Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 535 Backhand Action
The Taihang Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles, separating Bingzhou, Youzhou and Jizhou. Over the past hundred years, thieves and bandits have been rampant in the mountains.

Since Liu He started suppressing bandits when he was young, small gangs of bandits were either wiped out, incorporated, or integrated into larger strongholds. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Yellow Turban leaders led by Zhang Niujiao led their army into the mountains, gathered a large number of bandits to join them, and gradually began to dominate the Taihang Mountains.

Later, Zhang Niujiao was captured and Zhang Yan took over his power. He also accepted the joining of forces such as Yang Feng. At the same time, the remnants of the Yellow Turbans who were roaming around also often came to join him. Within a few years, the group had grown to more than 200,000 people, with more than 100,000 soldiers, gathering in the mountains and forests, and became the most powerful group for a time.

However, Xu Huang and Qian Zhao's Baibo Army repeatedly defeated the Black Mountain Army and gradually grew stronger. Now Zhang Niujiao's sudden return caused Zhang Yan's Black Mountain Army to split instantly.

From then on, there was a three-way confrontation in Taihang Mountains. Xu Huang's Baibo Army, Zhang Yan's Heishan Army, and Zhang Niujiao's self-proclaimed Feiniu Army, each occupied a mountaintop.

The Black Mountain Army still makes a living by looting and occasionally acts as mercenaries for the princes in exchange for money, food and supplies. The Baibo Army is the opposite of the Black Mountain Army. It provides protection for the caravans traveling through the Taihang Mountains all year round, collects protection fees, and also trades with the caravans. Since Xu Huang and Qian Zhao are both calm and honest people, and the strength of the Baibo Army is obvious to all, the Baibo Army has a very high reputation among the caravans.

As for the Feiniu Army, they had close contacts with Yuan Shao of Jizhou. More than ten days ago, Zhang Niujiao rescued Gao Lan and more than 20,000 Jizhou soldiers from the encirclement of Guan Yu and others. In order to seek credit, he also asked Yuan Shao for a large amount of supplies.

In addition, after Gao Lan returned, he and his sister praised Zhang Niujiao in front of Yuan Shao, and turned a complete defeat into a credit for winning over Zhang Niujiao. Although Huguan was lost and Zhang He was not rescued, Yuan Shao still rewarded Gao Lan and agreed to Zhang Niujiao's request for supplies.

A convoy slowly entered a mountain road from the territory of Jizhou.

This caravan had more than 10,000 carts, some of which were loaded with grain, vegetables, wine and meat, some of which were loaded with various weapons and armor, and there were also some ordinary clothes and cloth, which were exactly the supplies that Yuan Shao wanted to give to Zhang Niu Jiao.

The leader of the team was a middle-aged man who looked like a civil servant. He was a relative of Gao Lan and could be considered Gao Lan's cousin. He was now beaming with joy and looked very proud.

"Gong Yu is indeed very capable. Now my Gao family's status in Jizhou is rising day by day. If we continue like this, within three years, we will be second only to the governor's mansion. This is wonderful, really wonderful. By that time..."

He rode his horse, twirling his beard, his mind lost in endless reverie.

A servant-like man ran over and said, "Sir, the scouts just came back to report that they have seen Zhang Niu Jiao, and he is leading his troops to come to support us."

"Well, he's sensible. Let's go, hurry up and hand the things over to this guy as soon as possible. This place is poor and bad, and I really don't want to stay any longer."

"Sir, we'd better be cautious. There are still the Black Mountain Army and the White Wave Army in Taihang Mountain. If these two forces come out before we meet Zhang Niujiao, it will be very bad."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man snorted disdainfully.

"You useless fellows. We in Jizhou are strong and powerful, and Zhang Yan is just relying on us to survive. As for Xu Huang, he is said to have some skills, but he has always only dealt with caravans. How dare he be an enemy of Jizhou Prefecture? They are just a few bandits. We didn't send troops to collect them, so they should be grateful. How dare they take the initiative to cause trouble for us? They are so rebellious."

"But it's better to be cautious. Should we..."

