My lady, I'm going to rebel.

Mu Zheng immediately made arrangements, selecting several eloquent soldiers and sending them with Liu Xiu's handwritten letter to the surrounding counties to post notices and recruit new soldiers. He also personally selected a team of elite cavalry and prepared to personally contact several larger rebel armies nearby.

On the way to the rebel base, Mu Zheng and his group encountered a small spy force sent by the New Dynasty.

The two sides engaged in close combat, and Mu Zheng, with his flexible tactical command, led his cavalry to quickly repel the spies. However, this also made Mu Zheng realize that the Xin Dynasty was keeping a close eye on their movements, and that he had to be more cautious in his next actions.

Finally, Mu Zheng arrived at the camp of one of the rebel armies.

The leader of this rebel army was Liu Sandao, a man of generous character but inherently suspicious. Upon meeting Mu Zheng, Liu Sandao showed little enthusiasm and bluntly said, "Mu Zheng, although your Green Forest Army won a victory in Kunyang, the Xin Dynasty is powerful. I must carefully consider whether to cooperate with you."

Mu Zheng said calmly, "Captain Liu, the Xin Dynasty now views all the rebel forces as thorns in their side, and their usual tactic is to defeat them one by one. Although we won the Battle of Kunyang, we were also severely damaged. If we don't unite now, we will sooner or later be eliminated by the Xin Dynasty. Your rebel forces are quite powerful. If you can join forces with us, we will surely strengthen our mutual strength and jointly fight against the Xin Dynasty."

Liu Sandao frowned and remained silent in thought.

At this time, his military advisor said, "General Mu, although that's true, there must be rules for cooperation. How will food and troops be distributed? Who will take command during battle? These must be clearly discussed first."

Mu Zheng was well prepared. He said, "As for food and fodder, we can share the burden proportionally based on the number of troops we each send. As for command, on the battlefield, the commander who is most familiar with the situation and has the most strategic vision will naturally take the lead. But we can also set up a temporary council to discuss major decisions together."

Just as Liu Sandao was hesitating, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the camp. A soldier hurried in to report that a group of unidentified people were heading towards the camp. Liu Sandao's face changed, and he looked at Mu Zheng, questioning, "Mu Zheng, is this a trap you set?"

Mu Zheng's heart tightened. He had no idea where this group came from, but he knew he had to calm Liu Sandao down. He said calmly, "Chief Liu, if I had such ill intentions, why would I come here in person? This must be a conspiracy by the Xin Dynasty to sabotage our cooperation."

Liu Sandao, half-believing and half-doubting, ordered increased security. As the group approached, the atmosphere in the camp grew increasingly tense. Finally, someone from the other side sent word that another rebel army had heard of Mu Zheng's arrival to discuss cooperation and had also rushed to join.

After the false alarm, Liu Sandao's suspicion of Mu Zheng eased slightly. After an in-depth discussion, Liu Sandao finally agreed to cooperate with the Green Forest Army.

After successfully convincing Liu Sandao, Mu Zheng realized that time was running out and there was no time for slacking off. He and Liu Sandao quickly discussed a preliminary plan for cooperation, deciding to first reorganize their troops and strengthen training, wait for the response from the other rebel forces, and then jointly discuss a strategy to deal with the new army.

After leaving Liu Sandao's camp, Mu Zheng rushed to the next rebel base without stopping.

Along the way, he kept thinking about how to deal with the encirclement and suppression of the Xin Dynasty and how to make more rebels realize the urgency and necessity of cooperation.

However, as he came into contact with more rebels, difficulties arose.

Some rebel leaders were short-sighted and only cared about immediate interests. They were worried that cooperating with the Green Forest Army would weaken their own strength. Some rebels had frictions with the Green Forest Army and were reluctant to cooperate.

Faced with these situations, Mu Zheng patiently explained them one by one, convincing people with reason and moving people with emotion.

When visiting a rebel army based in the mountains, its leader, Meng Meng, was known for his fiery temper. Upon seeing Mu Zheng, he shouted, "You Green Forest Army have been so popular in Kunyang. Isn't it too late to recruit us now?"

Mu Zheng smiled and responded, "Chief Meng, although we won the Battle of Kunyang, that was only a small part of the Xin Dynasty's forces. Now the Xin army is leading a large force, and we face an unprecedented crisis. If we continue to fight alone at this time, we will surely be wiped out one by one by the Xin Dynasty. Cooperation is not about annexation, but for common survival, to overthrow this corrupt Xin Dynasty and bring peace to the people of the world."

Meng Meng snorted and said, "That sounds nice, but why should I believe you?"

Mu Zheng said sincerely, "Chief Meng, you have great prestige in this area. If we cooperate, your words will surely carry great weight in the coalition. Furthermore, we can establish a contract to clarify the rights and obligations of all parties and ensure fairness and justice."

Meng Meng's expression softened slightly, but he remained hesitant. Just then, a cavalryman beside Mu Zheng suddenly stepped forward and said, "Captain Meng, I was once a commoner from this area. The harsh policies of the Xin Dynasty destroyed my family. It was General Liu and the Green Forest Army that gave me the opportunity for revenge and gave the people hope. Cooperating with the Green Forest Army is for our own good, as well as for the people of this world."

Meng Meng looked at the cavalryman, then at Mu Zheng. After a moment's contemplation, he finally said, "Okay, I'll trust you this time. But if you dare to play any tricks, I, Meng Meng, will never let you off easily!"

Mu Zheng was overjoyed and quickly said, "Don't worry, Chief Meng, we will definitely not let you down."

Thanks to Mu Zheng's unremitting efforts, more and more rebel armies agreed to cooperate with the Green Forest Army. However, just as he was about to return to Kunyang to report his achievements to Liu Xiu, he learned shocking news: the new army had already taken action ahead of schedule, much faster than expected, and was rapidly advancing towards Kunyang.

Mu Zheng realized that they had little time to consolidate their forces. He immediately decided to send someone back to Kunyang as fast as possible to inform Liu Xiu to prepare for defense, while also summoning the already cooperating rebel forces to quickly assemble in Kunyang.

On the way to Kunyang, Mu Zheng urgently discussed the battle plan with the leaders of the various rebel forces.

At this time, although their coalition forces had increased in number, they were mostly hastily assembled, lacked experience in coordinated operations, and had uneven weapons and equipment. Facing the well-trained and well-equipped new army, the situation was still grim.

Mu Zheng developed a set of flexible tactics based on the characteristics of the various rebel forces.

He arranged the rebels who were good at mountain warfare to set up ambushes in the mountains around Kunyang, ready to harass and raid the enemy during their march; he arranged the rebels who were good at riding and shooting to form a cavalry unit, responsible for infiltration and encirclement on the battlefield; and the Green Forest Army served as the main force, defending Kunyang City and confronting the enemy head-on.

When the allied forces arrived in Kunyang, the new army was already at the gates of the city. A decisive battle for survival was about to begin.