Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 188 Temporary Transfer
As night deepened, red lanterns, symbolizing urgent military matters, hung high atop the walls of Jinyang, casting a crimson glow on the tense faces of the soldiers guarding the city.

The hustle and bustle of the city had long since subsided, leaving only the monotonous sound of the watchman's clapper and the heavy footsteps of the patrolling soldiers.

Inside the county government office, the lights were on.

Zhang Xian walked in from outside, carrying a slight smell of sulfur. His steps were steady, and his expression was calm.

Upon seeing this, everyone in the hall bowed in unison.

"My lord!"

"No need for formalities, please take your seats, Wenruo."

"Lord."

Xun Yu stepped forward and handed over an urgent report. Zhang Xian took it, stepped onto the stairs, and sat down in the main seat.

He had previously installed a new type of open mill in the workshop, and after the first batch of vulcanized rubber was produced, some of the closed structures of the open mill could be replaced and used.

Needless to say, the steam chamber is sealed with vulcanized rubber, making it even more airtight.

He was halfway through when a fast horse came to inform him of an urgent military situation, so he arrived at the county government office without even having time to change his clothes.

He opened the urgent report and quickly skimmed through its contents in just a few breaths.

He still didn't show any anxiety on his face. He raised his head slightly and said, "Chideng can leave now. It's just two thousand grassland people. Wen Yuan and the others can handle it."

"But."

Wang Lie looked worried. He lived in Taiyuan and was quite familiar with the border raids by the nomads. In the past, every border raid had caused people to be displaced.

Is it that easy to deal with?
Xun Yu understood much better. He nodded and ordered, "Remove the Red Lantern to avoid causing panic in the city."

"promise."

The bailiff bowed and ran out.

Xun Yu then looked at his lord: "My lord, it seems that the grassland people of Xihe County are not as well-behaved as the grassland people of Qiangyin."

"Not well-behaved enough?" Zhang Xian chuckled.

"It's all the same. The grassland people are obedient because they're afraid. Xihe County just hasn't broken their bones yet!"

"How about this, Wenruo?" He looked at Xun Yu.

"Lord."

"Help me draft a letter and send it to Yin Guan, asking if Lu, the registrar under Governor Ding, would be interested in coming to Xihe for a horse ride."

"Is our lord going to send the Latin governor into the water?"

“Hey, it sounds so awful for a scholar to drag someone down with him. Ding Yuan, as the governor of Bingzhou, should be in charge of allocating grain and supplies to help me defend the border. It’s all official business, Wenruo.”

Hearing his lord's words, Xun Yu couldn't help but laugh. He cupped his hands and replied, "I understand. I will draft the letter immediately."

After laughing for a few moments, Zhang Xian regained his serious expression: "The autumn harvest is still a few months away. Our focus this year is not on border affairs, but on the refugees and infrastructure construction."

“Fengxian is just as brave as Wen Yuan and Zilong. In addition, as a border general, he knows the customs of the grassland people better than we do. With him making a trip, we can probably find out the situation of Xihe County.”

Wang Lie stroked his beard and gazed intently for a moment, saying, "Your Excellency is wise."

at this time!

“Report——!!!”

A weary yet excited voice announced the news from afar, drawing ever closer!
"Urgent report from Daling! Great victory at Daling!!" A messenger, covered in blood and with tattered armor, almost fell off his horse and stumbled to the ground in front of the hall, holding up a military report scroll soaked in sweat!

"Reporting to the lord, a great victory has been achieved at Daling! The three captains Zhang and Zhao held the enemy outside Daling County, beheading hundreds and capturing over a thousand!"

"Bring it here." Zhang Xian's tone remained calm, but the expressions on the faces of the people in the hall changed in different ways.

Wang Lie was surprised, and Xun Yu was somewhat astonished.

The clerk took the scroll and quickly delivered it into the hall.

Zhang Xian ripped off the seal and unfolded the military report.

The military report was written by Zhao Gou himself. The handwriting was slightly messy, but it had a distinct personal style. Even a scholar would not be able to write such a character.

"My lord, the bandit chieftain Xi Fenglie of the Xihe Xifeng tribe, with more than two thousand elite cavalry, launched a fierce attack on the border at the end of the You hour today, bypassing Zishi and Pingtao, and heading straight for Daling!"

Following the lord's orders, the troops did not defend the city to the death, but instead set up positions outside the city, relying on fortifications, and used powerful bows and crossbows to blunt their advance!

Fortunately, Generals Tianyou, Zilong, and Wenyuan led their elite cavalry to our aid in time, attacking the enemy's flanks! As the enemy's formation was thrown into chaos, my main infantry force and cavalry reserve launched a three-pronged attack!
After a bloody battle lasting an hour, General Zilong beheaded the bandit chief Xi Feng in battle, General Wen Yuan seized his banner, beheaded more than 400, captured more than 1,300, and seized 2,000 warhorses!

Seventeen of our soldiers died heroically, and more than two hundred were wounded, some seriously and some lightly. The defense line of the three counties remained as solid as a rock! In this battle, thanks to our lord's strategic planning and the soldiers' valiant efforts, we achieved a great victory!
Zhao Gou, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Liao bow and pay their respects!

