History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 370 Strange Birds and Little Li Flowers
In the darkness of night, streaks and waves of iron swords, spears, and lances flashed everywhere, their shadows darker than the night itself, accompanied by screams and the sounds of pursuit.

"Clang, clang!"

Wei Shi's iron weapons clashed with the barbarian bandits' wooden weapons, the clashes coming in dense, sharp bursts!
"kill--"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A blink can decide life or death!
The bodies of the bandits were added one by one. Sometimes, before the wooden sticks that had been knocked away even hit the ground, the broken bodies would already be lying on the grass.

One side pressed its advantage, while the number of people remaining on the other side dwindled.

The wind carried the stench of blood further from the perimeter of the camp, a scent mixed with the cruel aroma of knives, guns, and armor, attracting wolves that peered across the grass, waiting for their chance to snatch something.

The crossbow bolts reaped the final victory, and the battle came to an end.

Just then, the scout that Zhao Zhi had sent out to explore returned and reported, "General, these bandits came from over there on the hills. On our way, we found traces of a pack of wolves. The wolves here must be very fierce; their paw prints are much larger than those of ordinary wolves!"

Zhao Zhi ordered: "The battalion commander shall record the location. Order the camp to break camp and continue towards Huyang County."

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. According to the military intelligence previously relayed by guerrilla general Li Hui, the leaders of the two major barbarian tribes, Liu Beixi and Lu Beiyan, are likely in contact with the Xiao Liang court, which is why they incited many barbarian tribes in Jingzhou to rebel against Wei and join Liang.

Before surrendering to Liang, they had to offer merit. The barbarian bandits were trying to offer merit to Emperor Xiao by offering Huyang County, which is located east of Xinye County! Once the barbarian bandits broke through the county, the Liang army could take the opportunity to penetrate into the heartland of Xinye County, Nanyang County, and Dongjingzhou, which would be equivalent to the Wei army having its belly ripped out just as it occupied the Nanyang battlefield!

Therefore, Zhao Zhi wouldn't be unable to distinguish between what's important and what's not, and would waste time searching for and eliminating small barbarian tribes.

Horse hooves pounded the muddy grass, and after the vigorous army of the conquest passed, hungry wolves pounced on their prey, and vicious birds circled in the sky, adding another hellish place to Nanyang County.

Among the birds of prey, a strange bird resembling both an eagle and an owl flew south alone, catching up with the Wei army and closely following above Zhao Zhi. This bird was the Five-Colored Crane, trained by Changsun Cheng, the Seventh Soldier. No matter how skillful the training, it was no match for Zhao Zhi's slap. This time, the Five-Colored Crane accompanied the army on the expedition, becoming a "flying scout."

dawn.

The army that was sent to conquer the barbarians entered a forested hillside on the northern outskirts of Huyang County, where more than 300 barbarian bandits lived. After the army wiped out the bandit den, they set up camp on the spot.

From this point on, the team could no longer advance rashly. Zhao Zhi ordered them to scout the surrounding area after daybreak before discussing any further action.

According to previous military intelligence reports, all the notorious barbarians from Jingzhou had fled to Huyang County. These bandit leaders were establishing local control over the area, gradually dismantling the county like an anthill. While the barbarian bandits' weapons were indeed weak, their numbers were vast. Their tactic was to concentrate their attacks on a single Wei camp, and once captured, they would occupy the strategically important location.

Zhao Zhi ignored her men's camp setup, lay down in the hay cart, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Half an hour later, the military commander Diao Zheng woke her up as instructed. By then, the sun had risen, and the camp was filled with the aroma of food.

Zhao Zhi wolfed down her food while listening to Diao Zheng report on the camp and the scouts' reconnaissance.

"This time we rescued more than a hundred prisoners, all of whom were barbarian people. After the interpreter interrogated the prisoners, we found a burning pit, and inside the pit were... the heads of our soldiers."

Zhao Zhi stopped eating, and when she tried to continue, she found the food tasteless. Diao Zheng said, "If we release the prisoners, they will either become bandits elsewhere or be slaughtered like livestock by bandits. I will arrange for them to do odd jobs in the camp, and give them one meal a day, just enough to keep them from starving."

Zhao Zhi nodded: "Mm."

