Chapter 42

As the battle ended, one of the personal guards couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

A guard nearby heard him, raised an eyebrow slightly, and teased, "Could it be that we've become too formidable?"

After all, they had endured a year of hardship, training as if their lives depended on it, and were provided with the best food and equipment;

It was only right that they lived up to their own efforts and the investment made by their lord, wasn't it?

"Perhaps!"

The man shrugged, then chuckled, "Perhaps, it's a bit of both."

"Oh!!!"

"Victory to Young Master Su Xuan!!!"

When Su Xuan led his army back in triumph, a large number of county soldiers and townspeople lined the streets to welcome them, offering up cheers.

Su Xuan nodded and gestured humbly throughout the procession.

Soon, he reunited with Su Lie, Cai Xin, and the others.

"Congratulations, Su Boyuan! I never expected that, quietly and without a sound, you would train such a powerful army and give me such a huge surprise! Impressive!"

Cai Xin praised him with a look of amazement.

"Not at all! Not at all!"

Su Xuan heard this and waved his hands repeatedly in humble denial, saying, "These are actually just caravan guards I gathered on short notice!"

"Uncle Cai, you know as well as I do that running a business these days isn't easy; there are mountain bandits and roving rebels everywhere;"

"Especially in Bingzhou, where there are also Hu Ren raiding cavalry;"

"If I didn't train the caravan guards to be a bit stronger, how could I run a business with any peace of mind?"

Don't ask; if you ask, they're just caravan guards.

Upon hearing this, even though Cai Xin had been prepared, he was still caught off guard by Su Xuan's shamelessness and thick skin.

He thought to himself, "Personal guards are personal guards. These days, everyone is raising them in secret; who doesn't know about whom? Is there any need to spout such nonsense?"

"Whose caravan guards can not only form military formations but are also fully armed, wearing iron armor, carrying iron spears, with iron sabers at their waists, and carrying heavy bows and powerful crossbows?"

Even the Emperor's Imperial Guard might not be as elite as your "caravan guards," right?

But on the surface, he still smiled and nodded in agreement, "Indeed! What you say makes perfect sense; it is very necessary!"

"It is also fortunate that you, my nephew, brought the caravan guards to support us in time; otherwise, Dengxian would likely have suffered heavy losses."

One must know that there were no fewer than ten thousand Yellow Turban rebels outside the city earlier.

Crucially, many of them were local people from Dengxian who had been coerced into joining.

Quite a few were even the relatives of the townspeople, so killing them outright would have been inappropriate.

Soon, the group arrived at the County Magistrate's residence.

"What are your plans for the next steps?"

Su Lie asked Su Xuan.

Cai Xin and the others also looked over.

Su Xuan shook his head and said, "For now, I will help you and Father defend Dengxian and ensure the safety within its borders!"

"After all, the imperial court has not yet issued an order, so it wouldn't be appropriate for my caravan guard-turned-army to go out and fight, would it?"

He was waiting.

On one hand, he was waiting for the imperial court to issue a decree allowing righteous men to organize local militias to participate in suppressing the rebellion.

Only then could he legitimately raise the banner of his personal army to join the suppression and earn merit.

Additionally, news brought back by his mole within the Yellow Turban rebels indicated that Zhang Zhang Mancheng of the Way of Peace had become a Channel Commander in Nanyang.

At this moment, he had already gathered an army of at least one hundred thousand and was marching toward Wancheng, the capital of Nanyang.

According to the trajectory of history from his previous life, if nothing went wrong, Zhang Zhang Mancheng would soon capture Wancheng and kill the current Nanyang Governor, Chu Gong.

This would draw the attention of the imperial court.

Afterward, the court would send a new governor, Qin Jie, to recover the lost territory and suppress the rebellion.

That would be the time for Su Xuan to make his move.

"That is true!"

Su Lie nodded affirmatively and then looked at the others, "What do you all think?"

In fact, they had already speculated and discussed this issue and had a contingency plan in place.

Saying this now was merely for the benefit of Cai Xin and the other Dengxian officials.

It was to prevent them from spreading rumors later that they had stood by and watched other counties perish.

Although, given the relationship between Cai Xin and the Su family, that was unlikely to happen.

But being cautious was never a mistake.

"Young Master Xuan's words are reasonable!"

The others nodded in agreement.

Five days later,

News arrived from Wancheng that the city had been breached and the Nanyang Governor, Chu Gong, had been killed.

After Wancheng fell, Zhang Zhang Mancheng began sending troops to gradually capture other cities and counties in Nanyang Commandery while continuing to expand his army.

At the same time, he also received news that the Yellow Turban uprising in Dengxian had been swiftly extinguished without even making a ripple.

He was instantly enraged and immediately dispatched an army of twenty thousand to march on Dengxian.

Su Xuan, who had been watching all of this, set an ambush halfway.

In a single battle, he routed the twenty thousand ragtag troops.

The terrifying combat power displayed by his iron cavalry frightened Zhang Zhang Mancheng.

It made Zhang Zhang Mancheng extremely wary, and for a time, he dared not set his sights on Dengxian again.

"Hmph! Just wait for me! Once I take the other cities in Nanyang, I will gather hundreds of thousands of troops to wipe out these imperial dogs in one fell swoop!"

Zhang Zhang Mancheng said to his subordinates in a stern and harsh tone.

"The Channel Commander is wise!"

Upon hearing this, the subordinates began to flatter Zhang Zhang Mancheng.

They felt this decision was very wise.

That group of imperial troops was clearly not simple.

They did not want to end up like the twenty thousand who had been sent previously, easily wiped out by others.

They were rebelling for food and wealth, to enjoy glory and riches, not to be cannon fodder.

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