Zhang Chen took out the letter and his expression immediately changed in surprise.
“To my esteemed Prefect, the Han court is now corrupt, its destiny is exhausted, but the vast yellow heaven is like the rising sun! The people of the world are in dire straits, looking forward with anticipation, yearning for peace! Previously, in the battle of Yingtao County, you raised an army of no renown, slaying tens of thousands of our troops and several high-ranking Generals. All disciples of our Holy Sect are gnashing their teeth. Now, the Right Protector of our Holy Sect has emerged, and will raise an army of one hundred thousand. Shortly, we will hunt with you in Wei Commandery. We hope you will understand the will of heaven and not bring about your own ruin!”
“Audacious!” Zhang Chen couldn't help but erupt in anger, slamming his hand down on the table.
“Lord, what happened?” Zhang He asked anxiously upon seeing this.
Zhang Chen handed him the letter: “Take a look.”
After reading it, Zhang He was also startled, saying, “Lord, this must be the work of the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect!”
Zhang Chen's face was ashen, and he said bitterly, “These rebellious scoundrels, though dead, they are not yet stiff! The Yellow Turban has already been extinguished, yet they still do not recognize the will of heaven! They dare to raise an army and invade our territory! This official will ensure they come, but cannot leave!”
Zhang He frowned, a hint of worry on his face, and said, “Lord, the letter says the rebel army is raising one hundred thousand troops, but our three counties combined only have thirty thousand soldiers. We cannot be careless!”
“The Yellow Turban are nothing but a rabble, even a hundred thousand strong are not to be feared,” Zhang Chen said. “Junyi, quickly dispatch riders to the three counties to send a message. Tell them the Yellow Turban will attack Wei Commandery soon. Order Qian Zhao, Fang Ping, and Ju Shou to intensify military training and be ready for battle at any time!”
“Yes!”
“Additionally, inform Qu Yi and Gao Shun to recruit county soldiers and intensify training. You should also return to the Military Camp these next few days to organize the army and prepare for war.”
“Yes!” Zhang He replied, then withdrew.
Zhang Chen frowned and carefully re-examined the letter, suddenly noticing the signature at the end read “Holy Sect Leader Zhang Ning respectfully submits”.
Zhang Ning!
It was Zhang Ning!
The legendary daughter of Zhang Jiao, it turns out she was actually the leader of the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect!
No wonder the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect developed so rapidly! Zhang Ning is the Yellow Heaven Holy Maiden, the spiritual leader of the Yellow Turban Army. With her call, those scattered Yellow Turban remnants are bound to rally and respond.
Although the Yellow Turban had been suppressed, those scattered remnants, if gathered together, were still a force not to be underestimated! Zhang Chen wasn't surprised that they claimed to have a hundred thousand troops.
Zhang Chen turned the letter over and over, a hint of doubt in his heart.
Why would Zhang Ning write this letter?
The Yellow Heaven Holy Sect had always hidden in the shadows. Dong Zhao had searched for so long without finding any trace of them. If they were going to invade Wei Commandery, why not launch a surprise attack in secret? Why send this declaration of war?
Could it be that they felt a secret attack was not honorable enough?
Zhang Chen didn't think they would have such a thought. When they attacked Yingtao County before, if not for Zhang Chen combining historical knowledge and anticipating their objective, telling Ju Shou to write to Dong Zhao to prepare early, Yingtao County would have likely been successfully ambushed by now!
This letter is quite peculiar.
It seems they intentionally informed him so he could prepare in advance.
What could be the reason?
Never mind, regardless of the reason, preparing for war is the first priority!
The letter did not state when the Yellow Turban would attack. From this moment on, Wei Commandery must intensify its vigilance and be prepared to defend against invading enemies at any time.
Thinking this, Zhang Chen immediately wrote a letter, summoned a messenger, and ordered him to ride quickly to Yingtao County to present it to Dong Zhao.
The Yellow Heaven Holy Sect's base was in Great Deer. Zhang Chen estimated that the enemy army would most likely come from the direction of Great Deer.
Therefore, in the letter, Zhang Chen instructed Dong Zhao to send more personnel to thoroughly investigate the surrounding areas.
Even a hundred thousand strong army, if broken down into smaller units and disguised as civilians, could not move in batches without revealing some trace.
However, for several consecutive days, there was no news.
Zhang Chen sent out multiple scouting parties to the Great Deer area, but they found no abnormalities.
Could it be that the letter was just a bluff to cause panic?
Zhang Chen pondered inwardly, feeling that the matter was not that simple.
There was no need for Zhang Ning to go to such great lengths just to stage a false alarm.
Furthermore, the autumn harvest was approaching. Perhaps the Yellow Turban was waiting for the harvest, hoping to seize the grain.
