"This humble servant greets General Huang and General Wen. My lord has been thinking about you day and night and has been looking forward to your arrival. The arrival of the two generals today will definitely resolve my lord's worries.”The general said respectfully.
"Oh? Why does Zhang Xiu miss us?" Huang Zhong raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Alright, lead the way and let me see who this 'old friend' is. I've specially requested for you to transfer me here.”Huang Zhong said with much displeasure because he didn't know Zhang Xiu at all.
"Generals, please come in."
In the city, the commoners had glorious faces, and their faces were deathly pale.
Along the way, there were countless peddlers hawking their wares, and there was a commotion everywhere.
That was still fine. What surprised them the most was the neatly armored patrol team with their heads held high.
What was different was that the people in the city were not afraid when they saw the patrol team. Instead, they were extremely friendly and their gazes were filled with respect.
This was not an act, but from the bottom of his heart. Such a performance was rare even at the feet of the emperor. It was rare for the army and the people to be so close.
"Uncle, we are not locals. We heard that General Zhang Xiu was recruiting soldiers here and thought that we have some martial strength. We want to have a future.”Wen Pin led the horse and quickly walked forward to stop an old man in his fifties.
"Young man, if you want to ask him about something, this old man might not know, but since you're asking about Duke Ming, then this old man will have to answer you.”The old man said excitedly.
"Ming Gong? Are you referring to General Zhang Xiu?"
"Of course. In Nanyang, who doesn't call themselves Ming Gong? Who doesn't have a memorial tablet for Ming Gong?”
"Ming Gong cherishes the people like his son and treats us like family. In such a chaotic world, not only did he not allow his soldiers to plunder, but he also ordered his subordinates to use military rations to relieve the victims and distribute houses and fertile land.”
"Ming Gong's kindness to us is like a rebirth. This old man had three sons. Other than the three who died prematurely, the other two were sent to the military camp by this old man, hoping that they could follow Ming Gong on the battlefield and protect the people.”
The old man said with an excited expression.
"Two warriors, in this chaotic world, there is no one as wise as Ming Gong. If you two warriors are interested, you can join Ming Gong and you will definitely be put in an important position.”
Hearing the old man finish, Wenpin pursed his lips.
His heart was filled with shock. He had never seen someone who won the hearts of the people like this. Even though the Jing State was rich, the people still complained. How could such a scene have never happened before?
" Thank you, uncle." Wen Pin cupped his fists.
Then, the two of them had their own thoughts and quickly walked towards the Zhang residence.
After a while, in the mansion.
In the open courtyard was a huge sand table.
The sand table was surrounded by mountain people from all over the world. It was as if Zhang Xiu was drawing a sand table map of Nanyang and its surroundings.
The rivers, water systems, mountains, roads, cities, and so on were all clearly marked on the sand table. Zhang Xiu was discussing some of the details with the mountain villagers.
"Reporting to my lord, the two generals, Huang Zhong and Wen Pin, request an audience.”
"Huang Zhongwen is here? Quick, quickly invite him over." "Forget it, I'll welcome you personally." Zhang Xiu was delighted.”
At the gate of the mansion, seeing Zhang Xiu rushing over, the two of them inexplicably had a good impression of him.
"Hansheng, Zhongye, I've been waiting for you to come. Quick, enter the residence and rest.”Zhang Xiu excitedly stepped forward and grabbed their forearms without any sense of discord, striding into the manor.
"Uh, this..."
The two of them were a little dumbfounded.
Wasn't this too hospitable?
They walked in quickly. When they passed by the sand table, the two of them couldn't help but show surprise.
"General, is this the topographic map of Nanyang and Yingchuan? This is too detailed!" Wen Pin raised his eyebrows.
Fortunately, Zhang Xiu did not leave and explained solemnly,"That's right. Cao Cao has taken Yingchuan for several months now. His subordinates are prosperous in Wuchang and will soon attack the south. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and knowing your enemy is never a loss. I can only make plans early.”
