Although the system privately complained about Ye Feng's shamelessness, it still worked diligently.
After all,
They were currently in a cooperative relationship, and causing too much friction was indeed inappropriate.
Moreover,
The targeted troop summon card was its own proposal, and it had to see it through to the end.
It could only hope that this fellow would go easy on it and not drain its resources dry.
As for Ye Feng?
While he couldn't guess the system's thoughts, he could pretty much figure them out.
However, he genuinely had no intention of "fleecing" it this time!
As the saying goes:
What comes from the sheep, goes back to the sheep!
The more he took from the system now, the more he would likely have to repay later.
Therefore,
After Ye Feng received the Imperial Guard summon card, he didn't continue synthesizing.
He truly had no immediate needs!
As for the Mysterious Armored Cavalry?
It would be great to have them, but it didn't matter if they didn't. Any elite troop would do.
The only thing he lacked was someone to instigate and explain matters.
And with the Imperial Guard, there would be no shortage of instigators.
Even,
Ye Feng could assign some subordinates to Yu Huatian, allowing him to fish in troubled waters in Luoyang.
What?
Kidnap Diao Chan?
Don't be ridiculous!
Was Ye Feng the kind of person who would go all out for beauty?
Even if he were to kidnap her...
He would have to help a few great scholars first before considering kidnapping her!
However,
These would be Yu Huatian's problems to worry about. He just needed to send the person over.
With this thought,
Ye Feng found the targeted summon card and smiled, instructing:
"Brother System, come on, let me see the might of the Imperial Guard!"
"Received~!"
The relieved system responded crisply, and a ray of starlight flashed.
"Ding~!"
"Esteemed Host, Targeted Troop Summon Card (Myriad): Imperial Guard x1... Use successful!"
"Congratulations to the Host, you have obtained: Imperial Guard (Special) x10000."
"Hmm?"
Listening to the system's prompt, Ye Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"System, explain, what does this 'special' refer to?"
"High martial prowess? High intelligence? Or..."
"None of the above!"
Facing Ye Feng's question, the system sheepishly explained:
"Special means the troop is not part of the regular troop series, it has nothing to do with strength."
"???"
Ye Feng blinked in confusion, not quite understanding the system's meaning.
What did it mean by "not part of the regular troop series"?
The Imperial Guards of the Ming Dynasty were a real existence, weren't they?
Why were they not part of the regular troop series?
"Simply put..."
Sensing Ye Feng's confusion, the system explained helplessly:
"The duty of the Imperial Guard was not to fight on the battlefield. They were responsible for gathering intelligence and monitoring officials, serving as the emperor's personal guards."
"This..."
Although Ye Feng was a bit displeased with the system's explanation, he couldn't find any reason to refute it.
Indeed!
Whether in historical dramas or in history, the role of the Imperial Guard was akin to that of intelligence personnel.
This was precisely why he thought of the Imperial Guard first when encountering this situation.
But,
Once the Imperial Guard was classified as a special troop, it meant they couldn't be obtained through conventional means!
How could this be acceptable?
He had wanted to create tens of thousands of Imperial Guards to truly monitor the entire country.
"Give up!"
Hearing Ye Feng's thought, the system retorted impatiently:
"Special troops have a low drop rate, and it's impossible to create tens of thousands of Imperial Guards for you."
"Besides..."
"If you just want to transmit intelligence, all the soldiers summoned by the system can perform that role!"
"That's true~!"
Ye Feng sighed regretfully, retracting his unrealistic fantasy.
Let's be realistic!
For example,
How to find Old Dian in Chenliu, and recruit as many talented individuals as possible to bring back?
Or perhaps... go for a 'stroll' in Yingchuan?
………………
Goguryeo,
Wandu City,
Since the arrival of the first batch of reinforcements, subsequent reinforcements had also arrived one after another.
Not only cavalry,
But even over 20,000 infantry soldiers who were originally stationed in Liaodong were forcibly brought over by Liu Shan, with 10,000 of them.
His idea was simple.
When it came to warfare, cavalry was undoubtedly formidable, but wasn't it a waste to use cavalry for defending a city?
After all,
The time and resources required to train cavalry were much more considerable than those for infantry.
"Wait a minute?"
"You brought the infantry too?"
After hearing Liu Shan's report, Gongsun Zan frowned involuntarily.
"If you brought these people back, what about the safety of the three Liaodong commanderies?"
"Ge-General, please rest assured!"
Liu Shan saluted solemnly and then explained with a smile:
"Winter is fast approaching in the three Liaodong commanderies. Fighting a war at this time would be seeking one's own demise."
"This..."
Upon hearing Liu Shan's words, Gongsun Zan finally reacted and patted his forehead.
Right!
It was almost winter!
No wonder he felt a bit chilly in the wind around Wandu City these past few days.
He had thought it was a lingering effect of killing too many people!
However...
Thinking that Goguryeo was also about to enter winter, Gongsun Zan's brow furrowed.
"Since you know winter is coming, why didn't you bring any winter supplies this time?"
"Brought them!"
"Uh?"
