Cultivation Simulator: Starting From The Empress' Palace-Chapter 147 Battle Begins

After appeasing the people’s hearts.

Huangfu Hao sent his subordinates to dispatch scouts to find the Yellow Turban rebels’ main force.

Then, when Xiao Teng and his troops arrived, they would directly attack the main force of the Yellow Turban rebels.

Of course, while seeking out the main force, they also sent people to contact Xiao Teng to see where the main force had reached.

The Yellow Turban soldiers came from all walks of life, with the majority being farmers.

Don’t be fooled by their rapid expansion, like a locust plague.

But once they experience a crushing defeat, their morale would vanish without a trace.

As the chief commander, Huangfu Hao naturally could see this clearly.

After sending out the scouts, he urged the nearby county cities to send over food supplies.

No one knew how many days this rebellion suppression would last, and the soldiers couldn’t go hungry.

Moreover, the people of Nanyang County also needed to eat.

Nanyang County belonged to Jingzhou.

Jingzhou had a total of six counties.

They were Nanyang County, Nan County, Beizha County, Wuling County, Lingling County, and Guiyang County.

With the exception of Nanyang County, the other five counties were still under the control of the Imperial Court.

...

Meanwhile.

The moonlight was like mist and silk, as Gao Fen wanted to reach quickly, seize a few cities while taking the opportunity, and then report it to gain merit first.

So he deviated from the route set in the army before Huangfu Hao left.

He planned to take the fastest route to reach Nanyang.

And this route required crossing the river.

Undoubtedly, the large bridge built at the narrowest part of the river had long been destroyed, and there wasn’t a single boat on the river.

The water was calm as Gao Fen rode to the riverbank, his face full of anger reflected on the clear water under the moonlight.

"Those cursed Yellow Turban rebels."

The whip in Gao Fen’s hand was about to be crushed by his grip.

At the same time, he recalled Chen Mo’s advice in the afternoon.

Chen Mo told him not to pass this way, to proceed according to the original route, but Gao Fen didn’t heed and even rebuked Chen Mo, asking who was the General here.

At that time, Chen Mo had insisted, leading to quite a commotion.

Many in the army knew about it.

Gao Fen looked back and heard the whispers in the army, thinking they were mocking him.

Gao Fen’s face turned gloomy, and he had his personal soldiers bring a map. After looking at it a few times, he found that not far from the river was a mountain near Murong Town, through which they could cross the river.

Gao Fen whispered a few words into the ear of his personal soldier.

"Accelerate the advance, accelerate the advance."

The personal soldiers rode horses leading the way, while others rode back and forth shouting orders, echoing far in the silent night, prompting the army to quickly move along the riverbank.

However, at this moment, Chen Mo rode over.

In black clothes on a white horse, he stood out in the army.

"General Gao, hold on." Chen Mo stopped Gao Fen.

Seeing Chen Mo, Gao Fen frowned, "Chen Hong, what do you want now?"

"Does General Gao intend to turn back?" Chen Mo asked.

"Turning back and following the original route, do you know how much time it would take?" Gao Fen glanced at Chen Mo, inwardly cursing his stupidity.

"So General intends to pass through Jiangyong Mountain?" Chen Mo continued.

Gao Fen narrowed his eyes slightly, not asking how Chen Mo knew about Jiangyong Mountain. Given his rank, he would also have a map, so he immediately said, "Military secrets; with your rank, you’re not qualified to know. Just follow orders."

"Forgive me for speaking plainly, if General Gao intends to pass through Jiangyong Mountain, it’s absolutely impossible. If you turn back and follow the designated route, although it takes time, it ensures safety, and you can reach the borders of Nanyang before dawn," Chen Mo respectfully advised.

"Why is it not possible?" Gao Fen frowned and asked.

"There are no boats on the river, and the bridge is dismantled. Without turning back, there’s only this one route to take, and if I were a rebel, I would definitely ambush here," Chen Mo stated.

"Haha, what a joke." Gao Fen laughed and immediately said, "The Yellow Turban traitors only dare to do things like road-blocking and bridge dismantling sneakily. Ambush the army? They don’t have the guts."

"General, caution is the parent of safety," Chen Mo said.

Hearing this, Gao Fen felt the gazes of the surrounding soldiers sweeping over him, and his face turned gloomy: "Stand back! What rank are you, and what rank am I? Since when do I need to follow orders from a person like you?"

"General, this isn’t an order, just a suggestion," Chen Mo said.

"Your suggestion is not taken, accelerate the march, ignore him," Gao Fen ordered.

"General Gao." Chen Mo still wanted to advise.

"Giddy up." Gao Fen rode ahead, ignoring Chen Mo.

...

Soon, the army arrived at the foot of this mountain called Jiangyong Mountain.

The reason it’s called Jiangyong Mountain.

Is because this river flows under the base of the mountain, and due to the surging undercurrents, it got its name.

The mountain is not high, and the slope is gentle, with towering trees above, leaving only one path through.

The road’s sides were filled with old ferns, very dense.

"Quickly, accelerate the advance."

The herald rode back and forth shouting to quickly pass this area suitable for ambushes.

Although Gao Fen didn’t take Chen Mo’s words, there was some truth in them, so he reinforced the vigilance.

On Chen Mo’s side.

"Captain Niu, daring to oppose Deputy General Gao," Xu Dabeng still praised Chen Mo.

"I, as the captain, didn’t oppose him, just made suggestions," Chen Mo replied, as he scanned the dense ferns and suddenly shouted, "Stay vigilant everyone."

Hearing his shout, the people from the Eastern Capital became alert, marching quickly and vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Suddenly, the ferns rang with the sound of gongs, and a volley of arrows rained down from the trees, followed by shouts, as many rebels in ragged armor rushed out from the ferns, roaring toward the army.

These rebels, although they had captured Song Army bows and armor, were untrained, weak, and had limited destructive power.

Yet the army was well-equipped.

Therefore, a round of arrows didn’t cause much damage.

However, the rebels were numerous!

The army was composed of the Forbidden Army Family’s sons, accustomed to a privileged life but with limited combat experience. At such a moment, with so many rebels charging, they couldn’t help but feel anxious, some even panicking and shouting.

Gao Fen, riding among the Central Army, was also a bit tense at the moment.

There was indeed an ambush...

But as a Deputy General, he quickly calmed down, ordering: "Organize a counterattack on the spot, archers fire at the ferns, sword and shield soldiers defend."

Orders given!

Bang!

The army immediately began the counterattack, torches fell, igniting the ferns on both sides, and the flames soared high, illuminating Jiangyong Mountain as if it were daytime.

The firelight illuminated the forest as countless rebels charged forth.

They had no formation, no skills, relying solely on a spur-of-the-moment ferocity to charge the five-thousand-strong army.