Tie her up if you must, but get that Su embroidery onto the general's bed

Dawn had just broken, and the thick fog had yet to dissipate.

A fine drizzle was falling from the sky, casting the already gloomy heavens in a hazy shade of gray.

The scene was once again set before the garrison general's manor.

A dense, massive crowd of soldiers from Yunji City had gathered.

Unlike the frenzied clamor of the five hundred men last time, the numbers today were far greater. At a glance, the main avenue outside the manor was packed to the brim.

There had to be thousands of them.

Furthermore, more soldiers were constantly hurrying over to join the ranks.

Yet, not a single person made a sound. They arrived in silence, dropped to their knees with a heavy thud, and allowed the drizzle to wash over them.

The rain soaked their clothes and chilled them to the bone.

They knelt there for the better part of an hour until the manor gates opened. Deputy General Wang Ming stepped out, took one look, and sighed, urging them, "Everyone, please go back."

"What you are asking is a matter of grave importance. It puts General Ren Tianye in a very difficult position."

"Let General Ren Tianye think it over carefully."

As his words fell, not a single soldier of Yunji City rose. They remained devoutly kneeling, their faces stained with tears.

"General Wang, it's not that we don't sympathize with the Imperial Envoy. It's just that we are at the brink of life and death. That bastard Zhan Shubai colluded with the barbarians, yet he dragged us down with him. If His Majesty decides to kill, thousands of us will be buried here in Yunji City. We beg you, General Wang, please speak with the Imperial Envoy. Help us plead for mercy from His Majesty."

"Yes, General Wang. His Majesty slaughtered even the seventy thousand men of the Chifeng Army. We are but seven thousand, implicated by Zhan Shubai in the heinous crime of colluding with barbarians. How can we possibly survive?"

"General Wang, we are not afraid of death. But we leave behind wives, children, and elderly parents. If we die so unjustly and inexplicably, how will they survive?"

"We beg the Imperial Envoy to save our lives!"

...

The crowd pleaded continuously. Some even kowtowed heavily, the thudding sounds echoing like thunder through the rain. The scene was filled with profound sorrow.

At this moment, Ren Tianye walked slowly out of the manor gates, his face bearing an equally sorrowful expression.

He sighed deeply before speaking, "Gentlemen, I understand your feelings."

"To tell you the truth, I have already submitted a memorial to His Majesty pleading on your behalf, but there has been no reply. I..."

Ren Tianye's voice choked with emotion. The intense sorrow in his eyes looked nothing like an act. "I have truly done everything in my power for you."

"Unfortunately, my rank is low and my words carry little weight."

"I am truly... powerless!"

Beside him, Deputy General Wang Ming stiffened slightly. Looking at the kneeling soldiers of Yunji City, he felt a deep pang of pity, but he knew he could not say anything at this moment.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Knowing he wasn't needed right now, and remembering that Ren Tianye had arranged for him to marry the Second Daughter of the Su family, he decided to slip away unnoticed to find Su Jin.

He would leave the current situation to the Great General.

Only someone like the Great General could handle this properly. As for himself... even watching it was unbearable. It seemed that being a deputy general for the rest of his life was perfectly fine.

"Great General, but... but what about us?"

This was not the first time the kneeling men had been refused by Ren Tianye. Over the past few days, many of them had come to plead with him.

But every time, Ren Tianye expressed his powerlessness.

They also knew that His Majesty's decrees could not be altered or shaken by an Imperial Envoy like Ren Tianye. Yet, who else could they rely on at a time like this?

"Imperial Envoy, is death truly our only option?"

"Imperial Envoy, I am not resigned to this! I've worked hard my whole life and fought life-and-death battles against the barbarians. Am I just to die for no reason?"

"Imperial Envoy, please show us a clear path. We... we cannot just die like this!"

...

Standing on the steps of the manor, a sorrowful Ren Tianye seemed moved by these words and suddenly straightened his posture.

"Enough, enough! The worst that can happen is death."

