Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator.

The military system of the Kingdom of Linyi dictated that any large-scale mobilization of peasant soldiers, calling upon them to bring their own weapons to battle, would inevitably be noticed by the Han envoys.

Even if the Kingdom of Linyi internally embellished the matter, the fact that "the Han envoy was killed" quickly spread throughout the kingdom.

The reactions to the "killing of the Han envoy" varied within the Kingdom of Linyi, but very few truly realized the gravity of the consequences this would bring.

On the contrary, the prevailing sentiment throughout the Kingdom of Linyi was that the Han envoy had insulted the King of Linyi, so Prince Qu Ba was appointed as commander to lead a full-scale attack on Rinan Commandery to vent the King's anger.

Success in capturing Rinan Commandery would bring tangible benefits.

From the nobles and ministers down to the private soldiers and peasant soldiers, all could gain substantial wealth, land, and opportunities for plunder by invading the enemy territory.

Therefore, morale within the Kingdom of Linyi was exceptionally high, with large numbers of peasant soldiers responding to the call of the King of Linyi and the nobles, bringing their own weapons and provisions to join the war.

Only a few elderly residents of Linyi, who still remembered their homeland from childhood, either attempted to dissuade the war effort or harbored concerns.

However, as a wave of enthusiasm swept through the Kingdom of Linyi, the voices of caution from these few elderly residents were quickly and completely drowned out.

Moreover, amidst such a grand spectacle, Qu Ba could barely contain his joy upon learning the number of peasant soldiers participating from various regions.

Contrary to the initial estimate of fifty thousand, the army, including the private soldiers mobilized by the nobles from various regions, had swelled to nearly sixty thousand.

An army of sixty thousand was, in Qu Ba's understanding of the surrounding nations, an undeniably invincible force.

Who could resist it?

And who would dare to resist it?

Qu Ba, leading the four thousand royal guards known as the "Iron Wall of Linyi," set off towards the northern border of the kingdom, filled with ambition.

Even though, before his departure, Qu Lian repeatedly instructed Qu Ba to carefully defend Rinan Commandery and only attack upon receiving his specific orders.

However, Qu Ba, about to lead an army of sixty thousand, now favored an ancient saying from the Han court: "A general abroad may disregard some imperial commands."

Once he conquered Rinan Commandery with the might of sixty thousand soldiers, he would then leverage his victory to compel Qu Lian to abdicate.

Thinking of this, Qu Ba felt that the pent-up frustration of being underestimated for more than forty years was about to dissipate completely.

......

Meanwhile, as Qu Ba led his army towards the northern border of the Kingdom of Linyi, Fan Shang, carrying generous gifts, had already arrived at the border of Rinan Commandery.

Upon learning of the envoy dispatched by the Kingdom of Linyi, and with no prior news of Gu Jun, Yu Guo understood that his brother-in-law had probably sacrificed himself for the greater good.

Yu Guo suppressed his grief, showing no sign of abnormality.

He diligently managed the affairs of Rinan Commandery, preparing the manpower needed to maintain the supply lines for the Han army; meanwhile, after Fan Shang arrived in Xijuan, as requested by Zhou Yu, he invited Fan Shang to the Han army camp where most of the troops had been transferred in advance to Rinan Commandery.

However, when Fan Shang saw the Han army camp stretching for miles, exuding an aura of solemnity, and the Han soldiers patrolling back and forth in armor and weapons, he was so frightened that his face turned pale, his limbs went weak, and he had no courage to step inside.

At that moment, Fan Shang only wanted to turn around and run back to the Kingdom of Linyi to report to the King that disaster was imminent.

Linyi styled itself as a kingdom, but it did not have a well-developed iron-smelting industry.

Not to mention that the peasant soldiers basically used homemade wooden or bamboo armor, even the private soldiers raised by the nobles mostly wore simple leather armor.

The reason why the royal private soldiers were called the "Iron Wall of Linyi" was that only the four thousand "Iron Wall of Linyi" were equipped with relatively simple iron armor, which was Qu Lian's confidence in controlling the Kingdom of Linyi.

However, after arriving at this Han army camp, what did Fan Shang see?

Tens of thousands of Han soldiers, and even a patrolling soldier, wore iron light armor that was superior to the "Iron Wall of Linyi."

Fear!

It spread wildly in Fan Shang's heart.

Was this the true power of the Han court?

Was this the confidence that the Han Chinese Gu Jun dared to speak wildly in the palace?

At that moment, Fan Shang was already regretting why he had not dissuaded the King of Linyi from killing the Han envoy, and even more regretting why he had been ordered to come to Rinan Commandery.

Terrified and weak-legged, Fan Shang turned around and wanted to escape, but a team of indifferent-looking Han soldiers blocked Fan Shang's retreat and pointed towards the direction of the central army tent.

"Our generals and Governor Yu are waiting for you ahead, please."

"I...I..."

Fan Shang was startled by the stern aura of the Han soldiers, and he sat down on the ground, stuttering.

"I, I am unwell, I will...visit another day."

The Han army leader could see that Fan Shang was not sick at all, but was using it as an excuse due to fright and fear.

And...

The army leader glanced at the coffin being escorted by Fan Shang's team, his expression slightly unfriendly.

Regardless of the reason, how could a mere envoy from a subordinate country dare to bring a coffin to meet his general? Was he out of his mind?

Under such circumstances, how could this army leader allow this envoy from a subordinate country to retreat and leave?

"It's okay, I will send someone to escort you to the main tent."

Immediately, the army leader waved his hand at the Han soldiers behind him.

Immediately, two burly Han soldiers stepped forward and lifted Fan Shang up, carrying him towards the direction of the central army tent.

The servants who had followed Fan Shang, carrying the so-called generous gifts and the coffin, were also terrified at this moment.

However, under the "friendly" gaze of the Han soldiers, they could only follow along tremblingly.

Soon, Fan Shang was sent into the main tent.

Before Fan Shang could look up to see who was in the main tent, a playful voice entered Fan Shang's ears first.

"The envoy of Linyi has such a grand air that he needs our soldiers to carry him into this tent?"

At that moment, Fan Shang had a feeling of "suddenly sitting up in shock during a terminal illness", and he suddenly broke free and landed.

Then...

"Bang!"

Fan Shang knelt down without hesitation, touching the ground with his forehead, performing the grand ceremony of prostration, and shouted.

"Fan Shang, envoy of the subordinate country of Linyi, greets all the generals of the superior country."

Xu Sheng, sitting in the main seat, waved his hand at the Han soldiers who had carried Fan Shang in, signaling them to retreat before speaking.

"Envoy Fan, you don't need to perform such a grand ceremony, please rise and answer."

"Yes."

Fan Shang almost crawled and stumbled to his feet, and then he had the opportunity to look at the people in the main tent.

Xu Sheng was in the main seat, Yu Guo was sitting in the first seat on the left, and Gan Ning, Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and others were seated in order on the right. (End of this chapter)