Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

After watching Liu Bei’s army depart, under Chen Xi’s coordination, the entire Mount Tai went into a frenzy of activity. Tens of thousands of idle workers who had been participating in public works projects during the winter now found new employment. Not only did they receive two meals a day, but they also earned a minimum wage of ten coins per day, along with a two-coin meal allowance.

Chen Xi sometimes wondered if his public works projects were overly generous. Normally, his wages for such projects were five coins a day, with two meals provided, plus free medical care.

In the late Han era, hired labor in the county typically earned about thirty coins a day. However, Chen Xi’s public works only paid five coins. Despite this, Chen Xi was amazed that every time he posted a notice about hiring for public works, he could easily recruit tens of thousands of people in Qingzhou and Mount Tai. This left Chen Xi speechless. After a detailed investigation, he realized that while thirty coins was the standard rate, it required skills and wasn’t available every day. Most of the common folk, during their idle times, resorted to gathering firewood on the mountains to make ends meet.

As for public works, people didn’t care much about the pay. They appreciated not having to use their own grain and still earning five coins a day. This arrangement was already seen as very favorable. After all, when idle at home, doing nothing, the opportunity to earn some extra money, no matter how little, was highly appealing. It was better to work for wages than to sit idle at home. The pay was daily, and there were no delays. There was nothing more appealing than that.

Thanks to this established work mode, a large recruitment drive quickly attracted over 100,000 volunteers. Chen Xi then instructed Wang Xiu to organize and coordinate them. The goal was to ensure the safe delivery of supplies to Liu Bei. Liu Bei had set out with only ten days of rations, aiming directly for Xuzhou. Chen Xi’s task was to replenish the granaries at Feixian after Liu Bei exhausted his ten days of supplies, ensuring the continuation of the campaign.

Zhao Yun, galloping swiftly, soon entered the Langya region of Xuzhou and immediately detected the stench of blood in the air. He saw ruins, bodies that had died with their eyes wide open, and graves that had been dug up. The frost on Zhao Yun’s face grew colder than the harsh winter itself.

”Spread the scouts thirty li out, the rest dismount,” Zhao Yun ordered, his usual gentle tone replaced by cold severity.

Drawing his sword, a silver-blue glow flashed as Zhao Yun struck the ground outside the village, creating a large pit several meters wide. After a few more swings, he had dug out a pit large enough to bury the entire village.

After burying all the bodies, Zhao Yun stood silently in front of the gravestone. He regretted not killing Cao Cao during the battle at Hulao Pass when he had the chance. Instead, he had admired him!

”Mount up!” Zhao Yun shook off his troubled thoughts and led his men onward.”Report! General, we’ve spotted Cao’s forces fifty li ahead!” a scout returned with a report shortly after Zhao Yun’s advance.

”Ready the crossbows, unsheathe your swords, leave no survivors,” Zhao Yun’s calm but chilling voice echoed in the ears of his soldiers. It wasn’t loud, but the cold killing intent in it commanded respect from all.

Fifty li was merely the time it took to burn a stick of incense for the world’s fastest cavalry—the White Horse Cavalry. By the time the wave of white crested over the horizon, hundreds of Cao’s soldiers, who had been celebrating their plunder, had no time to react before they were met with a rain of arrows. Then the cavalry charged through, leaving only mud and blood on the snowy plains of Xuzhou.

Zhao Yun led his White Horse Cavalry in a relentless assault across the snow-covered plains of Xuzhou, slaughtering bandits and marauders. The more he killed, the clearer Zhao Yun saw the truth of Cao Cao’s massacre. Perhaps, at first, it was driven by rage. But once the slaughter began, and with the vast wealth and treasures flowing into his hands, Cao Cao could no longer suppress his greed.

Everyone knew how wealthy Xuzhou was. After slaughtering tens of thousands of Xuzhou citizens and looting countless graves, the enormous wealth piled before Cao Cao was far beyond what he had ever imagined—enough to arm another hundred thousand troops. By then, it was too late to stop. The moment the sword was drawn, it could no longer be sheathed.

”General, we’ve advanced too deep into enemy territory,” the military supervisor, Xue Shao, remarked, concerned. For three days, Zhao Yun hadn’t turned back, cutting down every Cao soldier and bandit in their path. But this also allowed them to keep fighting.

”It doesn’t matter. They’re waiting to encircle us,” Zhao Yun said, a strange glint in his eyes.

Somehow, through his relentless slaughter, Zhao Yun had entered a state of eerie calm. Many things that had previously seemed unclear to him were now painfully obvious. He had long since realized that they were being lured into a trap. After the first group of soldiers they killed, the rest were just rabble—bandits. The real Cao army was likely waiting ahead.

”General, do you mean they’ve set an ambush ahead?” Xue Shao frowned. ”Should we avoid it?”

”No need. We’ll charge through and destroy them,” Zhao Yun responded calmly. ”While I’m unsure which unit of Cao’s army it is, an ambush only works if we’re caught off guard. This path is all open plains, and Cao’s army lacks cavalry. Even if they had some, no unit could match our speed. Their only option is to bog us down with infantry, then encircle us.”

Xue Shao felt a pang of sorrow—White Horse Cavalry was truly at its end.

Cao Chun crouched on the snowy plains, silently waiting for Zhao Yun’s arrival. After slaughtering so many civilians, his anger had subsided. So, he began restraining his troops from further killing and instead focused on plundering the bandits who flew under the banner of Cao’s army. By now, their goal was simply to seize as much loot as possible.

However, when the first group sent to collect the bandits’ loot disappeared, Cao Chun suspected that Liu Xuande had deployed his forces. After all, news had come that Tao Qian’s troops were marching directly toward Cao Cao.

Cao Chun wasn’t worried about his elder brother Cao Cao facing Xuzhou’s troops with a smaller force. Having lived in Xuzhou himself, he knew that while the Danyang troops were powerful, it depended on who commanded them. If Tao Qian were in good health, Cao Chun might have been apprehensive. But with Cao Bao leading them, there was nothing to fear!

”General, Zhao Yun’s forces are about thirty li away. Are you sure we’ll be alright?” Military Supervisor Li Zheng asked, worried.

”Don’t worry. The Battle of Jieqiao already exposed the weakness of White Horse Cavalry to the world. I’m surprised anyone still uses such a vulnerable unit—one that loses all combat effectiveness once its speed is lost,” Cao Chun sneered. He had heard plenty about Zhao Yun’s prowess. He had missed witnessing it at Hulao Pass due to his status, but this was his chance to prove himself by ambushing such a renowned warrior.