Late Han Dynasty: Did the Yellow Emperor truly descend?

Chapter 21 Bandit Attack

At this time, in the back hall of the county government office in Xiapi County.

The magistrate sat behind his desk, a map spread out in front of him. His gaze lingered on the border between Xiapi Kingdom and Xiapi County for a long time.

"Your Excellency."

County Lieutenant Chen Yuan stood below the steps and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

The magistrate looked up and glanced at him.

"Zhongyi is here, please sit down."

Chen Yuan did not sit down.

He took two steps forward, his voice low: "Your Excellency, you must already know about the news from the north."

"Know."

The magistrate's voice was as calm as a stagnant pool.

"The Kingdom of Xiapi has fallen, and that... His Highness abandoned the city and fled."

At this point, the disdain in his tone was impossible to conceal, but fortunately, he still retained his scholarly refinement and remembered to avoid mentioning the words of his superiors.

"That……"

"What?"

The magistrate finally looked up and his gaze fell on Chen Yuan's face.

"Zhongyi has come to ask me how we should respond?"

Chen Yuan cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Excellency is wise. Once Xiapi falls, the Yellow Turban rebels will surely turn south. Xiapi County is only a hundred li from Xiapi Kingdom. If the rebels advance unimpeded, we..."

"Aren't we already preparing?"

The magistrate interrupted him, picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and remained calm and composed.

"The corvée labor recently issued has been deployed to the city walls. The tasks of moat construction, city defense, arrow and stone work, and log fighting are all under Zhongyi's supervision."

Chen Yuan remained silent for a long time.

He knew that what the superior said was true. Since Sun Jian and Sun Wentai left, and the new county magistrate had not yet arrived, the responsibility of defending this area was indeed entirely in his hands.

He then spoke again, "Your Excellency, there is something I do not understand."

"explain."

"The bandits who conquered Xiapi must have been weakened as well. If we could take advantage of their unstable foothold and send an elite force north to strike them hard when they are exhausted..."

"Zhongyi".

The magistrate's voice suddenly turned somber.

"You're talking about principles from military texts. But those principles might not be applicable in the present situation."

He stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and looked at the gray sky outside.

"Liu Yi, the King of Xiapi, possessed the army of an entire kingdom, yet he still abandoned the city and fled. How many soldiers do you and I have? We have no more than three hundred soldiers from our commanderies and kingdoms, and you know how poorly equipped we are. We do have some newly recruited local militia, which are adequate for defending the city, but you want them to go and fight the Yellow Turban rebels in the open field?"

He turned around and looked at Chen Yuan.

"Zhongyi, it's not that I don't want to fight, but I truly cannot. If we lose, the county will fall, and neither of us will escape death; if we win, we'll only hold out for a few more days. The Yellow Turbans have risen in eight prefectures, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Can you possibly kill them all?"

Chen Yuan's lips moved a few times, but he ultimately did not refute.

He knew the magistrate was telling the truth.

"That……"

Chen Yuan was silent for a while, then spoke again.

"What will happen to the people outside the city?"

The magistrate remained silent for a moment.

"Open the city gates."

His voice was so flat, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"Let those who can enter the city in. Save as many as you can."

Chen Yuan raised his head and looked at the county magistrate, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The magistrate did not look at him.

Saving these people is already an act of utmost kindness and compassion.

"promise."

Chen Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

"Zhongyi".

The magistrate suddenly called out to him.

Chen Yuan turned around.

"Let the people outside the city enter the city..."

The magistrate paused, as if considering his words, "Remember to check carefully, and don't let any Yellow Turban spies infiltrate."

"Understood."

He strode out of the back room.

The magistrate stood by the window, watching Chen Yuan's figure disappear from sight, and remained motionless for a long time.

……

South of Xiapi County, Dongping Village.

Hundreds of people gathered together in the threshing ground at the east end of the village.

Although they appear to be numerous, only about thirty of them are truly capable fighters; the rest are merely there to provide support.

Li Sheng stood in the center of the threshing ground, facing his dozen or so local militia members who had undergone full-time training.

Li Feng, Li Shi, Liu Lu, Zhao Hu, plus two other men from the original six, and several strong men selected from the village later, made a total of eighteen people.

Eighteen men, eighteen spears, and a dozen or so leather armor suits.

This is Li Sheng's strongest trump card.

"Put on your armor."

Li Sheng's voice was loud enough that everyone present heard him.

Li Feng was the first to take the leather armor from Li Sheng, examined it over and over, and grinned: "Brother Sheng, this armor was taken from those county soldiers back then. I didn't expect it to actually come in handy."

"Stop talking nonsense and put it on."

Li Shi urged him on from the side, and then reached out and took a collar, putting it on himself.

A dozen or so people hurriedly put on their armor, and everyone was quite excited.

Liu Wu couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he went over and helped them adjust their clothes one by one.

"This is a breast protector; it should be placed right in the center of your chest."

"The shoulder straps need to be tightened; if they're loose, it will affect your movements."

"Don't pull the skirt too tight, or you won't be able to move your legs properly later."

Li Sheng stood aside, watching this scene without saying a word.

Once everyone was dressed, he took two steps forward, his gaze sweeping over each person's face.

"Brothers."

His voice wasn't loud, but the threshing floor fell silent instantly.

"I'm sure you all know why I've called you all here today."

He paused, then raised his voice a few decibels.

"You've probably heard the news from the north. Xiapi has fallen, and its king has fled. Rebels could strike at our doorstep at any moment."

A low buzzing sound arose from the crowd, but it quickly subsided.

Someone asked me, "Aren't you scared?"

His voice reached everyone's ears clearly.

"I'm afraid. We're all made of flesh and blood, and we'll die if we're killed, but I'm not afraid! Because the sun is protecting us."

A slight commotion arose in the crowd.

"Think about it, your parents, your wives, your children, they're all in this village. If the bandits break in, what will happen to them? Everyone knows the answer."

No one speaks.

"What have we been practicing for so long and making so many preparations for?"

Li Sheng's eyes were sharp and keen.

"This is the day we've been waiting for."

He took the halberd from Li Feng and slammed it into the ground, the end of the halberd digging deep into the soil with a dull thud.

"I have finished speaking. From this day forward, we will protect this village together. Anyone who wants to harm a single blade of grass or tree in our village will have to step over my dead body first."

After a moment of silence, Li Feng was the first to shout, "Follow Brother Sheng, protect the village and our homes!"

"Follow Brother Sheng!"

"Protect the village and protect our homes!"

Hundreds of people shouted in unison, their voices echoing across the surrounding area.

Some of the villagers watching from outside the threshing ground had tears in their eyes, while others clenched their fists.

Li Sheng raised his hand, and the shouting stopped abruptly.

"Brothers, I now make the following arrangements,"

"Liu Lu".

"exist!"

"You will be in charge of sentry patrols. You will have four elite soldiers and sixteen militiamen. Deploy them to the north and south of the village, with a sentry post every five li and a lookout every ten li. Report any disturbance immediately."

"promise!"

Liu Lu selected twenty people and strode off.