Chapter 10: Two Thousand Men Destroy a Kingdom!
The infantry from the two states discarded their helmets and armour, fleeing in utter panic.
The chariots, which had only just begun their retreat, saw the chaos erupting behind them and the dust billowing in the distance, and they too were seized by terror.
They had no idea what was happening.
And just as they hesitated, Zhang Yang led a charge of three hundred elite troops.
He led from the front, wielding a spear known as the Eight-Combined Spear.
This spear measured four metres in length and was cast in bronze.
When thrust forward, it moved like a dragon; wherever it struck, severed limbs and shattered arms flew through the air, as though he himself had entered a realm without opposition.
Such a savage scene shattered the morale of the already wavering chariot soldiers in an instant. The remaining hundred or so chariots either fled or surrendered!
The battle lasted half a day, and the Shang Kingdom, at the cost of forty-three dead and one hundred and twenty-six wounded, almost completely annihilated the allied forces of the two states. Thirteen thousand prisoners were captured!
The number of casualties was just over a thousand; the rest had scattered, fleeing in all directions. Given Zhang Yang’s limited forces, there was simply no capacity to pursue them.
Half a day later.
All the captives from the allied forces of the two states had their weapons confiscated. Some squatted on the ground, others lay prone, utterly exhausted and powerless.
The atmosphere within the Shang Kingdom stood in stark contrast.
The soldiers were jubilant; the mood was electric.
A crowd had gathered around Zhang Yang.
Heitu laughed heartily, “Ha ha ha, that was exhilarating, truly exhilarating.”
“Master, this battle was a real triumph!”
Guan exclaimed in admiration, “Master’s cavalry tactics are unheard of, unseen before. Today’s victory will surely make your name known throughout the land.” Other officers joined in the praise: “Previously, when General trained the cavalry, many nobles at home thought it was a waste.”
“Now the General has won this battle, let’s see what they have to say.”
“It’s just a pity—we only had two thousand horsemen. With more, this victory could have been even more magnificent.”
“Indeed, the General’s mounted archery tactics are truly extraordinary.”
Zhang Yang sat astride his horse, gazing thoughtfully at the captured soldiers from the two states. After a moment’s reflection, a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes. He spoke firmly, “Are you all satisfied with this?”
Hearing this, those who had just been boastful froze instantly.
Satisfied?
No, isn’t this far from enough?
We fought with two thousand against twenty thousand, three hundred chariots, and captured over ten thousand prisoners. What a magnificent victory this is!
Before anyone could speak, Zhang Yang said coldly, "The two states combined have only fourteen cities, with a population of merely three or four hundred thousand."
"With their populations, fielding three hundred chariots and twenty thousand troops was already a full-scale national war."
"Now, with their forces utterly defeated, their homeland is left hollow."
"Are you willing to take a gamble with me for wealth and honour?"
Zhang Yang paused, then continued, "Before the campaign, I asked my wife for a lucky charm."
"If we won this battle, I would claim half of the spoils."
"Now, I offer this lucky charm to all of you."
"If we triumph in this war, the rewards and lands will be shared equally between myself and all of you."
These words thundered like a clap of lightning in their ears, and in an instant, everyone grasped Zhang Yang’s intention. After a brief silence, their eyes grew red and their breathing quickened. Although many were nobles or scholars, their families were not well-off—otherwise, how could they have ended up alongside Zhang Yang? The generous rewards were like a powerful stimulant, instantly filling them with energy. They exchanged silent glances before bowing deeply and declaring in unison, “We are willing to advance and retreat with the General.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Yang’s lips as he replied resolutely, “Good.”
“Today, we will create another miracle!”
On the fifteenth of July, the Shang Kingdom clashed in a decisive battle against the States of Yang and Li on the Yingchuan Plain.
That day, General Zhang Yang of the Shang Kingdom led two thousand men, using an unprecedented mastery of mounted archery to decisively defeat the combined forces of over twenty thousand from the two states.
After the battle, Zhang Yang selected seven thousand infantrymen from the captured slaves and peasants among the allied enemy forces.
He promised that after this campaign, all slaves would be set free and generously rewarded. He ordered Heitu and Guan to lead the captured slaves from the State of Li to launch an attack on the State of Yang.
They were not required to win, but the disturbance had to be significant and the momentum overwhelming.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang took a thousand elite troops and three thousand surrendered soldiers from Yang, heading south directly towards the capital of the State of Li, Li City.
