Famous in the Western Regions
Lu Yunchu discovered that Lin Chen also admired Legalism; he valued efficiency and was completely devoid of emotion. During a battle, a scout team was ambushed and nearly wiped out. When the news reached the camp, a atmosphere of grief prevailed, but Lin Chen, after hearing the report, calmly said, "It's better that they died; it saves on supplies. Those who survived will likely be even more elite. This is a good thing!"
She began to carefully consider Lin Chen's thinking. Chu Chengchao and the others' previous strategies relied heavily on personal relationships, resulting in low efficiency and no progress. It seemed that an outwardly Confucian approach with an inwardly Legalist one was the right path: outwardly maintaining necessary benevolence and righteousness to appease people, while in reality implementing strict, efficient, and clearly defined Legalist methods.
So, using Lin Chen as an excuse, she put him in a difficult position and forced him to make sweeping reforms to the military system.
On the surface, it was Lin Chen's advice, but in reality, it was all driven by her and the Women's Alliance. She strengthened and refined the system of rewarding military merits, clearly stipulating that merits would be calculated based on indicators such as the number of enemy heads taken, the weapons and flags captured, and the key intelligence gathered. The merit book was open and transparent, and rewards were immediately paid out, from gold and silver to promotion opportunities, without any delay.
At the same time, she adopted a hierarchical system to further strengthen the rank of the military camps. Elite battalions, vanguard battalions, auxiliary battalions... the ranks were clearly defined, with vastly different treatment, equipment, and mission difficulty. However, this was not rigid. She clearly stipulated that as long as there were military merits, auxiliary soldiers could also be promoted to elite; those without merits or demerits, while not receiving heavy rewards, would only maintain their original treatment with some supervision; as for those who had committed offenses, they would be punished according to the severity of the offense, ranging from whipping and demotion to execution, with zero tolerance.
When this system was first implemented, there was considerable resistance. However, when the first soldier appeared who jumped directly from the auxiliary troops to the elite battalion based on his decapitation strike and received a generous reward, the atmosphere of the entire army changed, and the western and northern deserts suffered repeated defeats.
Because of her implementation of this seemingly ruthless system, Lu Yunchu was able to shed accusations of being too kind and became a renowned "ever-victorious general" in the Western Regions. People in the army no longer called her "Madam" but "General Lu".
Lin Chen finally reaped what he sowed. In a battle against the Northern Desert cavalry, Lin Chen, driven by greed for glory, advanced recklessly, causing a unit of his elite troops to be surrounded and suffer heavy losses. According to the military law personally revised by Lu Yunchu, a commander who made a mistake in command should be punished with flogging. Knowing he might not be able to withstand it, Lin Chen secretly pleaded for mercy, but Lu Yunchu personally bound him hand and foot and tortured him until he was unconscious. When he was carried away, his back was a bloody mess, and he had narrowly escaped death.
Lu Yunchu decided to lead the troops herself. She did not explain much, but simply stood on the command platform and slowly swept her gaze over the soldiers below: "If we are defeated, according to military law, I will be the first to be punished."
She had always followed the ranks before, but never charged ahead; this time, she chose the cavalry. The war drums sounded, the horns blared, and she mounted her horse, her bow gleaming in the scorching sun.
The arrows of the Western Deserters came flying through the air. Her figure was exceptionally agile on horseback. She lowered her body and used the momentum and change of direction of the horse to charge ahead, firing arrows horizontally and killing countless enemies.
Blood splattered on her cold silver armor and face, but she didn't even blink. The corners of her mouth remained upturned, carrying a confident smile.
Her ruthless, reckless spirit terrified the cavalrymen who followed her, but they were also infected by a fervent fighting spirit, roaring as they fought alongside her.
If not for insufficient supplies, she could have captured another city. At the victory banquet, she raised her wine jar to her soldiers, and the pungent wine went down her throat without her expression changing.
However, there are no invincible generals in war. In a subsequent battle, she misjudged the situation, and her cavalry suffered heavy losses.
Upon returning to camp, she did not hesitate at all and went straight to the rack.
"The commander-in-chief made a mistake, resulting in losses to his troops. He shall be flogged thirty times." She calmly announced her punishment.
She removed her armor, letting the whip lash her back. Blood dripped down the platform; she was menstruating that day, suffering from lower abdominal pain and profuse bleeding, her entire body covered in blood. Yet, she maintained a smile, uttering not a sound, nor even trembling. After the execution, she continued with military affairs, not even changing her blood-stained clothes.
The scheme to sow discord continued. The growing suspicion and resentment between the Western and Northern tribes, stemming from incidents such as the framing of thieves for stolen weapons and disputes over caravan cooperation, erupted completely during a dispute over the distribution of spoils and the marching route. The two generals nearly clashed on the battlefield, and Lu Yunchu then ordered reinforcements to aid the Northern tribes, enraging the Western king.
Lu Yunchu seized the opportunity, personally leading his army to launch a fierce attack on the western desert, and joined forces with the northern desert to open trade routes. At the same time, he kept a close eye on the northern desert, ready to end the fragile alliance at any time.
When she was about to attack the capital of the Western Desert, she decisively withdrew her troops. The two tribes had to be left behind so that there would be no future troubles. The mess here was difficult to clean up, and the emperor would spare his life to subdue the Western Regions.
After months of intense fighting, a period of calm finally arrived. She ordered the entire army to rest and recuperate on the spot, repair weapons and armor, treat the wounded, and replenish supplies.
