People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 214 Reunion
"This is a great defeat. The governor will surely be angry. I am afraid I cannot escape the blame."

Zhang He looked at the more than 10,000 defeated soldiers that he had finally gathered together, and sat on a rock nearby, covered in dust and looking extremely disappointed.

It is not a pleasant feeling to taste defeat at the hands of the Yellow Turbans again.

This battle was so ugly and the defeat was so quick that it was hard to imagine what kind of punishment I would face when I return.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu were both in a similar state of disgrace. Guan Yu was covered in blood and looked gloomy, while Liu Bei had disheveled hair and a worried look on his face.

"The Yellow Turbans, known as Xuanxia, ​​have occupied Youzhou and are a great threat to the world. If their momentum cannot be stopped, the Han Dynasty will be in danger, and all heroes in the world may not be able to live in peace!"

As he spoke, the anxiety in Liu Bei's tone was very obvious. No one understood the harm of the Yellow Turbans better than him.

But behind this anxiety, there is more powerlessness. He only hates that his power is too small now, while those who are capable are only concerned with the immediate interests and cannot see who the real disaster is.

Moreover, to him, the Yellow Turbans were not only a scourge to the world, but also his sworn enemy.

Zhang Fei died at the hands of the Yellow Turbans, and he had no time to take revenge. Now, Zhao Yun, who he had just introduced as his best friend, was trapped in the enemy's camp in this battle, and it was unknown whether he was captured or died.

It was as if he had always been defeated by the Yellow Turbans in his life, and things had never gone smoothly since he met the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou.

In fact, Liu Bei was not the only one who felt this kind of aggrieved feeling. Zhang He felt the same way, not to mention Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan who had already died. If they knew what Liu Bei was thinking, they would definitely agree with him.

Among the few people, only Cao Cao remained relatively calm. Although his family fortune had suffered some losses, it was not seriously damaged.

As for the life and death of Jizhou, that has nothing to do with him. The Yellow Turbans are not something he needs to consider now. If there is anything to worry about, it should be Yuan Shao.

Coming here to cooperate with Zhang He in the battle is already a contribution. The primary responsibility for the defeat also lies with Zhang He. Even if he is defeated, as long as he can keep his family property, it is not something unacceptable.

From the very beginning, he had never thought of fighting the Yellow Turbans here. If he could defeat them, he would fight. If he couldn't, he would prioritize preserving his strength.

Cao Cao had already thought about these things clearly and had also conveyed them to Xiahou Dun.

"Although we were badly defeated in this battle, it was not entirely due to our incompetence, but rather the enemy was too strong. After returning, I will appeal to the governor of the state, and I hope that you two will not bear too much punishment."

Cao Cao glanced at the two of them and took the initiative to do them a favor.

Although the fight this time was very ugly, after getting to know them, he felt that both of them were good talents and worthy of making good friends with them.

The interaction between scholars is all about social skills, and it is never wrong to make more friends.

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and Zhang He looked a little relieved and began to thank Cao Cao. They knew that Cao Cao had a close relationship with Yuan Shao, and if he was willing to mediate, it would indeed make them feel better.

Having said this, the three of them looked at each other in silence, shaking their heads and sighing.

An army of 30,000 came here in a mighty force, but now there are only about 10,000 soldiers left. In this gloomy situation, they just want to go home as soon as possible and go back to their own homes. The Yellow Turbans are really not something they can afford to provoke.

In fact, although they were defeated quickly in this battle, it was not a bad thing, because if the battle had lasted a few more days, they might even lose the last tens of thousands of troops.

When they were gathering their strength and preparing the remaining troops for retreat, a Yellow Turban army of 30,000 soldiers from Changshan County was rushing towards their battlefield in a mighty force. If they were two or three days later, they would surely be surrounded and attacked.

"Brothers, in two days, we will be able to reunite with the leader. When the leader arrives, our hard days will be over!"

As the army marched, Zhang Baiqi shouted at the side, and when the Yellow Turbans below heard his words, they were all excited and full of anticipation for the upcoming meeting.

The Yellow Turbans in Changshan did not have such strict military discipline, and everyone from top to bottom got along rather casually.

Although Zhang Baiqi brought a group of Yellow Turbans from Youzhou, it was impossible to transform all the complicated and scattered Yellow Turbans here into the ones in Youzhou. This was determined by the complex environment of the Five Elements Mountain.

Although Zhang Baiqi is now the leader of the northern part of Wuxing Mountain, the Yellow Turbans here are extremely scattered and can only gather together to do something at special times. There is no way to form an effective direct commander, and it is difficult to implement the reform.

With all their efforts, only the more than 10,000 troops of Zhang Baiqi's headquarters were considered to be in good shape, with outstanding combat capabilities. This was also the reason why Zhang Baiqi was able to rise in the northern part of the Five Elements Mountain. If one wants others to be convinced, one must first have that strength.

"Now that the leader is here, we can really take Changshan. We don't have to stay in the mountains anymore?" A soldier shouted.

When this was said, most people looked over. They had not had an easy life in recent years. Even though they were able to occupy some counties and towns, it was far from enough to accommodate such a large population, and it was difficult to hold on to them even if they occupied them.

