Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1323: Chapter 1276: Troops Assembled, Awaiting Battle

After that, Guo Jia no longer concerned himself with the exchange of people, instead squatting down to study this Cong man lying on the ground. To be honest, although Guan Yu didn’t use a knife, just a casual swipe, anyone who didn’t die must be an outstanding figure in Qi Refining to Gang.

”Well, I can be considered a benefactor who has saved your tribe. How do you plan to repay me?” Guo Jia said shamelessly, looking at the man spitting blood on the ground, having no intention to treat him, as Qi Refining to Gang is not something easy to die from.

The man’s face turned red with anger, spitting blood as he said, ”If not... for you wanting to buy... slaves, how could our tribe... end up in this predicament!”

”Oh, why don’t you say your tribe is too weak?” Guo Jia said with a smile.

”Hmph!” The man snorted coldly and struggled to get up, but the pressure Guan Yu exerted on him was still there. He also knew that the cold and proud man standing nearby was an unparalleled master.

”Your tribe is weak, doesn’t know how to seek refuge with stronger powers, and likes to cause trouble. If you don’t die, who will?” Guo Jia asked with a smile, ”Give me a reason not to exterminate you. As long as you convince me, I’ll mark a place on the map for you to settle peacefully.”

Guo Jia was only doing this out of boredom; otherwise, he would never tease a barbarian like this, given that there are very few who can argue with Guo Jia in the entire world.

Guan Yu sighed at this scene, finally understanding the downside of these young strategists; they instinctively like to create trouble where there is none!

The man pressed against the riverbank immediately began to argue with Guo Jia, and unsurprisingly, he ended up spitting blood from being relentlessly refuted by Guo Jia.

”It seems you have nothing more to say. This world is like this—we can bestow benevolence upon everyone because we have the power. Goodness that cannot be carried out is evil; only what can be carried out is goodness!” Guo Jia said with a smile, looking at the man who was spitting blood nearly to the point of fainting.

”Then why... must we suffer... such humiliation?” the man asked with difficulty.

”On one hand, you yourself are blind and choose the wrong followers. On the other hand, you refuse to believe in the opportunities given to you by others, thinking you can bully the weak, only to be counterattacked,” Guo Jia explained with a smile, ”What do you think of what I’ve said?”

”You’re right!” Somehow, the man found some strength, shakily supporting himself as he got up, ”So what if I am willing to believe in you?”

Guo Jia showed a slightly speechless expression, then folded his fan, sat cross-legged on the riverbank, and said solemnly, ”You are quite smart.”

Guan Yu glanced at the man without saying anything and then continued to look elsewhere; he generally wouldn’t interfere with whatever Guo Jia wanted to do.

After Guo Jia said that, he remained silent while the man persisted in standing until Guo Jia asked, ”Who are you?”

”Cong Person Wang Ping!” the man replied with effort.

”You don’t need to be a slave; come serve as a soldier, start as a Bai Fu,” Guo Jia suddenly laughed. He was quite satisfied with this man, and so it was settled.

”Thud!” Wang Ping collapsed back onto the riverbank.

”Not a bad will.” Guan Yu remarked blandly, while Guo Jia turned his head to Ruan Yuliang and said, ”Take him for treatment, and pick out all the slaves from his tribe.”

The handover on both sides proceeded smoothly; these bought and sold slaves were broken up into groups and sent to different locations for construction. If they performed normally, within two to three years, they would gain household registration and settle in various parts of the Central Plains. Of course, by then, they would likely have been assimilated into Han culture.

Not long after, Guan Yu had an additional team composed of Cong people under his command, which once again pulled down the average intelligence of Guan Yu’s entire legion. It couldn’t be helped, as most Cong people were illiterate in Chinese characters and had no heritage, learning even more slowly than the Yellow Turbans.

Even their leader, Wang Ping, was illiterate. However, Guo Jia’s words did make Wang Ping understand the situation of this era and what the most correct behavior for people like him should be: attach oneself to a strong power and give all one’s loyalty to them.

Of course, these matters were still very far off for Wang Ping at present; now he just had to survive and then lead his tribe in battles.

On the other side, with the arrival of spring, the ice and snow in the North began to melt. Zhang Fei and his party had already moved out of their previous residence, the Ice City, and set up camp in an open field.

By this time, Zhang Fei had already contacted Gongsun Gong and Liangg Mao. The current situation in Liaodong was quite good, as these two had successfully driven Fuyu and the Three Hann States out of their ruling territory, and everything seemed to be going well.

However, Zhuge Liang confirmed through existing intelligence that Fuyu and the Three Hann States must have some connection with Yuan Tan, and the constant coming and going of scouts between Youzhou already indicated many issues. Yuan Tan genuinely intended to clear and pacify all potentially turbulent forces in Youzhou.

”Phew, the reorganization is basically complete. General Tian, I’ll leave the rear to you. General Zhang and I will proceed to the northern Xuantu first.” Zhuge Liang said with a cupped fist salute.

In this month, Zhuge Liang had thoroughly convinced Tian Yu. The promotions and adjustments of official positions were also completed. Although many of Tian Yu’s subordinates among the military officers were indeed capable, the obstacle of tabletop exercises depended entirely on Zhuge Liang’s wishes.

Given that Zhuge Liang did not hesitate to expend Spiritual Talent, with his insightful judgment, the intentions of many people were made clear to him, so many unsuitable individuals were weeded out by Zhuge Liang.

Under such rigorous scrutiny, the newly formed Zhang Fei’s legion ultimately had its military command primarily under Zhang Fei’s control. Even if Tian Yu had any intentions, it would be extremely difficult to shake Zhang Fei’s authority.

Besides Zhang Fei and Tian Yu, the performance of Li Tong as Zhang Fei’s lieutenant was also recognized by everyone, and no one doubted his qualification as Zhang Fei’s deputy anymore.

After such a month of reorganization and adjustment, Zhang Fei had fully grasped the power over both armies without any constraints, and almost all his subordinates acknowledged Zhang Fei’s authority. After all, this struggle essentially entailed a collective replacement from Corporals to middle-level military officers.

Those who were promoted were not the seniority-based ones of the past but truly capable soldiers. Of course, such actions naturally resulted in the loss of some middle-level officers’ rights, but under Zhuge Liang’s manipulation, no one could stir up any trouble.

”In that case, I will lead my troops back to the Tian Family while you two lead the army northwards.” Tian Yu said with a cupped fist salute.

Tian Yu himself had no intention of vying for power. He could only express admiration for Zhuge Liang’s performance, especially since the latter had not shown any targeted intentions and had even specially retained Tian Yu’s faction, leaving nothing more to be said.