History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 458 Cold Light Shines on Iron Armor

People are as anxious as fire, and horses are as fast as the wind.

As Xiao Yan hurried along, he looked back. The increasingly distant Qixing County was surrounded by shouts of battle. Fortunately, even with the raging flood, he had already escaped.

The youngest cavalryman at the very back of the column also looked back, filled with unease. He caught up with his companion ahead and asked, "Can Governor Wei hold the city?"

"Yes, definitely. Don't worry, even if we can't hold it, Governor Wei has the ability to leave."

"But what about the soldiers in the city? And so many civilians..."

"That's how wars are. You'll get used to it once you've seen enough."

The officer ahead shouted urging them to hurry, and the two mounted soldiers didn't have time to talk: "Hurry up, keep up, hurry up!"

Clop clop clop... The warhorse tensed up as its master tensed up, and its hooves pounded even faster.

To the east of Qixing County lies the Mian River, where ships of the Yingzhou navy are moored. Once Xiao Yan takes over the garrison here, he can provide assistance to Qixing County as needed, or he can sail south along the river to prepare for the defense of the next city.

Tread, step, step...

No! Xiao Yan was the first to hear the galloping of horses ahead. His guards on either side immediately became alert, blew their bone whistles, and all the elite cavalrymen immediately drew their swords and crossbows, changed formation, and protected Xiao Yan in the middle.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap…

So fast!

Xiao Yan ordered: "Prepare for battle."

The military officers relayed the order: "Issue the command and prepare for battle!"

When dark shadows appeared at the edge of Xiao Yan's vision, he lowered his raised arm.

As Liang's soldiers fired their crossbows, the opposing side also charged and fired arrows simultaneously.

The force that attacked Xiao Yan was Zhao Zhi's hundred-plus female warriors.

"Split into two groups!" Zhao Zhi shouted.

The female warriors immediately spurred their horses and split into two groups of fifty, advancing towards the outer circle of Liang's army formation!
In the blink of an eye, as the two sides overlapped, arrows rained down.

Neither side backed down when they were shot; there were only the sounds of horses falling to the ground, not screams.

Whether they were Wei soldiers or Liang soldiers, their only belief at this moment was that as long as they had a breath left, they would fight to the last breath.

Killing just one enemy soldier is enough!
Kill two, make one!
"Kill Xiao Yan—" Zhao Zhi shouted, veins bulging on her neck.

Many Liang soldiers charged toward her.

Xiao Yan then exerted his strength, and his warhorse quickly rushed to the front. He also shouted angrily, "You are Zhao Zhi?"

Zhao Zhi remained silent, only exerting force with her legs and abdomen. Sensing her master's murderous intent, the mount charged forward fearlessly.

"boom!"

The weapons clashed.

"Kill—" Both sides had run out of arrows and began close combat.

In the distance, the firelight of Qixing County illuminated the night sky, and Zhao Zhi and Xiao Yan's small group of men turned this night road into a bloody path.

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and then they moved on.

The illuminated land was littered with broken armor and corpses.

Only Zhao Zhi remained standing. Blood, sweat, and mud covered her face. There are no invincible generals. She survived only because of nine parts hard work in martial arts and one part luck.

One of the soldiers moved slightly, and Zhao Zhi went over and pressed an iron hook against his neck until she heard the sound of bones breaking.

Someone moved to her side; it was one of her soldiers.

The woman braced herself on her hands, stood up, and used her last bit of strength to walk back to Zhao Zhi's side.

Another female warrior got up. Great! Her mount hadn't died either. It strolled over to her and nuzzled her face.

During this process, Zhao Zhi killed two more Liang soldiers who were still alive.

"Don't save me, don't save me." Although the female warrior could still speak, her injuries were too severe, and even with a military doctor present, she could not be saved.

Lying in her companion's arms, she used the last of her strength to recite: "What are you thinking, woman? What are you remembering, woman? Ten thousand miles I've gone to war, the cold light, the cold light..."

Her companion choked up, reached out and covered her eyes that hadn't closed yet, and finished reading the line for her: "The cold light shines on the iron armor."

War allows no room for sentimentality. The dozen or so surviving female warriors followed Zhao Zhi on horseback and headed to the battlefield in Qixing County.

Xiao Yan's death not only altered the fate of the Liang court but also made the power structure of the Wei court unpredictable. Of course, this unpredictability was fraught with dangers that only the wise could understand!

The Battle of Qixing ended before dawn, with Wei winning and Liang losing, and Wei Rui fleeing.

