Three Kingdoms Mythology World.

A messenger's shout came over the loudspeaker.

Soon, a messenger arrived at the tent and reported, "Great Commander, a man in black carrying the seal of the Great Commander of the Yellow Turban Army has come to visit!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Hai's expression changed slightly.

If it were a high-ranking commander from the same faction, he wouldn't request an audience in this way. Clearly, this is a visit from an unfamiliar commander, or one who has defected to another lord…

This startled Guan Hai, as they had been secretly traveling all the way from Dongjun, their movements extremely stealthy. Now, someone had accurately predicted his arrival—how could he not be alarmed?!
But this is his home turf, what's there to be afraid of!
Guan Hai had someone bring the person in.

Soon, the group of five entered the camp.

"Holy Maiden!!!" When Guan Hai saw the first person to enter, he stood up without hesitation, walked up to her, bowed respectfully, and called out.

Her Majesty the Saintess?!

Everyone else was startled upon hearing this.

The only one who could be given this title was Zhang Ning, the daughter of Zhang Jiao, the Heavenly General, and the Holy Maiden of the Taiping Dao!
Immediately, everyone else respectfully stood up, came behind Guan Hai, and bowed to him.

“No need for such formalities. I am just an ordinary follower of the Taiping Dao.” Zhang Ning, dressed in black, said calmly.

The reason why Guan Hai recognized Zhang Ning immediately was because of Taoist intuition... innate intuition!
As long as he remains the Grand Commander of the Yellow Turban Army, he will be able to sense Zhang Ning's special nature.

"Sit, please sit!" Regardless of Zhang Ning's purpose for coming, Guan Hai still observed basic etiquette and directly invited Zhang Ning to sit in the seat he had just been sitting in.

To be honest, Guan Hai really didn't expect Zhang Ning to condescend to come and find him in person.

“The Holy Church is now in disarray, and you, Guan Hai, have also sided with Lin Mu. There’s no need for this…” Zhang Ning waved her hand, but she still went to sit in the head seat.

This is the treatment she deserves.

"Your Holiness, what brings you here today? Is it to disband the Yellow Turban Army and allow most of the Yellow Turban soldiers to retire to their fields?!" Guan Hai asked immediately as he sat down next to Zhang Ning.

Recently, a piece of news has been circulating widely.

The reason was that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had grown too large, attracting the breadwinners of many ordinary households to join, leading to a shortage of farmers in many areas and causing serious problems with food production. Therefore, some people spread the word that some members of the Yellow Turban Rebellion needed to be disbanded and allowed to return to farming, otherwise, major problems would arise.

In addition, it was also rumored that the Yellow Turban Army was too large. If it were to be subdued by other warlords, the military strength of all the warlords would increase dramatically. If wars broke out among the warlords in the future, the scale of such wars would be terrifying, and there was even a risk of causing an imbalance and destruction to the foundation of China!

In short, the message was intended to cool down the Yellow Turban Rebellion and stabilize the states of Yan, Yu, and Jing...

"I've come here for a few reasons. The first is, are you still willing to return to the Way of Peace?" Zhang Ning looked at Guan Hai deeply and asked this question again.

Zhang Ning had actually tried to recruit Guan Hai back many times before, with other people acting as intermediaries, but this time she came in person.

Upon hearing this, Guan Hai's respectful expression remained unchanged, but he slowly shook his head as usual: "Holy Maiden, when the Holy Path collapsed and the Yellow Turban Army scattered, we were left with nowhere to go. It was Lord Lin Mu who took us in and gave my brothers a way to survive. Although I, Guan Hai, am a rough man, I know how to repay kindness. Now that I have surrendered to Lin Mu, there is no reason for me to switch allegiances again."

"Even if the Holy Maiden comes in person, I will still maintain the same attitude. Please forgive me, Holy Maiden."

"Although I am not affiliated with the Way of Peace, I am still a believer of the Way of Peace. I keep the principles of the Way of Peace in mind and will act in accordance with its doctrines," Guan Hai said slowly.

He spoke frankly and openly, without the slightest hesitation, and his gaze met Zhang Ning's directly without any attempt to conceal it.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ning did not show any surprise or anger on his face. Instead, he nodded slightly, as if he had expected Guan Hai's answer.

“I know you are loyal and righteous. If you were to betray your master so easily, you wouldn’t be the Uncle Guan Hai I know. I don’t blame you for that,” Zhang Ning said calmly.

Upon hearing the word "uncle," Guan Hai paused slightly, then clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Thank you for your understanding, Holy Maiden. What is your second purpose?"

"The second purpose is to deal with Yuan Yi." Zhang Ning's voice deepened slightly as he glanced at the generals in the tent.

"Currently, Cao Cao is gaining momentum and has taken over the two major commanderies in the north of Yan Province, Dong Commandery and Chenliu Commandery. We are not willing to fall behind. And my target is Shanyang Commandery."

"I've come here today to cooperate with you and Lin Mu to take over Shanyang County," Zhang Ning revealed his true purpose.

Currently, Zhang Ning is the governor of Donghai Commandery, but Xuzhou is basically under Tao Qian's control, so she is only a governor in name only.

Many cities in the East Sea are completely beyond her control...

Tao Qian's method of controlling Xuzhou was simple: he handed the city over to powerful clans, who in turn pledged allegiance to him.

It is precisely this model that allows Zuo Rong and others to act with such unchecked power and domineering arrogance.

Therefore, in order to gain real territory, Zhang Ning set his sights on Shanyang County, which was near Donghai County. The two were neighbors, and although their borders were not wide, there was an official road that directly connected the two counties' cities.

