The next day.
Feng Chunya ordered her people to distribute all the grain donated by the ministers to the ragged refugees on the streets of the capital.
Wherever the grain carts passed, the commoners knelt all over the ground, sobbing as they choked out, “The Divine Lady is merciful!”
Standing on the city tower and watching this scene, Feng Chunya could not help but silently chant in her heart, “The Divine Lady is merciful.”
It was probably just as Miss Pei had said.
Living in a chaotic world, they were unfortunate, but to be blessed with the Divine Lady's favor, they were also fortunate.
She turned around and looked at her lieutenant behind her.
“Xiaoyu, Military Advisor Pei and I have our hands full. I leave the capital to you. If anyone causes trouble, execute them on the spot.”
“Yes, General!”
The lieutenant cupped her hands and accepted the order.
Without another word, Feng Chunya strode down from the city tower.
Walking to the city gates, she mounted the warhorse brought over by her personal guard.
Before long, the Zhenbei Army assembled outside the city. Their iron armor clanged as they marched out like a winding dragon, heading straight for Bashu.
When the Zhenbei Army reached Bashu, Feng Chunya and the others thought they would have a hard battle to fight. Even Pei Du was prepared to have Feng Chunya use the gunpowder they had brought from Zhenbei Prefecture.
As everyone knew, Bashu was mountainous with rugged terrain, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.
They had to resolve the battle quickly; otherwise, the provisions and military supplies they carried would all be consumed in Bashu, which would hinder their reclamation of other cities.
However, to their surprise, their gunpowder never even had a chance to be used.
Just as the Zhenbei Army arrived before the city walls, the city gates swung wide open.
The local Governor led his subordinate officials out of the city, kneeling on the ground as he presented the Governor's seal with both hands, his voice as loud as a bronze bell.
“Qian Kang, Governor of Bashu, is here! I am willing to lead all the citizens of the city to submit to the Divine Lady with absolute loyalty!”
Feng Chunya and Pei Du exchanged a look.
Just as they were about to ask something, a middle-aged minister with graying hair at his temples ran out of the city, panting. He bowed to Feng Chunya and Pei Du with cupped hands.
“General Feng, Young Master Pei, the Governor of Bashu and I are related by marriage. I rushed to Bashu City overnight just to persuade him to submit to the Divine Lady. Now that he has surrendered the city, I wonder if you two could put in a good word for me before the Divine Lady, considering my hard work in this matter?”
He carefully observed the expressions of the two.
If the other party were merely subordinates of an ordinary warlord, he—hailing from the Li Clan of Chenliu, which was even more prominent than the Pei Clan of Heluo—would have had even emperors of past dynasties treat him with respect. Why would he ever need to watch others' expressions and speak so cautiously?
But as fate would have it, these two did not serve a warlord, but a deity who could turn people to ash with a snap of her fingers.
“The Divine Lady has always been fair. Since She said you can perform good deeds to offset your sins, it is naturally true.” Feng Chunya looked at the minister who had persuaded the Governor of Bashu to surrender. “Once you have fully redeemed yourself, your life will certainly be spared.”
She paused. “As for your request for Military Advisor Pei and me to put in a good word for you before the Divine Lady, that is absolutely impossible. The Divine Lady is occupied with a myriad of daily affairs. How could we mere mortals see Her whenever we wish?”
Hearing the last sentence Feng Chunya spoke, Pei Du could not help but feel a damn familiar sensation.
Reclaiming Bashu was simpler than they had imagined.
Over the next few days, the Zhenbei Army marched through three consecutive cities, practically without shedding a single drop of blood.
These ministers spared no effort, writing letters, reaching out to old acquaintances, and lobbying their former classmates. Someone even dug up a directory of friends from twenty years ago, sending fast riders to deliver letters to them one by one.
Most officials in the southern cities were related by blood or marriage. Combined with the fact that some citizens in those cities also believed in the northern Divine Lady, they simply went with the flow of the times and chose to open their gates and surrender.
