Chapter 35 Mysterious Lord This Lord truly had great strength.

CHAPTER 35: The Mysterious Lord

This lord was seriously powerful.

At this time, there were a ton of people on the road, and the carriage couldn't squeeze through, but it was fine—people could push their way through.

Sun Ze bound Ding Hang's hands and feet, carried him piggyback, and dashed toward the North Gate.

Along the way, Ding Hang kept cursing Sun Ze and Jin Mingtang.

Some of it Sun Ze understood, some he didn't.

But no matter what Ding Hang said, Sun Ze acted like he didn't hear.

He was rushing to surrender and had no time to deal with Ding Hang.

The Zhenbei Army had thrown food at the northwest corner of Yuyang City. There weren't many people at the North Gate, but Sun Ze spotted that some of the Yuyang garrison who should have been on the walls, along with some able-bodied young commoners, had already gathered near the North Gate.

Fortunately, he had come early! If he had come any later, the city gate might have already been opened, and the credit for surrendering the city would have been snatched away by someone else.

Of course, it wasn't so easy for these people to open the city gate. Most of them were unarmed, and if they really faced off against the gatekeepers, people would get hurt.

The men guarding the gate here were all elites! Among them were elite soldiers loyal to him, as well as Ding family servants loyal to Ding Hang.

These people had originally stood together, weapons aimed at those trying to approach the gate, but when he appeared carrying Ding Hang, who was tied up, they immediately split into two factions, confronting each other.

"Sun Ze, what do you think you're doing? Let our young master go!" the Ding family servant guarding the North Gate shouted angrily.

Sun Ze set Ding Hang down, drew a dagger, pressed it against Ding Hang's neck, and said to the man: "Open the city gate immediately! If you don't do as I say, I'll kill Ding Hang."

The Ding family servants instinctively looked at Ding Hang.

Ding Hang wanted to act tough and tell them to ignore him and not to open the gate.

But he knew that since Sun Ze had already decided to surrender, even if he refused to surrender and died for his country, it would be useless—the gate would be opened sooner or later.

The ten thousand troops in Yuyang City all listened to Sun Ze!

In the end, Ding Hang didn't say anything noble. He just continued cursing Sun Ze: "You bastard! You take the court's pay, yet you surrender the city and beg to be spared. This is betraying your lord for glory..."

Hearing that, Sun Ze pressed the dagger harder against Ding Hang's skin.

Ding Hang stopped cursing abruptly.

Ding Hang's men were even more anxious, afraid that Sun Ze would harm their master, and they hurried to open the gate.

The city gate of Yuyang was made of elm wood covered with iron plates, nearly a meter thick.

Behind the gate were two heavy wooden bars, very heavy, and it took ten men working together to remove them.

Moreover, Ding Hang had previously ordered wooden barricades and stones to be piled behind the gate... It took these men considerable effort before they finally opened the gate.

As soon as the gate was open, Sun Ze, still holding Ding Hang hostage, rushed to where Zhou Jinling was, shouting loudly: "I am Sun Ze, the defending general of Yuyang City, here to surrender the city!"

Seeing that the North Gate of Yuyang City was open, Zhou Jinling stopped his calls for surrender.

He first took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then greeted him with a broad smile: "So it's General Sun! I've heard so much about you!"

Zhou Jinling smiled and chatted with Sun Ze, learning about the situation in the city.

At the same time, Sun Ze was probing the Zhenbei Army's situation: "Sir, when you announced earlier, you said you would give food to the commoners in the city and chicken meat to us garrison troops—is that true?"

"Of course it's true!" Zhou Jinling said with reverence. "My lord is true to his word and never lies!"

Hearing this, a weight lifted off Sun Ze's mind: "General Jin is a hero and a brave man; indeed, he wouldn't deceive people."

When Zhou Jinling heard this, he immediately said: "My lord is not General Jin. My lord is like a roc spreading its wings, soaring above the nine heavens, while General Jin is like a mayfly drifting with the current... Ahem, General Jin is just a mere mortal, far inferior to my lord."

Sun Ze was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood.

So that was why the Zhenbei Army, which was dirt poor, could suddenly come up with so much grain!

It turned out that Jin Mingtang had sworn loyalty to someone else as his lord!

He would also like such a generous lord, but was this man exaggerating?

