Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 233 Surrendering Under the Guise of Victory
Inside the Ministry of Revenue, the crisp clinking of abacus beads was like a sudden downpour.

More than ten clerks were hunched over their desks, writing furiously and checking thick stacks of household registers, land records, and tax documents.

The air was somewhat oppressive, but no one was slacking off.

Wang Xiang, the clerk in charge of household affairs, sat in the main seat with a furrowed brow, carefully reviewing the land reclamation applications from various counties.

They were so busy that their hands and feet never stopped moving.

Amidst this bustling scene, a group of young people with clearly bright eyes stood out as somewhat out of place.

They stood awkwardly to one side, ignored by everyone, and many of them had already turned red in the face.

"Zhao Qian!"

Wang Xiang suddenly shouted after finishing processing an application.

"Your subordinate is here!" A young and capable clerk stepped forward in response.

"Where is the land change register for the seven villages of Zhaoyuze from a few days ago?"

"Didn't you finish clicking on the twenty-two squares in Zone B?"

Shuzuo scratched his head in confusion, and Wang Xiangchao looked at the group of Luoyang students.

“I don’t trust them to do the actual work. I give them the previous and current booklets to compare and proofread the completed work.”

"Oh, I see."

Zhao Qian realized what was happening and walked up to the group of students to greet them.

"Come with me, everyone. Be on your guard when it comes to checking the fields. If you make a single mistake, I won't be lenient! These changes are related to the spring planting and allocation of land. If we delay it, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

Zhao Qian's voice was utterly unfriendly.

Ruan Yu and the others hurriedly followed, having been led by Prefect Chen to the Ministry of Revenue for a quarter of an hour, where they had been left standing there.

The group of twenty-odd people were led to a relatively empty room. Zhao Qian and his men brought in several boxes, which were then opened to reveal that they were full of paper booklets.

"That's all. You need to compare the acreage records of each household before and after the land allocation to check which household has received more or less land."

"Ruan Yu, that's the name, right?"

Zhao Qian looked at the students.

When his name was called, Ruan Yu immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Your student is here."

"These people are all under your responsibility. We're only giving you three days. If you don't finish in three days, you'll get a negative score in the Registrar's Examination!"

"This"

Ruan Yu looked troubled. He didn't really have much of a relationship with these students from the Imperial Academy. He was only chosen to represent the prefect because he was Cai Yong's student.

He doesn't have the experience to be in charge of these people.

"has a problem?"

Zhao Qian looked at Ruan Yu.

The latter immediately reacted, saying that Bingzhou valued practical work over empty reputation. If he refused to give up now, regardless of his test scores, the impression of deserting in the face of battle would likely make him look down on by the officials of Bingzhou.

He quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "No problem, but isn't this too much?"

The box contained paper booklets, not bamboo slips. Luoyang had paper, although it wasn't widespread, but it wasn't unfamiliar to Luoyang students.

"many?"

Zhao Qian was taken aback for a moment, then he said directly, "The Household Affairs Department only has eleven people in one team, and the same number of books can be checked in just one and a half days."

"I gave you twice the time because you didn't have experience or time to work together. Three days, at most three days. If you don't finish, points will be deducted, and there's no room for negotiation!"

The group of imperial students looked at Zhao Qian with some surprise. The eleven students in Class 1 of the Household Affairs Department only took a day and a half?
A competitive spirit surged within me.

They all stood up, cupped their hands in greeting, and said, "We obey!"

They're all students of the Imperial Academy, surely they're not as good as a bunch of clerks?!
Seeing the students' fighting spirit rise, Ruan Yu cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "I obey!"

"Hmm, that's more like it."

Zhao Qian glanced at the group of students with some appreciation, then turned and left.

For the next period of time, the students of the Imperial Academy took turns to conduct internships in various departments.

Although the work of the Household Affairs Officer made them work hard for two nights, they managed to finish the task within the stipulated time.

Wang Xiang, the clerk in charge of household affairs, gave it the evaluation of "Class A, Lower Grade".

The warehouse, a huge place, was filled with the smell of grain and aged wood.

The students' daily tasks consist of weighing, checking the color, and inspecting for mold and insect damage. Then they record the results in their files.
They awkwardly hoisted the heavy sacks of grain, scrambling around in front of the scale, coughing repeatedly from the dust.

Sweat soaked through his scholar's robe, and his back ached.

If the work of the Registrar of Households was somewhat related to scholars, then the work of the Granary Clerk was truly physical labor.

