After Wei Yun issued the “Grain Requisition Order,” Chu Lingyang and Song Shilan were the first to respond, also issuing their orders and sending grain and fodder with great fanfare.
The feudal lords were shaken, and the whole world was shocked. By this time, it was already time for the first batch of named lords to deliver their grain.
On this day, Wei Yun set up a banner in the center of Yuan City. Chu Yu sat with him under the banner, waiting for the summoned lords to arrive.
Seven families had been named, all not far from Yuan City. As the sun rose, the two sat under the banner, each with a cup of tea beside them. Chu Yu wore red clothes underneath light armor, her hair tied in a high ponytail, looking valiant and heroic. Wei Yun wore a moonlight-colored robe with a large cloak over it, and a jade crown inlaid with pearls, exuding an air of elegance.
The two sat under the banner, occasionally looking up to converse. The onlooking commoners were somewhat surprised, with those who didn’t understand asking in low voices, “Is that Prince Wei? Who’s the woman beside him?”
Some said it was the eldest daughter of the Chu family.
However, others said, “The eldest daughter of the Chu family? Isn’t that Lady Wei?”
The relationship was too complex, leading to much private discussion. Finally, someone who knew the situation stepped forward and whispered, “That lady was originally the first wife of the Wei family, the wife of the former Wei heir. She left the Wei family half a month ago and returned to the Chu family. However, she’s still the Northern Phoenix General in the Wei army, so she’s still in the military.”
This explanation left people even more confused. “They’ve already divorced and she’s gone home, yet she still has such a good relationship with Prince Wei?”
Those in the know revealed malicious smiles. “She’s been a widow for so many years, and now Prince Wei has come of age and become a king. Suddenly she leaves the Wei family, isn’t it clear why?”
“Who in the Wei family can write a divorce letter on behalf of his brother now? Isn’t it the one sitting up there? Why write it now, only the one sitting up there truly knows.”
The crowd let out sighs of astonishment, some frowning, some with contempt in their eyes, some sighing repeatedly. Only some ignorant young people would exclaim, “They look so well-matched.”
The two waited from morning until evening. By sunset, they had collected grain from four families.
The remaining three families – Marquis Yi of Huaiyang, Jiang Yong of Bincheng, and Chen Huai of Luohe – had not delivered their grain. Wei Yun turned his head and smiled at Chu Yu, “I’m afraid it’ll be troublesome for you.”
“It’s no problem,” Chu Yu waved her hand, but only asked, “Is this grain enough?”
“It’s enough for the immediate disaster relief,” Wei Yun frowned, looking towards Yongcheng City, and said lightly, “It just depends on how foolish Yao Yong is.”
Now that they had regained their composure, with Yuan City as the boundary, Yao Yong and Wei Yun were in opposition. The areas most severely affected by the disaster were within Yao Yong’s territory. If they got the grain but Yao Yong refused to provide disaster relief, there was nothing they could do.
If they wanted to go in and provide relief now, they could only send their people. It was impossible to hand it over to Yao Yong; giving the grain to Yao Yong would be like throwing meat buns to a dog. But if they sent a large number of their people into Yao Yong’s territory, Yao Yong wouldn’t allow it without any concerns.
“If Yao Yong doesn’t plan to provide disaster relief, what should we do?” Chu Yu asked worriedly.
Wei Yun took a sip of tea. After a moment, he slowly said, “If Yao Yong does that, I’d be somewhat pleased.”
“Hm?”
“If he doesn’t provide relief, what do you think those desperate disaster victims will do?”
Wei Yun looked up at Chu Yu, who immediately understood.
Yao Yong wouldn’t dare not to provide relief.
Now, Wei Yun’s troops were pressing on the border of Qing Province. If there was internal unrest among Yao Yong’s people, he would be caught between two fires.
Wei Yun could completely refrain from providing disaster relief, withhold grain, and force Yao Yong’s hand.
But it was the common people who would suffer. Wei Yun was ultimately not like Yao Yong or Zhao Yue, who used the people as pawns.
Knowing there was a shortcut but not taking it, knowing there was a tiger ahead but still moving forward.
Chu Yu quietly looked at him. Wei Yun turned his head, somewhat puzzled, “Why are you staring at me?”
“Xiao Qi,” she smiled, her eyes curving, “I feel that you’re even better than I imagined.”
Wei Yun was stunned for a moment but soon understood what she meant.
“As an official or a general,” his voice was calm, “one should put the people first.”
Then, he reached out to pull Chu Yu closer, changing the subject, “Will you set out tomorrow?”
Having decided to deal with those three families, it was time to choose when to depart. Chu Yu followed him, shaking her head, “No, we’ll set out immediately.”
“Immediately?” Wei Yun was somewhat surprised.
By now, it was already late, and the streets were bustling with people.
Seeing Wei Yun’s surprised expression, Chu Yu smiled, pressing her lips together, “I’ve already prepared the grain, military supplies, and troops outside the city. You didn’t think I was wearing armor just to show off, did you?”
