"The Sect Leader has given the order. We must break through Marigold County as soon as possible, then march north and attack all the way up. We must take back double the food from Plumera. The soldiers and citizens of Plumera must pay the price before we return."
"This is the first military order. Anyone who dares disobey will be turned into a living puppet."
The general had just been about to give the order to halt the troops, but the words stuck in his throat.
At the same time, the unease he had been feeling grew even stronger after hearing what the Gu Masters said. The third granary outside the Sect Leader's base had also been attacked.
Youdan isn't large. The entire country only has three major granaries. Now all three have been robbed.
It was done so quietly they didn't notice a thing in advance.
If the two granaries inside the military camp were stolen, the general would have only been shocked. But with the Sect's granary also robbed, he now felt panic and disbelief on top of his shock.
The Sect Leader's place was their national religion's base. Its status was higher than even the royal family. Around the base were countless layers of living puppets for defense.
Even someone of his rank couldn't get inside easily. So how did someone silently break through that stronghold packed with puppets?
And now that all three major granaries in Youdan were destroyed, they had only one path left. They had to attack Plumera.
Plumera... could this have been intentional?
The general looked at the now completely changed Marigold County in the distance with a complicated expression.
If all of this really was Plumera's plan, then the actual situation inside Plumera was nothing like the mess and failure they believed it to be.
The real state of Plumera must be completely different from what they thought.
Even if the capital was still under people like Lord Gregory's control, and Commander Shu still held the northern region, someone remarkable must have taken over the south.
No matter what, Youdan's three granaries were gone. Such a huge loss would never be tolerated by the Sect.
If they didn't take Marigold County, the Sect Leader would never allow them to return.
So no matter what, they had to attack.
The general forced down his unease. He ordered the army to set up camp five li from the city, then turned his attention to the moat surrounding Marigold County.
Even from far away, it was clear the moat was extremely wide and deep. Without a bridge, the army couldn't cross. So he focused on the suspension bridge rising from the middle of the moat.
He knew it was a suspension bridge not because they had any in Youdan.
This kind of complicated mechanism didn't even exist in their suzerain state, Celosia. He had never seen such a bridge in any of its cities either.
If he hadn't once seen a painting from a wandering artist, showing a powerful nation's city with a moat and a similar bridge, he wouldn't have realized what it was.
That picture had helped him figure out that this was a movable bridge used to cross moats.
But now wasn't the time to wonder why Plumera had such advanced structures. He stared at the handles on each side of the bridge.
Those handles were covered by black boards made of some unknown material. Under the boards were ropes tied to the bridge.
They needed to find a way to break the boards and cut the ropes to lower the bridge.
Thinking this, the general turned to the deputy and said, "Bring me a bow."
The deputy brought a bow. The arrows were made of wood.
Wood was one of the most common materials for arrows in this era. Besides wood, there were also bamboo, bone, and stone arrows.
Bone and stone were harder but harder to make. Bronze arrows were the hardest and heaviest but mostly used by nobles for decoration and rarely for battle.
Wooden arrows were the easiest to produce and were the most widely used for long-range attacks.
The general took the wooden arrow. He led a team of elite guards forward more than four li. Once he confirmed that the bridge handle was within range, he pulled back the bow and aimed at the black board from a distance.
...
On the city wall
Egbert watched from afar as the enemy general aimed his bow at the bridge handle.
The deputy beside him moved close and said, "General, the enemy is within range. Shall we order the crossbowmen to fire immediately?"
One li in this era was about 500 meters.
The Youdan army was camped five li away. The general had already advanced over four li, placing him within the crossbows' range. With just one signal, the defenders could fire.
Crossbow bolts flew much faster than arrows and had sharp iron tips. If the enemy general didn't have excellent internal power and speed, he had no chance to dodge.
But when the deputy asked, Egbert raised his hand to stop him. "No. Tell everyone not to move yet. It's not the right time."
Firing now would probably kill the enemy general.
