As the cold, mechanical system notification sounded, the system light screen's score bar in Chen Huai'an's mind began to flash alternately:
The message displayed was "Points +1, Points +1, Points +100, Points +300, Points +800, Points +2000, Points +5000".
Ultimately, the remaining points that could be used to redeem system rewards for soldiers were fixed at [amount missing].
The remaining points, which can be used to redeem food, weapons, and military supplies, amount to 5 million! (These points are rewards for attacking and defending cities. Dragon City has a population of over 300,000, and winning the Battle of Dragon City will reward you with 5 million points in one go.)
[Ding!]
[Given the host's system points breakthrough, the historical legendary general summoning function can be activated immediately. Activate?]
"Activate!"
Chen Huai'an was overjoyed and immediately transmitted instructions to the system through his thoughts.
He was eager to see which legendary historical generals could be summoned by this "Born to be an Emperor" system.
[Ding!]
The function to summon legendary historical generals is now available. Please check it out!
Then, the [Summon General] button appeared on the system screen in Chen Huai'an's mind, and he chose to open it without hesitation.
The next second, Chen Huai'an's lips curled up, and he could no longer suppress the joy in his heart.
On the system control panel for "Summoning Generals," the names of legendary historical generals such as Bai Qi, Wang Jian, Han Xin, Dian Wei, Xu Huang, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Huo Qubing, Guo Ziyi, and Chang Yuchun are prominently displayed.
Looking at the familiar names of legendary historical generals, Chen Huai'an subconsciously swallowed.
He thought to himself, "This is too incredible! Any one of the generals in this system is a legendary figure who would deserve several pages in history books. Now that they can all be used by me, how can I not achieve my goal of becoming a great ruler?"
Just as Chen Huai'an was happily envisioning the scene of Bai Qi and Lü Bu dueling on the training ground in the future, he suddenly discovered a cruel fact: the points required to summon these legendary historical generals were damn high!
For example, the "God of War" Han Xin requires 300,000 points to summon, which means that you have to eliminate 300,000 enemy soldiers or kill three Grand Marshals and Commanders-in-Chief who control the army of the world to get Han Xin.
For example, the "Butcher of Men" Bai Qi requires a terrifying 500,000 summoning points. Even if you had to go through the mass grave of ten thousand people in the Battle of Changping again, it still wouldn't be enough to summon just one Bai Qi.
Wow, this is cheap!
Suddenly, Chen Huai'an's eyes lit up, and his gaze fixed on the name of Chang Yuchun, the number one fierce general of the Ming Dynasty, and the required summoning points.
Chen Huai'an even counted twice to make sure that the points required to summon Chang Yuchun were indeed 150,000, not 1,500,000.
Next, he clicked on Chang Yuchun's profile page to read about his life.
This further solidified Chen Huai'an's determination to summon Chang Yuchun.
Chang Yuchun, courtesy name Boren, also known as Chang Shiwan, was a renowned general in the early Ming Dynasty and the most valiant general under Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. He was exceptionally skilled in siege warfare... He decisively defeated the Yuan army in the Battle of Quzhou; he captured Caishiji, earning him the title of Grand Marshal; he also decisively defeated Chen Youliang and captured the Yuan capital, Dadu...
The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, praised Chang Yuchun in this way: "When leading a million troops, bravely charging forward, breaking through enemy lines, and being invincible, none could compare to Deputy General Chang Yuchun!"
Chen Huai'an was delighted. What a coincidence! He was just about to doze off when the system delivered a pillow to his head.
Since I have raised an army in Longcheng to fight against the rebels in the south, my army is in dire need of a commander who is good at attacking cities. Yu Chun is the perfect candidate for this position!
In this way, neither the military genius Han Xin nor the killing god Bai Qi seem as appealing as Chang Yuchun.
How should we put it? It's not that Han Xin and Bai Qi are unaffordable, but rather that Chang Yuchun from the Ming Dynasty offers better value for money!
After deducting the 150,000 points required to summon Chang Yuchun, I can still exchange for an army of 120,000 men to give to Commander Chang. At that time, we can divide the army into two routes to fight and speed up the process of conquering the rebels in the south.
With this in mind, Chen Huai'an immediately handed over the post-Battle cleanup work of Longcheng to Lieutenant General Pang Xianchu for full authority.
The issuance of full pensions to the widows of the fallen Polu Army soldiers and the recruitment and training of new Polu Army soldiers in the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin were also put on the agenda.
Chen Huai'an himself rushed to the Longshan camp without stopping, striving to re-arm an elite force in the shortest possible time.
...
Jincheng.
A key town for supplying provisions to the Yunhui army.
The Yunhui Army soldiers guarding the city were chatting and joking around on the crenellations of the city wall when they suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the city.
It was already the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), and the area outside the city had long been shrouded and swallowed by the pitch-black night.
The soldiers guarding the city were puzzled. They hadn't heard of any urgent messengers passing through Jincheng tonight. Where did the sound of horses' hooves come from in the middle of the night?
Just then, an impatient knocking came from outside the city: "Who is on duty on the city wall? Quickly lower the drawbridge and open the city gate to welcome the General into the city!"
