I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, aristocratic families annexed land on a large scale, resulting in a large number of refugees and the entire social system being on the verge of collapse. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was caused by this. Fundamentally speaking, this turmoil that swept across the thirteen states of the Yanhan Empire was essentially a cry and counterattack of the grassroots people.

Born as human beings, they are unwilling to die like weeds. If the aristocratic families and wealthy families do not give them a way to live, they naturally have the right to choose to overturn the table.

After all, kings, princes, generals and ministers are all born with different species.

Overturning the chessboard has never been a problem. The problem lies in whether a completely new order can be established after overturning the table. If the uprising only brings about simple destruction, then the so-called rebel army is nothing more than a group of bandits who do evil under the banner of justice.

The reason why the Yellow Turban Army failed was essentially that wherever they went, they failed to truly establish their ideal country. Instead, they only brought more killings and tragedies. In the end, even the common people at the bottom were afraid of the Yellow Turban Army and took up arms to defend their homes and resist their harassment.

Wang Jing witnessed this kind of thing with his own eyes in Yuzhou, so he knew very well that the Yellow Turban Rebellion would never succeed.

Because the Yellow Turban Army could not truly represent the interests of the lower classes of the people. They burned, killed, and looted, and their actions were no different from those of bandits. As long as the people had something to eat, who would be willing to support the Yellow Turban Army?

Wang Jing pointed out this fact in front of Guan Hai, and then showed a look of compassion: "The refugees have no choice but to rebel, so I am willing to give you a chance to reform, and I hope you can cherish it."

Wang Jing never showed mercy when wielding his sword against foreigners.

When Wang Jing fought with the Southern Xiongnu at Huochuquan on the Fuluo River, a river of blood flowed in the battle. After the war, the Southern Xiongnu captives were also captured and forced to build roads and mine. They were worked to death in Hedong. They were directly used as consumables, and it was estimated that only one in a hundred could survive for five years.

But that was how he treated foreign enemies, and when it came to treating his own people, it was obvious that Wang Jing also had double standards.

At present, the Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou is launching a large-scale attack on Yanzhou. Wang Jing has only defeated the main force of the enemy on the battlefield, and his pursuit is mainly based on capturing prisoners. Now he even promised Guan Hai that he would give them a chance to reform. It can be seen that his attitude towards the Han Chinese Wang Jing is still very different, and his treatment is much more lenient.

Guan Hai was deeply moved, and cried bitterly, clasping his fists and saying, "My lord, please rest assured. I will do my best to accomplish this matter to repay my lord's kindness of not killing me."

After dealing with Guan Hai, Wang Jing turned his attention to the young general who had fought with Guan Hai before: "He holds a longbow, rides two horses, and has such amazing archery skills. What do you call him?"

"But is Marquis Qi in person? I am Taishi Ci of Donglai, and I am honored to meet you, benefactor!"

When Taishi Ci came before Wang Jing, Yan Xing thought he intended to assassinate him, but unexpectedly, Taishi Ci dismounted from his horse in front of Wang Jing, bowed, and saluted respectfully.

Wang Jing was also very surprised when he heard this.

The person in front of him was actually the most powerful general in Qingzhou, Taishi Ci of Donglai!

Upon learning that it was the famous general Taishi Ci, Wang Jing quickly dismounted, personally stepped forward to help Taishi Ci up from the ground, and said with a smile: "Hahaha, I never thought that it was the righteous Taishi in person. I have heard of your great name for a long time. Please stand up quickly."

Then, Wang Jing asked with concern: "I wonder if your mother is in good health?"

Two years ago, when Wang Jing set out from Chenliu, he secretly ordered Lu Fang's father to secretly send money and people to take care of Taishi Ci's mother's food and daily life.

It's a pity that Taishi Ci fled to Liaodong at that time to avoid disaster. He hurried home when he heard that there was a bandit problem in Qingzhou. He found out that his wanted warrant had been cancelled by Wang Jing long ago.

Taishi Ci was a man of great righteousness and filial piety to his mother. Naturally, he was grateful for Wang Jing's care, so as soon as they met, he called him benefactor and performed this great courtesy.

Taishi Ci was only twenty-five years old this year. He was seven feet and seven inches tall, with a beautiful beard, a heroic appearance, and an extraordinary demeanor. Just from his pair of slender and powerful arms, one could tell that he was particularly good at archery.

When fighting with Guan Hai just now, Taishi Ci showed the strength of a true sharpshooter with his accurate shooting skills.

Since Wang Jing formed the Shesheng Camp, he has been looking for a brave general who is good at archery. Both Huang Zhong and Taishi Ci are his targets.

