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

"smoke!"

The familiar scene lit up again.

On the vast grassland, a group of Khitan cavalrymen were desperately fleeing north, the dust kicked up by their horses' hooves obscuring the sky.

The pursuers were getting closer and closer, and the guards fell one by one.

Soon, only Yelü Deguang was left on horseback.

Just as he was about to be caught, the guy suddenly tumbled off his horse and scrambled towards a camel grazing by the roadside.

He slapped the camel's hump hard.

The camel, in pain, took off running at a speed faster than a warhorse, quickly leaving its pursuers far behind.

The image freezes on the faces of the pursuers, each of them looking as if they've seen a ghost.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Camel Cart God.]

[Camel Driver: Driving a camel can also be incredibly fast.]

Chen Shao scratched his head. This system really was preparing to train him into an all-around driver.

Today, land, sea, and desert are all the main arenas.

If another aerial acrobat appears, I could truly dominate the land, sea, and air.

Of course, this "car god" is really useful; it's the most helpful entry for Chen Shao so far.

The second image lights up.

In a dilapidated temple, a gaunt boy was kneeling on a prayer mat, with a broken bowl in front of him, the bowl empty.

He hadn't eaten for days and was so hungry he was seeing stars.

The visuals are ordinary, but the accompanying notes are terrifying:

Zhu Yuanzhang!

"Damn it!" Chen Shao thought with renewed anticipation.

You start with a bowl, and all your equipment is scavenged.

Given the level of abstraction in the system, this should be the explanation, right?

That would truly be a prosperous era.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Starting with a Bowl.]

[Starting with a bowl: If you have a bowl in your hand, you'll always inexplicably have the urge to strangle yourself with a rope.]

[Note: The "One Rope" ending is unlocked after strangulation.]

"..."

Chen Shao has managed to remain calm in this situation, at least on the surface.

"continue!"

The third one.

The instant the screen lit up, a憨厚 (honest and simple) voice chuckled:

"I am so happy here that I don't miss Shu at all."

Liu Shan was too familiar with this story, so he skipped the scene.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Acting Master.]

[A true acting talent: able to convincingly portray any role.]

The fourth picture.

Inside the dimly lit room, the crowd was in a state of heightened agitation.

"Eight hundred men it is, let's go fight!"

"Your Highness, we have shared joys and sorrows, and rendered great service to the Tang Dynasty. To have it all vanish overnight—who would willingly accept that!"

"Yes, eight hundred against four thousand, the advantage is on our side!"

Li Shimin's face was gloomy, and he remained silent.

The general next to him was so anxious that he wanted to punch the emperor three times.

for a long time...

Li Shimin suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Eight hundred it is! Eight hundred men have their own way of fighting! Let's do it!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn the Emperor Card and obtained the entry: Eight hundred is eight hundred!]

[Eight Hundred is Eight Hundred: The number eight hundred is very auspicious, so much so that whatever you do, as long as you accumulate eight hundred, you can trigger a limited-time buff, boosting morale to its peak for half an hour.]

[Note: Numbers must be carefully selected; they must not exceed or fall short of the limit.]

Chen Shao nodded. This term seemed abstract, but when considered in the context of Chinese history, it was meaningful.

It's not abstract at all; on the contrary, it's quite reasonable.

Huo Qubing: Eight hundred it is, we will wipe out the Xiongnu after a hundred-mile raid.

Zhang Liao: Eight hundred it is then, eight hundred tigers will rush across the river.

Li Shimin: Eight hundred it is, eight hundred it is. We'll gobble up the Xuanwu Gate together.

Zhu Di: Eight hundred it is. Today we are entrusting the task of pacifying the rebellion.

Even the Sifang Warehouse... was a miracle of eight hundred people.

The fifth image... was completely missing, the system voice announced.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have drawn a training card. Do you wish to use it?]

"use!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained General: Li Jinglong of the Ming Dynasty!]

Just as the system notification ended, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall.

A handsome and dashing general walked in.

"This humble general, Li Jinglong, greets Your Majesty!"

Chen Shao squinted at him, and a transparent panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Li Jinglong

[Strength: 79, Intelligence: 75, Domestic Affairs: 73, Ambition: 95]

[Status: Perennial loser, arrogant and conceited]

Absolutely.

The originator of the Strategic Deception Bureau, a walking poison milk!

This is even worse than Liao Hua.

Chen Shaohao's good mood was ruined by Li Jinglong.

Without him, Zhu Di would still be starving on the frontier.

The 500,000-strong army suffered repeated defeats, and finally surrendered by opening the gates of Nanjing...

The two stared at each other, speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, Yu Qi'an and Shen Qingci arrived together at that moment.

Chen Shao snapped out of his thoughts, gestured for Li Jinglong to step aside, and then nodded to Yu Qi'an:

"General Yu, how are the preparations going?"

Yu Qi'an clasped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, the 50,000 elite troops have already assembled outside the city under the pretext of training, and their provisions, weapons, and warhorses are all ready."

"The army is ready for battle at any time, awaiting only Your Majesty's command."

Chen Shao nodded and said:

"We'll leave tonight. The 50,000-strong army will be lightly armed, carrying only meat powder. We'll take back roads, without fire or flags, and will be active at night."

"I want Wang Yuanji to hear the sound of horses' hooves outside the city in his sleep."

Shen Qingci frowned slightly:

"Isn't this too rushed? Most attention has already been drawn to Jiangnan. We still have half a month to prepare..."

"No rush, Wang Yuanji should be able to react in another half month."

"If he prepares for war with all his might, then Liaocheng will mirth our army in a quagmire."

Shen Qingci was still somewhat worried:

"Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler, and the nation's fortunes are now gradually stabilizing. Why risk ruling personally again? Given Your Excellency's literary and military prowess, and your skill in warfare, perhaps..."

Chen Shao waved his hand to interrupt:

"It's not a matter of Lord Yu's ability, but that this battle, and many battles in the future, must be led by my own body. This is the best solution."

"As for the reasons, I will not say more. You just need to follow my orders."

"Lord Shen, there is one more thing I need you to do."

Seeing that he was confident, Shen Qingci stopped trying to persuade him, since fighting was her weakness.

"Your Majesty, please speak, and I will go through fire and water!"

"Even if it's fast, it still takes three days to get to Liaocheng from here. These next few days will be your turn to perform."

"Starting tomorrow morning, you will kneel at the palace gate and let the whole world see you in front of all the officials."

"Make full use of your mouth's strengths."

Shen Qingci's face darkened: "..."

You can curse me for being licentious and immoral, for being bewitched by the harem, for neglecting morning court sessions, you can curse me for whatever you want.

"Keep cursing me until I capture Liaocheng!"

Shen Qingci was somewhat annoyed. What did she mean by having the advantage of her mouth?

"Fine, then you wait!"