Although the clerks in charge of granaries thought these tasks had nothing to do with physical labor, they still exhausted the students to the point of questioning their existence.

Many people have begun to doubt whether coming to Bingzhou can truly fulfill their ambitions.
But when they saw the genuine smiles on the faces of the people who came to deliver grain to the granary, and their kindness towards them, they felt that this was exactly the kind of ambition they wanted to realize.

At the end of the day, the clerks and laborers, regardless of their official rank, all sat in the same canteen eating the same food.

Putting everything else aside, the food for officials in Bingzhou was indeed quite good.

That dish, what's it called, stir-fry, is so delicious it leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth.

Compared to the household office, the warehouse office had significantly more lucrative positions; at midday, one could even see whole pieces of meat.

This gave the students in Luoyang a bittersweet experience.

The work of the warehouse clerk also only lasted a few days.

Later, they apprenticed in various different departments.

Upon entering the agricultural bureau, they were assigned to Zhaoyuze North Village, where they studied under the agricultural officials and Shi Daniu.

The officials in charge of the fields tossed them a few hoes and assigned them tasks, sending them to the fields.

In April, the irrigation ditches beneath the paddy fields were filled with cold, silty mud.

The students rolled up their trousers, took off their scholar's robes, and stepped barefoot into the icy mud.

The stench of humus and silt hit us.

Swinging a heavy hoe is far less effortful than wielding a pen; after only a few swings, my back aches and my hands are blistered.

The silt was sticky and extremely difficult to clean.

Watching the young men, mostly from migrant backgrounds, skillfully and quickly clearing the ditch, and seeing Shi Daniu roll up his trousers to demonstrate and even explain how to use the ditch's flow to save effort, the students felt a burning embarrassment.

The so-called people-centered approach is not about lofty pity, but about bending down and stepping into the cold mud to truly touch it.

At Ji Cao, they followed the officials to inspect the market and handle disputes.

Faced with the merchants' cunning explanations, the vendors' cries, and their tricks of shortchanging customers, they learned not only legal statutes, but also practical skills in reading between the lines and analyzing situations.

At the pharmacy, they witnessed how medical workers treated the festering wounds of the displaced with the most rudimentary instruments, how they comforted the sick children, and for the first time, they directly confronted the most real pain and resilience of the people at the bottom of society.

While serving in the court, they listened to land disputes and debt lawsuits, watching how the officials dealt with the coercion and inducements of powerful stewards with composure and how they patiently and meticulously upheld justice for the old farmers. They understood the immense weight of justice in specific cases.

Every night, dragging their exhausted bodies back to their simple communal dormitories, they still have to write their internship logs under the oil lamp, enduring drowsiness and sore hands.

Record what you see and hear, and reflect on what you learn and feel.

Chen Ji would occasionally come over to conduct spot checks and then bring the results back for Xun Yu to review.

Sometimes Xun Yu would personally write brief comments on some of the logs.

"All we see are procedures, not the people's sentiments."

"They offered empty opinions but failed to provide any solutions."

"The observation was meticulous, but the cause was not investigated."

While the students in Luoyang were exhausted from the exams and evaluations, the wind from the north became exceptionally cold and harsh.

In the heart of Yunzhong County, on the banks of the Baishui River.

May should be a season of lush green grass stretching to the horizon and melodious pastoral songs echoing across the grasslands.

However, at this moment, this fertile valley has been transformed into a slaughterhouse.

The strong stench of blood, mixed with the burnt smell of fire and the stench of feces, filled the air, overpowering the fragrance of the grass.

Flocks of crows circled low in the sky, cawing ominously.

On both sides of the valley, two massive cavalry forces, like beasts battling in the wilderness, gasped for breath amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, locked in a standoff until one side finally fell. To the left, the banners of the Yuwen tribe still fluttered, but appeared tattered and heavy.

The warhorses snorted wearily, the knights were covered in blood, their armor tattered, their eyes filled with the shock and hatred of surviving a catastrophe.

Their numbers had dwindled by nearly half compared to before the decisive battle, and their formation appeared somewhat loose.

On the right, the huge eagle banner of the Tuoba tribe's royal banner had been overturned and trampled into the mud and blood.

The Tuoba tribe's lines were even more tragic, with corpses strewn everywhere and broken spears and tattered flags scattered all over the ground.

The remaining cavalry were divided and surrounded in several small areas, like trapped beasts, still desperately waving their scimitars.

