Later that night, the group sat around a campfire, eating canned food and sharing stories about their lives.
“Yunchang, how did you manage to dodge the draft for nearly ten years, only to get caught now?”. Juan Hong asked.
“Some government officer got my ass while I was gambling in Shanghai. My luck finally ran out.”
“Really? Damn, It’s been ages since I was in Shanghai. Wonder what it’s like now?”
“Nothing changed much I think. Rich people keep getting richer, and poor people keep getting poorer, same old.”
“What are you guys planning to do once you’re discharged?”. Guotai asked the group.
“I’m not sure yet; I just joined like 3 days ago, so I haven’t thought that far. What about you, Guotai?”
“When I’m discharged, I’ll head back to the countryside, breed some cattles, grow some vegetables, and live a quiet life.”
“Why? That shit sounds boring!”
“Trust me, it’s not. You just haven’t lived long enough to appreciate things as they are. When you get older, you’ll crave that peace more than fish craves water but won’t find it so easily.”
“Still boring as hell, I don’t really get the appeal . How about you, Kang?”
“I’ve thought about it. I’ll head back to Guangdong and open a restaurant. That’ll be enough.”
“Really? Is that all?”
“Big dreams are not for everyone, Yunchang. Sometimes, like Guotai said, most people just want their tummy full, have clothes to spare, and live without fear of what might come tomorrow. What about you?”
“I want to become the strongest man in the world and have a bunch of beautiful women fighting over me.”
The group burst out laughing. Juan Hong even spat out his soup.
“See, Hong? He lives up to his name alright, it's just like the Great Guan Yunchang from thousands of years ago is with us right now. We’ve known him for two days, and he’s already giving you a run for your money as a comedian.” Guotai said, still laughing.
“Hah! When you’re out of the army, you and Hong should tour as comedians. You’d be famous in no time.” Kang added.
“Laugh all you want,” Yunchang muttered. “But trust me, one day I will accomplish it.”
“Right. If you lead us to victory, then we’ll somewhat believe you. But don’t get ahead of yourself just yet.”. Guotai remained skeptical.
“Okay, now you seniors are just trying to mess with me. Hong, I need a third opinion here, what about you Hong? What are you planning after you leave the army?”
“I’m not sure. Doing comedy with you sounds fun,” he chuckled. “But I mainly joined the army for free schooling. I’ll stay until I finish my Bachelor’s. Anyway, I’m exhausted. Let’s brush our teeth and get some sleep.”
One by one, the group went to brush their teeth. Once Kang and Hong had set up a protective barrier made from talismans around the campsite, Yunchang asked with a smirk on his face, “Think I could go ghost hunting outside the barrier?”
“Nah, don’t even think about it. How are you going to be Guan Yunchang the world’s greatest warrior if you end up possessed?”. Guotai chuckled.
The group burst into laughter again, which only fired up Yunchang. Grabbing his Steel Blade, he headed out of the barrier.
“By all means, go on, then. But if something chases your ass, just loop back here. They won’t be able to follow you past the barrier. Remember though, if you shit your pants, feel free to ask for a new pair, we won’t judge, or do we? Haha.”
“Like I’d be afraid.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“We’ll know once we smell something.”
With his Steel Blade in hand, Yunchang stepped into the darkness. Echoes of distant souls floated around him, along with the heavy footsteps of the nearby jiangshis. Closing his eyes shut, he listened to the sounds as it got closer. When he opened his eyes, a bunch of them had surrounded him. He swung his sword wildly, slicing through them with ease, then furiously went off in search of jiangshis, killing every single one he saw.
His mind replayed what Han Yin had said three days ago: “I bet you couldn't hurt a fly, let alone do anything worthwhile.” With each thought, Yunchang grew angrier and angrier. He hunted down every ghost and jiangshi in the forest. By 3 a.m., the infamous “sacred hour” for undead to roam, not a single one of them remained alive in a 200 meter radius around the camp. After stacking a dozen of the bodies in one place as his proof of accomplishment, Yunchang returned inside the barrier, washed his hands, and woke up his friends.
“Get up! We need to start marching.
“It’s barely 3 a.m, why the rush?”
