People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 101: Siege
In Youbeiping County, in a township under its jurisdiction, there was a huge fortress manor. Tian Chou was walking in it. When the villagers along the way saw Tian Chou, they all stopped what they were doing, bowed to him respectfully, and only dared to look up and continue working after Tian Chou walked away.

Youbeiping is even more sparsely populated. The Tian family is actually the only aristocratic family in this county. It is unknown how many fortresses like this one the Tian family owns. They are truly local tyrants.

Now, it would be just a simple matter to set up a fort to house Zhang Chun's more than a thousand remaining troops.

Tian took in Zhang Chun, a stray dog, because he was really attracted by the troops under his command. They could break out with Zhang Chun. These private soldiers were Zhang's most powerful force, and Tian was really envious of them.

Tian Chou, a rising star of the Tian family, originally wanted to either kill Zhang Chun or sideline Zhang Chun and then inherit Zhang's legacy.

Zhang Chun was not stupid. After coming to Tian's house, he remained on guard and kept a tight grip on his troops. Although he now accepted Tian's care, he would rather pay than owe anyone a favor and be controlled by them.

Fortunately, when he broke out, he brought out a lot of high-value assets from Pinggu, which was enough to support him for the time being.

However, if he continued like this, he would eventually run out of money, so Zhang Chun had to consider a way out for himself. Now that he had settled down for a while, he had some plans in mind, so he invited Tian Chou to discuss them.

When Tian Chou entered the main courtyard in the center of the manor and just walked into the house, he saw Zhang Chun sitting at the table waiting quietly.

"I haven't seen Zitai for a while, and I miss him very much. Please sit down for a while, and we can have a good chat." Zhang Chun straightened his body, led the way to the guest seat next to him, and motioned Tian Chou to sit down.

"General Zhang, how are you?" Tian Chou bowed slightly and then sat down.

Zhang Chun laughed, "I am unlucky, but fortunately, Tian helped me settle down. Now I have a place to breathe. I am deeply grateful for this. I would also like to thank Zitai for speaking up. Today, I have specially prepared wine and food to entertain you."

After he said that, he clapped his hands. The servants below received the signal and quickly came with wooden plates to serve the two people.

Before long, the desk in front of Zhang Chun and Tian Chou was filled with meat, dried fruits, fine wine and delicious soup, showing the exquisite life of the aristocratic family.

This is just a poor family from the border area of ​​Youzhou. If it were a big family from the heartland of the Central Plains, I am afraid that such a scene would require musicians and dancers to perform to liven up the atmosphere.

Tian Chou smiled and raised his glass: "Tian's help is just a little, it's not worth mentioning. I believe that after General Zhang gets through the difficulties, he will soon be able to restore the Zhang family business. I wish this in advance and drink this glass with General Zhang!"

Zhang Chun laughed, raised his glass, and drank from it: "Then I will borrow Zi Taiji's words."

Tian Chou responded with a bow and a smile without saying anything.

He knew that the relationship between the two sides was now very delicate, and the other party would certainly not be willing to be controlled by the Tian family for long. Now that they had invited him here, it was probably not a thank-you banquet, but some other plan.

But now that Zhang Chun is in a desperate situation, how much capital does he have to compete with the Tian family?
Sure enough, after the initial greetings at the banquet, Zhang Chun could no longer hold back and started talking about business.

"Zhang was defeated by the bandits and can only rely on Tian's help. However, as Zitai said, Zhang will fight back and recover my family's fortune no matter what. However, with more than a thousand soldiers in my hands, I am afraid it will be difficult to accomplish the task."

Having said that, Zhang Chun sighed and then looked at Tian Chou.

"Now the bandits are occupying one side, which is also not good for the Tian family. If we allow them to grow stronger, they will inevitably harm us in the future. Rather than nurturing a tiger to cause trouble, why don't you and I work together, uphold the righteousness of defeating the bandits, and unite the strength of the counties to put down the rebellion together?"

As Zhang Chun spoke, he put down his wine and looked worried and excited.

However, Tian Chou saw it all and just sneered in his heart.

You want my Tian family to help you suppress the bandits just because of a title. Aren't you thinking too much? My Tian family doesn't do charity work.

"This matter..." Tian Chou frowned, his face became very embarrassed, and then shook his head: "In order to suppress the bandits, my Tian family is naturally willing to help, but my Tian family has little influence and I am afraid that I cannot gather the power of the county. If I rely on my family alone, I am not strong enough. This..."

Zhang Chun's eyes suddenly turned cold when he heard this. He knew that this was just a perfunctory remark.

If he had been treated like this according to his previous temper, he would have lost his temper on the spot. However, now he was under someone's roof and even though he knew the other person was just being perfunctory, he could only endure it.

He was not so naive as to order Tian to work hard for him in the name of fighting the enemy. After all, it all depends on how much chips he has.

Tian Chou had a faint smile on his face. He was also waiting for Zhang Chun to put forward conditions. It was not that Tian was unable to contribute, but it depended on whether it was worth it. Not to mention that Tian was now in the initiative, so he was bound to ask for an exorbitant amount of money.

