Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei was sent flying by a single spear thrust, leaving Liu Bei stunned.

The peaceful days did not last long.

As Cao Cao trained his troops and stockpiled grain in Chenliu, his strength grew day by day, and he also became a piece of easy prey in the eyes of others.

On this day, a fast horse rushed into Chenliu City, and the messenger stumbled and crawled into Cao Cao's residence, bringing urgent military news.

"Report! My lord! The Black Mountain bandits are attacking in force!"

"What?" Cao Cao, who was discussing matters with his advisors, suddenly stood up upon hearing this. "How many people have arrived? How far are they from us?"

"A vast, dark mass, covering the mountains and plains, their numbers unknown! According to scouts, there are at least thirty thousand! Led by their leaders Yu Du, Bai Rao, and Sui Gu, their vanguard has already reached the eastern border of Chenliu County, less than a hundred li from here!"

"Black Mountain bandits..." Cao Cao's face darkened.

The Black Mountain Army was a massive peasant uprising army organized by Zhang Yan after the Yellow Turban Rebellion. It occupied the Taihang Mountains region, boasting hundreds of thousands of soldiers and immense power. Yu Du, Bai Rao, and others were all generals under Zhang Yan, known for their exceptional ferocity.

They have been plundering the surrounding areas of Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Sili for many years, making them a troublesome force for the imperial court and various warlords.

Unexpectedly, they have now set their sights on us.

The generals under his command were also in an uproar upon hearing this.

"Thirty thousand bandits? They arrived so quickly!" Xiahou Yuan frowned.

"Hmph, it must be because word got out that we 'borrowed' grain in Chenliu. These thieves think we're easy prey!" Cao Hong said bitterly.

Cheng Yu, a newly recruited strategist under Cao Cao, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "My lord, although the Black Mountain bandits claim to number 30,000, most of them are displaced people they have coerced; their true elite forces are few. However, their strength is formidable and should not be underestimated. Although our army has many newly recruited soldiers, they have no experience in battle. This battle will be a severe test for our army."

Cheng Yu, courtesy name Zhongde, was a native of Dong'e in Dongjun. Hearing that Cao Cao was recruiting talented people in Chenliu, he came to join him. After talking with him, Cao Cao was amazed by his talent and immediately appointed him as a trusted advisor.

Cao Cao nodded; what Cheng Yu said was exactly what he was worried about.

Of his 15,000 troops, 10,000 were new recruits who had just put down their hoes. Although they had been training for some time, they had never seen blood. Facing 30,000 vicious Black Mountain bandits, the outcome was truly unpredictable.

"My lord, what are you afraid of!" Xiahou Dun stepped forward, his fighting spirit soaring. "We'll meet force with force, and water with earth! Our army has ample supplies and high morale. It's the perfect opportunity to use these ignorant traitors to sharpen the blade of our new army!"

"Yuan Rang is right!" Cao Ren echoed. "The bandits have come from afar; their arrogance is bound to grow. We should meet them head-on and crush their spirit!"

The generals all volunteered for battle, and their morale was very high.

Cao Cao, observing the reactions of his generals, felt somewhat reassured. It was a grave mistake for generals not to know their soldiers, and for soldiers not to know their generals. He would eventually have to put his new army to the test.

"Alright!" Cao Cao made up his mind, walked to the map, and ordered, "Pass on my orders!"

"Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, you two will lead five thousand veteran soldiers as the central force to meet the enemy head-on!"

"Xiahou Yuan, you will lead three thousand cavalry on the left flank, waiting for the opportune moment to strike!"

"Li Dian, Yue Jin, each of you will lead three thousand new recruits on the right flank. Just hold the line and there's no need for rash advances!"

"Cao Hong, you stay behind in Chenliu and ensure the supply of provisions!"

He quickly made arrangements, placing most of the new recruits in relatively minor positions, while entrusting the core combat missions to the five thousand veterans who had experienced the bloody battle of Xingyang.

This is a fairly prudent arrangement.

Upon receiving the order, the generals all obeyed and departed.

Cheng Yu looked at Cao Cao, but found that one person seemed to be missing from his arrangements.

"My lord, what about General Ziqian..." Cheng Yu couldn't help but remind him.

In his view, the simplest and most effective way to deal with 30,000 bandits was to have Zhang Ziqian go directly into the midst of the army and kill the bandit leaders.

Cao Cao waved his hand, a complex expression on his face.

"Zhongde, I understand your intentions. But in this battle, I don't want Ziqian to make a move."

