Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 183 Is this army mighty and powerful?
On March 11th, there was a gentle breeze.

The 2,500 combat soldiers and 4,000 auxiliary soldiers of the Huben Cavalry and the Elite Camp all rushed to Pengcheng. Suddenly, the fields in the counties were filled with the sound of drums and gongs, and flags covered the sky. The soldiers stared at the local nobles with their heads held high.

Countless people secretly thanked their luck that they did not get involved with those Liu families, otherwise they would have been wiped out.

More than a thousand people from various clans who were invited to watch the military drills kept silent and held their breath, not daring to move, staring at the armored cavalrymen whose bodies, with only slits showing for their eyes, exuded a fierce murderous aura.

Some clan leaders' hearts began to beat fast. If the manor was breached, they would not even have a chance to escape. Encountering such a monster covered in iron armor would make them feel hopeless and helpless.

I couldn't help but sigh that Lord Xuande still showed some compassion and was willing to give them a chance to turn back from their wrong path, instead of directly taking advantage of the situation to execute all the members of the Liu clan.

It’s hard to say what would happen if it were someone else with a cruel and ruthless character.

Liu Bei raised his whip and pointed at the many Han clan members, saying with a smile: "Gentlemen, is this army mighty and majestic?"

"Magnificent, magnificent, this warrior is extremely magnificent!"

"Yes, yes!"

"These soldiers are as powerful as bears and tigers, as powerful as wind and rain, as powerful as thunder and lightning, shaking the heavens and earth, and shocking the whole world!"

Every member of the Liu clan gave a thumbs up and nodded in praise.

All the local nobles, both large and small, from Pengcheng County came on this trip, all thinking that after returning, they would immediately and proactively measure the farmland, release their followers, servants and refugees, and not cause any trouble to Lord Xuande and Inspector Man Chong.

How could the county officials know more about each household's farming matters than the county officials themselves?

Guan Hai stamped the dirt under his feet, glanced at the many clan leaders, and couldn't help but chuckle.

During these years, he eliminated powerful people in Qingzhou, from Qi County to Beihai, and then from Beihai to Donglai. Then he led his army to Taishan to farm and suppress the rebellion. To be honest, this was more satisfying than killing powerful people when he was a Yellow Turban. Not only did he transform himself from a Yellow Turban bandit to a captain of the Han army.

From leading the Yellow Turban Army to plunder everywhere and making the people terrified, he turned into a king's army where the common people were delighted to see the Han army coming and picked up pots of water to reward the soldiers, causing the roads to be blocked.

This change made Guan Hai feel deeply moved, the only thing that remained unchanged was the suppression of the powerful and wealthy.

From the seventh year of Guanghe when the Yellow Turbans rose up to the first year of Jian'an when the reign was changed, for more than ten years, he was either killing local tyrants or leading the army to kill local tyrants. He dared to say that among the many generals under his command, including Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, there was no military officer who knew better than him how to break through the manors and fortresses of the local tyrants.

Just by observing the enemy in battle, one can tell whether the powerful troops have practiced their military formations thoroughly, and how many people he will need to defeat the enemy.

Especially when he was fighting against the rebellious tyrants of Beihai Commandery, the opponents would shout in fear from the watchtowers as soon as they saw his flag: "Yellow Turban thief Guan Hai, why are you here again?!"

At that time, Guan Hai led hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban bandits to besiege Beihai, killing local tyrants and causing countless heads to roll and blood to flow like a river.

Many people fled to Donglai County or Xuzhou, and some took boats to Liaodong to seek refuge.

They dared to return only after hearing that Liu Xuande had defeated the Yellow Turbans. Unexpectedly, they were attacked by Guan Hai just as they started the rebellion.

