People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 416 Abuse of the People
Jinyang County, Taiyuan Commandery, Bingzhou, has enjoyed peace for several years since the Yellow Turbans occupied Bingzhou. But now, with a huge Wei army entering the county, this peace has been broken.

Cao Cao possessed the qualities of a hero. No matter how difficult the choice was, once he made a decision, he would not hesitate at all, and the Wei army also responded quickly.

Under the will of the monarch, the Wei army was united and did not waste time in the cleared area that Zhao Yun had worked so hard to create. Instead, they turned around and continued to march deep into Bingzhou, and soon rushed out of Shangdang and into Taiyuan.

Things turned out just as Cao Cao and others had expected. After the army rushed into the heart of Bingzhou, the military pressure suddenly decreased, and the population and supplies in the heartland were all intact. This also made the Wei army feel relieved. At least judging from the current results, their choice was correct.

Up to now, the Wei State's initial plan for a quick attack has been largely completed, and the country has been advancing at a rapid pace.

After entering Taiyuan and occupying the largest Jinyang County, the Wei army immediately began to divide its troops into various places to plunder resources and requisition people in preparation for the Yellow Turbans' counterattack in the near future. The time left for them was becoming increasingly tight.

The people of Taiyuan, who had finally lived a peaceful life for a few years, began to recall the fear of the chaotic times again after the Wei State entered.

Cao Cao seemed to have no sympathy for the people. After occupying Jinyang, the Wei army immediately divided its troops and began to forcibly requisition food and population in the surrounding counties and towns. For a time, the whole Taiyuan was filled with complaints.

“How can you do this? Even if you are collecting grain, you shouldn’t do it this way!” In Jinyang city, a man stood firmly at the door of his house. He was not afraid of the aggressive Wei soldiers in front of him, and his eyes were full of resentment.

It was no wonder that he reacted so nervously. The little fortune he had accumulated with great difficulty during the past few years of peaceful life was now being snatched away by the Wei army. Even his two young sons were held captive by the Wei soldiers and were to be conscripted to serve as laborers for the Wei army.

This practice is almost the same as that of banditry. Although the Bingzhou government also exploited the people's power in the past, it was not to such an exaggerated extent.

"Are you still human? You have robbed all the food and kidnapped my son. You really don't want to give us any chance to survive. Let go of my son and my food, or I will fight you to the death!"

The man's tone was angry, his eyes were red, and he confronted the soldier with a hoe in hand, ready to fight to the death.

Nearby, the women and the elderly in the family were crying anxiously and kept pulling the man, but no matter how they tried to stop him, they couldn't stop the hot-blooded man.

At this moment, the man had only one thought, which was to protect his property and family.

Under the rule of the Yellow Turbans, he was finally able to live a decent life. After seeing the justice that this world should have, he could no longer accept the cruelty of the past.

Soon, the man rushed forward and wrestled with the soldiers. However, he was just a commoner and was no match for the soldiers who were as fierce as tigers and wolves.

The soldiers had no intention of killing anyone, they just wanted to beat him up and be done with it. But at this time, they saw a scholar on horseback leading a team of elite soldiers slowly walking towards them on the street. After seeing the dispute here, they pointed in this direction.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he was extremely cold and ruthless: "This unruly little man dared to disobey military orders. Catch him and execute him on the spot to serve as a warning to others!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the elite soldiers behind them rushed out immediately, snatched the man from the soldiers, and then dragged the man to the middle of the street amid the shouts of the elderly and women in the house.

This commotion also attracted the attention of nearby residents.

The people looked either terrified or angry, and they all stared at the place with wide eyes, as if they could empathize with the man's experience.

The scholar was decisive and didn't care about the reaction of the people around him. He ordered the execution with just a wave of his hand. The elite soldiers accepted the order and held down the man who was cursing and struggling. One of them raised his knife and brought it down, and blood splattered and the head rolled down.

The blood could not make the scribe frown at all. He just looked around, and when he saw the people along the way turned from anger to fear, he nodded with satisfaction.

He didn't care at all how miserable the old woman's cries were as she threw herself on the man.

At this time, another scholar was seen rushing over on horseback. This man was none other than Xun Yu, Cao Cao's most trusted confidant.

Xun Yu rushed towards the scholar with an anxious look, forcing the scholar to stop his horse again after it had just moved a few steps.

"Why is Wen Ruo so anxious?"

"Cheng Yu, are you crazy? You are slaughtering civilians in such a blatant way. Do you think the people's resentment is not intense enough? Stop immediately, otherwise I will report you to His Majesty and punish you!"

Cheng Yu smiled and bowed, but before he could finish his words, Xun Yu came running over and grabbed his shoulder and interrupted him.

Xun Yu, who had always been a modest and gentle gentleman, now had his eyes wide open and was even addressing the man by his first name, which showed how emotional he was.

Cheng Yu felt pain in his shoulder and could only smile bitterly and move away. He then said, "Why is Wen Ruo so serious? If I don't do this, can our army suppress the people's grievances?"

