People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 265: The Yellow Turbans Will Be Defeated
"Hurry up and don't try to be sly. If you can't complete today's task, it will be recorded in your file. If your labor reform period is extended in the future, don't blame me, the Yellow Turban, for being mean!"

Hearing the warning from the Yellow Turban soldiers, Xun Chen, who was already exhausted, had to muster up his strength and continue to move the supplies in front of him.

It is not easy for a large army to march. The soldiers at the front actually have it relatively easy. They only need to ensure their combat effectiveness and do not need to do anything other than training and fighting. Therefore, all the rough and tiring work in the army has to be undertaken by civilian laborers.

For an army of tens of thousands of people, the bags of food and fodder alone would have to be piled up into mountains, not to mention most of the army's armor and weapons. If it were a little more difficult, there would even be large siege equipment that needed to be transported.

This is the importance and difficulty of logistics. If the smooth and timely logistics cannot be guaranteed, the battle on the front line cannot be carried out.

Now, Xun Chen, who was unfortunately captured by the Yellow Turbans, could only wear a rough linen dress and begin his labor reform career. Unlike the civilians recruited by other armies, the labor of the captives was completely voluntary and there was no remuneration.

Of course, what Xun Chen cared about was not whether he would be paid or not, but that his labor reform should end as soon as possible.

The scholars who lived a life of luxury had great fear of this kind of hard work that only common people would do.

Carrying a bag of grain on his shoulder, Xun Chen's body felt heavy. Although he had been in labor reform for nearly two months, his recent work was particularly heavy, making it a little difficult for him to bear.

As for why it has become so arduous recently, Xun Chen would know as soon as he saw the more than 40,000 Xuanxia troops that had marched far ahead of the logistics team.

However, a few days ago, Xuan Xia once again had an army of more than 20,000 troops arrive in Bohai County. A total of 40,000 troops quickly began to move, as if they were heading to a new battlefield.

Although Xun Chen was not clear about the specific situation, he could guess that it must be the result of Yuan Shao's expedition to Bingzhou that led to Xuan Xia's current reaction.

Judging from Xuan Xia's clean and efficient actions now, they should have been prepared for the current situation a long time ago.

It seems that Xuan Xia's expedition to Bohai was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but was a plan to have a major battle with Yuan Shao.
But while he was thinking about it, another idea popped up in his mind.

Xuan Xia came prepared, but so did Yuan Shao. It remains to be seen who will have the last laugh in this battle.

Holding his breath, Xun Chen put the grain on his shoulders onto the grain cart. Only then did he relax with a red face and panting. However, he was still a long way from the task assigned for today. He could only endure the physical torture and continue to carry the food.

Looking at the laborers around him who were carrying heavy objects and walking briskly while talking and laughing, Xun Chen felt a little envious.

In the past, I felt nothing when I saw these hard work, as if it was not difficult for ordinary people to do it. Only after doing it myself did I realize how important it is to survive.

After the waist is bent by the heavy object, I don’t know how much more effort it will take to stand up straight again.

He originally thought that today would be the same as the previous day, a tiring and painful day. However, where he didn't see, there was a man who whispered a few words to the Yellow Turban who was guarding the prisoners, and then walked straight towards him.

It wasn't until this man walked up to him and blocked his way that he stopped.

He looked over and saw a strange face, but he immediately felt the temperament of a person from an aristocratic family. Only people who have received an aristocratic education can have such an extremely strict manner of speech and demeanor.

"I am Ju Su, a scholar from Jizhou. I have long heard of the reputation of the Xun family of Yingchuan, but unfortunately I have never had the chance to meet them. Today, I have the opportunity to meet you, Your Excellency."

Ju Su looked Xun Chen up and down. Although Xun Chen was in a very embarrassed and miserable state at this moment, he did not look down on him. Instead, he bowed to Xun Chen with a straight face and a faint smile on his face. This was just the basic etiquette between scholars.

Although Xun Chen was puzzled as to why Ju Shou came to see him, he did not dare to be negligent and returned the greeting to Ju Shou with a very tired body.

After returning the gift, he stood there waiting for Ju Shou to explain his purpose.

Ju Su looked around and saw that the place was noisy, so he turned sideways and led the way forward: "It's not suitable to talk here. Why don't you move to a quieter place and chat with me?"

Xun Chen subconsciously took a step forward, but then frowned, retracted his foot, and shook his head, saying, "It's not appropriate. I am currently serving in the army. If I delay, things will not end well. If you have anything to say, just say it here."

Ju Su just smiled and said: "It's okay, I have already told the soldiers that you won't be counted for your labor today, just follow me."

Xun Chen visibly relaxed when he heard that. He even looked at Ju Shou with a hint of gratitude in his eyes again.

No matter what this guy wants from me, as long as he can free me for a day, it's a big help.

Ju Shou found this funny. As a prisoner who had served several years of hard labor, he could fully understand Xun Chen's current pain.

In fact, in comparison, when I was captured, the Yellow Turbans did not have any detailed regulations for prisoners, and the management was very rough, so I stayed in Xuanxia for a few years.

Fortunately, in the end he was nominally serving in the military, but in reality he had become a worker of Xuan Xia, and at least he was still paid.

Xun Chen is much luckier now. He only needs to serve for a few months, and after his origins and past experiences are ascertained, he can leave on his own. I don't know how much less suffering he has suffered compared to me.

