People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 20: Gongsun County Magistrate
Gongsun County Magistrate...

As soon as Xu Chen heard the word Gongsun, he immediately perked up. When he heard this surname in Youzhou, a name suddenly flashed through his mind.

"What is the name of this County Magistrate Gongsun?"

"I...Master, spare me, I don't know!"

When the woodcutter heard this question, his already pale face turned even paler. He really couldn't answer this question.

He was very afraid that this would anger the moody young Taoist priest again and he would chop off his head again.

"I only heard others call out Magistrate Gongsun, and I just followed suit. I never knew the Magistrate's real name. I'm not lying, I really don't know!"

Xu Chen looked at the woodcutter, seeing his panic and fear, and felt that he was probably not lying this time.

This was not a strange thing. To the woodcutter, the county magistrate was a figure who was high above him and whom he could only look up to. This inequality in status was like an insurmountable chasm, and it was already good enough for the woodcutter to know his last name.

But when the woodcutter saw Xu Chen looked thoughtful, he was afraid that he might doubt himself, so he quickly racked his brains to recall something useful.

"Also, I know something else. I heard from several county soldiers that County Magistrate Gongsun was a very powerful official in other places before. He beat all the northern Hu people and made them beg for mercy. It was only later that he came to our Zhuo County to be an official."

After the woodcutter finished speaking, he looked at Xu Chen's reaction with fear. He didn't know whether the information he revealed could satisfy the other party.

In fact, this information is indeed useful. After listening to it, Xu Chen knew that County Magistrate Gongsun was the person he had guessed.

This is a tough one...

However, Xu Chen was not that afraid. If he wanted to survive in this world, he had to be prepared to fight against various heroes.

"What you said is very useful, but I can't let you go now. I will let you go after I take over Zhuo County."

Xu Chen made the decision for the woodcutter without asking for his consent.

Upon hearing this, the woodcutter not only did not resist, but was greatly relieved. As long as his head was not chopped off, anything was fine.

After the woodcutter was taken away, Xu Chen looked at Wang Dang beside him.

"Old Wang, we should study how to attack Zhuo County."

……

Not far from the Zhuo County government office is a huge parade ground. At this moment, a man with thick eyebrows, square face and sharp eyes was supervising the soldiers' drill on a high platform.

This man was tall and sturdy. Although he was wearing an official uniform, his temperament was more like that of a warrior.

This is naturally the magistrate of Zhuo County, Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan, whose courtesy name was Bogui, was born into the Liaoxi branch of the Gongsun clan. Although he came from a noble family, he was from a side branch and was not initially valued by his family.

It was not until I slowly built up some status and position through hard work and luck.

A few years ago, he served as the chief historian of the Liaodong vassal state and fought against the Xianbei people. He was feared by the Xianbei people because of his bravery and strength in combat. Eventually, he gained a great reputation and was promoted to the magistrate of Zhuo County.

But his ambition does not stop there. The magistrate of Zhuo County is just a stepping stone in his eyes. He wants to climb higher and gain a higher status!
To achieve this, Gongsun Zan knew exactly what he was relying on. It was not the Gongsun clan who did not give him much help, but...

Gongsun Zan looked at the soldiers on the parade ground with fiery eyes. Swords and weapons were his only support!

"It's a pity that the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou were destroyed too quickly, which deprived me of many opportunities to make achievements. Otherwise, how could Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun have taken all the credit!" This is something Gongsun Zan has always felt regretful about. The Yellow Turban Rebellion attracted responses from all eight states, and China was shaken for a time. This was tantamount to a disaster for the Han Dynasty.

But in Gongsun Zan's view, this should have been an opportunity for him to make a name for himself.

The Yellow Turbans in Youzhou started out with great fanfare. At the very beginning they killed the Youzhou governor Guo Xun, which was a huge show of force.

According to this momentum, the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou should have grown rapidly like in other places. In that case, although the situation in Youzhou would collapse, it would also be an opportunity for them to stand out in the chaos.

As long as he could win a few small victories, he could use his bravery and the righteousness of fighting against the rebels to quickly organize and gather the officers and soldiers of Youzhou in the chaos, and then completely put down the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Youzhou.

At that time, all the credit will go to you and you will soar to success.

Unfortunately, although his dreams were beautiful, the reality was that the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou were too weak.

Unlike the Yellow Turbans in other states who were flourishing and powerful, the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou were only powerful in the beginning and then were quickly suppressed by the counties and prefectures and never made any waves again.

This made Gongsun Zan very helpless. You fell before I even made a move. The idea of ​​turning the tide was destined to be just a dream.

However, although his dream was shattered, it made him pay more attention to the importance of troops.

The world of the Han Dynasty is not peaceful at the moment. War is not only necessary for one's own safety, but also the cornerstone for achieving success.

As a county magistrate, what he usually did most was not to encourage farming and mulberry planting, nor to levy labor service and taxes, but to strengthen the military.

The seven or eight hundred county soldiers in the county had a short drill every five days and a long drill every ten days. He would be present to supervise them every time, for fear that the soldiers would be lazy and slack off.

Such a strict control over military affairs made the hundreds of county soldiers in Zhuo County exceptionally elite and strong. Compared with other local officers and soldiers, their quality was definitely top-notch.

On the parade ground, soldiers practiced chopping and stabbing techniques with sticks in their hands. Every movement was accompanied by their uniform shouts. Seeing the soldiers lined up in neat rows was quite pleasing to the eye.

Gongsun Zan was undoubtedly satisfied with such training performance. Whether an army can fight can be seen from its spirit.

"County Magistrate, the Yellow Turbans in various parts of Youzhou have been pacified, and there is no war for the time being. It seems unnecessary to maintain such frequent drills. This is also a great burden on the consumption of grain and grass in our county."

When Gongsun Zan was watching with great interest, a man came up to him, bowed to him and started to persuade him.

Gongsun Zan looked over and saw that the person who spoke was Tian Kai, the county lieutenant of Zhuo County.

Training is not just about letting soldiers train hard. To ensure effectiveness, they must be well fed and well served. And now, in Tian Kai's opinion, the frequency of Gongsun Zan's drills is a bit too high.

The two of them had worked together for a long time, and they were already familiar with each other and had a very good private relationship, so in response to Tian Kai's persuasion, Gongsun Zan explained patiently.

"The current situation is unstable, and the current stability is probably only temporary. Anything could happen in the future. Maintaining sufficient drill training may seem redundant, but it is actually necessary."

"Why do you say that, magistrate? Now that the Yellow Turbans have been pacified and the Party Ban has been lifted, the world should get better from now on."

It was difficult for Tian Kai to understand Gongsun Zan's thoughts. In Tian Kai's eyes, the Han Empire was still an extremely powerful existence. After the fall of the Yellow Turbans, the world should have stabilized.

At this time, a clerk came hurriedly and said, "Report to the county magistrate and county lieutenant, a manor thirty miles south of our county was suddenly robbed by the Yellow Turbans!"

Upon hearing the news, Gongsun Zan and Tian Kai looked at each other, and Tian Kai clearly saw excitement in Gongsun Zan's eyes.

"You see, I said that this world is not stable."

(End of this chapter)