As soon as these words were spoken, the Generals in the tent began to whisper among themselves.
They hadn't expected even Deng Mao to be killed by the Han Army; if they encountered them, wouldn't it be a slaughter like cutting melons and vegetables?
The timid ones shivered, showing fear, and looking at the women beside them, their greedy excitement had vanished.
Cheng Yuanzhi frowned, seeing the panicked expressions of the crowd; this news was not good for him.
He had finally managed to surround Zhuo Commandery, displaying high morale and suppressing the Han Army within the city.
Now, news of his Vice Commander being beheaded had arrived; if it spread throughout the army, many might flee in terror.
His eyes showed a fierce glint as he scanned everyone in the tent, then he coldly shouted!
"The news of Deng Mao's beheading must not be spread, lest it cause panic among the soldiers. Anyone who dares to utter a word will be executed without mercy!"
"Do you all understand?"
The Yellow Turban leaders sitting on both sides, hearing this cold voice, all nodded, not daring to disregard Cheng Yuanzhi's authority.
After warning everyone, Cheng Yuanzhi fell into deep thought.
He didn't care about Deng Mao's death; in his eyes, he was a useless person anyway. If it weren't for him being a disciple of the Taiping Dao, he wouldn't have been his Vice Commander.
Now that this person was dead, there was no one guarding the rear of his army. If Liu Jin led his troops to launch a sneak attack, and with the Han Army inside the city attacking from both sides, he might very well be defeated.
Thinking of this, Cheng Yuanzhi's heart couldn't help but panic.
He absolutely could not leave his rear exposed. He had to dispatch a force to eliminate Liu Jin, reoccupy Yi County, and secure the rear of his army.
Only then could he calmly besiege Zhuo Commandery. When the time was ripe, he would conquer the city in one fell swoop, gaining control of the entire Zhuo Commandery, and then use it as a springboard to sweep across You Province.
His gaze swept over the Generals in the hall, and his voice slowly came out!
"Now the rear of the army is vulnerable. Who can lead troops to defeat Liu Jin and occupy Yi County?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent. The surrounding leaders all lowered their heads.
They were more or less afraid. Deng Mao was, after all, their army's Vice Commander, commanding two to three thousand troops, and he had been beheaded less than half a month after the uprising began.
If they were to lead troops to attack Yi County, wouldn't it be akin to courting death? So, no one dared to step forward.
Cheng Yuanzhi looked at their timid behavior, clearly scared witless by Liu Jin, a bunch of good-for-nothings.
He was about to lose his temper and curse at everyone.
Just then, two men sitting in the corner stood up, clasped their fists, and loudly declared!
"Reporting to Qu Shuai, my brother and I are willing to lead troops to attack Yi County and resolve the danger in the rear."
Cheng Yuanzhi's face lit up upon hearing this. He immediately looked over and saw two burly men standing in the corner.
He naturally knew these two; they were the mountain bandits and brigands recruited some time ago.
The two had brought dozens of their brothers to pledge allegiance, so they were given the rank of minor leaders.
After a moment of silence, he asked!
"Wang Shou, Guo Dazhuang, do you two truly dare to accept this order?"
Their eyes were filled with fervent hatred, and without any hesitation, they both loudly declared!
"Qu Shuai, we are willing to accept this order! We will definitely conquer Yi County, behead Liu Jin, and uphold the might of our Yellow Turban!"
Cheng Yuanzhi smiled upon hearing their firm voices, saying!
"Good, I didn't expect to have two brave warriors in my army."
"Since that's the case, this Qu Shuai will allocate three thousand troops for you two to lead and attack Yi County. Even if you can't conquer it, you must besiege it and absolutely not allow the enemy to break through the defenses and launch a sneak attack on the rear of the army."
Wang Shou and Guo Dazhuang immediately knelt on one knee, clasped their fists, and loudly declared!
"Please rest assured, Qu Shuai, my brother and I will absolutely obey the military order and not allow the Han Army to approach."
Cheng Yuanzhi wasted no more words. He immediately took out his token and ordered the two to allocate three thousand troops to depart for Yi County that very day.
A moment later, three thousand troops set off from the military camp, marching along the official road towards the rear.
The two leaders rode tall horses, with sharp blades at their waists, exuding a spirited demeanor.
Guo Dazhuang looked at the army behind him, his face filled with excitement, and said with a smile!
"Big Brother, with three thousand troops under our command this time, we can definitely avenge our mountain stronghold. We must dismember Liu Jin to truly appease the hatred in our hearts."
Wang Shou heard this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he sneered!
"If it weren't for that brat's sneak attack on our mountain stronghold, causing heavy losses to our brothers, we wouldn't have had to flee with just a few dozen men."
"The hardships our brothers have endured during this time, we must get back from Liu Jin."
Guo Dazhuang nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, and coldly snorted!
"It's a good thing we were blessed with good fortune. We never expected to encounter the Yellow Turban Rebellion after fleeing Liye Township. After pledging allegiance, we even managed to become minor leaders."
"Now, Big Brother commands three thousand troops, which is even more impressive than when we were in the mountain stronghold. If we can develop and grow, Big Brother might even command tens of thousands of troops and potentially become a Qu Shuai, replacing this Cheng Yuanzhi."
Wang Shou heard this, and greed flashed in his eyes. He strongly agreed with Guo Dazhuang's statement.
He was, after all, a bandit leader, once commanding several hundred troops and dominating a region. Now that he had joined the Yellow Turban Army, how could he remain subservient for long?
His reason for stepping forward this time and taking on the role of troop commander was not only to seek revenge on Liu Jin, but his primary goal was to seize control of this army.
By then, he would occupy Yi County, carve out his own territory, and following the Yellow Turban's methods, incite the common people to join his army. Like a snowball, it would grow bigger and bigger.
His aim was to become a prince or general, to completely overturn his fate and become a master.
The two brothers rode on horseback, discussing their future ideals, leading the three thousand troops behind them, majestically advancing towards Yi County.
Two days later!
The sun was high, and the weather was hot.
Beside a calm river, Liu Jin was leaning by the river, cupping clear water with his hands to wash his face, feeling a refreshing coolness.
Beside him, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others were washing their bodies and wiping their faces.
Liu Jin wiped his wet face, looked up at the hot sky, and couldn't help but mutter!
"It's only mid-April, and the weather is already starting to get hot."
Guan Yu heard this, slightly raised his head, looked at the bright sunshine, and said from the side!
"It's getting hot faster this year. In previous years, it would still be relatively cool at this time."
Liu Jin nodded. Although the hot weather could affect the speed of marching, it was still quite good in the north; the weather was still relatively cool.
Looking at the gentle stream before them, with calm water, and an open forest ahead, they could cross the river here and take a rest.
He immediately asked!
"Yun Chang, where are we now, and how far is it from Zhuo Commandery?"
Guan Yu heard this and quickly said!
"Big Brother, this place is in Dongli Township. There are many villages downstream of this small river, making it a prosperous area."
"It belongs to Anyuan County and is only a hundred li away from Zhuo Commandery. If we march quickly, we should be able to arrive within three days."
