Chapter 8: Military Oath—Two Thousand Against Twenty Thousand
The first year of King Shang’s reign, June.
It was the eighth month since Zhang Yang had arrived in the Shang Kingdom.
“I’m so angry, I’m absolutely furious…”
A striking young girl, dressed in men’s clothes, circled around Zhang Yang, waving her fists in a huff.
Her figure was graceful, and even in male attire she could not hide her charm.
Nongyu was sixteen, the sister of the former Marquis of Shang.
Her father had died when she was just born, and it was her brother, the Marquis, who raised her.
The siblings were extremely close.
The Marquis of Shang had died unable to rest in peace because of the Jing Kingdom, so of course Nongyu hated them.
So, when Zhang Yang arrived in Shang and she learned of his strength, Nongyu persistently begged him to teach her martial arts—desperate to avenge her brother. Zhang Yang had no intention of paying her any attention, but out of respect for the Lady of Shang, he reluctantly agreed.
“Who has the nerve to provoke our noble lady?” Zhang Yang teased.
‘Noble lady’ referred to the daughter of a duke or marquis.
Only the daughter of the King of Heng could be called a princess.
Upon hearing this, Nongyu pouted and complained, “Stop it, I already told you, just call me by my name.”
“‘Noble lady’ sounds so awful…”
After her grumble, Nongyu angrily declared, “The State of Li and the State of Yang have issued a declaration of war against our Shang Kingdom.”
“They plan to fight a decisive battle on the fifteenth of July in the Ying Territory to the southeast of Shang.”
“Combined, the two states will bring three hundred chariots.”
“If the Shang Kingdom loses, it must cede three cities in the Ying Territory to the two states.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang fell into thoughtful consideration.
Arranged battles—these were a hallmark of the era.
Conflicts between the feudal lords were conducted with remarkable decorum.
One might even say they resembled competitive sport.
Before battle, both sides agreed on the time and place, usually on open plains to facilitate chariot manoeuvres.
They were required to issue a formal challenge in advance, announcing their troop numbers—such as ‘one hundred chariots’.
When the fight began, armies formed ranks to face off.
The troops arranged themselves in ‘chariot formations’.
The chariots lined up side by side horizontally, with infantry positioned on either side or behind the chariots. At the sound of drums, they advanced. The chariots would charge into the enemy’s formation, while the infantry followed up to engage in close combat.
If the opposing army was not yet properly arranged, they had to wait.
Only once the enemy was ready could the battle begin.
The determination of victory or defeat was equally subtle.
If one side’s chariot formation was broken through, that side was declared defeated, with the victors pursuing their foes, but not for long.
Usually, the chase would not exceed a hundred paces.
In other words, once the enemy had fled beyond a hundred paces, the pursuit had to stop, allowing them to retreat.
At the same time, there were other strict rules, such as not striking an enemy twice and not capturing the ‘grey-haired’.
Not striking an enemy twice meant that once an enemy was already wounded, no further harm was to be inflicted.
The rule against capturing the ‘grey-haired’ referred to elderly men with streaks of white in their hair—they were not to be taken prisoner but must be allowed to go free.
A war could be over in a single day at the quickest, or drag on for several days before finally concluding.
Zhang Yang pondered, “Can the State of Li and the State of Yang really muster three hundred chariots?”
Each chariot unit consisted of one war chariot, four warhorses, three armoured soldiers and seventy-two infantrymen, totalling seventy-five men.
Three hundred chariots would mean over twenty thousand troops.
That was no small number.
With only a combined total of a dozen or so cities, it would be no easy feat for these two states to field three hundred chariots.
Nongyu sneered, “If it were just the two of them, they certainly wouldn’t have that kind of strength.”
“But with support, the situation is different.” At this, Zhang Yang’s brow furrowed, his tone growing colder. “The Jing Kingdom?”
Both the State of Li and the State of Yang had been vassals of the Jing Kingdom for many years, paying tribute to it.
Nongyu grit her teeth and said, “It was the Jing Kingdom. We received news that three months ago, they sent envoys to both states to persuade them.”
“The Jing Kingdom promised that if the two states could defeat the Shang Kingdom, all they seized would belong entirely to them.”
“At the same time, the Jing Kingdom also pledged to assist the two states.”
Zhang Yang sneered coldly, “Well, well, what a 'noble' Jing Kingdom.”
Having said that, Zhang Yang pondered for a moment before striding quickly toward the door.
Nongyu hurried to catch up and asked, “Are you going to see your sister-in-law?”
Zhang Yang replied, “The States of Li and Yang are coming on aggressively. Since the Jing Kingdom is pulling the strings behind the scenes, this will certainly not be simple.”
