The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Liu Sanlang and Zhao Renzhi had no idea what Deputy Marshal Yan and the others had experienced.

We are planning how to break the deadlock.

Yang Zhong was a veteran. After getting a temporary rest, he quickly reacted and came up with several countermeasures.

The man sitting at the head pondered, "Based on the temperaments of Yan and Zhu, they will definitely hunt us down. Now that they haven't caught up with us, it's very likely that they've been held up by something. Regardless of what it is, I think we should strike first. After reorganizing the team, we should immediately ambush in the direction of Guantao and fight to the death!"

Zhao Renzhi frowned after hearing this, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Instead, he expressed his own thoughts for reference: "General, it is natural to meet the enemy, but in terms of military strength alone, we are definitely no match for Yan and Zhu. We will likely suffer heavy losses if we meet them head-on. I have a plan, and you can serve as my advisor."

"Tell me about it!" Yang Zhong said with a wave of his hand.

"Why don't we use a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain? First, disperse the forces of Yan and Zhu so that we can defeat them one by one. Second, we have to capture the leader first. As long as we kill Yan and Zhu, the others are just guerrillas and fence-sitters, and they will not be able to do anything. Then I can persuade them to surrender, and the situation will definitely be reversed," Zhao Renzhi said in a deep voice.

Liu Sanlang hesitated after hearing this, then said, "But Yan and Zhu are both very strong in martial arts. I can definitely deal with one of them, but who will take care of the other one? The Marshal is seriously injured, and you were a civilian before, so..."

"Brother Liu has thought it through carefully," Zhao Renzhi praised first.

Then he said with a determined look: "I have considered this issue. The Marshal is seriously injured and cannot go into battle. He must be commanding the central army. So I will take on the remaining one. I will take him down no matter what."

This statement is equivalent to issuing a military order.

Yang Zhong was deeply moved after hearing this: "I knew that the emperor had not made a mistake. You two are good people and loyal to the court. If we can overcome this difficulty, I will definitely ask the court for credit for you two."

"Thank you, Marshal!" Zhao Renzhi and Liu Sanlang immediately bowed humbly upon hearing this.

Now we are all on the same page. Even for our own sake, we dare not be half-hearted in this battle.

Zhao Renzhi and Liu Sanlang led the way as vanguards. They led their troops all the way to the vicinity of Guantao County, but did not encounter anyone.

Later, spies were sent to investigate further, and they learned that the Yellow River had burst its dike, and that there seemed to be people from Baichao stationed near Guan County.

After capturing two more stragglers and asking them, they learned that Bai Chao's main force had just fought a fierce battle with Yan and Zhu.

As for Yan and Zhu, their whereabouts are unknown.

Zhao Renzhi suspected that they were most likely heading southwest, as only in the southwest was there a glimmer of hope.

"What should we do now?" Zhao Renzhi sat on his horse, somewhat undecided. "Should we withdraw to Wei County and keep our troops in place, or should we engage Bai Chao directly? We don't have enough troops, and it feels a bit useless!"

"Even if we retreat to Wei County, we will still have to face Bai Chao head-on. They just fought a battle with Yan and Zhu, and the army must have suffered heavy losses. This is actually a good opportunity to take advantage of the situation," Liu Sanlang analyzed.

"But it's true that we do have insufficient manpower. It all depends on whether we're willing to take the risk!"

"You're right, this is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I guess Bai Chao originally wanted to launch a surprise attack on us, but unexpectedly the Yellow River burst its dike, and Yan and Zhu happened to rebel, so we met in Guan County. It's also God's will. Could it be that God wants us to be the last straw that breaks the camel's back?" Zhao Renzhi couldn't help but say, he was a little superstitious.