Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

What are cavalrymen most afraid of?

That means being approached by infantry.

Once a warhorse loses its charging distance, it becomes an easy target in a dense infantry formation.

All advantages vanished.

Before the scimitar could even be swung, more than a dozen spears simultaneously thrust at it.

The Northern Barbarian soldiers struggled to stay afloat amidst the crowd, facing extreme hardship.

Chen Shao led Helian Xiong directly into crowds.

Once there is any sign of an organized counterattack.

You can see General Helian's figure immediately.

The Northern Barbarian cavalry finally realized the danger; if things continued this way, they would surely be wiped out.

They wanted to create distance and reorganize the battlefield.

The idea is correct; if we really let them charge forward...

Five thousand versus twenty thousand, it's like cutting melons and vegetables.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

It's difficult for a horse to turn its head, let alone create distance.

Helian Xiong clenched his teeth tightly, trying his best not to hear a sound.

These five thousand people were all brought out by him, and every scream was like a sharp knife cutting into the heart.

finally...

The screams gradually subsided.

Helian Xiong closed his eyes even tighter.

He knew what this meant.

Five thousand elite cavalrymen were completely wiped out...

Lu Bu, carrying the halberd, strode up to Chen Shao and knelt on one knee.

His slightly weathered face was filled with fervent worship.

"Your Majesty is indeed awe-inspiring! In the very first battle, you annihilated five thousand elite troops of the Northern Barbarians. My admiration for Your Majesty is as boundless as a surging river, as unstoppable as the overflowing Yellow River..."

"Alright, alright."

Chen Shao waved his hand to interrupt, "Let the brothers clean up the battlefield, take the warhorses, weapons, and armor with them, and burn all the corpses."

"This subordinate obeys!"

Aluminum Cloth lowered its voice again and said:

"Your Majesty, what should we do with Helian Xiong?"

"Give him a fast horse and let him go."

"what?"

Aluminum Cloth was taken aback. "Your Majesty, this man is known as the number one warrior of Northern Mang, his combat strength is extraordinary..."

"Just release it when I tell you to!"

Chen Shao is going to have a good talk with this kid, Aluminum Cloth.

We cannot allow him to act on his own initiative under our command.

Meanwhile, Chen Shao secretly projected the "Constantly Defeatful General" attribute onto Helian Xiong.

soon.

Helian Xiong, mounted on his horse, stared at Chen Shao in disbelief.

"You...you're just going to let me go like that?"

He didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

The good news is that I can survive.

What worries me is... I'm supposed to be the number one warrior in Northern Mang, aren't you afraid? If you won't surrender, fine, but shouldn't you at least cripple me?

This is downright humiliating.

Chen Shaoqing slammed his dragon-shaped crescent blade to the ground.

"Helian Xiong, you are a true man. I admire your courage in daring to accept even the finest wine on the city wall."

"It would be such a waste to kill you."

"Go back and tell Helian Yunni that I will soon launch a northern expedition. Strip her naked and make her dance."

"You'll regret it if you don't kill me!"

"How dare you speak to the Holy Emperor like that!" Aluminum Cloth roared angrily from the side.

......

The capital city, General Yuwen's mansion.

On the bed, Yuwen Chen was wrapped up like a rice dumpling.

Han Cao sighed from the side, "Your son is truly a miracle worker; he's completely unharmed."

"We owe him a lot this time, otherwise we old bones would have been in real trouble."

Yuwen Huagu had no interest in this matter.

He paced back and forth in the room.

"Han Cao, we can't continue like this. Chen Shao has clearly decided to kill us."

"This time it was the Four Sages of Merlin who died; next time it will be us!"

"Why don't we rebel while he's away? Let's storm the Forbidden City, rescue the Emperor Emeritus, and ascend the throne directly, deposing him from the throne."

Compared to Yuwen Huagu's excitement, Han Cao appeared very calm.

"and then?"

"And then what?"

"Then you and I will be besieged by Chen Shao's army. Even if we defend the inner city of the capital, we will die from lack of food."

"General Yuwen, times have changed. Chen Shao is no longer someone who can be easily deposed and installed."

"Unless you can seize Yu Qi'an's military power!"

"How is that possible!"

Yuwen Huagu frowned:

"You know his temper. He doesn't care about power, beauty, or even handsome men. You can't win him over at all."

"So we can't rebel, we can only wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

Han Cao didn't mention that he was waiting for Wu Xingyun's honey trap.

This is his political trump card, and has nothing to do with you, Yuwen Huagu.

"I will make arrangements in secret."

"So what do we do now? If you ask me, it's better to actively seek death than to sit and wait for it! Bah, let's take the initiative and strike!"

"Now...of course, we have to clean up his mess!"

"what?"

Yuwen Huagu's expression froze:

"Is it what I think? I can't do it. Detoxifying the Emperor Emeritus is already my limit."

"..."

Han Cao sighed, "You're overthinking it. Right now, we can only go along with him and make him lower his guard against the two of us."

"The first matter is the death of the Four Sages of Merlin. At tomorrow's court assembly, I will draft an edict on behalf of His Majesty. The Four Sages of Merlin died from the fire set by the Yellow Turban rebels. His Majesty personally tried to save them but was seriously injured. However, the fire was too great and there was no way to save them."

"The second matter, of course, is to select consorts for His Majesty."

"How to choose?"

"Elections must be swift and selective; don't vote blindly, choose with a purpose!"

Yuwen Huagu's eyes lit up:

"You mean, you want to get him a bunch of beauties to exhaust him?"

Han Cao was speechless, inwardly cursing himself for having such a stupid teammate.

No, it's that such a foolish opponent has been fighting me for so many years!

Too lazy to explain further, Han Cao gave a perfunctory reply:

"That's one way to understand it."

"To deal with a middle-aged person, take them to see their childhood sweetheart; to deal with a young person, let them see more of the world's splendor."

"Making Chen Shao obsessed with the affairs of the harem is also a way."

"Brilliant!"

Yuwen Huagu clapped his hands in praise:

"You have no idea how exhausted I was to give birth to Mingzhu. I still have some hydronephrosis now."

"Don't all those powerful feudal lords want to get involved in the imperial court? This is their chance."

"Furthermore, now that Chen Shao has ascended the throne, it is unreasonable for the other princes to remain in the capital. When Chen Shao returns, you and I will jointly submit a petition to send the princes to their fiefdoms."

"Brilliant!"

Yuwen Huagu's eyes lit up:

"As long as they're outside, anyone can take them hostage, and then they can coordinate an attack from the inside..."

"We could even use the excuse that the country is newly established and everything needs to be rebuilt to arrange for the princes to marry into foreign tribes, in order to appease the hearts of the vassal kings and foreign tribes, and to buy time with space."

"Chen Shao is a man who is truly willing to fight and kill his brothers, so I suppose he would consider it."

Han Cao glanced at Yuwen Chendu again, then turned to leave.

"Let Chen Du rest well. I will come to thank you again later. General Yuwen, let us each make our own preparations."

"Will Chen Shao die outside?"

Han Cao had already stepped out of the threshold, but then turned back.

"Have you forgotten about Weibo so quickly?"