"Why?" Cheng Yu asked, puzzled.

Cao Cao sighed and said slowly, "An army cannot rely on just one person forever. Ziqian is my trump card, my anchor, but not a conventional weapon. If I depend on him for everything, my soldiers will never grow into true battle-hardened troops. They will get used to hiding behind Ziqian, and once Ziqian is gone, they will be easily defeated."

He paused, his eyes gleaming. "I need a truly capable and battle-hardened army of my own, not a bunch of wolves that only know how to follow tigers and pick up scraps. This battle is the best opportunity to test the mettle of my new army. I want to see just how far my troops, Cao Mengde's army, can go without Ziqian!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu was startled. He looked at Cao Cao with genuine admiration in his eyes.

Instead of being complacent about easily attainable victories, they focused on the long-term development of the army. This vision and courage are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"My lord's wisdom and foresight are truly admirable," Cheng Yu bowed deeply.

……

Zhang Ziqian was awakened by the noisy sounds of horses' hooves and shouts in the camp.

He took off the VR headset, stretched, and felt refreshed.

After several days and nights of fighting, he finally managed to kill the big tree guard at the entrance of the newbie village after dying hundreds of times.

The sense of accomplishment from defeating a formidable opponent through continuous effort and practice revitalized his heart, which had long been numb in the real world.

"Playing games is still more fun," he muttered, lifting the curtain and going out.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw the entire camp was being mobilized. Soldiers, fully armored and armed, marched out of the camp gates in columns, creating a very tense atmosphere.

He grabbed a passing soldier and asked, "Hey brother, what's going on? Such a big commotion, where are you headed?"

Upon seeing him, the soldier immediately stood at attention, saluted, and replied with admiration, "Reporting to General Zhang! Thirty thousand Black Mountain bandits have invaded, and our lord has mobilized the entire army to meet them!"

"Oh, a fight?" Zhang Ziqian nodded, without any particular reaction.

He then asked, "Did the boss call me?"

The soldier shook his head: "The lord did not give you the order."

"Nothing to do with me? Okay, you go ahead and do your thing." Zhang Ziqian waved his hand, turned around, and prepared to return to his tent to continue his "borderland" journey.

He had only taken two steps when he stopped and touched his stomach.

"Gurgle..."

After playing games for a whole day and night, I was starving.

He thought for a moment, and realized that there must be cooks preparing meals at the battlefield. If he went there, he should be able to get a hot meal.

"Forget it, let's go take a look and solve our food problem while we're at it."

He made up his mind, strolled back to his tent, hoisted the enormous Yu King Spear onto his shoulder, and then swayed as he followed the tail of the main group.

Instead of going to the central army to find Cao Cao, he went straight into the supply train responsible for logistics.

When the cooks of the supply train saw this gentleman arrive, they were all quite frightened and hurriedly offered him their best dry rations and dried meat.

Zhang Ziqian didn't stand on ceremony. He found a grain cart, sat down, and munched on some dried meat while watching the army march forward in a grand procession. They didn't look like they were going to war; they looked more like they were going on a picnic.

Three days later, on a wide open plain in the eastern border of Chenliu.

Cao Cao's army and the Black Mountain bandits met from afar.

The Black Mountain Army's formation could only be described as "chaotic." A vast, dark mass, flags scattered haphazardly, ranks disordered, they resembled a large group of beggars gathered together. Yet, their ferocious aura, honed through countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was overwhelming and chilling.

In contrast, although Cao Cao's army was smaller in number, it was well-organized and its formations were clear. The large banners bearing the character "Cao" fluttered in the wind, and its momentum was in no way inferior.

From within the Black Mountain army ranks, several commanders rode out. Leading them was Yu Du, a tall, imposing figure with a menacing face. He glanced at the disciplined ranks opposite him, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"I thought Cao Mengde had gotten himself into audacity to challenge us, but it turns out he only has this many men?" He laughed heartily at Bai Rao and Sui Gu beside him. "Brothers, that's just a fattened pig over there! Charge in, slaughter them, and all the money, grain, and women in Chenliu City will be ours!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Thirty thousand bandits roared and charged towards Cao Cao's army's position like a tidal wave!

Cao Cao stood on the war chariot in the center of the army, his hand on the Yitian sword, his face calm.

"Beat the drums! March forward!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

As the stirring war drums sounded, five thousand veteran soldiers of Cao Cao's central army, led by Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren, formed a neat attack formation and charged head-on against an enemy force several times their size!

A bloody melee suddenly erupted!