Wang Ming was so excited that he immediately ordered his men to turn back and maintain constant contact with Chen Song. The moment Pei Wugou ordered that he be beaten with the rod, Chen Song was to report it at once. Wang Ming, meanwhile, would lead the entire army toward Zhenjiang City.
With the plan settled, the delight on Wang Ming’s face could no longer be concealed. In two days, he would take Zhenjiang City and open a passage through the chain of fortresses north of the Yangtze.
At the same time, Zhang Shi had arrived before Suojiang Fort.
Suojiang Fort stood along the bank of a major river that flowed into the Yangtze. It had been built there to control the waterway’s upper entrance.
The fort was constructed beside the river, with concealed wooden barriers beneath the water and iron chains stretched across the channel.
Within the fort was a water gate from which small, fast boats could be launched to harass an enemy.
Although the garrison numbered only two or three thousand men, the fort’s advantageous terrain allowed it to completely seal off the river. Taking it would not be easy.
Zhang Shi, however, was not worried.
When his army arrived, the gates of Suojiang Fort were already open, and its commander had even ridden out at full speed to meet him.
“This subordinate pays his respects to General Zhang Shi.”
“This subordinate pays his respects to General Lu Chaosheng.”
“This subordinate has been guarding Suojiang Fort for Yunjing and suffering under its tyranny day after day. Yunjing is crawling with these romance-addled fools, and this subordinate truly could not bear it any longer. I have been waiting for Lord Duke to arrive.”
“Now that General Lu Chaosheng is willing to give this subordinate a chance and invite me to serve under General Zhang Shi, I would never refuse such an honor.”
“The gates of Suojiang Fort are now open.”
“Please send men to take control of the fort, General Zhang Shi.”
Zhang Shi dismounted, helped the commander to his feet, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile.
“Good, good, good. To recognize one’s mistake and mend one’s ways is the greatest virtue of all. Rest assured—once you follow Lord Duke, you will never again have to endure those tiresome romantic entanglements.”
“Serve as soldiers with peace of mind!”
“Make a name for yourselves and win great merit!”
The commander was overjoyed. He knelt and bowed again, then said, “General Zhang Shi, the commander of Hengjiang Stockade is stubborn and unyielding, a staunch guardian of Yunjing. However, his deputy has long held favorable feelings toward Lord Duke.”
“This subordinate is willing to write him a letter and persuade him to surrender.”
“Of course, if General Lu Chaosheng could also write a letter, the effect would be even better. That deputy truly admires General Lu Chaosheng.”
Before Zhang Shi could speak, Lu Chaosheng said from beside him, “General Zhang Shi, this subordinate is willing to offer his humble service.”
Before long, two letters quietly made their way into Hengjiang Stockade. By the time Zhang Shi’s army was on the road, a reply had already arrived.
“I have suffered under Yunjing for far too long. To find a true lord today is a blessing earned over three lifetimes. Please come at once, General Zhang Shi and General Lu Chaosheng. I shall personally cut off the commander’s head and present it to you both!”
Zhang Shi and Lu Chaosheng led their army onward and soon reached Hengjiang Stockade.
Hengjiang Stockade lay downstream from Suojiang Fort, at the mouth of the same river just before it entered the Yangtze. Together, the two strongholds formed a double-layered blockade of the waterway.
An arrow tower had been built on each bank of the river, the two connected by iron cables. A thick iron chain stretched across the water. In ordinary times it sank beneath the surface; in wartime, a capstan would haul it up to cut off passing fleets.
The garrison was likewise not large, numbering around four thousand men.
Even so, the stockade was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Yet when Zhang Shi arrived, a man dressed like a general was already standing at the entrance of Hengjiang Stockade, gazing into the distance. As soon as he recognized Zhang Shi’s army, he immediately spurred his horse forward.
“This humble servant pays his respects to General Zhang Shi and General Lu Chaosheng!”
“I am the deputy commander of Hengjiang Stockade. I have already cut off the commander’s head and brought it here as a token of my sincerity in surrendering.”
