After a Great Victory

After the Grain Protection Army won a great victory, it was already growing late. They would make camp for now, rest for a day, and then attack the city in one great push. That was the iron law of the battlefield.

There were also many other things to do: urging the enemy to surrender, probing their defenses, and getting a clear picture of the surrounding situation. It was unheard of for a great army to arrive and, before it had even caught its breath, launch a nighttime assault on a city.

Yet the Grain Protection Army did exactly that.

From where Hu Ma stood, he looked down at the battlefield below. Sure enough, taking advantage of the night, torches suddenly blazed across the sprawling army camps. The next moment, the surging ranks of the Grain Protection Army shouted in unison and charged Lake State City.

Meanwhile, within Lake State City, a great ring of blazing braziers had been lit in the city center, illuminating the platform in the middle until it shone bright as snow. All around it stood men in red bellybands, each holding a steel saber.

On the platform stood a man wearing makeup, a huge beard, and a vivid green robe. He was none other than Deng Qijie, the head of the Women's Gate. In a shrill voice, he bellowed:

"That King of Mingzhou is outrageously rude! He came from the martial world himself, yet he won't tolerate our Women's Gate. He's even let his soldiers destroy our main altar in a single day and slaughter all our disciples!"

"Today is the day we avenge our disciples and win a great merit for the Dragon King. Bring them up!"

"..."

All around them, rows upon rows of women and children lay bound hand and foot. There were