Upon hearing this, one of the Yunhui Army soldiers guarding the city glanced at the pitch-black darkness below and replied irritably:
"Have you lost your mind? What are you yelling about in the middle of the night? Don't you know that Jincheng closes all city gates and imposes a curfew at 3:45 PM?"
"Even an imperial messenger on an urgent mission, if they want to enter the city late at night, they still need to show their official seal and travel permit."
"You think you can get us to open the door with just your two lousy lips? You're dreaming!"
"A Grand General, my foot! If you're a Grand General, then this young master must be a Grand Marshal, hahaha!"
Hahaha!
For a moment, laughter erupted from the soldiers guarding the city walls of Jincheng.
Outside the city, Liang Erhu, the vanguard commander of the Yunhui Army, was shrouded in darkness, his face turning a deep purplish-red.
Not only because he was the one who knocked on the door just now, but also because he had actually been kicked in the head when he was fleeing at the foot of Longshan Mountain earlier today.
However, he wasn't kicked by a donkey, but by a stray warhorse.
If he hadn't been wearing a helmet, that kick to the head from the horse's hoof would have shattered his skull.
Therefore, the words spoken by the city guard on the city wall not only disregarded Liang Erhu's authority as the vanguard commander of the Yunhui Army, but also stirred up his shameful memories of his defeat at Longshan.
He was so enraged that he started swearing at the city wall, unleashing a torrent of profanities:
"Hey, you damn blind lackey, are you blind? Open your eyes wide and see who I am! Now open the city gates for me, or I'll slaughter your whole family once I get inside!"
"I'll say it again, lower the drawbridge and open the city gates!"
Who would have thought that the soldier guarding the city was also a stubborn fool, and immediately he lay down on the crenellations of the city wall and started shouting insults at Liang Erhu from a distance:
"Hey, you son of a bitch, you're getting cocky now, aren't you? You want to kill my whole family, huh?"
"Just based on your tone and attitude, even if you were an imperial messenger on an urgent mission, I wouldn't open the city gates for you today."
"At worst, I'll just rip off this dog-skin coat at daybreak and quit being a soldier. What can you do about it then!"
"You son of a bitch, you'd better watch out for the young master. The wolves in the northwest near Jincheng aren't vegetarians, and they don't just eat shit. They eat people, hahaha!"
Hahaha!
On the city wall, another burst of unrestrained laughter erupted.
Awooo—
At the same time, a wolf howl suddenly came from the darkness in the distance, and two green lights appeared on the mountaintop.
Upon seeing this, the laughter from the city tower intensified!
"you--"
Liang Erhu was so enraged that he was so angry that he was like a Buddha being born and ascending to heaven.
Just as he was considering how to retort, General Wu Qingyun, who was tied to his warhorse and swaying precariously, finally spoke, saying weakly:
"Erhu, stop arguing with these low-ranking soldiers. Tie my general's seal to an arrow and shoot it at the city wall. The soldiers guarding the city will understand!"
"Yes, General!"
call!
Liang Erhu exhaled a heavy breath of pent-up anger, then tied a tiger-shaped seal engraved with Wu Qingyun's name to an arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at the soldier laughing wildly at the crenellations of the city wall.
After thinking it over, I decided to leave it off by an inch.
With a whoosh, the arrow left the bowstring and headed straight for the city wall.
Whoosh!
The next second, the smile on the face of the Yunhui Army soldier who was lying on the crenellations of the city wall and laughing wildly suddenly froze, and the sound of arrows whistling through the air still echoed clearly in his ears.
Clang!
Then, the arrow was firmly embedded in the city wall, its fletching still trembling and making clanging sounds.
"Enemy attack—"
Almost instinctively, the defending soldier crouched down and hid on the city wall, while the other soldiers also threw themselves down for cover and hastily raised their swords and spears to engage in battle.
However, the imagined scene of the enemy unleashing a barrage of arrows, raining down like a storm, did not occur. On the vast city tower of Jincheng, only a single arrow remained, trembling forlornly embedded in the tower.
A tiger-shaped seal was also tied to the arrow with a strip of cloth.
One of the braver soldiers guarding the city crouched down and carefully removed the seal from the arrow. After examining it closely, he sensed something was wrong and hurriedly ran towards the inner city.
Soon, the drawbridge that had been suspended over the moat of Jincheng slowly descended and finally spanned the two banks of the moat.
At the same time, the two heavy city gates were pushed open from inside the city, and a disheveled middle-aged man led a group of armored soldiers with swords hurriedly toward Wu Qingyun and Liang Erhu's group.
Before he could even see the person's face clearly, he heard the person's heartfelt plea for forgiveness: "I did not know that the General was visiting so late at night. I was unable to greet you properly. I beg the General's forgiveness!"
Under normal circumstances, given Wu Qingyun's arrogant and domineering personality, he would probably have already ordered the derelict Jincheng garrison commander to be beheaded.
But at this moment, he simply said, "Exonerate me, return to the city!"