Jin Mingtang was considered one of the heroes of the age, yet this man called him a "mayfly"!

Even if he corrected himself later, in this man's mouth, General Jin was still just a mere mortal.

Wasn't that going too far? But judging by this man's expression, he wasn't bragging; he actually believed it.

Sun Ze asked: "Sir, can you arrange for me to meet the lord?"

Zhou Jinling said: "Whether to see you is up to my lord, not up to me."

Sun Ze was a bit disappointed at this, and just then, Ding Hang, who had been silent since leaving the city, suddenly glared at Zhou Jinling and ordered the Ding family servants who had followed: "Kill this liar spreading rumors outside the city for me!"

The Zhenbei Army had been at Yuyang City for less than a day, without lifting a finger, and Yuyang had already surrendered.

This was completely different from what Ding Hang had imagined, and it also made Ding Hang lose a lot of face.

At that moment, Ding Hang was desperate to blow off steam.

As for why he chose Zhou Jinling... Near the trebuchet, there were many Zhenbei Army soldiers, and the most conspicuous among them was Zhou Jinling, dressed as a scholar.

Ding Hang knew that Zhou Jinling was behind the earlier calls for surrender.

He also looked down on Zhou Jinling.

Judging by his clothes, Zhou Jinling looked like a scholar, but his skin was dark, his face was wrinkled and chapped, and his hands were extremely rough—clearly showing his humble origins.

Such a lowly person had actually schemed against him, causing him to lose Yuyang City... Ding Hang wanted Zhou Jinling dead.

As for how to resolve the matter afterward... he was a direct descendant of the Ding family; as long as his lord wasn't stupid, he wouldn't get hurt!

After opening the city gate, the dozen or so Ding family servants who had been guarding the gate had followed behind Sun Ze.

Sun Ze didn't pay these people any mind. For one thing, he had his own guards. For another, Ding Hang was in his hands, and he believed these people would hold back for fear of hurting their master.

But Sun Ze never expected Ding Hang to order those men to kill Zhou Jinling.

These servants were carefully trained by the Ding family and were quite capable in combat, while Zhou Jinling only had a half-grown teenager and four dark-skinned, sturdy men dressed as laborers, who looked honest and simple.

How could these five people possibly fight against the Ding family's servants?

Sun Ze's face went pale, and he was about to call for help to save Zhou Jinling when he saw Ding Hang's men had already moved.

And the five people around Zhou Jinling also moved... The ones with Zhou Jinling were Guan Hu and the four Shi brothers.

Zhou Jinling wanted to promote them, so he had them serve as his personal guards.

This time when he came out to persuade them to surrender, he did not forget to bring these five along.

They wouldn't have to fight the defenders of Yuyang City, so these men probably wouldn't get a chance to earn military merits, but doing more tasks and showing their faces more often wouldn't hurt.

Unexpectedly, someone suddenly attacked him...

Before Zhou Jinling could say anything, Guan Hu and the others had already charged forward.

Because Zhou Jinling taught them to read, Shi's four brothers regarded him as their teacher.

As for Guan Hu, although he did not want to study with Zhou Jinling, he knew that Zhou Jinling kept him in check for his own good.

Moreover, along the way, Zhou Jinling always gave him food, and just now, when he stood beside Zhou Jinling and secretly ate the braised chicken that was supposed to be thrown, Zhou Jinling turned a blind eye.

Guan Hu also regarded Zhou Jinling as an elder.

They had been helping to carry grain, and had no weapons, but they had carrying poles in hand.

With one swing of his carrying pole, Guan Hu knocked a Ding family servant in armor unconscious, blood streaming from his head, and Shi's four brothers were no less formidable.

Before Sun Ze's men and the nearby Zhenbei Army could help, the dozen or so people who had followed Ding Hang had already fallen to the ground, wailing in pain.

Seeing this, Sun Ze gasped in shock.

These five men didn't even have armor and looked like corvee laborers responsible for transporting grain and doing odd jobs in the army. How could they be so formidable?

Was the Zhenbei Army too strong?

Ding Hang exclaimed in shock, "How dare you!"

The Ding family, like the Qian family, was one of the top ten great families of Da Qi.

Ding Hang, as a direct descendant of the Ding family, had been fawned upon since arriving in Youzhou, and even his retainers could act arrogantly in Youzhou.