At the front lines, a headless corpse, clad in magnificent gold-inlaid leather armor, lay dead beside a black steed, also riddled with arrows.

That was Tuoba Suoqi's most valiant son, Tuoba Xiwu.

He personally led the royal cavalry in a desperate charge at the crucial moment of the decisive battle, which once tore through the Yuwen tribe's defenses, but ultimately fell to the powerful bows laid in ambush by the Yuwen tribe and the light cavalry blades that followed.

Yuwen Mowei, the chieftain of the Yuwen tribe, sat astride a tall, equally weary horse.

He was about forty years old, with a rugged face, high cheekbones, and a fresh scar that ran diagonally from his shoulder blade to his forearm, the skin and flesh turned outwards, adding to his ferocious appearance.

The scimitar in his hand was already chipped, and his leather armor was covered with knife marks and arrow holes.

He stared intently at the most brutal battlefield in the middle of the valley, where Tuoba Suoqi's royal guard had just been completely overwhelmed by the last reserve force led by his son, Yuwen Pu.

Tuoba Suoqi's gray head was being held high by Yuwen Pu's spear, appearing particularly glaring in the blood-red glow of the setting sun.

"Heh...heh...heh...hahaha." Yuwen Mowei let out a series of gasps and laughs, like a broken bellows.

They won! The Yuwen tribe won this fierce and brutal final battle! The main force of the Tuoba tribe was almost completely annihilated, their chieftain Tuoba Suoqi was beheaded, his son Tuoba Xiwu died in battle, and their royal court was destroyed! He can now revel in victory.
However, this victory comes at a great cost.

Look around him! Of the ten thousand archers who went to war, less than five thousand are still standing!

The Yuwen tribe shed their blood for this victory!

All of this is for the ultimate goal.

surrender!

Yes, he had already decided to surrender after the Han troops entered Yunzhong.

In just two years, the northern grasslands have been completely reshuffled, with the eastern part now controlled by a powerful force that encompasses a vast area.

Last year, the western part of the province was also pushed to Wuyuan County by the Han army. All signs indicate that the former general who is now in charge of Bingzhou is no ordinary Han general.

It's only a matter of time before Bingzhou is recovered.

Originally, he could have surrendered with his entire clan as soon as the Han army entered Yunzhong and submitted to the so-called Guihua Fangmu Order, but he was only forty years old, in the prime of his life.

He was unwilling to surrender like this.

But facing the elite troops of Bingzhou, he knew he had no chance of winning.

Therefore, he made a decision that outsiders might not understand.

Surrender while already victorious!

Earn military merits to secure a position under that general!
Thinking of this, Yuwen Mowei's gaze involuntarily turned to the undulating hills to the west, where the ghostly white figure never left.

Wandering Army! The white-armored killing gods of the Han people!
At the start of the decisive battle, they were like the most cunning hyenas, lurking on the periphery.

When the Tuoba Xiwu cavalry launched their charge, their rain of arrows timely delayed the Tuoba tribe's left flank encirclement.

The strong archer unit that Tuoba Suoqi thought he had laid an ambush was actually a Han Chinese guerrilla force.

When the Yuwen tribe was embroiled in a fierce battle and their lines were faltering, they unexpectedly attacked a detachment of the Tuoba tribe that was attempting to outflank them.

Today's war was entirely orchestrated by the other side.

A chill ran down Yuwen Mowei's spine, but at the same time, a sense of relief welled up within him.

This Han Chinese cavalry... is truly terrifying!

"Father!"

Yuwen Pu rode back, his young face a mixture of triumphant joy and excitement, and he presented Tuoba Suoqi's head, which remained unseeing in death.

"The head of that old dog Tuoba!"

Yuwen Mowei looked at his son, then at the bloodied head, his expression complex.

He abruptly waved his hand, his voice hoarse yet carrying an undeniable resolve: "Send the order! Gather the troops, treat the wounded! Collect the fallen... especially the warriors of our Yuwen tribe! As for the Tuoba tribe... kill them all! Build... a mound of corpses! Facing... Yinshan!"

He wanted to make his stance clear, at this most dangerous time!
Yuwen Pu was somewhat puzzled, but he faithfully carried out his father's orders.

Just as Yuwen's troops began to clean up the battlefield and build the Jingguan (a mound of skulls).

On the west side of the battlefield, a small but imposing cavalry force quietly appeared.

The leader, clad in black infantry armor and a dark wolf fur cloak, sat astride a magnificent black horse—none other than Zhang Xian!