Xun Yu said coldly: "Even if that's the case, we can't kill them so indiscriminately!" Cheng Yu shook his head and said: "This place has been governed by the Yellow Turbans for several years, and the people's hearts can no longer be won over. Our army has just arrived and wants to subdue the people. It is no longer enough to treat them well. No matter how kind we are, we can't be as kind as the Yellow Turbans. If we want to quickly control the situation, we can only suppress it violently. Wen Ruo should understand this principle better than me!"

Xun Yu's expression froze. He certainly understood this truth, but he still couldn't accept this approach: "Why kill people then? You need to know that our army is a righteous army, not a bandit army."

Cheng Yu said again: "How much time do we have to slowly build up our army? At this moment, only severe punishments can intimidate the people."

Xun Yu fell silent. He looked forward and saw blood all along the way. The people on both sides were indeed terrified as Cheng Yu said. But what worried Xun Yu was that deep inside this fear was probably a deep resentment towards the Wei army.

Cheng Yu seemed to see what Xun Yu was thinking, but he did not try to persuade him. He just revealed a cruel truth.

"Even if we care about the people, they won't remember our kindness. No matter who we are, it's impossible to win back the hearts of the people of Xuanxia. In this case, these people are just resources for Wei. Let alone using them for consumption now, even if we occupy Bingzhou in the future, we should exterminate their people and return the land, and then relocate the people from other places to settle down there."

After hearing these words, Xun Yu felt even colder in his heart. It's not that he didn't understand this cruel reality, but he just didn't want to think about it too much.

After all, scholars are different, and he more or less adheres to the way of a gentleman in his heart. Even if he does not love the people like his own children and sympathizes with the common people, he cannot accept this extremely cold mentality.

In troubled times, all morality and integrity become insignificant, but after all, not everyone is so beastly.

Xun Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Seeing this, Cheng Yu calmly added, "If Wen Ruoruo really wants to report me, I won't stop him. But if you report this to His Majesty, His Majesty will probably not like it."

These words were like a sharp sword piercing Xun Yu's heart. This was also the point he could not face directly, but now it was ruthlessly exposed by Cheng Yu.

As a key minister of the Wei Dynasty, Xun Yu knew his lord very well.

Given Cao Cao's temperament, would he restrain himself just because such a thing was inhumane?
In fact, it is impossible. As long as the option is beneficial to the current situation, Cao Cao will execute it without hesitation.

To a certain extent, Cheng Yu's actions were simply tacitly approved by Cao Cao.

It would be fine if the subordinates could do such dirty things, and Cao Cao would pretend to know nothing. But if the matter was reported directly to the higher authorities, it would force Cao Cao to be the bad guy, which would naturally not be welcomed by Cao Cao.

No matter how cruel and brutal a person is, if he can hide one or two things, he will do so.

Cheng Yu bowed to Xun Yu, apologized and went back to work. Xun Yu just shook his head helplessly and made way for him.

Xun Yu had long known that his lord was never a benevolent and righteous gentleman, but rather a tyrannical and cruel tyrant. However, there was nothing he could do. He could only silently endure the struggle in his heart, just like he had done every time before.

He could only laugh at himself, saying that he spoke nicely and looked like a gentleman, but since he had chosen to follow such a lord, he could not escape responsibility for these matters.

Isn't this a form of aiding and abetting evil?

It was just based on the Confucian belief in loyalty and righteousness that he could only follow his lord to the end, even though his lord was cruel and ruthless.

Looking around, the city was in chaos. Every household was in chaos, and there were sounds of crying and shouting everywhere. Teams of soldiers were dragging seized supplies, and teams of soldiers were escorting able-bodied men.

This kind of attitude truly treats everything in the city as consumables, and has never considered long-term management at all.

Perhaps, as Cheng Yu said, if the people cannot submit, they will become rioters. Naturally, there is no need to consider the long-term situation. Even if they all die, it is not worth grieving. Even if they really occupy this place for a long time in the future, they can just "replace" a group of people.

Xun Yu was in a heavy mood, but before he could say anything, he saw a messenger rushing in. It was Cao Cao who urgently ordered him to discuss matters.

Xun Yu was startled when he was called over so suddenly and urgently. Could something have happened?

What he was most worried about was the Yellow Turban reinforcements. If the Yellow Turban reinforcements arrived quickly, the Wei army's hasty battle would probably not have a good result.

He rode worriedly all the way and finally arrived at the government office in the city. At this time, Cao Cao had already started discussing with all the civil and military officials.

Seeing Xun Yu coming in, Cao Cao's solemn words immediately made Xun Yu's heart sink to the bottom: "Just now, there was a report that Han Sui asked for help. The Yellow Turbans in the other two battlefields suddenly joined forces to attack Han Sui. According to Han Sui, if we don't rescue him soon, his army may be defeated at any time."

(End of this chapter)