lovenovelstory Chapter 25 Zhao Zilong of Changshan is here!
Chapter 25 Zhao Zilong of Changshan is here!
"Where did these government troops come from?! How dare they ambush me!"
Guan Hai rushed out of the tent carrying a large knife, still not fully sober, his eyes bloodshot.
He spotted the young general in white robes charging at the very front.
"Give me your life!"
Guan Hai roared and swung his broadsword at Zhao Yun.
He possessed superhuman strength, and this strike was powerful and heavy, accompanied by a whistling sound.
Zhao Yun neither dodged nor evaded; as the blade approached, his silver spear, like a serpent spitting its tongue, thrust out with lightning speed.
"clang!"
A loud bang.
Guan Hai felt his tiger's mouth split open, and his broadsword almost flew out of his hand.
He was greatly shocked, never expecting that this seemingly weak young general would possess such strength.
Before he could even change his tactics.
Zhao Yun's second shot has arrived.
This shot was faster and more ruthless, aimed straight for Guan Hai's throat.
Guan Hai desperately dodged to the side, barely avoiding a fatal blow, but a large chunk of flesh was still torn off his shoulder.
"what!"
Guan Hai screamed and staggered backward, clutching his shoulder.
"Don't run, you thief! Zhao Zilong of Changshan is here!"
Zhao Yun spurred his horse to catch up and thrust out with his third spear.
This shot was unavoidable.
"Pfft!"
The silver spear pierced Guan Hai's chest, lifting him into the air.
Thus, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion died in a surprise attack on a snowy night.
"Guan Hai is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
Zhao Yun raised his silver spear, which was carrying Guan Hai's corpse, high, and his voice boomed like a bell.
At this moment, the main infantry force led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also attacked from both flanks.
Guan Yu wielded his Green Dragon Crescent Blade as if entering an empty field; Zhang Fei swept his eighteen-foot spear, killing anyone who touched him.
With their commander-in-chief killed, their camp breached, and them attacked from three sides, the hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers collapsed instantly.
They scurried about like headless flies, trampling each other to death in countless ways. Many more threw down their weapons, knelt in the snow, shivering, and begged for their lives.
By daybreak, the battle was basically over.
Outside Duchang City, the snow was stained a glaring red with blood.
Countless Yellow Turban prisoners were gathered together and guarded by the Pingyuan Army.
Duchang City Wall.
Kong Rong didn't sleep all night, listening to the deafening shouts of battle outside the city, his heart filled with anxiety.
As dawn broke, the shouts of battle gradually subsided. He mustered his courage and peered out through the crevice of the battlements.
All that could be seen outside the city was the ruins of the Yellow Turban camp, where countless soldiers bearing the banner of "Pingyuan Li" were cleaning up the battlefield.
A cavalryman galloped to the city walls and shouted, "Prefect Li of Pingyuan, by imperial decree, has defeated the rebel Guan Hai and his gang! We request that Lord Kong open the city gates for a discussion!"
Kong Rong felt as if he were hearing celestial music, and was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
"We're saved! We're saved! Quick! Open the city gates! Welcome Magistrate Li!"
The city gates of Duchang were wide open.
Surrounded by Liu Bei, Xu Shu, and others, Li Zhao rode slowly into the city.
Kong Rong, along with all the officials in the city, were already waiting at the gate.
Upon seeing Li Zhao, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply to the ground.
"Kong Rong, on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of people of Beihai, expresses his gratitude to Magistrate Li for saving his life!"
Li Zhao dismounted, helped Kong Rong up, and wore a gentle smile on his face.
"Lord Wenju, you flatter me. As a subject of the Han, it is my duty to suppress the rebels and bring peace to the people. I arrived a step late and caused you alarm."
Kong Rong stood up and looked at the excessively young prime minister before him.
He stood tall and straight, with clear and focused eyes. Although he looked slightly tired after a long journey, his calm and composed demeanor was truly admirable.
"Your Excellency is truly a hero of our time!" Kong Rong exclaimed sincerely. "Your swift action during this heavy snowfall, turning the tide in a single battle, is nothing short of divine. I admire you most of all."
