My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Zhuojun, the temporary palace.

Yang Guang sat behind his desk, with Li Ju's memorial spread out in front of him.

Pei Yun stood at the lower end, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, Li Ju is stationed in Luoyang, in charge of the grain transport, managing the granaries, and holding a large army. Now, the grain transport army plus the river embankment camp has nearly 20,000 men, far exceeding the old system of the Directorate of Waterways. If the army is expanded further, all military power in Luoyang will fall into his hands, which may lead to a situation where he becomes too powerful to control in the future."

Yang Guang did not respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the memorial, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.

Seeing this, Pei Yun said again, "Your Majesty, I believe that we can send another general to take charge of the grain transport army, or transfer some troops from Luoyang to the front line in the north to weaken their strength."

Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Shu stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell: "Your Majesty, I believe Imperial Censor Pei is mistaken!"

Pei Yun turned to look at him.

Yuwen Shu cupped his hands and said, "Now that the campaign against Liaodong is imminent, Liyang Granary is the lifeline of the Liaodong army's grain supply. If Liyang is lost, the grain transport will be cut off, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers at the front will have no food to eat, and the campaign against Liaodong will surely fail!"

Li Ju's expansion of the army was solely for guarding the granaries and protecting the grain transport, not for personal gain. At this time, his military power should not be stripped; instead, we should help him secure the supply lines to ensure the success of the campaign against Liaodong.

Pei Yun sneered, "General Yuwen is certainly speaking up for Li Ju. With 20,000 troops already under his command, and still wanting to expand further—isn't that just hoarding military power and becoming arrogant?"

Yuwen Shu retorted sharply: "If Imperial Censor Pei finds Li Ju untrustworthy, then please recommend someone capable of guarding Liyang, protecting the grain transport, and securing the grain route. If you can recommend someone, I will no longer speak up for Li Ju."

Pei Yun was speechless.

Can you name any? No.

Of all the officials in the court, only Li Ju was able to defend Luoyang during Yang Xuangan's rebellion. And only Li Ju was able to secure the Yongji Canal supply route.

Yang Guang raised his hand to stop the two from arguing.

He gripped the memorial tightly, his face grim, his gaze sweeping across the tent, and said, word by word, "What I want is uninterrupted grain transport and a guaranteed victory in the Liaodong campaign. Li Ju's request to expand the army is approved."

Pei Yun's expression changed.

Yang Guang stared at him and said, "But I'll make this clear from the start—from this day forward, if the grain transport is delayed by even one day or the grain is short by even one shi (a unit of dry measure), everyone in the Water Conservancy Bureau, from Li Ju down to the lowest official, will be executed!"

Pei Yun quickly lowered her head, not daring to speak again.

Yuwen Shu also shut his mouth and returned to the train.

Yang Guang threw the memorial on the table and said coldly, "Draft an edict and send it to Luoyang."

Neihuang, Bowang Mountain.

The rebel army's camp stretched for miles, with tents densely packed together, extending from the foot of the mountain all the way to the riverbank.

Inside the central command tent, torches blazed brightly, and the leaders of each route sat on either side.

Gao Shida sat in the main seat, his face dark, his figure burly, and his eyes calm yet sly.

Dou Jiande sat on the left, with a thin face, sharp eyes, and a worn-out suit of iron armor, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

There were seven or eight other leaders in the tent, some rough and tough, some gloomy, and some absentmindedly wiping their knives.

Gao Shida cleared his throat and said, "The garrison at Liyang Granary has been scouted. There are two thousand garrison troops, with Zhang Yi personally in charge. The granary is well-fortified, with deep moats and high walls. Although our army is numerous, its equipment is rudimentary."

If we fail to capture it after a prolonged siege, reinforcements from Luoyang will arrive, and our army will be attacked from both sides. It would be better to attack the surrounding small granaries first, and then take Liyang.

Dou Jiande shook his head and cupped his hands, saying, "Brother, you are mistaken. The surrounding granaries have been emptied by Li Ju, and our tens of thousands of troops are about to run out of food. If we don't attack Liyang soon, we will starve to death even without the government troops coming to attack."

He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Liyang: "Zhang Yi has less than two thousand troops, while our army has forty thousand, and we are well-rested and ready to fight. Jian De is willing to lead the elite troops as the vanguard, and we will surely capture Liyang within three days."

The main force of the government troops is in Liaodong, and the local armies are preoccupied with their own affairs. Even if reinforcements from Luoyang arrive, it will take them five days. Five days is enough time for our army to capture the granaries and transport the supplies!

Inside the tent, the leaders whispered among themselves, some nodding, some shaking their heads.

Gao Shida remained silent in thought.

Dou Jiande added, "Brother, opportunities are fleeting. If we wait for Li Ju to send troops to reinforce Liyang, it will be too late to attack. Liyang is most vulnerable now; if we don't attack now, we'll never have another chance."