Occasionally, a few warlords who could not bear to let go of their power put up a stubborn resistance. The Zhenbei Army, without a second word, used gunpowder to breach the cities, resolving the battles swiftly without harming the commoners in the slightest.
Pei Du was busy with military affairs, receiving surrendered officials from various cities every day. His face grew leaner by the day, but his eyes shone brighter and brighter.
Feng Chunya, on the other hand, was busy settling the surrendered generals, reorganizing household registers, and opening granaries to distribute food. The dark circles under her eyes grew heavier day by day.
Fortunately, however, their hard work was not in vain.
In just two short months, the Zhenbei Army reclaimed two southern prefectures.
Once people were sent from Zhenbei Prefecture to take over the cities, they could continue to reclaim the other southern prefectures.
While the pace of unifying the south was intense and fast-paced, Yun Shu and the little fox on the other side were not idling either.
The little fox said, “Host, this is Wuyin City, the last city in the south plagued by toxic miasma. Its miasma covers almost the entire city. Living to thirty is considered a long life for the locals, and everyone suffers from chronic headaches. When the pain strikes, they even slam their heads against the wall.”
At this point, it was a bit puzzled. “Why don't they just leave and go live somewhere else?”
Looking at the city hidden in the fog ahead, Yun Shu let out a soft sigh. “Tongzi, they must want to leave as well. But in this chaotic world, with war raging everywhere, where could they go if they left Wuyin City?”
She gently caressed the golden lotus in her hand.
“Besides, because of the incurable miasma in the city, rogue armies and mountain bandits avoid this place like the plague. By staying here, they can at least be self-sufficient and remain untouched by the disasters of war.”
Today, the fog in Wuyin City was even thicker than usual.
Huddled in their low thatched huts, the commoners suddenly heard a startled cry from outside. One after another, they tremblingly pushed open their wooden doors and walked out, only to freeze on the spot.
At the city gate, they saw someone walking through the fog.
It was a figure clad in magnificent crimson robes.
Gold threads embroidered an intertwined lotus pattern along the sleeves. The wide cuffs fluttered like butterfly wings, and the skirt trailed over three zhang behind her, its edges adorned with delicate tassels. With every step she took, vivid red petals silently fell from the folds of her robes, filling the air with a rich fragrance.
As She stepped into the city, the white miasma rolled back and retreated to both sides, as if it had met its natural enemy.
Where She walked, clusters of fresh green shoots suddenly sprouted from the withered grass, followed closely by wild flowers.
Purple, white, and pale yellow blossoms jostled to emerge from the cracks in the stones and the bases of the walls.
Only after a long while did the commoners regain their senses, and they were astonished to find that their headaches had completely vanished.
It was a bizarre sensation, as if a heavy piece of iron that had been pressing inside their skulls for years had been silently lifted away. A long-lost feeling of lightness flowed from the tops of their heads down to their limbs.
“My... my head doesn't hurt anymore...”
“Me too...”
A woman subconsciously took a deep breath.
She murmured, “I've lived for over twenty years, and I've never smelled such clean air...”
“A deity has saved us!”
“A living Bodhisattva!”
Stumbling out of their houses, the crowd rushed toward Yun Shu on the long street, kneeling down and incoherently crying out, “Immortal!”
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Yun Shu did not linger. Holding a golden lotus, she walked step by step into the depths of the miasma.
Wherever she went, the miasma dispersed, vegetation revived, and the turbid water sources became visibly crystal clear.
The Phoenix with a Flower Branch dangling hairpin atop her head jingled softly with her steps. Her crimson skirt brushed against the ground, yet it did not gather a single speck of dust.
The little fox trotted beside her. “Host, you've been manifesting before the people everywhere in all kinds of outfits during this time, relieving disasters and bringing salvation. You've left behind countless legends. Just from what I know, you already have nineteen different titles—things like the Phoenix Flower Goddess, God of Five Grains, Orchid Fairy, Miao Snake Goddess, Disaster-Relieving Lady...”
“Don't worry about that.” Yun Shu pulled out her newly drawn map of the south and checked off Wuyin City.
“Alright, it's time to head to the next city.”
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