Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 296 To not pay homage to the Dao Lord is to be unfilial; to not see the Sect Leader is to be unbelieving!
Qingzhou.

As the sea fog began to dissipate, one could see thousands of ships like ants on the horizon, their multi-tiered eaves and oars like a forest, cutting through the waves.

Banners proclaiming "Acting on Behalf of Heaven" fluttered in the wind, and a massive, dark mass of ships obscured half the sea as they approached the shore amidst the undulating waves. Meanwhile, countless people wearing yellow turbans surged toward the coastal county town of Qingzhou.

The county towns could not withstand the attack and were captured one after another within a few days.

Upon hearing the battle report at the prefectural government office, Yuan Tan's face grew increasingly dark.

"Sir, we knew long ago that the Yellow Turbans were going to invade the sea. Why didn't we prepare in advance and deploy defenses?"

Even now, you are stopping me from making any rash moves of troops. What is your purpose?
Are we just going to stand by and watch these thieves run rampant and invade our county?
"Sir, I know you have always supported my younger brother, but with external threats looming, why do you still oppose me? What are your true intentions?"

Faced with his stern words, Shen Pei simply picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, remaining calm and composed.

“What you say is very true, young master. What we should do now is to sit here and watch quietly.”

"Sex with Zheng Nan!"

Are you crazy?

Yuan Tan was shocked!
He never expected that Shen Pei, who was always loyal to him despite their bad relationship, would say such a thing.

But looking at Shen Pei's attitude, he suddenly sensed something was wrong and asked in surprise.

"Since you have a plan in mind, do you have a strategy to defeat the enemy?"

"Your Excellency has a good plan in mind, why don't you teach it to me?"

Shen Pei looked at him with a serious expression and said without changing his expression.

"Please sit here, young master. Remain calm and composed in the face of the enemy, as steady as Mount Tai. This is my strategy."

Yuan Tan: "???"

Seeing that Yuan Tan still didn't understand, Shen Pei sighed and explained it to him in detail.

"The reason I was worried about the Yellow Turbans on the sea was because of Tian Kai."

If the Yellow Turbans were to capture the city and cooperate with Tian Kai to take over, the harm they would cause would be even greater, ravaging many places.

However, since I was sent to Qingzhou by the Emperor, I have been assisting you in recent years, using the power of the masses to quell minor disputes, and using the power of the ocean to cover up minor transgressions.

They conquered cities and seized territories, strengthened their military, brought peace and stability to the people, and pacified the surrounding areas.

"Imada Kai has been defeated, Qingzhou is helpless, and you, my lord, control a province and support a million people. What fear is there of the slightest disease from elsewhere?"

"Precisely because Tian Kai has been defeated and Tan has become the hegemon of Qingzhou, if we do not mobilize the entire province to eliminate this bandit, how can we demonstrate our ability and prestige?"

Shen Pei laughed at this.

"Have you not heard of Xu Ziyuan waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump in the Bohai Sea, making a fool of himself?"
To mobilize the entire prefecture and demonstrate its power?

"I only have one question: how does your reputation, sir, compare to that of Lü Bu?"

Yuan Tan paused, then answered awkwardly.

"Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare."

Lu Bu, having roamed the land for nearly a decade, though fickle in his actions, was unparalleled in bravery, far surpassing Tan's.

"This group of Yellow Turbans came from Xuzhou. It is said that they are invulnerable to swords and spears, and impervious to water and fire, and have extraordinary abilities."

With only one hundred men and one hundred cavalrymen, they broke through the stronghold and defeated Zhang Wenyuan's twenty thousand troops.

To guard against this enemy, Lü Bu dispatched his general Zhang Liao with 20,000 elite troops to garrison the coast, but even that could not stop his advance.

Currently, in order to completely annihilate Gongsun Zan in one fell swoop, our lord has mobilized generals from four provinces to lead troops northward.

