The Birth of a Saint

Just then, the Yun Kingdom launched a major southward offensive, capturing three border cities and igniting war in the northern border region.

Chu Cheng'an was furious and sent troops to fight, but to no avail. At this critical moment, Lu Yunchu volunteered to lead the troops. Her sweeping victory in the Northwest earned the admiration of the officials, and she was soon ordered to go north.

She set off immediately, and upon arriving at the border, she first stabilized the local situation, which had been turbulent due to the war, comforted the displaced people, and reorganized the military.

Before arriving here, she had already made contact with Princess Murong Mingyue through Murong Ye. She attacked the cities guarded by the Crown Prince of Yun, using this as leverage to set conditions for Mingyue's usurpation of the throne. Mingyue, in turn, provided intelligence from within and created obstacles. Mingyue knew that Yun Kingdom was corrupt and its people were impoverished, but she was unwilling to abandon the country. Lu Yunchu, her sister, Consort Xiao, and Chu Qin discussed the matter. They believed that the world did not belong to one family, but to the happiness and suffering of all people. However, no one was willing to completely relinquish power, so they proposed changing the system to a female-led feudal system, transforming the kingdom into a state, exercising self-governance, and establishing a women's alliance above it.

Murong Ye is a princess of Yun Kingdom who faked her death to escape with the help of Consort Xiao. Lu Yunchu lets her return to her hometown in accordance with the previous agreement to assist Princess Murong, and at the same time, she also acts as an informant.

While Lu Yunchu launched a fierce attack on the border city of Yun Kingdom, relying on the elite of his own troops and the clues he had known, he defeated the Crown Prince's army one after another and captured three cities in succession. In each city, he searched for women who could be subdued. He told Mingyue that he wanted to keep the women in place, and he took the rest into his own troops. On the other hand, he intensified the training of the female army.

As expected, the attack on Xinzhou encountered obstacles: insufficient numbers of their own soldiers. At this critical moment, the male generals whom Lu Yunchu had bribed beforehand suggested that female soldiers participate. In this life-or-death situation, no one objected, and the female army fought on the front lines for the first time.

The girls wore new-style armor, lightweight and highly protective, developed by the Mohist school; they also used new-style bows and arrows, capable of rapid-fire, fast, and lightweight. These weapons were indistinguishable from ordinary weapons in appearance. Moreover, most of these girls had suffered tragic fates at home, many experiencing violence, and were left unattached. Having undergone extensive training, they were more disciplined than the male soldiers, shining brightly on the battlefield.

Taking advantage of the indiscriminate nature of swords on the battlefield, Lu Yunchu shot and killed the men he had bribed, leaving no trace.

Lu Yunchu led the girls in a fierce battle. When they were out of ammunition and food, everyone fought desperately, racing through a sea of ​​blood, and captured Xinzhou.

Years of war have left countless refugees on the borders, and many women have been sold into prostitution to survive. These girls are willing to come to the Women's Alliance for better living conditions and a future filled with tangible benefits and respect. Promotions within the Women's Alliance are based on merit; those who achieve merit are promoted. Everyone who comes here either earns immediate merit or brings other women from their families; there is no turning back, only moving forward.

The all-female army was only deployed temporarily to preserve strength and avoid arousing suspicion from other men; it would only play a supplementary role in subsequent battles. Lu Yunchu took the opportunity to show the girls the true colors of these men, demonstrating that if they could not truly become independent, all their military achievements would be erased. The girls trained even harder, preparing for their next great opportunity.

Lu Yunchu was fighting with great gusto when he was summoned back from the capital. Chu Cheng'an did not allow any general to stay in one place for too long, requiring that soldiers not know their generals and generals not know their soldiers, and that all generals be rotated in order to stabilize the country.

Lu Yunchu remained as before without complaint and returned to the palace upon imperial decree, but she still left behind a portion of the female soldiers to participate in the battle at any time. In this way, the female army was gradually able to sweep across the border.

For her merit in quelling the chaos in the Yun Kingdom, she was rewarded and even granted a noble title, but the title was extremely malicious: Earl of Zhenyong.

Chu Cheng'an's approach stemmed from his own considerations. He rose to power through the influence of powerful clans, but he also worried about these clans rebelling. Therefore, he intended to support those from humble backgrounds. Chu Qin established connections with military generals from these families through marriage.

