The Days After the Fire
The morning after the grain warehouse burned, Zhaoling felt like a graveyard.
The smoke still clung to the air, sharp and bitter. Children didn't play in the snow. Men worked in silence. Women gathered around the water wells with quiet eyes. The people had seen flames before—but this fire had been different.
It had not come from bandits or accidents.
It had come from the empire.
House Liang's sigil—the mark left on the warehouse door—was now etched in every mind.
"What do we do now?" a mother asked, voice barely louder than the wind.
"Will they come for us?" a boy whispered, clinging to his father's cloak.
Lü Bu heard these voices. He walked among them, not as a god of war—but as a leader of people facing their darkest season.
Preparing for the Worst
In the war hall, he stood before his generals.
Wei Yun was sharpening his blade.
Lin Zhao was spreading new maps across the table, showing the incoming supply lines from the north—and the battalion movement from the east.
"Scouts spotted a Liang banner three valleys away," she reported. "No more than a hundred men. But they're not merchants. They're soldiers."
Han Jie spat into the fire pit.
"They think we're weak. That we'll kneel if they show a sword."
"Let them come," Wei Yun said, a fire in his eyes. "Let's give them a reason to bleed."
But Lü Bu shook his head.
"We are not rebels. We are builders. This city wasn't made for war—it was made for people who had nothing left but each other. If we must fight… then we fight to protect. Not to provoke."
A heavy silence followed. Then Lü Bu turned to the old stone pillar in the center of the hall—where the founding vow was carved by hand.
"Zhaoling does not bow."
System Activation
[Warning: Defensive War Imminent]
▸ Enemy Force Approaching: House Liang's Vanguard Battalion
▸ Objective: Defend Zhaoling without outside aid
▸ Secondary Objective: Maintain civilian morale
Rewards upon Victory:
– Unlock: Defensive Formation – Iron Circle
– Heroic Fame +300
– First Lieutenant Upgrade Token (Wei Yun Eligible)
First Line of Defense
Training intensified.
Every Iron Core recruit was drilled day and night.
Old blacksmiths worked double shifts forging new spears and chainmail.
Lin Zhao set up alarm horns at every watchtower and mapped out retreat routes for civilians.
Wei Yun personally trained a shock unit of 30 men—silent, fast, ruthless.
He gave them a name: The Wolf Teeth.
"We strike from the dark," he told them, "and leave nothing standing."
A Quiet Conversation
Late at night, Lü Bu sat atop the wall, overlooking the snow-covered plains.
The wind was cold against his face.
Gabriel—an older soldier from the village—came up and sat beside him. He wasn't a general. He wasn't even part of the main force. But he had fought in five campaigns under the old dynasty.
"You look too young to carry this weight," the man said.
"Maybe I am," Lü Bu answered. "But this city was born from nothing. If I give it away, then I've buried everything we built."
Gabriel nodded.
"I used to serve a prince who ran when the capital threatened him. Watched him abandon his people. I still remember their screams. But you—"
"You didn't run. That matters."
Lü Bu didn't reply. He just watched the stars.
The Enemy Arrives
Three days later, they came.
The battalion marched like thunder through the valley—armor shining, spears ready, banners of House Liang high in the air.
They made no effort to hide.
A message had been sent ahead:
"By order of the House of Liang, Zhaoling must submit or be seized for the stability of the north. Resistance will be seen as treason."
Lü Bu stood on the high wall, looking down as the commander rode forward—a man with a red sash and a gold-trimmed helmet.
"Surrender," the man called. "Or we will burn you like your grain."
Silence followed.
Then Lü Bu raised one hand… and dropped it.
The horns of Zhaoling blew.
And the Iron Core moved.
The Battle Begins
Snow exploded as archers loosed volleys from the walls.
The Iron Core's front lines held tight, forming the Iron Circle, a formation designed by Lin Zhao: shield wall in front, spears behind, and mobile archers circling the flanks.
Wei Yun led the Wolf Teeth in a night raid, cutting through enemy scouts before they could surround the city.
The enemy was trained—but they underestimated the will of people who had nothing left to lose.
The snow turned red.
Hours passed.
Then, at dawn—Zhaoling still stood.
The enemy had fallen back.
Not defeated… but bloodied.
In the war hall, they counted their dead.
Thirty-seven brave men and women.
Too many.
But Zhaoling still breathed.
"They'll return," Lin Zhao warned.
"Then we'll be ready," Lü Bu said.
From the system:
[Quest Complete – Survive Without Submission]
▸ Loyalty: +210
▸ New Blueprint Unlocked: Fortress Upgrade: Frost Walls
▸ Heroic Fame +300
▸ Wei Yun has been promoted to First Lieutenant
Zhaoling was no longer a name whispered in secret.
It was a flame in the north—one the empire could no longer ignore.