Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 106: Returning the Favor and the Expedition

...

This made perfect sense, so the Xiliang Army was accepting tribute from Yongzhou Thieves while waiting for them to come buy horses with money or grain, and then they planned to double-cross them. Frankly, the Xiliang Army had intended to betray them from the start. They weren’t worried about getting into trouble—their boss was about to ascend the throne, what was there to worry about?

On one hand, the Xiliang Soldiers bragged and shot the breeze with the bandits serving them, while on the other, they prepared to wipe them out. After all, it was only natural for official troops to exterminate bandits!

The Yongzhou Thieves boasted to the horse-selling Xiliang Soldiers to kill morale, all the while plotting to eliminate these inhuman creatures. As for grain and money, they didn’t have enough to go around, let alone give to the Xiliang Soldiers—what a joke! And if it weren’t for the Xiliang Soldiers’ looting everywhere, would they have been forced to become outlaws?

Therefore, in the hearts of the Yongzhou Thieves, as soon as the message from their leading brother arrived, these scumbags would become meat on the chopping block, to be hacked into mincemeat! As for those four thousand horses, naturally they planned to ride them and run—if they couldn’t provoke the Xiliang Soldiers, they would just leave Yongzhou after this big heist and never mix there again. With four thousand horses, they could surely barter for some status with other Feudal Lords!

With this mindset, whether it was the Yongzhou Thieves or the Xiliang Soldiers, they all called each other "brother" with mouths while hands felt for knives, leaving no room for mercy when the time came to strike. Everyone shared the same purpose, which was to betray one another!

Meanwhile, Gongsun Zan had also received supplies and a letter from Liu Bei. The letter wasn’t long, and its content was straightforward.

One part briefly explained his current situation, mentioning that being near Mount Tai and facing the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, he was not in a position to directly help against Jizhou, and since the Yellow Turbans were still causing trouble, he couldn’t leave.

The other part conveyed that although he, the brother, had only just gotten by, upon hearing that Gongsun Zan intended to fight Yuan Shao, he would provide support regardless of the reason. He had collected a hundred thousand dan of grain, a ship of refined salt, and ten million coins. Should the supplies not suffice, he could try to gather more.

Gongsun Zan was deeply moved by the letter and the supplies sent by the Lul Family’s fleet, instantly soothing the bitterness he had felt from being snubbed by Liu Yu. Blood is thicker than water after all. Liu Bei had just arrived in poor, remote Mount Tai over half a year ago, probably had not even pacified the people under his rule, yet upon hearing Zan’s desire for revenge, he immediately provided so many supplies—now that’s what brothers are for!

Feeling invigorated by his brother’s support, Gongsun Zan felt fired up. Yuan Shao said he would divide Jizhou equally, yet now he had monopolized it. If he didn’t teach Yuan Shao a lesson, he’d probably forget that Gongsun Zan was the White Horse General!

"National Consent, how many horses do we have left in our stables?" Gongsun Zan, in high spirits after receiving Liu Bei’s letter, asked. A hundred thousand dan of grain was nothing special, a ship of salt would last his army three months, and ten million in cash was merely the price of a hundred horses. But to Gongsun Zan, this was all a show of fraternal affection, and he felt compelled to reciprocate the gesture. Now brimming with confidence, he felt certain of his success.

"We’ve just raided the Wuhuan and Xianbei, and aside from the White Horses, which were incorporated into the Righteous Followers, we still have a large number of mixed-color horses left. They were originally intended to be sold to the Yuan Family of Yuzhou, the Zhen Family, the Cui Family, and the Zhang Family of Qinghe, for seventy thousand coins each. However, now that we’re planning a battle with Jizhou, it’s natural that we keep the horses," Tian Yu said calmly, well aware of Gongsun Zan’s perennial foibles.

Having been with Gongsun Zan for so long, Tian Yu had fully grasped his temperament. To Gongsun Zan, if he favored someone, that person could do no wrong; conversely, should he dislike someone, no amount of flattery would yield a pleasant response. For some reason, Liu Bei had caught Gongsun Zan’s eye, and consequently, Gongsun Zan had taken great care of his old classmate.

