Wen Shu looked at everyone's expressions, let out a cold snort, and his stern voice slowly resounded!
"Liu Jin is leading his troops to annihilate three thousand Yellow Turbans on the way, and is now heading towards Zhuo Commandery City."
Everyone in the hall was surprised to hear this, not expecting Liu Jin to have annihilated another three thousand Yellow Turbans. They all felt it was somewhat unbelievable.
Just how powerful is this young man? With only a small force, he has repeatedly defeated the Yellow Turbans.
If he were allowed to command all the troops in the Commandery, the Yellow Turbans before them would probably have been pacified long ago. How could they have been allowed to besiege the city and act so arrogantly?
Everyone went from whispering to casually chatting amongst themselves, as this news was indeed quite shocking.
Zheng Qian, sitting at the lower seat, smacked his lips after hearing this.
He had originally thought that annihilating two or three thousand would be this young man's limit, but he never expected him to be able to annihilate another three thousand on the way.
If he were truly allowed to lead three thousand troops to attack the Yellow Turbans outside the city, they might actually be annihilated.
The most shocked person was Liu Chong in the crowd. He hadn't expected his opportunistic nephew to be so capable.
His previous victory over the Yellow Turbans had made his name resound throughout the entire Commandery City; both common people and high-ranking officials in the Commandery had heard of him.
Now, news of another victory against the Yellow Turbans had arrived. He could be described as brave and skilled in battle, possessing the qualities of a famous general.
It seems his Liu clan of Zhuo Commandery is about to see the rise of a hero, who will restore the glory of their ancestors.
Wen Shu looked at the shocked expressions of the officials in the hall, a hint of a sneer on his face.
Now you know the vast difference between you bunch of good-for-nothings and Liu Jin.
With two or three thousand soldiers in the Commandery, you are instead afraid of the ten or twenty thousand Yellow Turbans outside the city, trembling with fear and not daring to leave the city.
After their initial shock, everyone slowly regained their composure. Although it was somewhat alarming, with previous precedents, they still chose to believe this fact.
Wen Shu coughed lightly and slowly said to everyone,
"Now that Liu Jin has arrived with his army, he has informed this Prefect that he has a meticulous plan. He intends to send a portion of his men to infiltrate the Yellow Turban camp, burn the enemy's grain and fodder, and cause chaos among the enemy."
"Additionally, he will lead his troops to charge the enemy from the rear, and then have the soldiers from within the city sally forth to attack. With a pincer attack from both sides, the Yellow Turbans outside the city can be pacified."
"I wonder if you all agree to implement this?"
Upon hearing this, everyone frowned and fell into deep thought.
It was exactly as they had expected: Wen Shu wanted to send the troops from within the city to sally forth and annihilate the Yellow Turbans.
Some people were still worried about the danger; if they lost the battle, their lives would be forfeit.
However, they did not want to be the first to speak out. After all, repeatedly refusing Wen Shu would surely lead to resentment, and possibly even suppression, making it difficult for them to get by in the Commandery in the future.
So everyone's gaze turned to Zheng Qian, hoping he would step forward so they could then add fuel to the fire from behind.
Zheng Qian's brows were tightly furrowed, and he was deep in thought.
Liu Jin was his subordinate, and now he had repeatedly achieved military merits, pacifying several thousand Yellow Turbans, which already gave him the potential for promotion.
If he could also pacify the tens of thousands of Yellow Turbans outside the city and gain such immense credit, he might even become a Prefect, governing a region.
That would be a true two-thousand-dan official, governing a region like a local emperor. Who could resist such a temptation?
As for the danger of a major battle outside the city, compared to the rewards, it was simply not worth mentioning.
He naturally did not want to miss such a good opportunity and ignored the gazes directed at him.
Zheng Qian was the first to stand up, cupped his hands, and said loudly,
"I agree with the Prefect's words. Everyone has seen Liu Jin's capabilities, and moreover, he was cultivated by my own hands. There will definitely be no problem in pacifying the Yellow Turbans outside the city."
The many officials were stunned to hear this, not expecting the timid Zheng Qian to be the first to stand up and agree to this matter.
One must know that he was the first to oppose the idea of a major battle outside the city.
Furthermore, his words made everyone somewhat disdainful.
What do you mean 'cultivated by your own hands'? He is brave and skilled in battle, defeating so many Yellow Turbans with a small force. How can you, a cowering turtle, be compared to him?
However, everyone only dared to disdain him in their hearts and did not dare to stand up and say such words.
Wen Shu, sitting in the primary seat, stroked his beard, a satisfied smile on his face.
It seems Zheng Qian has some foresight, knowing that the current merits are great and wanting to step forward to get a share.
However, he didn't mind. As long as the Yellow Turbans before them could be pacified, he, as the Prefect of Zhuo Commandery, would undeniably receive the greatest credit.
As Zheng Qian stood up to support the plan, Liu Chong also stood up and agreed to it.
The rest of the people saw that the Prefect, the Prefect, and the Prefectural Supervisor all agreed, so the tide had turned. Even if they wanted to object, it would be useless, and they might even be suppressed by everyone.
So they could only stand up and agree to the plan.
After seeing that all the officials in the hall agreed, Wen Shu, with a serious expression, slowly said,
"Since you all agree, then I will send someone to inform Liu Jin to implement the plan as soon as possible. I will instruct the Commandery's troops to sally forth and cooperate to pacify these Yellow Turbans outside the city and resolve the unrest in Zhuo Commandery."
"Everyone in the city must cooperate fully. If anyone dares to cause trouble at this critical moment, do not blame this Prefect for showing no mercy."
Wen Shu's sharp gaze swept across everyone around him. At this moment, he would not back down at all.
Once this battle was over, he would rise swiftly and might even be ennobled as a marquis.
Anyone who dared to stand in his way among these people would be his enemy.
If they were his enemies, he would do everything in his power to kill them.
Seeing that sharp aura, even if everyone had their own little thoughts, they did not dare to show them at this critical juncture. They all bowed their hands, indicating their obedience!
One day later!
In a valley twenty li outside Zhuo Commandery, Liu Jin, riding a black horse, led his soldiers to this location.
Looking at the surrounding dense trees, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack. A few li away, there was a small stream, suitable for setting up camp.
He immediately gave orders from horseback, instructing his subordinate generals to lead the soldiers to settle down here and set up simple military tents.
He also instructed Zhao Ergou to lead his troops to patrol the surroundings, sending out all the scouts from the army to guard the area for several li around.
As for the more than two thousand captives, after executing their leaders, only some ordinary commoners remained. They were also brought along, with the intention of driving these commoners to charge the Yellow Turban Army camp.
Do not blame Liu Jin for being ruthless. A great man does not bother with trifles. As long as the Yellow Turbans outside the city are pacified, Zhuo Commandery can return to stability. Even if thousands of commoners die, it would be worth it.
If the Yellow Turbans are not pacified for a single day, hundreds of thousands of commoners in Zhuo Commandery will become homeless, or even join the Yellow Turban ranks, sweeping across various prefectures and commanderies. The casualties among the common people could be in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions.