People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 134 Yellow Turban Holy Land
In Youzhou Yuyang, the two teams of Tian Shitou and Zhang Baiqi, which combined had thousands of people, arrived in Youzhou Yuyang so peacefully. Along the way, whenever they passed through a village or county town, the people along the way Zhang Baiqi saw all welcomed the Yellow Turbans warmly.

The attitude that was revealed inadvertently was not even one of gratitude and admiration, but a casual and natural attitude similar to that towards relatives.

Occasionally when the army rested on the spot, the surrounding people would spontaneously send them food. It was also at this time that Zhang Baiqi learned about the disciplines of the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou.

Because they are not allowed to accept things from ordinary people, every time this happens, the army and the people will engage in extreme tug-of-war.

It has to be said that the Yellow Turbans' disciplines and military laws were actually very strict. They were a comprehensive constraint on everything from daily behavior to moral thoughts. Even the military laws for officers and soldiers would not go to this extent.

However, Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long seemed to have some understanding of this. Perhaps it was because of this that the Yellow Turbans here were treated like family members by the common people.
After entering Yuyang County, Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long had a very special feeling. This feeling made them feel inexplicably safe and comfortable, as if they had not felt this way for a long time since they joined the Yellow Turbans.

Only later did they slowly realize what this feeling was: it was the feeling of returning home.

Here, the people will not regard him as a traitor and avoid him like the plague, nor will he have to fear the government's possible suppression at any time. He can walk on the street openly and finally no longer exist as a traitor hated by everyone.

The army arrived at the city of Yuyang amid the greetings of the people. They saw the people at the city gate cheering on both sides.

In the distance, you can vaguely see a young man standing with a smile on his face, surrounded by yellow turbans.

"It's so nice here," Huang Long exclaimed sincerely.

Zhang Baiqi nodded, then smiled: "Yes, that's great."

When they came here, they truly felt that this was the pure land and holy place of the Yellow Turbans. This feeling of being supported by the people was something they rarely experienced, even when they had followed the Great Sage Master.

Only when they are here can they unconsciously forget that they are traitors.

The young man who was waiting at the city gate came over with a smile. When they saw that he was just a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old, they immediately understood his identity.

And the only person who could be surrounded by so many people could be the leader.

It was like a spring breeze blowing towards them. Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long only heard a clear and friendly voice, and then their hands were grabbed.

"Two brothers are finally here. I have been waiting for you for a long time. My business is booming now, but we are short of manpower. Your coming here has helped us a lot!"

With just one sentence, Xu Chen transformed other people's seeking refuge into other people's help, which immediately made Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long less worried. Of course, they understood that this was Xu Chen's way of saying he was taking care of them.

Only then did they take a closer look at the leader.

Along the way, they heard Tian Shitou and other soldiers praising this leader to the skies, and they had been extremely curious about him. Now, after taking a look, they could indeed feel some special qualities from this leader.

Although the leader was too young, Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long did not feel awkward when they were with him. Instead, they inexplicably felt convinced, and this feeling was familiar to them.

I remember that when the Great Sage was still around, I seemed to have felt the same way.

They did not realize that this was a kind of leadership temperament. As Xu Chen became more mature in this position, he naturally acquired this temperament, and his every move could easily infect others.

Moreover, although this leader was very young, he was not childish at all. Instead, he was extremely mature and tolerant. Just one sentence made Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long feel his delicate mind.

"I, Zhang Baiqi, a Yellow Turban general from Jizhou, greet the leader!"

"I am Huang Long, a Yellow Turban general from Jizhou. I am honored to meet you, Master!"

Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long knelt on one knee at the same time and saluted with their fists clasped. Without any hesitation, they directly addressed the other as the leader.

If they had not had this experience, they would never have recognized this leader so easily. However, what they had seen and heard along the way made them convinced before they actually met Xu Chen.

This leader is capable, magnanimous, wise, and persistent in his ideals. Following him, perhaps we can really strengthen the Yellow Turbans again.

Seeing their attitude, Xu Chen happily pulled them up one by one, then smiled and shook his head and said, "You two should know that we are all brothers who share the same ideals and struggles. There is only a difference in position between us, not in status. No one needs to kneel to anyone else in the future."

After hearing this, the two were shocked. When they looked around and saw that everyone around them didn't take it seriously, they realized that this was indeed not just a polite remark, so they stood up together.

This made them even more impressed by the style and demeanor of the leader Xu Chen.

