Military Morale

Concealed in the shadows at the corner of the drill ground, Xu Yuan watched everything unfolding ahead from the dark. The elderly man surnamed Jin, ever loyal to Marquis Zhenxi, truly lived up to his reputation as a veteran of a hundred battles. Gathering an entire town's worth of troops into the government office compound in such a short time was an enormous undertaking. Who would notify which company, who would lead that company into the office, and even the standing positions of each detachment across the drill ground required meticulous coordination. Yet in a mere two quarters of an hour, the old general had arranged it all in impeccable order. However, as detachment after detachment was escorted into the compound, a low buzzing like a swarm of flies began to rise from every corner of the drill ground. Rumors and discussions surged into an uproar; from commanders of whole battalions down to the common foot soldiers, everyone was whispering. "Old Zhou, why was your company pulled back too?" A yajiang heading toward the front ranks was stopped by a familiar voice from the formations. Looking back, he saw a qujiang whose face was concealed beneath an iron visor, gazing at him with eyes full of concern. After a brief pause, the yajiang stared at the iron visor with slight hesitation. "Are you... Ai Renhua?" "Old Squad Leader, who else could it be?" the iron-masked officer replied in exasperation. The yajiang surnamed Zhou cast a glance at the senior officers in the front ranks and lowered his voice. "Isn't it obvious? The entire Second Town must have been recalled to the government office." The iron-masked officer's muffled voice came through the visor, heavy with unconcealed worry. "Didn't the brief pre-battle meeting just confirm that the insect tide's primary target would be your eastern city wall? If we pull back now, who will defend the walls? Besides, along the way here, my detachment saw several large swordsman bands marching grandly toward the eastern wall." General Zhou stared at him for several seconds. "Just obey orders. The generals above have their reasons." With that, he walked past him and continued toward the front. Yet in that short distance of a few dozen yards, General Zhou heard all manner of words that shook the army's morale spreading among the soldiers. "Have you heard? Jiuping Ward was raided by rioters." "That entertainment quarter?" "Yeah. The brothers over in the Sixth Detachment said the courtesans inside had it awful." "I've been to that pleasure house before. The wenches actually looked down on me for being an uncultured brute, completely forgetting that without us, who would protect their peace and music? Now that we're not there to protect them, they had it coming." "Alright, alright, what does a pleasure house matter? I heard from Officer Zhou's men that several large swordsman bands over by the eastern wall are preparing to breach the city gates." "Those scoundrels have guts! But there's no helping it—who told the higher-ups to pull us all back?" "Pulled back or not, it's all the same. Haven't you seen what happened today? Suppressing rioters is easy, but who among us can fight those Saints? In my ten-plus years in the army, this is the first time I've ever fought such a suffocating battle." "..." As soon as those words fell, the murmuring in that section abruptly fell silent. Yet this sudden quiet did not spread; instead, it was swiftly swallowed up by the surrounding clamor. "Those Saints... someone ought to be able to suppress them." "Right. I heard from the officers above that there are actually Saints inside the city as well. They just haven't made a move yet for the sake of the bigger picture." "I'm not talking about Saints." "Can you finish your damn sentence at once? Mumbling and hesitating—believe me, I'll chop you down with one stroke!" "You? Son of a bitch, did your scars heal so fast you forgot the pain?" "Enough. Zhang Xing, who were you talking about?" An aged voice cut through their bickering. Hearing that voice, the two heated soldiers twitched their lips and said irritably, "Wasn't there a massive mutiny on the eastern wall this morning? Dozens of army-suppressing arrows were shot from over there, and a female general blocked every single one of them." "A female general? What kind of joke is that?" "In our Zhenxi Army, aside from General Wan of the First Town, there shouldn't be any female commanders, right? And she already marched out with the Marquis." "Zhang Xing, have you been craving women so much you're hallucinating?" "Did you bastards forget about the Commandery Princess? She understands military formations, and she's a woman. Isn't she still in the manor?" "*Pfft*... Hahahaha!" "That's hilarious. Keep your fairy tales within reason, will you?" "Believe it or not, I saw it with my own eyes." Zhang Xing turned his head away and looked up at the martial stage, wanting to verify whether the female general he had seen that morning was the Commandery Princess. But the stage remained empty. The soldiers around him paid him no more mind, continuing their discussions. "Speaking of the Commandery Princess, have you heard the rumor?" "What rumor?" "It spread from the Xuanting Army. They say the Commandery Princess harbored the Divine Maiden of the Great Desert, and then got bewitched by that pretty boy, the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Manor. Now she's dead-set on protecting them, regardless of the lives of the twenty thousand soldiers in our Second Town." "What?" "They say the Saints' target is the Third Young Master. If we hand that pretty boy over, they'll retreat." "Then why don't we hand him over? What happens to the Prime Minister's Manor has nothing to do with our Zhenxi Manor!" "Because he didn't tell the whole story. Aside from the Third Young