Martial Might Commandery City

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Martial Might Commandery City
Original Name	太武郡城
Alias(es)	Martial Might City; Taiwu Commandery City 118 121
Type	Fortified frontier city and regional refuge 130 133
Location	Taiwu Commandery, southernmost Xia Province, at the southern edge of the Great Qian Dynasty; beside the Wilds Great Plain 118 121
Ruling Authority	Sunflame Daoist Grounds under Lu Mian; formerly the General’s Mansion 133 158 160
Population	Over one million, according to Mo Six of the Jade Ink Tribe 189
First Appearance	Introduced as Lu Mian’s proposed destination 118; first visited on-page 130
Status	Under Lu Mian’s control; undergoing reconstruction after the destruction of nearly all its noble clans 220

Geography and Layout

• Frontier position: The surrounding commandery historically saw frequent clashes between Great Qian and the tribes of the Wilds Great Plain, producing a combative local culture 118.
• Distance from the Ancestral Court: Its remoteness weakened the Sunflame Sect’s influence. The local Daoist Grounds survived the Heavenly Calamity but struggled without reliable contact or reinforcements 118 121.
• Regional refuge: On Lu Mian’s arrival, the city was the only nearby refuge. It sheltered people from tribes destroyed during the calamity 130 150.
• Fortifications: High walls surround the city, with several dozen well-equipped soldiers guarding the gate when Lu Mian first enters 130.
• Architecture: Most buildings are rough, simply constructed stone structures; some shops use gray bricks and red roof tiles 130.
• Street life: Busy streets accommodate people of different ethnic groups speaking languages unfamiliar to Lu Mian 130.

Notable Locations

Location	Description
Sunflame Daoist Grounds	Located in the southeastern corner, originally occupying only a small plot with a training ground and a Daoist temple behind it. Later becomes the city’s ruling institution 130 158.
General’s Mansion	Former seat of military government. Stripped and burned after Lu Mian’s victory; its grounds are subsequently converted into a public martial training area 158 161.
Star-Ascending Tower	Site where Qinghezi cuts down the general’s banner, marking the fall of the General’s Mansion 155.
Crescent Moon Tower headquarters	Compound dominated by a six-story building; the setting of Lu Mian’s public confrontation with Wan Qifeng 144 145.
Four Seas Tavern	The city’s largest tavern. Hosts the banquet confronting the noble families over their refusal to report for City Guard duty 207 215.

Major Factions

The city initially appears to have four principal powers, but the Thousand Blades Gang secretly serves the General’s Mansion rather than acting independently 133 140.

Faction	Position and Activities
General’s Mansion	Dominant government under Lü Suhu, backed by the former frontier army. Uses subordinate organizations to enforce exploitation and redirect public resentment; overthrown by Lu Mian 133 140 155.
Eight Directions Merchant Guild	Also called the Eight Directions Trading Alliance. An association of prominent families with wealth, influence, and a virtual monopoly over city businesses. Chairman He Wen eventually supports Lu Mian’s takeover 133 155.
Thousand Blades Gang	Long-established smuggling organization trading with the plain’s tribes. Its three leaders serve Lü Suhu’s interests; their disappearance precipitates a wider struggle for control 133 137 140.
Sunflame Daoist Grounds	Initially the weakest major faction, isolated from its parent sect. Lu Mian succeeds Qinghezi as chief and transforms it into the ruling power 130 132 158.
Crescent Moon Tower	Rapidly replaces the Thousand Blades Gang, absorbing its members. Led by Void Cult priest Wan Qifeng and secretly backed by Lü Suhu 142 144.
Void Cult	Operates concealed strongholds, supplies Lü Suhu with intelligence, and exploits suffering to recruit worshippers of the Great Void Snake Mother. Lu Mian destroys its local network and erases believers’ faith 138 150 160.
Noble families	Lose resources and influence under Lu Mian’s reforms. Several patriarchs seek Barbarian Dragon Valley’s support against him; nearly all major and minor clans are subsequently eradicated, except the He and Zhu families and their dependents 207 212 220.

History

Frontier Army Takeover

Before the Heavenly Calamity, a powerful military force was stationed in the region year-round. After the calamity, the frontier army withdrew into the city, established the General’s Mansion, and replaced the government offices. Local organizations initially cooperated with its commander, Duan Fei, because they trusted his character 133 140.

Duan Fei later defended the city against a fifth-tier void-barrier evil spirit, killing it but suffering grave injuries. Five days afterward, the mansion announced his death. His adopted son, Lü Suhu, seized command and purged Duan’s trusted followers. The circumstances of Duan’s death remain unresolved 140.

Lü Suhu’s Rule

Under Lü Suhu, commoners endured protection payments, unpaid labor, and open brutality. Lu Mian’s first visit includes witnessing laborers being whipped hard enough to tear away flesh while bystanders show no reaction. The Thousand Blades Gang absorbed much of the public’s hatred, concealing the mansion’s responsibility 130 140 142.

