Women's Army
Not long after, while patrolling the camp, A Xiao, Xuan Ji, and Xuan Xuan discovered a suspicious spy from Ze Guo. Although he was disguised, the Thousand Tang Flower Totem on his body gave him away. Lu Yun Chu took the opportunity to summon the three of them.
Inside the tent, the candlelight flickered. Lu Yunchu's gaze first fell on Xuanji, and he went straight to the point: "Xuanji, you should have already heard about why Consort Xi summoned you. Remember, keep a close eye on those two leaders of the Cavalry Battalion, Gao Zhan and Su Lang. They are the most popular among the soldiers and also the most likely to be turned against them."
She picked up a sheepskin map depicting the state of the world, spread it out on the table, and traced the mountains and rivers with her fingertips, as encouragingly as she did when handing over a new bride: "In the north, the Great Liang, under the control of the Grand Preceptor Ji Chengyun, is conquering cities and seizing territories. Princess Anpinglan is reforming the government and training female soldiers, Prime Minister Ji Mengchao is promoting the idea of a holy maiden, and Princess Chiluomingye is also waiting for her opportunity; in the northeast, Princess Murong Mingyue has already mobilized a female army; in the southeast, the Ze Kingdom is vying for the throne with Princess Xiao Weining and her female army; in the southwest, the actual ruler of the Southern Dynasty is my sister, the Empress Dowager Lu Junxuan, who is now ruling from behind the curtain; and in our Great Chu, I will assist Chu Qin to ascend the throne in the future! Sisters, women will surely usher in a bright future!"
Lu Yunchu then assigned specific tasks to A Xiao and Xuan Xuan: A Xiao was proficient in the miasma of the southwest and could use this expertise to establish prestige in the army, treating soldiers while secretly making arrangements; Xuan Xuan was to contact Mu Yu and assist Xuan Ji in secretly promoting the peasant uprising.
In the following days, Lu Yunchu personally helped the group practice martial arts and familiarize themselves with military formations. Xuanji suggested that more female soldiers should be sent to the battlefield for training, but Lu Yunchu said that "the time is not yet right" and that they should wait.
Ah Xiao calmed things down from the side: "No need to rush. It's just that the battle is fierce right now, and female soldiers who haven't experienced actual combat do indeed lack reaction time."
Lu Yunchu nodded and explained, "I will gradually send small groups of female soldiers to participate in auxiliary missions, but large-scale deployment will have to wait for the new type of artillery secretly developed by Chu Qin to arrive at the front line. For now, we should focus on attrition warfare and take a break to recover."
Soon, urgent military intelligence circulated in the camp: the enemy intended to attack an important valley where the Chu army was stationed, and had already sent scouts to plant a large amount of gunpowder in advance. Upon hearing the news, the generals all looked worried and were at a loss for what to do.
Only A-Xiao, with a hidden agenda, calmly sought an audience with Lu Yunchu. A-Xiao remained composed and inquired carefully: "Was this news witnessed by our own spies?"
After speaking quietly with Jiang Liu, Zai Yu confirmed: "Yes, they witnessed enemy spies carrying gunpowder infiltrating the valley to dig hidden trenches."
Upon hearing this, A Xiao immediately pointed out the key doubts: "Digging a tunnel requires prior surveying, which is quite noisy, and there are listening jars to detect it. How could we not have noticed? Furthermore, the moat is not far from the valley, and the soil is damp. How could we store gunpowder that is susceptible to moisture? This news is full of loopholes. It is probably a feint by the enemy to lure our army into a panicked retreat."
Lu Yunchu pondered for a moment, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes: "That makes sense. I will immediately send people to thoroughly investigate the valley." She paused, "However, we can't always remain so passive..."
A Xiao seized the opportunity to suggest, "General, the enemy supplies most of their provisions from the Central Plains. Why don't we disguise ourselves as soldiers of the Southern Dynasty and cut off their supply lines? This move will not only severely damage the enemy but also thoroughly provoke conflict between the Southern Dynasty and the Ze Kingdom, further disrupting the tripartite balance of power in the south, which will be advantageous to our overall situation!"
Lu Yunchu couldn't help but admire her talent and asked her to train more female soldiers.
Knowing the hardships these women faced in a male-only camp, she gently comforted them, telling them to come to her anytime if they encountered difficulties. She also gifted them many newly invented menstrual belts. These belts were lined with soft, absorbent cotton and covered with waterproof tarpaulin. Adjustable straps were sewn on both sides, and each contained a sachet of wood ash and anti-inflammatory, hemostatic herbs. They were easy to change and wouldn't easily stain clothing, greatly alleviating the women's suffering during marches. She also packed several pills to relieve menstrual cramps.
Subsequently, Lu Yunchu sent A Xiao and others deep into Ze Kingdom to take the opportunity to contact Princess Xiao Weining and further spread the idea of the Holy Maiden, thus shaking the morale of the Ze Kingdom's army.