Master, those Saints also want the Commandery Princess handed over." "Tsk, tsk... So that's how it is. No wonder she's holding out to the death." "Li Wu, what's that look on your face? You're not actually thinking of handing the Commandery Princess over, are you?" "No, how could I? The Commandery Princess is of imperial blood; her life is precious! The lives of grunts like us, plus the million people in this city, can't hold a candle to hers." "Say one more word and you'll be executed for demoralizing the army!" "Chop me down? If telling the truth gets me killed, then go right ahead." "I think Li Wu has a point." "Six Saints attacking the city means we're dead either way. At least let us choose how we die. How do those scholars put it? We'd be dying to prove our loyalty!" Amid the soldiers' laughter, several men who had remained silent suddenly spoke up. "Dying to prove your loyalty? Aren't you vermin just trying to stir everyone up to force the Commandery Princess's hand, to make her die in our place?" "I serve the Marquis, not that profligate princess!" "Since you're loyal to the Marquis, you shouldn't even entertain the thought of letting the Commandery Princess come to harm." "What Zhang Xing said earlier wasn't wrong. The mutiny at the western wall this morning was indeed resolved by the Commandery Princess." "If you're afraid to die, just admit it. Why put on such a righteous act?" "Me, afraid to die? When I took a blade through the chest to shield you back then, did you fucking forget that, Zhang Xing?!" The soldier named Li Wu glared at the man before him, shouting fiercely, "When I was putting my life on the line fighting those Dachao wolf whelps, that profligate princess was living in luxury back in Di'an City! When I was erecting graves for my fallen brothers, she was dallying with women in pleasure houses! And now you expect me to throw away my life for her? On what grounds?! Huh?!" "..." "..." Li Wu's voice carried far. Just as it was about to be drowned out by the surrounding noise, the sound across the entire drill ground abruptly died away, like wheat flattening in a sudden wind. Tens of thousands of soldiers instinctively turned toward the source of the silence. Silhouetted against the midday sun, two figures clad in heavy armor strode slowly into the wide entrance of the drill ground. Their heavy footfalls and the crisp clinking of armor echoed in everyone's ears. *Clack.* *Clack.* *Clack.* With his arms crossed over his chest, Xu Yuan's forefinger tapped rhythmically against his bicep. Watching her walk onto the drill ground from the shadows, he pressed his lips together. If he could hear those harsh, clamoring words echoing across the drill ground, Li Junwu, who controlled the city defense array, could certainly hear them even more clearly. "Worried?" Tianye's elusive figure suddenly materialized at his side, leaning against the shadowed corner of the wall with her arms crossed in the exact same posture. "If you don't trust her, why didn't you go up yourself?" "If I didn't trust her, I wouldn't be standing here," Xu Yuan replied with a faint smile, turning his head. "Calling her not bright is only in comparison to me." "Cocky." Tianye's bright, smiling eyes held a trace of disdain. "If you're not worried about her, why make that face?" Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment, a complex expression crossing his face before turning into a smile. "I just suddenly realized the importance of controlling the narrative. For morale in the Zhenxi Army to deteriorate to this point, it's entirely because the sects breached their information channels. Once we return to the capital, I'll need to pay close attention to grassroots propaganda. I wouldn't want my past profligate deeds spreading among the ranks of the Black Scale Army." "You say one thing and mean another." Tianye regarded him leisurely, but did not press further, playing along instead. "Though haven't your profligate deeds already spread throughout the world?" "Clearing my name is easy enough. I'll just say I was deliberately hiding my abilities back then. That way, the Black Scale Army will find me all the more unfathomable." "Tsk, tsk..." Tianye's crisp voice was laced with amusement. Her gaze swept past the dense ranks of armored soldiers and settled on the woman marching steadily forward. She asked softly, "Brother Xu Yuan, how do you think your friend will handle this? From what I observed just now, a third of these soldiers share the same mindset as that Li Wu." Xu Yuan lowered his head slightly, his eyes veiled in shadow as he spoke in a low voice. "...Courage is always the rarest quality in humanity, but the Zhenxi Army does not lack it." Tianye tilted her head, pondering for a moment before murmuring softly, "Even with these soldiers acting like this, you still hold such a high opinion of them?" Xu Yuan watched the armored woman advancing through the ranks, a smile touching his lips. "Because as an elite force of Great Yan, the Zhenxi Army has never once established disciplinary rear-guard units." Hearing this, Tianye's willow-leaf brows knitted slightly, a strange look in her eyes. She could not quite understand an army of this nature. Ever since the martial academies were established for the common masses, the composition of the Great Yan Dynasty's military had undergone a complete transformation. From an era where children of noble clans occupied sixty to seventy percent of the ranks, it had shifted to eighty or ninety percent coming from ordinary civilian stock. This shift had not lowered the army's quality; on the contrary, it had brought about a qualitative leap for Great Yan's forces, rivaling or even surpassing what Xu Yuan knew from his previous life. These were commoners who had undergone rigorous screenings and voluntarily chosen to