Zhang Ning smiled slightly, then said, "Right Protector, you must not be careless. That day, Zhang Chen, with only a few thousand troops, broke our army of fifty thousand. Now, he has no less than fifty thousand soldiers. Although his numbers are fewer than ours, our equipment is poor, and there are many old and weak among our troops. Compared to him, we don't have much of an advantage."
Guan Hai listened and couldn't help but laugh, "Hahaha, Holy Maiden, who said we only have one hundred thousand troops?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ning was startled and frowned slightly, "What? Does the Right Protector still have a hidden move?"
Guan Hai smiled, "Does the Holy Maiden still remember the method for refining armored soldiers recorded in the seventh chapter of The Essential Arts of Pacifying Heaven?"
Zhang Ning's face immediately changed drastically upon hearing this, and she exclaimed, "P-Puppet Art?! Right Protector, you...!"
Guan Hai said calmly, "This subordinate has already refined three thousand puppet soldiers. These puppets have bodies of copper and bones of iron, impervious to swords and spears, and unaffected by water and fire. Each one can stand against a hundred! Let alone Zhang Chen having fifty thousand troops, even if he had one hundred thousand, I would not fear!"
Zhang Ning's phoenix eyes widened, and she immediately said angrily, "Guan Hai! How dare you! Do you know that this 'Puppet Art' is a forbidden art? My father never used this art even when we were defeated last year. How dare you do this?"
"That was then, this is now!" Guan Hai retorted, "Now that the Yellow Turbans are in decline, if we still worry about this and that, we will sooner or later be completely wiped out by the imperial court! This subordinate was entrusted by the Great Virtuous Teacher with a heavy responsibility. Everything I have done is for the Holy Maiden and for the Yellow Heaven Great Cause!"
"Nonsense!" Zhang Ning snapped, "Father established the Taiping Way to relieve the suffering of the people and restore peace to the world. Your actions now have already deviated from the original intention of the Taiping Way!"
"Heh heh." Guan Hai couldn't help but let out a cold laugh and retorted, "Those three thousand puppets are all our former brothers. For the Yellow Heaven Great Cause, they have no regrets. Do you think I wanted to do this? The Yellow Turban Army has declined to this point. If we don't use some extraordinary means, are we going to let our brothers be completely annihilated by the imperial court?!"
Guan Hai's words were sharp, his tone quite agitated, and a look of determination flashed in his eyes.
Then, he bowed and said, "This subordinate is willing to bear the infamy for the Holy Maiden and for the Yellow Heaven Great Cause. Even if I fall into the Avici Hell in the future, I will have no regrets! If the Holy Maiden wishes to punish me, please wait until I defeat Zhang Chen."
After speaking, Guan Hai turned around in silence.
A divine messenger behind him stepped forward, "Holy Maiden, everything the Right Protector has done is for the survival of our sect. Please be understanding."
"That's right, the Right Protector's actions are also a matter of necessity. Please do not blame him, Holy Maiden!"
"The Right Protector has worked hard and achieved great merit. He should not be blamed like this! The Holy Maiden holds a high position but does not know the suffering of our brothers!"
"You... you..."
"A Ning, I hope you remember, no matter when, everything I do is for you..."
After saying this, Guan Hai turned around and walked out without looking back.
Behind him, six of the eight divine messengers immediately gave Zhang Ning a perfunctory bow and flicked their sleeves before leaving. The remaining two hesitated for a moment, also bowed, and then turned and retreated.
In the large hall, only Zhang Ning remained. Looking at the scene before her, she slumped down with a look of dejection.
These were the former Yellow Turban Leaders, these were the subordinates who were once loyal to her father.
Father, is the Yellow Heaven Great Cause truly still there?
Guan Hai left the front hall, departed the manor directly, found a small path, and walked for a long time until he came to the outside of a overgrown mountain cave.
Inside the cave, chilling winds blew, and faint roars and low moans could be heard.
Guan Hai frowned tightly and walked in at a casual pace.
After a while, he ran out of the cave looking disheveled, his body and face covered in bloodstains.
Outside the cave, six divine messengers who had followed him were already waiting.
"Right Protector!" Seeing this, several people hurried forward to support Guan Hai.
"Right Protector, why must you suffer like this? When you refine the puppets with your heart's blood, you share their knowledge and feelings. The pain they suffer will also be inflicted upon you!"
