It is said that the previous night, after the big fellow summoned the villagers and they worked through the night to extinguish the fire in the pigpen, the time was already approaching the break of dawn.
Mi Fang, Tao Shang and the rest of the pig thieves had long since slipped away without a trace, leaving the big fellow so furious that his steel teeth were nearly ground to pieces.
He hated that he could not immediately swallow those thief leaders alive one by one.
The villagers, upon hearing the big fellow’s description, all felt doubts rise in their hearts.
With the big fellow’s valor, his name was known far and wide for a hundred li around.
Who was so tired of living that they dared to provoke him?
…It looked like the work of outsiders!
The big fellow himself was also puzzled.
He promptly gathered all the strong young men of the clan in the village and inquired whether any strangers had appeared nearby recently.
The crowd spoke one after another, and as they pieced things together, they naturally locked onto the Xuzhou army as the target, for within a hundred li, aside from the passing Xuzhou army camped nearby, there were no other outsiders.
The matter was now basically set in stone.
Once the true culprit was found, the big fellow and the clan residents under his lead were all filled with righteous indignation.
The people in this manor belonged to the same clan, and most families shared the surname Xu.
In the early years, their homeland suffered the Yellow Turban disaster, so they followed their young clan leader and migrated here.
Ever since settling in this place, relying on the clan leader’s heroic might and bravery, they had established a foothold.
No one within a hundred li dared to provoke them, and the clan leader of Xu Manor had become a genuine local tyrant here.
But now, a bunch of outsiders had appeared.
Without a word, they ran into the manor to steal pigs, and they specifically stole the clan leader’s livestock… Wasn’t this looking down on people?
The big fellow had not suffered such humiliation in many years.
How could he let it go?
Thus, under the crowd’s instigation, the big fellow immediately mustered all the able-bodied young men of the clan in the manor, took up weapons, gathered them together, and came to the Xuzhou army’s camp gate, vowing to demand justice.
When the big fellow arrived, he was still thinking that the pig thieves from the previous night were probably ordinary soldiers under lax discipline in the Xuzhou army, at most a squad leader or centurion-level low-ranking officer!
So upon reaching the camp, he loudly called for the leading general of the military camp to come out and speak!
He insisted that the general thoroughly investigate the matter and arrest the soldiers who had stolen on their own for severe punishment!
It had quite a flavor of later generations’ petitioning.
Unexpectedly, upon seeing the leader, the big fellow was directly stunned.
There was no need to investigate anymore… because the leader was the one who stole the pigs!
In these chaotic times, the conduct of these military men was truly too low!
He had long heard that Tao Qian of Xuzhou was quite the gentleman, yet how had he raised such thieving, chicken-stealing, dog-catching generals under his command!
If it were anyone else, upon seeing that the leader of the Xuzhou army was the thief himself, they might have simply gone back.
However, the clan leader of Xu Manor was still young, and his usual temper was rather explosive and recklessly brave.
He was also a straightforward person, once he got stubborn, nine oxen could not pull him back!
The big fellow, seeing Mi Fang, immediately flew into a rage.
He raised the battle blade in his hand high, pointed it from afar at Mi Fang, and roared angrily: “Fuck your mother!
To think it was actually you!!
Pig-stealing thief, today this house will see where you can run!” Mi Fang, hearing the big fellow’s shout, was just about to perk up and retort a couple of sentences when he suddenly saw the big fellow abruptly swing the battle blade in his hand toward his own chest, puff out his chest, raise his head, and let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar to the sky.
“I am Xu Chu of Qiao Commandery!!
Dare you come out and fight a deathmatch with this house!!” This shout rang out like thunder exploding, shaking the four wilds.
Everyone’s expression changed.
Mi Fang, who was about to speak, turned deathly pale upon hearing this roar.
The words he was going to say were swallowed back down.
