The days and nights are fill with anxiety. General An who is the defender of Yong Le fortress is unhappy with the Duke who is making changes on his deployments. Yet he cannot override a member of a royal family. He listens to Duke Yan but never accept the final decisions made. While Er Yin and Luo Ming along with their soldiers smoothly transit and merge with the local troops. However because they never seen women in the battle field before, the men could not accept orders from women. Er Yin have to use her authority and her military tag to put pressure on those men. Because of her height and how she look down to them, most men are afraid and just move on to carry out her orders. While the women in her battalion are disclipine and did not cause any troubles. Those men are looking to create some fraction to have a fight. The toughest looking women in the group will stand out if the youngest is pick on for no reason. It cause small troubles. Until the Duke have to tell the soldiers to back off.
"I need you both camps to work together! Soon the enemy will be marching to our place and what in the world are you both fighting inside the fortress! Regardless if you are a man or a woman! Both of you are working towards a common goal! Protect this fortress! If this falls, how many of our families are going to be destroyed! How many will be killed? How many will be homeless? All of what we are enjoying now will be gone! Note that this fortress is the direct path way into our capital city! The palace falls, so is the nation!"
The men stood on the ground and stare at the Duke Suddenly everyone starting to speak at the same time.
"But they are women! They don't have the capability as us!"
"Who are you yapping at! Where did you get that stupid ideal from! Do you dare to speak to your mother this way!"
"Who are you to say my mother! You..."
"STOP!!!"
The two soldiers stop and look at their commander. General An smile and say quietly.
"Why dont we have a wrestle to witness the power of these women. After that whoever wins, have to all shut their mouths and forever hold their peace. What do you say, Duke Yan."
One burly man and one skinny woman stands in the center of an open space. They are surrounded by men and women who are yelling. The Duke looks like he is having a headache with one hand on his forehead. His small eyes look around to see all his men are excited. Even Luo Ming join in the yelling. At the tower, soldiers who are supposed to be guarding have turn around and watch the match. Later General An who is walking up the towering area give them the command to turn around to continue to watch the outside for any movement. While he watch the match from high up. He is sure that the skinny woman is going to loose. Er Yin at the sparring area give advise to the girl. The skinny girl is not to back down prepare her fist. Those men who spar with her before how much strength she have. They warn the opposite team. They laugh and said they will never loose to a woman before that man is the strongest in the team.
Those men forgotten that even the strongest have weakness. As Er Yin have pointed out to her fellow solider, she aim for the weak legs that he had. Soon that man falls but he continue to use his fist to hit her. She turn him around and lock his legs refusing to get go till he yell for help. A magistrate who is the judge asked if the man is giving up. He nod his head in pain.
"Today one man is down before of the pride of a woman! How can this be fair!"
Yell a solider from the crowd. The rest soon follow. Er Yin who have enough yell back at them.
"This is not a matter of pride! We as women have endure most of the hard work given to us! You! All of you won't be here if there is no women giving birth to you! Do you know how long a baby stays inside our belly? Do you know how much weight we have to carry a new life? Do you know while we are working in the fields, how much we have to endure? Do you know we have to go to take a trip to hell and come back just to feed the baby after birth?! DO YOU KNOW? You all know nothing! Without the iron will that is install in every women, men cannot live."
"We don't need ..."
"You don't need women... good. Go ahead and give birth, yourself. If you can, you are not a human that NUWA have given birth to. BY the way, she is a woman too. SO go tell her that yourself."
That man keep quiet and lower his eyes and hands.
"This doesn't mean that you can go on a battlefield just like us!"
"Yeah!"
"I have personally go on a battlefield on countless times. I have slaughter enemies as much as my men! I have the enemies decapitated! I struggled them to death! I have stayed alive to escaped! I have ... many more! I drag my battered body in there and make sure i don't die on the battle field. I drag those who are half alive to a safe ground. I watch my men fall but i never want their bodies to be mutilated! So i keep killing the enemies i see. I will bringing back a full body. They can kill us but they cannot take our whole body! Because .... we all need to go home..."
Suddenly there is silence and the wind being to blow gently on their faces. A man get up and lift up the injured solider.
"Let's go. We cannot win arguing with these women. Wait till they go on the battlefield. We will see how good they are! GO!"
Soon everyone goes back to where they are suppose to go. Er Yin lift up the girl who is injured in the fight. She look at the Duke who is still sitting. They look at each other. For whatever reason their eyes are smiling for each other.
That past few night they stand at the tower watching outside the darkness. It was quiet and lonely however because they have each other, it seems like it is enduring moments together. Before the sunrises, Er Yin see a ball of fire flying towards her. Her eyes widen and before she knows, the Duke rush over and push her down to the ground. The ball of fire hit on the door behind them and caught fire. It starts now.