Taking advantage of the lull in the war, she continued to keep in touch with her sister. She held several secret talks with representatives of the martial arts world, outlining a highly enticing agreement: once the Southern Dynasty was rebuilt, the old monopoly of aristocratic families and clans over the court would be broken, and talents from all over the land would be recruited. At that time, the martial arts world would no longer be distant from the imperial court, but rather a part of the bureaucratic system.
Her Women's Alliance's border branch, through the collective wisdom of its members, also recruited talented individuals, including a special branch dedicated to martial arts and secret plots with various martial arts forces. With the covert assistance and support of the Women's Alliance and the Four Great Buildings, a new martial arts sect, Hua Chao Lou, officially emerged, quickly distinguishing itself among all sects due to its scale, wealth, and number of members. Lu Yunchu became the Lou's leader, thus formally connecting the imperial court and the martial arts world. She made many friends throughout the land, becoming a strong contender for the next leader of the martial arts alliance.
In the martial arts world, besides the righteous sects, there are also the evil Cangya sect and the ten major assassin sects. A recent upheaval occurred within Cangya. A high-ranking woman, led by a new leader known as "Nameless," united with women from the ten major assassin sects to eliminate male members, henceforth recruiting only women. Legend has it that Cangya possesses countless new cannons, making its power far surpass the combined strength of all the righteous sects in the martial arts world.
Lu Yun Chu contacted Wu Ming, using the Women's Alliance as bait to propose cooperation. She claimed that she would uphold the grand vision of women's unity and improve women's status. Wu Ming agreed and reached a consensus with her.
The border region was well-governed, but one afternoon, a fast horse delivered a letter from home in the capital to Qi Shen, shattering the peace. He casually opened it, but the moment his eyes swept over the letter, he suddenly flew into a rage.
He did not report to his superiors and prepared to leave the camp without permission. Lu Yunchu immediately captured him. Qi Shen was extremely anxious and even tried to forcefully push away the soldiers who were blocking his way. Lu Yunchu ordered his men to beat him with a cane and asked him what urgent matter was at home, but Qi Shen gritted his teeth and only said that his family member was seriously ill.
Qi Shen still had military duties to attend to, and under pressure from everyone, he returned to his original position, but he became more and more dejected each day.
The matter was temporarily suppressed, but rumors about Qi Shen quietly spread throughout the military camp. It was said that Qi Shen's wife was pregnant, but took advantage of Qi Shen's return to the border to escape from the mansion, and her whereabouts remained unknown. Furthermore, some claimed that Qi Shen was wicked and cruel, constantly beating and verbally abusing his wife in the capital, and even boasting to his colleagues about how he disciplined women while drunk, using extremely offensive language.
Lu Yunchu immediately impeached him, saying that he had left the camp without cause and had beaten and scolded his colleagues. He did indeed have a habit of abusing his subordinates.
Qi Shen was arrested and brought back to the capital soon after, and Luo Cheng was also impeached for "having an affair with his sister-in-law." Although it was his sister-in-law, Lu Yun Chu was also implicated. She didn't care at all and continued to lead troops into battle and talk and laugh as usual.
Upon learning this, Chi Luofeng mocked him mercilessly in front of everyone: "General Luo, don't you usually boast about your womanizing ways? How come you can't even handle a few women in your own household?" He himself had many wives and concubines, yet he managed them with ease, and he was quite gloating.
Lu Yunchu watched all this with a cold eye, feeling that each of these male generals was more despicable than the last.
The only two people who remained stable happened to be sons-in-law. Lin Chen prioritized personal gain, marrying into the family to An Pinglan, the younger sister of the Duke of Beiding. He never mentioned family matters, and others often mocked him as a son-in-law who had married into a powerful family, to which he simply responded in silence.
Lu Yun Chu focused more on training a female army, and through Wu Ming, the leader of Cangya Sect, she finally made contact with the legendary descendants of the Mo family. These women only provided the male soldiers with old-style artillery, while the new-style artillery was supplied to the women's alliance. Even so, these cannons greatly enhanced the offensive power of the border troops.
Lu Yunchu seized the opportunity, launched a fierce offensive, and adopted a strategy of dividing and attacking, advancing step by step. He launched a series of campaigns, causing the Western and Northern Allied Forces to suffer repeated defeats and recovering a large amount of lost territory. His army was now heading straight for the heartland of the two tribes.
At this crucial moment of decisive victory, an imperial edict arrived from the capital.
Emperor Chu Cheng'an ordered the withdrawal of troops with the cliché of "it is better to appease than to suppress," but his real purpose was to prevent Lu Yunchu from becoming too powerful and overshadowing him. He originally thought that she and the other soldiers would be wiped out in the Western Regions, but unexpectedly, she not only survived, but also made great achievements.
Lu Yunchu respectfully accepted the imperial decree. She made proper arrangements for the withdrawal of troops, calmed the indignant soldiers, handed over military orders to her subordinates, and left some women to continue guarding the area.
On the day she left the border, countless soldiers spontaneously came to see her off. The emperor personally appointed her as the first female general since the founding of the dynasty, and bestowed upon her a mansion and countless treasures. From then on, she was no longer going to war in place of her husband, but a true and renowned general.
At the same time, the Lu family also sent a letter. Under the planning of her mother and aunt, she succeeded to the position of head of the Lu family with her outstanding military achievements, shouldering the heavy responsibility of the family and the country.
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