Chapter 59 Yellow Turban Uprising This year, Liaodong's development is in full swing. By this year, Zhang Jiao had hundreds of thousands of followers under his command, spread across eight states. In this year, Si Tu Yang Ci and Si Tu Yuan Liu Tao once again advised the emperor about the hidden dangers of the Taiping Sect, but in the end they were ignored by Liu Hong. Finally, in February of the following year, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, and within less than a month, people all over the country responded. The emperor was panicked and immediately appointed He Jin as general and sent heavy troops to garrison around Luoyang to prevent any accidents. The governor of Beidi, Huangfu Song, took the opportunity to propose pardoning those who were imprisoned in the clique and using the money in the emperor's treasury to reward the soldiers. The eunuch Lu Qiang also suggested this. The emperor was forced to accept this suggestion and at the same time he made a deep impression on Lü Qiang. Not long after, Lü Qiang was forced to commit suicide by the eunuchs. Afterwards, the aristocratic families directed their criticism at the Ten Eunuchs and wrote a letter requesting their execution. The emperor was immediately furious and tortured the person who wrote the letter to death. Tian Ze, who had been closely following the developments in the court and the world, gathered together with many civil and military officials to analyze the current situation. "The news from the court is so shocking! Zhang Rang and others said that the scholars colluded with the Yellow Turbans to cause chaos, while the scholars said that eunuchs such as Zhang Rang were involved with the Yellow Turbans. Tsk tsk." Tian Ze couldn't help but feel deeply moved by the power struggle in the court.
The news was mixed with both true and false, making it difficult for him to tell right from wrong. According to the intelligence obtained by Jia Xu, the Taiping Sect had been developing for more than ten years, growing stronger and stronger, and had never been suppressed by the court. Aristocratic families, powerful people, and eunuchs all played a certain role behind the scenes, and even He Jin, a relative by marriage, seemed to have some connection with the Taiping Sect. After all, the rebellious Tang Zhou was reported to He Jin, and the emperor used this as an excuse to appoint He Jin as the general. The situation behind this is unfathomable and difficult to fathom. Tian Ze even once doubted whether the emperor knew about the Taiping Sect before, or wanted to use it to eliminate dissidents. After all, this emperor had always been willful and reckless. In order to suppress the scholars, he allowed the eunuchs to do evil, intending to make both sides lose. Even if the eunuchs lost power, it might not be without the tacit approval of the emperor. But then I thought about it carefully, this possibility is not very high. Who would do such a stupid thing to destroy their own foundation? No one can guess the truth behind this, but judging from the results, the beneficiaries are the powerful families. If there is a mastermind behind the scenes, there must be a powerful family. "My lord, under the advice of Huangfu Song, the emperor was forced to lift the Party Faction Ban and allowed local tyrants to train soldiers for self-defense," said Jia Xu. "The core areas of the Yellow Turban Rebellion were concentrated in Jizhou, Yingchuan and Nanyang." "This is even more interesting." Tian Ze said meaningfully: "These three places are the richest places, and there are many powerful families." "Although the local aristocratic families suffered some losses, only a few small families were destroyed. Instead, many aristocratic families took this opportunity to train private soldiers, and their power grew even stronger." Jia Xu added. "There were even people from aristocratic families who, by reciting the Book of Filial Piety behind closed doors at home, discouraged the Yellow Turbans from invading and attracted refugees from the surrounding areas to join them, sheltering many civilians and gaining a great reputation." "When the court first learned about the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the emperor asked for a solution. An official in the court suggested that the emperor recite the Book of Filial Piety behind closed doors, saying that this would resolve the crisis." "I didn't expect these people to not only mock me secretly, but actually put on such a show. The emperor must be furious." Everyone present knew what the two meant. Xun You and other people who came from prominent families were not surprised, as they had already known all this. Since they chose to serve under Tian Ze, they have drawn a clear line with their original families and will not feel entangled about it. This is also the norm for children of aristocratic families in this era, and it is also a conspiracy to preserve the family.