Just then, Emperor Chu Cheng'an decided to personally lead the expedition, arriving at the Yangcheng camp with his favorite concubine, Meng Zhiyi. Lu Yunchu led the troops to greet them with proper etiquette. Although Meng Zhiyi was also a member of the Women's Alliance and had personally nurtured A Xiao, she seemed to genuinely have feelings for Chu Cheng'an and viewed Lu Yunchu as a potential threat. She frequently implied that Lu Yunchu's "widow" status was ominous and warned the emperor not to get close to her. The emperor, having not seen her for several years, had become even more malicious and deliberately approached Lu Yunchu to see if Meng Zhiyi would become angry.
Lu Yunchu ignored Meng Zhiyi's provocation and remained courteous. However, the emperor was assassinated on the very night of his arrival. Although he was unharmed, the attack caused chaos in the camp.
Lu Yunchu carefully examined the scene and discovered that although the assassin was disguised as a Ze Guo assassin, the mud on the soles of his boots did not come from the outer perimeter of the camp, but rather from clay unique to the vicinity of the kitchen. She immediately ordered the kitchen area to be sealed off and all personnel movements to be strictly investigated. They quickly identified a local soldier disguised as a cook, who had taken this desperate measure out of extreme resentment towards the court's oppression. Lu Yunchu swiftly quelled the disturbance and reported the murderer and the evidence to the emperor.
Chu Cheng'an, still shaken, deliberately leaned weakly on Lu Yunchu's shoulder in front of everyone, praising his loyalty and reliability in ambiguous terms. Meng Zhiyi, her face pale with anger, stormed off.
After everyone had left, Xuanji found Meng Zhiyi, who was sulking alone, and said coldly, "Please wake up. You know His Majesty has a perverse sense of humor. Don't bring this kind of fighting over worthless people to my eyes. If you say such things again, I will hit you."
Lu Yunchu later heard Meng Zhiyi scold her for this incident, saying that she had bewitched Xuanji. Lu Yunchu just laughed it off and only thanked Xuanji.
The atmosphere in the military camp grew increasingly tense due to the shortage of gunpowder, causing Chu Cheng'an great anxiety.
When the emperor once again summoned his generals to discuss the supply of gunpowder, Azhi offered a suggestion: "Your Majesty, all things are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. Where there is a shortage, there will be a gift from heaven. I have observed the celestial phenomena and the earth's atmosphere, and I believe that the substitute is both far away and right before our eyes: it is human excrement."
A commotion erupted in the tent. The generals frowned, and some even burst into laughter. Azhi, however, calmly explained, “Our soldiers have long resided in the southwest, where their diet consists mostly of poisonous insects and exotic plants, and their excrement is extremely foul-smelling, unable to nourish even the fields. However, precisely because of its potent toxicity and strong stench, it can be mixed with some of the ineffective or damp poisons currently in the army. Through a special secret process, its combustion and explosive effects, while not as powerful as refined gunpowder, are sufficient to create chaos on the battlefield and burn the enemy. As for the gunpowder that has become damp and clumped, it can be crushed and reshaped into granular shot for close-range bombardment; its power should not be underestimated.”
Taking advantage of the opportunity to develop this batch of special ammunition, Azhi presented a batch of new weapons that had just been secretly developed by the descendants of the Mo family and the folk women's weaving society and had just been transported to the front line.
The first type is a small, multi-hole shotgun, shaped like a square iron box, containing dozens of tiny cannon holes. A single load can fire dozens of specially made iron shot pellets, like a swarm of bees emerging from their hive, covering a fan-shaped area in front, specifically designed to counter dense assaults. It is lightweight and can be operated by one person on their shoulder.
The second type of long-range large artillery features a long barrel with helical rifling on the inner wall and a sophisticated gear steering mechanism on the base. It fires specially designed streamlined shells, with a range far exceeding that of traditional artillery and greater accuracy. It can be operated by two to three soldiers in coordination for long-range precision strikes or fire suppression.
The third type is a handheld cannon barrel, made of refined iron, about three feet long, capable of firing grapeshot. The recoil has been significantly reduced through a special design, allowing ordinary soldiers to hold it stably, making it possible for individual soldiers to break through enemy lines and engage in close-quarters combat.
These weapons represented a leap forward in size, rate of fire, accuracy, and attack patterns. However, after the two accompanying female craftswomen explained the operating procedures in detail, the male soldiers present looked at each other blankly, unable to grasp the intricacies. Even Chu Cheng'an himself tried, but due to his inability to find the right method, he was unable to aim accurately.
Lu Yunchu listened casually for a few minutes, then stepped forward, skillfully adjusted the gears, calculated the angle, loaded the ammunition, lit the fuse, and with a "boom," the shell accurately hit the bullseye of the distant target.
She had already learned all the procedures through secret channels, and when the woman taught the man, she naturally forgot the crucial steps.
