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Chen Xi sat in the tent, waiting for Guan Yu’s return. Upon learning that the clouds had dispersed, he already felt at ease. Such an extraordinarily long pursuit would likely result in thousands, even tens of thousands trampled to death, but to end the war so swiftly and minimize casualties on both sides was indeed a stroke of luck.
As for Fa Zheng, his eyes bulged and his mouth gaped upon receiving the military reports. Chen Xi no longer bothered to comment; such a spectacle would leave even Guo Jia speechless. This was what one could call the collapse of an army like a falling mountain.
After fighting like madmen, a few dozen Soldiers of Mount Tai, under the leadership of their team leader, dared to chase after several thousand Yellow Turban defectors without worrying that the Yellow Turbans would turn around to attack.
In the end, the Soldiers of Mount Tai were simply holding their breath while chasing and slashing at the Yellow Turbans. They did not perceive those ahead as human. A flock of sheep, no matter how strong, were merely meat under the knife. Biting into a piece of dried chicken, sipping water that was neither salty nor sweet, the Soldiers of Mount Tai grasped their swords and chased down the Yellow Turbans.
However bleak the situation for the Soldiers of Mount Tai, they at least had something to eat, and no one was pursuing them from behind. On the other hand, the Yellow Turbans were completely driven by Zang Ba and the spies, chased by Guan Yu and others. Under the threat of death, they were forced to run without food or water; falling behind meant being seized by the pursuers.
Thus, every time the Yellow Turbans stopped to rest, tens of thousands of utterly exhausted soldiers couldn’t keep up with the next march. Likewise, some Yellow Turban bandits fell and never stood up again. The late April sun was already scorching hot – the inevitable collapse of the tormented Yellow Turbans was simply a matter of time.
As time passed, Yellow Turbans fell one by one along the road. Many, upon falling, brought down a large group with them, and none of those people got up again, until Wu Dun, leading the Tuntian Soldiers, fed them some saltwater and drove them away with whips.
Thus, on the long journey from Zhangqiu to Zibo, and amidst the encirclement and interception by the Soldiers of Mount Tai, more than a million Yellow Turbans, under the brilliant and martial leadership of the new Great Leader Xuangu, succeeded in breaking through with six hundred thousand. Over four hundred thousand stragglers were captured by Wu Dun and Sun Guan’s forces, who had retreated. By the time they reached south of Zhangqiu and Licheng, these utterly fatigued Yellow Turbans no longer had the strength to resist.
During the subsequent arduous trek from Zibo to Banyang, more people fell behind due to hunger and exhaustion. Yet, the brilliant and valorous Xuangu successfully led the healthiest hundred thousand or more Yellow Turbans in breaking through from a tributary of Zishui.
By this time, Zang Ba had successfully established his brilliant and valorous image, and his Yellow Turban followers had adapted to this life on the run, seeing a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. Their leader, Xuangu, was forging a path for the Yellow Turbans’ survival.
"What the hell does Chen Zichuan want to do?" Zang Ba, now gaunt and darkened, sat on a rock while resting and cursing Chen Xi, "There are only a little over a hundred thousand Yellow Turbans left. You played a hundred thousand as if they were monkeys, now could you show some mercy and surround and annihilate these last hundred thousand so I can also rest? Is that too difficult for you?"
Although he was cursing Chen Xi, Zang Ba greatly acknowledged Chen Xi’s abilities. However, given Chen Xi’s extreme youth, it was impossible for Zang Ba to reach a level of deep respect or awe – he could only feel incredible envy.
Recently, the information from Chen Xi seemed particularly strange. The orders he had given to Zang Ba included several new targets to attack, which were newly established Tuntian farming points. There were also three or four somewhat distant farming points that had been established last year. It was by relying on these sites that over a hundred thousand Yellow Turbans had barely managed to survive. Nonetheless, even then, the Yellow Turbans’ shortage of food was still significant. If things continued this way, the disintegration of these hundred thousand Yellow Turbans was merely a matter of time.
However, Zang Ba’s intuition told him that Chen Xi had been scheming something all along. Otherwise, based on his previous behavior, he would never have allowed Zang Ba to attack the farming points. Moreover, many Tuntian farmers were present at those farming points. In such circumstances, Zang Ba had no way to restrain his subordinates, and naturally, not a single living creature was spared at those sites—nothing green would continue to grow there.
"General." A spy handed Zang Ba a steamed bun, which clearly contained a note inside.
[Finally, a new directive has arrived!] Zang Ba was ecstatic. Without further instructions, he would have worried that his own shifting allegiance could disrupt Chen Xi’s calculations—even though he had no idea what those calculations were.
After reading the note, Zang Ba’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He admitted that the plan had a success rate of one hundred percent. Even if it was exposed, they had reached a point of no return and had to follow Chen Xi’s script. The path thereafter was set, but did they have to be so excessive as to set up a tombstone for him, the false leader of the Yellow Turbans? Did Chen Zichuan really need to be so excessive?
In the end, Zang Ba managed a bitter smile and accepted Chen Xi’s proposal. It gave the Yellow Turbans a somewhat dignified end and won over the hearts of their military and civilians. This was too much of a benefit for the long-term peace and security of Mount Tai for Zang Ba to refuse. After all, the credit for these achievements would be enough to make him stand out prominently in the record of contributions!
The next morning, bathed in sunlight, Chen Xi squinted his eyes and stretched his body, then swung his cape around with a click of his finger and turned to Fa Zheng with a teasing smile, "Xiaoo Zhi, don’t I look dashing?"
"..." Fa Zheng was silent. Ever since the army of Fuyun had been scattered a few days earlier, he had anticipated this. After the forces of Hou Qian were dispersed, his spirit drooped. Chen Xi had dealt a severe blow to his self-confidence. Fa Zheng’s own strategic thinking was nothing but a joke compared to the current situation.
Chen Xi had practically taken one-third of Qingzhou without bloodshed, along with over 1.4 million Yellow Turbans. Furthermore, he had eradicated all hidden troubles within the previous Tuntian farming areas with the hands of the Yellow Turbans, bringing stability back to the entire region. This time, every grain of sand in the midst had been completely eliminated.
As for the newly established Tuntian areas, they were all the big and small leaders of the various Yellow Turban factions. Chen Xi also took the opportunity, with the Yellow Turbans led by Zang Ba, to eliminate them all. When Zang Ba later led the break-out and fighting retreat with the Yellow Turbans to sacrifice himself heroically for the lives of a million Yellow Turbans, Mount Tai accepted the surrender of the Yellow Turbans and lifted the previously frenzied military control regulations, thereby gathering all the military and civilian hearts of over a million Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou.
As for the more than one hundred thousand hearty young Yellow Turban men who followed Zang Ba, they were truly the elite of the Yellow Turbans this time. With a bit of selection, they could be directly trained under Yu Jin to form an army, even exempting the need for a subsequent draft of soldiers. Chen Xi had completed all tasks at once—after quelling the Yellow Turbans, they could return home to farm!
[bookid=3280030,bookname="Immortal Three Kingdoms"]