No, if the grain were lost, the people of Wei Commandery would have no way to survive!
Thinking this, Zhang Chen and Tian Feng hurried to the Military Camp to convene a meeting with Generals Qu Yi, Gao Shun, and others.
Zhang Chen unrolled the map, carefully observing the terrain shown.
“Xiaofu, how is the progress of recruiting soldiers in the three counties?”
Gao Shun said, “Lord, Generals Qian Zhao and Fang Ping have each recruited fifteen thousand soldiers, but they are only infantry and archers, with no cavalry. The new army has been training for over a month, and they are proficient in battle tactics and commands, only lacking experience in facing the enemy. As for Guangping County, after Mr. Gongyu's reorganization, there are currently twelve thousand new soldiers, including three thousand elite cavalry. Half of these participated in the battle of Yingtao County, and their combat strength is considerably stronger than the newly recruited soldiers in the other two counties.”
Zhang Chen couldn't help but be surprised, not expecting to have so many troops in less than two months.
The soldiers from the three counties combined numbered over forty thousand, and the county soldiers in Ye City had now expanded to ten thousand, plus the First to Ascend and Trap Camp battalions. Currently, he had an army of fifty thousand in his hands.
In addition to this, there was Yingtao County.
After the Black Mountain Army's siege, Dong Zhao wrote to the Prefect, stating the need to increase troops and expand the army to prevent similar incidents from happening again. The imperial court had long issued an order that local areas could recruit soldiers themselves to resist if they encountered bandits. This matter was proposed reasonably, and the Prefect immediately agreed.
Dong Zhao then had free rein and immediately began recruiting soldiers. The people of Yingtao County, having experienced a great battle, harbored deep hatred for the bandits. As soon as the recruitment notice was posted, they flocked to join the army. In just over a month, the army had expanded by over twenty thousand!
Zhang Ning said in the letter that their Right Protector would lead an army of one hundred thousand to attack. Fifty thousand against one hundred thousand, and it was a defensive battle, so their side had a very good chance of winning!
However, who exactly was that Right Protector?
By now, the Yellow Turban were either dead or scattered. Where could they still have famous Generals?
Could it be the man in the yellow robe who rescued Chu Yan under the walls of Yingtao County that day?
That person possessed unorthodox techniques. If it was him, they must be cautious.
Unfortunately, with the sky filled with yellow sand that day, he didn't have time to use his Insight Eye, so he didn't know that person's identity.
As Zhang Chen was contemplating, Tian Feng spoke from the side: “Lord, Wei Commandery has thirteen counties. We do not know where the enemy army will attack from. Besides Guangping County, Cheng'an, and Linzhang County, the other counties have no stationed troops. Once attacked, the cities could be breached in less than half a day!”
“That's right.” Zhang Chen frowned and said, “I am also troubled by this. The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light. We don't know where the enemy will attack from. How should we deploy our defenses? Mr. Yuan Hao, do you have any good strategies?”
Tian Feng looked at the map, pondered for a long time, stroked his beard and said, “In my humble opinion, we can station troops here.”
After saying that, Tian Feng pointed to a spot on the map.
Zhang Chen looked at the direction he indicated. The location marked on the map was called Quliang.
Tian Feng explained, “Quliang is the gateway to Wei Commandery. Since the Lord says that the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect is most rampant in the Great Deer area, it is likely that the enemy army will mostly advance from Great Deer. And this place is precisely the strategic choke point between Wei Commandery and Great Deer.”
After saying that, Tian Feng pointed to another location and said, “This place is called Liangqi, fifty li north of Ye City. The terrain is rugged and easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is where Wei Commandery borders Zhao Commandery. Zhao Commandery is south of Wei Commandery and east of Great Deer. If the enemy army passes through Zhao Commandery to attack our rear, we must also be prepared! The Lord can place the main force at Quliang and station a small contingent here, forming a mutually supporting position. This way, we can prevent the enemy army from attacking directly from Great Deer and also prevent them from bypassing through Zhao Commandery to directly attack Ye City.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's mind was suddenly enlightened, and he praised repeatedly, “Sir's words are excellent. We will proceed according to Sir's plan.”
After saying that, Zhang Chen immediately issued an order, commanding Gao Lan to lead three thousand elite troops to garrison Liangqi, and ordering Qu Yi and Gao Shun to each lead the First to Ascend and Trap Camp battalions to Quliang to set up camp.
Immediately after, Zhang Chen sent a fast rider to deliver orders to Ju Shou, Qian Zhao, and Fang Ping, instructing them to each leave two thousand infantry to guard their county towns, and the rest of the troops were to immediately march to Quliang to join forces with Qu Yi and Gao Shun, set up camp, and await orders.
A great battle was on the verge of breaking out!