Chapter 279: General Zhong
Wushuang City was captured, with civilians and the army together, slaughtering seven hundred thousand soldiers of the Dayu army and capturing six hundred thousand. Thirty-two thousand civilians perished, while Shui Wuhen's army suffered nearly twenty thousand casualties. Not a single soldier died from the First Battalion of the Daxuan Army.
A bizarre and astonishing victory.
After the statisticians compiled the results, they stood there dumbfounded for half a day. What were these results? With a loss of three hundred and forty thousand, they not only captured Wushuang City but also slaughtered seven hundred thousand soldiers of the Dayu army and captured six hundred thousand? They also heavily wounded the twenty thousand soldiers taken by Wu An.
The statisticians swallowed hard, feeling the strangeness of it all.
General Zhong Shan's prowess in leading troops was too remarkable. If not for the civilians, Zhong Shan's Daxuan Army of two hundred thousand, together with the forty-five thousand Wushuang City soldiers, meaning a total of six hundred and fifty thousand troops, managed to capture Wushuang City with only twenty thousand casualties. They defeated the one million five hundred thousand defending army. It was a classic battle of overcoming the odds.
Overcoming the odds? Zhong Shan was already accustomed to it. In the mortal realm, he had achieved victories against the odds many times. Take the time before the founding of the nation, for example, when eight hundred thousand troops besieged Xuancheng, yet the eight thousand defenders still won. A hundredfold difference in strength.
Zhong Shan's ability to analyze and utilize his forces was thorough. He turned the entire army into martial arts experts, while the enemy, no matter how large their army, appeared as a clumsy giant in comparison.
But what was a giant compared to Zhong Shan's soldiers, who were martial arts experts? Despite being smaller and less powerful, they were agile and ruthless. They could blind you, sever your throat, destroy your anus, or strike your vital points, all without much effort, eventually wearing you down.
Inside the Wushuang City Lord's Mansion, Zhong Shan sat at the commander's table, with adoring generals standing on both sides.
Zhao Chuan looked at Zhong Shan somewhat dazedly. Not a single soldier from the Daxuan Army died, and Wushuang City was captured? It was too unreal.
"General, what about the six hundred thousand prisoners? Are we handing them over to the civilians who attacked the city?" Shui Wuhen frowned.
"Of course. I made a promise, and I will naturally fulfill it. Don't worry, the spoils taken by the civilians will be returned." Zhong Shan smiled.
"Yes," Shui Wuhen said.
"Has my decision been announced to the entire city?" Zhong Shan asked.
"Yes, everyone in the city knows. Those who previously betrayed the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty willingly accepted punishment. After your announcement, they felt grateful and forgave past grievances. It's just that the civilians attacking the city were too exaggerated; they looted everything, including some decent houses, even dismantling the beams." Shui Wuhen said somewhat strangely.
"There are only two days. It's already been one day. They will naturally work harder. Don't worry, these materials will be rebuilt in no time." Zhong Shan smiled.
"Yes!" Shui Wuhen responded.
"Well, Zhao Chuan, send someone to report the victory to the court and inform King Daxuan." Zhong Shan said to Zhao Chuan.
"Yes, General!" Zhao Chuan immediately replied.
"Bury all the city's attacking soldiers properly and erect a monument to commemorate the martyrs in the city." Zhong Shan said.
"Yes." Zhao Chuan immediately responded.
Daxuan City
In the study of the Daxuan King's palace, the Daxuan King looked at the man kneeling in front of the desk. This man was one of Zhao Chuan's subordinates from the First Battalion of the Daxuan Army.
At this moment, the man was kneeling on the ground, explaining everything that had happened in recent days in detail.
The Daxuan King held a letter in his hand, patiently listening, while seven or eight people stood on either side, resembling generals or advisers.
"My lord, this is how it happened. I have not omitted a single detail." The man said.
"My lord, this, this, this is too exaggerated, isn't it? The Daxuan Army suffered no losses and captured Wushuang City? Is it still the impregnable Wushuang City?" Another person beside him exclaimed in astonishment.
"Yes, this, this is Zhong Shan's first battle, fought by someone who has never fought before? It's like... it's like a stroke of divine intervention, unbelievable, unimaginable." Another person said.
"I thought he could take Wushuang City, but I didn't expect it to be so casually achieved. This battle was too beautifully fought." Another person added.
People were discussing fervently. With only twenty thousand casualties, they managed to slaughter seven hundred thousand and capture six hundred thousand. Can this still be described as a hard-fought battle? If this news were to spread to the Ancient Capital, it would surely shock the entire court.
Zhong Shan, this is Zhong Shan?
Everyone was astonished, but the Daxuan King calmly set down the letter in his hand and nodded. "It's up to you. Go to the Ancient Capital and report to His Majesty. Tell him everything just as you said."
"Yes!" The soldier who had just reported immediately responded.
"Your Majesty?" a subordinate immediately frowned and exclaimed.
But the Daxuan King had already made up his mind. No one could persuade him otherwise. Such a great victory was about to be known throughout the world—
It had been a month since the great victory of Wushuang City.
In front of the Wushuang City Lord's Mansion, Zhong Shan and Ada stood on the floating island overlooking Wushuang City.
