Chapter 53

"Sir! There is a defeated government army ahead!" A group of Yellow Turban scouts galloped up and reported.

Because Zhao Futu had not yet received an official position within the Yellow Turban ranks and his current prestige was not enough to directly call himself a leader, he could only self-proclaim himself as a military commander,勉强 also giving himself a title. Whether this title was historically accurate was not important, as few of the Yellow Turbans were literate. The key was that his forces had grown, and without a title, he could not command them effectively.

Thus, it was necessary for him to self-proclaim a military rank below general.

On his journey north, he encountered countless defeated Yellow Turban forces. Some small-scale forces were absorbed by him, while larger ones, unwilling to be subordinate, retreated to Qingzhou. Tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans had scattered from Nanyang, and he had managed to recruit about one-tenth of them, gathering over a thousand troops. After capturing a county, he gained some recognition among the Yellow Turbans, and the number of defeated Yellow Turbans joining him increased to over three thousand. Unlike other Yellow Turban leaders, Zhao Futu had much stricter requirements for recruitment. Otherwise, if he had absorbed more Yellow Turbans from Puyang, his forces could have reached over five thousand.

Food and supplies were a major issue in this era, and Zhao Futu had no support from local gentry or powerful families. The grain he had was all obtained through raids and coercion of local gentry. If not for capturing a county's granary, he would not have been able to sustain so many people. It's worth noting that on his journey north, Zhao Futu did not harm those who surrendered part of their grain, so many local gentry were willing to pay to avoid conflict, treating it as a way to avoid disaster.

As a result, his alias 'Huangshi' in this battlefield space began to gain some recognition.

At the very least, compared to the Yellow Turban rebels who plundered like locusts, sparing neither gentry nor officials, he was indeed a bit better.

After capturing a county, Zhao Futu obtained ample military supplies and a batch of equipment to arm his troops. Outside, the land was filled with famine and death, and the county granary was empty, but the residences of the county magistrate, county lieutenant, county secretary, and local gentry were brimming with grain!

The once glorious Han Dynasty was now in its twilight, with its last bit of glory about to fade.

Eunuchs and relatives of the empress dowager controlled the government, and the entire Eastern Han Dynasty was corrupt beyond redemption. The buying and selling of official positions were rampant, and the gentry who paid for these positions naturally sought to profit many times over. In recent years, the Central Plains had suffered from countless disasters, leaving the lower classes destitute. With no one to exploit, they turned to the county granaries, using various means to embezzle and divide the wealth.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it was very common for there to be little to no disaster relief, and in some places, taxes were not even reduced, forcing many to flee their homes!

Zhao Futu spared the local gentry but did not spare the officials and gentry in the county.

After confiscating their wealth, he no longer had to worry about logistics. He could not take all the grain and gold, so he distributed the wealth to recruit more troops. Other Yellow Turban leaders might keep some of the wealth for themselves, but for Zhao Futu, a contractee, these things had no value if he could not take them. It was better to use them to win the hearts of the people.

With over a thousand swords and spears, three hundred sets of armor, and over a hundred horses, Zhao Futu armed over a thousand troops and formed a personal guard of over three hundred.

He had deeper intentions. If he joined Zhang Jue, the Heavenly General, he could not be sure if Zhang Jue would absorb his troops. If the Yellow Turban forces he had gathered were absorbed, would he still retain command? After all, he now had over three thousand troops, all carefully selected, though untrained, they were all able-bodied men, with no old, weak, or sick among them!

Rather than taking a chance later, it was better to win their loyalty now!

...

"Defeated troops?" Zhao Futu's eyes narrowed, a glint of excitement in them. He asked in a deep voice, "Where are they now?"

The Yellow Turban scout pointed south to a valley and respectfully said, "They are in that valley. There are about four to five hundred of them, all defeated soldiers. They are currently making a fire to cook, and I discovered them by the smoke. However, I did not dare to investigate further for fear of alarming them!"

"Someone! Reward him with five taels of silver, a pot of wine, and record his military merit!" Although modern people were not familiar with ancient procedures, they knew a bit. Zhao Futu's reward and punishment system did not need to be perfect; he just needed to make it clear that there were rewards for merit. Moreover, the gold and silver obtained from capturing the county were not exchangeable, so it was better to use them for rewards.

On his journey, he had fought several government armies, and he heavily rewarded those who fought bravely. The morale of this Yellow Turban force was entirely built on money.

Commanding an army was completely different from acting alone!

Zhao Futu could not personally lead the charge, so he gained no survival points from battles, and the items he obtained were all non-exchangeable. However, he did gain some world exploration and plot twist rewards, as well as a significant amount of faction reputation. He hoped that after completing this battlefield task, his evaluation would be high, otherwise, the benefits of commanding an army would be less than acting alone.

"Luck is here!" Zhao Futu's expression was excited. He turned to the military leaders he had promoted and said, "Each of you lead a team to flank them. After I break the enemy's main force, attack and capture them all!"

"Yes, Sir!" The leaders responded and set off.

After giving the order, Zhao Futu had the army rest briefly before leading them to surround the valley.

He did not expect such good luck, encountering a defeated government army as soon as he entered Ji Province. This was a perfect opportunity for military merit! If his luck held, he might even encounter a lone historical general, and with his army, he could potentially defeat a few of these formidable figures! A common county lieutenant could drop a deep blue key, so killing a historical general would surely yield even better rewards.

Ji Province.

Zhang Jue first defeated Lu Zhi and then Dong Zhuo, boosting the morale of the Yellow Turbans. The Han government army retreated a hundred miles. Especially during Zhang Jue's second defeat of Dong Zhuo, the Han army was completely routed. If not for the timely rescue by Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, Dong Zhuo might have been killed there! This battle also established the reputation of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, who, with their own strength, dared to charge into an army of ten thousand and rescue Dong Zhuo from the encirclement, demonstrating their extraordinary martial prowess!

However, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were definitely not here.

They saved Dong Zhuo but were not favored by him, so they would not stay here.

Therefore, it was clear that this government army was likely part of the forces that had scattered after Dong Zhuo's defeat, having lost contact with the main army.

...

"Charge!"

"Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

As the shouts of battle suddenly erupted outside the valley, the Han government troops inside were like startled birds, ready to flee. The shouts were deafening, and even before the Yellow Turbans approached, some soldiers were already preparing to run. But at that moment, a black-faced, stout general suddenly emerged from the Han army. Wearing a general's armor and wielding a long spear, he roared, "Do not panic!"

"Follow me and charge out!!!"