Chapter 7, Withdrawal of the Camp

Gao Cheng said: "It is time to pack up and leave, the Han imperial army is not to be trifled with. If we stay here any longer, we will find ourselves surrounded by the local troops, and we won't be able to leave even if we want to!"

Gao Cheng's thoughts turned as he waved to call Gao Ying from a distance, "Xiao Ying, we will be leaving here tomorrow. You need to prepare for departure with those ten young men and the families of our brothers, taking all the food and clothing with you."

As he walked along, Gao Cheng observed a group of soldiers gathering under the leadership of their respective squad leaders. Some of these soldiers were armed with rifles, some with swords, while others had no weapons at all, making the formation appear chaotic. In fact, it was even inferior to the ten young recruits that Gao Cheng had enlisted.

As they spoke, the crowd followed the soldiers ahead and arrived at the northern part of the camp. The Yellow Turban encampment was quite rudimentary, with a large open space to the north where a multitude of soldiers wearing yellow turbans were chaotically forming ranks.

As time passed, the soldiers on the open ground struggled to form a line, thud thud thud, as a dozen cavalrymen wielding iron spears approached with the thunder of hooves.

Gao Tai, Zhang Chen, and Wan Ju are all exceptionally skilled warriors. With their imposing presence, these ten young men are quite obedient and are able to complete the tasks assigned to them without issue

He led the way in front, guiding everyone out of the camp. Along with him set out several other teams, while the remaining Yellow Turban soldiers turned back to the camp, beginning to wield their swords and spears to urge all the refugees to pack their belongings

Gao Tai and Gao Cheng exchanged glances and immediately stepped forward to say: "I accept the order!"

It is better to focus on practicing archery than to be distracted by practicing spear techniques. After receiving the memories of his original self, he mastered the basic sword techniques possessed by that self. This is sufficient for self-defense in close combat situations

These more than a dozen Yellow Turban cavalry exude a fierce aura, especially the leading man, whose commanding presence is captivating. He is Huang Shao, one of the two major lieutenants of this Yellow Turban army, commanding two thousand soldiers and a squad of cavalry

The man in leather armor wielding a knife is a trusted confidant of Wu Dubo, named Zhao Che. Gao Cheng and Gao Tai had a brief encounter with him yesterday while searching for Wu Dubo to collect weapons.

After making the arrangements, Gao Cheng and the others, armed with weapons, proceeded towards the northern part of the camp

"Yellow Turban Cavalry! These are cavalry trained from warhorses collected by the Way of Peace. It is said that each Yellow Turban cavalryman is worth ten warriors," Gao Tai said in a low voice.

In the blink of an eye, half a day's time was about to pass. Gao Cheng did not practice marksmanship with the others, but instead went to a corner to continue training in archery.

At this moment, the camp was filled with a clamor, as many elderly, weak, women, and children hurriedly packed their belongings, while the injured soldiers lay on the ground, watching helplessly as they were about to be abandoned

Good! I indeed did not misjudge the person, Gao Shichang. From now on, we will all be brothers who share the same meal. Work hard with me, and I will definitely not let down my brothers in the future. Wu Ding laughed heartily, feeling very satisfied, and immediately patted his chest to assure.

Once these words were spoken, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. There were also several other squads of soldiers acting as scouts. According to the orders, Wu Ding led the group towards the northwest, which was a necessary route for the army's advance northward, requiring them to scout ahead.

Behind him, there were already four units, totaling forty soldiers. After Gao Cheng and Gao Tai arrived, the soldiers under Wu Ding were officially assembled.

These individuals have not undergone even a single day of training; even if they wield formidable weapons, they are no match for the soldiers. I hope that on our journey north, we do not encounter the soldiers, otherwise, we will suffer significant losses

... ...

At this moment, a man dressed in leather armor approached, his gaze sweeping over Gao Cheng and the others, and then he looked at Gao Tai and said: "Captain Gao, the Duke has issued an order for you to lead your soldiers to the northern camp to join the main army"

Gao Cheng did not pay attention to these matters. He only instructed Gao Ying to stay behind with Zhang Chen and the families of others in the camp, to prevent the chaos from spreading here from other places

Greetings, Duke! Gao Tai led his team through the chaotic crowd and approached Wu Ding to pay his respects

Wu Ding chuckled and said, "We only have fifty people, how can we serve as the vanguard? Rest assured, the captain has merely ordered us to act as scouts, searching in front of the army to avoid encounters with fierce beasts and other unforeseen events. We will not face too much danger"

Not far away, Zhao Che asked aloud. The expressions of several experienced squad leaders changed; the army was mobilizing, with the vanguard advancing first. When encountering mountains, they would clear a path, and when meeting water, they would build a bridge. If they encountered enemy soldiers, they would also need to advance and test their strength in battle. This task is not something just anyone can handle

Gao Cheng and the others were diligently training in the corner of the camp. At this moment, the heavily depleted Yellow Turban Army began to replenish its forces from among the thousands of disordered civilians in the camp. The entire camp suddenly became very noisy, as groups of Yellow Turban soldiers emerged from the center of the camp, indiscriminately pulling out the able-bodied from among the refugees and forcibly taking them away.

Wu Dingshuang's eyes flashed with brilliance. Gao Tai and the others were still far from the elite soldiers who were strictly disciplined, but after two days of intense training, they had already developed the instinct to form ranks, and their spirit and energy far surpassed those of other teams.

Observing Zhao Che's departing figure, Gao Tai remarked: "It seems that the soldiers under the command of Duke Wu have been sufficiently replenished. Young Master, according to the information I have gathered, the army is set to break camp today. We must prepare ourselves immediately!"

Gao Cheng looked around and immediately noticed that their superior, Wu Ding of the Yellow Turban Army, was on the left side of the open space. Wu Ding was clad in black iron armor, sporting a short beard, with narrow, elongated features. In his right hand, he held a mixed iron spear, and the combined weight of the armor and spear was several dozen pounds, yet when worn, it gave the impression of being almost weightless.

"Duke, now that the army has broken camp, are we to set out first to take on the role of vanguard?"

Wu Ding walked back and shouted loudly: "Brothers, all follow me!"

After his appearance, the entire open space suddenly became calm. Wu Ding and more than a dozen other nobles quickly approached to pay their respects. Huang Shao seemed to be issuing orders. After quite a while, he left with more than a dozen cavalrymen under his command, arriving in haste and departing just as swiftly

Wanju and Zhang Chen, who were standing nearby, nodded in agreement upon hearing this. The Great Han Dynasty is the legitimate authority of the realm, and they were now forced to become rebels. Despite being in the midst of battle, they still harbored a lingering respect for the officials and soldiers, and although this unease was not apparent during the fighting, it remained in their hearts during calmer times

Gao Cheng followed closely behind Gao Tai, turning his head to glance in the direction of the camp. He had already made arrangements and hoped that Gao Ying would ensure her safety when the army broke camp.

Since Gao Tai has become a Shizhang in the Yellow Turban Army, the youths recruited by Gao Cheng using ten long spears were not forcibly conscripted by other Yellow Turban forces. Instead, they became vassals of Gao Cheng and his group