novelraw Chapter 569: The Little Cannon Fodder of the Three Kingdoms (11)
Chapter 569: The Little Cannon Fodder of the Three Kingdoms (11)
"Ah, Host, this... this is it... it's over?"
Watching as his host really did leave, the system couldn't help but twitch at the corner of its mouth. An Ning's tone, however, was as consistent as ever.
"What else then? Stay behind and discuss life and ideals with them? Chat about future high positions and generous salaries?"
At this point, even An Ning herself couldn't help but laugh.
Ah, shouldn't that be the case?
"Yes, it should be." An Ning nodded:
"But, System, ideals, the future... those are things some people can afford to think about."
In the late Han, with heroes rising everywhere, whether it was supporting the Han dynasty, assisting a lord in unifying the realm, achieving high office and wealth—these were political ambitions.
Countless heroes also shone brilliantly during this time.
"But, A-Tong, for the vast majority of people in this world right now, the biggest problem staring them in the face...""Is survival!"
Thinking of all she had seen these past days, An Ning couldn't help but sigh.
As an outsider, the grandeur of Cao Wei or the romantic sentiment of Shu Han were undoubtedly once particularly alluring.
But for those living within it, especially the powerless commoners at the bottom, to be honest, only endless darkness and lack of agency were real.
In chaotic times, they say beauties like Zhen Luo had no control, pushed forward step by step.
In truth, the common people have even fewer choices.
"Not to mention distant examples, the nearly million Yellow Turban rebels, the hundreds of thousands of mountain bandits in Ji Prefecture—could they all have willingly become outlaws?"
And then there was Feng Yuan from earlier, righteous, intelligent, physically strong, with decent command ability.
From their earlier conversation, An Ning could also see that regarding his current life, there wasn't much joy in his eyes.
Yet even such a man ultimately walked this path.
"Just watch, the chaotic era has arrived. Whether to accumulate capital or establish a better foothold, large forces swallowing and integrating smaller ones will become commonplace."
For bandits like Feng Yuan, what lies before them is undoubtedly the Heishan Army, fellow "righteous rebels."
Never mind how the other side operates; they are already a major enemy in the eyes of the various warlords. If they truly went there, overwhelmed by numbers, even being cannon fodder on the front lines would be a luxury.
"So what's placed before them has never been ideals, the future, but naked survival!"
"Sigh!"
The system couldn't help but sigh.
At the same time, within the mountains:
"First Brother? First Brother!"
Seeing his boss still lost in thought, holding the manual gifted by that person earlier, a somewhat tall and thin young man not far away couldn't help but step forward:
"Boss, no matter what others think, this Monkey will listen to you. If you want to go, Boss, then we'll go!"
"And... and Dog-egg and the others will definitely follow!"
His gaze swept over the other's increasingly gaunt face. At this moment, Feng Yuan's voice was exceptionally heavy and troubled.
"Then, Monkey, what do you yourself think? Do you want to go?"
"Ah! Actually, I think it's... it's alright!" The man called Monkey couldn't help but scratch his head:
"Big Brother, you know most of our brothers were originally from around here. Though we're on the mountain now, we still know a thing or two."
"Putting aside other things, life for the people inside this year has actually been pretty decent. That person earlier, regardless of anything else, does have some real skill."
"Heh, of course...
We all listen to you, Big Brother. If you think it's no good, no matter how sweetly they talk, we won't go!"
Though because of those Heishan people recently, they really hadn't gone out to 'acquire' things for a long time.
But Big Brother was right; those people don't even value their own lives, let alone outsiders like us. Going there means being destined to become dust.
Skinny Monkey couldn't help but feel stifled inside.
Watching his subordinate's retreating back, Feng Yuan subconsciously tightened his grip on the thin manual in his hand.
In the darkness, that person's voice still echoed in his ears.
"As the saying goes, a fine horse should be gifted to a hero. Observing Brother Feng, you are tall and strong, your footsteps exceptionally steady. After much thought, I believe this kind of bold, open-and-close saber technique is most suitable for you."
"Brother Feng, don't rush to refuse. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold. Regardless of whether my words today succeed or not, I, Shen, still hope that both you and I can survive well in this world..."
Yes, to survive, how difficult it is!
Opening his eyes again, a look of determination filled his tiger-like gaze.
After assessment, grading and integration, retraining, and task allocation, smoothly taking over these several thousand men, as promised earlier, An Ning did not treat them differently on the surface.
Now with this wave of manpower, plus the city gates being built and various mechanisms completed, her actions could also speed up a bit.
