History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

That's a vicious move!
The saying goes, "A subject dies for his sovereign." If Zhao Zhi had insulted the governor of Yingzhou, that would have been one thing, but she insulted the Liang emperor as a turtle. If the soldiers of the Nine Liang still pretended not to hear and hid, it would be tantamount to betraying the Liang court!
"That wicked woman is skilled with an arrow, but she may not be good at fighting. Let's charge together and capture her alive."

"Die, you wicked woman!" Jiu Liang's troops split into three groups—left, center, and right—and attacked Zhao Zhi.

Zhao Zhi's goal was to prevent the enemy soldiers from scattering and escaping. If the enemy fell into the trap and attacked together, even if there were twice as many men, they would still be sent to their deaths.

She used an iron hook to pull herself into the ditch, then leaped onto flat ground. Before her feet even touched the ground, the iron hook flew out of her hand. The force of the throw was so great that the hook tip pierced through the chest of a Liang soldier, breaking through his armor and bone. She then charged forward, twisting her body and reaching out her arm as she passed enemy soldiers. She bypassed the Liang soldier at the front and grabbed the hand of another Liang soldier holding a knife.

Then with a tug and a snatch.

"Ah—" the Liang soldier screamed in agony as his hand and forearm were completely severed, and his weapon fell into Zhao Zhi's hands.

A gust of wind rises from behind!
Zhao Zhi was on guard. Without changing the direction of her knife, she pushed it back, stabbing half of the knife into the abdomen of Liang Bing, who had just been out of position with her. Then, she turned her head and crouched down, dodging another knife attack. At the same time, she slashed down with the knife in her hand along her crouching position. Liang Bing, who was hit by her knife, immediately died with his intestines ruptured.

Draw the knife!

The blade slashed upwards and forwards from below. Poor Liang Bing, who had just lost a hand, couldn't dodge the slash even as he retreated, and was slashed from his own leg to his abdomen by his own blade.

In just a few breaths, the three corpses collapsed to the ground.

The remaining six Liang soldiers were terrified and all considered fleeing for their lives.

"How is that possible? How could a mere woman be so strong?"

"I know, she is Zhao Zhi, she must be Zhao Zhi!"

Zhao Zhi swung her blade, devouring three lives. She then gripped the knife properly and sneered, "What, Xiao Yan's turtle shell can't protect you anymore?"

"Kill—" The six Liang soldiers gritted their teeth and shouted as they launched another attack.

Crows come and go in disarray, their noise echoing through the cold sky.

When Zhao Zhi held the knife to the neck of the last Liang soldier, the man's knees buckled, and he revealed that Cao Jingzong was in Qixing County, Qixing Prefecture, overseeing the war effort.

"The defenses at Qixing County's main camp are lax. I can bring a female warrior into the camp."

With a swift movement, Zhao Zhi snapped the man's neck. She then quickly donned his military robe, changed her hairstyle to the Liang soldiers' standard bun, killed the rest of the warhorses, kept the cheap horse as her mount, and galloped towards Qixing County.

The five-colored crane leg, bound with a secret message, was a true scout, and that very night it flew back to Wei Camp in Huyang County.

Military Commander Diao Zheng opened the secret letter and saw a person riding a horse drawn in blood, with a piece of thread torn from a piece of clothing attached to it.

Lieutenant Li Hui, not understanding, asked, "What is General Zhao trying to tell us?"

Diao Zheng laughed loudly: "The general told us that she went to Qi (cavalry), Xing (travel), and Xian (line)."

Qixing County was the seat of Qixing Prefecture during the Xiao Liang Dynasty.

Before Cao Jingzong even arrived, his vice of drinking and having fun had already been discovered by local officials. Once Zhao Zhi entered Qixing County, she only needed to follow the carts carrying wine and the places frequented by the singing and dancing girls to discover Cao Jingzong's true hiding place.

As she expected, the traitor Liang Bing's confession contained both truth and falsehood!
On the thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, she confirmed Cao Jingzong's whereabouts. This fellow was not stationed at the camp, nor was he on duty at the county office. Instead, he was at the Dayang Mountain military camp in the east of Qixing County.

It turns out that besides indulging in drinking and entertaining women, Cao Jingzong also loved hunting and ostentatious travel. The lush vegetation and abundant wild animals of Dayang Mountain reminded Cao Jingzong of the carefree days he spent in his youth chasing deer in the marshes with dozens of friends.

He had been cooped up under the emperor's nose for a long time. Coming to Dayang Mountain, a treasure trove of hunting grounds, it was already difficult for him to endure for three days. So, taking advantage of the approaching New Year, he wanted to go into the mountains to hunt wild beasts.

His advisors advised, "Wang Mao was too careless, which is why the Suo Lu assassins succeeded in their attack. The governor should learn from this lesson and not repeat the same mistake!"

As Cao Jingzong happily adjusted his brand-new hunting clothes, he said, "I'm not wearing official robes, so who can guess who I am? Do you think there are more assassins than the number of fierce soldiers who went into the mountains this time?"