Gongsun Zan, who had merely been complaining casually, was stunned.
You actually brought them?
Impossible!
Even he hadn't considered this issue. When did this kid develop such foresight?
"Ahem~!"
Perhaps sensing his brother-in-law's doubt, Liu Shan explained with a wry smile:
"This was arranged by the Provincial Governor's office. I was only responsible for bringing the people."
"So that's how it is~!"
As Liu Shan finished speaking, Gongsun Zan sighed in relief.
He knew it!
Even he hadn't thought of such a thing, how could this kid have considered it?
However, Gongsun Zan didn't know that,
Regarding the winter supplies, it was actually Liu Shan who reminded Li Xiuning.
Otherwise,
How would Li Xiuning, who had never been to Liaodong, know that winter arrived so early there?
After all, winter had only just passed recently in 184 AD, and it wasn't that cold yet.
Of course!
Liu Shan was not one to boast, or rather, he dared not embarrass his brother-in-law.
He knew how much his brother-in-law valued his reputation.
What if he ran into trouble and was banished to some obscure corner?
With this thought,
Liu Shan didn't dwell on the matter and quickly changed the subject:
"Brother-in-law, winter is almost here. What should we do on our side? We can't possibly keep tens of thousands of troops cooped up in Wandu City, can we?"
"Not to that extent~!"
Gongsun Zan, who had regained his composure, smiled and gazed into the distance.
"Goguryeo is a grand chess game, and we must play it well!"
"However..."
"The most important thing now is to disintegrate their army and, at the same time, let them understand who the real boss is!"
………………
Yanzhou, Chenliu Commandery, Chenliu County.
Outside the East Gate,
Accompanied by the dull sound of hooves, a churning cloud of dust rose at the end of the official road outside the city.
A moment later,
As the kicked-up dust gradually dissipated, a cavalry force clad in black armor appeared before everyone's eyes.
A guard on the city wall subconsciously rubbed his eyes.
However,
When he looked up again, he was still greeted by a seemingly endless cavalry.
"E-Enemy attack~!"
Following the guard's shrill cry, the long-absent war drums sounded on the walls of Chenliu City.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Amidst the somewhat stirring war drums, the civilians who had intended to enter the city were all shut outside and were fleeing in panic.
Unfortunately,
The cavalry on the official road, though seemingly not fast, had already approached the county town in the blink of an eye.
Helplessly,
The civilians could only crouch down on the ground, leaving the rest to fate.
"Hoo~!"
Looking at the scenes unfolding before him, Ye Feng, who had changed into armor and was riding the Cloud-Treading Black Steed, said with emotion:
"This is the plight of the common people in times of chaos, always in danger of losing their lives!"
"No wonder people always say, 'Better to be a dog in peaceful times than a person in times of chaos!'"
"This is truly treating human lives as mere grass!"
"My Lord~!"
Listening to Ye Feng's emotional words, Yang Yanqi, standing beside him, said seriously:
"It is precisely because it is a chaotic time that you, and we, are needed."
"Isn't that so?"
"If it were truly a prosperous and peaceful era, how could we gain the support of the people?"
"That's true!"
Hearing Yang Yanqi's peculiar form of comfort, Ye Feng smiled with relief.
Indeed!
It was precisely because the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms were in constant warfare that his arrival had meaning.
At the very least, with his intervention, this Han Dynasty would not suffer as tragically as it did in history.
How tragic?
Describing it as a hundred li of scorched earth and nine out of ten households deserted would not be an exaggeration.
Even powerful figures like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei dared to call themselves armies when leading just a thousand men on each campaign.
How sorrowful was that?
According to statistics,
The registered population of the Han Dynasty dwindled from fifty million to just over ten million.
This did not include refugees or the tenant farmers of landlords.
If these people were included, the number of deaths from the chaos of the late Han Dynasty would be even higher.
Not to mention,
After the chaos of the late Han Dynasty came foreign invasions, and the entire Central Plains was almost completely lost.
How heartbreaking was that?
Perhaps,
This was also why the system had gone to such lengths to bring him from the future?
Only by understanding the developments of the future could one avoid being fixated on the struggle for dominance in the late Han Dynasty.
After all,
Fighting over such a small territory was truly not worth it.
The world was too vast!
How vast?
To ancient people, the vast Han Dynasty was merely a small corner of the world.
And this was something that the noble families, who viewed the lands beyond their borders as barren, could not even imagine.
They could not fathom that gold and silver were abundant on the nearby islands.
They could not imagine that agate and jade were scattered across the nearby continent.
They would never believe that the continent across the sea possessed inexhaustible treasures.
But Ye Feng knew!
He was well aware that,
Defending a not-so-wealthy Han Dynasty and fighting a civil war would never lead to development.
Only by truly colonizing overseas could the journey of imperial rise begin.
And to achieve this...
People were needed!
Desperately needed!
Not only great talents who understood astronomy and geography but also diligent officials who served the people.
So he came!
But,
Looking at Chenliu in its current state, it seemed to be regarding him, the Governor of Youzhou, as an enemy?