His voice suddenly rang out loud and clear. "I will not hide it from you. The current royal court is dominated by treacherous sycophants, and His Majesty's eyes have been blinded."

"He actually ordered the execution of seventy thousand loyal souls of the Chifeng Army. My desperate pleas were to no avail, and I was sent to Yunji City. I originally intended to guard the vast rivers and mountains of the Great Yu, but..."

"But I never expected that Zhan Shubai would collude with the barbarians and drag you all down with him."

"If seventy thousand loyal souls were killed, you seven thousand have almost no chance of survival. Knowing this deeply, I have submitted ten memorials, but alas..."

"They were all intercepted by treacherous officials and could not be presented to His Majesty!"

As he spoke, Ren Tianye appeared even more sorrowful, the very image of a patriot worried for his country and its people. "With the treacherous officials in the court acting so recklessly and driving you to your deaths, how can I simply stand by and watch?"

"For your sake, and for the sake of our Great Yu, if it comes to it..."

Ren Tianye's voice was deafening, piercing through the clouds. "We shall march on the capital together, present ourselves before His Majesty, and beseech him to cleanse the court of evil!"

Boom!

It was as if a clap of thunder had erupted in the sky.

But when this thunderclap fell upon the heads of the seven thousand men of Yunji City, the shock it brought was entirely different from when the eight hundred men had heard it before.

Most of them were calm; some even had joy in their eyes.

The idea of cleansing the court had already spread through the army from some unknown source. Everyone knew they were facing certain death, and they had long since thought things through.

They were just soldiers hoping to survive. First, they had endured the harshness of Zhan Shubai, barely managing to eke out an existence. Then, they were faced with a situation of certain execution, not even allowed to live as lowly ants.

So...

If not rebellion, then what?

Thus, moments after Ren Tianye's words fell, scattered cries to "Cleanse the court!" began to ring out among the seven thousand men. The chants grew louder and louder, gradually becoming earth-shattering and shaking the very heavens.

"Since Your Excellency is willing to stand up for us regardless of life or death, we kneel in gratitude! We are willing to follow you and cleanse the court!"

"Under Zhan Shubai, we could barely survive. It was Your Excellency who gave us our salaries and silver, becoming our provider. Now you are willing to lead us to a way out. From now on, whether we must climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire, we swear to follow Your Excellency to the death!"

"We are willing to follow the General and cleanse the court!"

"Cleanse the court!"

"Cleanse the court!"

"Cleanse the court!"

...

The voices, mixed with anger, roared across the square. Not far away, Su Jin, who had just walked out following Deputy General Wang Ming, stopped in her tracks and stared blankly.

She looked at the man on the steps of the manor and could easily tell that he was merely putting on an act. She also believed that among the seven thousand men of Yunji City, at least a few hundred could see through it and guess the trickery involved.

But so what?

The current momentum was like a surging torrent. When everyone was surging forward bravely, no amount of inner clarity or calm rationality could prevent one from being swept along.

From this moment on, the seven thousand garrison soldiers of Yunji City were completely loyal to the man before them.

Waves of fear and dread washed over Su Jin's heart. Her terror of the man standing before her had reached its absolute peak.

Such a man, who just days ago was merely a guerrilla general under her husband Zhang Wei, had in the blink of an eye taken control of nearly ten thousand elite soldiers.

The potential and ruthless methods he displayed left no room for a weak woman like her to try and play any tricks.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a trace of sheer determination abruptly appeared on her face, which looked radiant and beautiful even in plain clothes.

She turned to Vice General Wang Ming and said, General Wang Ming, please accompany me on another trip to the Su residence.

Oh? Wang Ming was surprised. From what I can tell, the Su family is clearly reluctant to form a marriage alliance with our general. Is there any point in going back?

Of course there is! Su Jin's voice was sharp and resolute. This time, no matter what, I will make my second sister marry the Great General!

Even if I have to tie her up, I will bind my second sister to the Great General's bed.