Seeing that several lowly commoners had injured his trusted followers, Ding Hang flew into a rage: "You hurt my men, I'll make you pay!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Hu and the others couldn't help but feel a bit panicked.

Although Ding Hang was in a sorry state, one could tell at a glance that he was of high status.

Their lord might try to win over someone like him.

Then they would be in big trouble!

However, just then, several arrows flew toward them.

One after another, these arrows struck the vital points of Ding Hang's guards, killing those who had only been wounded.

Right after, a white horse galloped over and stopped in front of Sun Ze.

This white horse had a glossy coat, clearly well cared for, and on it sat a young general in silver armor, extraordinarily imposing.

The young general pulled the reins and looked coldly at Ding Hang: "How do you intend to make us pay?"

This suddenly arrived young general looked very different from ordinary soldiers.

Whether it was the Zhenbei Army or the defenders of Yuyang City, everyone present was tanned dark, but this young general was much paler than them, and he was very clean, with no dirt or grime anywhere on him.

The most striking thing was his armor; it was gleaming and bright, especially under the sunlight, presumably made of fine materials and worth a fortune!

This man didn't look like a soldier but rather like a young master from a great family.

This person was, of course, Mu Guang.

In his youth, he had accompanied Jin Yanqiu for several years and knew her well, knowing she loved cleanliness.

He was already the cleanest person in the army, and these days he paid extra attention to hygiene and grooming, so naturally he stood out.

As for his armor... it was made from biscuit tins.

The boxes and cans that Jin Yanqiu got from exchanging biscuits were mostly given to the soldiers to use as pots for cooking, and the rest were sent to the craftsmen.

Then, the blacksmiths of the Zhenbei Army dismantled these boxes and cans, hammered them into bright, flat iron sheets, and used these sheets to cover their original armor, thus creating two shiny suits of armor.

One of these two suits of armor was given to Jin Mingtang, and the other, Jin Yanqiu decided, was given to Mu Guang.

The main reason was that most generals of the Zhenbei Army, like Jin Mingtang, were not only dark but also looked old, and they really didn't match the shiny armor.

This armor only looked good on Mu Guang, making him resemble the handsome young generals Jin Yanqiu had seen in TV dramas in her previous life.

As for the others, they were already average-looking, and after years of wind and sun in the far northwest, they didn't like to bathe and didn't even wash their faces...

Jin Yanqiu couldn't bear to look at them.

In short, Mu Guang could be called the most decent-looking man in the Zhenbei Army.

Seeing Mu Guang's armor, Guan Hu drooled with envy: "Mr. Zhou, I want armor like that too."

Zhou Jinling said in a low voice, "If you follow my instructions and do a good job, you will definitely be able to wear armor like that!"

Guan Hu didn't know, but Zhou Jinling knew the origin of this armor, and also that Jin Yanqiu and Jin Mingtang planned to build an elite cavalry unit, and have that entire unit wear such armor.

At that time, Jin Mingtang would select people from the entire Zhenbei Army to form this cavalry, and Guan Hu had a high chance of being chosen.

The conversation between Zhou Jinling and Guan Hu woke Ding Hang, who had been frightened by Mu Guang's killing.

Ding Hang's voice trembled, and he looked at Mu Guang, unable to speak: "You, you..."

Mu Guang did not dismount; sitting on his horse, he looked down at Ding Hang with cold eyes: "Ding Hang, you attempted to assassinate the Zhenbei Army's strategist—this is a serious crime! Men, take Ding Hang away and lock him up, pending the lord's judgment!"

When Mu Guang was young, he often heard his lord mutter things like "Are the nobles and generals born superior?"

Once, his lord even had a serious talk with him, telling him that birth does not determine a person's future, and that his destiny was in his own hands, not in heaven's.

He deeply felt that his lord was different from ordinary people, a lofty savior deity, but Ding Hang, a so-called noble son from a prestigious family, was not any nobler than him in his eyes.

Especially now.

He had been taken in and taught by his lord—how could Ding Hang compare to him?

As soon as Mu Guang finished speaking, his men took Ding Hang away.

Only then did he dismount and look at Sun Ze: "General Sun, my lord wants to see you."

He had come here specifically to take Sun Ze to see Jin Yanqiu.

Sun Ze followed behind Mu Guang, somewhat dazed.

