People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 171 Destiny

After closing the small thatched cottage where he had lived for four years, Ju Shou even felt a little reluctant to leave. After living here for such a long time, this small thatched cottage had actually become his home.

If you think positively, a few years of simple working life can be regarded as a way to cultivate your character and return to a simple life.

Traces of my past life can be seen everywhere in this place, but from today onwards it will be completely deserted. Not only will I have to say goodbye to this place completely, but Fu Xie will also never show up again.

After a conversation with Xu Chen a few days ago, when he came back, Fu Xie had already left the thatched cottage, leaving only the glass of cold water.

After spending several years together, they could be considered close friends, but when they parted, they didn't even say goodbye, because they had different paths and went their separate ways.

That guy will eventually go to support the Han Dynasty, and no one knows where he will end up.

Ju Shou shook his head and stopped thinking about these things.

Now that he has joined Xu Chen, as a secretary he has to work around his boss. Xu Chen has already opened a public housing unit for him in the government office, so he will never have to come back to this place again.

Carrying a few simple pieces of luggage, Ju Shou finally closed the door, bid farewell to his past self, and turned away.

However, he did not have a good night's stay there after moving to the government office, because he followed Xu Chenyuan to Liaodong that day. As for what they were going to do, he certainly knew very well.

The Yellow Turbans would keep Liu Yu in Youzhou as a cover and try to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible. At least they would not take any action against Liu Yu until the next major event. Before that, the Yellow Turbans would focus their energy on other things.

The border areas of the Han Dynasty have never been peaceful. Now the Wuhuan in the east have been completely pacified, but the Xianbei, Buyeo, and Goguryeo outside the Great Wall are not peaceful. Since the Yellow Turbans occupied Liaoxi and Liaodong, their invasions and harassment have been common.

Several years of peace made the Yellow Turbans relatively prosperous, which to outsiders was like a big piece of fat meat that everyone wanted to take a bite of.

If the Yellow Turbans want to avoid foreign invasions, they will need to pay a lot of defense costs. It would be fine if they can't spare the time, but as long as they have time, Xu Chen will seek a simpler and more labor-saving way to solve this problem.

It's not a good thing to be remembered by others all the time. People have to suffer a little before they dare not act rashly.

"My lord, our army is going to strive to stabilize the rear this time, but it is not advisable to start a war everywhere. If our army is caught in the vortex of war, it will be bad. The best way is to strike one and scare the other two."

The five thousand strong army set off in a mighty force. Ju Shou and Xu Chen rode in the same carriage and soon started talking about business.

The expedition plan only took two days from decision to execution, and many things had to be planned bit by bit along the way.

Hearing this, Xu Chen nodded and said, "Your thoughts coincide with mine. I intend to strike at the Xianbei and intimidate Goguryeo Buyeo. I don't ask for too long. As long as we can get five years of stability in the rear, that will be enough."

Ju Su praised: "My lord, your opinion is brilliant. Among the surrounding tribes, only the Xianbei are fierce and greedy and cannot coexist. As for Buyeo and Goguryeo, although they are not honest, they have only dared to secretly occupy land. As long as we can successfully suppress the Xianbei, we will be able to intimidate them."

Xu Chen said: "Although the troops dispatched this time are not many, they are enough to suppress the Xianbei. I don't think there will be any accidents."

Ju Su said: "There is a Xianbei tribe outside the Liaodong Great Wall. They are not very strong and only control about 3,000 cavalry. Our army will dispatch 3,000 infantry and 2,000 civilians this time, and then recruit 2,000 cavalry from Liaoxi. We will surely win."

This military expedition was indeed conservative, but Xu Chen himself did not intend to fight a long war. His goal was only to suppress the Xianbei.

He didn't even plan to rescue the many tribes outside the Great Wall. Most of these places were still bitter and cold. The Yellow Turbans needed to develop their limited energy in the Central Plains instead of using it to develop outside the Great Wall first.

As for Goguryeo and Buyeo, they just need to avoid causing trouble for the Yellow Turbans. Xu Chen will not attack them for the time being.

If there is a time to expand outward, it must be after the Yellow Turbans have successfully achieved their great cause.

There is no need to go to great lengths just to achieve short-term peace in the surrounding areas. Seven thousand troops are enough. After all, the strength of each Xianbei tribe is just that, and Buyeo and Goguryeo are even weaker.

With the current quality of the Yellow Turbans' army, these troops can easily march across the border.

Xu Chen lowered his head and looked at the map: "This time, I have to conquer Xuantu and Lelang counties. This will probably take a lot of time."

Ju Su smiled and said, "Now that General Wang Dang is in charge of Yuyang, they can protect themselves. I have also sent messengers to Luoyang to deliver a message. As long as we can persuade Dong Zhuo to issue an edict of separation, Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan will inevitably be forced to guard against Han Fu and will have no extra energy to look east."

Xu Chen also smiled. It was hard to say whether this strategy of sowing discord would work.

However, only in the novels will strategies develop 100% according to the script. If the Yellow Turbans want to ensure their own stability, they will definitely not rely on this strategy of sowing discord, but will really rely on the soldiers and civilians under their command.

