Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

South of Rangcheng, the drill ground.

Liu Feng's gaze swept over the 1,270 men of Wancheng standing in the drill ground. Some of these men had been Wancheng rebels, while others were ordinary people whose families had been destroyed by Cao Ren's slaughter.

Liu Feng did not stand on the steps; he stood on the flat ground, facing the 1,200 people.

"From this day forward, you will be organized into one battalion."

His voice wasn't loud, but the silence of the training ground made every word clear.

"It is called: Wancheng Camp!"

Liu Feng turned to the side and pointed.

"Deng Ai was appointed as the commander of a separate division of our army, and was put in charge of the troops in Wancheng."

Deng Ai stepped out from behind Liu Feng and stood before the 1,200 people. The young man, in his early twenties, had no superfluous expression on his face, and his gaze was as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Wei Zheng is appointed as the acting military commander to assist Deng Ai in leading the Wancheng camp." Wei Zheng stepped out from the crowd and stood beside Deng Ai. When he turned to face the 1,200 people, many of them subconsciously straightened their chests.

"Deng Shizai, a native of Nanyang," Liu Feng's gaze swept over everyone. "He is from the same hometown as you all. He is not good with words, but he shares your hatred of the enemy! Does anyone have any objections?"

After much deliberation, Liu Feng finally entrusted the Wancheng Camp to Deng Ai, a native of Nanyang. He deeply understood the importance of hometown ties and mentorship in this era!

"If there are no objections, then it's settled."

Liu Feng turned and walked onto the arena in the center of the training ground. He said loudly, "I know what you all think. You are afraid that I will incorporate you into the army and erase the name of Wancheng. You are afraid that your hatred will disappear as time goes by."

On the drill ground, it was so quiet that you could hear the distant banners fluttering in the wind.

"Won't."

"The name of the camp is Wancheng, so that you will remember where you came from and where you will return."

As he spoke, Liu Feng ordered someone to bring out the newly made camp flag, which was black with red characters and only had one character embroidered on it.

Wan.

Wei Zheng stood under the battalion flag, his back ramrod straight. The tear stains on his face had dried, but the fire in his eyes still burned.

Inside the central command tent, Liu Feng, Wei Zheng, Deng Ai, and others were discussing matters.

"Wei Zheng".

"Here you go!"

"In the year or so you've been in the mountains, how many bandits like yourselves have there been within the territory of Nanyang Prefecture?"

Wei Zheng didn't answer immediately. He thought for a moment and estimated, "Roughly speaking, there are about several dozen shares, large and small."

"Dozens of shares."

Although Liu Feng was mentally prepared, he did not expect that there would be so many anti-Cao forces in Nanyang Commandery.

"Yes. Some have several hundred people, others have only a few dozen." Wei Zheng paused. "General, Nanyang Commandery used to be the largest commandery in the land. During Emperor Huan's reign, it had over 500,000 registered households and over 2.4 million people. Emperor Guangwu rose to power in Nanyang, and half of the 28 generals of Yuntai were from Nanyang. When Yuan Shu occupied Nanyang, he was able to rival Cao Cao with just this one commandery."

Liu Feng nodded. The once most powerful prefecture in the land had been forced into a bandit's den by the Cao family.

Wei Zheng's voice lowered: "It's not that the people of Nanyang want to rebel, it's that they simply can't survive."

Liu Feng suddenly remembered the "Taiping Yaoshu" he had obtained from Wudang Mountain that day, and the so-called "turning beans into soldiers" technique.

"I want you to go back to the mountains."

"Go find those who have fled to the outlaws. Whether they escaped from Wancheng, Rangcheng, or Zhixian, Bowang, or Danshui, tell them that the royal army has arrived, Rangcheng has fallen, and I am here to await their arrival and to avenge them!"

Wei Zheng's eyes lit up, but then a layer of hesitation appeared. "General, these people in the mountains... are not quite the same."

"How are they different?"

"Some were indeed civilians forced into the mountains by Cao Cao's army. They came from Wancheng, Rangcheng, Bowang, and all over the place. These people harbored hatred in their hearts, and as long as they were given a way out, they were willing to follow Cao Ren and fight him." Wei Zheng paused, his brows furrowing. "But some were mountain bandits. Taking advantage of the chaos, they recruited displaced civilians, became mountain kings, and engaged in robbery and plunder."

Wei Zheng hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Some of them are even remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion."

Liu Feng's brows twitched slightly.

"Back then, Zhang Mancheng and Zhao Hong gathered hundreds of thousands of people in the Wancheng area, calling themselves divine messengers. Later, they were wiped out by the imperial court, but the remnants scattered into the mountains of Nanyang. Fathers died and sons succeeded each other, and now it has been two generations. These people do not believe in the government or the imperial court, but only in the Way of Peace. They are not the same as the people who were forced to go up the mountain."

