The Rise of History’s Most Powerful Empire

He went to Shiquan County the first day, rested there for the night and continued to Chenggu County.

Chenggu County was surrounded by water, theHan River and two tributaries flowing at the borders. With the fertile land and developed agriculture, 20,000 people live here despite its small area. 

Thanks to close proximity to Nanzheng, it has a high political status, making it a county packed with clans. Some of the older ones had been around since the Qin Dynasty.

Today however, this peaceful and happy county would be plunged into war.

Zhong Yu was on the road surrounded by fields leading to a village. He found the crops vibrant and lush, promising year after year of rich harvest.

By the looks of it, this country could raise food for two counties alone. The fertile soil was the main reason.

While this was the good news, the bad news was it belonged to the clans. No matter how much grain it grew, most went to them from being rented out to farmers and charging exorbitant taxes barely leaving the people enough to eat.

The people he saw on the way were thick and yellow, mere skin and bones, that any breeze could take them away.

While the clansmen were plump in gaudy clothes always riding out with a large detail of servants and guards.

His coming would be providence for these poor people. While he confiscated the clans' lands, he'd be returning some to the people.

While the tax would be as high as 60%, the rest was more than enough to feed a family of three. If the wife was diligent, the family would plant mulberry trees, weave cloth, and could earn a pretty coin every year. Such a life only happened in times of peace though.

Chenggu County and Nanzheng County were close, separated by merely 15 km of flat terrain making it possible to even see each other. 

This made his easy conquest so far to be bogged down. No longer dealing with the clans being unaware once he took the city.

He would have to strike fast and hard. First take the county city to rob them of a base.

Then clean it of any ill people as fast as he could, leaving a few men behind for defense while he rushed for Nanzheng city to take the county before they got wind of his action here.

He soon reached the county city, killing anyone he met and dumping the bodies in the forest.

Finding the county city unalerted by his presence like he planned, he had the cavalry rush inside to deal with the gate.

A small county city had 3,000 people at most, needing little time to get under his rule.

THe officials and clansmen died soon after at the blade of his soldiers.

The entire process took under an hour. Not even the surrounding people around the city noticed anything.

The cleanup consisted of the guards and their families as well, even the servants.

Worryless, he left only two hundred men behind, thinking they should hold an army of 5,000 without trouble for a good while.

To say nothing of Hanzhong Region not having such an army. Besides, he wasn't far from Chenggu County and could come in two hours to support them if the danger was great.

With his 1,000 men he rushed out of the city and straight for Nanzheng County city, killing anyone they met and throwing to the side to hide his tracks.

In two hours he was upon the county city's gates, hiding in a forest.

Nanzheng County was the seat of government for the region here. It had 1,000 regional soldiers to keep guard. Even without being hardened by war and training, they were the strongest force for miles.

Any group larger than ten men was stopped and made to give their weapons before entering.

Sending the cavalry right in would raise the alarm and bar the gates before they even reached it. The alarm would call upon the clans' forces and he'd have no way of getting in then.

The only way to do it was through guile. Making himself a merchant again and disguising his men as workers while the weapons were hidden in the carriages. 

Once close enough he'd sprung at the guard and the cavalry would rush in at the signal to settle it all in one go.

It would all happen way too fast for anyone to react, especially these laid back soldiers.

And just like he planned, the guards were too greedy upon laying their eyes on his caravan.

It was easy getting to the gate and Zhong Yu smiled over to the guard leader. He reached into his chest for the bag of coins.

The guard leader was too relaxed, showing a beaming greedy smile and imagining tasting new indulgence tonight.

Yet all that greeted him was a burrowed dirk in his heart.

He slumped to the ground, in shock and stiff.

The soldiers reacted and pulled their blades from the carriages, starting to kill the stunned guards.

The trumpet of war sounded and the cavalry swooped in in ten minutes. Killing anyone in their path so that no one escaped then resumed their slaughter within the city walls.

The entire county city entered a bloodbath, the natural order crumbling, reduced to enacting hell on earth.

The evil in the hearts of men exploded right then as Zhong Yu's soldiers, the city's guards, some thugs, the clan's servants and clansmen, all were reduced to fighting in the most cruel and gruesome way possible, compounding the civilian casualties.