The two walked along the way and came to a nearby mountainside. Looking down from the height, they could see the majestic momentum of the Xuanxia army.

Along the way, Xun Chen made some guesses and roughly understood Ju Su's intention of coming, which made him feel complicated.

In this kind of situation, how should I choose?
Ju Su glanced at him, pointed at the army below, and said confidently and boldly: "Do you think that the Xuanxia army is powerful?" Xun Chen glanced at the army below and could only nod: "Among the elite troops in the world, there must be a place for Xuanxia."

Ju Su smiled slightly and pointed to the north: "Do you think that the people of Xuanxia can be trusted?"

Xun Chen was silent for a while, then replied in a deep voice: "Under Xuanxia's rule, the people are loyal to the government, and the officials and the people are one. Such public opinion is rare in the world, even the Han Dynasty cannot compare to it."

Ju Su nodded slightly after hearing the answer, then stood with his hands behind his back and looked at Xun Chen seriously: "With the mighty armies of the world in hand and the people under my rule loyal to me, do you think that Xuan Xia can achieve great things?"

Xun Chen finally pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled after hearing this, seeming to disagree: "Although it is so, it may not be the case."

Ju Su raised his eyebrows, quite surprised.

Xun Chen was a hero of the Xun family, and Ju Shou had heard of him, otherwise he would not have come to say these words. Such a hero would not deny the facts just because of his position.

With Xuan Xia's current momentum, who dares to say that he won't be able to accomplish anything in the future!

Seeing Ju Shou frowning, Xun Chen did not say anything, but just smiled faintly and said: "Let's not talk about whether it will succeed in the future. Just looking at the current battle, Xuan Xia will definitely lose."

Hearing Xun Chen's words, Ju Su was suddenly shocked.

Xun Chen was Yuan Shao's core subordinate and must have known a lot. His words should not be underestimated.

Although there was a possibility that this was a lie, looking at Xun Chen's fearless look, Ju Su felt that it was most likely true.

The fact that Xun Chen dared to say this directly only meant that he felt that even if he aroused the Yellow Turbans' vigilance, it would not change the final outcome. In other words, he was certain that no matter how the Yellow Turbans reacted, they would eventually be defeated.

What kind of information does this guy know?
Ju Su narrowed his eyes slightly. He came here because he was attracted by Xun Chen's identity and intended to persuade him to surrender. By the way, he also wanted to try to get some useful information from this guy. Now it seems that it is indeed necessary to do so.

The two men exchanged glances for a while, and Ju Shou immediately understood something from Xun Chen's eyes. Obviously, Xun Chen also understood Ju Shou's plan, but the slightly playful look in his eyes was enough to show that he had no intention of surrendering.

Although he felt the situation was difficult, Ju Shou would not give up. He quickly calmed himself down and continued the previous topic.

It has to be said that the outstanding scholars from the aristocratic families are indeed first-class elites. In this silent confrontation, Ju Shou relaxed when he was told to. Although he was extremely solemn in his heart, the more so, the more confident he appeared.

"Let's not talk about whether it's true or not. Even if we really lose, so what!"

Ju Su was calm and composed, pointing at the army below with his eyes full of confidence.

"Today's Xuanxia is no longer an existence that can be defeated by a major defeat. Even if the army in front of us is completely wiped out, Xuanxia still has countless civilians in the rear, and can mobilize more and stronger troops at any time."

Xun Chen was shocked, but then he shook his head helplessly. Although he didn't want to admit it, it was the fact.

Although Yuan Shao has been much more obedient to Xuan Xia in the past two years, there is no other way. In fact, Yuan Shao has always regarded Xuan Xia as a serious threat. With such a guy living next to him, Yuan Shao simply cannot sleep well.

Under such circumstances, Yuan Shao never stopped spying on Xuan Xia. After summarizing and analyzing various intelligence, Xun Chen and others unanimously believed that Xuan Xia's potential was much more amazing than his actual performance.

Xuan Xia had never really used its full strength in external wars, and had ensured internal stable production to the greatest extent possible, so that the people hardly felt the impact of the war.

This is completely unimaginable outside of Xuanxia.

Except for Xuanxia, ​​all other places were frantically conscripting soldiers, collecting grain, and forcing the people to work. The people could not even work in peace, and it was even difficult for them to even breathe.

This also means that Xuan Xia’s strength is far from reaching its limit.

If Xuan Xia is willing, he can also recruit soldiers and collect food more vigorously on the existing basis. Then how powerful the combat power that can be unleashed under such extreme circumstances will be can only be known after it actually happens.

But Xun Chen at least knew that Ju Shou's confidence was not fake. With Xuan Xia's background, even if he was really defeated this time, it would not be to the extent of serious damage. Whether he had used 50% of his strength was still another matter.

It can only be said that Xu Chen has cleared out all the old interest groups under his rule, and all social wealth is under the control of the court. He is indeed confident that he can afford to lose.

Ju Su stroked his beard slowly and said calmly, "Xuan Xia has already established its foundation and can achieve hegemony. I don't believe you can't see it. I dare to assert that Yuan Shao is definitely not my lord's opponent. Instead of following a mediocre person like Yuan Shao, why don't you serve my lord and assist him in his great cause?"

Upon hearing this, Xun Chen took a deep breath.

I have never thought about joining Xu Chen.

Do you want to agree...

(End of this chapter)