I Command a Million Troops, and You Want Me to Grovel to a Tyrant?

In a chaotic age of famine, corpses litter the land and people trade their children for food. Zhang Jiao transmigrates into the body of a dying, routed soldier in a dilapidated mountain god temple. No fire, no water, no food. At the brink of life and death, the jade pendant given to him by his master awakens: 【For every person under your command, receive one jin of polished rice each day】. In this world, food is the greatest argument of all. He gathers refugees, rallies routed soldiers, and subdues bandits. Before long, tens of thousands of valiant troops are under his command. Just as his power steadily grows, another bloodbath looms. One proclamation brands Zhang Jiao a traitor, and people across the land condemn him. To the north, enemy nations watch like hungry tigers. To the south, a vast army marches to crush the bandits. Caught between two forces, he stands on the brink of death. Should he accept amnesty, become the emperor's lackey, and grovel for mercy? Or throw in his lot with the enemy and become a traitor reviled by all in the history books? Or retreat to the Western Regions and eke out a quiet life? No! He will accept none of these! He will set his sights northward! He will reclaim the sixteen prefectures of Beiyun! He will bring the hearts of all under heaven into his hands. He will make the man on the dragon throne unable to sleep easy. “Soldiers, follow me north! We will reclaim our homeland!”