"The leader has not forgotten the poor brothers in other places, so the brothers will definitely support the leader. From now on, I, Zhang Baiqi, will follow the leader's lead. When I come back, I will go back to bring back the remaining brothers and their families to join the leader!" Zhang Baiqi bowed his hands and expressed his attitude directly. Huang Long also nodded quickly: "Me too!"

Hearing this, Xu Chen smiled meaningfully and said, "Brothers, don't rush to make a decision. You still need to look around and think about it. After you have seen and heard everything, if you are still willing to stay, it won't be too late to talk about this matter later."

Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long were both stunned, not quite understanding what this meant. But before they could ask, Wang Dang, who had been behind, finally stood up.

Wang Dang glanced at the two men's faces and recognized them at first glance. After all, they were all former Yellow Turban brothers, and he could still remember them even if their names had changed.

When a few acquaintances met, the scene suddenly became lively. Wang Dang laughed and reminisced about the past with them, and started bragging and chatting.

When Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long saw the familiar face, they all relaxed.

That night, Yuyang held a welcoming banquet for Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long. The old Yellow Turbans drank till they were drunk and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Xu Chen was enthusiastic enough towards them and showed a very good attitude, which both of them clearly felt.

However, except for the first day when Xu Chen came to greet them in person, Xu Chen rarely showed up in the following days. Instead, he asked Tian Shitou to take them to his home to see and hear.

The two of them actually understood Xu Chen's meaning, which was probably to ask them to look carefully, listen carefully, and think carefully before going to see him.

And in the past few days, they have truly experienced everything here and seen a lot, and many of their curiosities and questions about the Yellow Turbans here have been resolved.

After seeing the salt fields and iron works that were operating non-stop, they were dazzled by the countless outputs. They finally understood where the Yellow Turbans here got so much money and food to support their elite troops.

What's more, they couldn't understand why they saw many people here holding pieces of paper in their hands to buy and sell things.

They also found a family of a blind date in the countryside to stay for one night. During this conversation, they learned that this family used to work for powerful lords to make a living. After the Yellow Turbans came, all the powerful lords were tried and liquidated, and land was distributed to every household in the village. Their lives are now a little better.

Moreover, the Yellow Turbans abolished excessive taxes and levies, so that common people only had to pay 20% of the grain tax, and every household could save some surplus grain.

They could use the surplus grain to rent or buy farm tools and oxen from the agricultural marketing cooperative, or to buy salt, sugar, and cloth. On important occasions, they could even get some meat for a meal.

In fact, life was still very hard and poor, but it was enough to surprise Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long.

At least as people from poor backgrounds, they had never dared to imagine such a life before, let alone eating meat, buying iron tools, farm tools and clothes. They were just thankful to have enough food to eat.

The Yellow Turbans distributed land and introduced relaxed policies, which enabled every household to support themselves and have enough surplus for additional expenses.

They all thought that if it were them, how could they not be grateful to the Yellow Turbans.

The Yellow Turbans here are indeed different from others. They are not in a hurry to do something big and spectacular, nor do they attempt to overthrow the Han Dynasty all at once. Instead, they steadily build their homeland and practice their own ideals.

The leader doesn’t just talk about such an ideal, he actually does it.

As a reward for one night's accommodation, Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long helped the farmer with some farm work the next day. In their spare time, they sat on the edge of the field and chatted with the old farmer.

Now that the autumn harvest has passed, the old wheat for crop rotation has been planted. Looking around, the vast tracts of farmland are all well tended. One can imagine that in a few months, it will be another round of harvest.

"If the Yellow Turbans hadn't recently improved the stone mill, allowing us to grind flour in the village, we wouldn't have planted so much wheat. The wheat harvest is small and not tasty, but the flour made from it tastes good. In the future, we can choose to plant more varieties, and with crop rotation, we can harvest a lot more each year."

The old farmer wiped the sweat off his face and laughed, looking at the crops in his own field as if they were treasures.

Zhang Baiqi felt it even more strongly that the Yellow Turbans brought not only benevolence and righteousness, but also change.

After he went deeper into it, he felt that everything here, from the system to the reality, was very different from before. It was these differences that made people's lives better.

"Are all the Yellow Turbans here equally good to the people?" Zhang Baiqi couldn't help but ask the old farmer. This question also made Huang Long look sideways.

The old farmer was about to agree, but then he shook his head and said, "The village chiefs and sergeants below have also bullied men and women and withheld grain taxes. But once the guards arrive, we can report them and there will be results. There is nothing to worry about."

Zhang Baiqi and Huang Long looked at each other, both of them seemed to understand something.

(End of this chapter)