Red Tassel Spear
When Zhao Youyi arrived at the general's mansion on the border, he put Zhao Zhile down. The little girl was so excited to be back in the place she used to live that she danced around and asked Zhao Youyi if her father was inside.
Zhao Youyi squatted down and stroked the little girl's hair, speaking softly, "Daddy has gone to a very, very far place. You'll know when Lele grows up."
Zhao Zhile didn't quite understand what she meant, and bit her lip, looking sullen: "That's what Father told me too, that Mother went to a very, very far place, and Lele has never seen Mother. Will Lele never see Father again?"
After saying that, the little girl started to wail. Zhao Youyi held her in her arms and comforted her while holding back her tears, saying, "Don't cry, Lele. You still have your aunt. Aunt will definitely give you everything you want in the future."
Zhao Zhile slowly stopped crying and asked through sobs, "Then can I have Mumu as my childhood sweetheart?"
Zhao Youyi didn't expect the little girl to be so fixated on this. Seeing her red eyes, Zhao Youyi could only nod and say, "Okay, whatever Lele wants, Auntie will give it to you."
Zhao Youyi carried Zhao Zhile into the general's mansion and handed him over to the servants to take care of. He then mounted his horse and rode towards the military camp.
"General! You're back!" Zhou Yaqing waved excitedly when he saw Zhao Youyi, and Liu Zhiming was also overjoyed.
"How are things in the army lately?" Zhao Youyi dismounted, handed the reins to his soldiers, and strode forward.
Zhou Yaqing quickly followed, "The Women's Army is doing well recently, and they've even recruited quite a few sisters."
Liu Zhiming chimed in, "Most of the sisters in the army have almost mastered the techniques and are just waiting for the general to test their results."
Zhao Youyi reached out and patted the two women on the shoulder, "Well done, I feel at ease with you two here in charge of the Women's Army."
Zhou Yaqing smiled sheepishly and scratched her head: "It's all thanks to the general's ancestors' excellent martial arts techniques. The sisters all say they feel more energetic after practicing them!"
"Your meticulous guidance is also indispensable," Zhao Youyi said, not attributing all the credit to the cultivation technique. "The grain supply ceremony has been successfully completed, and I have reached cooperation agreements with the three major wealthy merchants in Jiangzhou. My people will continue to make contacts, but we can't just sit around and do nothing. In a month or two, I may need to go to Fuzhou."
Both of them smiled upon hearing the good news. "General, you can go with peace of mind! Lady Liu and I will take care of things in the army!"
Zhao Youyi looked around and saw that everyone was training on the sand, covered in mud. "Zhimo, tell the cooks to prepare some meat to reward everyone. Once the rations come in, everyone's meals will only get better."
Zhao Youyi addressed the last sentence to the group of women, and the girls exchanged smiles, all beaming with joy.
"Thank you, General!"
"Sisters, give it your all! Let the general see the results of our training these past few days. We can't lose to those brats next door!"
"That's right, sisters! Let's get moving!"
Looking at this bustling scene, Zhao Youyi couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. Many of these women soldiers were girls who had been raised in seclusion. When the country was in peril, they resolutely chose a different path, stepping onto the battlefield to fight for peace and prosperity for the people. They transformed from weak women into resolute soldiers, and the hardships they endured along the way were unimaginable.
When Zhao Youyi founded the Women's Army, she felt that since she was in this position, she should work for the benefit of women. Otherwise, what was the point of her going through all the hardships to become a general? Wasn't it so that women would have more choices in the future, not just joining the army? If one day she were to rule the world, she would make sure that women could leave their homes and freely choose and control their own destiny.
This ideal was planted during her first secret trip to the battlefield, waiting only for the right time to take root and sprout.
After inspecting the women's army, Zhao Youyi changed course and went to inspect the Zhao family army next door. Some time ago, Zhou Huaiyuan recruited many soldiers in the border area, and they were currently conducting new recruit training. When they saw her coming, they quickly surrounded her.
"General, you're back!" Zhou Huaiyuan proudly introduced to her, "These brothers are all newly recruited by me. Please take a look, General."
Zhao Youyi nodded, picked up a red-tasseled spear and pointed at the most unruly-looking recruit, "Come here and fight me."
The new recruit was named Zhang Qi, the grandson of a former deputy general in the Zhao family army. He was one of the best soldiers in the border region. Seeing that Zhao Youyi was just a woman, he thought she was bluffing and stepped forward without a care. He even smiled and said, "Young general, are you sure you want to fight me?"
He called him "little general" in a strange tone, and his eyes revealed undisguised contempt.
Zhao Youyi didn't reply, but simply gestured for him to enter.
Zhang Qi drew his sword and stepped onto the dueling platform. He saw Zhao Youyi, holding a red-tasseled spear, leap up. Everyone present was shocked. They had long heard that the Zhao family's daughter possessed the legacy of her late father, but they never expected that she would actually know lightness skills.
"Please enlighten me, General!" Zhang Qi had no choice but to put aside his underestimation of his enemy and looked at Zhao Youyi, whose gaze was resolute, with even greater vigilance in his heart.
Zhao Youyi struck first, aiming straight for Zhang Qi's right shoulder. Taking advantage of the sweeping range of the red-tasseled spear, Zhao Youyi swept his leg with a downward motion. Zhang Qi instinctively dodged, and after regaining his balance, he charged straight at Zhao Youyi with his sword. However, Zhao Youyi was incredibly fast and delivered a flying spear kick that struck Zhang Qi's chest.