He presented a severed head. Zhang Shi was delighted and ordered someone to take it.
He then dismounted once more, helped the deputy to his feet, and offered him another round of encouragement.
“I know that you harbor countless grievances against Yunjing, but you must believe me: after you pledge yourself to Lord Duke this time, what happened before will never happen again.”
“From this day forward, you are one of Lord Duke’s generals!”
After calming and reassuring him for a while, Zhang Shi sent men to take control of Hengjiang Stockade.
Thus, Langyan Fort, Suojiang Fort, and Hengjiang Stockade all fell into their hands.
“General Zhang Shi, Suojiang Fort and Hengjiang Stockade have now been taken. Of the four strongholds, only Linjiang Ferry remains.”
Lu Chaosheng came forward and reported the matter on one knee. Zhang Shi immediately helped him to his feet.
“General Lu, there is no need to be so formal. The fact that we took Langyan Fort, Suojiang Fort, and Hengjiang Stockade without bloodshed is entirely due to your efforts!”
“Most importantly…”
“These three strongholds lie lower than Zhenjiang City, allowing Pei Wugou within the city to observe everything we do. Yet we managed to take them without making the slightest sound!”
As Zhang Shi spoke, he could not help but feel deeply moved.
The capture of Langyan Fort, Suojiang Fort, and Hengjiang Stockade had depended entirely on Lu Chaosheng. With little more than a letter from him, the commanders either surrendered outright or had their own subordinates surrender and casually eliminate them. Zhang Shi had practically taken the three strongholds with ease while his army was still on the march.
Lu Chaosheng had rendered such tremendous service. How could Zhang Shi not feel increasingly favorable toward him?
“General Zhang Shi, you flatter me. The real reason is that Lord Duke has won the hearts of the people.” Lu Chaosheng quickly cupped his hands, making no attempt to claim credit. He then became even more enthusiastic in offering Zhang Shi advice.
“General Zhang Shi, now that Langyan Fort, Suojiang Fort, and Hengjiang Stockade have fallen, should we rest for two days?”
“Once the army has recovered, we can proceed directly to Linjiang Ferry.”
“No!” Zhang Shi replied decisively. “Speed is the most important thing right now. We must take Linjiang Ferry as quickly as possible. Only then can we surround Zhenjiang City.”
“When that happens…”
“Zhenjiang City will become an isolated stronghold. How could it possibly escape my grasp?”
Zhang Shi’s eyes gleamed.
He had treated Wang Ming as his imagined rival for so long. This was the first time he had seen a real opportunity—an opportunity to surpass Wang Ming!
He had to seize it!
“Yes, General Zhang Shi!” Lu Chaosheng quickly agreed, but then his expression turned troubled. “It is just that…”
“Linjiang Ferry probably cannot be taken as easily as Langyan Fort, Suojiang Fort, and Hengjiang Stockade. We will have to expend some effort.”
Zhang Shi laughed heartily. “It would be strange if everything went so smoothly. Of course we’ll have to expend some effort.”
“It is nothing. If effort is required, then effort it shall be.”
“However, since you say this, you must know Linjiang Ferry well, do you not?”
“Yes,” Lu Chaosheng replied. “Linjiang Ferry connects to the Yangtze and serves as the final line of defense for the entire chain of fortresses north of the river…”
“In fact, it can hardly even be called a line of defense.”
“If our army launches a fierce attack, we could take it easily within a day at most.”
“And moreover…”
“I dare guarantee to you, General, that if the army attacks, we could take it in half a day—or perhaps even less than that. It is only…”
“Such a forceful assault is not suitable at present.”
Zhang Shi understood what Lu Chaosheng meant.
They were currently carrying out a covert operation. Their goal was to seize Langyan Fort, Suojiang Fort, Hengjiang Stockade, and Linjiang Ferry without making a sound. They could not engage in a major battle, or they would alert Zhenjiang City. If Pei Wugou sent troops from the city, things would become troublesome.
Nor would such an attack fit Zhang Shi’s objective: first taking the four strongholds, then capturing Zhenjiang City.
…
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
