People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 19 Scary
Xu Chen saw that as Zhang Zhongjing was listening, he suddenly took out some bamboo sticks, and then started to carve words on them with a pen under the campfire. The content of the words was naturally the theory of microorganisms.

After all, human memory is limited, and the best option for such valuable theories is to preserve them in writing.

Although Cai Lun had invented paper technology long ago, paper has not yet become popular.

This is not only because of the slow promotion of technology these days, but also because people's usage habits have not changed. Nowadays, scholars still mainly use bamboo slips for reading and writing.

But engraving was quite difficult after all, and Xu Chen couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

“Mr. Zhang, there is no need to record this. I will complete this content in The Natural Way when I settle down in the future.

The teachings of my religion are all-encompassing, contain the mechanism of the universe, summarize the phenomena of heaven and earth, and the medical principles are also the principles of nature. The scriptures should explain this.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhongjing stopped engraving and looked up at Xu Chen.

But when he looked at Xu Chen, he seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he smiled.

"I am a cautious person, so it would be better for me to burn a copy myself."

After saying this, Zhang Zhongjing started carving again.

Since the other party was willing to carve it himself, Xu Chen certainly had nothing to say. However, when he carefully savored the look in Zhang Zhongjing's eyes just now, he always felt that it was somewhat meaningful.

Could it be that this guy thinks he will never have the chance to write scriptures again?

Am I so weak in his eyes? Although the situation of the rebels is a bit difficult, it is not so miserable that I will die, right?

After a long time, Zhang Zhongjing finally finished burning. It was already late, and he didn't want to disturb Xu Chen any longer, so he bowed and said goodbye.

But when he left for the last time, he sighed inadvertently and gave Xu Chen a look of regret.

This subconscious reaction was very subtle, but Xu Chen could still feel it. This guy probably wanted to say that it was a pity that such a talent was regarded as a traitor and killed by the imperial court.

This made Xu Chen silent. He could only complain in his heart. Even if it was just to "disappoint" this guy, he had to live well.

The night was peaceful, and the next day when the sky was bright, the Yellow Turbans, who had had enough rest, gradually woke up and started to cook.

The curling smoke from cooking adds a bit of vitality to the barren and desolate mountains.

After robbing a group of powerful people, the Yellow Turbans’ life became much easier.

A powerful family that occupies fertile fields in the fields has accumulated enough grain over many years of operation to last for five or six days, even if it is to supply more than 4,000 people.

Moreover, Xu Chen let the Yellow Turbans eat as much as they wanted. In those days, ordinary people with a stable life only had two meals a day, but he let the Yellow Turbans have three meals a day, without any intention of being frugal.

If nothing else, it's so that they will have the strength to fight in case of emergencies.

Food can be found again if it is gone, but the lack of strength due to eating less cannot be replenished all at once. In the current situation of exile, it is very important to keep the soldiers physically fit.

After marching for another three days, the food supply was running low.

Seeing that they were about to collapse, General Wang Dang immediately came over with a worried look on his face.

"Master, our army is running out of food and fodder. We should consider finding another fat sheep to rob... and confiscate the ill-gotten gains."

When Xu Chen heard this, he suddenly felt a headache.

It is really not easy to maintain an army. Let alone weapons, equipment, training and drills, just having so many hungry mouths to feed is already enough to make life difficult.

This is just a few thousand people. If it is a large army of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, the food consumed in a day is an astronomical figure. Ordinary people can't afford it. Exile is not a long-term solution after all. If you only rely on fighting local tyrants, you will sooner or later collapse. If you really want to develop these Yellow Turbans for a long time, you have to get a piece of land to manage the people.

Xu Chen was also unable to produce any food, so he could only make a few prevarications, saying that he would wait and see, and that there would always be a turning point. After walking for so many days, it was time to see some movement.

As Xu Chen expected, after they had been walking for a long time, scouts from the front came on horseback to report that they had discovered a county town twenty miles ahead.

In addition to the spy who came back to report the news, there was another person on his warhorse, who seemed to be a woodcutter from the surrounding area.

"This is the woodcutter we met on the way back. I thought I could get some information from him, so I caught him."

As he said this, the spy jumped off his horse and then pulled the woodcutter down with him.

The woodcutter was already frightened, and when he saw the bald men in yellow turbans all over the mountains, he thought to himself that his life was over and he almost fainted.

Xu Chen walked over and took Qiaomin's hand with a friendly face. His smiling face looked like he had seen a relative he hadn't seen for many years.

This friendly and gentle attitude made the woodcutters relax a lot.

Although the other Yellow Turbans were all ferocious and ugly, this little Taoist priest still looked handsome and likable.

"Don't panic, my dear. We just want to ask you something and we won't hurt you." Xu Chen smiled and looked harmless. "May I ask what's ahead?"

Although the woodcutter was panicking, he could only bite the bullet and answer: "The front is Zhuo County."

"Zhuo County..." Xu Chen thought for a while, and suddenly remembered that this was Liu Bei's hometown, but Liu Bei should not be there at this time.

He then asked: "Do you know how many soldiers there are in the county?"

When the woodcutter heard this question, he shuddered. Suddenly he realized what the Yellow Turbans were planning to do. "I don't know. I'm just a woodcutter. How can I know these things?"

Xu Chen squinted his eyes and glanced at him. He suspected that this guy didn't know the answer, but was just unwilling to say it.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Chen's expression suddenly changed. His originally gentle and gentle expression suddenly became fierce: "I spoke kindly, but you answered untruthfully. Aren't you taking advantage of my youth? Wang Dang, drag him over and behead him!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Wang Dang immediately understood what was going on. His eyes widened into huge bells. He quickly drew out his long knife, grabbed the woodcutter's collar and walked out.

It looked as if the woodcutter's head was about to be separated from him in the next moment.

At this time, the woodcutter, who was frightened by the sudden change of face, finally woke up, and then twisted and howled like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.

"No, no, no, I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything!
There were seven or eight hundred county soldiers in that county, all of whom were first-rate strong and skilled soldiers.

I have already said it, this is absolutely the truth, spare my life, spare my life!"

Hearing this, Xu Chen waved his hand, and Wang Dang put away his stance and pushed the woodcutter in front of Xu Chen again.

After this incident, the woodcutter was so frightened that not only did his face turn pale, but his legs also began to tremble. He looked like he was going to fall down at any moment.

Xu Chen felt helpless. It would have been enough for him to cooperate earlier. Why did he have to scare you before you would behave yourself?

"Why do you know so clearly?"

"I...I often deliver firewood to the government office. I have seen Magistrate Gongsun lead his troops in drills a few times. I estimate that there are about 700 to 800 soldiers."

(End of this chapter)