Chapter Eighteen: Situation Rising

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  ……

  One war decided the fate, the defending troops in Chang County were too weak, while the soldiers trained by the Qinglin Town military system were unimaginably strong. The 3,000-strong garrison attacked the city and easily captured it after a brief battle. The defenders and young men who had long been intimidated naturally abandoned their resistance and became prisoners of war!

  "Master Xianshi, the city has been taken down. Lord Guan Hai is now leading troops to control the entire city. I was sent by the last general to report!"

  Wu Qing knelt down on one knee and clasped his fists in respect.

  "Good!"

  Zhang Xu was overjoyed when he heard the news, although the matter had been expected for a long time. However, taking down the city so quickly was also beyond his expectation. He hastily asked, "What are our casualties?"

  "Reporting to the great Xian Sheng, our army has not had a single death, only more than 20 soldiers received minor injuries. In addition, this battle killed over 150 enemies and captured nearly 2,000 people. It won't be long before we can control the entire city!"

  Wu Qing hastily and respectfully said that this battle had truly made him realize the strength of such a military system, where every individual was brave and fearless, killing enemies without any fear, and being able to take down cities so quickly. On one hand, it was because the defending army was extremely weak, and the commanding general's level was too low.

  But what's even more important is that the enemy army is too powerful, with 3,000 troops who have undergone professional training and possess strong beliefs, making them truly formidable to the extreme. This is the real reason for this war being decided in one battle.

  "Alright, brave warriors, your hard work will be rewarded! For now, let us record your merits and we shall reward you together later!"

  Zhang Xu smiled slightly and said, "The results of this battle are indeed a great victory. He also saw it for himself, and he was extremely satisfied with the army under his command. More importantly, there were no deaths among the soldiers, which is a very good thing. It has great significance for building the confidence of the troops and for their future battles."

  General Gan led his troops into the city, taking control of it in less than half a day. He cleared out all resistance and stationed a battalion of soldiers on the eastern parade ground to guard the captives. The large households that had intended to resist were also taken over, their mansions confiscated. He would not tolerate any potential threats to his own master's safety.

  Moreover, Zhang Xu also said that beating local tyrants and dividing land is their fundamental foothold. For those local tyrants who have a good reputation among the people, they are willing to surrender to them and can be won over. As for those evil local tyrants and wealthy households, they must be suppressed with thunderous force!

  After all, Zhang Xu's power is not tolerated by the wealthy and powerful families of the world. Rather than deliberately pulling them in to leave future troubles, it would be better to suppress them with a thunderous momentum, which can also lay the foundation.

  Although this is even more unbearable for these wealthy families, as long as it has a great benefit in forming Zhang Xu's own power.

  Therefore, attacking the city did not take much time, but cleaning up the unstable factors in the city consumed more than half a day's time. The soldiers also bathed in blood, which was also to achieve the purpose of training troops!

  After everything in the city had stabilized, before nightfall, the entire army entered the city. The county magistrate's office was thoroughly cleaned out, and Zhang Xu entered here.

  At this time, Guan Hai and Wu Qing stood respectfully on either side, while Zhang Xu sat in the middle of the hall on a cushion, his eyes closed as he examined his current cloud energy situation.

  "As expected, after taking down Chang County, the cloud energy has changed again. The entire cloud energy pattern has shifted towards red, and my innate cloud energy has already become a red pattern. Haha, this proves that this county is indeed thoroughly mine!"

  Previously, Zhang Xu's head was covered with a faint red cloud, which meant that he had barely touched the threshold of entering a county. Now, the cloud is surging and has changed from light red to red, indicating that the cloud pattern has broken through, and in the future, his power will truly transition from Qinglin Town to a county-level territory!

  "Wu Qing, Guan Hai, listen to orders!"

  "The end is near!"

  Upon hearing Zhang Xu speak, Er Jiang immediately knelt down on one knee and said.

  "Now that I have truly taken over Chang County, this place will be just like Qinglin Town under my control. Wu Qing is leading the two battalions of troops to immediately sweep through the entire Chang County area, ensuring that all the wealthy and influential families are brought into the county seat. I will convene a public trial meeting, spreading the light of justice everywhere!"

  Zhang Xu said calmly, but his words hid a murderous intent, and it was clear that he wanted to completely eliminate the powerful forces in Chang County.

  At the end of the Han Dynasty, the world was so cruel that the root cause of the Yellow Turban Rebellion was that these wealthy households were rich but not benevolent, and land annexation was extremely severe. This is the soil for the survival of the Yellow Turban Army. Now he has come to this point, on the one hand to protect himself, and on the other hand also to truly bring peace and prosperity to his subjects. These wealthy households who are cunning and greedy are the first objects he will eliminate. After that, it is his turn to use his power to show divine signs. Although Chang County has experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there are still tens of thousands of people in the county seat. Although this is because most of the population has entered the county seat, the entire Chang County still has a total of 20,000 people. This is a huge force!

  Population represents power, and also represents the number of followers he has. Zhang Xu's goal is simple: to blend in with the Han Dynasty's Three Kingdoms era, using the power of the masses to consolidate his influence, and with the power of incense and faith, to pursue the path of immortality and enlightenment. This road is full of thorns, and must be advanced in the most difficult way, but this is his path, which has been decided since he arrived in this era!

  "I will obey your orders!"

  Second General clasped his hands together and said, "Although this represents another new massacre unfolding, the current state of affairs is an era of massacre. Being able to help Zhang Xu control Chang County is currently Second General's greatest wish."

  So they are destined to be stained with blood, but it is righteous and unregrettable!

  "Also, send word to Gan Hai, instructing him to bring half of the officials and children from Tongziying Village, and have them move forward along with four other villages!"

  Zhang Xu continued to say again.

  "Yes!"

  Guan Hai slightly stunned, still clasped his fists and said.

  "Alas, talents are still scarce. Helplessly, all these young children had to be put to use. They took down Chang County, but in order to obtain talents, one still needs to cultivate them personally, or else encounter someone like Wu Qing!"

  He let out a faint sigh in his heart and began to think about what was going to happen next.

  Qinglin Town now has a large amount of wealth stored, and with the development of more than two years, almost three years, it has reached its limit. However, Chang County, although sparsely populated due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, can be developed and utilized to expand its power tenfold or twentyfold. After all, there are still many refugees now, and even with his current power, he can slowly recruit some Yellow Turbans after stabilizing the people's faith, gathering them as his followers, his subjects.

  In short, although extremely difficult, after taking down Chang County, the entire situation is greatly different...