Shortly after, the commander-in-chief of the Xuzhou army did something that shocked everyone’s jaws off… Mi Fang turned his horse around, his face pale white, and rode back into the camp, muttering: “Urgent need to piss.” The two sides’ forces, several thousand officers and soldiers, all stared dumbfounded… Mi Fang had actually been scared off by a single shout from the man called Xu Chu.
Xu Chu stared blankly at Mi Fang, who had turned his horse and fled, scared away by him.
The battle blade in his hand, still pointing from afar at the opponent’s figure, hung motionless in the air.
His entire posture seemed frozen.
Besides Mi Fang, Tao Shang was also shocked beyond belief.
On one hand, he had not expected Mi Fang to be so shameless, not even farting a single word before being scared into running straight back to camp.
On the other hand, he had never expected that the big fellow who treated pigs like treasures was actually the renowned fierce warrior Xu Chu of the late Han.
No wonder he possessed such terrifying valor.
Tao Shang, in his previous life a book editor, naturally had historical masterpieces imprinted in his mind.
That Xu Chu was one of the few top fierce generals under Cao Wei, of peerless bravery.
He was Emperor Wu of Wei, Cao Cao’s inseparable personal bodyguard and valiant general, fully responsible for Cao Cao’s personal safety, and never once failed.
Historical records state that this Xu Chu was of village folk origin and had the ability to gather villagers to jointly resist external bandits… in today’s terms, it would be called “gathering a crowd to cause trouble.” But no matter how formidable Xu Chu was in the histories, he was not as formidable as Mi Fang in Tao Shang’s eyes… the person who was scared into using the “urgent piss” escape by a single shout- how great must his ability be.
The east wind came, blowing quite a few fallen leaves that swirled in circles in the space between the two camps, and in the field it was so quiet that falling leaves could be heard.
After a long while, Tao Shang gently coughed, smiled friendly toward Xu Chu opposite him, then pointed in the direction Mi Fang’s horse had disappeared and said apologetically: “Xu warrior, our General Mi ate something bad this morning and urgently needs to relieve himself.
I will go back and call him right away.
I hope the warrior will calm down and not be impatient.” Xu Chu opened his mouth, nodded awkwardly, and said: “Much obliged.” Tao Shang turned his horse around and also headed toward the rear formation.
In his view, as the grand supervisor of the army, he was actually going to help Xu Chu call someone back.
Such a magnanimous and polite gentleman, there really was no second one to be found.
Unfortunately, Tao Shang was thinking a bit too simply.
Being a gentleman was not that easy.
Watching Tao Shang also turn his horse’s head, Xu Chu suddenly came back to his senses.
Glaring angrily at Tao Shang, he bellowed: “Fuck your mother!
You are not a good thing either!
Stand right there!
Today this house will first settle accounts with you, then go find the one who ran off just now!” Tao Shang felt an indescribable sense of grievance… Mi Fang was the army’s commander-in-chief.
This kind of matter should originally have been for him to step forward.
How had it suddenly fallen onto his own head?
“Xu warrior… what instructions do you have?” Xu Chu’s face sank.
Gnashing his teeth, he said: “Instructions my ass!
You bunch of bandit scoundrels flying the Han army banner, on the surface you look like proper people, but every one of you does inhuman things.
Speak!
How do you intend to give this house an explanation for last night’s matter?” “Last night?” Tao Shang feigned ignorance: “This one and the warrior should be meeting for the first time, right?” Xu Chu raised his finger and pointed from afar right at Tao Shang’s nose, saying: “Don’t give this house that act!
This house would recognize you bandit scoundrels even if you turned to ash!
The ones who held knives last night and used the pigs to threaten this house, weren’t they exactly you lot!
What grudge or enmity did my livestock have with you that you actually set fires to cause disaster!
This house today must demand an explanation for the livestock no matter what!” Upon hearing this, Tao Shang’s handsome face sank slightly.
His slender sword-like brows rose faintly.
He looked coldly at Xu Chu, who was angrily berating him from across the way.
