“Otherwise, don’t you think this mission’s difficulty is too high?”
Wu Ming shrugged.
Xie Xiaodi and Xiao Jidu were deep in thought, feeling as if they had entered a dead-end.
From any perspective, to become a king, one must occupy at least an entire province to lay the foundation for kingship.
Acting hastily before achieving great success would only count as a temporary, chaotic rise, not only unhelpful but also harmful, causing unnecessary losses to the foundation.
But what did Li Rubi’s loss of foundation have to do with them?
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