"Oh, that's enough. I am the leader. When is it your turn to speak? Pass the order down immediately and hurry up. The faster the better."

After saying that, he whipped the horse's butt hard. The horse felt the pain, neighed to the sky, and rushed out instantly. However, the middle-aged man was caught off guard and failed to keep up with the horse's speed, so he fell off the horse's back.

"oops……"

The attendants around him rushed forward and helped him up.

The guy was so angry that he whipped one of his followers with a whip.

"Go quickly, catch this damn beast, pull out its tendons, skin it, and roast its meat for me!"

"Sir, this is inappropriate..."

Just as one of his followers was about to persuade him, he was whipped in the face by him again.

"You are the one who makes the decision, or am I? Go now!"

The followers had no choice but to catch up on horseback.

Soon, the screams of a horse echoed through the surrounding mountains and forests.

The middle-aged man seemed to be relieved: "It's just a beast. How dare it throw me down? It doesn't know whether it lives or dies."

He pointed at an attendant and said, "Come here and give me a leg massage. I fell and hurt myself."

The follower was listening to the screams of the horse and looking towards the surrounding mountains and forests with a vigilant look on his face. He did not hear the middle-aged man's call at all.

This undoubtedly added fuel to the middle-aged man's anger.

"What the hell are those trees so pretty!"

The attendant was whipped again and said hastily, "I am afraid that the screams of the horse will alert the bandits patrolling nearby, so..."

The middle-aged man became impatient halfway through his words.

"Bullshit, did you ignore everything I just said? I said they dare not come, so they definitely dare not come. Even if they come, so what? They are just a few petty thieves, not worthy of being in public. Come here quickly and give me a leg massage!"

The follower's eyes were filled with contempt and dissatisfaction towards the middle-aged man, but the other party was the master after all and he was the servant, so he could only walk over obediently.

"The toad yawns. Your Excellency is so arrogant."

A very mocking voice came, immediately angering the middle-aged man.

"Who, who dares to speak to me like this, don't you want to die?"

Two people rode on horses and slowly walked out of the forest nearby.

One of them was a very burly man holding a large axe, and the other looked more like a Confucian general, holding a long spear.

The man holding the axe said in a cold voice: "Xu Huang of the Baibo Army has come here to die. I wonder how this noble lord, who is so arrogant, plans to deal with me?"

The middle-aged man's angry and arrogant face turned pale.

"White... White Wave Army..."

He was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, and immediately afterwards, the large group of people responsible for escorting the supplies immediately scattered.

"Run away..."

"Escape is the most important thing..." In the blink of an eye, only three thousand people were left out of the tens of thousands of troops.

Qian Zhao raised his spear high: "The Baibo Army wants it. Brothers, go ahead!"

A large number of bandits suddenly emerged from the mountains and forests. Although they were called bandits, they were all fully armed and were no less powerful than the Jizhou troops under Yuan Shao.

Not long after, all three thousand people were killed, leaving only the middle-aged man, who was hiding behind a big tree, shivering. On the ground beneath his feet, there was a pool of liquid with a slight odor, which had wet the grass.

"Don't hide anymore. If Xu wanted to kill you, how could he have kept you alive until now? Come out."

Xu Huang's voice made the middle-aged man even more frightened.

Seeing that he refused to come out, Xu Huang winked at the soldiers around him. Those soldiers ran over and pulled the man out from behind the tree.

"Please spare my life, sir. Please spare my life..."

When he arrived in front of Xu Huang, he could not even stand straight and kept kowtowed on the ground.

Xu Huang was looking down at the guy who had been so arrogant just now.

"Don't worry. I, Xu Huang, always keep my word. I won't break my promise if I say I won't kill you. But I want you to tell Yuan Shao a message. Can you do it?"

When the man heard that there was hope, he would definitely agree without hesitation even if Xu Huang made any request, let alone say something.

"I can do it, I can do it. Whatever the hero wants to say, I, oh no, I will definitely convey it to Lord Yuan word for word."

"That would be best."

Xu Huang pounded the axe to the ground, scaring the guy so much that he shuddered all over.

