Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 185 Super Harvest
At noon, there was a festive atmosphere in Changzi City!
The main hall of the prefect's mansion was originally a meeting room, but it was now converted into a dining room. Music was playing on both sides, there was constant singing and dancing in the middle, and all kinds of delicious food were placed on everyone's table.

The first person at the top was naturally Huangfu Song, and at this moment the old general’s face was beaming with joy.

"The Taiping Dao rebellion has been going on for more than two months, and it almost overthrew the country. Although there are still remnants of trouble in various places, if the enemy chieftain surrenders, it will surely be a matter of a moment to quell the rebellion in the future. This battle has been full of twists and turns, and if we talk about the main merit, it must be County Magistrate Liu! I offer a cup of wine to County Magistrate Liu!"

"General Zuo Zhonglang, you are too kind. If it weren't for your army, I would have been killed with my humble skills in the face of such a large enemy force. It is I who should respect you."

Liu He really admired Huangfu Song.

Regardless of whether it is the historical materials learned in the previous life or the personal experience now, this old general who was in charge of the court in the late Eastern Han Dynasty was indeed extraordinary. He was full of public spirit and did not compete for credit with his juniors. Instead, he provided support and help. This alone is worthy of admiration.

Governor Zhao looked at Huangfu Song and then at Liu He.

"I wonder if General Huangfu will return to the capital to report, or continue to fight against the remnants of the Taiping Dao?"

Huangfu Song put down the wine jar and wiped his beard.

"Since the three Zhang bandits have all surrendered, I will return to the capital to report to the emperor. The bandits in various places have the two generals Zhu and Lu, as well as Yuan Benchu, Cao Mengde, Sun Wentai, and Dong Zhongying to encircle and suppress them. In addition, each state, county, and prefecture has recruited soldiers to fight on its own, so it should be easy for the time being. This battle defeated the bandits in one fell swoop, and you have made great contributions. I will report to the emperor!"

Everyone thanked Huangfu Song.

Governor Zhao rolled his eyes and toasted Liu He: "Haha, County Magistrate Liu is young and promising, both civil and military, a rare young talent in the world, and also a descendant of the Han royal family. Now that he has made such an extraordinary achievement, I am afraid that the day of rapid rise is not far away. I hope that County Magistrate Liu will support us in the future."

Without waiting for Liu He to reply, Huangfu Song started laughing.

"Haha, Zhao Taishou, you are really good at climbing the ladder. But what you said is true. This time when I return to the capital, I will at least ask for the position of a captain for County Magistrate Liu. After that, Xianzhao will lead troops to pacify the remnants of the rebels in Bingzhou and the surrounding areas. By then, I will be promoted to a colonel, which is not an empty promise!"

Huangfu Song was very happy at this time and took on the responsibility directly.

Liu He knew that during this period, the position of Xiaowei was not as worthless as it was during the Three Kingdoms period. During the Three Kingdoms period, in order to win over their soldiers, the princes gave out too many generals with miscellaneous titles, which gradually turned high-ranking military positions such as Xiaowei and Zhonglangjiang into low-ranking military positions.

But now, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi and Zhu Jun are only the rank of General of the Central Army, but their status in the army is second only to General He Jin.

After hearing what Huangfu Song said, Governor Zhao seemed relieved for some reason, but no one noticed.

Liu He did not continue with the festive conversation, but asked Huangfu Song a question.

"I would like to ask you, General, what are you going to do with these surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers?"

Huangfu Song answered without hesitation: "Of course he will be escorted to the capital and handed over to Your Majesty for his fate."

Liu He frowned slightly.

"It is inappropriate for me to dare to make such a suggestion."

"How dare you comment on the general's actions like that!"

A captain stood up and pointed at Liu He and cursed.

Huangfu Song waved his hand to let the man sit down, and looked at Liu He with interest.

"Haha, Xianzhao has made many achievements in governing a region, so he must have some good strategies. Why not tell me about them?"

"He believes that most of the Yellow Turban Army are poor civilians who were unable to survive for various reasons and were forced to accept Zhang Jue's instigation. Their crimes are not serious, but if they are escorted to the capital and handed over to Your Majesty, Your Majesty will definitely behead them all to show His Majesty's power. In this way, the general will push Your Majesty into an unkind position. This is one of the disadvantages."

"How dare you!" The captain was furious. "I told you to sit down!" Huangfu Song seemed a little displeased with the captain's behavior.

"Xian Zhao's words make sense. Please continue."

"Thank you, General." Liu He clasped his fists and saluted Huangfu Song.