The soldiers had no rest and were ordering the prisoners to clean up the battlefield.

In Li Chong's tent, his advisors still couldn't believe that Xiao Yan had been killed by Zhao Zhi. Thinking about the upcoming transfer of military power, one advisor reminded Li Chong, "Once the news of Xiao Yan's death is released, Liang will be in chaos. What if General Zhao tries to take advantage of this situation..."

Li Chong shook his head, stopping his staff from making unfounded speculations.

The aides insisted, "General, you must make preparations as soon as possible!"

Li Chong's breathing became heavy, and he said, "I have sparred with Zhao Zhi, but I have never beaten her."

The staff member was taken aback. Just then, a song began to play from the neighboring camp, a few lines from the poem "Ballad of Mulan".

Musicians gathered in Luoyang and had long ago arranged various excerpts from "The Ballad of Mulan" into different tunes, including the one sung by the female warriors of Mulan's camp.

"What are you thinking, woman? What are you remembering, woman? You've traveled ten thousand miles to the battlefield, the cold light shining on your iron armor."

"The military register has twelve volumes, and now my name is on it. I hear only the rushing and splashing of the Yellow River, and from now on I will fight for my country."

The melody suddenly soars! The lyrics repeat!
"Mulan is a woman! Mulan is a woman!"

"Having been awarded twelve ranks of merit, Mulan refuses even a hundred or a thousand rewards!"

"With twelve promotions in merit, Mulan is qualified to serve as a high-ranking official!"

Inside Zhao Zhi's military tent.

Since Zhao Zhi tested Diao Zheng, the military commander, and Li Hui, the guerrilla general, after Wei Yao sent them a letter, the two have become Zhao Zhi's confidants.

When the singing in the camp stopped, the cries of the people in the city could be clearly heard.

This is war. The most innocent are the civilians, and the most miserable are also the civilians.

Zhao Zhi no longer hesitated and ordered Diao Zheng: "Tell General Li to hand over military power. I will take you back to the capital today."

She did indeed intend to kill Li Chong last night and gather the troops he brought. As long as she had enough troops, she could, like Prince Pengcheng Yuan Xie, intimidate the emperor and threaten the court.

Since Yuan Ke dared not touch Yuan Xie's family, Zhao Zhi believed that Yuan Ke would also dare not touch Wei Yao and Wei Yin.

However, if she truly breaks ties with the imperial court, she will likely be unable to escape war for the rest of her life!

Diao Zheng once said, "All the great generals of the world have stepped over the corpses of thousands upon thousands."

Does Zhao Zhi really want to be a powerful and ruthless leader? No, her original intention has always been to fight for the country and the people, not for the emperor or for power.

Her ambition was always that of an ordinary person... to have a home, a house, and love.

Diao Zheng accepted the order and walked to the tent entrance. He asked one last time, "General, are you really sure? This time, after returning to the capital, I may never be able to lead troops again."

Zhao Zhi held the iron hook in her hand, showing no fear, and said, "It's the same wherever I lead troops!"

April eleven.

The gates of Luoyang swung open, and messengers, one after another, rode to the palace to report: "The island barbarians have suffered a great defeat, and General Zhao has returned to the capital—"

Then, the onlookers spread the word and crowded the streets.

"Giddy up, giddy up!"

The armor gleamed in the sunlight as Zhao Zhi led her cavalry into the city.

The time was perfect, and the bells of major temples such as Baode and Yaoguang rang out.

The temple bells inside the palace were also ringing, and the emperor was so engrossed in chanting sutras that he was not interrupted. Prince Yuan Yu of Jingzhao and Prince Yuan Huai of Guangping were both there to keep him company.

A junior eunuch entered the Buddhist hall and informed the chief eunuch Yang Fan: "General Zhao Zhi has entered the city."

After the emperor finished reciting the sutra, Yang Fan cautiously stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, Zhao Zhi has entered the city, and according to the time, she has already entered the palace."

Yuan Ke asked, "Where is Wei Yao today?"

Yang Fan: "I have been inquiring and I know that Wei Yao is handling general affairs in Xibai Hall and has not left."

Where is Yuan Cheng?

Yang Fan: "Yuan Cheng is on leave and I heard he's going to see the stone tablet in the south of the city."

Yuan Ke then instructed Yuan Yu and Yuan Huai: "You two tell Zhao Zhi to wait at Xuanji Hall." After saying that, he continued chanting scriptures.