Zhang Qi was kicked back several steps by her. He gripped his sword and thrust it at Zhao Youyi. Zhao Youyi parried with her red-tasseled spear, making a "clanging" sound. She took a few steps back to create distance and then unleashed a three-strike combo, aiming straight for his legs, waist, and head. Zhang Qi couldn't dodge in time and had his weapon knocked away. Looking at the sharp blade so close to him, Zhang Qi subconsciously swallowed.
“You lost.” Zhao Youyi put away the red-tasseled spear and threw it into Zhou Huaiyuan’s arms. His tone was indifferent: “I know that many of you are not convinced by me. I only have one response to this kind of thing—if you are not convinced, come and fight me. I guarantee that I will make you admit defeat.”
The wind blew up her red dress, and her high ponytail fluttered in the wind. She nimbly flipped off the stage, and Zhou Huaiyuan followed her with an admiring look. After the two left, whispers arose around the arena.
"I didn't expect the general to be so powerful. No wonder he's a descendant of the Zhao family. He's even more impressive than the Great General!" someone said in a low voice, glancing at Zhang Qi's expression as he finished speaking.
Coming to his senses, Zhang Qi wiped away his sweat. He felt as if he had just heard the summons of the King of Hell. This female general was no ordinary woman; she was even more formidable than General Xie Bizheng back then. "General, your martial arts are superb. I am completely convinced of my defeat."
After saying this, he picked up the sword that had been knocked away and returned to his original spot to continue practicing. He was filled with mixed emotions. He had originally thought that Lady Zhao had only become the commander of the Zhao family army because of her brother's reputation and the power of the King of Chu. After learning that Lady Zhao had founded a women's army, he was disdainful and thought of joining the army to teach her a lesson. However, he did not expect that he would be easily defeated by Zhao Youyi in the end.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the group scattered like birds and beasts, each returning to their original training.
"General, your spear-wielding flying kick was absolutely brilliant! Could you teach me sometime?" Zhou Huaiyuan said excitedly.
"Aren't you better at using swords and sabers? Why are you practicing with a red-tasseled spear?" Zhao Youyi asked, raising an eyebrow.
Zhou Huaiyuan scratched his head: "Isn't it because the general knocked that kid's sword away in just a few moves? The red-tasseled spear is amazing! I want to learn how to use it too!"
Zhao Youyi reached out and patted his shoulder: "Sure, you and your sister can learn together. She's also good at this, so you two can spar together."
“General, if I may be so bold as to ask,” Zhou Huaiyuan said, observing her expression, “why did you choose that brat Zhang Qi?”
Zhao Youyi turned his head and smiled: "Brother Huaiyuan, what are you saying? Didn't you deliberately pick this one to establish my authority?"
Zhou Huaiyuan, embarrassed by having his purpose guessed, lowered his head and smiled: "I'm glad the general doesn't blame me for taking matters into my own hands. I did indeed recruit him with this in mind. I didn't expect this kid to be so ambitious. It's also thanks to the general's discerning eye that he saw through my intentions at a glance."
Zhao Youyi patted him on the shoulder: "Well done. There are quite a few people outside who are talking about it, saying that I only got this position because of the Zhao family's remaining power and the King of Chu behind me. Now you are letting me establish my authority in the army, which has solved my urgent problem."
"General!" A soldier came running up, panting. "There's a letter from the Southern Barbarians."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Youyi of the Southern Barbarians already had a premonition. He took the letter and saw that it was indeed a letter from Princess Yulang.
"General, what is this?" Zhou Huaiyuan asked nervously, fearing that it contained news of the Southern Barbarians starting another war.
“It’s nothing serious,” Zhao Youyi said. “It’s just a letter from Princess Yulang. The third son of the former king of the Southern Barbarians has ascended the throne, and Princess Yulang is now his concubine.”
“The Third Prince?” Zhou Huaiyuan had been stationed on the border for many years and knew the situation of the Southern Barbarians very well. “This man is cunning and cautious. I never expected that he would be the one to ascend the throne in the end. There have always been rumors that the Third Prince’s birth mother was of low status, so he has never been valued. He is also younger than the princess, yet he was willing to accept this marriage alliance.”
“Princess Yulang is of noble birth, and he dares not make things too difficult for her. Moreover, the situation in the Southern Barbarians is currently turbulent, and he urgently needs various forces to stabilize the court. Naturally, he will not launch an attack on the Jin Kingdom at this time.” Zhao Youyi put the letter away.
"But the princess might not have an easy time over there." After all, she was General Xie Bizheng's first wife, and the safety of Princess Yulang was very important to him, a follower who had admired General Xie Bizheng for many years.
Zhao Youyi walked into the tent and came to the map. He dipped his finger in water and circled the Nanman area. “There is no need to worry. The princess is of noble status and has excellent martial arts skills. Even if the Nanman king wants to make things difficult for the princess, she will not be easily bullied by him. After all, the princess was taught swordsmanship by the late emperor. It was because of this that she became friends with General Xie through martial arts.”
"Could it be that the princess intends to...?" Zhou Huaiyuan dared not voice his suspicions.
The two exchanged a glance, everything understood without a word.
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