"Although Zhang Jue has been executed, there are still millions of Taiping Daoists scattered across our Han Dynasty, and they are still rampant. If we want to completely quell them, I'm afraid it will take at least ten years. If we punish and kill the surrendered soldiers, then when we conquer the remaining rebels in the future, the enemy will be unable to surrender even if they want to. If they surrender, they will die, but if they resist, they may have a chance of survival. In this way, won't it be a waste of time to increase the casualties of officers and soldiers? This is the second disadvantage."

The more Huangfu Song listened, the brighter his eyes became.

"Even if you are brave and God bless the Han Dynasty, and you wipe out all the rebels, what will happen? The Han Dynasty has lost millions of people, which will inevitably cause great damage to its vitality. The fields will be barren and the number of young and strong men will decrease sharply. In a few years, who will the court recruit soldiers from and who will collect food from? There is a shortage of soldiers and food. If the northern barbarians come south again, won't it be dangerous? This is the third disadvantage."

"Okay!" Huangfu Song slapped his thigh and shouted.

"I never thought that Xianzhao, at such a young age, not only has outstanding martial arts and wisdom, but also has a far-sighted vision. This is a blessing for our Han Dynasty! In Xianzhao's opinion, how should I deal with these surrendered soldiers?"

Liu He clasped his fists and said, "Only the main culprit will be punished, and the rest will be pardoned and resettled on the spot. All the poor people did was to survive. If we can set such an example, and the rebel leader is dead and there is no leader, I believe many Yellow Turban soldiers will surrender to the court again, and the rebellion can be suppressed without fighting! Moreover, wouldn't it be better to organize these people into an army and use the Yellow Turbans to fight against the remnants of the Yellow Turbans?"

The captain stood up again and said, "General, you can't do that. If you do that, someone in the court will make things difficult for you and use this to accuse you of colluding with the rebels and plotting a rebellion. Wouldn't you be wrongly accused?"

Liu He had not thought of this. He clasped his fists and apologized, "I did not consider this point. I hope the general will forgive me."

Huangfu Song waved his hand and said, "I have fought for my country all my life, so why should I be afraid of a few rumors? Moreover, I proposed to Your Majesty to pardon the party members and scholars. Even if those scholars dislike me, they will not repay kindness with enmity in the short term. The general, Lord Lu, and Lord Zhu are all loyal to the country with me. How can they kill each other? Don't worry too much. Besides, there are benefits and no disadvantages in doing so. The court officials will understand."

"But..." The captain wanted to say something, but was glared back by Huangfu Song.

As Liu He listened to Huangfu Song's words and looked at his expression, he couldn't help but feel great respect for this veteran.

"The general is dedicated to the public good. He is admirable and respectable!"

Huangfu Song laughed loudly, "Hahaha, I am an old man in my twilight years, how can I be respected? Well, let's not talk about this. Since this proposal was made by you, Xianzhao, then this matter will be handed over to you. There are more than 30,000 Yellow Turban surrendered soldiers in this battle, and Tang Zhou abandoned the dark and joined the light, bringing more than 40,000 Yellow Turban old soldiers, a total of more than 70,000 people. I will hand them over to you. Whether to release, employ, or settle them, you have full authority to decide."

Liu He knew how much Huangfu Song trusted him. He was able to entrust such an important task to a mere county magistrate. Liu He was deeply impressed. He immediately stepped out of the line, clasped his fists and knelt on the ground: "The general has entrusted you with such an important task. He will definitely live up to your trust and make the most of these 70,000 people! I will never let them cause trouble again, otherwise I will chop off his head!"

"Haha, now that Xian Zhao is like this, I feel relieved!"

After the official business was finished, everyone drank and celebrated for a long time, until the sun was setting, and then the banquet ended.

Huangfu Song rejected the suggestion of the prefect of Zhao to rest for a night, and chose to take the three brothers Zhang Jue and several generals with him and march directly to the capital.

Liu He wanted to get closer to Gao Shun and improve their relationship, but he didn't expect an urgent report from the governor's office, saying that the Xiongnu King Xiutu led 30,000 cavalry to invade Shangjun yesterday, Zhang Yi had sent troops to resist, and urgently summoned Gao Shun back. Gao Shun was also a down-to-earth person. After receiving the urgent report, he took off his armor and weapons and handed them to Liu He without saying a word. He then saluted Liu He and the governor of Zhao, and turned around and left without waiting for Liu He to say anything.

Standing on the city wall, Liu He looked at the receding figures of Huangfu Song and Gao Shun and saluted them with his gaze for a long time.

"Well, thank you, Governor Zhao, for your hospitality. Now that General Huangfu has returned to the army, it's time for He to leave."

However, the prefect Zhao stopped him unexpectedly.

"Wait a minute, Magistrate Liu. Yu has an unreasonable request."

(End of this chapter)