Under Zhong Shan's governance, Wushuang City was quickly and orderly recovering.
Shui Wuhen's army, which previously numbered four hundred and thirty thousand, quickly swelled to six hundred thousand as they continued to recruit new soldiers.
"Master, you've been here for an hour already." Ada asked in confusion.
"Yes, I'm thinking about something," Zhong Shan said.
"Do you remember the giant ape summoned by Qi Tianhou that day?" Zhong Shan asked.
"Yes," Ada nodded.
"How did he summon the giant ape? Shouldn't it have been a tiger?" Zhong Shan frowned.
Upon hearing Zhong Shan's question, Ada smiled faintly. "Ah, I happen to know about this."
"Oh?" Zhong Shan looked at Ada in surprise.
"The tiger is the national beast of the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, so anyone within ten generations of the royal bloodline has the chance to summon it. However, not everyone can do it. It's similar to inheriting bloodlines; it needs to be triggered. As for taming the giant beast, besides summoning, there's also taming. Like the Tiger Cavalry of the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty. Another method is for some people to make contracts with smaller beast clans, protecting them in exchange for assistance. Qi Tianhou might have made a contract with the ape-like beast clan." Ada explained.
"Oh? Can other people do it too?" Zhong Shan asked in amazement.
"In the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, besides Qi Tianhou, a few others have also made contracts with smaller clans." Ada affirmed.
"What about the wolf clan?" Zhong Shan asked tentatively.
"The wolf clan? The wolf clan is a large clan. After all, wolves are prevalent in the Divine Land, and their presence is everywhere. It's been a long time since I heard of anyone making a contract with the wolf clan." Ada said.
"A large clan?" Zhong Shan asked in confusion.
"Yes, a large clan. Of course, it's slightly weaker than the national beast clans of the Three Great Dynasties. During the incident on the Heavenly Wolf Island, when Prince Hao San was being pursued, the beast he could summon was a dragon, the strongest clan. Even though the Heavenly Wolf Dynasty has lost Prince Hao San, the dragon clan remains the most powerful beast clan." Ada explained.
"Dragon? The Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty has tigers, the Great Departure Heavenly Dynasty has phoenixes, what about the Great Sui Heavenly Dynasty?" Zhong Shan asked. It couldn't be the tortoise, right?
"The Great Sui Heavenly Dynasty has crows. Various types of crows." Ada said.
"Ravens?" Zhong Shan exclaimed.
"Yes. But they are far apart from the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, located at opposite ends of the Divine Land." Ada explained.
"Ah," Zhong Shan nodded. He understood.
"Master, do you also want a mount?" Ada chuckled.
"Yes, I'm thinking about it. At least during battles, having an extra layer of protection would be helpful," Zhong Shan smiled.
"Then it should be a tiger. Apply for the Tiger Clan," Ada suggested.
"No need. I've already decided on the clan," Zhong Shan shook his head.
"Uh, not the tiger? Then, master, are you planning to..." Ada asked in confusion.
"Do you remember when we passed by the Jade Horizon Sect last time?" Zhong Shan smiled and asked.
"Ah, I remember. Master understands the language of wolves. Are you planning to tame wolves as mounts?" Ada immediately said.
"Correct. We'll go there immediately. I'll arrange things in Wushuang City tonight, and we'll set off early tomorrow morning," Zhong Shan said.
"Yes!" Ada nodded immediately—
On the second day, Zhong Shan and Ada left Wushuang City. Zhong Shan handed over Wushuang City to Shui Wuhen, and following Zhong Shan's measures, there were no issues with defending the city for some time.
Shui Wuhen was equally grateful to Zhong Shan for his recognition.
Not long after Zhong Shan left, a decree arrived at Wushuang City.
In the Great Luo Heavenly Dynasty, the new top scorer, Zhong Shan!
The results of the imperial examination were all released.
The first place in the highest category: Zhong Shan! The top scorer.
Second place: Shui Jing! The second top scorer.
Third place: Qi Tianhou! The third top scorer!
As for the Golden Cicada, he entered the first place in the second category.
Zhong Shan's essay, arousing heaven's wrath, was hailed as divine by one hundred thousand examinees. If it didn't rank first, it would be against the natural order. No, the essay was against the natural order; if it didn't rank first, nothing else would make sense.
Shui Jing's essay commanded respect from a thousand scholars. If it weren't for Zhong Shan, he would have been the top scorer. But in the face of divine retribution and against the natural order, he seemed slightly inferior.
As for Qi Tianhou and the Golden Cicada, their essays were equally brilliant, but the Golden Cicada made a mistake. The topic of this exam was 'war,' requiring the arrogance of Qi Tianhou's war dragon, not a picturesque landscape.
The top scorer's essay, "Red River Overflowing," was unparalleled!
The top scorer, the top scorer was the commander of my Wushuang City, Zhong Shan, who had just achieved a great victory with a loss of twenty thousand soldiers! Zhong, the Great Commander!
For a moment, the entire Wushuang City was boiling. Zhong, the Great Commander, was also the top scorer? No wonder he could lead the army to capture Wushuang City. No wonder he could write essays that defied the heavens. Zhong, the Great Commander!