On a mountain ridge north of Sang City.
An old gentleman in a grey and white long gown also lit a fire, warming the dampness from his clothes. At the same time, he took out a flatbread and placed it by the firewood to roast. He unstrapped his wine gourd from his waist, unscrewed the stopper, took a sniff, and then took a small sip before re-capping it. He couldn't help it; he was too reluctant to drink it. When Sui Han left the academy, he hadn't left much behind, except for two jars of his own brewed fruit wine for his teacher. These two jars were brewed before he became a Confucian Sage. Now, the flavor had only intensified. The old gentleman was extremely reluctant to drink it, often just smelling the aroma from the gourd's opening.
Two jars of wine from a student were enough to comfort a lifetime.
Now, seeing Lin Zhao outside the distant encampment, the old gentleman felt that this child was too much like Qin Sui Han in his youth – equally stubborn, inflexible, and unwilling to listen to advice. Therefore, seeing the disciple his disciple had taken, the old gentleman felt his heart fill with warmth. He found the young sword cultivator in the distance more and more pleasing to the eye. Could someone who could recite such poetry be merely a vulgar sword cultivator? Absolutely not. More than half of his cultivation must come from his scholarly pursuits!
The old gentleman squinted, looking at the young man in the distance, and couldn't help but take another sip of wine. He immediately showed a look of extreme heartache, quickly stuffing the gourd's opening shut and hanging it back on his waist. His lips still held the lingering taste, savoring the flavor of the fruit wine. The thought of Qin Sui Han still pained him immensely. How much pain must he have endured when those scoundrels in the Sea of Heavens scattered his Confucian cultivation with their得意神通? The old gentleman even wished it had happened to him instead.
Alas, his teacher had arrived one step too late.
...
The next day at noon.
The siege battle was largely over. The Eastern Wu Kingdom had only deployed less than twenty thousand troops to guard the western gateway. Yu Rang's ten thousand cavalry were the elite troops from the three northern provinces. They attacked and conquered with overwhelming force. Dozens of small cities were pacified before noon. Afterward, the three armies advanced, crossing a vast plain, and then surrounded a lone city on the plain so tightly that not a drop of water could get through.
This lone city was named Ye City, the capital of the Eastern Wu Kingdom. The entire royal family, including the King, along with nearly thirty thousand elite soldiers of the Eastern Wu Kingdom, were within the capital. They had sworn a blood oath to resist the Great Shang cavalry to the death!
In the afternoon, Yu Rang convened his tent and issued military orders to the various battalions and regiments, ordering them to surround and attack Ye City from all directions. However, he did not issue any orders to Lin Zhao's Snow Domain Legion.
Just right, he was free.
"Young Hero Bai."
Yu Rang's gaze finally fell on Lin Zhao, and he said with a smile, "The Snow Domain Heavenly Pool only sent 500 cavalry, and we will have a hundred thousand troops surrounding Ye City. These 500 men are truly but a drop in the ocean, so I do not intend to send your 500 cavalry to attack the city. However... Young Hero, you can bring Chu Yu along to fight. We might need Chu Yu's strength, alright?"
"Alright."
Lin Zhao nodded, "As long as Chu Yu's safety is ensured, assisting in the siege is no problem!"
"Good!"
Shortly after, the great battle erupted. The capital of the Eastern Wu Kingdom was engulfed in flames. Lin Zhao ordered the 500 cavalry to rest in place and went to assist in the siege with Chu Yu. Ye City's city walls were thick and strong, and it even possessed a protective sword formation. The moment the protective sword formation was activated, Lin Zhao gestured, and Chu Yu stepped forward. His body was filled with dense fist intent as he struck the sword formation's barrier with punch after punch.
In addition, the old marshal Yu Rang also rose into the air and punched, attacking the sword formation alongside Chu Yu. The accompanying cultivators from the Lin Lu Legion also ascended one by one, assisting in the attack. This great formation had to be broken before they could truly begin the siege, otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to touch the surface of Ye City.
Lin Zhao's eyes widened as he watched everyone's actions.
Among them, a young cultivator in yellow robes was particularly eye-catching. He moved with the wind, unleashing palm strikes imbued with a gentle breeze, causing the entire sword formation to tremble. It seemed that the Eastern Wu Kingdom's sword formation would not be able to hold on for much longer.
...
"Eastern Wu!"
As cracks began to appear on the protective sword formation, the old general Yu Rang stood proudly in the air and shouted with his true qi, "The demon race's influence in the Fusang Great Wall area has long since weakened. Why are you still so stubborn? Surrender the city now, and I guarantee no one will be killed. I will only escort your King back to Baidi City to report!"
"Dream on!"
From within the city, a Nascent Soul stage general, wielding a long sword, roared, "Back then, our Eastern Wu became a vassal state of the Great Shang. Later, the demon race came and besieged Eastern Wu for months. We sent countless flying cavalry for reinforcements. What were you, the Great Shang, doing then? You didn't send a single person or horse, and you watched as our Eastern Wu Kingdom was destroyed by the demon race. Now you have come again, intending to harm His Majesty. Do you truly think the Eastern Wu Kingdom has no men? Let alone the current protective sword formation, even without it, every man in our Eastern Wu Kingdom will fight to the death against you Great Shang bandits!"
"Good!"
Yu Rang laughed heartily and said in a deep voice, "Sons of the Great Shang, did you hear that? Eastern Wu is seeking its own destruction... Kill them! After the city falls, massacre them for seven days!"
His voice was like thunder, causing Lin Zhao and Chu Yu to frown slightly. The capital of the Eastern Wu Kingdom had at least four to five hundred thousand civilians. Were they really going to kill them all? As for the Great Shang cavalry, their faces were flushed red, filled with jubilation, as if they had received long-awaited rain. The entire army seemed to come alive, which Lin Zhao found difficult to comprehend.
