Fantasy: After transmigrating, I effortlessly became a god.

Outside the North Gate, dust and sand swirled in the wind.

The Red Turban Army came like a giant dragon, its flags fluttering and its morale soaring.

They wore blood-red battle robes and red headscarves, like flames burning on the vast land, their aura seemingly capable of shaking heaven and earth.

The soldiers held spears and carried bows and arrows, their eyes were firm, and their steps were orderly.

Their footsteps, like the beating of war drums, echoed across the open plains, stirring the heart.

A tense and ominous atmosphere filled the air, as if even the wind held its breath, awaiting the impending fierce battle.

As the Red Turban Army approached, the guards at the north gate tensed up. They stood ready, archers drew their bows, spearmen gripped their spear shafts, and every one of them had eyes full of vigilance and determination.

Faced with the overwhelming momentum of the Red Turban Army, they were prepared to fight to the death.

Thirty square formations, thirty thousand people.

The combined strength of the 1,000 Changwu soldiers above the North Gate and the Wu Family Village soldiers was only a little over 1,100, indicating a significant disparity in strength between the two sides.

In the enemy camp, a general clad in magnificent armor rode a tall horse out from the enemy ranks. He held a long spear, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the sunlight, his imposing presence seemingly capable of piercing the heavens.

He shouted, "Who dares to fight me?"

His voice was loud and clear, echoing across the battlefield.

Despite having an overwhelming numerical advantage, the Red Turban Army still resorted to challenging duels, which explains the soldiers' high morale.

The so-called "general duel" refers to a one-on-one duel between the generals of two armies before a battle. One side challenges the other to a duel, and the winner will surely have their morale soaring, unleashing greater fighting power. Conversely, if the winner loses, their morale will plummet, putting them at a disadvantage in the war. In such cases, the general needs to inspire and lead by example, finding ways to boost morale.

Zheng Qian knew the importance of dueling, and He Yanqiang knew it even better.

After the enemy general finished speaking, he waited quietly, giving the Changwu army time to react and discuss the matter.

Thus, only one cavalry general stood quietly between the two sides, the Red Turban Army's morale soaring, while the Changwu Army's morale plummeted.

At each of the four city gates, a Red Turban Army general issued a challenge to a duel. The four city gates chose to remain silent and not accept the challenge, which was agreed upon beforehand. They could not be provoked into going out to duel; they just needed to hold their ground.

With favorable timing, geographical advantage, and popular support, the Changwu army had the advantage of terrain in defending the city, but the Red Turban Army had dozens of times more soldiers and the same advantage of popular support.

"Who dares to fight me?" The challenge echoed across the battlefield once again; this was the second time such a challenge had been issued.

At this moment, the enemy's morale is high and ours is low, making it much easier for them to launch an attack on the city.

To boost morale and defend the city, we must fight, and win decisively.

"General He, if I go out to engage the enemy general, will it affect your city defense strategy?"

Zheng Qian asked He Yanqiang for his opinion. He had never participated in such a large-scale war, so he had to be extremely careful to avoid making any mistakes that could lead to irreparable losses.

"Inspector Zheng, you absolutely must not! You are the highest-ranking officer at the North Gate. How can you risk your life? Winning will certainly boost morale, and even the other three gates won't need to fight; simply defending the city will be enough to raise morale. But if we lose, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Zheng Qian understood: in a duel, one can only win and not lose, but who can guarantee a sure win?

"General He, if I volunteer for battle, will you agree to let me go out and fight?"

He Yanqiang was still hesitating when Zheng Qian spoke again, "On the battlefield, we only talk about fighting, not human relationships. Please speak frankly."

Taking a deep breath, He Yanqiang's eyes were full of admiration, because the general below was in the late stage of the Bone Refining Realm, while he was only in the early stage. He did not think he could defeat the other party and could only defend the city.

Taking an unconventional approach, one must fight when facing a formidable opponent; running away is more serious than losing.

So he answered firmly, "Yes."

"General He, please beat the drum for me."

dong dong...

As the war drums sounded, the north gate slowly opened, and the Changwu army officially went to war.

