Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 390 Xu Huang Recruits People
Who in Taihang Mountains doesn’t know the name of the Baibo Army?
There are countless bandits and mountain strongholds in this thousands of miles of mountains. If we were to say which force is the most powerful, it is undoubtedly Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army.

But it is not certain who is the strongest.

Although the Montenegrin Army claimed to have a million troops, everyone knew that this was just a false claim. In reality, having four or five hundred thousand troops was already a rare achievement, and among them, there were only a few hundred thousand to two hundred thousand young and strong men who could fight.

As for this group of people, their weapons are crude and they lack a commander, so their fighting capacity is not very strong. It is only because of the terrain of the mountains and forests that no one has been able to wipe them out so far.

But the Baibo Army is different. They have only been in Taihang Mountains for about two years and are said to have business dealings with many caravans. The Baibo Army is responsible for protecting their safety on the mountain roads, and the caravans provide them with salt, iron, weapons and armor at low prices.

Although this matter was highly confidential and it was difficult for outsiders to verify whether it was true or not, one thing was true: the Baibo Army quickly armed itself into a force that was no less powerful than the imperial army. Moreover, the army, from the sergeant to the commander-in-chief, was fully equipped, and they were diligent in daily training and had very strong combat effectiveness. The commander-in-chief was said to be extremely brave, and his axe was as brave as that of ten thousand men.

The Black Mountain Army attacked repeatedly and tried to annex the White Bo Army, but was defeated every time. Not only did they fail to gain any benefits, but the White Bo Army became even stronger.

When they heard that the people before them were the famous Baibo Army, how could these dozens of small bandits have the courage to resist?

The strong man with curly beard said in a flattering manner: "I didn't expect that you are the heroes of the Baibo Army. Oh, I have heard of your great names for a long time. It is really a blessing for me to be able to worship you as my ancestors!"

The man was obviously impatient. "Stop the flattery. My general won't fall for it. What are you doing here? Don't you know that the mountain road east of Langdiao County is protected by our Baibo Army? Even Zhang Yan wouldn't dare to rob here. Are you a bunch of little thieves tired of living?"

The bearded burly man was so frightened by his shout that he fell to his knees.

"How dare I? My brothers and I used to make a living in Hanoi, but a few days ago, a large group of imperial troops came over there. We were forced to drift to the Taihang Mountains and came here unintentionally. I didn't know that the heroes of the Baibo Army were here. Otherwise, even if you gave me ten thousand guts, I would never dare to do it!"

The man sneered, "I don't think you would dare. Come on, tie them up and bring them back to the camp for guarding. After we understand the whole story, we can make a decision."

A group of people surrounded them. The bearded man and his dozens of brothers dared not resist and were tied up tightly.

Qian Zhao and the other man were untied. The follower was overjoyed and gave a hard kick to the bandit who had been responsible for tying him up.

"This retribution comes so quickly, you have finally come to this day, hehe!"

Qian Zhao pulled him back and said, "Stop messing around! Go and collect our teacher's body."

The leader of the entourage seemed reluctant, but he had no choice but to follow his master to lift Le Yin's body from the ground and put it on the donkey cart.

Qian Zhao then bowed and said to the front: "My name is Qian Zhao, my name is Zijing, thank you all for saving me!"

The man on horseback suddenly dismounted and walked towards him quickly, making Qian Zhao feel a little nervous.

Although he had heard that the Baibo Army rarely harmed ordinary people, they were bandits after all. It was impossible for Qian Zhao not to be afraid.

The other person walked up to him. He was a burly man, but his expression was quite gentle, without any sign of ferocity.

The man smiled slightly, bowed and said, "I am Xu Huang returning the greeting."

Qian Zhao didn't expect the other party to come over to return the gift. It was a bit unexpected and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xu Huang was not surprised by his reaction. He turned around and looked at the donkey cart.

"I just heard from you that the body of our Master is in the car?"

"Ah... yes, my mentor was the chief official of the former General He Miao's mansion. He was hunted down during the Ten Eunuchs' Rebellion and was unfortunately killed. Since he was my mentor, it is my duty to escort his body back to his hometown for burial. I hope the hero will help me."

Xu Huang nodded repeatedly with an expression of approval on his face.

"Yes, you are true. You are loyal and righteous, and you are very courageous. You are a hero. I admire you! But it is getting dark, and the mountain road is long. If you keep going like this, I am afraid you won't be able to reach Jizhou."

Qian Zhao sighed: "I know that, but no matter what, I have to make this trip."

"Okay! In that case, I will be a good person and send a team of people to escort you all the way."

Qian Zhao was overjoyed, but then he backed off.

"I am grateful to the general for saving me. I cannot repay him. How dare I trouble you again?"