After putting down the battle report, Zhang Xian chuckled.

"My dog ​​can stand on his own now, not bad."

"Someone, help the believer to go downstairs to wash, eat, and rest."

"promise!"

Several constables helped the messenger who had come to deliver the message to his feet and led him away.

Xun Yu took the battle report from Zhang Xian, glanced at it several times, and then handed it to Wang Lie.

The two exchanged a surprised glance.

Xun Yu was surprised that the war ended so quickly.

Wang Lie was surprised that the grassland people had become so easy to defeat.

The latter stroked his beard and bowed: "My lord, this battle report... I beg your permission to go to the three counties of Daling to comfort the soldiers and laborers."

“Very well, that’s exactly what I was thinking too.” Zhang Xian glanced at Wang Lie, knowing that the other was worried that someone was giving false military intelligence.

"However, it is late tonight. Your Highness may set off tomorrow. You may take some meat and poultry as a reward."

"promise!"

Wang Lie bowed and withdrew.

Zhang Xian looked around the main hall and waved his hand: "Alright, the battle is over, everyone may leave now."

"promise!"

All the officials who had been summoned to arrange city defenses bowed and withdrew.

Only Zhang Xian and Xun Yu remained in the hall.

The latter, having finished the last few strokes of his writing, blew on the ink and said, "My lord has been neglecting his duties in recent days."

"Wenruo is here, isn't he? I've always trusted you to get things done."

"But this can't last forever."

Zhang Xian smiled slightly and said, "I know, I know, it'll be soon. The production process and techniques for the new items in the workshop have been basically finalized. It should be ready in about ten days. After that, I'll help Wenruo."

Xun Yu looked helpless.

However, he was also curious about what his lord had been busy with these days, so he asked.

"What exactly is this thing that our lord has prepared? Is it so important?"

Zhang Xian nodded slightly: "It is indeed quite important. In the short term, if we do it well, it will greatly improve the water use and resource transportation of farmland under our jurisdiction." "In the long term," he said, a glint of light in his eyes, but he didn't say it aloud.

Because some of it is quite shocking.

Steam engine!
If the steam engine had been invented, it would have meant that the Eastern Han Dynasty would have entered a new era ahead of schedule.

Leaving aside the extent to which locomotives and railways would enhance power, their use for transporting grain alone would reduce the losses associated with animal-powered transport by several times.

With improvements in ship propulsion, shipping powered by sails and human labor will undergo a radical transformation, enabling it to sail upstream and even without wind.

There was also the liberation of productive forces. Although it certainly couldn't compare to later generations, the emergence of some steam-powered machinery could significantly reduce the workload of some jobs.

However, it's too early to talk about these things now. Although I have a steam engine manufacturing plan in mind, it is only applicable to vulcanized rubber. To make it applicable to other projects, I need to keep improving it.

"Why did you stop talking, my lord?" Xun Yu asked, puzzled.

Zhang Xian shook his head: "You're thinking too far ahead."

"Wenruo, please draft another letter for me, in the name of the Xiongnu General, to recruit Guo Jia as a military advisor and scribe, and have him return from Qiangyin to Daling County."

"Is the lord going to formally recruit Fengxiao?"

Zhang Xian nodded: "He's learned enough from Zhicai over the past few months. We'll have to put him to the test eventually."

"It just so happens that Zilong and his men are short of a strategist, so let him go."

Xun Yu smiled and nodded: "Yes."

Yanmen County, Yinguan City.

Although this place is the seat of Bingzhou, since Ding Yuan took office, it has always been shrouded in the huge shadow of Zhang Xian, the envoy to the Xiongnu in Jinyang.

The city walls were somewhat dilapidated, and the streets were far less prosperous than those of Jinyang. Even the governor's mansion exuded a sense of antiquity and oppression.

Inside the governor's mansion, Ding Yuan was hunched over his desk, dealing with a mountain of documents, his brow furrowed.

He was about forty or fifty years old, with a square face and a meticulously trimmed short beard. His eyes held the authority of someone who had long held a high position, but could not hide a trace of lingering resentment.

The dim light of the oil lamp on his desk illuminated the few new streaks of frost at his temples.

These documents mostly concern trivial civil affairs within Yanmen County, or are reports requesting the prefecture to allocate grain and fodder to deal with border troubles.

The real military and financial power had long been firmly controlled by Jinyang, and he, as the governor, was more like a steward who had been sidelined.

"Sigh..." Ding Yuan put down his pen and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Of the nine prefectures in Bingzhou, he could only truly control this corner of Yanmen, and he still had to be constantly on guard against raids by the Xianbei from beyond the Great Wall.

Zhang Zixu... Zhang Zixu... This name weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder.

The opponent was promoted to General of the Xiongnu with swift and decisive action, and then purged the Wang clan of Taiyuan, took control of Taiyuan, and his military might was so great that even the barbarians in Xihe and Dingxiang dared not easily move south.

Not to mention his generals Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, and others, all of whom were formidable warriors of their time.

As the nominal governor of the prefecture, he now had to be extremely cautious in front of Zhang Xian.