enlist. Most of them were fearless in the face of death. Part of it was the incentive of Great Yan's military merit system, but another part was a primal loyalty toward those who had granted them a new lease on life. As he spoke, Xu Yuan pointed toward the insolent soldier and the armored woman standing before him, murmuring, "What they lack right now is a leader who can step forward at this crucial moment. Whether it's an act or genuine emotion, they need a fearless leader to guide these followers forward, to continue the struggle. "And now... "Perhaps that leader has arrived." Looking at the armored woman standing before him, Li Wu's cheek twitched for a moment. Then he broke into a grin, his laughter filled with relief, mocking the death represented by the woman before him. Li Wu did not shout so everyone could hear, but said in a low, mocking laugh, "If Her Commandery Highness takes my worthless life to sacrifice to the banners and establish her authority, then I, Li Wu, will have repaid the Marquis's favor of recognizing me." Li Junwu looked down at the scarred youth before her, her slender eyes slightly lowered, her voice calm and measured. "It is understandable that you do not respect me. While the Zhenxi Army was fighting on the front lines, I was indeed indulging in pleasure in Di'an. You merely spoke the truth, so what crime is there in that? Why would I sacrifice you to the banners?" Li Wu froze, visibly caught off guard, momentarily at a loss for words. Li Junwu shifted her gaze across the surrounding soldiers. In the silence, the soldiers looked back at her with curiosity, confusion, mockery, and... a sparse few with respect. Beneath her gauntlets, her fists clenched slightly. Looking at the bewildered Li Wu, Li Junwu said slowly, "I stopped only to tell you that from the moment the Zhenxi Army was founded, it has never once compromised or sued for peace. "I also stopped to tell you that the people outside the city do want me, Li Junwu, but they also want the entire Zhenxi Manor and the hub of the prefectural city beneath our feet! What they want is not merely my life, but a Zhenxi Manor without an heir, torn apart by internal chaos!" With those words, Under Li Wu's shifting, uncertain gaze, Li Junwu turned slowly and strode toward the martial stage. The elderly general surnamed Jin followed closely at her side, blade resting horizontally in hand. Her voice resonated across the entire drill ground: "I know that my past absurdities make it difficult for you to believe in me. I know that rather than me, you would prefer a leader like Commandery Princess Wuyuan. And I know your disdain and mockery toward me. Therefore, I now give you a choice. If you believe those words about suing for peace, if you believe this battle is already lost, I am willing to ride out of the city alone to exchange for the lives of a million citizens and all of you!" "Commandery Princess..." Hearing this, the old general behind her moved to speak, but Li Junwu raised a hand, cutting him off directly. Her cool voice remained steady and calm. "However, as for Xu Changtian in those terms, I have no authority to decide his fate. But I hope you will not touch him. For if he dies here, the retaliation from that Chancellor may be far more terrifying than the six Saints outside." "..." Low whispers began to spread once more, chaos quietly taking root in the shadows of the drill ground. Xu Yuan glanced at Tianye beside him and said softly, "Time to clean up. The scholar will definitely use his parasites to cause trouble at a moment like this." "You only know how to boss me around," Tianye grumbled, dissatisfied. "They're just low-tier cultivators. It's not difficult. Tianyan could do it just as well if she came out." "Tsk, tsk." Tianye clicked her tongue twice. Her brilliant golden eyes turned toward the ranks of the army, and she softly uttered a single word: "Silence." "..." The brewing turmoil in the shadows halted, and the drill ground fell into a hush. By now, Li Junwu had stepped onto the martial stage. Gripping the hilt at her waist, she confronted the tens of thousands of eyes gazing up at her. "I know that much of your silence stems from your loyalty to my father, your wariness of my status, and your fear of insubordination. But since no one has spoken, all of you now have only one path left—to place your trust in me." As her words fell, Xu Yuan, hidden in the shadows, saw that the teasing look normally present in the woman's slender eyes had been completely replaced by unyielding resolve. Her voice remained cool and slightly raspy: "Six Saints besiege our city, and rumors run rampant. At this very moment, those lofty Saints stand outside, amusedly watching our internal collapse. "So now, "Whether you are afraid or not, we have no other choice! Before this war concludes, many of you standing here will perish. But if we fall back, the Zhenxi Prefectural City that our predecessors and my father built with their blood, and the Monan Protectorate built upon their bones, will all be reduced to ruins—all because their descendants shrank back in fear! "Form your military arrays within the government office! Obey your orders! "Here, in the name of Zhenxi, I give you my pledge: "Before the military array is broken, "Before my strength is spent—" In silence, Cultivation methods circulated, arts resonated, and the military array coalesced. The murmurs among the ranks began to stir again, only to be sheared apart by a blade light soaring into the sky! *Clang—!* Li Junwu drew the long saber at her hip. Standing before the myriad troops, The resounding ring of the blade swept across the drill ground along with a burst of wind pressure, her cool voice ringing clear and fierce: "Among the twenty thousand of you, not a single one will die by the Saints' hands before me!"