Our Su family would absolutely never dare to disobey the Great General's orders.

Vice General Wang Ming nodded. Alright, then we will hold off on reporting to the Great General for now. I will accompany you once more.

Su Jin led the way, with Vice General Wang Ming following close behind.

The group quickly disappeared into the vast, misty drizzle of the northern frontier.

Outside the general's manor, the soldiers of Yunji City were also soon ordered by Ren Tianye to return to their respective tents.

Unlike the fear and trepidation of the past two days, now that a decision had truly been made, their hearts felt at ease.

Staying put meant death, waiting like frogs in boiling water meant death, and following the Great General would, at worst, also mean death.

Furthermore, the Great General treated them so well, providing all their pay and rations in full. By steadfastly following the Great General, they might just achieve a better outcome.

...

Three days later.

On the walls of Yunji City.

Guerrilla General Zhang Shi, who was most skilled in the art of divination, arrived in high spirits to relieve the guard.

Sun Xiang, who was currently on duty, could not help but tease him, Yo, Old Zhang, you are early again!

Every time you come for the shift change, you are a bit early, but this time, you are a full half-hour early. This does not seem like you.

I remember in the past, even for military orders coming from the Chifeng Army, you would cut it close and only set out right on time. You would consider it bad luck to be even half a cup of tea's time early. Why are you so diligent now?

Zhang Shi chuckled. How can that be the same?

The Chifeng Army's orders belong to the Chifeng Army.

Now...

He looked at the winding, broad road outside the city walls and said leisurely, Now we are working for ourselves. How can it be the same?

As he spoke, Zhang Shi felt an unprecedented sense of joy in his heart.

The last time he felt this carefree was when he was promoted to guerrilla general. That day, he was truly riding high on success, spending several taels of silver in a single day to invite everyone to eat meat and drink wine.

But in the blink of an eye, nearly ten years had passed. No matter how desperately he fought and killed the enemy, his rank seemed nailed dead to the position of guerrilla general.

He had tried every trick in the book and even gifted a significant amount of money and silver to Army Advisor Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei had made fine promises, but in the end... he was still just a guerrilla general.

As time went on, his drive to forge ahead faded away.

He would just wait it out!

He would just sit in this guerrilla general position until the day he died.

But now...

Everything was different.

Zhang Shi looked at the avenue outside Yunji City, then turned to look at the vast and massive interior of the city. He felt that even the floating air emanated a faint, sweet fragrance.

In just a few short days, he profoundly felt that this Yunji City was their home, their everything.

And now, being able to protect Yunji City made his heart surge with uncontrollable hot blood and impulse.

Well said!

Sun Xiang agreed.

Although Zhang Shi had already come to relieve him and he could leave, he stayed behind with Zhang Shi. His heart was also filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and an eager urge to take action.

The world outside Yunji City—they might just be able to set foot in it too!

Everything was great.

There was only one thing: the Great General had named their group of eight hundred men the Eight Hundred Army.

The Eight Hundred Army?

The name was a bit tacky and sorely lacked presence.

He had thought they would be called something like the Wind-Riding Army or the Changlin Army, names that could awe the world.

However, the Great General said that the word eight hundred possessed a magical power. Although he did not understand what this magical power actually was, if the Great General said so, then it must be right.

As long as they followed the Great General, their future held promise.

Thus, standing on the city wall, he and Zhang Shi chatted idly about this and that, enjoying this rare moment of peace after the recent days.

But suddenly, they saw a scout galloping towards them on horseback.

Report!

Ten miles outside the city, the Imperial Court's forbidden army has suddenly appeared! There are about twenty thousand of them, and they are heading straight for Yunji City.

Sun Xiang and Zhang Shi's expressions instantly changed drastically.

What? The Imperial Court reacted this fast?

Damn it, the Great General just conquered Yunji City, and the Imperial Court's troops are already here? Fuck, let's kill them! I finally got to where I am today, and I absolutely will not let them take it away!