Gao Shida was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay. As you wish."

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the tent, and began assigning tasks.

"Gao led 20,000 infantrymen as the main force to attack the main gate of Liyang Granary, setting up ladders and rushing through the city gate."

Dou Jiande clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Jiande will lead eight thousand elite infantry and cavalry to circle around to the west side of Cangcheng to contain the flank of the defending army. Two thousand will remain to guard the main camp and protect the supplies."

Gao Shida then asked, "Where is Liu Heita?"

A deep, resonant voice came from outside the tent: "Here." Liu Heita lifted the curtain and entered. He was burly, with a dark, beardless face and a pair of hawk-like eyes that gleamed with a cold light.

"You will lead two thousand elite troops to launch a surprise attack on the downstream docks of Liyang, cutting off the waterway support for the defending army and blocking the retreat of the grain ships."

Liu Heita clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Understood."

Ten thousand auxiliary soldiers were responsible for transporting siege equipment, receiving supplies, and clearing the battlefield.

After the various groups were assigned their tasks, the leaders filed out of the tent.

Dou Jiande walked to the tent entrance, glanced back at Gao Shida's back, and his lips twitched slightly.

Back in his tent, Dou Jiande dismissed his attendants and kept only his trusted confidants.

"With the capture of Liyangcang, our army will have a foothold." He lowered his voice, his gaze deep. "Gao Shida is short-sighted and not worth fearing. This land of Hebei will eventually be ours."

The confidant nodded: "General, you have great foresight. Your subordinates swear to follow you to the death."

He took out a simple map from his pocket, looked at it by candlelight for a while, and his gaze fell on several place names next to Liyang.

Capture Liyang, and you'll have grain. With grain, you can expand your army. With an expanded army, you can replace Gao Shida.

Luoyang, the Capital Water Conservancy Bureau.

Li Ju was looking at a map in his duty room when the door was suddenly pushed open, and Zhou, a minor official, stumbled in, his face covered in sweat: "Your Excellency! The scouts from Liyang have arrived, saying it's an extremely urgent matter!"

A disheveled scout knelt at the door, his armor covered in mud and water, his voice hoarse: "My lord, the Hebei rebels Gao Shida and Dou Jiande have joined forces with 40,000 troops and have set off from Bowang Mountain, heading straight for Liyang. Their vanguard, Liu Heita's 2,000 men, have already crossed Chanyuan and are less than 30 li from Liyang!"

Li Ju stood up, his expression unchanged, and walked to the map.

"Pass on the order." His voice was calm and steady, without the slightest hint of panic. "The river embankment camp stationed on the Luo River, send 1,500 men north overnight, and they shall arrive in Liyang within three days, under Zhang Yi's command. Leave 500 men to guard the Luo River estuary dock and small outposts around Luoyang."

Order Zhang Yi, the garrison commander of Liyang, to reinforce the defenses of the warehouse city, hold the line and await reinforcements, and not to launch an offensive.

He ordered the dispatch of 300 elite soldiers from the grain transport corps to strengthen the defense of Liyang Wharf and prevent the rebel army from cutting off the waterway.

Zhou Xiaoli wrote everything down and rushed off.

The embankment camp.

The bugle sounded urgently, and the soldiers who were training returned to their camp, ready to go.

Yuchi Gong was forging iron in the armory when he heard the bugle call. He put down his hammer and strode out of the armory.

The messenger rode up on horseback, reined in the horse in the camp, and announced loudly: "The Emperor commands: 1,500 men from the Riverbank Camp are to be dispatched to Liyang tonight."

Yuchi Gong's tiger-like eyes narrowed, and he turned and walked back to the armory.

The furnace was burning brightly, and about a hundred blacksmiths were working, some swinging hammers, some heating iron, and some sharpening blade blanks.

He stood at the doorway, his voice booming: "Brothers, there's a battle in Liyang. The entire Forging Army is ready to march north with me!"

The blacksmiths roared in unison, threw down their hammers, and took weapons and armor from the wall to put them on.

Their movements were skilled and swift, clearly indicating they had practiced a lot.

Yuchi Gong walked to his bunk, took off his long spear and iron whip, fastened his armor, and put on his iron helmet.

He glanced back at the armory; the furnace was still burning, and there was still an unfinished blade blank on the anvil.

He turned around and strode out of the gate.

The Forging Army had grown to a hundred men, each one burly and incredibly strong.

Each person is equipped with a heavy sword, a thick shield, and a set of fine armor.

These people were mostly refugees or blacksmiths who had suffered greatly and witnessed bloodshed.

Their daily training is rigorous, and their combat effectiveness far exceeds that of ordinary recruits.

Yuchi Gong stood at the front of the line, his gaze sweeping over each and every face.

"Forging Army!" he shouted.

"Here!" a hundred men shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the camp.

"In this battle, let's show the might of the Blacksmith Army! Let those rebels see that blacksmiths can also take their lives!"