He also knew that the situation in Jizhou was not just dependent on Han Fu. There was news from the capital that Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo had fallen out, and now he had thrown away his seal of the Sili Xiaowei and fled to Jizhou. However, Dong Zhuo, under the persuasion of his subordinates, was concerned about the strength of the Yuan family and instead appointed Yuan Shao as the governor of Bohai.

Yuan Shao's behavior largely reflects the attitude of the scholar group towards Dong Zhuo. The fact is that after the emperor was deposed and enthroned, the voices condemning Dong Zhuo gradually became louder.

Even the governors and prefects of various provinces appointed by Dong Zhuo after he took control of the government did not feel any gratitude towards him and also shouted to attack the traitor Dong.

The situation was just as Ju Su had predicted, with a tendency to unite and attack Dong Zhuo gradually emerging. Although it was unknown when they would be able to fully form a joint force and take action, under this situation, the Yellow Turbans who were competing with Liu Yu in Youzhou seemed less conspicuous.

The arrival of Yuan Shao in Jizhou was enough to give Han Fu a headache, and this was the variable in Ju Su's plan of sowing discord.

Therefore, Xu Chen did not have high expectations for this strategy of sowing discord. This strategy was just a casual move. If it succeeded, it would help the situation a little. If it failed, there would be no loss.

After all, conquering the world depends on resources and people's hearts. Any clever tricks to bring peace to the world are just dramatic things.

After a conversation between the two, they quickly finalized the action plan. Ju Shou then took his leave and got off the carriage, then rode his horse to inspect the marching column.

As the leader's secretary, his daily duties are to help Xu Chen deal with various chores, give him advice, and act as Xu Chen's eyes to monitor the situation.

If there is anything wrong below, although he has no actual authority, he can still interfere slightly.

Even if the secretary is just a personal assistant, Ju Shou is the secretary of the leader after all, and can represent the leader to a certain extent. It is by no means an insignificant position.

However, after looking at it for a while, Ju Shou couldn't see any problems at all. He could only sigh that the Yellow Turbans' military construction was too mature.

Equipment and treatment of soldiers are just external conditions, but internal factors require careful observation to understand.

In the past, even if he had been careful to observe, as an ordinary citizen, Ju Shou could not learn much information about the Yellow Turbans. He could only feel that the Yellow Turbans were very strong. They were not only well-equipped but also had high morale and frequent training.

And now, looking from a higher position, he can feel more things.

He has read the Yellow Turbans' military law and discipline countless times in the past few days. Each and every one of them has its own profound meaning. Even the rule of not eating a single grain of rice from the people, although it looks simple and obvious, is the fastest and most direct way to shape the soldiers' behavior and thinking.

The emphasis on equal discipline in the military is the basis for the Yellow Turbans' current military seminars. Otherwise, no one will listen to the soldiers.

Although there were only 5,000 troops in front of him, 2,000 of whom were civilians, Ju Su still felt excited as he followed them. No one could understand the strength of the Yellow Turbans better than him.

It is not easy for my lord to pull out such a truly elite force under the situation of the Yellow Turbans' collapse.
Ju Shou couldn't help but admire him. The more he knew about the Yellow Turbans and Xu Chen, the more shocked and fortunate he was. As someone who came from a noble family, how could he not know the level of the nobles? In comparison, it could only be said that the Yellow Turbans had won by a huge margin.

He became more and more confident in the Yellow Turbans' cause and more and more glad of his decision.

If I leave, no matter who I follow, it will be difficult to compete with the Yellow Turbans. This is not just a simple comparison of strength, but a victory of the advanced over the backward in terms of system, and even more so a victory of the advanced over the backward in terms of ideology.

Just as King Wu of Zhou replaced the backward system of worshipping ghosts and gods with the advanced system of rituals and music when he conquered King Zhou of Zhou, what is about to happen today is equally irreversible.

I am already on the right side, and my lord is the one who has inherited the destiny just like Zhou Wu!
Ju Su's feeling became even stronger after he entered western Liaoning.

As soon as he entered the territory of western Liaoning, he saw a group of two thousand cavalrymen coming to greet him.

Although the leader of the cavalry also had the iconic short hair and a yellow turban, Ju Shou could tell his identity at a glance. He could easily tell from his face that he was a Wuhuan.

This image alone says so much.

This made him realize that the Yellow Turbans' rule over the Wuhuan in western Liaoning was not an inherent vassal rule, otherwise the Wuhuan generals would never have gone to the point of converting to Christianity.

Moreover, when he looked around, he saw that there were quite a few Wuhuan cavalrymen who looked like this.

"I am Wuli, your subordinate. I greet you, Master. This time, we will follow you into battle!"

Wuli dismounted and saluted Xu Chen in a very standard military posture. The Han cavalry and Wuhuan cavalry that followed also dismounted and saluted Xu Chen in unison.

Ju Su clearly saw that there was a gleam in these people's eyes, and the way they looked at their lord was as if they were really worshiping gods.

(End of this chapter)