The advisor first praised, "The governor's prestige is such that he can be recognized by the people at a glance in a crowd, whether he is wearing official robes or not."

He continued to persuade, "Since you came to Qixing County, although the governor has tried his best to conceal his identity, many officials still know about it. They admire you too much and can't get rid of you no matter what. In this situation, it's alright in the military camp, but if you're on the official road or in the open forests, and the assassins suspect your identity, danger will come." At this moment, a strange bird flew over the military camp, its cry attracting other vicious birds to chase after it, and they began to fight above the military camp.

"Look! Is that a bird of prey an eagle or an owl? I've never seen one before!"

"Yes, it seemed to have played a trick on a whole flock of eagles. Oh my, it scared me to death! It was definitely a trick on the eagle that attacked it."

Hearing the commotion outside, Cao Jingzong came out to see what was going on. Upon seeing the strange bird clearly, he was overjoyed: "It's neither an eagle nor an owl, could it be the legendary eagle bird?"

Unfortunately, the strange bird was high in the sky and could not be shot at. Soon, it and the other eagles flew into the depths of the mountains.

Cao Jingzong was even more depressed than before. He returned to his tent, stood in front of the bronze mirror, and sighed, saying, "I'm old. I finally wanted to return to my youth and hunt freely, but you all stopped me time and time again. Alas, in Jiankang, those jealous nobles were always watching me. I was careful in everything I did, afraid of making a mistake. Even lifting the curtain of my carriage on the road was a fear that the censor would impeach me. Now, living at the foot of the mountain, I still can't go out as I please. This lifeless life is worse than death."

The advisors exchanged bewildered glances. Having come this far, who dared to offer any further advice? Fine, tomorrow is the New Year. Let's use hunting wild animals as an excuse to boost the morale of the soldiers and head into the mountains.

The strange bird that lured Cao Jingzong into greed was the Five-Colored Flying Scout, which Zhao Zhi had trained. Cao Jingzong had also trained many eagles and more than a hundred hunting dogs, all of which he brought to Qixing County this time. The hunting team was grand and imposing, with the eagles and dogs in the sky and on the ground displaying fierce momentum as they headed towards Dayang Mountain.

"The strange bird was heading in that direction," the magistrate of Qixing County said, guessing the governor's preference, pointing in one direction.

Sure enough, Cao Jingzong laughed with satisfaction and cracked his whip, saying, "Good, go that way!"

The magistrate of Suiping County had also prepared gifts in advance and flattered him, saying, "It is rare for the governor to leave the camp to hunt, and it would be rather boring to just travel. I have raised several dozen wild horses and several dozen deer. Now, we will drive the deer and horses around and accompany the governor to search for exotic birds and shoot deer. How about that?"

Cao Jingzong was even happier: "Haha, good, good!"

The reason he became famous at a young age was that he was good at shooting only deer from a mix of deer and horses, never injuring the horses.

At the command, riders galloped through the mountains and forests to block the enemy, causing birds and beasts to flee in terror and birds to scatter from the branches.

The forest was too dense; some people ran fast while others lagged behind, causing the group to stretch out and begin to disperse.

Cao Jingzong anxiously searched for the Five-Colored Crane, only to find that the strange bird had already reunited with its master, Zhao Zhi.

The area around where Zhao Zhi was hiding was filled with broken stones and tall grass. The wild grass was tied with more than a hundred ropes by the Wei soldiers sent by Diao Zheng. These Wei soldiers, like Zhao Zhi, were covered in deer blood and were prepared to die. They lay in the grass nest waiting for their "prey" to step in.

Hunting dogs have keen ears and can distinguish the difference between the running of a deer and the rustling of grass, so they bark one after another.

However, Cao Jingzong and other officials ignored their warnings, thinking they were indicating the direction the deer were fleeing.

The fierce soldiers and military officers surrounding Cao Jingzong dispersed once again.

The time has come!
Zhao Zhi made the five-colored crane continue flying, which angered the enemy camp's falcons, who chased after it. Many hunting dogs were also chased by their owners.

The advisor's words were correct: Cao Jingzong's official presence was indeed imposing, and his bright and eye-catching hunting attire made him easily recognizable among the officials.

Wei soldiers moved, seizing wild horses and charging headlong into the Liang soldiers' hunting camp.

Zhao Zhi mingled among them, swinging her iron hook to kill Liang soldiers while dodging arrows. When her horse was hit, she would seize another horse until no one dared to approach within the range of her swinging iron hook.

Get close and you'll die!

"They are Suolu soldiers!"

"Protect the governor!"

A selfish general leads selfish soldiers. When faced with a life-or-death situation, everyone shouts loudly, but only protects themselves. When Cao Jingzong was shot by an arrow and dragged a long way by the stirrups, his body was finally caught and brought back. By the time they caught up, his head was gone.

Zhao Zhi's infamous reputation led Liang Ting to list her as the top assassination target, surpassing even Prince Pengcheng Yuan Xie and Minister of War Li Chong. (End of Chapter)