An elderly woman, whom Lu Yunchu had arranged to deliver the food in advance, pretended to be passing by and looked on curiously. Lu Yunchu invited her to try it out, and with simple instructions, the woman actually succeeded.
What the male soldiers could not accomplish with all their might, the women did with ease. Just then, Azhi suddenly pointed to the sky: "Your Majesty, please look! These clouds resemble a phoenix. A phoenix gathering in the sky is an omen of great war and slaughter! However, the phoenix is a bird of darkness, and this calamity... can only be averted by the blood of a woman!"
Chu Cheng'an looked up and saw the drifting clouds, which did indeed resemble the shape of a flying phoenix. Combined with his observation of how easily Lu Yunchu and the old woman handled firearms, and the reality of the army's manpower shortage, his long-standing hesitation about employing female soldiers finally wavered. The army's diviner also opportunely advised, observing that the weather would be dry and there would be a southeast wind seven days from now, making it an ideal time for a fire attack.
Taking advantage of the situation, Azhi pretended to use divination to point out that Qingcheng, a nearby city that had just been captured by the Ze Kingdom but was poorly defended, could be used as bait.
Lu Yunchu took the lead and volunteered to form a female suicide squad, which she would personally lead to infiltrate Qingcheng through an abandoned secret passage.
After Lu Yunchu led her suicide squad into the city, she discovered that Ze Guo had indeed become too ambitious and reckless, resulting in a dispersed army and insufficient garrison within the city. She immediately ordered her men to secretly poison the enemy's grain depots, and at the same time sent a signal to Xuanji, A Xiao, and others who were already lying in ambush outside the city to split into two groups and guard both banks of the Liang River to cut off any possible external reinforcements.
The routed defenders fled to report the news, and the Ze Kingdom's general, enraged, personally led his main force to reinforce the city. At dusk, the Ze Kingdom army arrived at the city walls, only to find them brightly lit and undefended. Scouts reported that the city seemed to be lightly defended. Lu Yunchu ordered a suicide squad of female soldiers to disguise themselves as remnants of the enemy and hastily engage in battle, but they were routed after only a brief resistance.
Based on his understanding of the Chu army's insufficient strength, Zeguo's general concluded that Qingcheng was now an empty shell and ordered the entire army to enter the city.
Just as the Ze Kingdom army filed in and busied themselves setting up camp, the long-awaited southeast wind suddenly arose. The Chu army, lying in ambush near haystacks outside the city, immediately lit their fuses. The wind was fierce, and the withered trees and thatched huts instantly burst into flames, which, fueled by the wind, quickly spread throughout the city. The Ze Kingdom soldiers, caught completely off guard, trampled each other in their tracks.
Ze Guo, realizing he had fallen into a trap, hastily ordered his troops to retreat northwest, attempting to break through via the Liangshui Trail leading to their nearest camp. However, what awaited them was the same fiery inferno engulfing the northwest camp. Azhi had already calculated the wind direction and terrain, sending troops to flank them and simultaneously burn down the camps along their retreat route. Meanwhile, the Chu army, under cover of darkness, crossed the frozen Liangshui River, blocking the waterway and completely cutting off their hopes of escaping by water.
With a large army in front and raging fire behind, their retreat was impossible. Lu Yunchu personally led a female army armed with new firearms to attack. After a night of bloody fighting, they captured Qingcheng.
After capturing Qingcheng, the Chu army found itself in a new predicament. The native southwestern army was exceptionally fierce; despite their initial defeat, their fighting spirit remained undiminished, and they continued their siege for days. The Chu army was exhausted from defending the city and also had to divide its forces to maintain the supply lines on the ice. Besieged on two fronts, their morale gradually declined.
At this point, Meng Zhiyi proposed a seemingly absurd plan: first, send a small force with artillery to feign an attack on the city, attract the enemy's attention, and then pretend to retreat. Once the enemy relaxes their vigilance and occupies the positions outside the city, the main force will suddenly attack.
This plan was extremely risky, and all the generals thought it was a pipe dream. But after the shamans performed divination, they claimed that "victory can be achieved amidst danger, and the divination provides a solution." After weighing the options, Chu Cheng'an decided to adopt it.
Meng Zhiyi personally led 500 elite soldiers, carrying a large number of artillery pieces, in a surprise attack on the enemy camp. The dense volley of bullets rained down like a storm, catching the enemy off guard and causing heavy casualties. Meng Zhiyi then decisively ordered a retreat, abandoning some of the supplies to create the illusion of a rout.
As expected, the Southwest Army fell into the trap. Seeing the Chu army retreat, they rushed out of their camp to seize the spoils, throwing their formation into chaos. At this moment, Xuanji and his troops, who had been lying in ambush on the flank, launched a general offensive. The main force of the Southwest Army suffered heavy losses in this battle and was forced to retreat.
After these battles, Chu Cheng'an finally issued an official edict to recruit and utilize female soldiers on a large scale, and authorized Lu Yunchu to be fully responsible for the formation and training of the female army.
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