"I feel guilty for refining them into puppets. Sharing their pain is just to seek some peace of mind."
"The Right Protector has done his best for the Holy Sect, but the Holy Maiden is completely unaware. In my opinion, it would be better to rebel and establish our own faction!"
"That's right, the Right Protector's martial arts are unparalleled. He will surely be able to lead us to overthrow this dog of an imperial court!"
"Right! The Holy Maiden is indecisive and cannot accomplish great things. We are willing to follow the Right Protector!"
"We will follow the Right Protector's lead!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Guan Hai roared angrily, "I will pretend I did not hear what was said today. If anyone dares to say such words again in the future, do not blame Guan's blade for being merciless!"
Seeing that Guan Hai was truly angry, the few people could only shut their mouths and agreed one by one.
Guan Hai then asked, "How are the troops prepared? What movements have there been recently in Wei Commandery?"
"Reporting to the Right Protector, the troops are fully prepared. Scout cavalry report that Zhang Chen has assembled a large army at Quliang, seeming to have noticed something."
"This Zhang Chen, I underestimated him." Guan Hai frowned and muttered to himself, "Strange, our march was so secretive. How did he notice? Could it be that this person has the ability to foresee the future?"
A moment later, Guan Hai's expression was solemn, and he softly uttered two words, "Return to camp."
...
A few days later, in Wei Commandery, at the Quliang Grand Camp.
The troops from the three counties had arrived one after another. Zhang Chen then ordered the Generals to settle their respective forces and immediately entered the tent for discussion.
Upon entering the grand tent, everyone paid their respects to Lord Zhang Chen. Ju Shou then eagerly asked, "Lord, how did you know that the Yellow Turban Army was going to attack Wei Commandery?"
Zhang Chen took Zhang Ning's letter from his 懷 and handed it to Ju Shou, saying, "That day, spies from the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect infiltrated the city and tried to lure me to the Ping An Inn to secretly harm me. However, I saw through it, and the spy committed suicide by poisoning. This letter was found in the inn."
Ju Shou looked at the letter, his brows tightly furrowed, and said, "Lord, do you think this letter is true or false?"
Zhang Chen said solemnly, "Regardless of whether it is true or false, as the Prefect, in such matters, it is better to believe it is true than not. I cannot gamble with the safety of the entire commandery's people!"
After Zhang Chen finished speaking, the Generals nodded slightly.
Ju Shou said, "This subordinate believes that this letter is mostly true. Because if it were just a jest, such a jest would be meaningless. What puzzles this subordinate is, since the other party is coming to attack us, why would they leave a letter?"
"Gongyu Sir, what is so difficult to understand about this?" Qian Zhao on the side said, "When two armies are fighting, isn't it reasonable to deliver a declaration of war?"
Fang Ping shook his head and said, "No, Zhang He since the time of the Yellow Turbans, I have followed Yu Du and deeply understand that the Yellow Turban Army always attacks without warning. Leaving a letter before the battle does not seem like their style."
"That's right, if it were truly delivering a declaration of war, why not send someone openly to the Prefect's Residence instead of leaving it in the inn?" Ju Shou said, "Moreover, Lord just said that the spy lured you to the Ping An Inn to harm you?"
Zhang Chen nodded and said, "That's right, the bandits ambushed me in the alley, but fortunately, I detected them. Otherwise, I might be in danger of losing my life at this moment."
Upon hearing this, Ju Shou stroked his beard and pondered for a while, then smiled, "Lord, it seems that the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect is not monolithic. Perhaps someone wants to use our hands to eliminate dissidents!"
Zhang Chen pondered secretly and felt that Ju Shou's words were quite reasonable.
Since the bandits set an ambush to kill him, it would be impossible for them to leave a letter as a warning. In other words, the person who left the letter could not have been the master of that spy.
If the person who left the letter was truly Zhang Ning, and she, as the Holy Maiden, still needed to eliminate dissidents through the hands of others, it would indicate that there is another force within the Yellow Heaven Holy Sect that can contend with her.
Perhaps, it is the "Right Protector" mentioned in her letter.
To accomplish great things, one must first quell internal strife. This is not wrong in itself. However, given the current state of the Yellow Turbans, engaging in internal conflict now will likely lead to self-destruction!