"In terms of numbers, my Baibo Army is indeed small in the Taihang Mountains, but in terms of combat power, Zhang Yan and Zhang Niujiao are not even worthy of carrying Xu Huang's shoes. Why does Yuan Shao repeatedly try to win over these two rubbish but never send anyone to give gifts to my Baibo Army? Does he look down on me, Xu Huang, and my brothers?"

At this point, Xu Huang's tone became grim and murderous, which frightened the middle-aged man so much that he broke out in a cold sweat.

"How dare I? My master...he...he has always admired General Xu, oh, and General Qian. But after all, you two have helped...helped Liu He, so..."

"fart!"

Xu Huang shouted loudly, and the middle-aged man immediately dared not continue speaking.

"I sent troops to help Liu He defend Taiyuan County because you bribed Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan and I have always been mortal enemies. That was a good opportunity to teach him a lesson. How could I let it go? That doesn't mean that Xu has surrendered to Liu He. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand. I understand everything."

"Hmph, I'm glad you understand. I have a letter here. You can take it back and give it to Yuan Shao. Within ten days, I will send someone to wait for news near this mountain road. If you delay, hmph, after I unify Taihang Mountain, even if he comes to see me in person, I, Xu Huang, will never pay any attention to him. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I will try my best to persuade you, my lord."

The middle-aged man knelt on the ground, respectfully raised his hands above his head, and took Xu Huang's letter.

"Okay, go away."

The middle-aged man felt that these words were the most beautiful words he had ever heard in his life. He quickly got up, bowed to Xu Huang, retreated to the side of a horse, mounted his warhorse, and sped away.

Qian Zhao frowned and walked to Xu Huang's side: "Why did Gongming contact Yuan Shao? Is he going to lead his people to Jizhou?"

"Haha, my dear brother Zijing, you are worrying too much." Xu Huang said with a smile.

"I am not joking, please tell me the truth. Before we set out, you only said that we were going to rob the supplies Yuan Shao sent to Zhang Niu Jiao, but you did not mention that there was a letter for him. What is your intention?"

Qian Zhao suddenly showed some aggressive attitude, but Xu Huang did not get angry with him when he saw it.

"Why? Jizhou is rich, Yuan Shao is powerful, and now he has been defeated by Liu He and suffered heavy losses. He is in urgent need of a strong ally. Joining forces with him at this time can gain the greatest benefit. Don't you think that's wrong?"

His words made Qian Zhao's eyes widen immediately in shock.

"Brother, you... I have always admired you as a person. Even though you were a bandit, you were chivalrous, righteous, loyal and filial. That's why I followed you wholeheartedly. I never expected that you would abandon the light and join the dark, rebel against the court, and join Yuan Shao, such a disloyal and unjust person. I am really disappointed!"

"Hey, my dear brother, you are too kind..." Xu Huang stretched out his hand to pull Qian Zhao, but Qian Zhao shook him off.

"No need to say more. We have known each other for several years, and you saved my life. I will never tell anyone about what happened today. However, we are no longer friends. Although I am not a good person, I will never be a traitor's pawn. Farewell!"

He turned around and was about to leave, but Xu Huang stepped in front of him.

He looked at Xu Huang warily: "Why? Are you trying to force me to stay?"

Xu Huang looked Qian Zhao up and down, then suddenly laughed out loud towards the sky.

"Hahaha, good, very good. My dear brother, your loyalty and righteousness are known to all. If that's the case, then I am not afraid to tell you the truth."

He took out a roll of cloth from his arms and handed it to Qian Zhao.

"This is……"

Qian Zhao took it with some hesitation, and just after taking a look at it, his expression changed drastically.

"Hahaha, brother, you can rest assured now, right? Let's go back to the stronghold. I have kept this a secret from you for so long. Although I have been ordered to do so, I am sorry for it. I will treat you to a drink as an apology."

Two men mounted their horses, escorting the supplies, and in a blink of an eye they disappeared into the forest.

Not long after, an extremely angry roar was heard from the mountain road...

(End of this chapter)