The main pillars of Hebei are all located in Youyan, and the troops of Qingzhou number less than 30,000.

Whom does Your Highness intend to send to lead the army and defeat the enemy?

"Would you personally lead the army and be defeated by two hundred men, or would you rather be exiled?"

"But."

Yuan Tan also knew that Shen Pei's words made sense. Now that his father had once again forced Gongsun Zan into Yijing to defend it, it was time to seize the opportunity and decide their fate.

At this moment, nothing is more important than the Battle of Youzhou.

If I were in this situation, I would make a fool of myself like Lü Bu of Xuzhou, causing a disastrous defeat of 30,000 troops by a hundred cavalry, which would damage morale.

It could even have far-reaching consequences, as the events in Qingzhou could ruin the overall situation in the four prefectures.

My father will never let me off the hook.

Even though Shen Pei had reminded him that there was a hierarchy of importance, he was still resentful.

"There's no reason for us to just sit here and watch."

If we allow such thieves to run rampant like this…

So what if we let him run rampant?

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Pei interrupted him.

"Tian Kai has been killed, and no one is occupying the city. Even if these bandits take over the county town, they will only plunder it. After they leave, you can send people to retake it."

No matter how rampant they are, even if their ships are fully loaded, how much cargo can they take away?
As for the common people, there is no need to worry. It is said that these Yellow Turban rebels are protecting these people even more than you are.

And what about the local powerful families? Having suffered such a plunder and misfortune, they will surely seek the young master's protection even more and side with you and me.

Although there was a loss, it was insignificant to the overall situation.

He spoke slowly, then changed the subject.

"On the contrary, if we send troops to defend, all the elite soldiers and generals are in Youzhou, while our troops are of mixed quality, not to mention whether we can win."

Even though the young master was wise and brave, possessing the qualities of a military genius and the courage of Xiang Yu, and defeated this group of bandits.

But if they simply escaped onto ships and hid at sea, it would be a waste of a large army, all for naught.

"With his talent for public trial, surely he can't think of a good solution?"

"It's not that we couldn't think of it, but rather that this is the most appropriate countermeasure at present."

Shen Pei bowed respectfully and firmly stood in front of Yuan Tan.

"My lord, a great matter is imminent. At this time, it is better to remain still than to act."

As for the looted supplies?

My lord, rest assured. Upon hearing of the 100 cavalrymen's attack on the camp in Xuzhou, Pei Jiu has already made arrangements in advance. The coastal county town has already been emptied of supplies.

Unless they abandon their self-righteous righteous deeds and instead feed on the people and plunder their money and grain, they will get nothing.

The noble families who remained there, already arrogant and unruly, will now see clearly who is truly protecting them after this ordeal.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan's eyes lit up.

"So the trial was all planned in advance? How could you have kept it from me so well?"

He pondered the plan deeply and couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

“Okay, okay!

Since they didn't plunder the people anyway, we just emptied the city of supplies and made them leave empty-handed.

"If we plunder powerful families, we are helping them win over the hearts of the people."

Shen Pei nodded, a cold glint in his eyes.

"If they are still not satisfied and dare to venture deep into enemy territory alone, far from their ships, then it will be time for us to ambush them and kill them, so that they will never return."

On the other hand, Gan Ning and Jiang Qin, who had captured several counties in just a few days after storming into the coastal areas of Qingzhou, were now facing the biggest dilemma they had ever encountered in their plundering business.

No resistance!

With almost no resistance, compared to the previous ambush by Zhang Liao in Xuzhou where Gan Ning risked his life to break through the camp with a hundred cavalry, the battle in Qingzhou was far too easy.

The city fell in a single attack. The county magistrate had fled, and the county constable was nowhere to be found. Only a trembling minor official came forward, pleading with them to treat the people kindly. Gan Ning and Jiang Qin: "???"

No, we're here to rob you! Can't you have some respect?

But then they understood why: there was no one in the county government office and the treasury was empty.

