Chapter 745: Joint‑Punishment Formation Subdues the Heroes, One Pen and One Sword Forge the Iron Plate

Ye Zhuxi stood at the center of the Xiaochang, the unabashed sunlight pouring onto her dark fish‑scale armor, reflecting a chilling glow.

Around her, proud soldiers and fierce generals roared with earth‑shaking, fervent cheers.

These blood‑thirsty warlords at heart expressed their submission to the peerless champion with primal howls.

Gu Yuci's forehead beaded with a fine layer of cold sweat as they watched Dao Ba Liu, foam‑spitting and unconscious on the ground, their Adam's apple laboring up and down.

They turned toward the Gaotai, feeling deep awe for Chen Yan's art of commanding such ferocious troops with ease.

Ye Zhuxi did not linger in the cheap flattery; with one hand she lifted her Chang Qiang, stretched her long legs and strode back to the Dianjiang Tai.

She slammed her Chang Qiang onto the table with a clang, raising a puff of fine dust, then turned to gaze down at the black‑filled sea of people.

"Put away your foul habits; from now on, in the Xiazhou Da Ying only the rules I, Ye Zhuxi, set shall apply!"

Her voice, resonating through her deep internal force, forcibly silenced the clamor of tens of thousands.

The arena fell instantly silent, only the whistling of wind sweeping yellow sand brushing the ears.

"Reading the new military code: First Path, those who hear the drums and do not advance shall be beheaded, and their comrades in the same unit shall be jointly punished with fifty lashes."

"Second Path, those who flee in battle shall be beheaded, their teammates jointly demoted to hard labor, and their families stripped of allotted farmland."

"Third Path, those who defy the General's Order and incite the crowd shall be beheaded, the ringleader displayed decapitated as an example."

These three blood‑scented joint‑punishment regulations slammed down, and the air in the Xiaochang grew exceedingly heavy.

That suffocating, solemn killing aura washed away the earlier fervor completely.

"Grand Commander, this joint‑punishment law is a bit too harsh; the brothers are coarse folk, prone to mistakes. If their families are implicated, it will chill the soldiers' hearts!"

Gu Yuci stepped forward, performed Dankui Guidi, and boldly spoke up.

Ye Zhuxi cast a cold glance over Gu Yuci's tense face, her fingers lightly tapping the spear shaft, producing a rhythmic tap‑tap sound.

"On the battlefield you must bind your head to your belt; if you don't treat Pao Ze's life as your own, you're just a pile of loose sand, not an army!"

"I don't need your gratitude; I only want you to bite the enemy on the field like mad dogs. Whoever dares break the rules, the Grand Commander will claim their life first."

The words were ice‑cold and bone‑piercing; Gu Yuci could only lower their head and swallow the rest.

"Send the orders: dissolve all old formations, and re‑mix the Chang Qiang troops, large shield troops, and heavy crossbow troops."

"From today onward, the whole army will drill the three‑stage Mandarin‑Duck formation; those who move in unison live, those who fight alone die."

Orders poured out one after another, and the Dushui of each rank began scrambling to reorganize the units.

A few days later, dust swirled across the Xiaochang.

These veteran soldiers, accustomed to fighting solo with raw blood‑bravery, were tormented by the cumbersome formation beyond words.

On the left wing of the drill field, three Dushui originally from the old Great Clan background of Xiazhou exchanged glances, each seeing resentment in the other's eyes.

They relied on their ancestors' foothold in Xiazhou, and were full of opposition to this new formation that stripped their privileges.

One Dushui, his face swollen with flesh, deliberately slowed his pace, and the large shield in his hand deviated from its intended spot.

The adjacent Chang Qiang soldier failed to adjust in time, and his spear shaft slammed straight into the shield.

The entire left‑wing formation instantly gaped a huge breach, and the soldiers collided into a heap.

Ye Zhuxi sat upright on the Grand Master's Chair at the Dianjiang Tai, twirling a Token in her hand, her gaze fixed on that flaw.

"Left‑wing formation is broken; those three leading Dushui, get out of here."

Her voice, bearing bone‑deep chill, rang clearly across half the Xiaochang.

The three Dushui exchanged a glance and dropped their weapons.

They sauntered out of the ranks, a careless grin on their faces.

"Grand Commander, calm your anger; we can't be blamed for this!"

The leading fleshy Dushui bowed slightly, his tone tinged with a hint of insolence.

"This Mandarin‑Duck formation is far too complicated; we coarse folk have dull minds, can't even tell left foot from right, how could we learn such delicate tricks?"

Another Dushui chimed in, deliberately glancing back at the soldiers behind, trying to stir emotions.

