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

Of course he could plead with Chen Shao on his behalf.

But will Chen Shao listen?

This is a ruthless man who kills without batting an eye, and who could even go toe-to-toe with his father at Xuanwu Gate.

The reason I'm still standing here isn't because I'm particularly capable.

It's their strategy, not their policy.

He looks imposing now, but he's actually so weak that he could be blown over by the wind.

The previous time, even the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Shao wanted to take it over, but he only handed over a note casually.

That bastard's strategy is to keep them but not use them.

To reassure the people on the frontier, to appease the populace, and to stabilize the court.

But he couldn't afford to lose face in front of these students.

These are all potential political forces if you can win them over.

"Gentlemen."

He pressed his hands together lightly, signaling for quiet.

I carefully considered the wording for a long time.

"I understand everything you're saying."

He didn't mention his true identity or his official position; his humble self-description immediately bridged the gap between him and the students.

"But I want to ask you, what is family and country? What is country? What is family?"

"Home is the door behind you. Inside the door are your parents, wife and children, your land and ancestral home, and the reunion dinner you have to go back to every New Year's Eve."

"What is the nation? It is the city wall outside that gate, the soldiers who stand guard on the city wall day and night, and the behemoth that the imperial court holds up for you in this chaotic world."

"Today, the Yellow Turban rebels are at the city gates. If the city walls are breached, the gates will be gone too."

"With the door gone, what use are all those classic texts you've read and all those beautiful essays you've written? They're nothing more than a way for bandits to set fire to the bed."

He paused, his tone softening slightly:

"I know you're afraid, afraid that swords and spears have no eyes, afraid that you're too weak to even kill a chicken and would just throw your lives away."

"Being afraid is right, being afraid is the right thing to do, being afraid is a true nature."

"It may be scary, but even if you're afraid, the enemy won't show any mercy."

"What is the imperial examination? The imperial examination is not for you to climb up by stepping on other people's shoulders, but to select a group of people who can take responsibility for the country."

"Today, His Majesty has moved the examination to the city wall, a first in thousands of years. Do you think this is an attempt to make things difficult? Wrong. This is an immense favor!"

"Because after today, each of you can stand tall and tell your descendants that when the Great Yan Dynasty was in peril, your ancestors were not cowards hiding in the examination hall writing eight-legged essays, but men who stood on the city wall and carried swords."

The entire hall was completely silent.

Han Cao waved his hand, and two guards presented him with a suit of armor as well.

"I am no different. Today I will climb to the top of the city wall; this is the spirit of us scholars!"

After he finished speaking, he put on his armor and walked step by step toward the palace gate.

His back was as straight as a pine tree.

The students looked at the old man, who was completely different from his usual self, and for a moment they didn't know how to react.

What's going on here...?

Isn't it said that Chancellor Han has always been at odds with His Majesty?

It's like they're wearing the same pair of pants.

"So fussy and indecisive, like a woman!"

At this moment, Huang Chao sneered:

"When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; if we fail today, all our studies will be in vain."

"Only if we win today can we truly unleash our full potential."

"Let us not, a thousand years from now, be condemned by others as 'most treacherous scholars!'"

He lashed out at a group of people, then gave them a cold look.

Huang Chao also strode towards the outside of the hall.

Seeing this, the others, whether they were just trying to take advantage of the situation or were truly prepared to risk their lives, all followed suit and bravely walked out of the palace gate.

......

Chen Shao was already standing at the highest point of the North Gate tower.

Holding onto the battlements, the wind blowing in his face was warm, but he felt a chill and shivered.

These people really know how to give him a hard time.

They could even resort to such unscrupulous tactics as driving civilians to attack cities.

Inside the city gates, tens of thousands of Iron Fist soldiers stood in formation, waiting.

On the city wall, Yu Qi'an was directing his soldiers to complete the final defensive works.

He has a knack for leading troops; everything is well-organized and ready for battle at any time.

Chen Shao looked up and gazed north.

The skyline has been dyed yellow.

Those were the colors reflected from the Yellow Turban Army's headscarves and flags.

Judging by the distance, it's about half an hour's journey.

Chen Shao withdrew his gaze, brought up the system panel in his mind, and clicked on [Brilliant Plan].

Mode 2.

The golden label flashed on the panel, and a system notification popped up.

Clever Strategy (Gold): Mode 2 is activated.

The ingenious plan is divided into three parts, resulting in three entries for the plan.

That is, a bad idea.

Winning people over with virtue: A wise person wins people over with virtue and does not take advantage of others in their distress.

Chen Shao chuckled to himself.

That's a really bad idea. In these times, the only way to subdue people is with fists.

What's the point of winning people over with virtue?

The most famous example is that in the Battle of Hongshui, Duke Xiang of Song insisted on "not attacking those who are halfway across the river, not seriously injuring them, and not capturing the elderly," aiming to subdue people with virtue and to be a benevolent and righteous army. In the end, he suffered a great defeat and was wounded and died.

I wonder if giving them a lesson in "winning people over with virtue" would stop them from driving out the people...

Obviously, this is unrealistic; the people have already arrived here, so their opinions no longer matter.

Everything is ready except for the east wind: There is no east wind, only the west wind.

[A boastful person: All the credit is mine, mine!]

[Note: All three tips/strategies are for one-time use only.]

Chen Shao raised his hand and summoned another messenger, whispering a few words of instruction to him.

The messenger clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, ran down the city wall, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the dry well in the west of the city.

...

The sky to the north is getting increasingly yellow.

The Yellow Turban army finally revealed its outline.

First came the scattered yellow headscarves, then the endless stream of flags, and then the people.

Countless people.

The people at the front were ordinary people, dressed in rags, including the old and the young, and they walked with unsteady steps.

Many people were initially lured by the Earth God General to come, only to later discover that they were being asked to attack the city.

Let them use mountains of flesh to block the arrows from the city walls.

But it was too late.

The cries were carried away by the wind and drifted into the air.

Nobody cares.

General Di Gong personally led an army of 50,000 as the vanguard.

It is forcing the people to move forward.

Anyone who causes trouble will be immediately executed as a warning to others.

General Tiangong led an army of 100,000 men and slowly advanced from the rear.

General Zhang Bao rode a tall horse at the forefront of the vanguard.

A young general stood beside him, watching the people crying and wailing.

After hesitating for a long time, I couldn't help but ask:

"General, these people... we're forcing them to move forward with knives, how is that any different from the government?"

"When we rose up as Yellow Turbans, we fought under the banner of acting on behalf of Heaven, but now we're using the people as human shields. Aren't we just slapping ourselves in the face?"

This person is the eldest nephew of the three Yellow Turban brothers.

Otherwise, if it were someone else asking these questions, it would be considered disrupting morale, and they might be executed on the spot.

Even so, General Di Gong still uttered a single word without expression:

"pig!"

"Warfare is based on deception."

"Remember this: those who survive on the battlefield are not the most righteous, but the most ruthless. Righteousness is something you can only talk about after you've won the battle."

The young general wanted to retort, but General Digong launched another barrage of attacks.

"Young people, don't feel sorry for them."

"Actually, we are also doing good deeds. Even if they don't come, they will starve to death sooner or later, or be forced to death by the government."

"We're all going to die sooner or later anyway, so isn't it good that dying here at least contributes to our cause?"

"Even if we take a step back and conquer the capital, overthrow the Great Yan, and divide up the land of those corrupt officials, those who are still alive will enjoy a life of luxury."

"Use your brain and think carefully about what it means to have a lasting legacy."

General Di patted him on the shoulder.

"Womanly compassion is unacceptable."

"There are always deaths in war."