The only ones they could rob were the local powerful families.

Although they were called the Yellow Turbans, they were actually under the command of the King of Han, and their military law was strict. Not just anyone could steal from them.

For those wealthy and unscrupulous families who harm the common people, their crimes will naturally be listed and made an example of them.

But if someone is a respectable family with a long tradition of scholarship and is even charitable, you can't just go around robbing them for no reason.

Unfortunately, Jiang Qin had already been to this place once before, killing and looting as he pleased. Among the remaining aristocratic families, it wouldn't be easy to find a few exemplary individuals. In fact, when they were being arrested, some common people even came out to speak up for them.

There was nothing they could do. These powerful families weren't fools. They had already come once before, so they knew they would definitely come again.

Those who could move or run away had already done so. Those who remained tried every means to preserve their family businesses, naturally catering to the people's preferences and engaging in various acts of charity to cultivate a reputation for treating the people well.

There were even patriarchs of powerful families who warmly took Gan Ning's hand and invited him to their ancestral hall, pointing to the statue of the [Huangtian Yingyuan Xiansheng Daojun] enshrined at the highest position, and said to him:
"We are also under the protection of Lord Daojun, and we also believe in the Yellow Heaven!"

General, they're one of us.

As if to prove his identity, the head of the family took the lead in shouting a slogan.

"Heaven is dead!" (Loyalty!)
So the entire clan, from top to bottom, shouted in unison:
"May Heaven rise!" (Loyalty!)
Gan Ning and Jiang Qin: "." (Scratching their heads)
Gan Ning looked at Jiang Qin, and Jiang Qin looked at Gan Ning; both felt the situation was getting complicated.

Oh no, they've learned it.

How can this be good?

Yuan Tan's side set up an empty city; no one even had money in their purses. What was the point of robbing them?
And what about these powerful families? They would bow down and pay homage to them upon seeing them, even offering small favors and persuading the common people to speak well of them, making it difficult for them to take action.

"This"

Is their grand undertaking destined to end in failure in Qingzhou?

Seemingly noticing their predicament, the patriarch of the aristocratic family smoothed things over for them, smiling and saying:

"General, do not worry!"
We are all believers in the Yellow Heaven, and now that the General has come, we naturally offer our respects.

As he spoke, he hurriedly ordered people to bring over some gold, silver, and grain as a gift.

However, Gan Ning and Jiang Qin frowned even more deeply when they saw the supplies delivered by this person.

What about sending beggars away?

If their trip goes smoothly and they manage to plunder enough supplies from the county government office, it wouldn't be a big deal if these powerful families managed to fool them.

But the county town was empty, with no harvest. If they could only collect some tribute to board the ship, their next stop would be Youzhou.

If General Gongsun didn't know, he would think that our King of Han was in a financial crisis!

They've come with such a large force, sending supplies from afar, but what they have to offer is hardly anything.

It's fair to say that if someone else were here today, they might really be helpless against these powerful families.

But who are Gan Ning and Jiang Qin?

They were real thugs who had spent their lives robbing others; they couldn't be fooled.

The two exchanged a glance, and Jiang Qin, looking at the patriarch of the powerful family before him, also smiled and said:

"It's truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; I never expected it to be a believer from the religion."

"Exactly, exactly!"

We too follow the ways of Heaven, and only wish for peace in the world.

"very good."

Gan Ning grabbed the hand of the patriarch of a powerful family, instantly pulling him to his side, and said:
“You are all so sincere and yearning for the Yellow Heaven. Such a devout believer is rare in the world.”

"Manifesting Sage Daoist Lord, moved by your sincerity, we will now lead our entire clan to the Yellow Heaven to pay homage to the Lord of Great Peace."

The head of the aristocratic family: "Huh???"

Gan Ning gripped his hand tightly, looking at him with a cold smile.

