CH 49

At sunup, an 800 large army was caught marching under its glorious rays as they went north.

Astride his horse and under a tight guard, Zhong Yu was in the center of the detachment, away from any possible danger.

He would make sure no one would target the leader and snuff any attempt out before it started.

It was every leader’s task, to abandon everything and anything but their lives.

Only alive could he use his status anywhere and anytime to pull more loyal men around him, or those looking to use his pull to reach places or fill their pockets.

By keeping hope alive, a comeback was bound to happen. Unless the situation demanded it, Zhong Yu would never go alone on the battlefield.

Only when he was certain that every danger and threat had minimal impact on his safety would he venture within the field of battle. And that with a guard detail of course. 

He’d take guards even on a battlefield to avoid being swarmed up and snuffed out.

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In this manner the army marched 5 km to the Monla tribe. After a month of having the prisoners work on the new town, it was finally taking shape. 

The city foundation still had a way to go but the homes were built, enough to house hundreds. All that it needed now was walls and offices for officials to look like an ancient Chinese town.

A measly town would hardly make a difference in a world filled with powers and abilities. To give the people a semblance of safety, he’d raise five meter walls so that it would make it hard for even an early second rank to climb it.

A true defense would be when he had someone of similar rank stationed in town, or these crude walls would fall way too easy.

By Zhong Yu’s planning a township’s town would have five meter walls, a county’s city ten meter walls, a region’s city fifteen meter walls, a prefecture’s city twenty meter walls, a state’s city hub thirty meters and and the imperial city fifty meters.

Monla tribe’s area was a township and five meter walls were enough. While Luoyang was the center city for hundreds of km around it, needing walls as high as fifteen meters.

All of this was taken into account when the construction of Luoyang began, based on rites, rules and administration abounded with strictness.

The slightest transgression would fester into rebellion. So the guards would threaten to kill not only them but their entire family.

Rites, administration and law were crucial. They shielded the weak, giving them the safety needed to amass their wealth. They bound the strong through loyalty, common sense, decency, piety and morals.

It was a long chain fastened to their necks, forever fated to carry such a heavy burden. Never to impose their will on the weak, never to exceed their station.

Sometimes common sense makes thousands of people point something out. Thus sometimes, words could be deadly. But not in a direct way. All was just pressure everyone imposed on one person and forcing him to suicide.

And even if the strong had the power to lash out, to break all the rules and morals, slaughter any that talked back to him, their family, their weak family wouldn’t ever be able to follow him.

In some ways, it was fear. As the rules and morals protecting the weak yet unable to chain the strong, made his family request of him to give in, to become average.

They’d become their boss’ dog, throwing their lives for him, to then stand out in something insipid as glory and honor as they shed their blood and chained their strength.

Until their use ran their course, thrown away to the curb like garbage. While their families would grieve for a time, they’d soon return to looking for other means to provide for themselves.

While those that dared to fight back, that wanted to crush all obstacles, even their own families, would only prove their tolerance. Were they actually strong? Was it enough?

For this reason the world feared them, calling them vile names one after the other and twisting their actions. All to tell the rest of the world how dangerous they were, to be shunned and crushed.

They’d label the crown as incapable, weak, despot, tyrant, savage, all in futile attempts to warn the future rulers to never violate them and the safety of their people.

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After an inspection of the construction and a few instructions, Zhong Yu took his rested troops 5 km more to meet the first tribe and begin his campaign. 

Learning from his last attempt, everything ran like clockwork, taking down one tribe after another.

In five days, Zhong Yu went a total of 15 km north into the plains and the surroundings. This large area only had a few gathering points Zhong Yu set up, that was it. The rest of the prisoners were rounded up and turned into the foundation for his rule.

He earned 2,400 people this time. 900 were sent to Monla to help the construction project while the rest split into three groups to establish villages.

The villages would be his outposts, having 5 km around them under control and to monitor. 

And Zhong Yu also left 100 recruits and 150 service savages as guards to look over these new prisoners. While he resumed his campaign with 100 imperial guards, 300 recruits and 150 service savages. 

He planned to link with the previously conquered land, to make his domain in the form of a cross with northeast, southeast and southwest being endless forest while he was at the center of the cross. 

While north and west being the lands he conquered. That left the lands between these directions out of his rule. Now his plan was to connect these areas and have complete control.

With support on every side, he had ample room to go on campaign as much as he wanted.