Even in the mountains, they often clashed with the Montenegrin Army in the south. Especially after the Montenegrin Army surrendered to the officials, the contradictions between the two sides became more acute.

They usually have to face the double pressure from officers and soldiers and the Montenegrin Army. Their lives are very difficult and they have long been unable to bear it.

Zhang Baiqi naturally knew the difficulties of his brothers, but he just sighed in his heart, but on the surface he showed a very confident look: "Brothers, don't worry, the whole Youzhou has been taken by our leader, Changshan is nothing, we will never go into the mountains again, I say!"

Such an affirmative gesture and words immediately made everyone excited.

The Yellow Turbans below also became more curious about the leader. What kind of person could he be, who could rise up against the trend and occupy Youzhou when the Yellow Turban cause was overthrown, and now even established a country.

After these words, the atmosphere of the march became heated, and the soldiers began to whisper to each other, discussing the Xuan Xia who had long been fascinating them.

"We are also Xuanxia people from now on. I heard from the boss that the people there are now living a good life. They have fields and land, and they can build fortifications during the slack season. They can also get paid for working for the court and fighting in the war. I always didn't dare to believe these things. Now that the Yellow Turban brothers from Youzhou are here, I must ask them in person!"

"I believe what the boss says. If not, I would not have defected to the north. The Black Mountain Army has a better life after surrendering to the imperial court, which always makes the brothers envious. In the future, we will make them envious in return!"

"Hmph, what Black Mountain Army? They are just a bunch of guys who have forgotten their roots. After we join forces with the leader, we'll see if we can beat them to a pulp!"

"That's right, from now on, we have the final say on the Five Elements Mountain!"

As the army marched forward, the soldiers were overjoyed. They had been through so many hard times for so many years, and now, finally, the clouds had cleared and the moon was visible. The arrival of the Yellow Turbans from Youzhou made them all excited.

But this was extremely bad news for the local tyrants and government offices in Changshan's counties and towns. The footsteps of the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou made all these people tremble in fear.

If it were in the past, Zhang Baiqi would never dare to lead his army so brazenly through Changshan.

Because the fighting effectiveness of the Yellow Turbans in Changshan is really worrying, they are still at the same fighting level as when they first followed Zhang Jue to start the rebellion.

Most of them were refugees fighting with wooden sticks and hoes. After experiencing the hard life in the mountains, most of them had pale faces and thin bodies. Once they fought with the government soldiers, they would be crushed at the slightest touch.

But now, people in Changshan had heard that the Yellow Turbans from Youzhou were coming to attack, and they were already in a panic. Those who were capable had already fled, and those who were not capable did not dare to do anything against the Yellow Turbans. Only then did Zhang Baiqi dare to run around in a swagger.

After all, Changshan and Zhongshan are adjacent to Youzhou, and most of them have heard about the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou. Xu Chen's style is even more well-known among the powerful and noble families nearby. In their eyes, he is a living butcher and a demon star.

When they heard that the Yellow Turbans were coming, these people were terrified. Few of them had the courage to confront the Yellow Turbans head-on. No one in the entire Youzhou could defeat Xu Chen, so how could a small Changshan be able to do it?

When Xu Chen led his army to capture cities in Zhongshan County, there were already scenes of powerful families in Changshan County fleeing south with their families.

The name of Xu Guangtou, also known as Xu the Butcher, had already begun to gain prestige. Wherever he went, the nobles and powerful people were all terrified.

When Zhang Baiqi led his troops to Zhongshan to join forces, the Yellow Turbans of Youzhou, who had ended the battle here, had also cleaned up the battlefield and were marching towards Changshan according to the established plan.

This military operation needs to end the fighting as soon as possible. Occupying the land is just the beginning. The subsequent continuous governance is what really takes time.

Moreover, no one knows when Yuan Shao will end the battle. Once he is free, he will turn his guns against himself sooner or later. The struggle between Xuan Xia and Yuan Shao has just begun.

The two Yellow Turban armies marched towards each other, which saved a lot of distance. In the end, it only took them one day to meet up at the tail of the Five Elements Mountains. On one side were the 20,000 to 30,000 Youzhou Yellow Turbans who had absorbed captured officers and soldiers, and on the other side were the 30,000 Changshan Yellow Turbans who rushed over excitedly.

At this meeting, all the soldiers hugged each other and cried. They had followed the Great and Sage Teacher to start the rebellion, but their cause was shattered and they went their separate ways. Now they were meeting again, how could they not be excited.

When Xu Chen and his group came over, Zhang Baiqi, surrounded by his soldiers, also went to greet him. When he saw Xu Chen, his eyes suddenly turned red: "Master, you are finally here. We have been waiting for you for so long."

Xu Chen saw Zhang Baiqi's face, which was even more haggard than a few years ago. It was obvious that it was not easy to maintain development in Changshan.

He looked at the Yellow Turbans behind Zhang Baiqi again. They were all skinny and dirty. They were not an army at all, but a group of refugees who could not even get enough food.

It may look like a mighty army of 30,000, but in fact they are just relying on their numbers to maintain their momentum.

Xu Chen grabbed Zhang Baiqi's hand tightly, then turned to look at Ju Shou: "Order the entire army to stay where they are, start cooking immediately, and let the brothers have a full meal first!"

(End of this chapter)