Being pointed at the tip of the nose and cursed was not a comfortable thing… Although this matter was indeed their side’s fault, in this world, how many things actually required giving an explanation?
It all came down to strength!
Every world was an era of great contention.
The era Tao Shang came from contended through economics, while this chaotic era contended through military force.
In the current situation, to reason with the other side, one first had to show some strength.
Sometimes, showing force before courtesy was the only way to be effective.
Taking a deep breath, Tao Shang imperceptibly suppressed the tiny spark of anger in his heart and said: “The warrior claims that we went to your manor last night to steal pigs.
May I ask if there is any evidence?” “Evidence?” Xu Chu’s cheeks twitched a few times involuntarily.
He said: “This house saw it with my own eyes.
What more evidence is needed!” Tao Shang shook his head upon hearing this and said: “It is merely the warrior alone, with no corroborating objects and no other witnesses.
I fear it is insufficient to be believed.” Xu Chu angrily roared: “I am insufficient to be believed?
You bandit scoundrels stole pigs and set fires in the middle of the night.
Don’t tell me my livestock have to come out and testify!” Tao Shang smiled upon hearing this and said: “Since the warrior cannot produce witnesses, then forgive this one for having no leisure to keep standing here idly with you.” Xu Chu, upon hearing Tao Shang’s words, sparks of raging fire burst from his ox-like bell eyes.
He said: “So you mean to deny it, you brat?
Fine!
Since you thieving scoundrel don’t want to settle this peacefully, let this house capture you alive.
Then we’ll see if you admit it or not!” With that, he swung the horse-chopping blade forward in his hand.
The several hundred manor men behind him immediately howled as they brandished axes, knives, spears, hoes, rakes, and other iron tools in their hands.
At Xu Chu’s shout, they charged with big strides toward the Xuzhou army’s camp.
“Thud thud thud thud—” The archers and crossbowmen arrayed on both sides of the camp suddenly opened fire.
At the moment the signal soldier waved the command flag, several hundred sharp arrows nocked on bowstrings and waiting to be loosed shot out almost simultaneously.
Fortunately, before leaving camp, Tao Shang had given instructions beforehand.
Those several hundred sharp arrows were not aimed at the manor men but were all shot into the earthen road of the path they were charging toward the camp gate.
Every arrow sank one-fifth of its shaft into the ground, forming a horizontal row like a low fence, warning the other side not to cross the line again.
“Fuck your mother!
It’s actually the great yellow crossbows!” Xu Chu took a cold look at the crossbow bolts on the ground and his heart instantly turned cold by half.
The so-called great yellow crossbow was, during the Han dynasty, the most powerful type of crossbow.
It was often used in conjunction with chariot warfare tactics.
Great yellow crossbows came in large and small varieties.
The large ones required a war chariot as a base for support and aiming, resembling a mobile small catapult.
The small ones could be held with both hands and were five or six inches shorter than a normal longbow.
Their draw strength ranged from one stone to ten stones.
The strongest ten-stone crossbows were also called yellow-shoulder crossbows.
Those capable of using them were necessarily people whose physical quality and strength reached the absolute peak among people of that time.
Among those skilled with great yellow crossbows, the Han dynasty’s Flying General Li Guang was the most famous.
As for the Xuzhou army’s elite crossbowmen, although they could not draw the hardest yellow crossbows, they could still handle those around two stones.
Throughout the great Han dynasty, although yellow crossbows were not rare, only the central army of the Han court and the regular provincial armies were qualified to equip them.
Although Xu Chu was valiant, the clan troops he led were militia.
Their equipment had neither official military funding support nor the resource reserves that local warlords could maintain.
In terms of armor and weapons, they were completely incomparable to regular troops.
Great yellow crossbows at around two hundred paces were enough to pose a lethal threat to these militia forces.
This was a gap that Xu Chu’s personal valor could not bridge no matter what.