Meanwhile, in Anze City.
A middle-aged man in tattered armor listened to his teacher's report in a letter, his face ashen with disbelief.
"Abandon Anze City and launch a preemptive attack? This is absurd! We don't even know who killed Brother Han Xian, and instead of avenging him, you want us to launch a preemptive attack? Unthinkable!"
Hu Cai slammed his fist on the table. He had already received the news.
His younger brother, Hu Long, had been killed in Anyi City, murdered by the Jin family.
He was now consumed by thoughts of avenging his brother and had no interest in Guo Tai's affairs.
The Yellow Turban Army was riddled with factions. Although Guo Tai was a leader, he had only risen to that position because he commanded a large army.
The other leaders also had their own forces, and they only united because of the rebellion; otherwise, they wouldn't have obeyed anyone else's orders.
Things are different now. Back then, they had Zhang Jiao, the great and wise teacher, to keep them in check, and they could still unite as one. Now, they're nothing but bandits in yellow turbans.
"Hu Cai, don't be angry. The court has sent people to quell the rebellion, and it's right to deal with the court's troops first. Look at Zhang Yan, he succeeded! The court couldn't wipe him out, and they even promoted him. Hmph, if we can thwart the court's encirclement this time, we can also get some official positions!" Yang Feng said from the side, his mind only on business and how to secure his own benefits.
"Hmph, I think he just wants to use us as cannon fodder!" Hu Cai didn't want to tell the truth, so he could only make things up.
Yang Feng wasn't worried about the encirclement; he only wanted to clear his name as soon as possible and get some official position, which was much better than being a yellow turban.
He didn't know that Hu Cai's brother was dead; he was only thinking about how to defeat the encircling army and thus get a reward.
If normal communication fails, then force will be the only option.
"Brother Hu Cai, you have a point, but we can't just do nothing. Although we've occupied Anze, we have no follow-up income; we're just sitting around doing nothing. We might as well find an opportunity to pull off a big heist, like Zhang Yan, and become a warlord, who cares about anything else?"
Hearing Yang Feng's words, Hu Cai's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of a good plan. He sat down and poured wine for Yang Feng. "Brother Yang is right, we really need to take action. Guo Tai's army is strong and well-equipped; he can deal with the main force, while we'll deal with the smaller groups of government troops. I heard that quite a few government troops have entered Anyi City, not many, only about five hundred. And there are two powerful families in Anyi City. If we go and take Anyi City, and capture those officers, wouldn't we be able to sell them for a good price?"
Using hostages to exchange for fame and fortune? This seems somewhat naive, but it also carries some risks.
Yang Feng stared at the rudimentary map, pondering the feasibility of his plan.
He knew that the Yellow Turban rebels had never won a single battle against a large government army.
They were either outnumbered or utterly crushed. He knew his own strength. "It's possible," he said, "but Anyi City is heavily fortified; it won't be easy to take."
"Hey, what does that matter? We can send men to infiltrate. No one's been there before. We'll make a quick buck and run. Once we have the men, we can buy a decent official position. With you and me, brothers, controlling a city and so many men under our command, we won't have to worry about the court going back on its word!" Hu Cai was actually after revenge against the Jin family. He didn't care about powerful clans; once he became a bandit, he was determined to go all the way.
"Alright, let's send someone to scout first, then we'll act!" Yang Feng didn't hesitate. As long as he had a capable fighter named Xu Huang under his command, and the potential profits were high enough, the risk was worthwhile.
Lower Army Camp.
Inside the camp, numerous advanced kilns rose, constructed by Lu Ming using mud bricks, mortar, clay, and other materials.
These advanced kilns were essentially rudimentary steelmaking furnaces, requiring less stringent standards, though the quality of the steel produced wouldn't be very high.
They were certainly unsuitable for high-precision applications or aircraft.
However, in ancient times, they were incredibly advanced. The steel blades produced were capable of cutting through any weapon, their hardness comparable to so-called divine weapons.
In his spare time, Lu Ming had the prisoners mine, while he built processing equipment: kilns, greenhouses, advanced kilns, woodworking tables, and so on.
The greenhouses were used for growing vegetables, the kilns for firing bricks, the advanced kilns for refining ore and forging steel, and the woodworking tables facilitated the production of other wooden items, reducing production time.
He also used the local mines to upgrade the weapons and armor of his soldiers, and in his spare time, he could even forge horseshoes.
Even in this era, horseshoes didn't exist.
A horse's hoof has two layers: a hard keratin layer in contact with the ground, and a living keratin layer on top.
Horseshoes, due to friction and water corrosion, quickly wear down. Horseshoes were primarily used to slow down this wear.
The use of horseshoes not only protected the hooves but also made them grip the ground more firmly, which was beneficial for riding and pulling carts.
Severely worn hooves prevented horses from running, reducing them to low-grade hauling tools. Only with horseshoes could they run freely, faster, and more stably.
For the past few days, Zou hadn't come out; she'd stayed in the tent.
Later, she was allowed to move around, mainly because once she was used to being trained, there was no longer any worry about her running away. So she could walk around a bit and get some fresh air. Being cooped up in a tent for too long would drive a person crazy.
After being nourished, Madam Zou appeared even more beautiful. Her voluptuous figure was like an alluring peach, her curvaceous body capable of igniting a man's desire at a single glance.
Therefore, she always wore special, lightweight armor when she went out, and her face was concealed by a bamboo hat.
Beautiful women easily breed trouble, a consequence of their beauty. Therefore, they need the protection of a powerful man to avoid becoming objects of abuse for everyone.
This was unavoidable; Madam Zou's movements were always within Lu Ming's sight, her eyes never leaving him.
For her, everything was new and exciting.
Lu Ming was so young, yet he held real power, and he was here to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion; his future achievements were likely to be considerable.