The Beihai tyrants could not help but shout, "Guan Hai, you thief, why do you have to make things difficult for us? Are you going to lead the Yellow Turban bandits to invade our Beihai now?" Guan Hai was furious and cursed, "Fuck your mother! Bullshit, Nai Gong is the commander of the Han army, and you are the rebel. Nai Gong led the Han army to suppress the rebellion, and I, a humble man, insulted me too much."

When the soldiers of the Xuanfeng Camp and the Chaiying Camp, which were formed by selecting the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers, heard this, they jumped up and pointed at each other and cursed.

Your whole family is the thief. We are the Han army under the command of the envoy. You thieves dare to rebel. You are so bold! I will kill you today.

As Guan Hai was cursing, he gradually came to his senses. He wondered why he felt like he was still the leader of the Yellow Turbans, when he was a military officer in the Han army and was still under orders to kill the local tyrants. He went to ask Ran about this, but Ran was silent for a while and told him to just do his job well.

Guan Hai scratched his head and thought about the common people's support for Liu Shijun, and he could vaguely see the figure of the great virtuous teacher who was saving people in various places.

The difference is that the envoy deals with the powerful by combining hard and soft means. For example, when curing a disease, he first uses medicine to nourish the body, and then quickly eradicates the root cause of the disease. In contrast, when the great and virtuous teacher encounters a seriously ill and dying person, he uses strong medicine to treat the disease quickly.

Judging from the current situation, Liu Shijun's methods are more superior.

Guan Hai thought back to past events and felt that there might be some evil-doers lurking among the noble families in Pengcheng County.

After the clan leaders and patriarchs walked away, Guan Hai walked to the side of the envoy. Under Dian Wei's gaze, he grinned and leaned close to whisper, "If the envoy feels it is inconvenient to take action, the selected vanguard camp can be moved out for a while. I led the army here to observe the way. The nobles in Xuzhou are far less cautious than those in Qingzhou. Whether it is the high walls or the spears and halberds of the troops, they are not well prepared."

Glancing at Dian Wei and Liu He, Guan Hai said in a lower voice: "If I am the leader of the army and cannot wipe out all the tyrants near Pengcheng County within a few days, I am willing to be punished."

Liu Bei laughed and said, "The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack the enemy's soldiers. Sometimes too many killings will provoke more resistance. Go back and copy the chapter on attacking and strategizing in the Art of War with annotations ten times, and attach ten different insights. Give it to me before you arrive in Pei State. Do not use other people's opinions."

Guan Hai's scalp suddenly tingled. He licked his dry lips and said bitterly, "Sir, can you drink less?"

Liu Bei smiled and said, "As a captain, you are frightened by the insights of writing. How will you deal with paperwork and other matters when you become a governor of 2,000 stone in the future? Should you let the local nobles control the government affairs of the whole county and just be your governor of pleasure?"

To govern a place, one must first govern the officials, so that the officials will be afraid of the officials and will not dare to offend, deceive or bully the court officials.

Capable officials can manage all affairs of the county well and gain the support of the people only by disciplining their subordinates.

Guan Hai hesitated for a long time, trying to say that the nobles in various states were frightened by him during his extermination, and would not dare to cross him even if they had ten times the courage. He hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes!"

Liu Bei patted his shoulder to comfort him, knowing that some powerful people were frightened by his thundering tactics and chose to lie dormant.

But it didn't matter. As long as he handed over most of his troops, it would be easier to clean them up later. He could afford to waste time on these people.

As long as they were illegal and powerful, they would be treated the same regardless of whether they were relatives of the Han royal family or not. He was not as indulgent to the royal family as he had been at the beginning.

"Zijing, does Yuanlong have another letter in reply?"

When Liu Bei saw Lu Su coming, he couldn't help but ask.

Before the three armies moved, food and fodder had to be sent first. As early as February, he ordered Chen Deng, the Gongcao of Xia Pi, to use grain ships to transport food and fodder to Xiang County of Pei State to store grain and bean fodder for the army's expedition. As for military equipment, they had to be transported after he led the army to Pei.

(End of this chapter)