Wei Yun still had trouble accepting this. He stared blankly at Chu Yu for a long time before finally saying, “Is… is it so urgent?”
“In war, speed is of the essence,” Chu Yu explained. “Right now, those three families must be preparing for battle, knowing that I’m coming to deal with them. Chen Huai is the farthest from us among the people we notified, so he must think I’ll deal with him last and is most relaxed now. I’ll lead light cavalry out tonight, without supplies, taking mountain paths and riding through the night. We can reach Luohe before dawn. I’ll make a bet with you,” Chu Yu’s eyes shone, “By sunrise tomorrow, I’ll have replaced Luohe’s flag with the Wei family’s banner.”
Hearing this, Wei Yun just smiled at her and asked in return, “Why not the Chu family’s banner?”
Chu Yu was stunned for a moment. Wei Yun laughed out loud, and Chu Yu realized, feeling a bit embarrassed. She turned around, saying, “Alright, I’m leaving.”
“Wait,” Wei Yun called out to her. Chu Yu turned back to look at him, and in that instant, warm lips brushed against her cheek. Chu Yu froze in place, seeing Wei Yun straighten up with his hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling as he said, “Last time you kissed me, now I’m returning the favor.”
He still remembered when she suddenly turned back and kissed him on their last parting.
Chu Yu blushed a little, coughing lightly, “There’s no need to be so particular about it.”
She waved her hand, saying as she turned back, “I’m leaving now.”
Wei Yun watched her leave, the young woman running through the lantern light, then reaching her horsewhip, mounting her horse, and galloping out of the city.
Long after her figure had disappeared, Wei Yun came back to his senses. Wei Qiu approached and said in a low voice, “Your Highness, Yao Yong has sent a message, saying he wants to meet you tomorrow in front of Yuan City’s gate for a public banquet discussion.”
Below Yuan City was Song City, and now Yao Yong had arrived in Song City. Outside Yuan City was a vast plain, with no obstacles in any direction. Yao Yong’s request to set up the banquet there was out of fear that Wei Yun might set an ambush.
Wei Yun understood Yao Yong’s intention and let out a cold laugh, “His chicken heart never changes. Well, agree to it.”
Then, with mockery in his eyes, he said, “If I set up the banquet in Yuan City, I fear he wouldn’t dare to enter even with a hundred thousand troops.”
Wei Qiu acknowledged this and had someone relay the message.
After Chu Yu rode out of the city, she saw a carriage waiting outside. She rode over and saw the person in the carriage lifting the curtain, silently watching her.
His gaze was calm yet solemn, expressing all his concerns without words. Chu Yu waved her hand, raising her eyebrows with a smile, full of confidence. The young nobleman in the carriage was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and lowered the curtain resignedly.
“Always so impatient,” Gu Chusheng muttered with a low curse and a smile. Then he looked up and said to the guard outside the carriage, “Did Yao Yong send a message to Wei Yun?”
“You’ve guessed correctly, sir,” the guard said in a low voice. “As soon as the grain and fodder arrived today, Yao Yong’s people came.”
“I knew it,” Gu Chusheng let out a cold laugh. “Zhao Yue couldn’t sit still.”
After bidding farewell to Gu Chusheng, Chu Yu spurred her horse on, quickly catching up with Sun Yi, who had left the city ahead of her.
She had already told Sun Yi that if anyone didn’t deliver grain, they would choose the farthest one and go directly there. Although they were all light cavalry now, their horses were not as good as Chu Yu’s, so even though they left first, Chu Yu caught up with them.
Riding side by side with Sun Yi, Chu Yu called out loudly, “Did you bring the things Mr. Han gave you?”
“I did!” Sun Yi shouted back. “As you ordered, each person brought one roll.”
“Good,” Chu Yu nodded and said, “Wait for my orders when the time comes!”
This troop was all light cavalry, and each person carried explosives sent by Han Xiu. The amount of explosives almost emptied half of what Han Xiu had prepared over so many years. Chu Yu wanted to make a stunning impact with this battle. She wanted to use the fastest speed to capture the city that everyone thought was the most difficult to conquer, catching the entire Da Chu off guard.
So she didn’t bring supplies, using only light cavalry. Everyone in this battle knew that if they couldn’t resolve it quickly, they would inevitably be defeated without supplies.
Taking shortcuts and traveling day and night without any rest, they reached Luoshui as the morning star rose. Chu Yu had everyone rest in the forest for a quarter of an hour, then stood up and had people beat drums and raise flags.
With a shout of “Kill!”, three thousand troops collectively charged toward the unprepared Luoshui City.
“Alert! Alert!” As soon as Chu Yu’s troops appeared, the soldiers on the city walls of Luoshui reacted and rang the great bell.
However, Chu Yu’s troops were all cavalry, advancing much faster than they had anticipated. Just as their soldiers were getting to the city walls, Chu Yu was already within shooting range. Chu Yu shouted, “Fire arrows!”