It’s a pity that Huang Zhong is from a branch of the Anlu Huang family. Now he serves under Liu Biao, so it’s impossible for him to accept Wang Jing’s poaching. He can’t abandon his wife and children and join the Northern Army alone, right?
Therefore, unless Wang Jing's power expanded to the Jingzhou area, it would be basically impossible to get Huang Zhong to surrender.

On the contrary, Taishi Ci came from a poor family, with only an old mother at home, and he had received great favors from himself, so he could actively strive for it.

Taishi Ci had heard that Wang Jing was fighting the Yellow Turban Army in Yanzhou, so in order to repay his kindness he came alone on horseback to provide assistance, which led to their meeting today.

Wang Jing was overjoyed and immediately extended an olive branch to Taishi Ci: "Ziyi, I know you have amazing talent and great ambitions. Are you willing to follow me to conquer the world and create a peaceful and prosperous world?"

Before coming to seek refuge, Taishi Ci had apparently already inquired about Wang Jing's deeds and knew that Wang Jing treated the people well and was known for his benevolence and righteousness.

Moreover, the Northern Army had won many battles on the battlefield and had a bright future. Taishi Ci had long regarded Wang Jing as a wise leader, both publicly and privately. Now that Wang Jing had personally recruited him, he agreed without hesitation: "A man should carry a three-foot sword in his lifetime to ascend to the throne of the emperor. I am willing to follow my lord and pacify the world!"

"Haha, with your help, I am even more powerful!"

Wang Jing laughed out loud and made up his mind. After returning, he handed over the Shesheng Camp to Taishi Ci to lead and let him train and command the Feiyu Archers.

On the other side, the Yellow Turban Army camp in Qingzhou was in a state of chaos and unable to extricate itself.

Those who could run fast have now all run away. The remaining people are all the elderly, the weak, women and children. They could not escape Wang Jingjun's pursuit at all. Now they are huddled in the camp in despair, waiting for their fate.

Therefore, in the camp, many Yellow Turban soldiers recalled the terrible memories of seven years ago, when the Yellow Turban Rebellion was led by the Great Sage Zhang Jue, and how the imperial court treated them cruelly.

Countless comrades were slaughtered and their heads were chopped off and piled up into a memorial stone!

This horrific memory is still fresh in the minds of many old Yellow Turbans, and the fear of death is quietly spreading, making everyone feel uneasy.

Until Guan Hai rushed back, gathered everyone together, and talked about surrender.

Several of the most prestigious elders stood up and asked Guan Hai, "Does Lord Qi really want to give us a chance to live?"

"Yeah, after we surrender, they won't chop us all off as an example to others, right?"

The credibility of the imperial court had already hit rock bottom after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou obviously did not believe what Guan Hai said.

If Guan Hai had not been quite famous in Qingzhou, he would not have been able to control the situation at all.

Some old Yellow Turbans certainly did not trust the imperial court and the government army, but they trusted the brave and warlike Guan Hai. After all, Guan Hai had personally killed many corrupt officials. If they really had to be beheaded, Guan Hai would definitely be the first to be dragged to the execution ground.

You have to know that Guan Hai originally came from the Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou, and he climbed up from the bottom to the position of leader, so he naturally understood what everyone was thinking.

In order to complete the task and avoid angering Wang Jing and forcing him to kill, Guan Hai had to patiently explain to everyone: "Even if you don't trust the court, don't you trust Marquis Qi?"

Guan Hai brought up Wang Jing's name, which made it difficult for many Yellow Turbans to refute.

Although Wang Jing had a bad reputation among the aristocratic families because of his implementation of the New Deal, his reputation for being kind and generous to ordinary people spread. Even in Qingzhou, which was far away from Luoyang, many travelers who had been to Luoyang for business brought back various news.

To the extent that the lower-class people in Qingzhou envied the people in Luoyang, envying their increasingly better lives under Wang Jing's rule.

Then Guan Hai brought up Xu Huang again and said, "You have heard of General Xu Gongming, right? He was from the Baibo Yellow Turban Army, and now he has become General Yangwu, and was appointed as the governor of Dongjun by Marquis Qi. It is unknown whether he will be granted a title of nobility in the future."

As soon as these words came out, everyone showed an expression of disbelief: "People like us who came from the Yellow Turban Army can also become high officials in the court?"

In their view, if they rebelled against the imperial court, it was good enough if they were not confiscated and their families were not exterminated. How could they even become officials?