But then what?
The death of such a key general would only serve to alert the enemy early. They would realize that Marigold's biggest weapon had already been deployed. The Youdan army would immediately become cautious and reassess the difficulty of taking the city.
They would stop advancing, and might even retreat out of fear. That would be a serious loss for them.
The deputy general received General Qi's order without question. He clasped his fist and accepted it, about to step back, when he suddenly heard a sharp cracking sound.
He turned his head and saw that the wooden arrow shot by the Youdan commander toward the drawbridge handle had snapped the moment it touched the iron shell. That black iron shell wrapped around the protective rope didn't even have a single mark on it. It stayed perfectly in place, not even shaking a little.
Even though he had followed General Qi through countless battles, the deputy general couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.
"General, look! That wooden arrow didn't even leave a scratch on the shell, and instead it shattered into pieces. Haha. Our Princess really does come up with amazing things. The enemy must be either furious or terrified right now!"
After he said that, he noticed that General Qi, who usually had a stern face, actually had a faint and almost invisible smile. "Her Highness is indeed remarkable."
The deputy general smiled even more when he heard that. He suddenly leaned in closer to General Qi with a grin, lowering his voice as he asked,
"General, there's a rumor going around that during the last ancestral ceremony, our Princess was guided by an Immortal of the Divine Vein. That's why she suddenly changed, uh, I mean, suddenly became brilliant. Do you think it's true?"
He had meant it as half a joke and half gossip, but the moment he finished, General Qi's faint smile was gone. He was now staring at him with a cold, blank face.
"Where did that rumor come from?"
The deputy general immediately felt uneasy. Their general never got angry. But whenever he wore that blank face, it meant someone was in big trouble.
He swallowed hard and took a small step back. "It's just something I heard the soldiers whispering..."
General Qi didn't reply. He just stared at him silently. The deputy general took a few more steps back without thinking, then suddenly dropped to his knees.
"General, I was wrong. I shouldn't have believed in those rumors."
General Qi still didn't speak. The deputy wiped the sweat from his forehead, his heart racing, already preparing himself for a heavy punishment. Finally, General Qi's cold voice came from above his head.
"You've followed me for years, You Qi. You should know that anything involving the Divine Vein must never be spoken of. Whether or not Her Highness received guidance is the greatest secret of Plumera. It cannot be treated as gossip."
The deputy opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. He could only lower his head and reply with a quiet "Yes."
The Divine Vein truly was an untouchable secret for every nation in this world. But because of that, most people treated it like a myth. Ordinary folks had never seen it, so the Divine Vein became just another story to them.
Even though every country warned people not to speak of it lightly, eighty percent of the population only heard about the Divine Vein through stories or rituals. They had never seen it for themselves. Many people who had fought in battles and didn't believe in gods treated it casually.
You Qi was one of those who didn't really believe. Not just him, even his grandfather's grandfather had never witnessed the Divine Vein in action.
Especially since they were born in Plumera, where the people suffered so much that prayers were useless.
But listening to General Qi now, You Qi began to feel regret. It didn't matter whether he believed or not. He should never have joked about something that should never be mentioned, just because the Princess had changed so much recently.
There were still countries that deeply believed in the Divine Vein. Many of the powerful nations did, even though the Divine Vein hadn't shown itself in centuries.
If those rumors kept spreading, they really could bring danger to the Princess and to Plumera.
With that in mind, You Qi became serious. He bowed and sincerely apologized again.
"General, it was my mistake. Once this campaign ends, I'll take full responsibility."
Only then did General Qi look away. "Good. Also, once this war is over and Her Highness returns in victory, follow the trail of those rumors. Find out where they started. Discover the intent behind them, and give me the full list of everyone involved."
"Yes, General."
...
The arrow shot personally by the Youdan commander carried tremendous force. But it still didn't leave even a mark on that black protective shell.
This result shocked the Youdan army.
Besides bronze, what else could be so strong?