Starting as a centurion, he fought his way through the chaos of the world.

Chapter 69 Take the initiative
"General, General!" Lu Ming had already walked several hundred meters away when he faintly heard someone calling his name.

Looking back, they saw Bai Yan running out with a flushed face and disheveled clothes.

"Is there something wrong, Magistrate Bai?" Lu Ming asked, somewhat puzzled.

In his impression, Bai Yan was a wise man with very stable emotions and a calm demeanor.

The contrast is quite stark now.

"General, please come with me back to the county office. This matter is extremely urgent."

Lu Ming wasn't in a hurry and turned back.

The food was still on the table.

Bai Yan was anxious, so after having his attendants leave, he took out a map.

"General, I am certain that the rebels of Zhelong Prefecture will not attack Yunmeng Prefecture. This is just a decoy. Their real target is Hongdu Prefecture, and the attack will take place in the next few days."

He said, panting.

At the same time, he placed his finger on the map.

"Fenglei County and Hongdu City are on the same line, both bordering Zhelong Prefecture. The main force of the rebels will likely directly attack Hongdu Prefecture City, and our area will also be attacked."

Their goal was to take over Hongdu Prefecture in a short period of time, and then combine the strength of the two prefectures to crush Yunmeng Prefecture.

The latter will likely only be subjected to a feint attack, intended to draw the attention of the imperial court and the Su family.

Bai Yan raised his head and stared intently at Lu Ming.

After a moment's hesitation, the other party asked, "How confident are you?"

In fact, Lu Ming also chose to believe Bai Yan.

I just wanted to confirm it out of habit.

"Eighty percent! Because this is the most correct choice." Bai Yan said with certainty.

Then, after tapping his fingers on the table, he continued, "The number of troops they have mobilized this time will not exceed 70,000. I estimate that there will be 10,000 to 20,000 troops. They will divide their forces to attack Fenglei County, while the rest will head straight for Hongdu City."

If there were city walls, we might be able to hold them off.

But the city walls are not yet completed, and if the rebels launch a large-scale attack...

The general will likely be under more pressure.

After glancing at the map, Lu Ming said softly, "I'm going to wait for them here."

As he spoke, his finger was already on the map.

This is one of the roads leading from Zhelong Prefecture to Fenglei County.

It's also the shortest route.

The road surface is relatively flat.

Since the rebels wanted to capture Hongdu Prefecture as quickly as possible, they would inevitably have to go through this route.

In the past, Lu Ming might have been overwhelmed by 20,000 rebel troops.

However, even though the Ironclad Cavalry's equipment is not yet fully developed, cavalrymen wearing cotton armor still have an overwhelming advantage when dealing with infantry.

With the addition of heavily armored Mo Dao soldiers and three thousand armored warriors under their command, they might not be unable to fight them.

"Is Your Excellency preparing to launch an attack?" Bai Yan asked, somewhat surprised.

"If we really let them besiege the city, wouldn't the towns and villages of Fenglei County be ravaged by the rebels? So we must keep them out."

Looking at Lu Ming's resolute eyes.

Bai Yan stood up solemnly. "General, your righteousness is admirable. If anything happens to you, I will stand with Fenglei County to the death."

Clearly, in his view, Lu Ming leading a mere few thousand men to resist the rebels was likely to meet a perilous end.

However, in order to prevent the people from suffering, they were still determined to go.

In Bai Yan's mind, Lu Ming's image instantly became towering.

The firelight shone brightly, even making it gleam.

Lu Ming naturally saw through the other party's thoughts and felt both amused and exasperated.

But seeing Bai Yan's serious expression, it wasn't good to spoil the atmosphere.

He stood up and said, "As the garrison commander of Fenglei County, it is my duty to protect the people. Magistrate Bai, please don't do this. Before we go to war, I will have a thousand crossbows delivered to us."

"If I die in battle, the people of Fenglei County will be in your hands."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the government office without looking back.

Bai Yan bowed to see him off.

After Lu Ming left, he went straight to the mansion.

At this time, the Mo Dao soldiers had finished their drills and were lining up for lunch.

