The people of Gu'an couldn't defeat Zhu Changle, but they could easily overpower those from Yunbei.
Zhu Changle grabbed a handful of pebbles from the ground. Whenever she saw her side struggling, she would toss a stone to help out. With her backing them up, the Yunbei people gradually built up their fighting spirit. For the first time, the Gu'an people experienced what it felt like to be utterly defeated.
The people who had been shouting in front of Zhu Changle earlier now kept their mouths tightly shut. As the usually victorious side, it was too embarrassing to cry out in pain in front of those they considered weaker.
When the first person showed signs of retreating, without any need for communication, they all fled within moments.
The Yunbei people were stunned watching their opponents flee so pathetically. They had never encountered such a situation before. After a moment of adjustment, they realized what had happened. They looked at each other, slapped each other's shoulders, and burst into laughter. As they laughed, their voices began to crack with emotion.
For the first time, they had defeated the people of Gu'an.
One by one, they turned to look at Zhu Changle. It was because of her that they were able to vent years of pent-up frustration from being bullied.
The guards were clearly the leaders of this group, but even among the guards, there were differences. One of them, either the youngest or naturally the boldest, stepped forward and bowed, "Thank you, Miss Zhu, for helping us repel the enemy."
"Enemy?" This was a word Zhu Changle had never expected to hear. She voiced her surprise, "I know the relationship between the two places isn't good. After coming here and hearing about some incidents, I was angry at how excessive they were. But aren't we all people of the same country? Surely they can't be considered enemies. The real enemies are the neighboring countries constantly plotting to take our land."
"They are enemies," the young guard said firmly.
The more experienced guards didn't have time to stop him. In their urgency, they quickly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Miss Zhu, please forgive him. Zhou Zheng is young and doesn't understand. Gu'an isn't the enemy..."
"They are the enemy!" Zhou Zheng stuck out his neck and raised his chin. "They've been bullying us in Yunbei to death for so many years. Even enemy countries haven't bullied us this much. They are the enemy!"
His words... made so much sense! Zhu Changle found herself unable to refute. Enemy countries were considered enemies because they always wanted to bully us. Now, Gu'an was bullying Yunbei to death. Didn't that make them enemies? Of course it did!
"You're right. They are enemies," Zhu Changle agreed.
Her attitude made the guard sigh in relief. By standing on Yunbei's side, she instantly won the favor of everyone present. Zhou Zheng grew even bolder and asked directly, "If Miss Zhu thinks this way, does your father think the same?"
"Zhou Zheng!" The guard panicked and hurriedly stopped him. How could he say such things?
Although Zhou Zheng was bold, he still knew when to listen. He closed his mouth and lowered his head, appearing to acknowledge his mistake.
The guard secretly glanced at Zhu Changle. Seeing that she was still smiling and didn't seem to want to pursue the matter, he was about to quickly smooth things over and lead everyone away when he heard Zhu Changle speak.
"Your uniform is showing."
Zhou Zheng hurriedly tucked the exposed sleeve of his military uniform back in.
"..."
Zhu Changle burst into laughter. Her laughter made those who were still worried join in. Strictly speaking, Zhou Zheng had made a mistake. If someone were to be picky about it, he could be punished or even dismissed. But Miss Zhu clearly had no intention of being picky.
"My father is a good official. You should trust him."
The guard very respectfully agreed. Whether an official was good or not, whoever said they were, they were. As for whether they really were, heh.
They had already seen many 'good officials.'
Seeing their skepticism, Zhu Changle stopped smiling. She very seriously spoke up for her father, "My father is different from others. You'll see. Before we came, although we knew Gu'an was quite unpleasant, my father, who was already a high-ranking official in the Capital City, didn't know Gu'an was this bad. This indicates one thing."
Zhu Changle raised her finger and pointed upwards. "The one up there probably doesn't know how badly you in Yunbei are being bullied by Gu'an. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed this to go on for so many years. Now that my father is here, this matter definitely won't be so easy to cover up. Given his personality, he won't rest until he's blown this issue up to the heavens."
The crowd looked at each other. These words sounded nice, but... who would believe them?
Zhu Changle didn't expect them to believe her with just a few words. She waved at the man in the crowd who had sent her crabs before, "How come you're here too?"
The man, suddenly noticed, felt very uncomfortable. He scratched his head and lowered it, saying, "Yes, I'm also a gatekeeper."
Gatekeeper? Zhu Changle thought about the literal meaning for a moment, then pointed at them, drawing a circle with her finger. "Are you all gatekeepers here? Are there so many positions for guards?"
"No, no." The man waved his hands repeatedly. "We're not."
Zhu Changle looked towards the older guard, waiting for him to explain.
The guard swallowed and said, "Only eight of us are. The others were organized by Lord Luo to resist the people of Gu'an here."
"Lord Luo?"
"Yes."
Zhu Changle and Qiuli exchanged a glance. This Lord Luo seemed to be involved in everything, good or bad.
"So every time the Gu'an people come, you rush over to support? Can you make it in time?"
"We can. Lord Luo specifically arranged for us to live close to the city gate, divided into two shifts. The shift on gate duty won't go far."
So that's how it was. No wonder they were able to call so many people that day when they first arrived.
Having just gained some goodwill, Zhu Changle didn't want to waste it. She smiled mischievously and changed the subject, "Do you want to learn a few moves from me? It's free!"
"I do!" Zhou Zheng responded with an extremely loud voice. Because he was the only one who responded so quickly and clearly, it made him stand out even more.
"Alright, you'll be the first disciple then!" Zhu Changle replied just as loudly. Zhou Zheng, who was feeling a bit embarrassed at first, now felt better. As for the fact that the master was a woman, and a young woman at that, he didn't even think about it at the moment. Admiring strength is human nature. When your strength is sufficient, whether you're male or female becomes less important.
"Anyone else? This is a rare opportunity, you know. I don't often take disciples!" Seeing their hesitant yet eager looks, Zhu Changle added another incentive, "Do you want to beat up the Gu'an people like we did today? If you do..."
"I'll learn."
"Me too."
"I, I, I'll learn."
"..."
Before Zhu Changle could finish her persuasive words, they had all expressed their willingness one after another. In their hearts, everything else was illusory. Being able to defeat the Gu'an people was real! Nothing was more important than this!
Out of more than forty people, not a single one was left out. Zhu Changle tilted her head and smiled, "Good, I'll teach you."
Zhou Zheng got excited, "When do we start? Now?"
Zhu Changle thought for a moment, "Tomorrow. The nearest pier is the one to the west, right?"
"That one has been destroyed."
"You'll be able to persevere better there. Looking at the destroyed pier, you'll understand more clearly why you're learning martial arts, and for whom you're enduring this hardship."
These words struck a chord in their hearts. No one objected anymore.