He did not remove his mask, his face as calm as a deep pool.

Behind him, Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao, two great generals, flanked him on either side. Behind them were five hundred of the most elite white-armored cavalry of the Youyi Army, and three hundred wolf riders led by Lü Bu as the assault force!

They arrived at the Baishuihe battlefield like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole that had caught up with it.

When that bloody valley came into view.

Lu Bu licked his lips, a bloodthirsty excitement flashing in his eyes.

Zhang Xian reined in Mo Ying and immediately positioned himself on a high slope, looking down at the hellish scene below.

His gaze pierced through the chaotic battlefield, locking onto the burly figure being bandaged beneath the Yuwen tribe's banner—Yuwen Mowei.

As if sensing something, Yuwen Mowei suddenly looked up and gazed at the high slope.

When he saw the massive black tiger banner fluttering in the wind and the figure in black armor beneath it, he was terrified! They've come! Even faster than he expected!

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and roared at his son Yuwen Pu and his trusted generals beside him.

"Follow me! Remember! Do as I instructed! Our lives depend on this!"

Yuwen Mowei took the lead, leading dozens of trusted generals and personal guards, breaking away from the chaotic battlefield and galloping towards the high ground where Zhang Xian was located.

They stopped about a hundred paces from the bottom of the slope. Yuwen Mowei dismounted, slammed his blunted scimitar into the ground, and then led the generals of Yuwen's troops to kneel down in front of Zhang Xian on the high slope!
He slammed his forehead heavily against the cold, blood-stained grass, using all his strength.

"Your Majesty, Yuwen Mowei, the scum of the Yuwen tribe, lead the remaining forces of the Yuwen clan to pay homage to the former General of the Celestial Dynasty, Marquis Zhang of Jinxiang! The Tuoba tribe, unaware of the might of Heaven, resisted the royal army and deserves to die a thousand deaths! The Yuwen tribe has launched a full-scale attack, and now we are willing to surrender as a whole! From this day forward, we pledge our loyalty to the General, to be the eternal bulwark of the Han people, and to face any danger, even death! We beg the General... to show mercy and accept our surrender!"

Yuwen Pu and the others behind him also knelt down and kowtowed to surrender.

The entire noisy battlefield seemed to be silenced at that moment.

The warriors of the Yuwen tribe stopped wielding their swords and watched in astonishment as their chieftain knelt before the Han general.

The remaining prisoners of the Tuoba tribe forgot to cry and stared blankly at the scene.

Only the cawing of crows and the groans of the wounded served as reminders of the horrific tragedy that had just unfolded here.

On the high slope, Lu Bu's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Zhao Yun and Zhang Liao looked down with solemn expressions and vigilance.

Zhang Xian sat upright on his horse, looking down at Yuwen Mowei kneeling on the ground. His face showed no surprise or emotion, only a deep calm.

He remained silent for a moment, a silence that seemed to stretch on for an eternity, making Yuwen Mowei feel suffocated.

Finally, Zhang Xian spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of Yuwen Mowei and the other generals.

"Yuwen Mowei, you do have a good brain."

Yuwen Mowei trembled all over.

He...he knew?!
Zhang Xian's gaze was like a sword, piercing into Yuwen Mowei's eyes.

"At first, you avoided my sharp edge and endured the pain of the grasslands being burned. All the tribes resented you, just to gather strength for this battle. You know that your tribe is slightly weaker, so I will have someone secretly help you."

"You, with my help, utterly defeated the Tuoba tribe, and then, riding the momentum of your victory, surrendered to me with Tuoba Suoqi's head… Using this achievement, you've secured a promotion. Chief Yuwen, what a profound scheme, what great ambition!"

Yuwen Mowei's face turned deathly pale instantly, and cold sweat poured down his face.

His seemingly flawless plan was completely seen through by the other party! Under Zhang Xian's all-knowing gaze, he felt as if he were naked and had nowhere to hide.

"Sinful slave...sinful slave..." He lay prostrate on the ground, his voice trembling, unable to utter any more words of defense.

Zhang Xian then changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat enigmatic.

"However, those who achieve great things must have such a mindset. You can endure what ordinary people cannot endure, do what ordinary people dare not do, and are willing to risk your entire clan to gamble on this sliver of hope... Such a mindset and methods make me... able to look at you with more respect."

Yuwen Mowei's heart leaped into his throat, and he held his breath.

(End of this chapter)