Lu Yunchu knew that her greatest advantage in his eyes was that she was a woman, without an heir, and unable to truly form a family power. What Chu Cheng'an truly feared was the Lu family. She feigned surrender, voluntarily handing over the Lu family's private soldiers under the control of her brothers to the imperial court, and imprisoning her brothers, nephews, and nieces in the Lu mansion as hostages before Chu Cheng'an.

The aunt was furious, but now that Lu Yunchu held absolute power, she had no choice but to comply. Lu Yunchu promised to protect the Lu family, but in reality, he adopted several girls and secretly raised them as his own children to inherit the family business. He planned to let the other men retire gracefully and find a place to live out their lives, thus fulfilling their wishes.

After she had done everything, she went to see Chu Cheng'an.

Inside the imperial study, the air was filled with the fragrance of incense. Lu Yunchu lowered her head slightly, her voice tinged with barely concealed grievance: "Your Majesty... I've been frequently reminiscing about the past lately. When I was young and unmarried, my parents, because I was a girl, always felt I was inferior to my brothers. Studying and practicing martial arts were considered frivolous pursuits, and I never received a single word of praise... Later, after I married, I unfortunately became a widow early. My brothers all cursed me as a monster and wanted to drive me away..."

She raised her eyes, which shone with admiration. "Only Your Majesty! Only Your Majesty could be so unconventional, seeing my humble talent and bestowing upon me such a high position and such great trust! I... I am always moved to tears by this, and I wish I could give my life to repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

As she spoke, she repeatedly kowtowed. Chu Cheng'an feigned to help her up, but she wept even more profusely: "I know that as a woman, I have earned these military merits and bear the title of Marquis of Zhenyong, which has attracted much criticism. Posthumous fame? I dare not think about it. I ask for little, only that while I am alive, I can prove to everyone that although I am a woman... I am not useless! If I can gain Your Majesty's approval, my life... will be without regret!"

Seeing her so sorrowful, Chu Cheng'an's smile deepened, and he leaned closer to whisper, "I knew it, we're both wicked women."

Having said that, he raised his head and said loudly, "I wish to vigorously promote female virtue! And you are the model for women throughout the ages. You went to war for your husband, made countless contributions, remained chaste throughout your life, and turned your chastity into loyalty. What a fine Lu Yunchu, what a virtuous and chaste woman!"

He immediately issued an edict to erect a chastity archway for Lu Yunchu to honor her virtue as a virtuous woman, and to vigorously promote the practice of widows remaining chaste. At the same time, he ordered the establishment of women's virtue halls in various places, with virtuous women as teachers, so that women throughout the land could maintain their integrity and correct the frivolous trend.

This was exactly what Lu Yunchu wanted. Sometimes widows were forced to marry by their families to get money, and sometimes it was for the sake of making a living. Nowadays, these men only care about their own momentary pleasure and do not care at all about how widows make a living. The Women's Alliance has a way to help these women reclaim land and property, become self-reliant, and raise their children. It is a good opportunity to expand its reach.

The Women's Virtue Hall was also a good place for women to gather and spread their ideas, so they could get more help and work together on grand plans. The memorial archway about her and the humiliating title she received were the best lesson for all women: no matter how capable a woman is, in an environment that does not recognize women, everything she does is a joke, and she will always be a fish on the chopping block.

Soon after, trouble broke out again in the Western Regions. Lu Yunchu returned to the border, and Qi Shen also returned looking disheveled. However, he and Luo Cheng were ostracized and sent to Cangshan.

Cangshan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was originally an important stronghold for securing the rear. It borders the Rong Kingdom to the west, but these two people failed to hold it.

A force that suddenly rose to power seized Cangshan Mountain with lightning speed. Its leader was a woman who called herself Phoenix Celestial Maiden. She simultaneously established the Poison Heart Stronghold, a bandit stronghold composed of women from the martial arts world, and the "Benevolent Heart Sect," composed of women from the common people. Under the banner of helping the poor and weak and protecting women, she quickly gathered all the desperate women in the vicinity.