On the way back to the city, Wu Qingyun even gave the garrison commander a special instruction: not to pursue the responsibility of the soldier guarding the city, and to promote him to the rank of centurion!
This series of maneuvers left Liang Erhu, the former commander-in-chief, completely bewildered.
After the group returned to the Yunhui Army's Jincheng camp, Wu Qingyun immediately ordered a blanket ban on the news of his late-night return to the city.
Only then did Liang Erhu finally have the opportunity to ask the question that had been troubling him all the way.
Liang Erhu said, "General, there is something I don't understand. When this dog Chen Huai'an was at the foot of Longshan Mountain, he clearly had the opportunity to capture us alive, but he chose to let us go. Isn't he afraid of letting a tiger return to the mountain?"
"Although my Yunhui army suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Longcheng, its vitality was not damaged. We still have 200,000 Yunhui troops in Shuobei and Yunzhou. Isn't Chen Huai'an afraid that we will make a comeback and gather a large force to besiege Longcheng?"
snort!
Upon hearing this, Wu Qingyun immediately snorted coldly, a fierce glint flashing in his copper bell-shaped eyes on his ugly face, before he said in an icy tone:
"Erhu, this is the terrifying aspect of the scoundrel Chen Huai'an. I underestimated him before!"
"His decision to let us go at the foot of Longshan Mountain was a blatant act of deliberate scheming!"
After a pause, Wu Qingyun continued, "Erhu, think about it, what would happen if the news that Chen Huai'an captured or killed me at the Longshan camp today reached the imperial court and the current emperor found out?"
"It will surely enrage the emperor and shock the court and the public!"
Liang Erhu replied without hesitation.
Wu Qingyun said, "You're right, but it's not just that. The Emperor will definitely send another general to lead a large army to Longcheng to quell the rebellion. At that time, Chen Huai'an will probably face more than just my 200,000 Yunhui troops!"
"That's why I said that's what makes Chen Huai'an so terrifying!"
Wu Qingyun continued, "His decision to let me go at the Longshan camp is clearly because he hopes I will return to the camp to regroup and fight again in Longcheng!"
hehe!
At this point, Wu Qingyun gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh and said, "After all, compared to the Emperor selecting another general and dispatching a large army to Longcheng to quell the rebellion, I, Chen Huai'an's defeated opponent, and my 200,000 Yunhui troops are much easier to deal with!"
"ah--"
Liang Erhu looked astonished; his head, which had clearly been kicked by a horse, hadn't considered such a long-term issue. He immediately retorted angrily:
"General, are we just going to let this scoundrel Chen Huai'an lead us by the nose?"
Wu Qingyun gave a wry smile, spread his hands, and said, "Otherwise what?"
Then, he countered Liang Erhu's question: "Or do you want me to truthfully report to the Emperor today's defeat at Longcheng and the complete annihilation of the army?"
Then let the Emperor punish me for incompetence in leading troops, and incidentally, take this opportunity to strip me of my military power, thus forcing me to retire and live out my days in the countryside?
"General, I—"
For a moment, Liang Erhu was at a loss for words.
After a moment's thought, he spoke again, still unwilling to give up: "But, General, we can't just let that scoundrel Chen Huai'an lead us by the nose. Isn't that exactly what that scoundrel wants?"
"This humble general cannot understand it, and finds it truly unacceptable!"
snort!
Wu Qingyun snorted again, saying with exasperation, "Erhu, when will you ever mature? When will you be able to think like a great general leading troops into battle?"
Then, he changed his tone and said with a fierce look, "The reason why Chen Huai'an was able to catch this general off guard this time is simply because he borrowed a special force from somewhere and the three thousand heavy iron cavalry left to him by his father Chen Polu."
"But no matter how brave and skilled his three thousand Iron Pagoda soldiers are, can they defeat the Turkic cavalry who have grown up on horseback since childhood?"
"Where could Chen Huai'an possibly borrow another 100,000 elite troops in such a short time? Do you really think he has the ability to conjure soldiers from beans?"
"Erhu, when we fight Dragon City again, the timing, the location, and the people will all be in my hands. At that time, will you still think that Chen Huai'an is leading me by the nose?"
brush!
Wu Qingyun's words made Liang Erhu's body tremble.
His expression froze, especially when he heard the words "Turkic cavalry".
Liang Erhu asked somewhat uncertainly, "General, do you mean to borrow troops from the Turks? Those northern barbarians have quite the appetite. If the Emperor finds out about this later, that would be—"
The words "treason" were on the tip of Liang Erhu's tongue, but he swallowed them back down.
Wu Qingyun grinned maliciously and said almost maniacally, "If we fight again in Dragon City, I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!"
"At worst, after the deed is done, we'll distribute all the money, grain, and women from all the cities in the Shuobei region to those northern barbarians. If that doesn't work, we'll give them the money, grain, and women from Longcheng as well. I refuse to believe that this won't satisfy the appetites of these northern barbarians!"
"Commander Liang Erhu, listen to my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"I hereby order you to take this secret letter in my own handwriting, along with the tiger tally and seal, and travel to the northern frontier overnight to personally deliver it to Khan Timur!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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