Chapter 56: Cultural Differences

Su Yao asked Lü Bu how they should deal with the Yellow Turban captives.

Lü Bu's answer was naturally a single word.

"Kill!"

The aura of slaughter made the remaining captives shiver with dread. The two captured Yellow Turban leaders knelt on the ground, trembling so violently they didn't even dare to take a full breath.

"The Yellow Turban bandits deserve to be executed by all.

From the very moment they took up arms to rebel against the imperial court, they ceased to be subjects of our Great Han.

If there is no punishment for rebellion, then anyone will dare to rebel.

Therefore, the imperial court has decreed that the Yellow Turban rebels must be severely and ruthlessly punished to serve as a warning to others and cut off future troubles once and for all."

Lü Bu's words reflected the fundamental national policy of the Great Han court toward the remnants of the Yellow Turbans during this era: suppress them fiercely and execute them mercilessly!

Huangfu Song slaughtering one hundred thousand old and young Yellow Turban dependents to build a victory monument of severed heads was the ultimate embodiment of this state policy.

"I never imagined Lü Fengxian was such a bloodthirsty and murderous man!"

"Pfft—"

Lü Bu almost spat another mouthful of old blood. Bloodthirsty and murderous?

It would be one thing for others to say such a thing, but coming from you, Su Yao, isn't that a bit hypocritical?

Do you think I don't know about the little skull-mound you built at the Yangxiang Crossroads?

"Heaven loves all living things, and the earth bears all things with abundance. If these people are not utterly evil and show a genuine desire to reform, how can we bear not to give them a chance?"

Hearing Su Yao utter such a merciful, bodhisattva-like sentiment, not only did Lü Bu curl his lips in silent scorn, but Su Yao's own subordinates wore bizarre expressions.

"Did the commander not drink any alcohol today?"

"He didn't drink yesterday either!"

"What on earth is going on here?"

"Could the commander have been possessed by a demon?"

"Shouldn't it be that he successfully exorcised evil spirits?"

The surrounding personal guards and subordinate officers whispered among themselves in low voices.

This man was utterly incomprehensible.

Just when you felt you had finally figured out his patterns, he would immediately pivot from one extreme to the other just to tell you:

Heh, you guessed wrong!

Jin Fangyan touched his nose, pondered for a moment, and thought to himself: Could it be the difference in how he treats Han Chinese versus Qiang nomads?

Fortunately, Su Yao couldn't read minds; otherwise, he would have reaped yet another "heh" moment.

Yes, Su Yao could pat his chest and declare proudly that he would treat every single NPC with absolute equality.

Whether Han or nomadic, as long as your name tag wasn't red, you were completely safe.

***

The reason Su Yao attached such great importance to the White Wave captives at this moment had nothing to do with ethnicity, but everything to do with strategy.

Indeed, this was a major reason why he prioritized the southern situation: he was already considering absorbing and incorporating the White Wave Army.

The remnants of the Yellow Turbans mostly served as background scenery, but at different stages of the late Han and Three Kingdoms era, they actually played various vital roles.

Although they never became the true protagonists, the shadow of the Yellow Turbans was never absent from the side of any major hero.

Part of this was because they were walking military merits, but the greater emphasis was placed on population—the single most critical factor constraining the development of any faction.

The Yellow Turbans were numerous, possessed a simple organizational structure, and had long roamed as insurgents with considerable combat experience.

While one could not claim they were the finest soldiers, calling them the most cost-effective troops was an absolute truth.

Take Cao Cao, the Martial Emperor of Wei in later generations, whose ascent to greatness began precisely when he successfully incorporated one million Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou.

With this Qingzhou Army to rely upon, Cao Cao, who had previously drifted from place to place, finally established his own foundation and secured an independent footing.

Su Yao was naturally well aware of this. Therefore, after weighing the strategies for the north and the south, he had already marked this faction of the White Wave Army as his private reserve.

They could provide experience points, drop gold and grain, and be converted into military manpower to expand his population pool.

How could he possibly let slip such a high-quality, all-in-one gift package?

The only problem was...

"Younger Brother, allow your elder brother to offer a reminder: we are currently mere garrison commanders.

If these Yellow Turban bandits are simply executed on the battlefield, so be it. But if you harbor other intentions, the local commandery governor is the first obstacle you will never clear."

Indeed, this was the exact dilemma Su Yao was facing.

Before Dong Zhuo threw the capital into chaos and burned Luoyang, the Han imperial court had not yet completely lost control over the localities.

Just next year, even while Emperor Ling lay gravely ill, the court would still be able to strip Dong Zhuo of most of his military command, transferring twenty-five thousand of his thirty thousand troops to Huangfu Song and reassigning Dong Zhuo away from Liangzhou.

