Looking at the blood-dripping red banner of the Jinyang Army, a cold gleam flashed in Kong Yong’s eyes. “The Jinyang Army? Nothing special.”
He was the highest-ranking commander of the garrison at Zhou County. He had rushed here with his troops half a month ago, yet had not seen a single Jinyang soldier since his arrival.
Since the Qu Zhao forces had entered the Central Plains, every battle against the Jinyang Army ended in defeat. Even Qu Bai had fallen at their hands.
Out of sheer curiosity about what made the Jinyang Army so different, he had come to see for himself.
Lu Ping smirked. “What, you want to stop us, the Jinyang Army?”
Kong Yong sneered. “What makes you think I can’t?”
Lu Ping chuckled and pointed toward Gofeng. “Zhou County isn’t far from Gofeng. Our few hundred men are no match for you.”
“But,” he added, his face full of defiance, “if you dare lay a finger on us, our lord will raze Zhou County to the ground. Winter is coming, and taking your county will make for a nice, fat year.”
“Does trading a few hundred of us for your entire county sound like a bad deal?” he taunted, his eyes scornful. “The question is—do you have the guts to act?”
Kong Yong felt anger surge within him but forced it down. “Arrogant fool. Do you really think the Qu Zhao are afraid of your Jinyang Army?”
“Exactly,” chimed in Kong Yong’s deputy commander. “Our Qu Zhao army, hundreds of thousands strong, will wipe out your Jinyang Army sooner or later.”
Lu Ping remained unruffled. “Then try it.”
“You—” The deputy commander’s face turned red with rage.
Lu Ping had no patience for further argument. He gestured toward the civilians behind him. “Oh, I nearly forgot to mention—they’re all infected with the plague.”
Kong Yong drew in a sharp breath, suppressing the urge to step back. “Who are you trying to fool? If it really were the plague, how would your Jinyang soldiers dare touch them?”
Lu Ping lifted his chin arrogantly. “You haven’t heard? Gofeng is a city blessed by Heaven. Once inside, the plague vanishes. So, the plague doesn’t scare us.”
The deputy commander was skeptical. “Impossible!”
Lu Ping pointed to a distant spot where faint smoke still rose. “Nearly two thousand civilians died from the plague. That’s where we burn the bodies. Feel free to send men to check.”
Kong Yong wavered, uncertain, as he looked at the civilians trailing behind the Jinyang soldiers.
He hadn’t paid much attention before, but now that he looked closely, they did appear sick with the plague.
Could Gofeng really have a cure?
He didn’t believe in ‘Heaven’s blessing.’ If Gofeng truly had such favor, it would never have fallen to them in the first place.
But since ancient times, there had been no effective cure for the plague. Did Gofeng have some extraordinary healer?
Lu Ping stared at them. “Well? If you’re going to fight, get on with it. If not, we’re leaving. We need to get back in time for dinner.”
Kong Yong choked on his words. The Jinyang Army’s fighting prowess remained unknown, but when it came to being infuriating, they were masters.
No wonder the envoy had been so furious he spat blood. Rumor had it that even his testicles were wrecked from rage. True or not, his way of walking these days did seem a little strange.
Kong Yong watched Lu Ping’s fearless attitude and the Jinyang soldiers behind him. They almost seemed eager for him to strike.
The feeling was unsettling. He silently took two steps back and made a gesture. The Qu Zhao soldiers immediately withdrew.
Now was not the right time for a fight. He couldn’t bear the responsibility of triggering a full-scale conflict.
Lu Ping’s face showed no emotion, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. He swaggered off, leading his men away.
The deputy commander watched the Jinyang soldiers’ cocky gait and ground his teeth. “General, are we really letting them go?”
Kong Yong shot him a glance. “You think they marched openly on the main road for no reason?”
If they had been in some remote mountain pass, they could have killed them, burned the bodies, and wiped all evidence. Gofeng would never find proof.
But here on the main road, with the Jinyang Army on a mission, Gofeng must have planted plenty of scouts, even though this was Zhou County’s territory.
And more importantly, the Qu Zhao didn’t want a fight right now.
Back then, Gofeng dared to steal their supplies and kill their soldiers because the Jinyang Army wasn’t afraid to fight.
That was the difference.
The deputy commander couldn’t help muttering, “How humiliating. Absolutely humiliating.”
Kong Yong shook his head. “Winter is almost here. Our main forces are all at Lin County right now. Hopefully, we can take it before the season changes.”
The deputy commander frowned deeply. “Come to think of it, it’s strange. Lin County, like an isolated island, has held out so long under our siege.”
Kong Yong sighed. “The ruthless fear the brutal, the brutal fear the reckless, the reckless fear the mad. Luo Lan is a madman. It makes sense that he’s held out so long.”
The Luo Lan he spoke of was standing atop the city wall, watching the Qu Zhao army retreat yet again.
“Send men to bring the Qu Zhao soldiers’ corpses into the city," he said, his voice flat. "Today, everyone will eat their fill of meat.”
The soldiers on the wall erupted in cheers. “Yes! Haha! Finally, a full meal today!”
Soon, the city gates swung open, and soldiers poured out. Some gathered weapons and armor, others dragged corpses back into the city.
From a distance, the Qu Zhao army watched, grinding their teeth. “Vile! These Han are vile! They actually—”
They knew exactly what fate awaited their dead soldiers inside Lin County, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Qu Zhao’s chariot and cavalry general, Kuang Qian, stared coldly at Lin County’s watchtower. “The Grand General has withdrawn from Ze’e Prefecture. These Han scum won’t last much longer.”
Lin County had been the most infuriating battle he had ever fought.
That madman Luo Lan took in any Han he could. Since last year, he had accepted at least a hundred thousand refugees.
A town that wasn’t even large, yet tens of thousands manned its walls—dense with defenders!
No wonder it was so hard to take. True, these “soldiers” weren’t much in terms of skill, but there were so many of them.
Even if each one only threw a single stone at the attackers, it would still be devastating.
And Luo Lan’s tactics were endless—throwing plague-ridden corpses into their ranks, luring infected Han civilians into their nearby counties.
Thankfully, Wuzhen and Lin County were separated by Dongyi County, or even the Great Khan would be in danger.
When he thought about it, it was terrifying. The Qu Zhao ate people, but only the Han—their “two-legged sheep.” But Luo Lan, when starving, wouldn’t hesitate to eat Han civilians.
It was deeply unsettling. A lone city, holding out for over a year—where did the food for a hundred thousand people come from?
It was said that once, during a desperate famine, Luo Lan boiled his two favorite concubines to feed his soldiers.
The soldiers were so moved that they fought like demons afterward, showing no fear of death.
That battle had been bloody. Both Qu Zhao and Han suffered countless casualties.
Yet Lin County had gained a massive supply of "meat." Word had it that they even dried the leftovers into jerky…
A city of madmen, so close to Wuzhen, kept the Qu Zhao on edge every second.
But for the past year, Ze’e Prefecture and Gofeng had tied up too many troops, and Lin County remained unconquered.
The city gates closed, and Luo Lan strode down from the wall.
Just then, a tall man approached.
Without stopping, Luo Lan asked, “Any news?”
The tall man replied, “Qu Shilang has withdrawn from Ze’e Prefecture. The Qu Zhao pulled back so quickly today probably because they learned he’s returning.”
A man named Ye Shang had fled to Lin County about two months ago.
Thanks to his outstanding abilities, he quickly caught the attention of Luo Lan among a ragtag group of men and was given an important role.