...
Half a day later, the protective sword formation was broken.
Countless Great Shang cavalry dismounted, carrying heavy shields and sharp swords, and hoisting scaling ladders, they rushed towards Ye City. A dense mass of them swarmed the city walls in an instant. However, the tenacity of the Eastern Wu Kingdom's army far exceeded Yu Rang's expectations. Their resistance was fierce. Arrows rained down from the city walls. Every time a Great Shang Dynasty cavalry soldier managed to ascend the wall, they eventually became a corpse and were thrown back down.
Even after attacking until deep into the night, they still had not breached the city.
Lin Zhao was not in a hurry. He would just follow the storyline.
In the dead of night, inside the command tent of the Snow Domain Legion, candlelight flickered.
"Sir."
Chu Yu frowned and said, "For an entire day, the Lin Lu Legion has suffered heavy casualties, with approximately over eight thousand dead and over ten thousand injured. Do you think... Yu Rang will order a retreat?"
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head, "Yu Rang came with Li Chunyang's 'annexation' order. Therefore, he will absolutely not retreat. If Yu Rang retreated and returned to Lanxi City, Li Chunyang would not let him off lightly. In Yu Rang's eyes, heavy losses are acceptable. The important thing is to destroy the Eastern Wu Kingdom. This way, upon returning to the three northern provinces, he will have also accomplished a great feat."
"Mmm..."
Chu Yu frowned and remained silent.
...
The next day, the siege continued. On this day, more and more Great Shang cavalry soldiers charged onto the city walls. However, it was not only the soldiers of Eastern Wu who resisted; even civilians wielding sickles and hoes rushed onto the city walls and chopped down the Great Shang cavalry soldiers with their crude weapons. The entire city's ramparts were stained red with blood. By the time night fell, the Great Shang had lost over ten thousand more men.
On the third day, the Eastern Wu Kingdom suffered heavy losses. The thirty thousand elite troops were left with less than five thousand. The majority of the defenders were the young and strong men from the civilian population, greatly weakening their combat effectiveness. By dusk, the city was breached. The remaining elite troops were all killed, and the young and strong men within the city who dared to resist lay piled up like mountains of corpses. As night fell, Yu Rang issued an order to blockade the city gates, forbidding anyone from entering the city.
Stars twinkled, scattering into the command tent of the Lin Lu Legion.
Inside the command tent, hundreds of cavalry commanders were present. After three days of fierce battle, this army of one hundred thousand cavalry had lost over 30,000 men, leaving 76 squadron leaders. Each of them was stained with blood and exuded a strong aura of killing intent. They all surrounded Yu Rang, awaiting orders from the commander of the three armies.
"Generals!"
Yu Rang's gaze turned cold, and he said, "After fighting until today, Ye City has finally been breached. It is almost time to reward the army. Tomorrow morning, you will lead your respective troops into the city and begin the massacre. All spoils obtained will be considered your pay for this campaign. However, to prevent disputes over property, I and my strategists have divided Ye City into dozens of areas. Each squadron will be responsible for clearing one area. But remember, the massacre is limited to seven days. After seven days, no one is allowed to kill anyone anymore, and all surviving civilians in the city will be pardoned!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The squadron leaders nodded one after another, smiles of anticipation on their faces.
"Firstly,"
Yu Rang looked at a detailed map of Ye City behind him and said, "The Sun family's palace in the Eastern Wu Kingdom will be personally led by me and the Imperial Guard. The royal family of the Eastern Wu Kingdom... Hmph, I will personally teach them how to behave."
Everyone nodded, no one finding anything wrong with it.
Next, a strategist came forward and distributed tokens to the squadron leaders one by one. Each squadron leader was assigned a designated street or alley, and they were only allowed to loot within this area, not to overstep. Consequently, the squadron leaders had varying expressions. Some were allocated to the wealthy districts and were overjoyed, while others were assigned to civilian areas and looked dejected.
"Bai Yi!"
Yu Rang called out Lin Zhao's name and smiled meaningfully, "Lord Bai Yi led the 500 cavalry from the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to conquer three cities consecutively, achieving great merit. In the battle to attack Ye City, Chu Yu's punch broke the protective sword formation, both of which are immense contributions. Since that is the case, we will assign Zouma Lane to your Snow Domain Legion's 500 cavalry. For seven days, within Zouma Lane, you can do as you please!"
Lin Zhao frowned but did not refuse. He simply cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Sir!"
He accepted a token.
Zouma Lane, as the name suggested, was a lane where horse riders frequently passed. This Zouma Lane housed many prominent families, officials, wealthy merchants, as well as artisans and scholars with considerable financial means. In short, besides the imperial palace, Zouma Lane likely held the most lucrative spoils in Ye City.
"Congratulations!"
A group of squadron leaders who had participated in the siege congratulated Lin Zhao one after another, "Lord Bai Yi is going to return with a full bounty this time~~~"
Lin Zhao's expression remained calm. He returned their salutes one by one, his smile unwavering.
...
Deep in the night, he returned to his command tent.
"Sir, how was it?" Chu Yu asked.
"Get some sleep early."
Lin Zhao glanced at her and said, "Tomorrow morning, gather everyone and follow me into the city. Blockade the east and west entrances of Zouma Lane. Prohibit anyone from entering Zouma Lane, and also forbid anyone from Zouma Lane from leaving."
"Yes, Sir!"
Chu Yu frowned. She had never seen Lin Zhao's expression so grave before, not even when two thirteenth-realm great demons attacked the mountain. He did not look as flustered as he did now.