Zhang Chun narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "If the Tian family can uphold the principle of defeating the bandits and unite the counties, I'm afraid it will be harvest time by then. How can the harvest fall into the hands of the Yellow Turbans? If you and I can work together, we can not only eliminate the bandits, but also protect the harvest. How can we not do such a good deed?"

When Tian Chou heard this, he raised his eyebrows. He naturally understood what was said.

The purpose of keeping the harvest is false, the purpose of dividing the harvest is real. If the autumn harvest of several counties can be divided up, it will indeed be a huge fortune.

According to Tian Chou's expectation, if they really joined forces to fight the bandits, the war would not last long, so this deal was worth considering. But how to fight was also a problem. Those Yellow Turbans were not vegetarians. Tian Chou had a clear understanding of their fighting power. If they really wanted to do it, it would be difficult to fight them, so the price could not be low.

After some consideration, Tian Chou quietly drank a sip of wine, then shook his head slightly.

Zhang Chun's face became even uglier, but after thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and added: "Now that the tyrants in the four counties of Yuyang have all been wiped out by the Yellow Turbans, how to stabilize the area in the future is a big problem. If the Tian family can help the people of Yuyang pacify the bandits, these places will inevitably need the Tian family's help to restore order in the future."

Tian Chou's body was shocked. This increase in the stakes finally made him very interested.

If the Tian family could take this opportunity to extend their influence into Yuyang, it would certainly bring many benefits. Yuyang is obviously more prosperous than Youbeiping and more conducive to the long-term development of the family.

After discussing the business to this point, Tian Chou had an idea in his mind. This price was worth a try for the Tian family.

"As the bandits wreak havoc, our Tian clan cannot sit idly by and watch. After Tian Chou returns, we will discuss this with the clan members and will do our best to make this happen. General Zhang, just wait for good news!"

Thinking of this, Tian Chou's expression straightened up and he became righteous and dignified, then he bowed vigorously to Zhang Chun.

Zhang Chun finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. If he couldn't get Tian to help, he would be alone and it would be difficult for him to recover his family business.

"I believe Zi Taiding can make this happen, so I will start preparing for war and defeat the bandits during the autumn harvest." Although Zhang Chun was not very happy in his heart, he still maintained courtesy and decency on the surface.

For Tian Chou, if this matter is to be accomplished, Zhang Chun’s role is indispensable.

The Yellow Turbans in Yuyang are not easy to fight. If you really want to take action, you'd better be fully prepared. Relying solely on the strength of Youbeiping County may not be enough. Then, not only are Zhang Chun's more than a thousand trusted followers worth using, but Zhang's connections and reputation in Yuyang can also be utilized.

Although Zhang Chun is down and out now, his value is still not small.

Tian Chou stood up, looked at Zhang Chun and said, "There are two counties in the south of Yuyang County, Yongnu and Quanzhou. The Xianyu family is a big clan there, and they may help in this battle. General Zhang and the Xianyu family have been in Yuyang for a long time, so I'm afraid only the general can contact them."

There was no need for Tian Chou to remind him of this matter, but Zhang Chun had already planned it.

Now he is extremely angry about the Yellow Turbans. If he has a chance to fight back, he will definitely use all available resources.

The southern part of Yuyang is far away from several counties in the north, so until now the Xianyu clan has not been invaded by the Yellow Turbans. This is indeed a great help that he can gain.

"The current head of the Xianyu family, Xianyu Fuzheng, is a close friend of Zhang. I will write a letter and I will definitely get a promise!"

Zhang Chun agreed immediately. Although he said it lightly, in fact, the powerful families all put profit first. This is no different from Tian Chou before. If they are not given sweet benefits, they will not bother to meddle in other people's business.

Now he could only promise to give away all the territories of several northern counties, and he only hoped to get back the Zhang family business.

After seeing Tian Chou off, Zhang Chun did not waste any time and immediately began to edit the book, in which he even hinted at the promise of dividing up several counties in the northern part of Yuyang.

Although these places are still under Xu Chen's control, it does not affect Zhang Chun's view that they are in his pocket.

If the combined forces of Youbeiping and Xianyu clan are still unable to wipe out the Yellow Turbans, it would be truly unjust!

Zhang Chun was only looking forward to the early arrival of autumn harvest; he couldn't wait to kill all the Yellow Turbans!

What happened next developed just as Zhang Chun had expected. Not only did Tian express a positive attitude towards the fight against the bandits, but Xianyu Fu, tempted by the benefits, also wrote back to agree to this matter.

Things were slowly finalized through discussions. Although it was not yet the autumn harvest, several forces had already begun preparing for war.

The Xianyu clan in the south of Yuyang suddenly began to reorganize their troops, and the pace of drill training became increasingly intense, while Youbeiping also began to prepare for food and fodder supplies and requisition young and strong men early on.

As they prepared, the days gradually drew closer to the autumn harvest, and the atmosphere of war became increasingly intense.

In the end, the noise became bigger and bigger, and it was difficult to hide it from the eyes of outsiders, especially those people who were originally assigned to various places. They sent back to Yuyang all the clues and movements they saw.

However, it was a long time before these clues were gathered in Yuyang.

The Yellow Turbans are still in a relatively stable window period, and their leader Xu Chen is completely unaware that a large net is forming around them unknowingly.

　Two more chapters tonight

　　
　
(End of this chapter)