"In my opinion, we should revert to the old system, each killing the enemy by his own skill, lest we look like circus monkeys on this Xiaochang."

They assumed Law does not hold the masses accountable, and with their family clout behind them, believed that Ye Zhuxi, a lone woman newly arrived, would never dare be challenged.

Ye Zhuxi did not speak immediately; she didn't even rise.

She merely let her fingertips slowly caress the wooden armrest of the Grand Master's Chair.

"Can't learn it, huh?"

She whispered those words lightly, then suddenly flung the Token at her feet onto the Shiban, producing a crisp clatter.

"Disrupting our formation, shaking morale, ignoring military law—by the rules, you shall be beheaded."

The fleshy Dushui's smile froze instantly, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He never expected the other side to say not even a single idle word.

"Grand Commander, this is a public‑private vendetta; we are meritorious officers who fought the Qi State, so why…"

He began shouting hoarsely, his hand already reaching for the side‑carried dagger at his waist.

"Execution squad, seize him."

Ye Zhuxi didn't even lift an eyelid; her jade hand pressed lightly downward in mid‑air.

The Mingjing Division's battle‑monitor team, stationed on both sides of the Dianjiang Tai, surged out like black ghosts.

The Embroidered Spring blade drew a streak of chilling light.

The three Dushui had not yet drawn their weapons when several burly men forced them to kneel hard in the yellow sand.

Heavy blade backs smashed their kneecaps outright.

"Ah, Ye Zhuxi, you bitch, you dare move me; the great clan of Xiazhou will not let you go unpunished."

A harrowing scream echoed across the Xiaochang.

These men twisted desperately, trying to make a final struggle.

Ye Zhuxi stood up, walked to the edge of the platform, and looked down at the twisted faces below.

"In Xiazhou, Chen Zhuguo's word is law. What are the Great Clans worth?"

She raised her hand and made a clean, decisive beheading gesture.

Three executioners from the supervisory squad swung their blades.

Three heads the size of bushels, their faces frozen in terror, rolled into the yellow sand.

Scalding, dark red blood sprayed across the stone slabs beneath Dianjiang Tai, giving off a pungent, stinking odor.

The veteran soldiers who had been thinking of joining the disturbance or watching from the sidelines now felt a chill at the backs of their necks.

They were scared out of their wits, not daring to breathe a word.

"Anyone else who can't learn this formation, step forward now, and I'll teach you personally."

Ye Zhuxi's icy gaze swept across the crowd; the only response was a deathly silence.

"Continue the drill. If the formation is not tight, bring me your heads."

The army began to move again.

This time, no one dared to slack off in the slightest; every man clung to his comrade-in-arms as if to a lifeline.

Under the pressure of life-and-death military discipline, the terrifying power of the three-stage killing formation was finally revealed in full.

Great shields like walls, long spears like a forest, and crossbows like rain.

There was no flaw in offense or defense; it was like a massive meat-grinder rolling and crushing across the flat ground.

Chen Yan, who had been standing in the shadows of the observation tower at the far end of the Xiaochang, watched the steel formation gradually taking shape below and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

The crisp sound of applause made the generals turn their heads.

When they saw that young face full of authority, they all knelt on one knee in greeting.

Chen Yan walked down from the observation tower with his hands behind his back, stepped onto the yellow sand, and strode quickly to the front of Dianjiang Tai.

"The Grand Commander acts decisively. With the troops of Xiazhou in your hands, this Duke is very reassured!"

Chen Yan did not hesitate to give Ye Zhuxi the highest praise in public.

Their eyes met—one civil, one military—and the entire army was firmly clasped in their palms.

Ye Zhuxi knelt on one knee, laying the Chang Qiang across her knee.

"It is entirely due to the Duke's divine might that the soldiers dare to give their all."

Chen Yan reached out and helped her up; the warmth of his fingertips, separated by the cold Armor, conveyed an unspoken trust.

He turned his head, his deep eyes gazing out of the Yingzhang at the vast but barren yellow earth of the Gobi.

"The weapons and armor are sharp, but these tens of thousands of mouths that need meat—if we mobilize for war, they'll consume a sea of Provisions every day. Xiazhou's foundation is still too thin..."

He took the cloak handed to him by Gao Jiong and casually shook it open to drape over his shoulders.

"This Duke will make this barren land of Xiazhou grow gold that can never be eaten up."

Leaving behind these meaningful words, Chen Yan turned and walked toward the carriage waiting at the camp gate.

He left only a group of generals exchanging bewildered glances, each calculating the weight of his words in their hearts.