“I need to see the Lady of Shang to discuss how to deal with this.”
Nongyu nodded repeatedly in approval, saying, “I’ll go with you.”
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Zhang Yang arrived at the royal palace and, without needing to announce himself, was led directly to the Lady of Shang. The Lady of Shang was dressed in a splendid red robe, kneeling by the desk as she reviewed memorials from across the realm.
The Shang Kingdom prized crimson above all colours; the deepest red was the most precious.
She looked towards Zhang Yang, her eyes gentle as water.
Since Zhang Yang’s arrival in Shang, her situation had improved greatly.
Those rebellious clan scions and the nobles from various regions had all settled down considerably.
“General, please have a seat,” she invited, “What brings you here?”
Zhang Yang got straight to the point, cupping his hands respectfully as he said, “I’ve heard that the States of Li and Yang have issued a challenge to our kingdom. Is this true?”
Upon hearing this, the Lady of Shang’s dark brows furrowed slightly. Her gaze flickered past Zhang Yang and towards a small head peering in at the palace door. It was Nongyu.
Nongyu gave the Lady of Shang a cheeky wink, her expression clearly saying, “That’s right, it was me!”
The Lady of Shang sighed softly and shook her head discreetly.
“There is indeed such a matter,” she said.
“The Chief Minister and I are still in discussion and have yet to decide on military deployment.”
At this, the Lady of Shang let out a sigh.
“Recently, the national treasury has been far from plentiful, and the Jing Kingdom shows signs of marching northwest towards us.”
“I fear that Jing might suddenly declare war once the States of Li and Yang have engaged us.”
“Our forces can barely manage a combined assault from Li and Yang, and if Jing were to declare war unexpectedly, it could spell disaster for us.”
The Lady of Shang frowned, a look that aroused both sympathy and concern. Zhang Yang was a gentleman with a soft spot for a beautiful woman in distress.
Of course, it depended on the circumstances.
Whether the beauty belonged to his own household or someone else’s.
Whether she was one of his own people or an outsider.
If she was one of his own, she was worth protecting; but if she was an outsider...
He had to consider things carefully.
There was no doubt, however, that the Lady of Shang was now one of his own.
Zhang Yang called out loudly, “Please, my lady, grant me another one thousand five hundred foot soldiers. I vow to conquer the States of Li and Yang for you.”
“One thousand five hundred foot soldiers…”
The Lady of Shang’s crimson lips parted wide, utterly astonished.
Even if Zhang Yang were granted another one thousand five hundred foot soldiers, that would be no more than two thousand men in total. Their opponents had three hundred chariots and over twenty thousand soldiers.
The Lady of Shang found it hard to imagine where Zhang Yang’s confidence came from.
Yet, looking at his assured expression, she couldn’t help but swallow all her doubts.
She solemnly said, “General—are you truly serious?”
Zhang Yang replied firmly, “If we lose this battle, no order from you is needed—I will take my own life before the army.”
“But I have one condition: if we win, I want to claim fifty percent of all the spoils.”
The Lady of Shang frowned slightly, not because she was unwilling to give up half the spoils, but because she was somewhat surprised.
Since arriving in the Shang Kingdom, Zhang Yang had devoted himself completely to training the troops.
He ate and lived alongside the soldiers.
He did not seem like a man driven by greed. At this moment, demanding fifty per cent of the spoils seemed nothing short of greedy.
Yet despite her reservations, the Lady of Shang thought for a few seconds before readily agreeing.
“Very well, General, you have my consent.”
The Lady of Shang thought to herself,
Facing three hundred chariots of two rival kingdoms with just two thousand men—even if we win, it will be a costly victory, and how much spoils could there possibly be?
Compared to the money, the outcome of the war was far more important.
Having received her approval, Zhang Yang took his leave.
Once outside, Nongyu immediately approached him.
Pouting, she complained, “You only have two thousand men; how can that stand against three hundred chariots?”
“Even if you fight with unmatched bravery and win by sheer luck, what spoils could you possibly claim?” “You big fool, you great big fool.”
Zhang Yang’s lips twitched into a slight smile as he looked at the indignant Nongyu and said, “Then what do you think I should ask for as a reward?”
“I, um…”
Nongyu’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink, and she stammered, unable to find the words.
After hesitating for a moment, whether out of shyness or frustration, she stamped her foot and muttered, “Great big fool.”
With that, she turned on her heel, huffing, and returned to the palace where the Lady of Shang was waiting.
Zhang Yang shook his head gently, lifted his gaze towards the clear, azure sky, his eyes cold and steely.
This battle would be the one to make his name known throughout the land!
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