With Han Hao’s severed head having arrived, those scions of noble and aristocratic families who had still been hesitating all stiffened.
Whatever lingering hopes they had vanished, and many requested to leave their prison cells.
Outside the prison, within a heavily guarded courtyard, Cheng Yu sat beneath the eaves, quietly sipping tea under the protection of two squads of soldiers.
“They’ve all arrived, more or less.”
Seeing Yu Jin and the noble youths enter the courtyard, Cheng Yu said expressionlessly,
“Bring Han Hao’s corpse here. Turn it into food and distribute it to the prisoners. Aside from Xun Yu, anyone who refuses to eat shall himself be turned into food and distributed for others to consume.”
Gulp.
Hearing Cheng Yu’s words, even the Qihuo Army soldiers could not help but swallow hard.
“What is it?”
Seeing the soldier still standing there in a daze, Cheng Yu asked, “Are you hungry as well?”
“This subordinate is not hungry!”
The young officer hurriedly denied it.
Suppressing the discomfort in his heart, he respectfully replied, “This subordinate will carry out the order at once!”
As someone who had come from the Yellow Turbans, he had naturally heard stories of cannibalism before.
But he had never witnessed it personally.
He had not expected that he would soon see it with his own eyes.
“It’s Han—”
When Yu Jin and the others saw a headless corpse being carried into the courtyard, someone recognized it immediately.
He had just started to cry out in alarm before hastily covering his mouth.
“I still remember back then,” Cheng Yu rose to his feet and looked at the corpse.
“When Xun Yu first came to our army, my lord asked him whether he was willing to surrender.”
“Xun Yu replied: ‘Having eaten the Han’s salary, I must serve as a minister of Han.'”
“My lord laughed and called him foolish.”
“He said that if Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, had possessed even one ten-thousandth of Xun Yu’s loyalty, there would never have been four hundred years of Liu family rule.”
“He also mocked Xun Yu for not knowing where his salary truly came from.”
“At the time, I too was puzzled.”
“It was only after my lord explained that your salaries all come from the people’s sweat and blood that I suddenly understood.”
“For nearly several decades now in the Central Plains, natural disasters have never ceased. Famine and floods have followed one after another, and the common people have long been unable to survive.”
“And yet, even so, officials sent to govern various regions still exploited the people. They invented taxes and levies under every conceivable pretext, reaching into the mouths of the common folk to snatch away their very last morsel of grain.”
“Then those officials lived in luxury and excess.”
“Every day they feasted on delicacies, growing fat and complacent.”
“The remaining grain was sent to the imperial court, and the court then used it to pay officials their salaries.”
“Once officials received their salaries, they in turn served the court.”
“Everyone, this is where those salaries come from.”
“And yet, who has truly seen the suffering of the people? How many have genuinely cared about the livelihood of the common folk?”
“Thus the Great Virtuous Teacher appeared.”
“…For the livelihood of all under Heaven, the Great Virtuous Teacher led the people of the eight provinces of the Central Plains in shaking the four-hundred-year-old throne of the Liu family.”
“The Great Virtuous Teacher was defeated.”
“But my lord applauded him and said that he was worthy of being a pioneer before a king.”
“…Today, my lord has established the Qihuo Army so that, amidst this age of chaos, peace may be found for the people of the world; so that a peaceful era may be created where the common folk will never again suffer the pain of exploitation.”
“Therefore,” Cheng Yu’s voice deepened.
“There is no Han salary within the Qihuo Army. There is only unity of purpose and the courage to press forward.”
“As for those who insist on eating Han salaries, like Xun Yu, the thing before your eyes shall be the food reserved for Xun Yu and the others.”
Having finished speaking, Cheng Yu seemed somewhat thirsty.
He picked up the tea cup from the table and drained it in one gulp.
Slice—
After hearing Cheng Yu’s speech, the Qihuo soldiers who had been processing the ingredients—and who had previously felt somewhat uneasy—found their eyes turning red.
They no longer hesitated.
They treated the “ingredient” in their hands as though they were butchering a fat pig, and their movements became swift and practiced.
Because the people Cheng Yu had spoken of— those exploited, oppressed commoners whose grain had been confiscated to fund officials’ salaries— were none other than themselves.
