Chapter 2950: Turning Tides

Princess Ni Huang replied with a mysterious smile, “I’ll tell you in the future.”

Her mischievous grin reignited the flames of passion in Zu An. Another intense battle ensued.

...

By the time Zu An left the tent, the sun was already up. Yan Zheng, who had waited outside the entire night, was covered in dew water. He was speechless. What was the Earth Duke General discussing with this fellow that held them up the entire night? At least it’s over now. He hurriedly requested an audience.

However, the voice in the tent replied, “I am exhausted. We’ll talk later.”

Ni Huang could already guess that Yan Zheng was here to speak ill of ‘Liu Bei’. That might have worked in the past, but now, she already knew that ‘Liu Bei’ was the lover whom she often dreamed about. There was no way she would allow him to drive a wedge between them. It was only in light of Yan Zheng’s contribution thus far that she didn’t lecture him in person.

Besides, she was feeling weak after an entire night of wrestling. It wasn’t a good time for her to meet guests.

Yan Zheng was oblivious to the truth. He had waited an entire night, only to be turned away. Resentment flickered across his eyes as he angrily stomped off.

...

In the following days, the Yellow Turban Army began advancing toward Zhongshan Commandery. Zu An followed them, and he often met Ni Huang in private to discuss current affairs in this world.

“What? The Yellow Turban Army is on the verge of destruction?” Ni Huang was startled.

“Yes. Even though the Yellow Turban Army seems to wield the upper hand right now, the imperial court’s strength and influence remain. They only lost so much land because they were caught off guard,” Zu An replied with a sigh. He couldn’t help but lament now that he knew that the Yellow Turban Army’s second-in-command was his ally.

“But this isn’t the same world you know. Is there no way to change how things unfold?” Ni Huang was reluctant to surrender just like that. The Yellow Turban Army was extremely strong right now. She couldn’t imagine it crumbling within less than a year.

Zu An explained, “The key events are fixed. Attempting to go against them will result in a backlash. The imperial court hasn’t dispatched its elites yet, and there are many ambitious individuals like Zhang Chun around. They are borrowing the Yellow Turban Army’s hand to pressure the imperial court into loosening the shackles around them.

“Once they acquire the authority they need, they will cooperate with the imperial court to subjugate the Yellow Turban Army. When that happens, the Yellow Turban Army will find itself in a terrible position.”

Ni Huang frowned. “Is there no way to turn things around?”

“The outcomes are fixed, but the paths leading there may vary. We can change the details to something that benefits us more.” Zu An was well accustomed to this situation. He shared with her the lessons he had learned from previous dungeons. “In history, Cao Cao recruited a million soldiers from the Yellow Turban Army, and that became a huge supporting force in his eventual fight for the world. We can copy his move. We’ll pretend that the Yellow Turban Army has been defeated, but in truth, we’ll try to repackage it into something else...”

“That’s a good idea, but I can’t tell my men to surrender to you.” Ni Huang looked troubled. “The imperial court views me as a rebel leader. They won’t pardon me. I’ll only be dragging you down if I defect to your side.

“Furthermore, the army under my command is not full of puppets. Each of them has their own thoughts. They heed my rally because I am the Earth Duke General of the Taiping Sect. If I surrender to you, the basis of my authority will vanish. They won’t follow my orders anymore.

“On top of that, I am currently supporting hundreds of thousands of soldiers and their family members. The amount of rations required for that is an astronomical sum. We can still afford it through plundering towns and cities, but if I join your side, that won’t be a feasible option. We won’t have enough resources to feed them.”

Zu An pondered for a moment before replying, “The first problem can be easily resolved, but the other two require further planning.”

In particular, the shortage of rations was a pressing problem. He was already struggling with just twenty to thirty thousand people, let alone hundreds of thousands of people.

“Forget it. I’ll start from Zhongshan Commandery. Let’s see if I can change fate!” Ni Huang declared impassionedly. Asuras never surrendered in a war, except for last night...

The Yellow Turban Army marched over to Zhongshan Commandery. Zhang Chun had already caught wind of the news and led his army out to confront them.

The defending party would only hole themselves up in a city as a final resort. Their territory wasn’t just limited to a single city; there were civilians, farmlands, and industries operating outside. They couldn’t let the enemy plunder all that.

This battle gave Zu An a better idea as to how armies fought in this world. This wasn’t his first battle in this world, but so far, he had been relying on unorthodox methods like launching sneak attacks. He hadn’t really faced an enemy force head-on.

Zu An couldn’t be seen associating with the Yellow Turban Army in his capacity as ‘Liu Bei’, so he disguised himself as one of the Earth Duke General’s guards while observing the battle.

In summary, the strength of an army was broadly dependent on three factors.

The first was the size of the army. The larger the army was, the greater its strength.

The second was the army commander’s capability. It took a good commander to draw out the true potential of an army. On top of that, outstanding commanders could grant buffs to their soldiers.

The third was how well-trained the army was. An army of peasant militias would struggle to rival an army of veteran soldiers. The more elite an army was, the more traits they would have. Any one of these traits could easily turn the tides on the battlefield.

The commander’s cultivation and valiance could significantly raise an army’s strength as well. The smaller the army, the more significant the commander’s valiance was.

For instance, if the brawny Lu Bu were to confront the brainy Sima Yi on the battlefield, with both sides having ten thousand soldiers each, Sima Yi would surely beat Lu Bu with ease. But if both sides only had three thousand soldiers each, Lu Bu would be able to teach Sima Yi a lesson.

Zu An paid attention to how Ni Huang mobilized her troops. She didn’t just send her army of a hundred thousand to charge blindly at the enemy. Instead, she had her commanders take turns charging the enemy formation. Each clash chipped away at both sides. It was only a question of which side was strong enough to hold out to the end.

Ni Huang explained the importance of an army’s morale to Zu An. If morale plummeted, the army’s fighting prowess would plummet as well. Rising casualties would take a toll on the soldiers’ morale, so Ni Huang would substitute platoons whose morale had fallen beneath a critical point with other platoons.

Zhang Chun was a capable commander; it wasn’t without reason that he had kept Zhongshan Commandery safe for so many years. He had fewer soldiers than the Yellow Turban Army, but his soldiers were far more elite. On top of that, he was supported by ethnic cavalrymen. He stood his ground against the Yellow Turban Army’s onslaught.

Ni Huang harrumphed. She finally personally made a move. With a wave of her hand, the clear sky suddenly darkened, and countless lightning bolts devastated Zhang Chun’s army.

Zhang Chun had no choice but to retreat to Lunu City with his surviving soldiers. The Yellow Turban Army pursued them and encircled Lunu City.

Zu An worried about Murong Qinghe’s safety. He had spotted her and the Wuhuan cavalry in Zhang Chun’s army. To his relief, she didn’t confront the Yellow Turban Army head on, opting to chip at their flanks instead. Her commanding trait ‘Lightning Movement’ allowed her and her cavalrymen to swiftly enter and leave the battlefield, leaving no chance for the Yellow Turban Army to encircle her.

In Lunu City, Zhang Chun was in a fluster. He gathered his commanders to discuss their next step.

“Should we request reinforcements?” someone proposed.

“The other provinces have fallen. Who can reinforce us?” Zhang Chun asked with a frown.

“How about Ji County’s Liu Bei?” Murong Qinghe asked.

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