People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 178 Contract Making
In less than an hour, Gao Xiancheng fell into the hands of the Yellow Turbans. This result was exactly what Xu Chen had expected, and it also made Wei Choutai and Bo Gu terrified.

When the city was broken, the leader Xu Chen was still drinking and chatting with them happily. It really felt like everything was wiped out in the midst of their conversation.

Such behavior is based on Xu Chen's complete confidence in the strength of the Yellow Turbans. Using the current combat power to attack a small county like Xuantu is actually bullying a child. There will be no suspense at all.

Of course, this was also a deliberate performance. The more calm and composed he was, the more unfathomable he seemed to Wei Choutai and Bo Gu.

Huang Long then came back to report the battle losses. In this battle, the Yellow Turbans suffered 400 casualties, captured one city, captured over 3,000 enemy soldiers, killed the governor of Xuantu County, and seized countless food and supplies.

Such a result shocked Wei Choutai and Bo Gu who were standing by.

If the Yellow Turbans could achieve such a record in Gaoxian, they could also replicate such a record in Goguryeo and Buyeo. At least Wei Chou Taibo asked himself that if he were to defend the city himself, he probably could not do better than Gaoxian City.

And the troops he saw now were far from the full strength of the Yellow Turbans.

Afterwards, Xu Chen even pulled the two of them to the battlefield area, and it was on the battlefield that they felt the Yellow Turbans' more intrinsic strength.

At this time, the battlefield was filled with gloom, the loess was soaked red with blood, and all kinds of wailing and screaming could be heard everywhere.

This situation is not uncommon, war is so cruel.

What surprised Wei Choutai and Bo Gu was that although the atmosphere on the battlefield was depressing, it was not chaotic at all, and the subsequent work of cleaning up the battlefield was being carried out efficiently. Whether it was treating the wounded, transporting and burying corpses, or counting captured items and settling prisoners, everything was in order.

It was visible to the naked eye that the battlefield, which had been in a mess just now, was quickly cleaned up and became simple and clear under the effective organization of the Yellow Turbans.

The two men were immediately shocked by the effective organizational ability of the Yellow Turbans. As the saying goes, a glimpse of a leaf can reveal the whole picture. When they feel such details, they can immediately understand the difficulty involved.

Such performance may seem simple, but it actually requires soldiers to have extremely high obedience, the military's organizational system must be complete and efficient, and various responsibilities must be clearly divided.

It may not sound like a big deal, but there are definitely very few armies that can actually do it.

As they followed Xu Chen on his patrol of the battlefield, they were even more envious of the soldiers' heartfelt admiration for Xu Chen along the way. As monarchs of small countries, this was something they wanted but was rare.

Afterwards, Xu Chen brought them to the military medical camp, but in the end they did not actually go in. Xu Chen had no intention of disturbing the military doctors' work at such a busy time.

But even if they just watched from a distance, they could feel the pain of the wounded soldiers inside.

Boguwei Qiutai keenly discovered an interesting phenomenon. Those who received treatment here were not only the Yellow Turban soldiers, but even the defenders who had just been fighting a desperate battle with the Yellow Turbans were also receiving treatment from the Yellow Turbans.

They wanted to ask, but when they saw that both the leader Xu Chen and the other Yellow Turban soldiers were used to it, they understood that this must have been the practice of the Yellow Turbans all along.

It seems that the Yellow Turbans are not only powerful, but also much more benevolent than ordinary armies.
They were even more amazed. With such a broad mind and character, how could people not be willing to follow him? The subconscious feeling of closeness they felt when they first met the leader of the Yellow Turbans was perhaps due to the temperament brought about by his personal charm.

"Weapons are dangerous tools. No one knows how much life and blood is lost in a war. That is why stability and peace are so precious."

Xu Chen pulled them to the top of Gaoxian City Wall, his tone a little low.

Bo Gu and Yu Chou Tai did not feel anything when they heard this. As the upper class predators, they did not feel anything about the casualties of the lower class. In their eyes, soldiers were just tools they controlled. Since they were tools, the loss was not something difficult to accept.

On the contrary, seeing Xu Chen's reaction, they were still wondering whether this was a hypocritical act to win over the soldiers.

Xu Chen didn't care what they thought, he just continued: "I want to sign an agreement with you two, and truly treat the maintenance of peace here as a career. I hope you can help me, the Yellow Turbans, and work hard for the long-term stability of our people."

Bo Gu was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Wei Choutai was also a little confused. He was suddenly dragged into this by Xu Chen, which made him a little overwhelmed. This matter had not been told in advance.

Xu Chen was not surprised at all when he saw their reaction. He just wanted to catch them off guard, so he suddenly brought up this matter. "Don't worry, I have already planned this matter. I have already drafted a contract. You two can take it back and study it. If you think it is feasible, we can discuss this matter again."

