Chapter Sixty-Eight: Returning in Triumph

Bo Cai’s forces retreated, and immediately the soldiers atop the city walls erupted in cheers.

Amid the jubilant cries of the troops, Lu Zhi strode swiftly down from the ramparts and clasped Xu Kang’s hand.

“Yi De, you are truly a pillar of the nation. Come, let us return and talk at length. Yi Zhen, you join us as well!”

“Absolutely!” Huanfu Song laughed heartily at his words, “I’ll fetch my finest wine, so Zigan and Yi De can drink with me!” With that, he turned and hurried off, eager to retrieve his treasured liquor.

Witnessing this, Xu Kang couldn’t help but smile. After instructing Zhao Hong and the others to handle army affairs in his stead, he prepared to return to the county office with Lu Zhi.

Yet before he could take a few steps, a commotion sounded behind him. Turning, he saw the massive head of Pig Strong emerge from the crowd, snorting twice in his direction.

Xu Kang burst out laughing at the sight. “Ha! I nearly forgot you, you rascal. Come here!”

Pig Strong charged over at once.

It was Lu Zhi’s first time seeing such a colossal wild boar. Watching the beast barrel toward him, he instinctively stepped back. “Yi De, what is this…?”

“My pet, of course!” Xu Kang replied with utter naturalness. Noticing Lu Zhi’s bewildered look, he quickly added, “Uh… by pet, I mean like cats or dogs that ordinary people keep at home.”

“I see!” Enlightened by the explanation, Lu Zhi nodded, his gaze growing even more admiring. “No wonder you are a disciple of the immortals, Yi De. To tame a beast like this as one would a household cat or dog—truly eye-opening!”

“Haha, you flatter me, uncle. He’s just a glutton, nothing more.” Xu Kang laughed as he patted Pig Strong’s enormous head, then took a magical loaf of bread from his satchel and fed it to the boar before turning back to Lu Zhi.

“Uncle, I’m uneasy leaving this creature outside; I fear it might cause trouble. May I keep it in the rear courtyard of the county office? It’s quite intelligent, and as long as I’m near, it won’t harm anyone.”

Lu Zhi was hesitant, but seeing Xu Kang’s earnestness, he finally nodded. “Very well, but Yi De, you must restrain it carefully. Do not let it injure anyone innocent.”

“No problem, uncle. You can rest assured!” With the matter decided, Xu Kang led Pig Strong and accompanied Lu Zhi back to the county office, drawing the gaze of every soldier and townsfolk they passed.

At this time, many took note of the black-striped wild boar banner among Xu Kang’s cavalry. Curious soldiers of Changshe City quickly approached, offering warm greetings and helping to hold the horses. The cavalrymen, overwhelmed by this hospitality, answered every question eagerly.

The artillery corps received no less attention. Especially when the city’s defenders learned that the thunderous blasts outside the walls had been their doing, they greeted them with such enthusiasm it was as if they’d found long-lost brothers—perhaps even more warmly than they treated the cavalry.

Seeing both sides mingling so cordially, Zhao Hong and his fellows relaxed as well. Once the troops were settled, they linked arms with Huanfu Song’s officers and went off to drink together.

For them, today was a day worthy of celebration.

Meanwhile, back at the county office, Lu Zhi ordered a banquet to be prepared and celebrated the victory with Xu Kang, Huanfu Song, and Zhu Yi. Zhu Yi, having been defeated once by Bo Cai and now seeing Xu Kang blunt Bo Cai’s momentum, felt vindicated and grew far more amiable toward Xu Kang.

However, he was still uneasy about the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers under Xu Kang’s command. After several rounds of wine, he finally voiced his concerns.

“Why, Magistrate Xu, did you let those tens of thousands of Yellow Turban surrenders into the city earlier? If you’d ordered them to attack Bo Cai’s army, perhaps we could have won a great victory!”

Zhu Yi was not alone in this thought; Lu Zhi and Huanfu Song seemed to share it, turning their eyes to Xu Kang.

Seeing all three gazing expectantly at him, Xu Kang could only shake his head with a wry smile and sigh softly.

“General Zhu, you are mistaken. Those surrendered Yellow Turbans are mostly the old, weak, women, and children. Though they are numerous, they are unfit for battle. Sending them would be sending them to their deaths for nothing. Better to spare their lives; they may yet serve the Han in other ways.”

“Serve the Han? Hmph!” Zhu Yi snorted as soon as Xu Kang finished, slamming his wine cup onto the table with a sour look.

“They make trouble as bandits when it profits them, and surrender once the tide turns—how can such people ever serve the nation? Magistrate Xu, you are far too soft-hearted!”

Xu Kang only chuckled at this, not bothering to argue. Instead, he posed a seemingly unrelated question.

“General Zhu, do you know the population of the Han during the reign of the Martial Emperor, and what it is now?”

By “Martial Emperor,” Xu Kang did not mean the Han Wudi of the Western Han, but rather Liu Xiu, the Guangwu Emperor of the Eastern Han.

Zhu Yi was well aware of this, so he paused before frowning. “I do not know. But what has that to do with the Yellow Turbans?”

Xu Kang again did not answer directly, but took a sip of wine and spoke with measured calm.

“During the reign of the Martial Emperor, our Han saw a flourishing of all things, with a population of sixty million. Yet now, our people number fewer than forty million and are still dwindling. Why is this, General Zhu? Can you enlighten me?”

“Uh… this…” Clearly, Xu Kang’s question was not easily answered. No matter if one blamed natural disasters or man-made ones, it was impossible to avoid the issue of an inept emperor and a corrupt court.

Being a straightforward man, Zhu Yi disdained lying, but speaking the truth would only give others ammunition. So, he sidestepped the issue and said, “No need to provoke me. Whatever you wish to say, speak plainly. I am all ears.”

“Thank you for your understanding, General Zhu!” Seeing Zhu Yi yield, Xu Kang saluted him courteously before continuing in a slow, deliberate tone.

“The reasons for the population decline, and for the Yellow Turban uprising—we all know them well, so I won’t belabor them here. Instead, let me explain why I accepted the surrendered Yellow Turbans.”

He raised a single finger as he spoke.

“There is but one reason: the Han needs people.”