Guan Hai struck while the iron was hot: "Why not? Isn't General Xu the best example? I heard that when Marquis Qi pacified the Baibo Army in Hedong, he didn't massacre the captives, but only executed the ringleader and accepted the surrender of all the followers. Now I heard that in Hedong, they are doing a lot of farming and training soldiers, and no one is starving to death. If you join the army, you will be treated very well. Once you have made military achievements, you can also fight for a good family for your descendants." "Are you serious?"

"Look at the way you ask this question. Who cares when someone has ever lied?"

Guan Hai really didn't lie. Although the information was relayed by Wang Jing, Wang Jing did have a lot of Hedong soldiers under his command, and Guan Hai himself had seen Xu Huang and recognized his identity.

The original purpose of rebellion was to save lives, and now when they heard that following Wang Jing would bring better treatment, they immediately decided to surrender.

After several months, the Battle of Yanzhou finally ended.

Through this battle, Wang Jing successfully captured the northern part of Yuzhou and most of Yanzhou. His territory expanded rapidly, increasing by as much as twice.

Yanzhou and Yuzhou are the heart of the Central Plains, with advanced agricultural technology, intensively cultivated land, and dense population. As a result, the population more than tripled under Wang Jing's rule.

In this battle, Wang Jing once again defeated the larger force with a smaller one. He not only gained Yanzhou as his new territory, but also incorporated 50,000 young and strong men from Qingzhou. With a little training, they could become basic troops, laying a solid foundation for subsequent development and growth.

The capital of Yanzhou was Changyi.

The governor's mansion in the city, formerly the residence of Liu Dai, is now owned by Wang Jing.

Wang Jing is now serving as General of the Guards and concurrently as Governor of Yanzhou. Together with Silizhou where Luoyang is located and Zhang Liao's Bingzhou, Wang Jing nominally occupies three states.

The newly conquered territory still needs to be managed properly so that it can be quickly converted into positive profits.

Therefore, Wang Jing had to carefully weigh the pros and cons in his mind and consider the issue of personnel appointments. Xun Yu, a talent who was both good at internal affairs and wise, was obviously the most suitable candidate to guard Yanzhou. However, considering the issues of loyalty and compatibility, Wang Jing still decided to appoint Jia Xu.

Because Jia Xu had followed him for a longer time, and most importantly, Wang Jing knew that Jia Xu and he were of the same mind.

Although Jia Xu often plays it safe and slacks off at work, he is a man who knows how to judge the situation and has no bottom line. As long as it is Wang Jing's order, no matter how outrageous it is, as long as it does not involve Jia Xu's safety, Jia Xu will definitely do it without error. He is an excellent executor.

But Xun Yu couldn't do that.

It is true that Xun Yu was very capable, but his thinking was typical of a Confucian scholar. Even though he could be considered an enlightened and moderate Confucian, he was ultimately a royalist and an out-and-out conservative bureaucrat. His interests and stance were on the side of the aristocratic families, and he was not a fellow traveler like Wang Jing, who insisted on drastic reforms.

In history, Xun Yu and Cao Cao initially cooperated well with each other, like close friends.

But later he still became a royalist, stood on the side of the aristocratic families, and opposed Cao Cao's title of duke.

Because of this, he was transferred away from the center of power and died a few years later.

Some say that he died of depression, while others say that he was poisoned by Cao Cao. But in any case, it shows that Xun Yu was a person who could be used but not reused.

If used well, he will naturally become a talent who can assist the king.

But if he didn't use it well, Wang Jing was really worried that he would follow in Cao Cao's footsteps, and a hundred years later, his foundation would be usurped by aristocratic families.

Therefore, from now on, Wang Jing had to be on guard against Xun Yu, and secretly remain extremely vigilant against the aristocratic families who had come to join him.

After making up his mind, Wang Jing summoned important civil and military officials to discuss matters that needed to be dealt with after the war.

Xi Zhicai was good at work related to people's livelihood and internal affairs. When he was in Luoyang, he also discussed with Jia Xu the experience and achievements accumulated by Wang Ling in the process of implementing the military farming policy in Hedong County.

So as soon as Wang Jing opened his mouth, he stood up and suggested with confidence: "My lord, now that the war in Yanzhou has just ended, there is a lot of work to be done, and it is time to recuperate. There are millions of surrendered soldiers in Qingzhou, and they also need to be appeased to avoid trouble. I suggest that we implement the policy of military farming in Yanzhou to strengthen the foundation."

The Yellow Turban Army of Qingzhou really came with a massive attack on Yanzhou this time.

In the battle of Rencheng, Wang Jing only defeated and captured the main force of the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou, but there were still a large number of scattered remnants scattered everywhere, wreaking havoc in the prefectures and counties.