"That's all?"

Liu Feng turned to look at Wei Zheng, "What you've said, whether it's commoners, bandits, or remnants of the Yellow Turbans..."

"Weren't they all driven to the brink of death by the Cao family?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to seek revenge on Cao Ren?"

"The bandits in the mountains may not want revenge; they just want to take advantage of the chaos."

"Then give them benefits." Liu Feng's voice suddenly turned cold. "Tell them that if they take Wancheng, the contents of the treasury will be distributed according to military merit. If they take Nanyang County, the fertile lands occupied by Cao Cao's army will be distributed to those who wish to return to their hometowns to farm."

Wei Zheng's breathing became rapid.

"Brother, if we offer these terms, those people in the mountains will probably... all sorts of monsters and demons will come."

"I will take as much as you give me."

Liu Feng raised his hand to stop Kou Zun from continuing.

"Those who achieve great things must be open-minded and inclusive. What I need is not these 1,200 men, but 10,000, 20,000, or even 100,000. I want all the people in Nanyang County who have been forced to the mountains by Cao Cao to come down and stand behind me."

"As for the demons and monsters you mentioned, once they enter my camp, they must abide by the camp's military laws. If they can abide by them, all past transgressions will be wiped clean. If they cannot, they will face seventeen punishments and fifty-four beheadings. There is no need to worry."

Wei Zheng took a deep breath and knelt on one knee.

"Wei Zheng accepts the order."

"There is another matter. Although I am the eldest son of the King of Hanzhong, I have not been granted the authority to command troops. I cannot bestow upon them the seals and official positions that Lord Guan did."

Liu Feng frowned. This was a real problem; those who had fled to the outlaws and then surrendered to the imperial court wanted official positions and titles.

Without official seals or titles, and relying solely on your words, why should anyone believe you?

The silence within the tent was profound.

"General," Deng Ai spoke.

"I have a plan."

"Since there is no official seal, one should not use it to sway people. Back when Yuan Shao of Hebei raised an army to attack Cao Cao, Chen Lin's proclamation spread throughout the land and was enough to rouse the entire nation to respond, attracting heroes from all over."

"An official seal can only be seen by one person. A proclamation can be seen by millions. An official seal grants an official position, but a proclamation stirs up the hearts of the people. The people of Nanyang harbor resentment, but no one is there to ignite the fire for them. What the general needs to do is not to give them official positions—but to ignite the fire for them."

These words were spoken slowly and deliberately, clearly indicating that Deng Ai had been preparing them for a long time and had given them much thought before speaking.

Liu Feng remained silent for a moment, secretly praising Deng Ai for not only being outstanding in military strategy but also possessing political talent. He truly deserved to be called a first-rate talent capable of achieving the great feat of destroying a country.

"Shizai, you don't talk much usually, but when you do, everything you say makes perfect sense."

Liu Feng immediately approved the order: "Write it. Send a proclamation against Cao Cao to Nanyang."

Then the problem arose.

Who will write it?

Liu Feng turned the entire camp upside down, and Kou Zun invited several educated old officials from the Rang County School, all of whom were copyists in the county government.

Some people stroked their beards and said, "A proclamation denouncing a traitor should begin with a parallel prose style," while others said, "It should first state the Mandate of Heaven, then recount the evils of the Cao family." They shook their heads for a long time, but they couldn't even write a proper opening.

Liu Feng listened for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, then waved them away. He pondered his men: he had many generals who could lead armies, but not a single one who could write or write, let alone possess the talent to govern a kingdom!

Although he himself was a time traveler and had read several proclamations in later generations, such as the famous "Proclamation Against Wu Zetian" written by Luo Binwang, he could not memorize them, and even if he forced modifications and used a template, he would certainly not be as talented as the "Three Caos".

If Cao Zhi were to throw back a "Proclamation Against Liu Bei" with its ornate language comparable to the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River, wouldn't it only invite ridicule from heroes all over the world?

Kou Zun said in a low voice, "Brother, in Rang County... the talented people have either been recruited by the Cao family or have run away. There is really no one in the camp who can write a proclamation."

"What kind of talent or learning is required?" Liu Feng suddenly asked.

Kou Zun was slightly taken aback, but he did not know what Liu Feng meant.

"Chen Lin wrote the proclamation against Cao Cao, which was copied all over the land. That was Chen Lin's skill." Liu Feng stood up and strode out of the tent. "I don't have Chen Lin, but I have these twelve hundred living, breathing people from Wancheng!"

"Order the Wancheng camp to form ranks at the drill ground. I will personally write the 'Proclamation Against Cao Cao'!"