Dressed in black, Zheng Qian rode a warhorse carrying a heavy sword, exuding a weighty and imposing aura, and charged straight toward the enemy general.

Upon seeing someone emerge, the enemy general shouted, "State your name, general!"

"The dead don't need to know my name."

This guy is so arrogant, but also a bit of an idiot.

Mutual recognition of each other's names is the most basic procedure in duels, and it's the most direct way to make a name for oneself. The Red Turban Army general didn't take it seriously. "It's your business if you don't want to register your name, but I want to register mine. Otherwise, how can I enhance my reputation?" he shouted loudly.

"I am Chen, the battalion commander of the Red Stone Battalion, First Battalion of the Red Turban Army..."

"You don't need to register your name; I don't remember people's names."

That's insane!

I am the strongest battalion commander in the Red Turban Army. I have taken the lives of hundreds of people since the uprising. You, a mere lad in your early twenties, keep calling me a dead man. I will not be satisfied until I kill you today.

He spurred the horse hard on its belly, and the warhorse galloped wildly toward the approaching man.

The two riders clashed, their eyes meeting in mid-air, sparks flying. Without a word, they immediately engaged in combat.

Before the enemy general could draw his spear, Zheng Qian stepped onto the horse's back, jumped up, and leaped into the air.

Clang.

The heavy sword was drawn, emitting a deadly cold light, and slashed down at the enemy general like Mount Tai pressing down.

"Heavy chop."

Chen Angqing did not expect that the newcomer would abandon his horse to attack. Throughout history, he had never seen a general who would voluntarily abandon his horse during a duel; there were only generals who were knocked off their horses.

He didn't know that Zheng Qian wouldn't fight immediately, which is why he chose to abandon his horse and fight him.

Without a second thought, Chen Angqing switched to the offensive, raising his spear horizontally to meet Zheng Qian's heavy slash head-on.

The spear and the heavy sword clashed, producing a clanging metallic sound that made the eardrums of the surrounding soldiers ache.

hissing...

The greatsword transmitted an irresistible force, which the warhorse was powerless to withstand. It neighed and fell to the ground, kicking up dust.

Chen Angqing reacted very quickly. The moment his warhorse fell, he did a forward roll to his feet and stood firmly on the ground, demonstrating his rich combat experience.

"it is good."

"Well played."

"Inspector Zheng is awesome!"

On the north gate, everyone cheered. Zheng Qian had clearly gained the upper hand in the first round, dispelling the gloom in their hearts that the Red Turban Army was invincible.

Without any further words, the two immediately attacked each other.

Zheng Qian's heavy sword was incredibly powerful; each swing seemed capable of cleaving through mountains and rocks.

The enemy general's spear was agile and unpredictable, sometimes thrusting towards Zheng Qian's vitals, sometimes transforming into a blur of spear shadows, making it difficult for Zheng Qian to defend himself. The two exchanged blows, fighting fiercely and evenly matched.

dong dong dong...

The sound of war drums echoed from the Red Turban Army camp, cheering on Chen Angqing.

At the north gate, He Yanqiang's bald head gleamed in the sunlight, forming a circle around the war drum. He personally raised the drumstick and beat the drum, sounding the charge for Zheng Qian.

The sound of drums echoed throughout Lvchang County, reaching the people at the other three gates. They ignored the challenge issued by the generals fighting below the city and waited quietly for the outcome of the battle at the North Gate.

He Zuowen gazed at the North Gate, his eyes filled with worry. The fighter at the East Gate was at the late stage of the Bone Refining Realm, and the one at the North Gate would be no weaker. Zheng Qian and He Yanqiang were both at the mid-stage, as was Wu Gang, so the chances of winning a one-on-one fight were slim.

This battle is perilous.

Qin Yong and Jin Jindao shared the same idea. They knew that the goal of this battle was to hold out for three days. As long as the tactics were appropriate, holding out for three days would be no problem. They didn't need to respond to the generals' provocations; morale could be boosted in other ways.

Zheng Qian acted impulsively.