It will take a lot of time to completely suppress it.

Although the "Qingzhou Army" that has surrendered now claims to have a million people, in fact, when you really count them, there are only a little over 300,000.

But for Wang Jing, there is no need to support so many people. He can first develop military farming and then slowly eliminate the remaining stragglers.

Even more darkly, these remnants of the Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou were wreaking havoc in the local area. If they killed more of the noble families, they could clear out a lot of unowned land, saving Wang Jing from having to clear out the land in Yanzhou and kill again.

Xi Zhicai's suggestion was very good, and Wang Jing readily accepted it, and even entrusted him with an important task: "Since it was you who proposed it, I will appoint you as the governor of Dongping, specifically responsible for the affairs of military farming and the resettlement of the surrendered soldiers from Qingzhou."

It is not an easy task to properly resettle 300,000 young and strong men and women. However, Xi Zhicai is a first-class talent whose ability has been personally verified by Wang Jing. Naturally, he has such ability and determination. Wang Jing also has great confidence in Xi Zhicai's ability and believes that he can handle it properly.

At the same time, Wang Jing also arranged Guan Hai as his deputy to assist Xi Zhicai in managing the surrendered soldiers from Qingzhou to prevent anyone from causing chaos in secret.

Yanzhou is located between the Yellow River and the Ji River, so it has abundant water flow, fertile land, and a large population. Most of the counties under its jurisdiction are very prosperous.

In addition to the capital in Changyi, it had jurisdiction over eight counties and kingdoms, namely Chenliu, Dongjun, Rencheng, Taishan, Jibei, Shanyang, Jiyin, and Dongping. Its general area was located in the western part of Shandong and the eastern part of Henan in later generations.

Basically, they are all the core areas of Central Plains. Except for the poor geographical location and lack of strategic locations, everything is perfect.

But precisely because it is perfect, many people want to grab it.

Tao Qian of Xuzhou, Kong Rong of Beihai, Cao Cao and Yuan Shu in the south, and Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan in the north were all potential competitors.

Wang Jing was not afraid of not winning, but he was afraid that the entire prosperous Yanzhou would be destroyed during the fighting, and the positive returns would turn into negative returns.

Even if we achieve a military victory in the end, it will be meaningless.

Therefore, Wang Jing had to seek advice from counselors such as Guo Jia and Xun You: "Yanzhou has a rich culture and a thriving population. It is also located in a place surrounded by wars. It is bound to be coveted by all parties. Do you have any good ideas?"

Guo Jia was good at reading people's minds and had thought about this issue a long time ago. When Wang Jing asked about it, he immediately replied, "My lord, our army should adopt the strategy of making friends with distant countries and attacking nearby ones, and make friends with Gongsun Zan who is far away in Liaoxi. It just so happens that Jia got the news that Gongsun Zan is competing with Zhang Rao for the Pingyuan County of Qingzhou. If my lord secretly helps Gongsun Zan to repel Zhang Rao, I think we can get an alliance in return."

Guo Jia's plan was naturally not limited to this. He analyzed the current situation for Wang Jing: "Zhang Rao has 300,000 soldiers, and his strength is the strongest among the three generals in Qingzhou. The main force of the Yellow Turban Army under his command should be more than 50,000, and he also has the geographical advantage of the river. With Gongsun Zan's ability, it is easy to win, but it is extremely difficult to annihilate him."

Gongsun Zan was traveling across the north at this time and had a powerful Youzhou cavalry under his command - the White Horse Volunteers. After fighting against the Wuhuan cavalry, they quickly became famous throughout the world.

However, there was the Yellow River blocking the way, and Zhang Rao was a native of Qingzhou. It was not easy for Gongsun Zan to annihilate Zhang Rao's main force after leading his troops on a long expedition.

Guo Jia saw this and suggested that Wang Jing secretly help Gongsun Zan to form an alliance between the two armies: "My lord, if Zhang Rao fails, he will definitely retreat to Qingzhou. His main force has not been destroyed. In order to regain his prestige, he must use new victories to redeem his previous defeat. Otherwise, his position as the commander will be unstable."

Wang Jing understood Guo Jia's intention without much thought.

Zhang Rao was no match for Gongsun Zan, and he didn't dare to come to Yanzhou to provoke the tiger. The only place he could go was Beihai where Kong Rong was.

Wang Jing tapped the table with his fingers and smiled: "Using Zhang Rao to contain Kong Rong? Driving a tiger to devour a wolf is indeed a good strategy." (End of this chapter)