Diao Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had served as an "Outer Military Advisor" under the rebel Yuan Xi and was a witness to Yuan Xi being choked to death by Zhao Zhi with a few dates. Fortunately, the court knew of his loyalty and he was not implicated by Yuan Xi, but he was temporarily relieved of his post and left to live at home. This time, when Zhao Zhi led the army on an expedition, Prince Yuan Jia of Guangyang recommended him to serve as Zhao Zhi's military advisor, fulfilling the responsibilities of strategizing and supervising the commander-in-chief. Diao Zheng had several dreams in which Zhao Zhi choked Yuan Xi to death with dates and then choked him to death as well.

This was the first time he had tentatively offered a suggestion. He observed Zhao Zhi closely as he spoke, extremely cautious. Seeing that Zhao Zhi did not show any anger, he continued, "The scouts sent out to the east, west, and south have returned. The scouts on the east and south routes had only traveled a few miles in both directions when they discovered young barbarian bandits lurking there. They must be a group of scouts sent out by a large tribe. The scouts were worried that there might be others hiding around the bandits, so they did not dare to alert them and returned to camp to report first."

Zhao Zhi: "We have two battalions of soldiers. Such a commotion can't be kept secret from the nearby barbarians. You previously served under the Prince of Guangyang in guarding Jingzhou, so you should have experience dealing with barbarians. In your opinion, how many days can the barbarians endure attacking our camp?"

Diao Zheng muttered to himself: Who spread the rumor that Zhao Zhi was a reckless and incompetent woman? In the short time from receiving the imperial decree to leaving the capital, he found out that he had once served in Jingzhou.

He had thought about this beforehand and immediately replied, "Three days for large tribes! It's hard to say for small tribes, especially those bandits without a leader."

Zhao Zhi: "I understand. When people have the ambition to become officials, they will be afraid of defeat and death."

Diao Zheng quickly pledged his loyalty: "I am by no means a coward who would be greedy for merit or afraid of death!"

Zhao Zhi put down the empty bowl and said, "Trust those you employ. Keep an eye on the camp. I'll go pick up the scouts who haven't returned yet."

The scouts are all agile runners; if they haven't returned yet, it means either they haven't encountered any barbarian bandits in the west and need to continue their exploration, or they've run into danger.

Diao Zheng followed closely behind out of the main tent and urgently advised, "General, you are the commander-in-chief; it is not advisable for you to venture into danger alone!"

Zhao Zhi: "If I don't come back by this time tomorrow, you will be the commander-in-chief. Also, my mount was replaced with the one belonging to the Prince of Guangling when I left the palace. If I don't return, please take it back to the Prince of Guangling safely."

"what?!"

The border war had no impact on the lives of the people of Luoyang.

The bustling city of Luoyang, as always, began to clamor at sunrise. The streets were filled with peddlers and laborers, while the wealthy and powerful, having finished their nights of wine and women, enjoyed the refined pleasures of boating on the Luo River and conversing in gardens and pavilions. However, this beautiful picture of Luoyang was almost constantly intertwined with the cries of butchers and vendors in the market and the chanting of Buddhist hymns, casting a strong irony over the scene.

The court session ended early today. When Prince Yuan Yu of Guangling came out of the palace gate, he was furious when he saw that wretched brown horse! His mount, "Little Lihua," had just been tamed and he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy it properly before Zhao Zhi stole it!
I may be angry, but it's time to get down to business.

He went out of the city gate to the western market of the music and instrumentation center. The fat man Yuan Cheng had given him a message that Princess Jinan had been fooling around with musicians in the Peach Blossom Pavilion of the music and instrumentation center for three days in a row.

Princess Yuanzhen of Jinan had reached marriageable age, but because of her tarnished reputation, she was avoided by the powerful and influential people of Luoyang. Yuanzhen estimated that she would not be able to find a good husband, so she began to give up on herself and became even more arrogant and domineering than before.

When Yuan Yu arrived at Peach Fragrance Pavilion, his niece was dancing with several young actors. Unlike other princes, Yuan Yu did not scold or despise Yuan Zhen. Instead, he picked a flower, bit it, and joined in, clapping and dancing along with the music.

"Fourth Uncle?" Yuanzhen went even crazier!