Zheng Yong was wolfing down a large bowl of bones. Beside him was a bowl of steamed buns, which were almost empty.

Today, he officially broke through to the True Essence Realm, so his consumption of food has become extremely high.

Even when Lu Ming walked over, he didn't notice.

He was just focused on eating.

It wasn't until she had finished eating a bowl of meat and a bowl of steamed buns that she realized someone was beside her. She looked up and saw Lu Ming.

He hurriedly and awkwardly stood up. "General, you've come over. Why didn't you call me?"

"Seeing you enjoying your food, I didn't disturb you. That's great! Have you broken through to the True Essence realm?" Martial artists consume a lot of food after each breakthrough.

Lu Ming was naturally aware of this.

"Thanks to your elixir, Wang Han and I have both broken through."

A look of gratitude appeared in Zheng Yong's eyes.

Because he knew all too well how difficult it was for an ordinary martial artist to reach this point.

Without a solid foundation and without anyone to support you, it's unlikely you'll achieve that in your lifetime.

"Bring the others here; I'm about to give some instructions."

Tonight, everyone will eat here. Tell the cook to prepare some good dishes for the hall in the front yard.

"Alright!" Zheng Yong replied and ran out of the mansion, clearly heading to the barracks.

A moment later, the captains of the 1,000-man squad under the command of the Colonel's Office had all arrived.

In addition to these people, the old blacksmith was also brought in.

Sitting in the hall, I felt a little awkward.

Zhang Mu, as always, was very easygoing. After bowing to Lu Ming, he sat down on the left below.

His robust physique appeared even more imposing after he donned armor.

Now, his cultivation level has also reached the True Essence Realm.

Zhang Meng, Sun Tian, ​​and the blacksmith sat behind him in that order.

Wang Han and Zheng Yong were sitting on the right.

After glancing at everyone, Lu Ming's gaze fell on the blacksmith. "Is the heavy armor for the Mo Dao soldiers finished?"

"Reporting to the general, they have all been made. Although there are a few minor flaws, they do not affect the equipment."

"That's good. I'll change into my clothes first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir!" the blacksmith replied hastily.

The others, however, turned their attention to Lu Ming.

They knew something must have happened, otherwise Lu Ming wouldn't have been in such a hurry to have the Mo Dao soldiers change their clothes.

The other party could tell what everyone was thinking just by looking at their expressions.

Without hiding anything, he said, "Based on my speculation, the rebels of Zhelong Prefecture are likely to attack Hongdu Prefecture in the next few days, so I plan to block them on their only way. The day after tomorrow, in addition to Sun Tian leading two hundred men to protect the mansion,..."

The rest of you will accompany me on this expedition. Zhang Meng will be in charge of transporting provisions, enough for ten days!

"Yes, sir!" Everyone immediately stood up.

Their expressions all turned serious.

Then, Lu Ming turned his gaze to Sun Tian.

"Tomorrow, you will take your men to the storeroom in the backyard, pull out the armor-piercing crossbows, and deliver them to the county government."

"Yes, sir!" Sun Tian replied hastily.

After everything was arranged.

Lu Ming's gaze swept over the crowd, then he smiled and said, "This battle is not only a crisis, but also an opportunity for us. Let's do it, everyone!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

The others, of course, followed suit.

Everyone knows that in this chaotic world, there is no safe haven. If you want peace, you must pick up your sword and fight your way out.

At this moment, after finishing his drink, Lu Ming's worry flashed by in an instant.

He was confident he could hold Fenglei County, but what about Hongdu Prefecture?

If Hongdu Prefecture falls, Fenglei County, isolated among the rebels, will likely not be able to hold out for long.

Now, all our hopes can be pinned on Baili Jia and Qian Yong.

Hopefully they can hold off the rebels.

Thank you to the big boss Bad Qi (10) for the 1666 reading coins, thank you to the big boss Fingertip Red Tears for the 1000 Qidian coins, thank you to all the big bosses for the monthly tickets and recommendation tickets, thank you to the big bosses who have been following and collecting this book, thank you!
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(End of this chapter)