"My lord," said Ding Tian, ​​the trusted chief clerk, as he stepped inside.

“Zhang Zhonglang of Jinyang has sent a messenger with a letter.” He presented the letter, sealed with wax, with both hands.

Ding Yuan's eyes narrowed as he took the letter.

A letter from Jinyang is never a trivial matter. He quickly unwrapped it, took out the cloth, and found the handwriting on it to be elegant and refined.

However, the letter lacked any elegance or refinement whatsoever.

"...I have heard that Clerk Lü is skilled in archery and horsemanship, well-versed in the border situation, and possesses the courage of ten thousand men. Now that the Western River is not peaceful, I earnestly request that Governor Ding temporarily lend Clerk Lü his services, so that he may lead several hundred elite cavalry from Yanmen to patrol the Western River, in order to enhance our prestige and deter the villains."

"I will return as soon as the matter is completed, and I will certainly not fail Your Excellency's kindness in giving me this opportunity. This is to share the burden of the country and to ensure the peace and tranquility of Bingzhou. I hope Your Excellency will understand and grant my request..."

"Snapped!"

Ding Yuan slammed his hand on the table, making the brush holder and inkstone jump wildly! His face instantly turned ashen, his chest heaved violently, and his eyes were filled with rage that seemed about to burst forth!

"Zhang Zixu! This is outrageous!" Ding Yuan gritted his teeth, his voice squeezed out from deep in his throat, filled with suppressed anger and humiliation.

Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian! That was Ding Yuan's last trump card, the one that could be used to intimidate those inside and outside Yanmen Pass and maintain his last bit of dignity as governor!

This Zhang Xian is so blatantly reaching out to demand people!
What "temporary loan" and "sharing the nation's burdens"? Beneath the high-sounding rhetoric, it was clearly a test of Ding Yuan's bottom line, an attempt to strip him of his last remaining military power! To reduce him to a complete vassal of Jinyang!

"My lord, please calm down!" Ding Tian was startled and quickly tried to persuade him.

“Zhang Zhonglang is powerful, with well-trained troops and ample provisions. He also holds the imperial insignia and is in charge of matters concerning the northern barbarians. If he uses this pretext to temporarily transfer Lü Zhubu, and we openly refuse, I fear… I fear we will give him a handle to use against us!”

Ding Tian's words were tactful, but the meaning was clear: a head-on confrontation was definitely not going to work.

Zhang Xian has enough power and excuse to deal with those who don't obey him.

Ding Yuan gripped the letter tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

How could he not know that Ding Tian's words were true? Zhang Xian's messenger was waiting outside for a reply; this letter was less of a request and more of an ultimatum.

Refuse? Zhang Xian could easily accuse him of disregarding the overall situation and turning a blind eye to border troubles, and even use this as an excuse to further restrict his space in Yanmen.

Agree? This humiliation is unbearable! And will Lü Bu ever return?

Ever since Lü Bu returned from his trip to Lüchi County, he knew that his adopted son had long since taken the form of someone else!
The atmosphere inside the hall was so oppressive it felt like it had frozen in time, and Ding Yuan's rapid breathing could be clearly heard.

His gaze was fixed on the four characters "Zhang Xian bows" at the end of the letter, as if he wanted to burn them through.

After a long while, the anger in Ding Yuan's eyes was gradually replaced by a deep weariness and helplessness.

He slumped back into his chair, as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant.

What can they possibly compete with? Under Zhang Xian's command, the Jinyang workshops worked day and night to forge excellent weapons, with ample provisions and the hearts of the people were with him... while Ding Yuan was trapped in a lonely city with only a few thousand soldiers and only Lü Bu as a general who could be considered brave. They were simply not in the same league as each other.

"Go...call Fengxian here." Ding Yuan's voice was hoarse and low, filled with deep weariness.

"Yes, sir." Ding Tian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew.

Soon after, heavy footsteps were heard.

A tall and imposing figure stepped into the hall, seemingly brightening the somewhat dim space instantly.

The newcomer was none other than Lü Bu! More than half a year had passed since he last saw him, and he had become even more composed. His physique was also more robust, like that of a lion or tiger. His face was angular, with a high nose bridge, sword-like eyebrows that slanted upwards into his temples, and his eyes were as sharp as those of a hawk.

He was not wearing armor, but only a black close-fitting outfit with a long sword hanging at his waist.

"Father."

"Fengxian." Ding Yuan took a deep breath, trying to make his tone calm, and pushed the letter towards Lü Bu.

"Zhang Zhonglang from Jinyang has sent a letter saying that there are unusual movements by the Hu barbarians in Xihe County, and he wants to borrow you to lead your troops to patrol there in order to enhance our prestige. What do you think?"

Ding Yuan emphasized the word "borrowed" and stared intently at Lü Bu's face, trying to catch a glimpse of his emotions.

Lü Bu took the letter and quickly glanced at it.

He read very quickly, but his facial expression remained unchanged.

However, when he saw that Chief Clerk Lü was skilled in archery and horsemanship, knowledgeable about the border situation, and possessed the courage of ten thousand men, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flashed across his resolute face.

"I'm willing to go!"

(End of this chapter)