"Honestly, no wonder, throughout history, everyone loves to profit from war!"
An Ning couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Though somewhat lacking in virtue, it was truly enormously profitable. Especially in the area of medicinal herbs.
Even though she had to go through various convoluted transfers midway to avoid trouble, the final harvest was still substantial.
Ironically, even in times when ordinary people could barely survive, among the nobility, things like spices, silk, and face creams still sold extremely well.
A single piece of famous ink could even sell for tens of pieces of gold among the literati.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the fourth year of the Chuping era (193 AD).
Amidst green mountains and clear waters, the sound of children reciting lessons continuously drifted over.
Following that came the sound of long sabers slicing through the air on the training grounds.
"Young Lady, here are this year's accounts, and the newly joined prefectural soldiers recently."
It had been three years since An Ning arrived here. Apart from the first year being difficult, in the past two years, Si Shu and the others, disguised as traveling merchants from the Jiangnan region, had profited immensely, to say the least.
Just in equipment, the people below had already upgraded a wave, and the military force under her command now numbered nearly twenty thousand.
Most were people from nearby who couldn't survive and came seeking refuge, and also mountain bandits who tried to rob them only to be robbed themselves.
Oh, I forgot to mention, just two years ago, Cao Cao had successfully reunited with his 'vermilion mole,' Xun Beauty. Last year, he even heavily defeated the Yellow Turbans in Yan Province, absorbing their elite troops, completely breaking away from Yuan Shao to establish his own power.
However, for now, this person had little to do with them.
The one currently affecting them more was this Yuan Shao, Governor Yuan.
After all, not long ago, he had completely pacified the hundreds of thousands (an exaggerated number) of Heishan Army troops that had been causing significant trouble within Ji Prefecture.
Having reached his current position, Governor Yuan was naturally no ordinary man.
After clearing internal troubles, as a group developing power right under his nose, even though they had been extremely careful over the years, they were still discovered by him.
Of course, it was also because she had recently stopped hiding.
Thus, after several previous summons yielded no result, the army sent to 'mop up the bandits' was already on the way.
Thanks to scouts dispersed in various places, and as part of the same interest group, neighboring counties tipping them off, An Ning naturally received the news first.
The originally peaceful Qu County became thoroughly lively.
On the training grounds, Feng Yuan's subordinates, who were originally drilling troops, also abruptly paused for a moment.
It was a misunderstanding—not nervousness, nor fear, but rather, the moment had finally arrived!
***
"Young Master, just give the order! This general will have absolutely no objections!"
"This general is the same. With just one command from the Young Master, I, Wang Er, will go through fire and water without a second word!"
"This general as well!"
For a moment, inside a secret room in the county office, promises rose and fell one after another.
As the common saying goes, train troops for a thousand days, use them for one moment.
In times of war, human life is the cheapest, especially the lives of lowly people like them. Thanks to their Young Master's favor, they could now have enough to eat and wear, and even their families could live good lives.
Moreover, people are always greedy.
Once basic needs are met, they always want more. Ambitions they didn't have before will emerge.
Feng Yuan felt this most deeply, especially over the past few years, feeling grateful more than once for his earlier choice, particularly after the Heishan Army completely collapsed.
An Ning wasn't surprised by this. It would be strange if people had no ambition.
Unfolding the topographic map in her hand, the young lady in green robes at the head spoke in her usual tone:
"This time, the force they sent totals just over twenty thousand men. Among them, elite soldiers number less than two thousand. The leader is a general surnamed Han..."
In an unhurried manner, she detailed the enemy's troop deployment and logistics.
How to put it? Although there is a strong enemy in the north, Gongsun, watching covetously, the other side also truly didn't take their group seriously.
But then again, normally, a single county's territory has limited military strength. Moreover, in their eyes, people like them probably weren't much different from those bandits before.
Bandits, no matter how numerous, realistically have limited combat effectiveness.
Earlier, the three hundred thousand Yellow Turbans were still routed by Boss Cao's mere tens of thousands. Not long ago, the Heishan Army, said to number hundreds of thousands, was easily dealt with once he had the spare capacity.
No wonder the other side looked down on them.
Though vaguely aware their Young Master was well-informed, hearing such detailed intelligence still stirred excitement in everyone's hearts while making them feel more stable.
"Even so, everyone must remember not to underestimate the enemy or be careless."
"Yes!"
That being said, standing still to be hit wasn't her style.
