Right now, all Lü Tu needs to do is know that Zhang Chengyan has set off for the capital. As for how many people he has sent, that is completely unimportant.
All Lu Tu wanted was a reputation for marching into the capital to defend the emperor! The most important factor in maintaining morale in the army is having a legitimate reason for the campaign!
Once Zhang Chengyan reaches the vicinity of the capital, Lü Tu's banner of justice will have already been raised successfully. At that point, the Shence Army deployed in the capital will have no choice but to open the city gates even if they don't want to.
Furthermore, Lü Tu instructed Zhang Chengyan to spread the word that all cities along the route should open their gates, assuring them that they would never massacre any city, and that they would keep their word. This way, the Red Turban Army's losses could be minimized.
Two months later, Lü Tu finally received news from his scouts that Zhang Chengyan and his men had entered the area north of the Yellow River, just as Lü Tu had predicted.
All the powerful families and clans opened the city gates to welcome Zhang Chengyan, but on the condition that Zhang Chengyan could not rob.
Everything was just as Lü Tu and Zhang Chengyan had agreed upon, after all, these powerful families had no feelings of national or personal hatred involved.
Who becomes emperor is nothing more than a change of superior to them. Aren't they still far from the emperor's reach, acting as local tyrants and overlords in their own territories?
And Zhang Chengyan did indeed keep his word, only accepting benefits and tributes from powerful clans and tycoons, without massacring the city as before.
After all, he knew that relying on massacring entire cities every time wouldn't allow him to grow his business significantly.
Furthermore, along the way, the people of every city they encountered opened their gates and began to welcome them, which made Zhang Chengyan's ego grow increasingly inflated.
He was so confident that he believed he was the army of justice, and that what Lu Tu said made some sense. He was determined to march on the capital and overthrow the Great Yu Dynasty!
After all, which man born on this land of China hasn't fantasized about becoming an emperor?
Under such a powerful centralized system as the feudal dynasty, the emperor represented absolute power, being the only one who could rule the world!
The closer Zhang Chengyan got to the capital, the more excited he became, unable to sleep at night, as if the world was already within his grasp!
Even if he had taken the capital first and seized the throne, Zhang Chengyan could have made a name for himself in history, instead of being overshadowed by the other members of the Red Turban Army as he is now. Who among those who can achieve this lacks ambition?
No!
Another month passed, and Lü Tu summoned all his soldiers. The number of people in front of him was now so great that it seemed to stretch to the horizon. There were a full 400,000 soldiers, all of whom were top-notch elites trained using Lü Tu's methods. They stood quietly in front of Lü Tu, staring at him. This feeling was truly captivating.
Even if Lü Tu shouted until his throat was hoarse, he couldn't make his voice heard by everyone, so he could only shout to the soldiers in front: "Yesterday I received news that Zhang Chengyan and his Red Turban Army have become so audacious as to attack the capital! As the Second Prince of the Great Yu, what should we do?"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Even if the soldiers in the rear didn't hear it, they learned about the Red Turban Army's attack on the capital through the messages relayed to them from the front. Even though they didn't usually like the court, their sense of identity led them to still consider themselves people of Dayu.
If the capital were to fall, wouldn't they become slaves of a conquered nation and rootless weeds? This is intolerable for the men of the Han Chinese people!
So when they heard this news, everyone was filled with boundless rage!
Lu Tu declared loudly, "From this day forward, I will issue a proclamation to march into the capital to defend the emperor, quell these rebels, and restore peace and order to my Great Yu Dynasty!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Seeing the high morale of all his soldiers, Lü Tu knew that he had done enough preparations and now all he needed to do was attack.
On the same day, Lü Tu deployed 100,000 troops to guard Longcheng, and the task of defending Longcheng was given to Xiao Zhong. No matter what reason or emotion it was, Xiao Zhong had no reason to betray Lü Tu, especially since Nangong Huiyu was still in Longcheng.
The remaining 300,000 troops set off directly for the capital!
In no time, Lü Tu's proclamation spread throughout the land, and soon many places began to respond to Lü Tu's call and march to the capital together!
Of course, there were many opportunists among them, especially the princes who were enfeoffed in various places. They did not take action when uprisings broke out in various places.
They did not make a move when the Red Turban Army passed through their nearby territory.
Just when Lü Tu issued a proclamation calling for reinforcements to the capital to save the emperor, he chose to lead his troops to provide support and join forces to rescue the emperor.
This is quite telling; you can figure out what these guys are thinking even with your toes.
The journey was very smooth, and they did not encounter any resistance at all. All the Red Turban Army soldiers stationed there surrendered immediately when they saw Lü Tu arrive.
After all, anyone who saw such a huge army, with a large number of gleaming iron cavalry in front of them, would be amazed!
These bandits from the Red Turban Army were so frightened by just one look that they had no courage to resist.
This time, Lu Tu not only brought an army of 300,000, but also prepared various explosives, detonators, landmines, and even had Hu Delu build several red-coated cannons.
Moreover, it was a version he improved, with a range of up to 3 kilometers. In other words, in the present world, Lu Tu's army is the absolute ace of the modern era!
When Lü Tu arrived in the capital with his army two months later, Zhang Chengyan, in a sorry state, sent someone to find Lü Tu. His purpose was very simple: to form an alliance.
As the man entered Lü Tu's tent, he immediately knelt on the ground and burst into tears: "General Lü, we've been waiting for you for so long! Didn't you say that we would launch a two-pronged attack to take the capital together? Why are you only arriving now?"
Before Lü Tu could speak, Nie Yun glared and angrily shouted, "So you're here to scold us? Or to blame us? Is this Zhang Chengyan's idea?"
Tuoba Yue sneered, "We have a total of 800,000 troops. Naturally, we have traveled much later than your small number of people. What's there to say about that?"
When the Red Turban Army soldier heard about the 800,000-strong army, his legs went weak with fear. He had never even dreamed of seeing so many people.
"I'm sorry, General Lü, that's not what I meant. I was just too worried. Our army is already at its last gasp. I implore you, General Lü, to keep your promise and join me in attacking the capital!"
Lu Tu waved his hand: "Of course, I, Lu Tu, always keep my word. However, I have a habit of being a villain first and a gentleman later. Go back and ask Zhang Chengyan, if we attack the capital together, who will be the emperor?"
Upon hearing this, the Red Turban Envoy shrank back in fright: "Then naturally General Lü will be the emperor. Our Prince of Yan said he is willing to be just a one-word king!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