It is clear that multiple parties are betting, but the betting object of each party is absolutely independent and will not be bound by the family. It is normal for them to be loyal to the lord and confront their original family and clansmen. Tian Ze was aware of Xun You's arrival, and the Xun family must have known about it and acquiesced. Although he was slightly dissatisfied in his heart, it was directed at the Xun family rather than Xun You. After all, Xun You would not stand on the side of the Xun family. For the Xun family, this was enough. Even if Tian Ze achieved great things in the future and the Xun family declined due to being targeted, Xun You's lineage would surely prosper. At that time, Xun You will represent the Xun family. This is the way of survival for a thousand-year-old family. It is a naked conspiracy, but it is hard to refuse. "It's enough for us to understand these things and not take them too seriously. The key right now is what to do next," Tian Ze said. Chen Gong looked at Cheng Yu and others and spoke first. "My lord, there is no Yellow Turban rebellion in Liaodong, and there never will be." "We have stored sufficient food, cotton clothes and other supplies, and have built a large number of village houses. The corresponding management, education and inspection personnel are also ready. It is enough to attract millions of refugees." "If necessary, we can prepare again in a short time." "Currently, the surface of the Bohai Sea has completely thawed. Han Dang is leading 2,000 naval forces to recruit refugees in the coastal areas of You, Ji, Qing, and Xu as a merchant caravan. Due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the number of refugees in the four states has increased dramatically, and the harvest is quite fruitful." "Ling Cao is leading two thousand naval forces and is already on standby at Xiangping Port." "The military logistics are also ready. Ten thousand cavalry, twelve thousand infantry and fifty thousand civilians are ready to be deployed at any time. In addition, there are a large number of transport vehicles and ships." The first to come will win. Chen Gong's ability in internal affairs management is already outstanding among the crowd, and although his talent deduction requires a lot of time and energy to activate, he is the most suitable person to coordinate the overall situation and promote reforms. Therefore, he was responsible for summarizing and coordinating the overall situation of Liaodong's government affairs. Tian Ze's attitude towards this rebellion has already been made clear. Recruit a wide range of people, gain a little fame, but achieve little merit. The recruitment of refugees is undoubtedly the top priority. "Youzhou's Liaoxi and Youbeiping counties are located in remote areas, and there are not many Yellow Turbans there." "Yuyang, Guangyang and other counties are close to Jizhou, with a large population and many Yellow Turban bandits. The situation is already precarious." "The situation in Qingzhou is even more chaotic. There are bandits almost everywhere, and their scale is extremely large." Jia Xu said. "Relying on the advantages of the navy, we can use the Bohai Sea to quickly and massively relocate the refugees from You, Ji, Qing, and Xu." "Moreover, in such a chaotic situation today, many county officials have fled or been killed. As long as people pay a little attention, no one will notice anything unusual." Tian Ze heard this and smiled slightly: "Not bad." It is easier to fish in troubled waters. The Yellow Turban Rebellion resulted in no less than millions of casualties. Who can tell if it’s one million more or one million less?
What's more, many of these reduced population had already become private households of local tyrants, so wouldn't it be the same if they became his private households? "My lord, Gongda and I have already drawn up a preliminary strategy for this expedition." Cheng Yu stepped forward and said. In addition to Chen Gong, Guo Yuan and Mi Zhu who were in charge of internal affairs, counselors such as Cheng Yu also had the responsibility of providing advice and suggestions. Among them, Tian Feng and Dong Zhao focused on the overall strategic layout, Cheng Yu and Xun You focused on local battle planning, and Jia Xu checked for omissions and filled in the gaps. In response to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Cheng Yu and Xun You began to study the overall strategy early on. "This time, the troops will be mainly cavalry, with 10,000 cavalry, or a few hundred or a thousand cavalry as a team, dispersed throughout the four states, using guerrilla harassment tactics." "Make full use of the cavalry's speed advantage and send more scouts. If you encounter a small-scale Yellow Turban, eat them up. If you encounter a large-scale Yellow Turban, avoid them. It is important to preserve your strength and do not attack rashly." "Once we find refugees, we will escort them back to the seaside where the navy is stationed." "Infantrymen will form teams of 3,000 each and will be stationed around the naval bases on the coasts of the four states. They must not act on their own and must gradually clear out the surrounding Yellow Turban bandits. If the cavalry are being chased by the Yellow Turbans while escorting refugees, they will immediately step forward to help resist." "If the Yellow Turbans are strong, the cavalry and infantry will immediately board the ship and evacuate, move to a safe area and then dock." During this period of time, Cheng Yu and others have been studying how to safely and secretly plunder more people. In the history of the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms, the competition in the early stage was about territory and food, and as long as the people could be fed, there was no need to worry about the source of soldiers. But in the later stage, the population decreased significantly, and 70% to 80% of the population was lost, so the competition was about population. The three kingdoms were all trying to seize population, and would rather give up land than lose population. When they attacked each other, the first thing they did was to move the population of the occupied area to their own rear. Tian Ze's desire for population was even stronger, so the strategy formulated by Chen Gong and Xun You was centered on attracting population and preserving strength. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. With Tian Ze's status, it is not a good idea to rush to the front. The more you rush forward, the greater the risk. The right way is to focus on assisting and make a fortune quietly. Afterwards, Cheng Yu and Xun You commanded the generals to start deducing tactics on the huge sand table. Simple sand tables were already available in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and records of military simulations and exercises can be found before the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Tian Ze himself has a talent for "small map", so naturally he should make full use of it. Therefore, many huge sand table models were made, including those of the entire Han Dynasty as well as local areas, such as a state or a county. The main roads, key terrains and checkpoints have all been adjusted one by one according to the "mini map" with a very high level of detail. On the lifelike sand table of the terrain around Bohai Sea, Cheng Yu simulated the Yellow Turbans, Xun You simulated the refugees from various places, and the generals controlled their own war chess pieces to carry out deductions. Although Jia Xu's intelligence network was extremely good, the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army were numerous and most of them had no rules in their actions. The speed at which the Yellow Turban Army grew stronger by coercing the people was also extremely alarming. Cheng Yu made arrangements and deployments according to the most extreme combat power he had guessed, but considering that the commander-in-chief level of the Yellow Turban Army was generally not high, the difficulty of dispatch was reduced. The generals had participated in similar exercises many times before, and this time they were just simulating it again based on the current actual situation. Therefore, he adapted quickly after getting started and commanded and dispatched in an orderly manner according to Cheng Yu's strategic guidelines. Tian Ze sat aside, watching this "game" with interest, while waiting for the imperial edict from the court. (End of this chapter)