Li City was situated on the Yingchuan Plain, just over a hundred miles from the battlefield where the three states had clashed—an entirely flat plain, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Two days later, on 18 July, Zhang Yang arrived at Li City, the capital of the State of Li.
By then, news of the frontline defeat had already arrived.
But the Sovereign of Li had no time to lament the crushing loss at the front.
On 19 July, Zhang Yang led his troops to besiege the city.
On the same day, with the help of insider collaborators, Li City was stormed!
The Sovereign of Li surrendered. On 21 July, Zhang Yang led 500 men, escorting the Sovereign of Li, the Lady of Li, and numerous noble captives, along with an exceptionally plentiful haul of spoils, back to the Shang Kingdom.
He left over three thousand surrendered soldiers from the State of Yang to garrison Li City.
On 1 August, Zhang Yang returned to Hao City, the capital of the Shang Kingdom.
That day, Hao City was deserted, its streets emptied of their usual crowds.
The Lady of Shang personally led the civil and military officials to meet him ten miles outside Hao City.
From afar, as she watched Zhang Yang’s banners and the seemingly endless convoy trailing behind, the Lady of Shang’s eyes glazed over, tears welling in her eyes.
Nearly twenty years had passed.
For nearly twenty years, the Shang Kingdom had ceded territory and paid compensation, repeatedly losing three-quarters of its lands.
In this moment—
The Lady of Shang lowered her head slightly, wiping away the tears at the corner of her eye.
"Sister-in-law, look, look, he's back," Nongyu said, her eyes sparkling with excitement, openly beaming with joy as she watched Zhang Yang approaching.
"Yes, he's back."
"Everyone's back."
The Lady of Shang nodded faintly, her heart full of emotion.
As she spoke, she slowly made her way towards Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang sprang down from his horse and led the animal towards the Lady of Shang.
Their eyes met.
This time, there was no hint of swords, no hostility—only joy, admiration, and a subtle, unspoken affection.
"General~~~"
"Thank you for your hard work."
The Lady of Shang stepped in front of Zhang Yang and spoke softly.
Zhang Yang returned her gesture with a cupped-hand salute. “For the great Shang, for my lady, there’s no such thing as hardship.”
“Zhang Yang, ha ha, I just knew you would come through unharmed.”
As they spoke, Nongyu joyfully threw herself into Zhang Yang’s arms, giggling and laughing.
But amid their laughter, tears welled up unbidden in her eyes.
“You’re so annoying. Don’t ever do such reckless things again.”
“You have no idea how worried I was when I heard you were leading just a few thousand men to attack the State of Li.”
Nongyu bit her lip gently, tightly clutching the front of Zhang Yang’s robe as if afraid he might vanish at any moment.
Zhang Yang brushed the tears from the corner of her eye and teased, “You’re not a little girl anymore—stop sniffling, isn’t it a bit embarrassing?”
“Hmph~~~”
Nongyu huffed softly but did not loosen her grip on his sleeve. The Lady of Shang watched their affectionate interaction, and for some reason, a flicker of jealousy stirred within her. But she quickly regained control, suppressing that unwelcome emotion.
She scolded gently, “Nongyu, you are the daughter of the Duke of Shang—how can you be so disrespectful in front of the civil and military officials and all the people of the Shang Kingdom?”
Nongyu pouted and turned her head as if to say, “I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.”
For a moment, the air was filled with joyful laughter.
In mid-August of the first year of the Shang Kingdom, the Sovereign of the State of Li formally surrendered in the Shang capital of Hao City. Under the title of Marquis of Shang, the Lady of Shang granted the Li Sovereign territory near Yan Mountain in the north of the Shang Kingdom, allowing the Li lineage to continue generations of ancestral worship there.
That same month, the Sovereign of the State of Yang sent Prince He to the Shang capital to negotiate a ceasefire.
Ultimately, Yang ceded the three cities of Ying Territory and sent Prince He to Hao as a hostage, securing the Shang Kingdom’s forgiveness.
Thus, the war reached its final conclusion. The State of Li was destroyed, and the State of Yang ceded three cities.
The Shang Kingdom annexed the territories of both states, gaining eleven cities in total!
Now, the Shang Kingdom held twenty-one cities. Although this still fell short of the peak era’s thirty cities, it had regained some of its former vitality.
First Year of the Marquis of Shang, October.
After several months of accounting, Zhang Yang’s reward finally arrived.
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