The Movements of Gu Qingyue's All-Female Army

Lu Chaosheng deeply agreed.

He nodded and said, “Yes, General Zhang Shi. I’ll have people distribute the notices throughout the surrounding area at once. We must make sure that more of the people of Yunjing learn of Lord Duke’s wisdom and are helped to escape the trap of romantic obsession!”

Lu Chaosheng acted swiftly. After all, all he had to do was continue copying the notice and arrange for people to distribute it. He was extremely familiar with the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster, and he assigned the manpower appropriately.

Before long, notices had appeared everywhere throughout the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster.

“I, Zhang Shi, hereby obey Lord Duke’s command and shall be solely responsible for correcting the abuses caused by romantic obsession. Anyone who has suffered injustice because of another person’s romantic obsession may come forward and file a complaint.”

“No matter whether those foolish and deluded people flee to the ends of the earth, remote wilderness, or the grasslands beyond the frontier, I will personally lead troops to track them down and punish them severely. Those who have suffered injustice will all be placed under my full protection.”

The notice produced an excellent effect.

The Jiangbei Fortress Cluster was close to Yunjing. The closer one got to Yunjing, the more severe the atmosphere of romantic obsession became. The people could truly be said to have suffered deeply from it.

One after another, they had endured their grievances in silence, cowering helplessly. But after Zhang Shi issued his notice, the people saw a glimmer of hope. Quite a few came to the military camp seeking help.

After Zhang Shi repeatedly dispatched troops to mediate their disputes, his popularity grew even further. The people of Yunjing eagerly provided the ships Zhang Shi needed, along with all manner of supplies required to attack the Yangtze defense line.

Many of the people of Yunjing even volunteered for the army and joined Zhang Shi’s forces.

Yet while the people throughout the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster were seething with excitement, the villagers of Xipo Village, a settlement bordering the fortress cluster but outside Yunjing’s territory, could only sigh in despair.

“Sigh… I hear that General Zhang Shi has swept away romantic obsession and restored justice throughout the entire Jiangbei Fortress Cluster. Everyone there is living a good life now. When will we in Xipo Village get to live well too?”

“That won’t happen. Our village chief may be outrageous, exploitative, and tyrannical, but he isn’t romantically obsessed. General Zhang Shi certainly won’t interfere. Besides, Xipo Village lies deep in the mountains. Even if General Zhang Shi marched here, it might take ten days just to get in. Why would he come?”

“Sigh… How I envy them. Wherever Lord Duke’s army goes, everyone gets to live a good life. They have clothes to wear and food to eat. But a place as remote as ours looks destined to remain poor for generations.”

“I truly wish I could leave Xipo Village. If my mother weren’t bedridden, I would have gone to Yunjing already. Once Lord Duke conquered it, I would become one of Lord Duke’s people.”

…

The people of Xipo Village sighed endlessly.

Their lives were simply too difficult. They had barely enough clothing to cover themselves and barely enough food to fill their stomachs, while the village chief constantly bullied and exploited them.

What made matters worse was that the Jiangbei Fortress Cluster, not far from them, was clearly on the verge of enjoying a better life, while they remained exactly as poor as before.

There was no harm without comparison, but comparison doubled the harm. How could the villagers of Xipo Village possibly accept this?

They had not failed to think of ways to change their situation. Unfortunately, none of their attempts had worked, and no one even had the courage to take the lead. At present, their only hope lay with a young nobleman who had once recuperated in their village.

“Young Master Chen Liang was rescued by people from our village and recovered here. He said that once his great undertaking was complete, he would take us to join Lord Duke. Has Young Master Chen Liang still not finished his great undertaking?”

“Oh, I advise you not to place too much hope in that. Even if Young Master Chen Liang takes us to join Lord Duke, would you really be willing to leave the village? Your family graves are all here.”

“Young Master Chen Liang came from the capital. Even that vile village chief has to give way before him. Couldn’t Young Master Chen Liang ask Lord Duke to take over our village?”