As soon as she spoke, flaming arrows rained down on the city walls like a shower. The city walls shot back swords in a chaotic manner, while the meteor-like flames illuminated the scene outside Luoshui City. The bright-eyed woman led the silver-armored cavalry like a tidal wave. Seeing the feathered arrows falling from the city walls, Chu Yu shouted, “Sun Yi, the first team follow me! The rest, raise shields and charge forward!”
“First team! First team, move out!” Sun Yi shouted, and immediately a dozen or so people rode out from the crowd. Chu Yu led these people, dismounting quickly and rushing towards the city gate.
This team of troops was all skilled in lightness kung fu. They nimbly dodged arrows and reached the bottom of the city wall in an instant. Each person placed down the explosives they were carrying and then quickly retreated.
“What are they doing?!” It wasn’t until now that the commander on the city wall realized something was wrong.
But it was already too late. They saw the woman at the bottom of the city wall suddenly retreat rapidly, then draw a long bow, quickly light an arrow, and then release it forcefully.
The fire arrow fell on the pile of explosives they had set up, and with a loud “boom”, the entire city wall shook.
“What is this…” The Luoshui City guards hadn’t yet reacted when they saw Chu Yu leading the first team rush into the city like ghosts.
A gap had been blasted in the city gate. After Chu Yu ordered her people to rush in, they directly killed the gate guards and lowered the city gate.
The Wei army roared as they charged in. Seeing this situation, someone shouted, “The city has fallen!”
“Run! Quick, run!”
In an instant, shouts and cries of alarm filled the air. Chu Yu, carrying a flag on her back, charged up the city wall. Sun Yi led the troops in battle with the remaining enemy soldiers. As the sunlight came through from behind the mountains, Chu Yu took the flag from her back and unfurled it.
A large character “Yu” waved in the morning sun.
Chu Yu let out a low laugh.
“You’re lucky,” she said, then threw a soldier who tried to charge at her off the wall.
Then she turned around, killing her way down from the city wall, leading her troops straight to the Luo King’s Palace.
Now, there were countless self-proclaimed kings, and Chen Huai of Luoshui City was one of them.
With the army’s morale scattered, the soldiers without anyone to command became disorganized. Chu Yu led her troops into the Luo King’s Palace, where Chen Huai was already being pressed to kneel on the ground by Sun Yi’s men.
Chu Yu came with her sword drawn and calmly said, “You should know why I’ve come.”
“I know,” Chen Huai’s face showed malice. “Chu Yu, your actions violate heaven’s will! You demand grain, and if we don’t give it, you kill. Obey and prosper, resist and perish. How are you any different from Zhao Yue?!”
“There is a difference,” Chu Yu suddenly raised her voice. “We care about the common people, and you don’t. That’s the biggest difference! What do you think I want the grain for?”
She grabbed Chen Huai’s hair, forcing him to look at her. Chen Huai struggled desperately, and Chu Yu said coldly, “I’m here to save people. What are you keeping the grain for?”
Chu Yu slapped Chen Huai’s face. “It’s for killing people.”
After saying this, Chu Yu stood up, kicked him away, and walked out calmly, saying, “Lock up the Luo King and his family together. Don’t let any news leak out. Move all the granaries of Luoshui City. And,” Chu Yu paused, turning her head to look at Chen Huai, “spread the news that the entire Luo King’s family, without exception, has been eliminated.”
Hearing this, the Luo King’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he shouted in anger, “Chu Yu, you’re utterly heartless! My son is only two years old…”
“If you know that,” Chu Yu’s voice turned cold, “why did you implicate them!”
“General…” Sun Yi hesitated. “If this gets out, won’t it be bad for the Wei army’s reputation…”
“Remember one thing,” Chu Yu’s voice was calm. “I did this. It has nothing to do with anyone else, including Wei Yun. The flag raised on the city wall is mine, Chu Yu’s, not any other family’s.”
“This is how I, Chu Yu, do things without rules,” Chu Yu’s gaze fell on Chen Huai. “Don’t try to fool me like you would the good-tempered Prince Wei!”
Hearing this, Sun Yi froze in place, while Wan Yue already understood Chu Yu’s intention and rushed forward with others to drag Chen Huai away.
After Chen Huai was dragged away, Chu Yu saw that Sun Yi still looked somewhat upset and raised an eyebrow, asking, “What is General Sun still upset about?”
“Madam… you’re bearing such an unjust reputation…” Sun Yi said with some difficulty.
Chu Yu laughed lightly, “I’m not killing them. When things are settled in the future, I’ll release them. What injustice is there?”
Sun Yi blinked, raising her head in confusion. Chu Yu sat down and poured herself some tea. “Right now, they’re taking advantage of your Prince’s good-natured temperament. Someone has to play the bad guy. If we ‘take down’ a few more families,” she said, sipping her tea, “they’ll think twice about their actions.”