South Sea Commandery, Pingjiang County.
It was a small county town, with low walls and a sparse population.
On ordinary days, Pingjiang County was so quiet it felt like an isolated paradise untouched by the world.
But today, that tranquility was broken.
Outside the city, a vast army was setting up camp.
Twenty thousand troops spread across the open ground beyond the county seat, their tents stretching for miles beyond sight.
Cooking smoke curled into the air as the Cook Soldiers set up their pots and prepared the meal.
The scent of rice porridge filled the air, mingling with the smells of armor and War Horses.
The garrison troops inside the county clung to the walls, sneaking glances outside.
An old veteran rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again, muttering, "W-where did this army come from? Why are there so many of them?"
A young soldier beside him had gone pale. "C-could they be the Rebel Army?"
"The Rebel Army? Weren't they attacking Shaozhou? Why did they come here?"
"Who knows... Anyway, this can't be good..."
"Look at those soldiers! Why do they all look exactly alike?"
"I heard the soldiers under that newly appointed Loyal Valor Earl all look the same."
"Loyal Valor Earl? You mean that mountain bandit leader from Guangnan Commandery who was just accepted by the imperial court?"
"Yes, yes, that's him!"
"Then they're people from the imperial court? What are we afraid of?"
By the battlements, County Magistrate Chen Zhiming had just been dragged out of his afternoon nap. He had been told that a massive army had appeared outside the city, a black mass numbering at least tens of thousands.
He immediately rushed up the wall in a panic.
Now, standing atop the wall himself, he looked at the endless sea of tents outside