Previously, Tian Yu thought such behavior was very foolish, but after seeing the supplies transported from Mount Tai at the port of Liaoxi Commandery, Tian Yu came to appreciate Gongsun Zan’s approach. Although most might prove to be ungrateful, the occasional stalwart allies like Liu Bei instantly made all prior investments worthwhile. Therefore, this time Tian Yu didn’t try to persuade Gongsun Zan not to send gifts to Liu Bei.

Tian Yu agreed with Gongsun Zan’s view that Liu Bei, having been to the impoverished area of Mount Tai for no more than half a year, must have gone to great lengths to offer these items. To a wealthy man like Gongsun Zan, except for the salt, Liu Bei’s other resources were trivial. Consider this, three thousand White Horse Righteous Followers, each with two horses, require two pounds of grain per person and twenty pounds for each horse per day. That’s two thousand stone of grain needed daily for men and horses, amounting to enough for only a month and a half with one hundred thousand stone, not even considering the large number of infantry.

"Give all those horses of mixed colors to Xuande. Didn’t they say they caught a few wild horses on the brink of ’Qi Refining to Gang’? Except for the white ones, send them all to Xuande," Gongsun Zan ordered Tian Yu directly. If it weren’t for the fact that his stables were recently raided by the Wuhuan and Xianbei and were now filled with white horses, he would have none of other colors. He found the sight of non-white horses to be irritating; it was best to either give them away or sell them off.

Chen Xi, looking at the appointment decree for Liu Bei, pressed the bridge of his nose, contemplating whether to refuse. After all, he was about to be married, and by accepting this position, he wouldn’t be able to marry. It was no small feat to handle a large number of Yellow Turbans, and although Chen Xi was confident in managing them, such a huge number would not be dispatched in a short time.

"Zichuan, do you have any concerns?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled.

"Nothing much, just wondering if I could have Ziyang under my command," Chen Xi replied with a shake of his head, stating his reason.

"You are the commander-in-chief for this campaign, so naturally, you pick your men. Just leave sufficient troops to garrison Mount Tai," Liu Bei said with a smile.

"Alright, I’ll take charge of it," Chen Xi nodded, accepting the decree, ready to hand over political affairs to Lub Su and then set off to Qingzhou to deal with the Yellow Turbans. Before that, however, he needed to explain the situation to Fan Jian and Chen Lan, as this mission was official military duty, and bringing his wife along might breed resentment. It was better to act normally, and he felt somewhat uneasy about leaving Chen Lan and Fan Jian behind.

As for leading troops, Chen Xi didn’t wish to comment. His expertise lay far from warfare, but as a commander-in-chief, he could manage, given his discernment and ability to make good use of people. If he could harness the full potential of every subordinate general and still face defeat, it wouldn’t be his fault but rather a matter of sheer power difference.

After all, this was a campaign against the Yellow Turbans, not against a Cao Cao advised by skilled strategists like Xi Zhicai, the Two Xuns, and Cheng Yu. Moreover, with a host of formidable followers under his command, they weren’t merely fighting the Yellow Turbans; even dragging out the conflict would be enough to starve them to death, capturing captives and earning commendable military achievements.

However, it seemed appropriate at such a time to first write a letter to Tao Qian, requesting some grain, for after all, Mount Tai was the gateway to Xuzhou. Should Mount Tai fall, Xuzhou would undoubtedly suffer, so indeed, Xuzhou should share some of the responsibility.

Stepping out of the Political Office, Chen Xi looked up at the sky. Marching to war, this was his first time, and oddly, he felt no excitement whatsoever. Dealing with the Yellow Turbans was merely a hassle due to their numbers, a simpler challenge compared to confronting the Feudal Lords. Moreover, the men and troops he was leading seemed to have an unfair advantage as if he was playing with cheats enabled.