Once we take over Shanyang Commandery, and then plan for Taishan Commandery to the north and Pei State to the south, we can form a unified territory and truly possess our own domain.

From Bingzhou onwards, Zhang Ning and her companions had a life of constant wandering, fighting and plundering... They wanted to establish themselves in Bingzhou, but were driven out by Dong Zhuo...

Youzhou and Qingzhou are currently under the control of the domineering Lin Mu, and Jizhou is even less likely to be controlled, as both Yuan Shao and Lin Mu are present...

There was no opportunity in Sili, so they could only set their sights on Xuzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou...

The position of Governor of Donghai was merely a title she bought from Dong Zhuo.

"I need to report this matter to my lord before I can give the Holy Maiden an answer. However, in my opinion, cooperation will be achieved. You should know that we will not develop our territory here..." Guan Hai paused, but still gave Zhang Ning an answer.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ning nodded. She and the others had analyzed this point, which was why they came to Guan Hai and Lin Mu to collaborate.

"Holy Maiden, why didn't you let the superhumans contact the lord?" Guan Hai glanced meaningfully at the men in black behind Zhang Ning and asked casually. Zhang Ning shook her head... she wouldn't admit that her superhumans were completely unfamiliar with Lin Mu...

Moreover, most of these extraordinary individuals are arrogant and impulsive. If she hadn't come in person, she wouldn't have carried any weight in her words, let alone been able to reach an agreement on cooperation.

Moreover, she also wanted to see Guan Hai in person and see how he was doing... and she also wanted to see what the Yellow Turban Army under Lin Mu's command looked like now.

Afterwards, Zhang Ning suggested that he wanted to go and see the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army.

Guan Hai did not refuse and took Zhang Ning on a patrol.

The Yellow Turban soldiers had excellent rest conditions, with top-notch tents, blankets, and ample provisions; not a single soldier was ever short of supplies.

The patrolling soldiers were energetic, spirited, and well-equipped.

Along the way, everything she saw filled her with emotion... There are many details regarding military equipment that she has yet to achieve.

She originally wanted to mention a third thing: to allow some ordinary Yellow Turban soldiers to retire and return to their fields, so that several states would not be devastated and the fields would be desolate.

Although she didn't know who spread the message, she felt it was useful for the common people, so she supported it.

But along the way, Guan Hai's soldiers were all elite troops; there were no ordinary Yellow Turban soldiers left... She was too embarrassed to ask Guan Hai to reduce the number of troops...

If Guan Hai's troops were to be reduced, then a large portion of her forces would have to be laid off...

While Zhang Ning was following Guan Hai to find out the situation, Lin Mu also received a message from Guan Hai.

Lin Mu was quite surprised to see that Zhang Ning had come to his door in person.

After learning the details, Lin Mu was speechless. For Zhang Ning, with his limited resources, to try and get involved in the struggle between Yanzhou and Yuzhou was like an egg hitting a rock...

However, we should respect her ideals. Besides, the Great Wilderness Territory's strategy there doesn't conflict with hers; on the contrary, there's a basis for cooperation. So, why not cooperate with her?

He quickly replied to Guan Hai.

However, when Lin Mu wanted to go to Shanyang County to see Zhang Ning in person, he received news that Zhang Ning had already left.

According to the information provided by Guan Hai, it seems that the people behind Zhang Ning learned that Lin Mu was coming in person, which is why they advised Zhang Ning to leave early.

Lin Mu scoffed at this... and continued with his work...

……

Meanwhile, in the new capital city of Chang'an, at Wang Yun's residence, a handsome figure, led by his steward, approached Wang Yun.

"This humble subject, Zhao Yun, greets all esteemed officials!" A handsome figure entered the main hall and respectfully bowed to everyone.

That's right, that figure is none other than Zhao Yun!

"Zilong, sit down!"

“Zilong has been in my residence for more than ten days now… I summoned him here today because he is very important in this operation,” Wang Yun said meaningfully in a deep voice.

Several figures sitting at nearby tables frowned upon hearing this.

"Zhao Yun, you used to serve under General Gongsun Zan, right?" Lu Zhi asked slowly.

“That’s right,” Zhao Yun replied calmly after sitting down.

He then glanced around discreetly.

They discovered that those present were all former high-ranking generals and ministers. What do they mean by "former"? Because none of them held official positions anymore.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi, and others are among those listed.

Wang Yun's secret gathering of these people this time was no small scheme.

Originally, Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Lu Zhi, and others did not want to come, because Zhang Wen's blatant misery was right before their eyes.

They were intelligent men, and of course they knew why Zhang Wen had met such a tragic end... The reason was none other than Wang Yun!
"Zilong is second on the Heavenly and Earthly Generals Ranking!" Wang Yun said quietly.

"Lu Bu is first, Zhao Yun is second!!!" Wang Yun said solemnly.

The others were shocked upon hearing this.

They had long since witnessed Wang Yun's keen eye for talent, so they had no doubts about it.

"Are you afraid that Lü Bu will go back on his word? Are you keeping an eye on him?" Huangfu Song asked quietly.

"Of course, this matter is of great importance and must be handled meticulously from all angles!" Wang Yun said firmly.

"I've specially called everyone here because the opportunity has arrived!"

"Dong Zhuo has now left Chang'an and moved to Mei County. The Flying Bear Divine Army has also gone there..."

"And the other key generals have also left Chang'an... This is an opportunity!!" (End of Chapter)