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

"The Sanggan River lies to the north of this place."

"First, the entire army should immediately retreat to the south bank of the Sanggan River and deploy defenses along the river."

"Zhang Bao, to atone for his crimes, is to lead 30,000 elite troops to ambush in the reeds along the riverbank."

"Chen Shaogang has won a great victory, and his arrogant troops will surely advance. He will definitely cross the river with light cavalry. When he is halfway across, you should attack from the flank and catch him off guard."

He walked up to Zhang Bao, reached out and straightened his crooked collar, his tone suddenly becoming gentle.

"Second brother, if you win this battle and capture or kill Chen Shao alive, I promise you that when you return, you will be granted the title of Grand Pillar of State, concurrently serving as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of the Interior and Exterior, and will be granted the Nine Bestowments, the Yellow Axe, the right to wear a sword and shoes in the palace, and the right to enter the court without hastening or being named when receiving audiences."

"I keep my word."

...Zhang Bao had no idea what such a long title meant.

But it sounds really cool.

His eyes immediately reddened.

We need our brothers-in-arms to fight.

He knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the muddy ground inside the tent hard.

"Since you trust me so much, I will certainly live up to your trust."

Zhang Jiao helped him up and patted him on the shoulder.

"To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I will also transfer thirteen of my best generals to you."

what?

This surprise is too big.

The Thirteen Elite Generals were Zhang Jiao's true right-hand men.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion's scale was inseparable from the bravery of its dozen or so generals.

The only pity is that with Chen Jiao's death, only twelve people remain.

"With these people joining forces, the Great Yan is invincible. You must not disappoint my high expectations!"

"If this fails, I will surely offer my head to my elder brother!"

"good!"

Zhang Jiao turned to the tent full of civil and military officials.

"As for the second plan..."

"If General Zhang Bao succeeds, then this plan will be useless."

"I personally led a large army to set up an altar on Panlong Ridge on the north bank of the Sanggan River."

"If Chen Shaozhen can break through the first layer of encirclement, I will have a good meeting with him and compete to see who truly possesses the greatest Daoist lineage in the world!"

Zhang Jiao issued a series of orders.

The Yellow Turban Army mobilized its entire force.

Everyone performed their duties, and the efficiency was quite good.

When Chen Shao's army caught up with the Yellow Turban camp...

It was completely dark.

Only ashes remained in the camp.

Before leaving, Zhang Bao burned down the remaining camp and the supplies he couldn't take with him.

Not a single grain of rice or an inch of cloth was left for Chen Shao.

Chen Shaole reined in his donkey and stood beside the still-smoking pile of ashes, gazing northwards.

The Sanggan River shimmered with a cold light in the night. The river was several tens of meters wide and the current was not very rapid.

The scouts who had gone out to explore had just reported that the deepest part of the river only reached the waist of an adult man, and that cavalrymen could wade across it.

Chen Shao looked at it for a moment, then swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

"Cross the river!"

Yu Qi'an immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Your Majesty, you mustn't."

"Now that it is dark, if the enemy ambushes us on the other side of the river and suddenly attacks as our army crosses the river, our army will surely be thrown into chaos."

"I believe we should deploy our forces along the river, sending out small groups of scouts to ascertain the strength and weakness of the opposite bank before making any further plans."

Makes sense...

Chen Shao frowned.

But if we don't pursue them now, it will be difficult to encounter a situation where the entire Yellow Turban army gathers together again.

"I must say, the water's really cold now that it's autumn."

After a long and frantic run, General Yuwen was washing his face by the river.

While washing, I smacked my lips.

Chen Shao's eyes lit up.

He shouted loudly, "Yuwen Huagu, come here!"

Yuwen Huagu immediately wiped his hands and jogged over.

"General, since I ascended the throne, you have not accomplished a single merit."

"The entire court is talking behind your back, saying that you, the great general, rose to your position through nepotism and that all you know how to do is send your daughter away."

Upon hearing this, General Yuwen flew into a rage.

"Damn it, who said that!"

"Putting everything else aside, our greatest merit is our loyalty, Your Majesty."

"I know you are loyal, otherwise you wouldn't have given your precious daughter to me."

Chen Shao smiled slightly:

"But those people don't understand, so I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself."

"You will lead five thousand soldiers to cross the river first. Once across, immediately form ranks to cover the main army's crossing."

"This is a genuine military achievement. If it succeeds, who will dare to say that you rose to power by relying on the Empress Dowager or your daughter?"

Yuwen Huagu was not fooled.

This water is so cold.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty is right, but this old minister is not a good swimmer. If you order this old minister to charge into battle, this old minister will do it without hesitation. But if we wade across the river and the horse stumbles, this old minister's bones will be..."

"If you won't go, then let your daughter go! Someone come here!"

"His Majesty!"

Yuwen Huagu's body trembled, and he shouted in a tone of a hero cutting off his own arm:

"This old minister suddenly realized that the Sanggan River is not very deep, and it seems that one does not need to be an expert in swimming. This old minister is willing to go."

The aluminum cloth on the side couldn't stand it anymore.

He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead the charge in place of the Grand General!"

"I've just scouted this river; the bottom is sandy and rocky, so horses won't get stuck. I'll lead my men across first, and I guarantee we'll clear the reeds on the other side before the General crosses..."

"Are you so desperate for credit?" Chen Shao's face darkened. "Can't you understand what I mean?"

"You are highly skilled in martial arts, so stay by my side and protect my safety."

"Someone, prepare horses for General Yuwen. Five thousand Iron Fist soldiers will cross the river first."

...

Yuwen Gu took a deep breath, drew his sword, raised it high above his head, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Cross the river!"

Five thousand people rushed into the water with a splash, their movements perfectly synchronized.

But he himself did not move.

Instead, they waited until the first few hundred people had already waded to the middle of the river.

Only then did they cautiously follow.

hiss!

The water is too cold!

Yuwen Huagu was about to cry.

He has lived a life of luxury over the years, which has ruined his martial arts skills, and he has long suffered from rheumatism.

Now, when exposed to cold water, it hurts so much that he winces in pain.

That's not the scary part.

What's frightening is that Chen Shao sent him there specifically to probe the enemy's situation.

Now, at any moment, a group of ambushers could rush in from all directions and chop him up.

He was like a frightened bird, looking around every few steps.

The entire river was so quiet.

This eeriness almost caused him to fall over at the slightest sound.

"You all better be more alert."

"There might be dozens of bows aimed at us from places you can't see."

"Left! Left! Stand to my left!"

"Shieldbearers! Raise your shields!"

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

It was a false alarm.

The water is getting shallower.

Yuwen Gu finally reached the other side of the river.

As soon as he got ashore, he straightened up and adjusted his helmet.

They began issuing commands.

"Immediately set up sentry posts; not even a bird is allowed to enter within a three-mile radius!"

"Everyone, form ranks and prepare for battle at any moment."

These 5,000 troops were also well-trained.

It spread rapidly.

Scouts set out, the army lined up, shield bearers on the outside, and archers half-crouched.

Yuwen Huagu stood in the center of the formation, his hands resting on his sword.

The evening breeze made his battle robe flutter loudly.

They checked many times, but found no trace of the enemy.

Yuwen Huagu gave the order:

"Launch rockets to inform His Majesty that it is safe and they can cross the river!"