Just now, a few corvee laborers easily took down Ding Hang's personal guards, and then the young man in front of them shot with unerring accuracy, killing all of them.

Sun Ze, who had intended to use the merit of surrendering the city as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Zhenbei Army, now felt his confidence crumbling and his posture became more and more humble.

Sun Ze deliberately dropped half a step behind Mu Guang and asked with a smile, "Young General, what kind of person is the Lord?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Guang immediately said, "The Lord is the most remarkable person in this world! She has a majestic bearing and is favored by heaven, an enlightened ruler seen once in a century! When you meet the Lord shortly, you must be exceedingly respectful! If you dare to harm the Lord, I will tear you to pieces..."

Sun Ze was stunned speechless.

The normally cold-faced young general turned into a chatterbox the moment he mentioned that Lord, and his words were extremely fanatical.

Who on earth is that Lord?

It wasn't long before they reached the trench.

Earlier in the morning, Sun Ze had already seen from atop the city wall that the Zhenbei Army had dug the trenches both wide and deep. Now, up close, he was even more shocked—these trenches were dug so deep!

And behind the trenches, the morale of the Zhenbei Army soldiers far surpassed that of ordinary troops.

Their hair was neatly combed, their clothes were tidy, and they even had smiles on their faces!

Soldiers going out to fight actually had smiles on their faces!

While Sun Ze was still astonished, he saw some Zhenbei Army soldiers standing in neat rows, training under their officers.

Although they were only practicing simple "left turn," "right turn," and "about face," their movements were synchronized, creating an awe-inspiring sight.

His own soldiers were lazy and slovenly, nowhere near capable of such strict discipline!

On top of that, from time to time, these soldiers would chant slogans.

"We will fight to the death for the Lord!"

"The Lord will be victorious!"

"Loyal to the Lord, until death!"

Such voices echoed throughout the camp. The soldiers shouted with sincere, even fanatical expressions, looking as though they were willing to shed their blood and sacrifice their lives for the Lord they spoke of.

These men had all previously been Jin Mingtang's soldiers, yet in just a few days, they had become utterly loyal to someone other than Jin Mingtang. How had that mysterious Lord managed this?

Just as Sun Ze was marveling at the mysterious Lord's great skill, he noticed that the cooking vessels in the Zhenbei Army camp were made of iron!

Youzhou produced salt and iron, but his own army still suffered from a shortage of iron.

The spears used by his soldiers had iron only at the tips, and they had very few arrows—or rather, iron arrowheads.

And the Zhenbei Army? They actually used iron vessels for cooking!

Such extravagance!

Sun Ze also recalled the bread and chicken he had eaten earlier.

Even Ding Hang couldn't have such things every day, yet the current Lord of the Zhenbei Army had thrown them into the city without a second thought!

This Lord was truly impressive, and must have an extraordinary background.

Was he Duke Wei, or some other major figure ruling over a region?

"Young General, the Zhenbei Army is well-disciplined and united as one, truly a mighty, elite army!" Sun Ze said with a flattering smile. "I imagine the Lord must be one of the foremost heroes in the land."

But Mu Guang thought Sun Ze's flattery was too understated: "Foremost? General Sun, my Lord is like the sun and moon in the sky, unmatched by anyone! In the Lord's presence, everyone else is but an ant!"

Hearing this, Sun Ze was completely thrown off, standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.

After walking a bit further, Sun Ze saw newly constructed walls and houses.

The Zhenbei Army had arrived here less than a day ago, and Yuyang City had fallen so easily—yet they were already building walls and houses outside the city. Did they have that much energy to burn?

Or perhaps this Lord the Zhenbei Army had acknowledged was as much a lover of luxury as Ding Hang?

With a whirlwind of thoughts, Sun Ze finally entered a house.

Then he saw a woman—a young woman, quite beautiful.

This Lord the Zhenbei Army acknowledged was out fighting a war and had even brought a woman along?

Sun Ze was puzzled, but then he saw the young general in white, who had held himself aloof all along, kneel down promptly: "Lord, your humble servant has brought Sun Ze, the commander of Yuyang City!"

Sun Ze couldn't believe his eyes. Sun Ze was utterly shocked.

The mysterious Lord, recognized by the entire Zhenbei Army and capable of supplying countless resources, turned out to be a girl of sixteen?

How could this be!