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

......

The army advanced slowly, and the yellow tide swept across the wilderness, only a few miles from the north gate of the capital.

Zhang Bao reined in his horse and squinted as he looked towards the city wall.

The dragon banner on the city wall was already clearly visible.

The man standing beneath his banner was none other than Chen Shao, who had recently risen to prominence.

Wearing black armor and a red cloak, he held a Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand.

They were also looking down at him from their elevated position.

The two looked at each other from miles away.

"That's Chen Shao?"

Zhang Bao pointed his riding whip at the city wall, "It looks quite formidable. I'll go and meet it."

A lieutenant standing nearby changed his expression slightly and quickly advised:

"General, you mustn't! This man nearly made the Empress of Northern Mang vomit blood with his insults on the battlefield. He has a very sharp tongue. I've heard..."

"Just a young punk."

Zhang Bao waved his hand dismissively, but he had other plans in mind.

When it comes to talking, who can match these three brothers?

Back then, outside Dingtao City, his elder brother stood on a hillside and talked for two hours straight, turning three thousand starving people into three thousand soldiers.

A bowl of talismanic water could make people rush forward with shouts of excitement.

How did the Yellow Turban Army grow from a few Taoist priests who drew talismans to its current size?

Spell?

Knives and guns?

No, it's all thanks to his mouth.

The dead can be made to appear alive, and the living can be made to appear as immortals.

At that age, what kind of skills could the other person possibly possess?

The Northern Mang Empress doesn't even speak the language well, so how could she possibly win an argument with someone else?

They are completely incomparable to themselves.

The eldest nephew stepped forward again.

"General, didn't you just say that war is about deception, and that this dialogue on the battlefield is unnecessary and will only give them time to prepare?"

"Since we're already at the city walls, let's just attack directly. Why waste time talking nonsense with them?"

"idiot."

The Earth God General was furious: "If you weren't my nephew, I would kill you right now!"

"Warfare is based on deception, but deception is not about rigid thinking. The battlefield is ever-changing, and one must be able to adapt."

"We were rushing just now, so we had to be quick. Now that we've arrived at the city walls, morale is the most important thing."

"If you let your brothers charge straight ahead, will they make a move? You need to first defeat the enemy with insults and get your own people excited."

"That's called killing someone by breaking their spirit; go ahead and learn it!"

He spurred his horse and led two thousand cavalrymen at breakneck speed toward the city gate.

Two thousand cavalrymen lined up in a row below the city, their hooves kicking up dust.

General Di Gong rode forward a few more steps alone, widening the distance between himself and the army behind him, thus highlighting his position.

Facing the city wall, his voice boomed like a bell:

"Listen up, you on the city walls! You are surrounded!"

"Our Taiping Holy Dynasty acts on behalf of Heaven. The Chen family of the Great Yan Dynasty has run its course. Why do you serve a dying emperor?"

"Those who know what's good for them and surrender the city can preserve their wealth and honor."

"If you remain obstinate, don't blame me for summoning heavenly soldiers and generals to raz this capital to the ground!"

The city wall was now filled with people.

Chen Shao was the leader, with Han Cao, Yuwen Huagu, Yu Qi'an, Shen Qingci and other important court officials standing on the left and right respectively.

The students who participated in the palace examination stood behind them.

Chen Shao looked the people below the city walls up and down and laughed:

"I do not kill nameless people. State your name."

"I am Zhang Bao, a Grand General under the command of the Great Sage Emperor of Taiping Heaven!"

"So it's General Di Gong! My apologies for not recognizing you earlier. Are the heavenly soldiers and generals you just mentioned these?"

Chen Shao snapped his fingers.

With a loud bang, the sky above the city wall was suddenly brightened.

The phantom images of the Six Ding and Six Jia reappeared.

Even when this technique was used for the second time, many people were still terrified and couldn't help but want to kneel down.

But the people below the city did not react much.

They've seen this kind of trick many times before.

It is said that His Majesty the Great Sage Emperor of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom could also summon wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

"I am the Supreme Great Luo Celestial Immortal, the Purple Extreme Longevity Saint, the Wise and Spiritual Unifying the Three Elements, the Jade Void Supreme Master of the Five Thunders, the Great Sage Emperor of the Mysterious Capital Realm, and the Fire Virtue True Lord, who has descended to the mortal realm. You three brothers, did you obtain my permission to create these titles of Heaven, Earth, and Man?"

"A mere illusion."

Zhang Bao laughed loudly:

"As you all can see, this person is nothing but a charlatan."

"Chen Shao, you think you can bring down the Six Ding and Six Jia? Haha, you can't, can you?"

Chen Shao was indeed unable to do it, and the illusory image quickly dissipated and disappeared.

Zhang Bao drew his peach wood sword from his waist and ripped the hairpin off his head.

With disheveled hair and wielding a sword, he too began to perform sorcery.

He chanted a few spells and then twirled the peach wood sword a few times.

Suddenly, a fierce wind and thunder arose, and a black mist descended from the sky, within which seemed to be an endless army charging forward.

Holy crap, he actually knows how to do that?

Chen Shao really couldn't understand how this trick worked.

Science seems unable to explain it.

But in the end, they're all just illusions, just like me.

Otherwise, with such methods, how could the Yellow Turbans have only managed to reach this level?

Wouldn't they have already unified the world and dominated all living beings?

Some timid soldiers, witnessing this scene, were terrified.

Pointing to the sky, he howled:

"Heavenly soldiers and generals! They are heavenly soldiers and generals!"

This panic spread like wildfire, quickly reaching even the defending troops.

Most people stared at the sky in disbelief.

The heavenly soldiers and generals seemed poised to descend from the city walls at any moment and take their lives.

Chen Shao did not stop him.

He wants to wait until everyone is scared before he makes his move.

After all... he was an emperor who combined divine and imperial power.

Fighting the Yellow Turban Army was the best opportunity to consolidate theocracy.

Let's see who has the higher level of skill!

"Your Majesty, this..." Shen Qingci nudged him.

She didn't understand these mystical matters and could only rely on Chen Shao.

Zhang Bao gloated, "Chen Shao, why don't you surrender now? Otherwise, divine punishment will surely descend, and heavenly soldiers and generals will destroy your city!"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Shao laughed loudly: "Such mere sorcery can only deceive people; what is there to fear!"

"Watch me break it!"

Chen Shao waved his hand forward, and the Jinyiwei guards, who had been waiting in the wings, immediately threw pig, sheep, dog blood, and filth into the air.

In an instant, the people and horses in the air fell to the ground and disappeared.

The two men clashed like two old street charlatans, knowing each other inside and out.

They were also unwilling to admit defeat to each other.

I said you're going to have a bloody disaster, and punched you.

I told you over there that you had a bad omen, but actually it was just fat accumulation.

Chen Shao snapped his fingers again, and auspicious clouds rose into the sky above the city wall.

"Zhang Bao, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"