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

......

Wang Yuanji knew that he absolutely could not act rashly at this moment, especially in front of the entire camp of soldiers.

With their supplies cut off and only three days' worth of rations with them, and being deep in the mountains, their own morale collapsed, and the morale of the entire army completely collapsed as well.

Chen Shao is a ruthless man indeed.

They were scheming against themselves at every turn.

They even came up with the tactic of digging tunnels, a laborious and thankless task.

This world is limited to civil engineering technology; hiding people in caves is the most foolish thing to do.

It's a miracle they didn't suffocate or get crushed inside.

Chen Shao, however, dared to hide a large army inside.

I admire you, I really admire you!

With all escape routes cut off, it's a case of the brave prevailing in a narrow encounter.

Neither side had a way out, and their side had the advantage in numbers, stamina, and terrain.

If we take him down in one fell swoop, the crisis caused by the lack of supplies won't be a problem.

He stood leaning on his sword, looking at the soldiers' bewildered and fearful faces.

Suddenly he looked up and burst into laughter.

His laughter was wickedly charming and arrogant, his laughter was triumphant and unrestrained.

Everyone was stunned: ? ? ?

"Brothers, raise your heads high!"

"They burn the supplies and then look miserable; what kind of war are they going to fight?"

"How many battles, large and small, have we fought in? How much hardship have we endured, all precisely to prepare for this kind of unexpected event?"

"If we run out of supplies, we'll just go and rob Chen Shao's."

"Chen Shao's move, though seemingly clever, was actually extremely foolish."

"He burned our grain supplies, which means he burned our escape route. From this moment on, we have no other way but to fight to the death."

"Similarly, Chen Shao's use of such a trick only proves one thing."

"He's afraid to fight us head-on; otherwise, why would he go through all this trouble?"

"Break your spirits, everyone. This battle is different from the past. Every person you kill today will be credited with supporting the emperor and will bring blessings to your descendants."

"Then, Chen Shao, each of you will be given one of the beauties in the capital. I heard that Chen Shao has hundreds of concubines, all of them are yours. You can have your fill."

"Each of you will have a mansion in the capital, and all those wealthy gentlemen will be brought here to serve as your servants."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

"Brothers!"

"The time for you to be tested has come!"

By recalling past hardships and appreciating present happiness, and by envisioning the future, Wang Yuanji boosted morale once again, regardless of whether it was just empty promises.

This is the role of a good general.

They don't need to be too strong in combat, and their strategies can be slightly inferior, but they must all be inspiring masters.

The panic on the soldiers' faces vanished.

Gradually, they became radiant and even fanatical.

Seeing this, Wang Yuanji also breathed a sigh of relief.

He raised his broadsword and shouted:

"Ahead lies a dead end; in a narrow encounter, the brave will prevail. Brothers, follow me and charge!"

The soldiers waved their weapons and roared along with Wang Yuanji.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Its aura was so powerful that it startled all the beasts in the forest, causing them to scatter and flee.

Then Chen Jing seemed to remember something, leaned closer, and whispered:

"General..."

"Your Highness, could you please remain silent for now?"

As soon as Wang Yuanji finished speaking, he suddenly felt a burning sensation on the back of his neck.

He turned around abruptly, and the first thing he felt was a wave of heat.

Then his eyes turned completely red.

A thick, dark pillar shot into the sky, almost obscuring half of it.

The fire, fueled by the wind, is spreading rapidly toward the mountainside.

In the area engulfed by fire, the rear guard of the Hedong Army was desperately surging forward.

Some people were already engulfed in flames, screaming and rolling on the ground.

Wang Yuanji's pupils contracted sharply again.

A near-beastly roar escaped from his throat:

"Chen Shao! You actually dared to burn down the mountain!"

He roared at the soldiers covering the hillside:

"Charge! All of you, charge up there! We'll be safe once we reach the top! Hurry! Hurry!"

Chen Jing almost jumped up.

What's going on? What he said this time is starting to come true little by little.

For a fleeting moment, my mind was filled with ecstasy.

He roared:

"Look! I told you so! I said I would set the mountain on fire, but none of you believed me! Now look what happened! It's all burning! It's all burning!"

He shouted hoarsely, like a rooster that had just won a victory.

The screams that echoed across the mountains and fields were particularly jarring.

In late autumn, the weather is dry and the air is parched.

The mountain was covered with fallen leaves and withered pine needles, which burned extremely quickly.

In no time, Cangyan Mountain was turned into a furnace.

The temperature rose higher and higher, and even soldiers far from the fire were unable to withstand the scorching heat.

Wang Yuanji watched in anguish as his soldiers, separated from their ranks and swallowed by the flames, were consumed by the fire, and there was nothing he could do.

He knew there was no way he could turn back to save them.

Fire is like snake venom; it must be cut off decisively.

"Charge...charge forward...charge forward and we'll be safe..."

He had shouted until his voice was hoarse.

Even though he had been through countless battles, he was now somewhat desperate.

The losses weren't as great as he'd imagined, but the morale he'd just boosted...

Damn!

But just then, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky without any warning.

Large raindrops pattered down.

"this..."

In an instant, it turned into a torrential downpour.

The fire that had just started struggled for a moment in the heavy rain, hissing and steaming up a cloud of water vapor, before it was finally extinguished.

Wang Yuanji stared blankly at the sky.

He quickly wiped the rain off his face.

A hearty laugh:

"There's always a way out!"

"Brothers, do you see that? Fate is on our side, the Hedong Army!"

"God is on our side!"

The soldiers escaped death.

They all looked up at the sky, witnessing this miraculous scene.

Especially since... the fire had just been extinguished when the heavy rain had already stopped.

The dark clouds dispersed, and the morning light shone through.

The morale, which had been damaged by the fire, was restored.

Although the mountain road had become muddy, their determination to kill the enemy remained even stronger.

Wang Yuanji was greatly shaken, and pointed his sword at the mountaintop:

"Charge, brothers!"

The mountaintop was not far away. In the morning light, amidst the misty fog, the group could vaguely make out an outline.

He rubbed his eyes and realized that it was Chen Shao.

They had never met the person in person, but they had seen the portrait.

Chen Shao shouted loudly to those above and below:

"Which one of you is Wang Yuanji? Come out and let's talk."

A murderous glint flashed in Wang Yuanji's eyes.

That night, it was this man who made him suffer terribly.

He had led troops for many years and had never been so embarrassed.

If it weren't for the heavy rain, and if Chen Shao had just led his men to charge in... the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Wang Yuanji roared at the person bathed in the morning light on the mountaintop:

"Chen Shao, you're at your wit's end. Surrender now, and I might spare your life!"

Chen Shao laughed loudly:

"Wang Yuanji, have you lost your mind? Your 100,000 troops are exhausted, while our army is well-rested and ready to fight. How do you expect to win?"

"You've brought Chen Jing along, and you're doing this 'Fengtian Jingnan' thing? Do you want to become emperor?"

"However, I don't think you're destined for that."