Shortly after engaging the Yong Soldiers, the Yellow Turban troops were already on the back foot.
Under Zhou Cang's command, just over 100 Yong Soldiers were completely overwhelming nearly 1,100 Yellow Turban troops.
Of course, there were several reasons for this. Not only were the Yong Soldiers far stronger, but the Yellow Turbans were originally just commoners. They had been forcibly conscripted, had little training, and their morale was abysmal. Add to that the fact that Zhou Cang was an absolute monster on the battlefield—who would dare stand in his way? Attacked before they could even gain a foothold, who wouldn't panic?
"Hold the line! For fuck's sake, hold the line! Archers! Where are the archers?! Aim! Aim! Just fucking shoot them!"
The Yellow Turban squad leader, his heart burning with anxiety, roared out his commands.
But this also gave away his position.
Seeing this, Zhou Cang's eyes lit up. 'My lord has treated me so well,' he thought. 'Today, I will use this bandit chief's head to forge my lord's glorious name!'
"KILL!!"
"You scum! Your life is mine!!!"
The Yellow Turban leader was horrified to see Zhou Cang literally carving a bloody path through the surrounding Yellow Turban Soldiers.
Zhou Cang had 73 points in Might; his personal strength was already far greater than the Yellow Turban chief's.
Therefore, facing this bandit chief, he didn't even deign to use a Martial Intent Skill. Riding the momentum of his warhorse's charge, he struck with a single slash.
The Yellow Turban leader could only watch in despair at the devastating slash, unable to even try to dodge.
'How could a tiny mountain village have a fierce general like the Great Commander?'
'The Zhao family has ruined me!!! Ruined me!!!'
The thoughts flashed through his mind, and in the next instant, a large head went flying through the air.
"The enemy leader has been slain! Will you not surrender at once?"
Zhou Cang roared, holding the leader's head aloft.
He wanted to achieve even greater merit. Though he could have slaughtered all of these bandit soldiers, he knew they would be far more valuable as laborers.
"We surrender! We surrender! Don't kill us!"
Seeing that their leader was dead and that Zhou Cang was so ferociously unstoppable, the Yellow Turban Soldiers immediately dropped their makeshift weapons and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.
From the rear, Xiao Jing witnessed Zhou Cang's prowess firsthand.
He rampaged through the enemy ranks, no one able to withstand a single blow! And he had even one-shot the leader, a man who Xiao Jing had estimated to be at least Tier Two and would have posed a significant challenge.
He hadn't even needed to deploy his Wind Cavalry, and the battle was already over...
'Tsk, tsk. I suppose in Zhou Cang's eyes, there's not much difference between a potential Tier Two Yellow Turban leader and an ordinary Yellow Turban Soldier.'
In the game "Warfare," legion tactics and army coordination were paramount. Once the quality of soldiers improved, it was nearly impossible for one person to be a match for ten thousand.
But given the Yellow Turbans' lack of coordination, it was a joke to even speak of army tactics. If Zhou Cang had wanted to, he could have single-handedly slaughtered all 1,000-plus Yellow Turbans in a short amount of time.
High-level historical generals were just that powerful!
"Ding! Congratulations, Player, you are victorious in battle. You have gained 32 unit experience points. Your experience bar is full. You have leveled up. Current level: 6."
Zhou Cang had only killed a little over 30 Yellow Turbans before the rest saw the writing on the wall and surrendered. As a result, the experience gained wasn't much, but it was enough for Xiao Jing to level up.
After all, Xiao Jing had already leeched a fair amount of experience from clearing out horse bandits and from the later hunting and training exercises.
"Incredible! Commander Zhou is too strong!"
The militia commander, Li Ye, was visibly moved as he watched Zhou Cang's divine display of might. Completely won over, his face flushed red as he shouted his praise.
The militia under his command were also greatly inspired by the sight. Their morale shot up to 10 points (the maximum) in an instant, and their spirits soared!
"My Lord, I have not failed you!"
After forcing the surrender of the Yellow Turban Soldiers, Zhou Cang, still emanating an aura of bloodlust, hurried to Xiao Jing's side and spoke respectfully.
"Commander Zhou, you've worked hard."
"Heh! It's just my duty!" Zhou Cang said with a smile, scratching his head.
Xiao Jing smiled. Just as he was about to speak, a system notification sounded in his ear.
"Ding! Congratulations, Player, for your victory in a local Yellow Turban engagement. 'Merit' +200. We hope you will continue to strive for excellence!"
"Ding! Congratulations, Player, for killing 32 unranked Yellow Turbans and one Tier Two Yellow Turban in a local engagement. 'Merit' +20. We hope you will continue to strive for excellence!!"
He had earned 220 Merit in a single battle!