Qi Shen and Luo Cheng suffered heavy losses in their first encounter, their troops vanquished and tricked by the Phoenix Goddess, leaving them in a dilemma. If they fought to the death to recapture Cangshan, the chances of victory were slim and the losses immense; if they retreated to their main camp, the loss of this strategic location would be a capital offense. Ultimately, under the Phoenix Goddess's coercion and enticement, the two were forced to join. In Cangshan, women and men were strictly separated. The women were numerous, well-equipped, and wealthy enough to purchase delicacies; the men, only remnants of their former forces, were forced to defend Cangshan for survival, suffering heavy losses in the pincer attack, but had no choice but to hold their ground.

When the news reached Lu Yunchu, she sneered, "These men are utterly useless! They can't even defend the rear! I told you long ago, female soldiers would be the perfect choice to guard Cangshan!"

The women's army was well-equipped and guaranteed to win every battle, but the other side was still wary and unwilling to yield any advantages until the last minute, only assigning the girls dirty and tiring work. For the sake of greater victory, the women's army would focus on training for the time being.

This Phoenix Celestial Maiden is also a new opportunity. Lu Yunchu secretly sent someone to contact this mysterious Phoenix Celestial Maiden in an attempt to find out her background and intentions.

The results of the investigation shocked Lu Yunchu: the Phoenix Goddess who stirred up the Western Regions and occupied Cangshan was actually Yun Qing, the woman who had risked her life to escape from Qi Shen's mansion!

Before the turmoil in the Western Regions had subsided, an even more shocking secret letter arrived: Chiluo Feng was actually a descendant of the royal family of the former Great Liang Dynasty! He was secretly contacting his former subordinates, accumulating strength, and plotting a rebellion to restore Great Liang.

Just before he was about to launch his rebellion, one of his most trusted former officials, Ji Chengyun, preemptively reported him. Chu Cheng'an was furious and immediately ordered the suppression of the rebellion.

Lu Yunchu led his elite troops in a swift and decisive attack, sweeping through Chi Luofeng's stronghold. Chi Luofeng was a highly skilled martial artist with many loyal followers, but he was ultimately suppressed by Lu Yunchu's iron fist. In the ensuing chaos, Chi Luofeng was killed on the spot, and his henchmen were either killed or captured.

But Lin Chen disappeared without a trace during this turmoil.

Soon after, a new state emerged in the north: Later Liang. Ji Chengyun, or rather, He Xi Chengyun, played a game of sacrificing the king to save his soldiers. He used the denunciation of Chi Luofeng as a pledge of loyalty, and while the court's attention was diverted and the situation in the north was unstable due to the affairs of Yun and Rong, he led a large number of former officials, including Lin Chen, who had already been secretly gathered, back to the former capital of Later Liang and announced the restoration of the state.

He Xi Chengyun appointed himself Grand Preceptor, Grand General, and Regent, and supported Chi Luo Feng's young son, Chi Luo Mingchao, as a puppet emperor. At the same time, Princess An Pinglan and Minister Ji Mengchao assisted in governing the country, and simultaneously launched the "Holy Maiden Division" to promote the Holy Maiden Army, which was composed entirely of women. They were brave and skilled in battle and swept across the north.

In Lu Yunchu's memory, He Xi Chengyun was a short man with extremely strange behavior. His greatest hobby was frequenting brothels. He spoke vulgarly, especially enjoyed harassing women, and had a lewd and disgusting gaze. Yet, this seemingly repulsive person later, for some unknown reason, resolved to abolish all brothels in the country, with the absurd reason: "I'm tired of them."

Almost simultaneously, Su Xike made a groundbreaking move: she presented Chu Cheng'an with a painting of a sage written in ancient script.

This sacred artifact, revered by countless scholars and said to possess the power to stabilize the world, has finally surfaced. However, Su Xike, along with presenting the scroll, offered a complete interpretation. She claimed that the scroll reveals that a sage's rule requires the assistance of women to achieve a balance of yin and yang. Therefore, she suggested that Chu Cheng'an, as emperor, should consider himself the contemporary sage and establish a Department of Sacred Women to select virtuous and talented women to assist the sage, educate the world, and counter the false Department of Sacred Women in the northern Liang Kingdom, which sought to overthrow the dynasty. Chu Cheng'an readily agreed.

Su Xike wrote to Lu Yunchu, explaining that they should not rush to use the women's army, but should preserve their own strength to let the various factions fight amongst themselves; He Xichengyun also sent a letter, revealing that she was also a woman and that her goal was to establish a women's feudal system, and she took the initiative to propose cooperation.