Beside him stood several Yellow Turban Generals, all bowing their heads in silence, the atmosphere extremely somber.
Ever since Zhang Liang was beheaded, Zhang Jiao's condition had worsened day by day.
A few days ago, he could no longer walk and was confined to his sickbed. With his sickly appearance, it was uncertain how much longer he could last.
Especially with the Han Army besieging the city outside, showing signs of attacking at any moment, it was a situation of both internal and external troubles.
This situation left the Generals feeling fearful and lost, unsure of how to proceed in the future.
Lying on his sickbed, Zhang Jiao slowly opened his eyes, looked at the Generals beside him, and coughed softly, saying weakly:
"You… you all, need not worry."
"Even if I depart, there are still hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers within the city, who can still defend it. The Han Army will absolutely not break through."
The Generals around him sighed upon hearing this.
They no longer cared if they could hold out, but rather that after Zhang Jiao's death, there would be no one to lead them, and they wouldn't know what to do next.
If they remained in the city, it would eventually be breached by the Han Army, and their fate would be to die without burial, their heads even being cut off to be used as a war offering.
Just then, a loud shout came from outside the courtyard!
"General, good news!"
The people in the room frowned, their faces showing displeasure, surprised that someone dared to make such a ruckus here.
Soon, the door was pushed open, and a Yellow Turban General, his face filled with excitement, walked in quickly.
With a thud, he knelt on the ground, looked at Zhang Jiao on his sickbed, and respectfully said:
"Reporting to Heavenly Duke General, good news!"
"The Han Army stationed outside the city has withdrawn, leaving only a few thousand troops who have retreated to a valley thirty li away."
"Our threat has been completely removed."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Generals around him instantly showed excitement in their eyes, their breathing became rapid, and their bodies trembled.
This was simply a monumental piece of good news. They hadn't expected the Han Army to withdraw after besieging the city for so long.
A cacophony of sounds arose as everyone whispered and chatted among themselves.
Lying on the bed, Zhang Jiao's face showed not a smile, but a hint of solemnity upon hearing this.
In the Jizhou battlefield, besides Guangzong City, only Quyang remained.
Now that these tens of thousands of Han Army troops had left, could it be that they were going to attack his second brother, Zhang Bao?
Thinking of this, Zhang Jiao's face showed anxiety, and he shakily tried to prop himself up, but his body was too weak, and he fell back down helplessly.
Seeing this, the Generals around him showed anxious expressions and quickly helped him up.
After Zhang Jiao was barely helped up, his eyes showed urgency, and he asked weakly:
"Where... where did the main Han Army forces go?"
The Yellow Turban General delivering the news hesitated for a moment, then slowly said:
"After the main Han Army forces left here, they traveled north along the official road. From the looks of it, they should be heading towards Quyang."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiao's body trembled slightly, and his eyes instantly showed an urgent look.
It was just as he had suspected. The Han Army, seeing that Guangzong City could not be taken for a long time, turned its forces to attack Quyang.
That was where his second brother was stationed, with only tens of thousands of troops. If the city were breached, he would surely die.
Now that his third brother had died, he naturally did not want to see his second brother also die on the spot.
Zhang Jiao, propping up his body, looked at the Generals around him and asked loudly:
"Is there anyone who can lead troops to reinforce Quyang?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Generals around him all bowed their heads, and no one stepped forward to accept the military order.
The Han Army outside the city had just left, finally allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief and giving them hope of survival.
Now, to lead troops to reinforce Quyang would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den, seeking death. No one would die in vain.
Zhang Jiao looked at the silent Generals, knowing full well their thoughts. They were clearly afraid of the Han Army and dared not go to reinforce Quyang.
After pondering for a moment, he continued to ask the Generals around him:
"Whoever leads troops to reinforce Quyang, I will immediately appoint him as Rengong General. After I die, the troops of Guangzong City will be under his command."
"Is there anyone who dares to step forward?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Generals around him could not help but breathe rapidly.
Many of them showed greedy expressions in their eyes. That was the position of Rengong General, and after Zhang Jiao's death, he could also control hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers.
However, most people were more timid and did not dare to easily accept this task. If it was a trap set by the Han Army, they would surely die if they left the city.
After a moment of silence, a burly man in the crowd stepped forward and said loudly:
"Heavenly Duke General, this humble general Zhang Niujiao is willing to lead his troops to reinforce Quyang."
Lying on his sickbed, Zhang Jiao examined Zhang Niujiao in front of him, nodded, and immediately ordered:
"Good."
"From today onwards, you are Rengong General. After I die, all Yellow Turban soldiers in Guangzong City will be under your control. If anyone dares to disobey, you can kill him at will."
Zhang Niujiao was overjoyed upon hearing this, and he quickly bowed and said respectfully:
"General, rest assured, this humble general will surely obey your orders and resolve the crisis in Quyang."
The surrounding Generals merely curled their lips upon hearing this and did not care.
Zhang Niujiao's status among them was not very high; he could only be considered a mid-level leader. Even if he was appointed Rengong General, probably few people would take him seriously.
Especially since Zhang Jiao was almost dead, they would care even less.
In a military camp somewhere in Guangzong City, a cry of surprise was heard!
"Big Brother, are we really going to reinforce Quyang?"
"The main Han Army forces are gathered there. With our small number of troops, going there would mean nine deaths out of ten."
The speaker was a burly man named Chu Feiyan, his eyes filled with panic!
Zhang Niujiao heard this, a smile played on his lips, and he said:
"Brother, don't panic. How could I be so foolish?"
"Any normal person can see that the Yellow Turban's momentum is gone, and with Zhang Jiao seriously ill, he probably won't last for many days. As soon as he dies, the city will surely fall into chaos, and it might even collapse without an attack. Continuing to stay in the Yellow Turban Army would mean certain death."
Chu Feiyan heard this and asked somewhat confusedly:
"Then why did Big Brother accept this military order?"
Zhang Niujiao smiled and waved his hand, slowly explaining:
"We have to accept this military order so that we can legitimately leave the city. Then, we will leave this place, find a remote area, continue to be mountain bandits, and enjoy a carefree life. There's no need to continue opposing the Han Army."
Chu Feiyan nodded upon hearing this, strongly agreeing with his Big Brother.
After all, the Yellow Turban in the south had basically been pacified, and the imperial army was gradually moving north, preparing to encircle and suppress the Yellow Turban in Hebei. If they didn't flee now, they would surely die if surrounded.
Zhang Niujiao wasted no time and immediately ordered:
"Without further ado, gather all the brothers. We will leave the city now and flee west. As long as we enter the Taihang Mountains, the Han Army won't be able to find us."
Upon receiving the order, Chu Feiyan quickly went to gather the troops.