“Is that so easy? Our village is hidden deep in the mountains and forests. Sigh… I suppose we can only endure it.”

“No matter what, we should wait for Young Master Chen Liang. Perhaps he has some way to help us?”

…

The people of Xipo Village had placed all their hopes in Chen Liang. Chen Liang had even written back to say that he would come, but now, despite all this time having passed, he was still nowhere to be seen. The villagers of Xipo Village were growing increasingly anxious.

Just as they were about to give up, a thunderous cry suddenly rang out from the entrance of the village.

“Young Master Chen Liang is back!”

“What? It’s Young Master Chen Liang!”

“Young Master Chen Liang has arrived?”

…

All the villagers rushed over in delight. There they saw a young nobleman covered in dust from his journey. He had a tall, upright figure, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist, and carried himself with an imposing air. However, he was visibly weary from traveling and bore the marks of wind and frost on his clothes and face.

It was Chen Liang, the very man who had assisted Ren Tianye in Pukou City.

As Chen Liang looked at the villagers who had come out to welcome him so enthusiastically, his eyes grew hot.

After Pei Jingzhi had joined Lord Duke, Chen Liang had felt that he had contributed nothing of value, so he had gone south in search of an opportunity. Unexpectedly, he had fallen off a cliff and had been seriously injured. Fortunately, the people of Xipo Village had rescued him, allowing him to survive.

The villagers of Xipo Village already led difficult lives, yet during the time he recovered there, they had learned that he was a nobleman from the capital and had treated him with wholehearted kindness.

Whatever food and drink they had in their homes, they brought to him first.

It was precisely because of the people of Xipo Village that he had recovered completely. Later, after hearing that Lord Duke had launched his southern campaign, he had bid farewell to the villagers and gone to Pukou City to oversee affairs there, making a modest contribution toward Lord Duke’s capture of the city.

However, after Pukou City fell, Chen Liang had not immediately gone to see Ren Tianye, nor had he gone to see his friend Pei Jingzhi. Instead, he had returned to Xipo Village alone.

He had promised the people of Xipo Village that he would help them live a better life.

Naturally, he had to keep his word!

He had originally expected to return to Xipo Village soon, but something unexpected happened along the way. He heard news about several matters, especially one person’s name.

Gu Qingyue!

He had been the one to release that woman from the capital back then. He had thought she was causing trouble and disrupting the grand plan, but he had never expected that, after leaving the capital for so long, she would truly make something of herself.

She had actually formed an army of women!

Chen Liang still did not know how strong Gu Qingyue’s women’s army was. But now that he had sincerely pledged himself to Lord Duke, he naturally could not ignore it. Besides, the matter was connected to him.

That was why he had been forced to stop and investigate. Once he had gained a clear understanding of the situation, he hurried back to Xipo Village.

Fortunately, although he had returned a little late, he had not delayed anything important. Everything was still in time.

Thus, Chen Liang waved his hand, suppressing the villagers’ voices before saying, “Fathers and fellow villagers, rest assured. Whatever I, Chen Liang, promised you, I will certainly make good on.”

“Our Xipo Village lies deep in the mountains. Lord Duke’s army certainly will not come here easily, so it would be difficult for our village to escape its predicament. However…”

“Now that I have returned, I will definitely help everyone. I will ask Lord Duke’s army to come here and create an entirely new Xipo Village!”

“I will ensure that everyone in Xipo Village can live the life they have dreamed of under Lord Duke’s protection!”

As soon as Chen Liang finished speaking, the people of Xipo Village burst into joyous celebration.

“Young Master Chen Liang, is that really true?”

“When has Young Master Chen Liang ever lied to us?”

“Young Master Chen Liang, we’re counting on you!”

…

Chen Liang smiled faintly. After washing up briefly at a villager’s home, he strode out and headed straight for the village chief’s house in Xipo Village!

…