Hearing the system prompts, Xiao Jing's eyes lit up. Not a bad haul!
But the biggest prize was still on the battlefield.
After all, over a thousand Yellow Turbans had come. Due to the terrain, not many managed to escape, and the vast majority had been forced to surrender by Zhou Cang.
That meant over 1,000 prisoners, which meant over 1,000 laborers. If he could absorb this workforce, Desolate Mountain Village's development speed could be raised another notch...
"Lord Li, send men to clean up the battlefield!"
"Understood!" Li Ye replied, suppressing his excitement.
The Yellow Turban Army, which had seemed so powerful in his eyes, had been shattered in a single blow by the Village Chief's forces. This filled him with confidence and deep admiration for Xiao Jing. His already high loyalty rose even further.
Li Ye wasn't the only one who felt this way. Any villager in Desolate Mountain Village who witnessed the scene of a thousand Yellow Turban prisoners being obediently escorted back by a few dozen militia members was filled with awe. In that moment, the prestige of both Xiao Jing and Zhou Cang in the village soared once again.
"Hurry it up, count the spoils of war!"
While directing his men to escort the Yellow Turban prisoners, Li Ye also ordered others to clear the battlefield and tally the loot.
This contingent of Yellow Turban Soldiers must have plundered nearby villages, as they were carrying a considerable amount of money and grain, and even two secret manuals on martial arts and military strategy.
Because Zhou Cang had employed a decapitation strike, the battle ended quickly.
As a result, among the 100 Yong Soldiers he led, the most grievously wounded was only seriously injured, with not a single fatality. The spoils, however, were extremely abundant.
It was a great victory!
"Reporting to the Village Chief, we've finished the count. Our haul is enormous!"
Before long, Li Ye rushed to Xiao Jing's side, his face beaming with excitement. Before Xiao Jing could even speak, he reported with a radiant glow.
"We've captured 978 Yellow Turban Soldiers and seized 5 ordinary warhorses, 131 silver taels, 25,311 copper coins, 1,308 units of grain, 50 white-quality sabers and 50 swords, 40 white-quality long spears, 31 white-quality simple wooden bows, and 25 white-quality wooden shields. We also have 15 sets of usable white-quality leather armor, and a number of various other iron farming tools like fishing forks and hammers."
A smile spread across Xiao Jing's face as he listened to Li Ye's report.
He hadn't expected these vagrant-like Yellow Turbans to have so many weapons on them, especially since the Great Han had strict regulations on arms...
He was already calculating in his head how much gold he could get by selling these weapons to the Tam Tribe...
'Although selling weapons to an Alien Race like the Tam Tribe carries the risk of nurturing a future threat, I'm confident that with the Wind Cavalry barracks on my side, I can handle a small tribe...'
'Still, I need to plan ahead. I'm sure to get a large number of weapons from this Yellow Turban uprising. After selling them to the Tam Tribe, I'll need to send people to gather intelligence on them...'
'Then, if they prove to be strong, I'll just have to be patient. If they're weak, well, that would be a perfect opportunity for expansion...'
Li Ye's report hadn't finished.
"Village Chief, in addition to all that, there's also..."
"...a set of Yellow-quality Cloud-Light Iron Armor (Damaged), a Blue-quality Hundred-Refined Horse-Slaying Saber, a Blue-quality 'Savage Bull Saber Technique' manual, and a Blue-quality 'Elementary Thirty-Six Stratagems' manual."
"My Lord, please take a look!"
As he spoke, Li Ye nodded, and a few militia members immediately came forward to place the spoils he had just mentioned before Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing stared at the loot for a moment, then chuckled.
Turning his head, he looked at Zhou Cang and said,
"Commander Zhou, as the one with the greatest merit in this battle, choose two items from these!"
Hearing this, Zhou Cang was taken aback and waved his hands repeatedly. "My Lord, it's just what I'm supposed to do!"
Xiao Jing's expression turned stern. "Rewarding merit is the first rule of managing an army. Take them!"
With that, he handed the Blue-quality Hundred-Refined Horse-Slaying Saber and the Blue-quality 'Savage Bull Saber Technique' manual to Zhou Cang.
He had long noticed that although Zhou Cang was powerful, he lacked any outstanding martial arts techniques. So, he took this opportunity to give him a manual to boost his strength.
"Thank you, my Lord! This servant pledges his life in loyalty to you!!!"
Zhou Cang clutched the manual tightly, his face filled with emotion.
Martial arts manuals and books on military strategy were the foundation upon which great families were built. He never imagined Xiao Jing would simply gift one to him.
His loyalty rose once again.
Beside them, Li Ye and the other militia members watched Zhou Cang with envious eyes, a deep longing within them. Unconsciously, they began to yearn for war, to yearn for the chance to earn their own merits...