Calling Out Before the Pukou City Gate

Zhang Shi forced himself to stay alert and hurried over. Soon he spotted Ren Tianye, but Ren Tianye was currently busy, talking with Gu Qing about something.

Ren Tianye sat in the main hall, while Gu Qing was granted a seat off to the side. It was clear that Zhang Shi was not to be excluded, so Zhang Shi understood the situation and simply stood by, listening.

“Duke, the sweet potatoes are producing an astonishing yield. The harvest is nearly upon us. Your Grace has not only spared me from punishment but has also given me a chance to render meritorious service. I dare not take this for granted,” Gu Qing said.

“I will tend to these sweet potatoes carefully and ensure ample supplies for the army.”

Ren Tianye nodded and smiled. “It pleases me greatly to hear you say this. From now on, in Yun Capital, you will be fully responsible for procuring sweet potatoes from the people.”

“At the same time, I will assign you an assistant.”

“Zhang Shi!”

“Present!”

“The matter of sweet potatoes is of the utmost importance. You will work with Gu Qing to gather them. This concerns the army’s grain supply. Should the war drag into a stalemate, these potatoes will be enough to see us through the crisis.”

“Yes, I obey your command.”

“This is not just about the sweet potatoes on Gu Qing’s estate,” Ren Tianye explained carefully. “There are many sweet potato-producing areas near Yun Capital. I will later request an imperial decree for you. You will take the decree and proceed to place all sweet potato production under unified management and military control.”

Only then did Zhang Shi feel a hint of surprise. He hadn’t expected the Duke to place such great importance on these sweet potatoes. He replied, “Rest assured, Duke, I will carry out this task well.”

“Good.” Ren Tianye nodded and then instructed, “Since these sweet potatoes have spread through Yun Capital, there are likely demonic beings lurking around the various production areas, though not as rampant as in Yun Capital itself. It happens that you can...”

Ren Tianye initially wanted to say “sharpen your skills,” but considering Gu Qing was present, he didn’t want to undermine Zhang Shi’s dignity in front of an outsider. He changed his tone, saying, “It happens that you can deal with them one by one.”

Though Ren Tianye didn’t speak plainly, Zhang Shi understood. Gratitude welled up in his heart. He knelt on one knee and said, “Your Grace, rest assured.”

“I will handle the gathering of these sweet potatoes properly.”

“Mm, I trust you,” Ren Tianye said earnestly. “As long as you observe more, think more, and practice more, you will one day rise to the occasion.”

“Yes!”

Zhang Shi nodded firmly, then reflected deeply. The Duke had given him countless opportunities, and he had to change.

Back then, he had only been a guerrilla general, an insignificant figure in the entire Red Peak Army. Yet on the grasslands, leading just five thousand light cavalry, he hadn’t carved a path through hardship to sweep the plains?

The battlefield changed, the situation changed, and he had to change too. Only by adapting to different forms of warfare could he become a truly top-tier general.

He had already achieved swift and decisive victories.

He had nearly earned a place in history.

But now, what he wanted most was to become the sharpest and mightiest general under the Duke’s command.

Thus, Zhang Shi repeatedly reassured himself: “Be sensitive, be perceptive, engage actively, make good use of everything.”

With this mindset, Zhang Shi joined forces with Gu Qing and set out promptly, beginning the unified procurement and management of sweet potatoes in the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, Ren Tianye personally led the main army, leaving Yuan City and heading straight for Pukou City to seize this key stronghold.

…

Pukou City, General’s Residence.

White funeral banners fluttered at the gate, and mourning cloth hung throughout the courtyard. The compound was cold and deserted, with a mournful dirge echoing low and continuous, a scene of bleak sorrow.

The entire residence was steeped in a heavy atmosphere of grief.

General Zhou Xiong knelt on the ground. Before him lay two coffins. One held his master, who had taught him for many years and was like a father to him. The master had passed away peacefully not long ago, which had already left Zhou Xiong wailing in anguish.

But then, suddenly, his wife Wanqing had fallen into the water. The men leaped in desperately to save her, but failed. It wasn’t until three days later that her body was found—swollen and disfigured from the river’s current.

Within a short span, two of his closest loved ones had died one after another. No matter how tough or resolute Zhou Xiong was, he had become a weeping mess. For over a month, he had barely eaten or drunk, his days spent drowning in tears.

His guilt toward Wanqing was especially crushing. After all, his master’s death could be considered a natural passing, but Wanqing had died so young. While keeping vigil over her coffin, scenes of his past neglect of her involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Over the past year, he had been so consumed with city defenses that he had turned Pukou City into an impregnable fortress. He had even used cement produced in Yun Capital set up gun platforms to make the city the strongest in the world—far surpassing the once-mighty Shanhe City.

But in his obsession with fortifications, he had neglected his wife. This had bred resentment in her, often leading to arguments, and their relationship had grown cold. Yet he kept ignoring it.

Whenever he thought of this, heart-wrenching pain would overwhelm him. His mind would involuntarily conjure Wanqing’s gentle, smiling face. That beautiful smile—he had destroyed it. Reflecting on this, Zhou Xiong wished he could go back in time and say one thing to the man he used to be:

“How could you be so impatient with your wife?”

Just as he was lost in sorrow, a soldier rushed in to report.

“Report!”

“General, something terrible has happened. There’s someone challenging us at the city gate!”

Hearing the word “challenge,” Zhou Xiong nearly jumped up reflexively. “What? A challenge? Has Ren Tianye’s army already arrived?”

“General, Ren Tianye’s main army is still a good distance away. However, a column of about three thousand men, all wearing the uniforms of Ren Tianye’s forces, has galloped here and is now beneath the city walls of Pukou.”

“Leading them is a young general. He wields a halberd and rides a black horse, clad in black armor. He claims to be a general under the Duke and is issuing a challenge at the gate.”

Zhou Xiong’s eyes slowly gathered a fierce and ruthless glare.

“A general under Ren Tianye?”

“How dare he be so insolent before my city!”

“Ha!”

“Then let him stay here.”

Zhou Xiong gave a cold command: “Saddle my horse, armor me, and bring my weapon. Today I will teach Ren Tianye a lesson about my might!”

Soon, Zhou Xiong mounted his horse with his spear in hand and led elite troops out, brimming with energy and fury. At a glance, he spotted Ren Tianye’s general.

As he drew closer and got a better look, his anger exploded.

“Wu Xingzhou—it’s you?”

“General Zhou Xiong recognizes me?” Wu Xingzhou was slightly surprised, but only momentarily. After all, as the defending general of Pingling District and a member of the Yun Capital camp, it wasn’t odd for a local general to know him.

“Of course I do. I recognize not only you but also your master,” Zhou Xiong said coldly. “Your master and mine once studied under the same master; they were as close as brothers. But he died too soon. Yet I never imagined that such a righteous, benevolent man would produce a turncoat like you!”

“Yunjing raised you and granted you a salary, yet instead of repaying Yunjing, you brought Ren Tianye’s men to attack our Pukou City. A traitor like you—how do you still have the face to live in this world?”

……