After saying that, Xu Chen waved his hand, and soon Ju Su came up from behind.

After bowing to Xu Chen, Ju Su stood up and presented something to Wei Choutai and Bo Gu respectively. They were two pieces of treaty paper.

The two took it and saw that it was all in simplified Chinese characters, which they could barely understand. Before they could take a closer look, Xu Chen smiled and said, "You two can think about this carefully. I have to conquer the remaining areas of Xuantu, and then there is Lelang to be taken. There is still a lot of time. When you two have considered it properly, you can send an envoy to finalize this matter."

Wei Choutai and Bo Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief. They were afraid that the Yellow Turbans would force them to make some agreement, which would be very uncomfortable for them if it was not in their favor.

But looking at Xu Chen, he seemed very sincere and had no intention of bullying the weak.

Since there is room for independent decision-making, they are not so afraid of this agreement, but rather a little curious.

The two looked at each other and bowed to Xu Chen together: "Master, you are just. If possible, we will help you. However, the signing of a contract is witnessed by heaven and earth and cannot be ignored. Master, please wait for a while and let us examine it clearly before making a decision."

Xu Chen nodded: "That's great, I will wait for good news."

Then the two of them left with their ministers.
Xu Chen then set his sights on Ju Shou. The matter of concluding the treaty would definitely be negotiated by the ministers of the three parties, so he would leave it to Ju Shou.

In making this treaty, Xu Chen had no intention of harming them, everything was aboveboard.

In terms of content, this is a treaty that is beneficial to all three parties. If cooperation is finally achieved, it will indeed be able to protect the relative stability of the three forces in this area.

"There is no need to be too haggard when discussing this matter. As long as the general direction is beneficial, we should do our best to promote it. If the treaty is successful, it will not only enable the three parties to maintain a better relationship, but also ensure the stability of our rear with the help of their power." Xu Chen looked at Ju Su and instructed.

Ju Su also agreed: "My lord, your opinion is great, and I think so too."

Xu Chen nodded and said no more. He believed that Ju Shou was fully capable of doing this well.

In the following days, the Yellow Turbans carried out two tasks at the same time. On the one hand, they continued to advance towards the remaining areas of Xuantu County, and on the other hand, they started tripartite negotiations with Goguryeo and Buyeo.

The advantage of being open and honest is that as long as it is beneficial, you don’t have to force others, and others will tend to choose to cooperate.

The overall content of the treaty is nothing more than two things. The first is that the Yellow Turbans plan to form a joint defense army with Goguryeo and Buyeo in the east. The three parties will each provide troops, money and food to share the cost of maintaining the army and create a mixed infantry and cavalry team of 10,000 people.

This matter will benefit all 30,000 people. Although it will require some money, food and manpower, it will not be too much of a burden.

It is obvious who this joint defense army is targeting: the scattered Xianbei tribes on the vast grassland. The targets of these Xianbei tribes have never been just the Han people. They will not let go of anything they can rob.

Buyeo and Goguryeo suffered a lot from the Xianbei people.

That is to say, the Wuhuan tribes in the east have now been completely pacified by the Yellow Turbans. Otherwise, with the mixed forces of various parties, no one in the surrounding area can expect to live in peace.

If they could ensure their own stability by paying such a small amount of money and food, they would not reject this cooperation initiative. Moreover, there is another great benefit in doing so. At least as partners, the Yellow Turbans, who are more powerful than the Xianbei, will not come to target them.

In addition, another treaty was to open up trade, and the Yellow Turbans' salt, sugar, cloth, glass and other commodities could enter their market.

For them, there was absolutely no reason to refuse this offer. Liaodong was already cold and harsh, and Goguryeo and Buyeo were even poorer and barrener. The goods from the Han Dynasty were what they longed for. If the Yellow Turbans could open up trade, it would bring them many things that they could not otherwise obtain.

Of course, these are just two general directions, and many of the specific details need to be resolved through negotiation.

For example, the appointment of generals of the United Defense Force, who will be responsible for training, who will provide equipment, who will take orders on a daily basis, how to price the goods in the trade, and how to control the scale.

There are so many complicated matters like this that the ministers of the three parties can argue fiercely for a long time over a small matter. It will take a long time to discuss all of them.

Xu Chen never expected to rely on this treaty to suck blood from Goguryeo and Buyeo. In fact, they were extremely poor and there was not much oil and water worth sucking from them.

He just wanted to raise an army in a relatively low-cost way to prevent the Xianbei from invading his rear.

If the Joint Defense Force is established, this goal can be achieved. I dare not say that it can completely keep out all threats, but at least it can save me a lot of worries. The main point is cost-effectiveness.

As for the trade, it is also beneficial to all three parties. Goguryeo's fishing and hunting spoils as well as herbs are what the Yellow Turbans need. By the way, it can also facilitate the negotiation of a treaty. Why not do it?

(End of this chapter)