Chương 21: The Enemy Approaches the City

Deng Mao hesitated for a moment.

"Why did the Great Teacher specifically instruct us to take Zhuojun? And to capture that Prefect Liu Ce alive?"

"Moreover, we only had 50, 000 men when we set out, but the Great Teacher insisted on adding another 50, 000... With this force, we could easily take Luoyang, right?"

"While Zhuojun is important, does it warrant such special instructions from the Great Teacher of Virtue?"

The tent fell silent instantly. Several generals, their faces flushed from drinking, put down their bowls and pricked up their ears. This was also the question on their minds.

Cheng Yuanzhi's face darkened, and he slammed the wine bowl down on the table, splashing wine all over the table.

"Deng Mao! When the hell did you learn to read the mind of the Great Teacher of Wisdom?"

Deng Mao trembled at his shout and quickly smiled apologetically.

"Brother, please calm down. I was just asking casually..."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"

Cheng Yuanzhi interrupted him, his voice low but chilling.

"The Great Teacher is a Heavenly General, commanded by Heaven! We do as he says! Anyone who dares to utter another word will be dealt with according to military law!"

These words sounded harsh, but Cheng Yuanzhi was also feeling uneasy.

He recalled the unusually solemn expression on Zhang Jiao's face when he summoned him alone after meeting with them the night before their departure.

However, Cheng Yuanzhi would never reveal these doubts to his subordinates.

Cheng Yuanzhi put on a nonchalant expression, and in an attempt to ease the tension, he raised his voice and shouted at the generals in the tent.

"One hundred thousand troops can easily crush Zhuojun! Come on! Fill them all up!"

"We're going to smash the gates of Zhuojun first thing tomorrow morning, so make sure you all eat and drink your fill tonight and get plenty of rest!"

"Once we break through the city, all the gold, silver, and beautiful women will be yours!"

The tent became noisy again.

Deng Mao didn't dare to ask any more questions, but a hint of unease lingered in his eyes as he drank.

He glanced at Cheng Yuanzhi discreetly; when this older brother had just lost his temper, a hint of doubt seemed to have flashed in the corner of his eye.

After a few rounds of drinks, Cheng Yuanzhi stood up, swayed as he walked to the tent entrance, and lifted the curtain.

In the cold wind, the outline of Zhuojun City in the distance was faintly visible under the moonlight.

"Liu Ce..." he muttered, downing the remaining wine in his bowl in one gulp.

"Achoo!"

At night, in the Liu residence, Liu Ce sneezed.

"Which girl is thinking of me?"

……

the other side.

Liu Ce was eating his meal at the prefect's residence when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats approaching from afar.

"Report—!"

The scout rushed in, his face ashen.

"Prefect! Thirty li away... a massive, dark mass of Yellow Turban soldiers! Covering the entire mountainside, at least a hundred thousand! They're setting up camp; it looks like they'll be attacking the city tomorrow!"

Liu Ce slammed the bowl he was holding onto the table with a "thud." His first thought was...

"That's not right! Historically, when Cheng Yuanzhi attacked Zhuojun, at most 50, 000 people died. Now the number has been 'increased' to 100, 000?"

"It's because I cleaned up the Taiping Dao forces in Zhuojun and slapped Zhang Jiao in the face, so he specially reinforced his troops to get revenge."

"Did they really go all out for this corner? And is this Cheng Yuanzhi leading the troops?"

He then realized that his own "butterfly" flapping its wings had probably skewed the course of history a bit.

"Fine, this corner is pretty generous! 100, 000 it is, it's all free experience anyway, it's just that the experience pack is a bit too big, it's a bit overwhelming."

Thinking of this, he became excited instead. Since history has already gone astray, I might as well lead it down an even more exciting side road!

Liu Ce remained expressionless, even taking the time to pick up the rice that had fallen onto the table and wave to the scout standing there.

"Understood, investigate further and report back."

After the scouts left, Liu Ce spoke to the guards outside.

"What are you all standing there for? Go and summon those six 'demolition team' members—Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin—to this governor!"

Before long, the prefect's residence had become the venue for a large-scale symposium of hunky men.

Guan Yu squinted his phoenix eyes and stroked his beard; Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, and Cheng Yaojin were already arguing about "who should lead the charge," and the noise almost lifted the roof off.

Only Zhao Yun and Qin Qiong remained composed, carefully observing the enemy's encampment location on the map.

"Quiet down, everyone!" Liu Ce tapped the table.

"We know the situation. Thirty miles outside the city, there are 100, 000 Yellow Turbans. They're arranging a fight tomorrow."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Fei was the first to jump up, his voice so loud it shook the roof beams.

"One hundred thousand? That's enough for me, Old Zhang, to stretch my muscles! My... lord, give me three thousand soldiers, and I'll go kick down their camp gate right now and make sure to twist their commander's head off so you can use it as a chamber pot!"

Guan Yu pressed him back down and spoke calmly.

"Third brother, do not be rash. The enemy outnumbers us ten to one. We should prioritize defending the city, blunt their momentum, and then look for an opportunity to defeat them."

He looked at Liu Ce.

"My lord, Guan Yu is willing to lead troops to guard the city gates and will not allow a single enemy to enter the city!"

"This humble general can lead cavalry to harass their supply lines and cut off their lifeline," Zhao Yun said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"What are you talking about defending the city for, my lord? Let me lead the brothers of the personal guard battalion and charge straight into their central army. We must capture the king first!" Dian Wei shouted.

"Exactly! Why waste time arguing with them? Let's just do it!" Cheng Yaojin clenched his fist.

"My lord, the most urgent task is to strengthen the city's defenses, prepare more logs and stones, and mobilize able-bodied men to go up the city walls to assist in the defense," Qin Qiong added at the end.

Goodness, six people, six different strategies: some want to fight head-on, some want to launch surprise attacks, and some want to defend to the death. It's like a tactical debate between the "Three Kingdoms" and "Sui and Tang Dynasties".

Liu Ce was overwhelmed by the news and quickly pressed his hands down.

"Alright, alright! I know you're all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men, and incredibly brave! But fighting isn't a brawl; it requires strategy."

He stood up and walked to the map.

"They have come from afar, and their men and horses are exhausted, so their guard must be at its lowest."

"We're waiting in comfort, what's the rush? Go back, all of you, let the brothers eat and sleep well, check their weapons and armor, and obey my orders tomorrow!"

Although the six men were eager to fight, seeing Liu Ce's confidence, they had no choice but to clasp their hands in obeisance and go back to prepare.

As Zhang Fei was leaving, he muttered to himself, "My lord, I'd better be the one to lead the charge tomorrow!"

Once everyone had left, the prefect's residence fell silent.

"One hundred thousand Yellow Turbans... That's quite a sight."

Liu Ce went outside for some fresh air, muttering to himself, a smile playing on his lips.

"My 'startup' is finally about to face its first real test since it started."

Historically, although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was large in number, it lacked training and effective command, and was eventually defeated piecemeal. What Liu Ce needed to do was to win this battle and gain fame and prestige.

"Cheng Yuanzhi, Deng Mao... Oh, perhaps it wasn't either of them who came this time? Whoever it is, I, Liu Ce, will gladly accept this experience and prestige delivered to my doorstep!"

He took a deep breath and looked in the direction of the Yellow Turban army's encampment.

"The chaos has finally begun."

Liu Ce turned and walked back into the house, his shadow stretching long in the candlelight.