If Su Yao, merely a garrison commander, dared to openly and privately absorb the Yellow Turbans in broad daylight, it would be a direct and flagrant challenge to the central authority.

Although Lü Bu did not believe Su Yao intended to raise the banner of rebellion, he certainly didn't think this kid was as righteous and selfless as his words suggested.

After a brief moment of reflection, Lü Bu guessed Su Yao's true motives. Young men—who didn't harbor ambitions of becoming great generals commanding thousands of troops? But the state had its laws, the family had its rules, and the military enforced discipline with absolute rigor. He could not watch this young man walk down a crooked path.

Yes, this was definitely not Lü Fengxian feeling envious of a rising star!

"Is Lord Lü planning to report me?"

Su Yao probed with a tentative smile.

Su Yao's motives were quite pure. Unable to log out of the game, he had re-examined the system's anomalies.

He discovered that he had unexpectedly gained a much higher degree of freedom; for instance, the troop size limit, which could never be breached during the closed beta version, was now far exceeded by his current forces, which were well over the limit of fifty.

Of course, the price was that all supplies and wages for the excess troops had to be borne entirely by him out of his own pocket.

Because of this, he began probing the boundaries of the system further, hoping to unearth new clues and mechanics within this increasingly unfamiliar game.

After all, this game was now a matter of life and death for him, and he had to tread with utmost caution.

Thus, his current handling of the White Wave Army prisoners was part of this experiment.

***

And once again, he reaped some unexpected results.

"Lü can hardly be called a lord. If you insist on acting willfully, I only hope you leave no incriminating evidence behind."

Lü Bu let out a long sigh, turned around, and walked away, his retreating figure carrying a forlorn air.

It was only when Su Yao stood firm on his decision that Lü Bu was jolted into sudden clarity: the kid before him was already completely different from him, Lü Fengxian.

Though both currently held the equivalent rank of garrison commander, Zhang Yang's memorial requesting rewards for Su Yao had already been dispatched for some time. Before long, it might well be him, Lü Fengxian, who would have to address this kid as General or Superior Officer.

Didn't you see how Zhang Yang turned a blind eye to it all? Those who knew how to play official politics were truly different.

Then he looked at himself—what was he even fussing about here? Acting like some kind of authority figure. Bah, forget it, let it be.

Unlike the common usage of later generations where the term for "lord/adult" (Daren) became ubiquitous, in colloquial speech at this time, it was mostly used as a respectful honorific for parents and family elders—a deeply intimate and private form of address.

Yes, unlike Zhang Yang, who had repeatedly corrected Su Yao's form of address, the habitually arrogant Lü Bu felt nothing improper about Su Yao calling him "lord." Could a mighty figure like Lü Fengxian not deserve to be called a lord?

Lü Bu even felt a faint thrill from Su Yao's casual addressing, thinking the kid had a sweet mouth and knew how to behave.

Yet, times had changed, and hearing that title now, he suddenly found it grating on his nerves, feeling momentarily too embarrassed to continue standing there.

"Rest assured, Lord Lü."

Su Yao cupped his fists in salute and said,

"Regarding the disposal of these people, I will certainly not cause any trouble for our army."

Lü Bu waved his hand with his back turned to the crowd, his expression softening with a trace of gratification.

He thought to himself that this kid wasn't actually half bad. Aside from his eccentric behavior and methods, his capability and attitude were beyond reproach.

Not only was he smooth-tongued, but he treated his colleagues and subordinates well, was generous with his wealth, and didn't let achievements inflate his ego.

And now he even knew enough to show filial respect by sharing military merits...

Su Yao blinked as he watched Lü Bu depart.

However, if Lü Bu had known that Su Yao called him "lord" purely due to the influence of historical television dramas of later generations—finding the title of garrison commander awkward to say and completely oblivious to how the era altered the meaning of the word—

And if he had known that his role as a "contributor of military merit" was merely hoped to serve as bait to lure in and test other potential players—

One could only wonder what Lü Bu's true thoughts would be.

Alas, the misunderstandings born from this cultural gap would likely be impossible for the two of them to unravel.

Without further ado, once Lü Bu left, the two kneeling leaders of the White Wave Army instantly sensed a glimmer of survival and eagerly resumed their bickering.

Su Yao couldn't be bothered to judge their dispute. What he wanted was the Yellow Turban's manpower reserve; as for these generic cannon-fodder leaders...

A sharp gleam flashed across Su Yao's eyes. Ignoring them entirely, he asked directly:

"Do you people recognize a man named Xu Huang?"