Chapter 33: The First Battle Against the Yellow Turbans (Part 1)

  Originally, the grain and fodder should be transported by the rear army, and a certain distance should be maintained with the central army. However, there is no suitable commander at present. Therefore, it can only be done by combining the second and third thousand-man teams together, putting the grain and fodder in front, to avoid being suddenly attacked by bandits from behind.

  After really leading the troops to set out, Wang Xu's heart was very apprehensive. In order to satisfy himself, his father had put a lot of thought into this army. These fine war horses, tube-sleeved armor and weapons were all very expensive. Especially the war horses, if his father wasn't also in the horse breeding business, getting so many good horses would be extremely costly!

  But watching three thousand elite iron cavalry advancing in a mighty and majestic manner, this feeling is indeed not bad.

  Wang Xu and Xue Shu rode together for a while, but soon Xue Shu felt extremely bored. After the initial freshness wore off, she couldn't help but complain: "Eh! This march is too dull! Just walking non-stop like this, I finally understand why they say marching is hard work - it's just so suffocating!"

  "Haha! Boring? As far as I know, marching is not only boring but also tiring. You'll know once you've hurried for a few more days."

  "I know! It's just that I'm really bored, so I just wanted to talk. " As she spoke, Xu Shu couldn't help but let out a sigh again.

  Wang Xu smiled and looked at the depressed Xushu, and couldn't help but comfort her: "Actually, on a military expedition, apart from talking, the best way to relieve depression is to appreciate the scenery around you. Next is thinking about problems. Think about all the things you've done, are doing, or will do in the future, and time will pass quickly. For example, you can think about what situations we might face next!"

  "Oh!" Although she responded with a sound, Xu Shu was still visibly lacking in spirit.

  After a five-day march, the family army led by Wang Xu had already passed through the county seat of Changyi in Shanyang County and only needed to continue walking tens of miles northwest to leave the jurisdiction of Shanyang County and enter Jiyin County.

  Wang Xu followed his father's commercial route, and the scouts sent along the way were as many as 300 people, constantly inquiring everywhere. Of course, it was also to prevent the Yellow Turban thieves, and he was especially cautious on his first expedition.

  Along the way, I also encountered two groups of small yellow scarf bandits with only a few dozen people, but it's likely that they were refugees pretending to be so. Anyway, the symbol of the Yellow Scarves is just a yellow cloth strip tied on their heads. Apart from the main force, most people also held all sorts of low-quality weapons in their hands, including even hoes and kitchen knives.

  However, this small force would naturally flee immediately after discovering the elite cavalry led by Wang Xu. After all, three thousand well-equipped iron cavalry had a very strong deterrent power, and to be honest, they were not much different from the imperial court's elite troops.

  But Wang Xu's current priority was finding Wang Yan, so he ignored them.

  The only stop was when passing through the Shanyang County Government, Changyi City border. After all, bringing out such a powerful army, it is necessary to greet Governor Yuan Yi and report the specific situation and intention.

  Yuan Yi was a refined and wise man, with a strong literary flavor, which made Wang Xu feel very good. And he also showed extreme surprise to Wang Xu who led the army at the age of less than 14, and initially even wondered why the Wang family would let a young boy do such things.

  However, after a conversation, Wang Xu's erudition and eloquence made him praise without stopping, repeatedly exclaiming that his reputation was not in vain. Moreover, he also expressed his intention to recommend such a talent to the imperial court, while also expressing concern for Wang Xu's father's safety.

  But as the governor, he was also being driven crazy by the Yellow Turbans within the county. Currently, the county government's military strength was severely insufficient, so they only provided Wang Xu with a lot of the latest intelligence to show their goodwill...

  Holding the commercial route map given by Wang Hao and Wang Qian before their departure, Wang Xu studied it carefully and said with some worry: "The situation is not good! According to the latest intelligence from Governor Yuan yesterday, the Yellow Turbans are developing extremely rapidly, and many roads have been blocked. Based on Father's travel schedule, he should have set foot on his return journey when the Yellow Turbans broke out. By now, he should have entered the territory of Shanyang County. But we've come all the way to welcome him, and there's not even a hint of news."

  Xu Shu, who was riding alongside him, also looked worried and sighed. "Yes, I'm worried too! I don't know if they took a detour or not?"

  "Father wouldn't be so foolish! They've been walking on this road for many years and are very familiar with it. Moreover, there are many prosperous towns along this road, and the imperial court's power is also relatively strong, so no matter what, Father would not give up the near to seek the far."

  Wang Xu said so, and Xue Shu also became anxious. "What can we do then?"

  "Never mind, it's not clear now. There might be many obstacles on the way, so the journey was delayed! As long as Father can safely cross the Yellow River, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. If not, then the situation would really be very bad."

  Just as they were talking about this, a horseman suddenly came galloping from afar. Wang Xu and Xue Shu immediately stopped their conversation and looked over together.

  As he approached the two men, the scout abruptly pulled on the reins of his horse, stopping its momentum. Without hesitation, he cupped his hands in a salute and reported: "Reporting to Young Master, our vanguard troops have discovered three groups of Yellow Turbans more than ten miles northwest of here. Two groups are heading towards us along the main road; the first group has around one or two hundred men, while the second group has over a thousand men. The other group is on a small path to the north and also has over a thousand men. However, the equipment of these two groups of Yellow Turbans is very poor and not uniform, likely being either bandits who have plundered counties or hastily assembled troops. Moreover, they are mostly iron-clad cavalry. Nevertheless, the two groups of Yellow Turban armies on the main road seem somewhat suspicious!"

  "What's wrong?" Wang Xu hastily asked.

  "They don't seem to be marching in formation, but rather the people in the back are chasing after the troops in the front. As for the Yellow Turbans on the small path, based on their current route and speed, they will soon merge with the Yellow Turban army on the main road!"

  Xu Shu heard this and couldn't help but feel extremely surprised. "What's going on? Has the Yellow Turban Army turned against itself?"

  Wang Xu thought for a moment and shook his head: "It's possible, but I don't think so. There might be other hidden reasons."

  Having said that, he turned his head and asked: "Have you informed Second Master?"

  "The second young master has already informed me and ordered me to come and ask you: are you going to fight or not?"

  These bandits are coming from the only road ahead, since we'll meet them eventually, let's just have a battle! Firstly, it can be used to train our troops, secondly, if we take a detour, it will delay us for a long time.

  After careful consideration, Wang Xu immediately ordered: "Go! Tell the second young master to divide his troops in half and find a high place to hide, but don't reduce the number of flags for the garrison troops! His target is the troops on the small road. Since time is running out, let him decide the specific situation himself."