NOVPUBUpon contemplating this, Meng Dai made a hand signal to the guard behind him, who then swiftly relayed orders for the soldiers escorting the provisions to prepare for the execution of the second plan. Having witnessed the weakness of the Yellow Turbans, Meng Dai had once considered whether to carry out Fengg Yuantu’s plan and had made special arrangements for it accordingly.
When Guann Hai saw the faint cold smile on Meng Dai’s lips, he was taken aback at first, only to silently tighten his guard afterwards.
"Brothers, be cautious, Yuan Benchu may not have good intentions, this youngster is deceitful!" Before Guann Hai could speak, Liaoo Hua’s voice reached the ears of the Yellow Turban Commanders.
"What Yuanjian said makes sense, everyone be on alert. The moment the enemy makes a move, show no mercy." Guann Hai’s voice also reached everyone’s ears, and unlike Liaoo Hua’s words which might have needed a moment to ponder over, the Commanders all wore smiles as they prepared themselves without a second thought.
All the Yellow Turban Commanders had never had the chance to come into contact with genuine cultivation techniques, but those who had made it to the position of Commander were all forged in the fires of slaughter. Their innate talents were perhaps much higher than the vast majority of their peers, a shame they could not advance any further due to various reasons.
Take Guann Hai as an example, he had cultivated to the perfect stage of Qi Refining to Gang under the condition of not even having enough to eat, only one step away from reaching the peak of martial artists—Inner Qi Separation.
This demonstrated just how formidable Guann Hai’s talent was. Unfortunately, born of humble beginnings, Guann Hai had no opportunity to learn superior Qi cultivation techniques. Moreover, he had missed the prime time for cultivation. After all, Zhang Jiao was a Taoist. Although he had methods for Qi cultivation, they could only be considered passable.
"I presume this gentleman must be Grand Marshal Guann," Meng Dai’s mouth curled up slightly. "My lord Yuan Gong sympathizes with the hardships of the Yellow Turbans and is willing to lend one hundred thousand stones of grain."
"Yuan Gong’s benevolence," Guann Hai sneered inwardly, yet his face showed extreme gratitude. "General Meng, please proceed." 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
"Haha, no need, no need. I am only here to escort the grain and cannot delay. So I kindly ask you gentlemen to inspect the grain first." Meng Dai gestured, and then Guann Hai, grinning happily, headed toward the supply team.
[Indeed, Fengg Yuantu is formidable. The Yellow Turbans became careless at the sight of the grain. My achievements are within reach!] Meng Dai lowered his head, laughing wildly to himself, unaware of the icy chill that flickered in Guann Hai’s eyes.
The Yellow Turban Commanders all wore smiles, casually rubbed their hands on their bodies, and then placed them near the waists where they could easily reach for weapons. They giggled and laughed as they followed behind Guann Hai, utterly devoid of fear for combat. The Qingzhou Soldiers, formerly known as the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, had fought over grain countless times, so much so that they might have lost count themselves; warfare had almost become part of their lives.
Casually opening a sack, Guann Hai grabbed a handful of rice, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed heartily. After a long while, he spoke, "Fine quality. Extend my thanks to Yuan Gong!"
"Hahaha! Marshal Guann jests. How could we possibly deceive you with substandard rice? Come, bring all the military provisions to me, and let Marshal Guann inspect each one," Meng Dai laughed heartily. In this fashion, over a thousand of Yuan Shao’s soldiers gathered around, encircling Guann Hai and his group in the middle.
"Not bad, not bad, all good rice." Guann Hai casually tasted several handfuls and then said to Meng Dai who was by his side.
"Is Marshal Guann satisfied?" Meng Dai asked with an obsequious smile.
"Satisfied." Guan Hai slowly moved towards Meng Dai, signaling with his eyes for the Yellow Turban commanders around him to prepare.
"Now that you’re satisfied, let’s get moving! Take them down for me!" Meng Dai’s grain was originally being transported to a place with fewer Yellow Turbans, and now that he had Guan Hai and his men surrounded, he had no more concerns.
"I knew this guy was up to no good!" Yellow Turban Commander Du Yuan casually pulled out a brick from his bosom and flung it at Meng Dai’s face, causing flesh and blood to fly, then reached into his bosom to draw a dagger, flashed beside a Yuan soldier, and repeatedly struck, tearing open the forming military formation.
"You think you can mess with me that easily." Guann Cheng, the pallid-faced Yellow Turban pirate, drew his pitchfork and charged at the Yuan soldiers around him, swiftly killing several who had just encircled him.
"Seeking death!" Huang Shao unsheathed a precious sword he had snatched from a scholar, performed a donkey roll to dodge the attack of the forming army, leaped up, and with one swing decapitated several opponents.
Jiang Gong, Qu Gong, Li Tiao, Sima Ju, and others all drew their weapons and clashed with the soldiers, and although slightly suppressed by the military formation, any one of them could take on ten without issue.
Keep in mind that the Yellow Turban commanders who had survived to this day, strong ones like Guan Hai and Zhou Cang, basically just needed an opportunity to achieve Inner Qi Manifestation. Slightly less powerful like Liaoo Hua, Guann Cheng, and Du Yuan were almost at the peak of Qi Refining to Gang, while the likes of Pei Yuanshao, Huang Shao, and Jiang Gong, even the less powerful Yellow Turban commanders, had all entered Qi Refining to Gang.
Meng Dai’s thousand men were besieging about twenty historically known Yellow Turban commanders, plus over forty unnamed commanders. That is to say, a thousand miscellaneous soldiers, who could not all guarantee Inner Qi, were besieging about seventy masters who had perfected Qi Refining to Gang. Do you really think you are Juo Yi’s Vanguard Death Squad!
In less than the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, Du Yuan picked up his half brick that he had nurtured for a long time, and along with it, he dragged the nearly breathless Meng Dai by the collar over to Guan Hai, who was unharmed, then tucked his half brick back into his bosom.
"How can you be so strong..." Meng Dai spoke with difficulty.
"Hahaha..." Sima Ju pointed at Meng Dai, laughing so hard he was nearly in tears, "Are you dumb? Don’t you know what kind of life the Yellow Turbans lead? If we didn’t have any strength, we would have been wiped out long ago. Right now, we Yellow Turbans have at least seventy commanders who have perfected Qi Refining to Gang. Even if Yuan Benchu from Jizhou has hundreds of war generals, those above the level of Qi Refining to Gang won’t outnumber us Yellow Turbans!"
"All of us have survived the most brutal battlefields, the most merciless environments!" As Sima Ju spoke these words, all of the Yellow Turban commanders felt a poignant ache in their hearts, their living conditions too grim, which is why they aspired for the life in Mount Tai.
As Sima Ju spoke, Guan Hai couldn’t help but struggle with his thoughts. They lived amidst the harshest conditions, fighting on the most brutal battlefields.
[Should I really do this? The future of a million Yellow Turbans is in my hands, they’re already so miserable, do they have to continue living in misery? The old should have support, the young should be taught, the able should have fields, and everyone should have a home...]Guan Hai recalled the life at Mount Tai that Liaoo Hua had told him about.
"Great Commander, why are you distracted again?" An attentive Yellow Turban commander asked.
"It’s nothing, look at all this grain, let’s have a hearty meal at noon!" Guan Hai snapped back to reality and roared, immediately followed by cheers from everyone. Then, when the besieging Yellow Turbans at North Sea learned of this news, they all cheered collectively, frightening Kong Rong who was already weakened in spirit, causing him even more terror. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it at starting point (qidian.com) with your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