“Speed is everything in combat. Like the Vietnamese Emperor Quang Trung’s rapid advance to defeat the Qing, or Deng Ai’s swift conquest of Shu—they all relied on speed. From here to the enemy base is at least a day’s journey. If we push hard, we can arrive by noon, when the sun is at its highest, which will weaken the demons. That’s when we strike.”
His friends didn’t fully understand, but upon hearing Yunchang’s historical references, they found no reason to disagree, after all, history tends to repeat itself.
When they stepped out of the barrier, they saw the pile of jiangshi corpses Yunchang had stacked up. All 3 of them were beyond horrified at the sight.
“Nothing to worry about,” Yunchang said. “I spent the last few hours cleaning up the forest. It’s safe now.”
Stunned, his friends couldn’t believe it. The forest was known for being filled with all kinds of demons. Sure, maybe the ghosts and jiangshis Yunchang encounter were the weakest types and tend to go down in one strike with his amulet attached blade, but to hunt them down and kill them all—It takes an insane amount of endurance, a feat even martial arts masters and top generals would have troubles accomplishing. And here, Yunchang alone had done it in five brief hours. This marked the beginning of his legend as the Strongest Swordsman—the Fear of The Immortals.
Following Yunchang’s lead, the soldiers moved swiftly through the Dead Forest, the site marking one of Yunchang's greatest achievements in his early military career. They moved like the wind, encountering no hostile creatures along the way—only the corpses Yunchang had left in his wake. By the time they reached the edge of the Dead Forest, it wasn’t even 11 a.m. From there, they could see the enemy’s main base.
Oddly enough, just as they arrived, the demon army seemed to be preparing to march. Yunchang smirked to himself. “Fate is on our side for this one.”
Before engaging, Yunchang gives all of the men a motivational speak, as well as giving them insights about their grand scheme:
“My brave soldiers! Hear me! I know that many of you are tired, afraid and confused right now, but since we’ve come this far, there’s no going back from here. I know, you all have dreams you want to accomplish, some of you just want a peaceful life, while many others have a bigger dream, to be the strongest soldier alive and have beautiful women surrounding them”.
“Hey, that’s just you!”. His group of friends shouted.
Yunchang threw a side-eye at them, then spoke up again:
“The point is that, If we fight, there is a chance for tomorrow, another night to dream big and another day to gradually accomplish that dream. Think about it, if any of you were to run away, death would await at the place you call home. If we fight together however, there is a chance for all of us to live and even be honored. Personally, I would like to take a gamble on that chance”.
“He just loves gambling doesn’t he”
“Yup.”
“Okay, now here’s the plan, since we only get about fifty bows, fifty archers are all we have, better make the most of them. I’m going to split the rest of our troops into three groups. “Kang, take 100 men and go out there to provoke them. Just do whatever to make sure they chase you South to the edge of the forest. These hot, dry woods are full of eucalyptus trees—one spark, and they’ll go up in flames. So archers, you will take positions up in the tall trees in Kang’s path to shoot flaming arrows down and set the Southern part of the forest ablaze along with the demon’s retreating path when you guys catch sight of our men. Then, Guotai and Juan Hong, you guys position 50 troops in ambush formation to surround the forest edge while also helping Kang's and the archers get away. Then, kill the demons the moment they escape from the fire. Got it?”
“Yes, sir!”
And while most of their army is kept busy, I will need the rest 300 soldiers to go with me, let’s just say I have a surprise ready for them.
Just as the demons finished mustering their troops and marched out, they spotted Kang’s small unit. Excited at the easy prey, they quickly caught the bait and started chasing him. But Kang led them in a zigzag path, making it hard for them to catch up to him. The moment the archers spot Kang’s and his men, a shout echoed through the trees:
“FIRE!”
Thousands of flaming arrows rained down on the demons, igniting the forest and engulfing them in flames. Kang’s troops quickly escaped, while over 4,000 demons burned inside the blazing woods. Those who managed to escape were ambushed and killed by Guotai’s forces outside the forest.
Meanwhile, Yunchang and his 300 men went around the Dead Forest and charged into the enemy base from the North, creating a pincer movement. The remaining 800 demons were caught in a deadly crossfire and quickly exterminated by Yunchang’s unit. In total, Yunchang’s Dead Forest campaign cost fewer than 20 men while annihilating over 6,000 demons and taking a critical enemy stronghold—a remarkable success for his first military command.