"Lord Wenju is too kind. This is all thanks to the bravery of the soldiers and the strategic planning of Military Advisor Xu."
Li Zhao made a modest remark, his gaze sweeping across the city.
Along the streets, the people were emaciated, dressed in rags, their eyes filled with numbness from surviving the disaster and confusion about the future.
"Lord Wenju, what is the situation in the city?" Li Zhao asked.
Kong Rong sighed, his face showing shame.
"To be honest, the city's treasury is empty, and the people have been without food for many days. If you had arrived two days later, Duchang City would probably be..."
Li Zhao nodded, then turned to Liu Bei and said:
"Lord Xuande, immediately allocate 5,000 shi of military rations to the city and set up soup kitchens to provide relief to the people. Make sure that everyone in the city can have a full meal today."
"promise!"
Liu Bei accepted the order and left.
Upon hearing this, Kong Rong was so moved that he bowed again: "Your Excellency is benevolent and righteous! On behalf of the people, I thank Your Excellency!"
He secretly admired him, thinking that this Prefect Li was not only good at fighting, but also knew how to love the people. This was a truly benevolent and righteous army.
Inside the governor's mansion, a banquet was set up again.
Although the dishes were simple, they were a rare delicacy for Kong Rong and his companions, who had been starving for a long time.
During the banquet, Kong Rong frequently toasted Li Zhao to express his gratitude.
"Your Excellency has decisively defeated the Yellow Turbans, and your power has shaken Qingzhou. What are your plans next?" Kong Rong asked tentatively.
Li Zhao put down his wine cup and glanced at Kong Rong.
"Lord Wenju is a renowned scholar. I have a question that I would like to ask Lord Wenju."
"Please speak, Your Excellency."
"Why did Wenju govern Beihai for so many years, yet the Yellow Turban Rebellion only got worse with each effort?"
This was a very pointed question, which made Kong Rong's face fall.
He stammered, "This... the bandits are numerous and powerful. Although Rong has tried his best to appease them, his troops are few and his generals are few, it's really..."
"Wenju Gong is wrong."
Li Zhao interrupted him, his voice calm yet firm.
"The Yellow Turban Rebellion was not caused by a lack of soldiers, but by a lack of provisions. It was not caused by the rebels, but by the people."
"Most of those so-called Yellow Turban rebels were ordinary people who couldn't survive. If you give them a way to live, they are the people; if you don't, they are rebels."
"Lord Wenju only knows how to teach with classical texts, but he doesn't understand that people only know etiquette when the granaries are full. The people can't even fill their stomachs, how can they listen to your teachings of the sages?"
Kong Rong was speechless and embarrassed, but he was unable to refute her.
"Then, in your opinion, what should be done?" Kong Rong humbly asked for advice.
Li Zhao stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the people queuing up for porridge outside the city.
"Tuntian" (military agricultural settlements).
"I intend to keep all 100,000 Yellow Turban prisoners outside the city."
Kong Rong was greatly alarmed: "My lord, you mustn't! Those are 100,000 bandits! If we leave them in Beihai, wouldn't we be raising a tiger to cause future trouble?"
"They are not tigers, they are people."
Li Zhao turned around, his gaze resolute.
"I will break up their organizational structure and organize them into family units to cultivate land in various parts of Beihai. I will provide them with seeds, farming tools, and food rations, so that they can reclaim wasteland and support themselves."
"If they have land to cultivate and food to eat, who would be willing to risk their life to steal?"
Kong Rong was dumbfounded. He had never heard of such a grand gesture as turning bandits into civilians.
"But... this requires a massive amount of money and provisions! Where will you, my lord, obtain these?"
Li Zhao smiled but didn't say anything.
He glanced at the system panel.
[Li Zhao, the Prefect of Pingyuan]
[Registered population within the jurisdiction (including newly arrived Beihai residents and prisoners of war): 285000]
Daily rice production: 285000 liters
Current grain reserves: 580000 shi (a unit of dry measure).
Nearly 300,000 people!
The daily grain output is close to three thousand shi!
This is his bottom line.