A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Your Majesty, the Yellow Turbans still have millions of remnants. If we refuse to surrender, they will surely fight to the death, and perhaps some will..."

"Moreover, the Yellow Turbans are extremely well hidden; there might be one that hasn't been revealed yet... "

Wei Cheng offered his advice.

He knew that Emperor Ling of Han valued his life most, so he directly hinted to him that if he were to kill all the Yellow Turbans, there would be a constant stream of assassins trying to kill him.

Seeing that Emperor Ling of Han was beginning to feel fear, Wei Cheng knew it was time for him to offer a way out.

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is extremely empty due to the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, and even the imperial court's rewards are difficult to come by."

"If we could send all these Yellow Turbans to the border regions and exile them to those harsh and cold places, we could not only get enough money and food to reward the soldiers, but also punish these traitors enough to serve as a warning to the people of the world."

People from various vassal states in the court echoed his sentiments, and Emperor Ling of Han used this as a way to back down, not wanting to offend someone so small.

He wasn't afraid, he wasn't afraid of someone assassinating him at any moment.

"Then let's do as Lord Yan says: the ringleader will not be pardoned!"

The decision not to pardon the ringleader was Emperor Ling of Han's last act of defiance.

"Your Majesty is wise."

Many ministers in the court bowed and said that sending these people to their fiefdoms was part of a huge chain of interests.

The amount of manpower and resources involved was enormous, and every minister in the court could get a share of it.

Naturally, they would wholeheartedly support Emperor Ling of Han's decision.

At the Guangping camp, the imperial army had already captured Guangzong and Julu, and the only remaining camp, Guangping, had also been breached.

The Yellow Turban forces in Ji Province were almost completely wiped out.

"Mengde, the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province are almost wiped out. What are your plans?"

Huangfu Song looked at Cao Cao. Cao Cao had made great contributions in this battle, especially in defeating Zhang Mancheng, which opened the prelude to the Han Dynasty's counterattack.

This single achievement was enough to grant him a title of nobility and a rank of 2000 shi (a unit of grain).

"I am preparing to return to my hometown of Qiao County. After we defeated Zhang Mancheng and Bo Cai, we were sent to Ji Province. The Yellow Turbans in Yu Province have not yet been driven out. I hope to lead troops to quell the Yellow Turbans around my hometown."

Cao Cao had already discussed this with Wei Xue, and on Wei Xue's advice, he chose Yuzhou instead of Qingzhou.

When Cao Cao pressed for details, Wei Xue simply said that there were other plans for Qingzhou.

Out of trust for his brother, Cao Cao did not ask any further questions.

Moreover, Yuzhou was his hometown, and Cao Cao was happy to help his fellow villagers.

Huangfu Song nodded and readily agreed to Cao Cao's request, ordering Cao Cao, in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, to wipe out the remaining Yellow Turban forces in Yuzhou.

They also generously provided Cao Cao with an additional 1 troops, which, together with the 2000 cavalry he already had, gave Cao Cao a total of 12000 troops.

After receiving the order, Cao Cao led these 12000 men south to Yuzhou and returned to his hometown of Qiao County.

Worried about his hometown, Cao Cao marched day and night, constantly increasing the speed of his march.

During the march, he discovered that his cousin Xiahou Yuan had an exceptional talent for rapid marching.

Keeping this matter to himself, Cao Cao began to consciously appoint Xiahou Yuan to lead the army.

Compared to the period when he led the army, Xiahou Yuan's speed was about 10% faster.

Don't underestimate this one percent; as mentioned in Sun Tzu's Art of War, Chapter Nine Grounds...

"The essence of warfare is speed; it is to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, to attack them by unexpected means, and to strike where they are least expecting it."

The meaning is that the key to military strategy lies in speed. You must take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness, take an unexpected route, and attack where the enemy is not on guard.

The Six Secret Teachings, Dragon Teachings, Military Strategy also states: "A thunderbolt is too fast to cover one's ears, a lightning bolt is too fast to close one's eyes."

It means that warfare should be like a sudden clap of thunder or a flash of lightning, leaving the enemy no time to react.

UI.

The same applies to military operations. Why were cavalry able to dominate the battlefield?

It is closely related to the speed and mobility of cavalry.

Their fast marching speed gives them an advantage not only in attack but also in support and surprise attacks.

Wei Xue also took out some military books, selected those suitable for Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan, and taught them to them during their break.

Cao Cao would also listen in and learn from him.

Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan were very grateful. Military strategy was a family heirloom that each family kept very secret, making it extremely difficult for others to obtain.

If those families find out that their family's military treatise has been leaked, they will spare no expense to retrieve it and kill everyone who knows about it.

So even though the Xiahou family came from the descendants of founding heroes, over the past 400 years, the family has long since declined, and their military books are now just fragments, lacking any coherent system.

Wei Xue was willing to teach them, and they absorbed the knowledge with great eagerness, while marveling at the profound heritage of the Wei family.

After being taught by Wei Xue, Cao Cao and his two companions experienced a qualitative improvement in their military skills.

The Xiahou brothers, in particular, would spend any free time studying the military books that Wei Xue had given them, gaining new insights with each reading.

Under Xiahou Yuan's command, the army quickly approached Qiao County.

Upon entering Qiao County, they discovered that a group of about a thousand Yellow Turbans were surrounding a village.

Cao Cao snorted coldly, "The Yellow Turbans led by Zhang Jiao will not harm these ordinary people."

These were all people who, after Zhang Jiao's death, adopted the name of the Yellow Turbans to incite rebellion.

"Miao Cai, Yuan Rang, leave none alive."

"promise."

Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan each led two thousand cavalrymen, one from the left wing and the other from the right wing, like a pair of pincers, tightly clamping down on the bandits disguised as Yellow Turbans.

"Run! The imperial army is coming!"

Upon seeing the fully armed imperial army, the bandits had no will to resist and began to flee with a shout.

Not a single person thought of organizing resistance; they all hated their mothers for not giving them four legs.

Some even began to turn against their own companions. They didn't need to outrun the imperial army; as long as they could outrun their teammates, they would have a greater chance of survival.

Cao Cao left Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan to pursue the bandits, and rode his horse to the village.

Cao Cao was quite surprised that the village, which was not very large, could withstand the attack of 1000 bandits.

As Cao Cao approached, an old man led a burly young man to greet him.

"This old man has met the general and thanks him for saving my life."

Cao Cao quickly dismounted and returned the old man's greeting.

"I am Cao Cao, Cao Mengde, but I am merely a Commandant. We are fellow townsmen from Qiao County, so there is no need for thanks."

The old man's eyes lit up. "Could it be Cao Mengde, the Commandant who beheaded Zhang Mancheng, defeated Bo Cai, and annihilated the Yellow Turbans?!"

"It is indeed Cao."

Even Cao Cao couldn't help but grin when praised so highly by people from his hometown.