Xu Huang waved his hand and said, "Hey, these are just a few trivial matters, not worth mentioning. You don't have to be polite, sir. But it's late at night now, and it's inconvenient to travel. How about this, if you don't mind, I will return to the camp first and rest for a night. Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to take you back in a carriage. The carriage is much faster, and we will reach Changshan in half a day." Hearing this, Qian Zhao looked at Xu Huang. The other party really didn't seem like a bad person, and the Baibo Army was so powerful that there was nothing he could let them plot against. What's more, after thinking about it, it seemed that there was no other way except this.

"General, since you are so kind, I will respectfully obey your orders!"

"Okay, okay! Come on, let's go back to the village!"

The group of people marched forward in a mighty procession and soon disappeared into the mountain path.

After walking for a long time, the group finally arrived at the gate of a camp hidden in the dense forest.

Qian Zhao stopped intentionally or unintentionally and looked at the stronghold. He saw that at the entrance of the stronghold, the barricades were neatly placed, the camp gate and the camp wall were tall and solid, and inside the gate, in the two sentry towers, there were two soldiers on guard with a horn and a longbow each.

Inside the camp, the patrolling guards were very orderly, and the tents and houses in the camp were built in rows.

Qian Zhao couldn't help but sighed: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought this was the camp of an official army led by a general in the imperial court. Even the positions of the tents and houses are vaguely based on some formations. Such a large camp, built in such a favorable location, would be difficult to capture even if ten times the number of troops came. The general is truly a great general. I admire him, admire him!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huang did not show any complacency, but rather was a little surprised.

"Oh? Zijing also knows the art of war?"

Qian Zhao smiled somewhat ashamedly: "I dare not say I understand it, I just have some interest in it, so I have read some military books on weekdays."

Xu Huang's eyes lit up, and he hesitated to speak. He then ordered the people around him, "Hurry up and prepare the banquet. I want to calm Zijing down."

Qian Zhao was flattered: "How dare I accept this? I am just a humble scholar. I am lucky to be rescued by the general. How dare I accept your invitation to a banquet?"

Xu Huang didn't care about that. He pulled him and walked towards a slightly crude hall.

"Oh, brother, why should you be polite? Our acquaintance is a destiny. Although I, Xu Huang, am a commoner, I am good at making friends with heroes and loyal men. With the help of friends from all sides, my Baibo Army has become what it is today. Zijing can be so kind to his mentor from beginning to end, which shows his friendship. Xu has decided to make you his friend, unless Zijing despises my low status?"

Qian Zhao waved his hands and said, "My parents died when I was young. After selling my family property, I traveled around to study. Now I can't even guarantee a full meal. How dare I think of disdain? It's rare that the general is so kind to me, so I will accompany you!"

"Okay, okay, we are happy today, let's drink a few more glasses!"

The two of them were in the hall, drinking and chatting, talking about everything. They admired each other's character and abilities very much, especially Qian Zhao. He was just an ordinary, down-and-out scholar, and the fact that he was favored by such a figure who was like a prince in the mountains made him feel a little excited.

Although the other party was a bandit, his knowledge and martial arts were not inferior to many generals he had seen. Now that the world was in chaos, who knew if the other party would be recruited by the court and achieve fame? In this way, he was much better than himself. Not to mention fame, he didn't even know where his meals would come from.

Thinking of this, Qian Zhao couldn't help but feel bitter.

"My dear brother, you seem to be worried. Could it be that I didn't treat you well enough?"

Xu Huang's question brought Qian Zhao back to his senses.

"No, no, brother, your hospitality and deep friendship will be unforgettable to me forever. How could I be inconsiderate? I am just afraid that you will laugh at me. My ancestors were officials, but my parents died early, so I had to wander around. Later, I went to Luoyang to study and seek a career, so I worshipped my teacher. But I didn't expect..."

It is said that wine helps people to talk. Things that are difficult to say out loud in people's hearts will be revealed without reservation after drinking. Qian Zhao was already worried about a lot, and once he started talking, he could no longer stop. He talked to Xu Huang for a long time, and his eyes were almost red from talking about his grievances.

At this moment, Xu Huang's heart became active.

"Brother Zijing, are you worried about your future?"

Qian Zhao nodded, raised his glass, drank it all, and then let out a long sigh.

Xu Huang was delighted: "I do have an idea, but I wonder if you would dislike it."

Qian Zhao was very puzzled: "Brother, what good advice do you have? I am all ears."

"There are many brave warriors in my Baibo army, but being a bandit for a long time is not a solution. One day, we have to surrender to the imperial court and seek an official position. However, to achieve this, we still lack a wise man to give us advice. I see that you are well-educated and well-versed in military strategy. You have lived in Luoyang for a long time with our master. I wonder if you are willing to stay in our army and be a military advisor to help me?"

(End of this chapter)