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

Looking at Zhang Ziqian's face, which was filled with grievance due to hunger, Cao Cao's bold idea became clearer and clearer.

He waved his hand, and immediately a guard rushed out. Before long, an incredibly rich aroma of meat wafted in from outside.

Two cooks carefully carried in a huge tray. On the tray lay a plump chicken, wrapped in lotus leaves and roasted until golden brown and glistening with oil. The fragrance of the lotus leaves mingled with the smoky aroma of the chicken and the sweet scent of the secret sauce, creating an indescribably tempting aroma that made everyone present swallow hard.

"Beggar's Chicken is here!"

The moment Zhang Ziqian saw the chicken, his eyes flashed with a wolf-like green light. He lunged forward, unconcerned about the heat, and tore off a glistening, oily chicken leg.

"Ouch... Ah... It's so hot! It's delicious!"

He blew on it as he eagerly took a big bite. The crispy skin, the tender meat, and the delicate fragrance of lotus leaves exploded on his taste buds.

"Mmm...delicious! So delicious!" Zhang Ziqian's eyes narrowed, practically bubbling with happiness. "Boss, this is even better than roast chicken! I'll eat this from now on!"

Seeing him wolfing down his food, Cao Cao smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it. Ziqian, you eat first. After you finish, I want to discuss something with you."

"Mmm, boss, what do you want to say?" Zhang Ziqian mumbled, his mouth full of meat.

Cao Cao cleared his throat, glanced at the generals under his command, and brought the topic back to the present.

"Gentlemen, there is no need to worry too much about the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Qingzhou," he said in a deep voice. "Although the Yellow Turbans are numerous, they are nothing more than a group of bandits and a rabble, nothing to be afraid of."

Xiahou Dun and the others were taken aback. Their lord had just been so serious; how did he suddenly become so confident?

Only Xi Zhicai and Cheng Yu glanced thoughtfully at Zhang Ziqian, who was fighting with the beggar's chicken, as if they had guessed Cao Cao's thoughts.

"My intention is to take the initiative!" Cao Cao said, surprising everyone.

"What?! Launch a preemptive attack?!" Xiahou Dun exclaimed. "My lord, you mustn't! Those are the Yellow Turban Army, boasting a million men! Our army only has a total strength of about thirty thousand. How can we possibly be a match for them?"

"Yes, my lord, please reconsider!" Cao Ren hurriedly advised, "Our army has just acquired Yanzhou, and our foundation is not yet stable. To engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the Yellow Turbans at this time would be far too risky!"

The generals all tried to dissuade him, horrified by Cao Cao's insane idea. To send 30,000 men against a million? Wasn't that like throwing an egg against a rock?

Cao Cao raised his hand to stop the crowd from talking.

He stood up, walked over to Zhang Ziqian, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Gentlemen, I understand what you are saying. In the past, I would not have taken such a risky move. But now, we have Ziqian."

His voice was filled with powerful confidence.

"Does the Yellow Turban Army really have a million people? I doubt it. They claim to have a million, but that's just a bluff by coercing displaced people. At most, they might have a hundred thousand able-bodied men among them."

"And we have Ziqian," Cao Cao emphasized, "Have you forgotten how he was defeated by poison, and how he captured Dingtao?"

Everyone fell silent instantly.

Yes, how could they forget? On their side, there's a monster capable of single-handedly turning the tide of the entire battle.

"Faced with tens of thousands of Poison's troops, did Ziqian ever retreat even a single step?"

"Faced with the fortified city of Dingtao, did Ziqian ever hesitate for even a moment?"

Cao Cao's voice grew louder and louder with each sentence, full of inflammatory rhetoric.

"The so-called million Yellow Turbans sounds terrifying. But in my eyes, they are nothing more than a million lambs to the slaughter! No matter how many of them there are, can they withstand a single spear thrust from Ziqian?"

All eyes were on Zhang Ziqian.

By this time, Zhang Ziqian had already devoured most of the beggar's chicken, his mouth greasy with oil. He felt everyone's gaze, looked up, and stared blankly at them.

"Boss, why are you looking at me? Want some? No way, this is mine!" He cautiously hugged the remaining half of the chicken to his chest.

Cao Cao laughed heartily: "Ziqian, no one's going to take it from you. I'm asking you, if I asked you to fight those Yellow Turban rebels, would you be afraid?"

"The Yellow Turban Army?" Zhang Ziqian thought for a moment. "Is that the kind of soldiers that Yu Du led last time?"

"Yes, that's them. But this time, there might be many more people, perhaps hundreds of thousands," Cao Cao said.

"Oh, hundreds of thousands." Zhang Ziqian's reaction was as nonchalant as asking about the weather. He broke off a chicken wing, stuffed it into his mouth, and said while chewing, "More people is better, it'll be more exciting to fight. More points should be possible too, right?"

integral?

Cao Cao and his men heard another word they didn't understand. However, they were already used to it. They automatically interpreted the word as a unit for measuring military achievements.

"Of course!" Cao Cao immediately followed up, "The more Yellow Turbans you kill, the higher your 'points' will be! Then, not only beggar's chicken, but you can eat whatever delicious food you want in the world!"

"Really?!" Zhang Ziqian's eyes shone even brighter than when he saw the beggar's chicken.

All the delicious food in the world!

This temptation is too great!

"Boss! I'll take this job!" He threw the chicken bones on the ground and said with great bravado, "It's just a few hundred thousand Yellow Turbans! Don't worry, I can handle them all by myself! I guarantee I'll wipe them out completely!"

He was making his own calculations very quickly.

Last time, killing tens of thousands of people like Yu Du increased my points significantly. If I can kill hundreds of thousands this time, wouldn't I make a fortune? That "Martial Soul Fragment Gift Pack" will definitely be enough! Maybe I'll even have a lot left over to buy some other good stuff.

For points, for going home, for... all the delicious food in the world!

Fight!

Seeing his fierce fighting spirit, as if he couldn't wait to rush out and fight his way in and out, all the generals in the hall felt that their worldview had been refreshed once again.

It turns out that what drove this divine general was neither the ambition to achieve great deeds nor the determination to defend his country.

Instead... food?

Xiahou Dun and Cao Ren exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of absurdity in each other's eyes, but even more so, immense excitement.

Who cares what his motives are? As long as he's willing to fight, that's enough!

A satisfied smile appeared on Cao Cao's face. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

"Good!" He slammed his hand on the table. "Since Ziqian has such high aspirations, how can we fall behind! Issue my order: the entire army shall rest for three days! After three days, we shall march on Taishan County to confront the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou!"

"My plan is to appoint Ziqian as the vanguard, leading five thousand elite cavalry as the spearhead of the entire army! We will plunge straight into the heart of the Yellow Turbans, cut down their commander's flag, and throw their morale into chaos!"

"I personally led a large army, followed by others, and in one fell swoop, wiped out the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou!"

"In this battle, we must not only win, but win decisively! I will incorporate all these hundreds of thousands of young men from the Yellow Turban Rebellion into my own 'Qingzhou Army,' Cao Mengde! This will lay the foundation for my unification of the world!"

Cao Cao's voice echoed in the hall, filled with unprecedented domineering power and ambition.

Inspired by his heroic spirit, the generals under his command all knelt on one knee and shouted, "We are willing to fight to the death for our lord!"

Only Zhang Ziqian remained standing there. He licked his greasy fingers and asked softly, "Boss, can we bring the beggar's chicken with us when we leave?"