"What, as a devout follower of Huangtian Taiping, aren't you delighted to hear that I'm taking your whole family to meet the Manifested Sage Daoist Lord?"

"Not happy, of course I'm happy."

However, how dare I, a lowly person, presume to seek an audience with the Daoist Master?

"The Daoist Master's entourage is far away, and he is very busy with affairs; I imagine he would not wish to see a mere believer like myself."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Qin had already drawn his long sword from his waist, flicked it with his finger, revealing its sharpness, and smiled.

"Are you saying that everything you said before was just to fool me?"
To not pay homage to the Daoist Lord is to be unfilial; to not see the sect leader is to be unbelieving!
"Is your faith not devout?"

With the knife almost at his neck, how could this minor patriarch dare to utter a single word of dissent?

With a bitter expression and trembling, he said, "I am truly honored and humbled."

Only at this moment did Gan Ning and Jiang Qin treat him as one of their own, and the two sides got to know each other.

Only then did he realize that the person in front of him was Li You, the head of the Li family, a small but powerful family in the local county.

Li You also learned about the two people in front of him. One of them was the renowned General Zhang Hai, and the other's identity was even more frightening.

It was actually General Zhang Jiao!
No, Zhang Jiao?
Li You: "???"

Li You was greatly shocked and dared not disobey the two.

He was truly helpless. He had hoped to escape this predicament, but things had turned out this way.

If the whole family is to be taken away to meet the Yellow Heaven, what wealth, money, or food will be left in the house?

Following the same method, Gan Ning and Jiang Qin moved the remaining members of the Huangtianqianxin family, who were colluding with the Li family and plotting to cheat and swindle, onto the large ship along with their families.

The ship's hold was finally filled, and we continued our journey towards our next destination, Youzhou.

Meanwhile, at the front lines in Youzhou, in Yuan Shao's main tent.

“Lord Ju, I will follow your advice.”

While Gongsun Zan was attacking Jingzhou and Cao Cao was leading a coalition of four warlords to attack him, Cao Cao destroyed Gongsun Zan and stabilized the situation in the north.

Shao then gathered the troops from four prefectures and led over 300,000 armored soldiers northward to overthrow Youzhou.

Now that Jingzhou has been pacified and the south is secured, why has this traitor Gongsun been delayed in being eliminated?

Seeing Yuan Shao's anxiety, Ju Shou quickly advised him:

"My lord, do not worry!"
Gongsun Zan, with his clever schemes and maneuvering, used Guo Jia to control Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and his power gradually increased. The previous strategy of protracted warfare was no longer feasible.

If the situation drags on, and he develops with the resources provided by Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, he may become a major threat to our lord.

Just then, Yuan Shu attacked Jingzhou, causing great chaos in the south. As a result, the five warlords fought each other incessantly, which gave Cao Cao and Yuan Shu no opportunity to support Gongsun Zan!
If we do not eliminate it now, it will surely become a problem in the long run.

Although Gongsun Zan has been able to survive until now thanks to the help of Zhao Zilong, Guo Jia, and Cheng Yu.

However, once they entered Yijing, they were already in a dead end. As long as they broke through this last gateway to Youzhou, they could then easily pass through Yuyang and Beiping!
Thus, Gongsun Zan's death was imminent.

"Once Gongsun is defeated, our lord will dominate the north. Looking back south, the world will be at peace."

"Hmph! Zhao Zilong."

Upon hearing Ju Shou mention Zhao Yun, Yuan Shao's expression suddenly darkened, indicating that Zhao Yun and his heavy cavalry had caused him considerable trouble during this period.

Then he looked at Xu You and said, "Ziyuan, you once said that if we had tens of thousands of heavy cavalry, we could sweep across the world."

Therefore, I have entrusted you with the entire responsibility of building heavy cavalry. What is the outcome now?

Xu You: "."

Um, my lord.
You said you'd build it over twenty years, and now you're asking me for it after such a short time?
(End of this chapter)