With the Blade-Chapter 43 - 40: A General’s Success Rests Upon a Pile of Bones
Setting down a stool on a patch of empty ground, Du Chengfeng weighed the general’s flag in his hand.
The flagpole was about eight feet tall, entirely crafted from hardwood, with a spearhead mounted at the top. The old flag’s edges were frayed, and even the embroidered flying fiery phoenix had faded in color.
"Still good, still good."
Du Chengfeng felt secretly relieved.
Though he didn’t know how to maintain the fabric of the flag, at least it still had a spearhead.
With a spearhead, things would be easier. He could use it for sharpening.
After pouring some clear water to wet the Grinding Stone, Du Chengfeng laid the large flag down and began to hone it.
It’s often said, a broken spear sinks in the sand but the iron not yet worn, washes it anew to recognize the past dynasty.
Wait a moment, past dynasty?
"Whoa!"
Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart.
How could there be a general’s flag from the past dynasty in the Jizhou arsenal? Could Commander Liu really be planning a rebellion?
But after continuing to sharpen, Du Chengfeng realized, this past dynasty was not that past dynasty.
It was currently the Great Chen dynasty; Du Chengfeng had witnessed this period through Yang Fatty’s experiences, and prior to Great Chen was Great Yu, the era in which Yang Fatty lived — and this flag was from even further back in time.
That was a dynasty preceding Great Yu, known as the Great Chu.
Different from today’s popular troop formations and city defenses, in the Great Chu era, bravery came first. Rather than leisurely engaging the enemy, the soldiers of Great Chu were more eager to attack proactively, blazing through all enemy resistance like wildfire.
And at that time, the brave general leading the charge wielded this Phoenix Flag.
In the culture of Great Chu, the phoenix was also known as the undying bird. As it was said, "Setting off from Tianjin in the morning, reaching the west extreme by evening. The phoenix flutters with its honored pennant, steadily soaring far," every person in the Chu Kingdom believed that under the guidance of the fiery phoenix, they would not simply perish; the undying phoenix would lead their souls, soaring high in the heavens.
Whenever the Phoenix Flag led the charge into enemy lines, every soldier of Chu would fight valiantly, following this undying bird, slaying every enemy in front of them.
It was for this reason that any general able to hold the Phoenix Flag was undoubtedly a mighty warrior with the strength of a thousand men.
Wielding the Phoenix general’s flag, they always rushed to the very front of the formation, using their unnatural bravery to blaze a path for the soldiers behind them. And when these mighty generals aged, the Phoenix War Flag symbolizing the vanguard would be passed to the next most powerful warrior in the army, who would continue to appear in the most dangerous battlefield areas, bringing victory after victory for Great Chu.
And with each consecutive victory, the generals holding the flag of Chu were fueled by a fiery desire for conquest in their hearts.
Back then, Jizhou was not yet called Jizhou; during the Great Chu era, it was known as Yuyang, and the Yuyang garrison commander Long Yan was unmatched in valor, his strength surpassing all the armies. Logically, such a valiant general should have made great accomplishments in a time of chaos, but Long Yan, unfortunately, encountered an era of peace.
At that time, Great Chu had already settled down from the chaos, a period that required recuperation and rejuvenation. Commanders across the regions served mainly for defense, no longer engaging in external battles. This was certainly good for the people, but for a general like Long Yan, who was set on expanding territories, he suddenly found himself with no battlefield to showcase his skills.
After all, there were no more forces to attack in this world; he couldn’t very well turn his soldiers against their own people, could he?
It was then that Long Yan turned his attention to the grasslands.
Yuyang was situated on the northern frontier, making an assault on the grasslands convenient. Although the grassland people traditionally migrated with the water and fields, lacking fixed towns to conquer, marching all the way through was still a form of territorial expansion, wasn’t it?
If he truly broke through the Grassland Royal Court and captured the Chanyu alive, he might be awarded with a title and a high-ranking position!
"Charge!"
With this in mind, Long Yan had already decided to go all out.
He conscripted laborers, prepared armies for battle, and as the garrison commander, Long Yan virtually mobilized every resource available in Yuyang County. The grassland people, indeed, could not withstand the Chu army soldiers blazing through like wildfire, fleeing in panic, fearing the Chu army like a fierce tiger.
However, it was at this moment that the Desert North Royal Court, hidden deep within the grasslands, started to move.
That was the toughest battle Long Yan ever fought. Though he was exceedingly brave, charging through enemy lines like a fierce tiger, the cunning elite cavalry of the grassland people never engaged him head-on. Instead, they circled wide around his blade, launching side entries and slashing every soldier behind him.
As the battle went on, the number of soldiers able to follow Long Yan diminished steadily.
Until only Long Yan remained.
It was at this moment that Long Yan realized the grave mistake he had made. He wished he could take flight like the undying bird on the flag, flying back to the Chu capital Yingdu, to inform the Chu generals of the fatal flaw in their current military strategies — but it was all too late. He had already been pierced by five lances, nailing him to the ground.
And Yuyang County fell as well.
As a trophy, the flag was left in the frontline encampment of the grassland people until later, when the Great Yu dynasty reclaimed the lost territories of Yuyang, renaming it to Jizhou, and the flag was stored in the Jizhou arsenal alongside other old weapons for contingency purposes.
No one cared about this old general’s flag, for without the vanguard general carrying it, the flag was merely a piece of ancient rag.
And for this reason, the old general’s flag remained in the arsenal, gathering dust.
"Hiss..."
After finishing the sharpening, Du Chengfeng frowned slightly.
No, the feeling he had just now seemed off. This old general’s flag hadn’t been dormant all the while, at least not before he entered the arsenal. The fierce and ominous aura it still carried...
"Wait a moment?"
Du Chengfeng suddenly paused.
He glanced at the racks of swords, spears, and halberds alongside him, then at the flag in his hand, and Du Chengfeng had a realization.
The evil Qi he sensed earlier did not originate from this flag.
But rather from the collective aura of all the swords, spears, and halberds in this No. 7 armor warehouse.
In other words, even though Long Yan, who once held this flag, may have fallen in battle, the flag itself had never admitted defeat.
It still wanted to muster troops and fight another battle.
Just like in times of old, when they charged into the fray.