“Now that you have entered service under the Qihuo Army,” Cheng Yu looked toward Yu Jin and the others, whose faces were pale with anxiety.
“You may bring your families out from the prison. Someone will arrange accommodations for them.”
“I only ask that, after you leave, you watch your words and conduct yourselves carefully.”
“From now on, we shall all serve the army together.”
“In half an hour, report to the Governor’s Office for roll call.”
With that, Cheng Yu departed from the courtyard.
“We shall certainly remember your words, sir!”
A chill ran through everyone’s hearts.
They quickly bowed respectfully and voiced their acknowledgment.
At this point, all distracting thoughts had disappeared.
They wanted only to obey and survive.
………………
Chenliu Commandery, Chenliu City
Inside the grand hall of the Governor’s Office,
Zhang Miao, dressed in a dark blue scholar’s robe, leaned over his desk handling official affairs.
“My lord,” an official entered and respectfully saluted.
“The family members of Governor Cao have all left the city under the protection of Xiahou Yuan.”
“Sigh…”
Zhang Miao set down the bamboo slip knife in his hand and let out a long sigh.
“Even Mengde has been defeated…”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
When Cao Cao took control of Yan Province, Zhang Miao had agreed to it.
His relationship with Cao Cao was not one of lord and subordinate, but rather one of shared governance.
For a period in the past, Cao Cao had even been something of a junior to Zhang Miao.
Now, however, Cao Cao had been defeated and even driven out of Yan Province.
Although Zhang Miao possessed the reputation of one of the “Eight Cooks” and commanded twenty thousand troops, he could not hide the fact that he was inexperienced in military affairs.
“My lord,” the official hesitated before speaking.
“Perhaps you should request reinforcements. Governor Wang of Henei and General of the Left Yuan Shu of Runan are both on friendly terms with you. General Yuan Shu has long coveted Yan Province.”
“Furthermore, Inspector Jin of the imperial court is also in Runan.”
“If you seek aid, Governor Wang and General Yuan Shu will surely lead troops here. At that time, placing Chenliu under General Yuan Shu’s protection may not be a bad option.”
The Yuan clan had produced Four Generations of Three Excellencies, with disciples and former officials spread throughout the empire.
Among them, the elder leader Yuan Wei and the new-generation figurehead Yuan Ji had both been executed by Dong Zhuo in Luoyang.
The Yuan clan now relied upon the two brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, to uphold its prestige.
At present, Yuan Shu dominated Yu Province and Nanyang in Jing Province.
His forces were powerful, and as the legitimate heir of the Yuan clan, he attracted many officials who were willing to align themselves with him.
Zhang Miao was one such person.
The reason he had drawn close to Yuan Shu was because, during the Coalition Against Dong Zhuo, he had deeply offended Yuan Shao.
Yuan Shao had even ordered Cao Cao to execute Zhang Miao.
Cao Cao could not bring himself to do it, and instead explained the circumstances to Zhang Miao.
This was the origin of the feud between Zhang Miao and Yuan Shao, and the primary reason he later gravitated toward Yuan Shu.
“Very well, then—”
Just as Zhang Miao was about to decide on requesting reinforcements—
“Report!”
A military officer hurried into the hall.
His face was filled with panic as he clasped his fists and said,
“My lord, terrible news!”
“Reliable information has arrived from Jiyang.”
“The Yellow Turbans captured Dingtao several days ago. Its governor, Wu Zi, led troops in resistance. After the city fell, his entire clan to the third degree was exterminated.”
“The Yellow Turbans are now advancing toward Chenliu. My lord, please make your decision quickly!”
“What?! Dingtao has fallen?”
Zhang Miao leapt to his feet in shock.
His face turned grim.
“Even Wu Zi is dead? How many troops do the Yellow Turbans have?”
“My lord,” the officer replied nervously, “According to the reports from Jiyang, the Yellow Turbans are advancing together with the civilian population.”
“Their numbers are estimated at no fewer than two hundred thousand.”
“Dingtao’s defenses were no weaker than Chenliu’s.”
“My lord, please make preparations as soon as possible.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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