Outside the city gates, before the enemy army formally arrived at their doorstep, a group of experts led by Si Qi from Qu County had already harassed them endlessly along the way, causing not only significant losses in personnel but also burning almost all the grain and fodder they carried.
"These people, how are their messages so swift?"
Vaguely, the leader began to have a bad premonition.
And this premonition became fully realized in what followed.
On the day they formally led troops to their doorstep, outside the tall city walls, even before engaging those people, various scattered, messy mechanisms alone made them suffer greatly.
The leader, especially, before he could even utter a word, was pierced through the chest by a long arrow that came flying at his face.
The speed was simply unimaginably fast.
In short, this battle, beyond everyone's expectations, was more than just a crushing defeat.
The opposing side was not only agile, exceptionally brave, but also clearly well-trained and coordinated seamlessly.
They could even form battle formations among themselves.
Coupled with all sorts of mechanisms and traps.
In short, when everyone came, there were twenty thousand men. Not only was the commander unhorsed and captured, but those who fled in defeat numbered less than five thousand. The nearby supporting forces were almost completely annihilated.
It wasn't until evening that the sounds of slaughter finally ceased completely.
The warm yellow lights of Qu Township lit up one after another.
Inside the county town, men, women, young and old, slowly put down the hoes and kitchen knives in their hands, transforming into earth-shaking cheers.
"Great, we won!"
"Wah... we won! Our home... is saved!"
Their current good life was saved!
Amidst the cheers of the people in the city, the news that Governor Yuan's 'bandit suppression' force was instead completely wiped out, men and horses included, quickly spread.
Not only in Ji Prefecture, but even Cao Cao, still in Yan Province, was stunned for a moment.
Not even bothering to swallow the food in his mouth, he hurriedly ordered someone to summon several advisors.
"I originally thought that after the previous events, Benchu had completely purged all parties in Ji Prefecture."
"Who on earth developed such power right under Benchu's nose?"
What's important is that before this, there wasn't the slightest hint of news.
Though in Cao Aman's view, this defeat was certainly due to Benchu excessively underestimating and looking down on the opponent, such a crushing defeat in less than a day was still shocking.
However, even more shocking events were yet to come.
Following the news of the military defeat, in Ye City, before the Yuan clan could erupt in rage, determined to exterminate this rodent rooted right under everyone's noses, as if in retaliation, within two days, several cities near Qu County successively fell into the hands of the bandits.
The speed was so fast it made one suspect whether the other side had been prepared long ago.
Nonsense, if they didn't prepare early and act quickly, waiting for the other side to react and strengthen defenses would leave them utterly helpless.
Among these places was the iron mine she had been longing for.
More importantly, if she didn't attack within the next two years, the mission target, the great beauty Zhen, would be getting married.
In short, not just Changshan Commandery, these few cities, she was determined to take them.
Regardless of An Ning's inner thoughts.
Once the news spread, the entire Ye City, inside the military tent, became frighteningly quiet. Even the arch-rival Gongsun Zan, a hundred miles away, specifically sent a letter to mock them thoroughly.
Upon hearing the opponent was an unknown young lady, regardless of his inner thoughts, on the surface, he laughed even more heartily!
While pulling a massive wave of hatred, it also, for a short time, managed to dissuade the other side from continuing the campaign.
"Young Master, you absolutely must not act rashly!"
Inside the government office, a group of advisors urgently pleaded.
"The fact that the opponent could swiftly capture three cities in such a short time is enough to prove they are a tough nut to crack."
"You must not forget about that one in the north."
Attacking them might be easy, but what if that northern fellow intervenes then? One is an old rival fought countless times, the other's strength is currently unknown.
"Young Master, as the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!"
Yuan Shao was not truly reckless, just momentarily blinded by anger. Under everyone's persuasion, after the anger passed, he ultimately suppressed the fury in his heart.
However, after this battle, An Ning's own existence was quickly exposed before everyone.
Surname Shen, disciple of a recluse, also the divine physician who resolved the Ji Prefecture plague that year.
Wait... divine physician???
Just as everyone thought they had heard wrong.
In Yan City, Xun Yu, who was originally attending a council meeting, couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"What's wrong, Wenruo?"
Hearing the inquiry, Xun Yu shook his head almost imperceptibly. His usually gentle and refined face couldn't help but show a contemplative look:
"Surname Shen, proficient in medicine, profound in martial arts, disciple of a recluse..."
"To be honest, Young Master, if I remember correctly, as early as three years ago, I actually had a chance encounter with this young lady!"