"However, I have Hansheng and Zhongye to help me now. Why should I be afraid of Cao?”
Zhang Xiu opened his arms and spoke in a clear voice. The trust in his words made the two of them look at him.
"Thank you for your favor, General. I only made a small contribution. How can I compete with Cao Cao's generals? I wonder what the general sees in me?”Wen Pin asked.
"Haha, who can be born a general? Although Zhong Ye lacked the experience of leading troops in battle, in time, how many people in Cao Camp could be compared to Zhong Ye?”Zhang Xiu praised him generously.
Wen Pin's heart trembled. What kind of praise was this?
"Zhongye, I have recruited five thousand new soldiers.”Zhang Xiu said straightforwardly.
"Five thousand?" Wen Pin was stunned. His body and mind immediately trembled as he hurriedly thanked him,"Thank you for your trust, my lord.”
He had joined Liu Biao for one or two years, but he was only a centurion. Zhang Xiu had actually given him an established army. How bold was this?
In other words, Wenpin was directly promoted from the village chief to the chief of the shih, crossing who knew how many levels.
"Zhongye, there is no need to be so polite. I will give you the position of lieutenant. These five thousand soldiers will be handed over to you. In the future, you will love the soldiers like your own children and read the military books.”Zhang Xiu patted Wen Pin's shoulder and said earnestly.
[Wen Pin: Martial Force 90, Commander 95, Intelligence 88, Internal Affairs 82, Faction Zhang Xiu, Loyalty 80.]
Wen Pin, regardless of loyalty or literary talent and military strategy, are excellent. When he was stationed in Jiangxia, he often fought with Guan Yu. He won more and lost less. He was really a good general.
After saying that, Zhang Xiu looked at Huang Zhong. At this time, it was easy to control Wen Pin, but Huang Zhong himself had military merits and his family background was extraordinary. Small favors could not make him loyal to death.
"Hansheng, I heard that you are extraordinarily brave. Your machete is superb, and the carved bow at your waist never misses. How do you compare to Xu Chu and Dian Wei?”
"Hmph, they're just clay chickens and pottery dogs! If I see them, I'll cut off their heads within thirty rounds.”Huang Zhong stroked his beard proudly, showing no fear.
"Ha, how dare you. Do you know that these two people are brave enough to fight ten thousand men?”Zhang Xiu questioned.
"If General doesn't believe me, I can make a military pledge. When I see these two in the future, I will definitely cut off their heads and present them to my subordinates.”Huang Zhong said.
"Alright, if anyone else fights these two, I hope that Hansheng will not forget what he said today.”Zhang Xiu said,"
"I will also allocate five thousand of your troops. I will not ask how they will be trained, but they must have the strength to fight next spring. At the very least, they must not be weaker than Zhongye's training troops.”
Huang Zhong glanced at Wen Pin and said,""How can a mere young general be compared to me? However, I want to meet the generals of Cao Camp.”
Huang Zhong guarded You County and had pacified the Shanyue bandits many times. There was no need to say much about his bravery, and most importantly, he was good at leading troops in battles. On the contrary, Wenpin was unknown, so it was natural to look down on him.
[Huang Zhong: Strength 116, Commander 86, Intelligence 80, Internal Affairs 69, Faction Liu Biao, Loyalty 70.]
He saw Huang Zhong's current combat strength, 116. Huang Zhong in his prime was probably the only one who could tie with him. However, it seemed like Huang Zhong was not loyal to Liu Biao. However, there was no hurry. How could a cooked duck teach him to fly?
"Alright, with the help of the two generals, even if Cao Cao's army of a million comes, what is there to fear?”Zhang Xiu said heroically.
"Cao Cao may invade at any time, so you should train your soldiers as soon as possible.”
"Zhang Xian, bring the two generals to the camp to select soldiers.”Zhang Xiu raised his hand and ordered.
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