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Fa Zheng was no fool; previously, he had been preoccupied with contemplating how to crush the Yellow Turbans and hadn’t paid attention to other matters. A reminder from Chen Xi instantly made him realize the most pressing problem at hand.
Right now, the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou numbered over a million, and once they pushed into Qingzhou, their numbers would inevitably swell even more. Including women, children, the elderly, and the weak, an addition of more than two million people was not a problem—once one of the five major grain-producing areas, the population could have been even larger if it weren’t for the area’s decline.
Fa Zheng’s complexion turned extremely unsightly. He understood the downside of continuing to look for the best solution because time was running out. Once they passed the critical line of mid-May, even if Chen Xi possessed unparalleled abilities, he would not be able to start the Tuntian system before the end of June.
If they failed to start the Tuntian system in time, the captives from defeating the Yellow Turbans would directly turn into a burden. And once the people lacked food, rebellion would be a mere statement away. As for reducing the burden by killing them—do you still want to keep your reputation for kindness and benevolence? Do you still wish to soar? All of Chen Xi’s plans revolved around Liu Bei’s reputation for benevolence and the population.
Regardless of whether Liu Bei was faking benevolence or putting on a show, a lifetime of pretense was no different from the real thing.
"So we’ll use your previous method after all. It’s okay if the loss is a bit larger," Chen Xi patted Fa Zheng on the shoulder. "As a strategist, don’t just focus on the battlefield. What happens off the field is also very important. This time, by seizing about a fifth of Qingzhou, we can strive to take over the entirety of Qingzhou next year. That way, I can barely implement my grand strategy. By implementing it one step earlier, we can save one more life."
Just as Chen Xi had anticipated, the three minor canal commandants of the Yellow Turbans couldn’t get along, primarily because of insufficient food and the vast number of people under each of their commands. Were it not for Liu Dai’s cross-province strike at the Yellow Turbans, these three would have split before even leaving Qingzhou.
Moreover, the Yellow Turbans were akin to an unorganized group of displaced peoples. The entire group was in disarray, with frequent internal conflicts, and oftentimes soldiers could not find their officers, and officers could not find their soldiers. Thus, it was more accurate to liken the Yellow Turbans to beggars that pillaged everywhere, though these beggars numbered in the masses...
Ever since Chen Bai, Fuyun, and Hou Qian had a fallout, they led hundreds of thousands of followers each to plunder wherever they could. However, Yanu was impoverished with barely any food supplies. Very soon, they set their sights on Mount Tai and, as if by unspoken agreement, they all headed for the mountain. But because each faction had too large a force to manage effectively, what was referred to as a "march" was actually carried out in waves.
Apart from the few tens of thousands of men whom Fuyun, Chen Bai, and Hou Qian considered elite—wielding weapons or dressed in armor—most of the rest were, in fact, coerced refugees or simply refugees who followed along to steal some food due to hunger.
Against such unorganized, undisciplined, and ill-equipped bandits, Guan Yu, leading the Central Army, crushed all Yellow Turbans they encountered. Of course, there were some who, upon seeing that Guan Yu was not as fierce as rumored, directly requested to surrender.
To those, Chen Xi did not care whether they were spies or not; he handed them all over to Sun Guan in the rear. After all, the back was under military control, and any troublemakers would be executed without any reason, no trial necessary. In Qingzhou, Chen Xi made sure Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci brought at least thirty thousand Tuntian soldiers. These Tuntian soldiers might not be good for battle, but they were capable of military governance. Besides, Chen Xi did not mind sacrificing a batch of them. In these times of seeking stability, anyone causing trouble would face immediate execution without the need for a trial.
In times of chaos, Chen Xi would not hesitate to enforce harsh laws. When necessary, he believed that even resorting to the punishment of "Nine familial exterminations" was viable, as long as it could stabilize the situation. Chen Xi would not mind using such extreme measures.
"Yunchang, how many refugees have we gathered?" Chen Xi felt that it was somewhat like fighting a downhill battle and picking up prisoners of war.
"About two hundred thousand refugees, most of whom are able-bodied men and strong women!" Guan Yu said excitedly, this kind of battle may not have involved much large scale warfare, but it was the best way to garner military merit.
"Set up camp and rest. Tonight, we’ll have meat soup and steamed buns. Send orders to Yide, Zilong, Ziyi, and Zhongtai to return to camp for a meeting!" Chen Xi instructed Guan Yu.
"Yes, encamp on the spot, start cooking, serve meat soup tonight, and have the trusted aides patrol the camp!" Guan Yu commanded the messenger.
Speaking of meat soup, forget about beef, mutton is also too expensive, there isn’t enough pork, but there is still some chicken and duck. After all, hatched chickens take a few months to raise before you can slaughter them. The flocks of roosters, picked over for hens, were given to Chen Xi’s servants to raise outside the city. After a while, they would be slaughtered to supplement the army rations and improve the food, so for these soldiers who had never seen meat, having some was really nice.
Lub Su and Liu Ye even complained about improving the meals because, in this era, being fed to satisfaction as a soldier was already considered good. To further supplement with meat periodically, were they burning too much money?
However, after Chen Xi did the calculations, Lub Su and Liu Ye thought it better to just provide the soldiers with meat on a regular basis. It wasn’t much money, and feeding them more to make them stronger, the soldiers would feel a sense of belonging to the meals and wouldn’t desert. Even if they did desert and joined other Feudal Lords, accustomed to meat every ten days, they would disdain the swill those lords offered. It was quite possible they might even coax a few soldiers back.
Training a new soldier to the level of a veteran was far more costly than simply feeding a veteran better and keeping them from dying with more training. Besides, the combat power of a veteran was several times that of a new recruit. So instead of training new soldiers, it was better to find ways to prevent the veterans from deserting or dying. Chen Xi just didn’t believe there was any Feudal Lord who could offer the soldiers meat twice a month. It wasn’t a matter of chicken and duck being cheap; the question was whether they even had any to offer. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
This idea, when researched by Lub Su and Liu Ye, could only elicit the response, "Zichuan, how is your brain even structured?" This was way too unorthodox compared to the conventional idea of an immutable military camp and expendable soldiers, but it was incredibly effective.
In this era, joining the army was simply a way to get by, with decent ones possibly receiving some military pay. Where to serve wasn’t much of a consideration. Therefore, the idea of winning over soldiers with a couple of meat meals wasn’t impossible. On the contrary, it was very possible!
Every time there was meat to eat, it was the most exciting time in the military camp. The aroma of meat not only filled the camp but also roused the desire of refugees outside.
A large number of refugees had gathered outside the camp. Although they formed a dense crowd, not one dared to assault the camp, standing silently outside and waiting. In previous days, some had tried to attack the camp and each time they were crushed into the ground.
Afterwards, the refugees learned their lesson. Every day around this time, someone would come out to gather refugees, then lead away those willing to follow the soldiers, ostensibly to be allotted land and seeds in the rear.
Of course, most refugees didn’t believe these promises, but every day, hunger drove some to yield, clutching the thought that even if they were taken away to be turned into jerky, they would at least die full. There were also some refugees who had heard about the conditions at Mount Tai and surrendered upon seeing the banner, and still others who were lured by spies promoting Lord Xuande’s benevolence and brought large groups of able-bodied men to surrender. In short, there were all sorts of people coming forward.