Lü Suhu also cooperated with the Void Cult. According to the captured cult follower Yuan Cheng, their deliberate intensification of hardship drove desperate residents toward religious refuge and served the cult’s ambition to elevate the Great Void Snake Mother to godhood 150.

Lu Mian’s Arrival

Songmingzi recommended the distant posting to remove Lu Mian from the Sunflame Ancestral Court’s impending factional violence. He arranged Lu Mian’s appointment as head of the local Daoist Grounds and supplied a map to a shattered secret realm in the Wilds Great Plain 118 119 121.

Lu Mian arrived to find Qinghezi gravely injured and the Thousand Blades Gang attacking businesses under the grounds’ protection. After accepting leadership, he investigated the suspected betrayal and discovered that elder Wan Quan was passing information to gang leader Zhuo Feng 130 132 134.

The gang’s subsequent disappearance created a temporary uncertainty among the city’s powers. Crescent Moon Tower then filled the vacuum, imposing even harsher dues and compulsory labor, including on the families of the Daoist Grounds and Merchant Guild 137 142.

Fall of the General’s Mansion

Lu Mian’s confrontation with Wan Qifeng led to a purported mediation banquet at the General’s Mansion. Afterward, Wan Qifeng disappeared and Lu Mian covertly eliminated the Void Cult’s city strongholds. Lü Suhu responded with martial law and ordered the Flying Eagle Guard to destroy the Daoist Grounds 145 150 151 152.

Lu Mian and the recovered Qinghezi defeated the attacking forces and marched on the mansion. He Wen committed the Merchant Guild to their side, helping break the defenders’ resolve. The remaining troops surrendered, and Qinghezi cut down the general’s banner 153 154 155.

Lu Mian killed Lü Suhu, then spent ten days dismantling the old regime and securing control. Lü’s death remained publicly unconfirmed, although other leaders assumed Lu Mian was responsible 158.

Noble-Family Revolt

As commoner cultivators advanced, the established families lost influence and increasingly resented Lu Mian’s restrictions. Huang Tonghe and Zhao Lifang helped organize opposition with the backing of Barbarian Dragon Valley 207 212.

The dispute escalated when the families refused to report for City Guard duty. Lu Mian summoned their patriarchs to the Four Seas Tavern after a three-day deadline. Following the ensuing battle, he ordered the Daoist Grounds and City Guard to eradicate the noble clans, sparing the He and Zhu families and their dependents 215 220.

Officials then repaired buildings, cremated bodies, and inventoried the clans’ assets. Commoners welcomed the removal of the clans as an opening for advancement rather than responding with widespread panic 220.

Government and Society Under Lu Mian

Lu Mian abolished the old systems and adapted Thousand Chimes Commandery City’s institutional model into a more radical advancement system 158 160.

Institution	Function
Sunflame Daoist Grounds	Governs the city, opens its martial arts to the public, and accepts some talented young residents as outer disciples 158 207.
City Guard	Recruits martial practitioners and campaigns against nearby supernatural threats. Everyone reaching blood-qi perfection is required to serve 158 160.
Agriculture Office	Provides arduous but food-sustaining work within the new administrative system 160.
General Affairs Office	Offers another route to employment and adequate food 160.
Contribution system	Allows residents to earn food, money, and supplies through their contributions 160.

• Administration: Zhang Hongfei manages city affairs; Zhao Xishan handles military responsibilities and shares oversight of post-conflict cleanup 160 220.
• Public training: Free martial schools, open weapons sales, and the former mansion’s training grounds help establish widespread enthusiasm for martial practice 160 161.
• Coercive enforcement: Lu Mian destroys factions that evade recruitment and uses No Truth to sever surrendered soldiers’ loyalty to Lü Suhu 160.
• Improved security: Repeated City Guard sweeps carve out a safer zone within one hundred li of the city, with administrative reports recording fewer deaths 160.
• Divided reputation: Many ordinary residents regard Lu Mian as a savior because their lives improve; hostile factions consider him a tyrant more frightening than Lü Suhu 160.

Resources and Regional Threats

Resource or Threat	Importance
Medicine King Ridge	Rich source of spiritual herbs, placed under Qinghezi to support pill refining. Its Spirit Plant Garden later shows successful growth, though mature medicinal potency remains untested 158 209.
Blue Stone Mountain mine	Site near the region’s only Spirit Stone mine. He Hong and disciples are stationed there, while Lu Mian maintains a secluded cave nearby 159.
Tribal trade	Contact with the Wilds Great Plain increases after the calamity as communities exchange needed goods rather than resume warfare 130.
Jade Ink Tribe	Targets Medicine King Ridge’s spiritual soil and views the city’s population as potential fertilizer for its Ink God Tree. Lu Mian deals with the tribe before returning to the city 189 192 207.
Barbarian Dragon Valley	Supports the noble families’ attack while seeking a new home after supernatural calamities threaten its original territory near the Eastern Wilderness Domain 212 220.