The following day, Yan Province.
Dongping Kingdom, Wuyan City.
Inside the government hall, Zhang Jing and Xun You sat at separate desks, each occupied with official business.
“Woof! Woof!” At that moment, the sound of barking echoed through the hall.
“My lord.” It was Dian Wei, who had come to report for duty.
He wore an embarrassed expression and held a rope in his hand.
At the other end was a native village dog that looked somewhat skinny, though its eyes remained fiercely aggressive.
“What is this?” Zhang Jing looked at the scene in surprise.
Across from him, Xun You could not help but smile faintly.
“Well…” Dian Wei scratched his head awkwardly.
“My lord, yesterday I mentioned that I had been craving the strategist’s Big Yellow. When I got home after duty, the strategist had already sent him over.”
“…”
The corner of Zhang Jing’s mouth twitched.
“And why have you brought him to the government office? Do you intend to return him to Zhongde?”
“That won’t do!” Dian Wei hurriedly protested.
“I was just thinking that the cooks at my house hadn’t even started a fire yet. Such fine dog meat shouldn’t be enjoyed by me alone.”
“I brought him here because I wanted to borrow your kitchen, my lord.”
“The strategist is such a considerate man. I can’t waste his good intentions.”
“…”
Zhang Jing glanced at Dian Wei and thought to himself that Zhongde really knew how to handle people.
Far too well, in fact.
“I see.” After a brief pause, Zhang Jing waved his hand.
“Then take him to the kitchen.”
“Since Zhongde raised him to this size, he must have spent quite a bit of time on him.”
“Once the meat is cooked, invite Zhongde to share the meal.”
“And send a portion to his residence as well.”
After speaking, Zhang Jing looked once more at Big Yellow.
A trace of discomfort rose in his heart.
This was a genuine Chinese village dog—a faithful companion of mankind and a breed long associated with Chinese households.
Yet he had just ordered it to be slaughtered and shared among them.
Such were the hardships of the times.
At most, he could only console himself by eating a little less of it later.
“This subordinate obeys!” Dian Wei answered happily before excitedly leading Big Yellow away.
Near midday, Zhang Jing, Cheng Yu, Xun You, Dian Wei, and the others sat in the hall enjoying their meal.
“This meat is excellent!”
After swallowing a bite of dog meat, Zhang Jing wore an expression of complete satisfaction.
Looking toward Cheng Yu, he said, “We owe this delicacy entirely to Zhongde’s generosity.”
“The Falcon Guard truly ought to be established as soon as possible.”
“My lord may rest assured.” Cheng Yu replied, “After returning yesterday, I immediately issued the necessary orders and placed Lu Qian in charge. News should return very soon.”
“Good.” Zhang Jing nodded.
“How much grain has entered the four commanderies recently?”
“Not much. Less than ten thousand shi.” Cheng Yu shook his head, his expression serious.
With the arrival of the spring plowing season, acquiring grain through trade was becoming increasingly difficult.
And after the planting season progressed, it would only become harder.
Had his lord not forbidden it, Cheng Yu would have liked to process the bodies of fallen Yuan soldiers into “Warm Fragrant Jade” and exchange it for grain at a lower price.
“It seems we won’t be able to gather enough grain after all.”
Taking a sip of hot porridge, Zhang Jing continued, “This morning I finished several letters and sent them to the various warlords.”
“At this point, all we can do is wait for their responses.”
As for Cheng Yu’s method of borrowing grain, Zhang Jing felt it resembled collecting protection money.
And there was always the possibility of receiving nothing at all if someone proved stubborn enough.
“My lord.” Xun You spoke up.
“I believe letters alone are insufficient.”
“We should dispatch light troops to the borders of Xu, Qing, and Yu Provinces, establish camps, erect numerous banners, and send out scouts everywhere.”
“We should create the illusion that our army is prepared to march at any moment.”
“In this way, we can pressure the other warlords.”
“My lord.” Cheng Yu immediately added, “I had originally intended to send troops to raid the neighboring provinces again in the coming days. Though different in approach, it would achieve much the same effect as Gongda’s proposal.”
“Ahem.” Zhang Jing coughed awkwardly.
“Zhongde, regarding raiding… if possible, let’s refrain from such actions in the future.”
“We are now tasting the bitter consequences of what happened north of the Yellow River in Dong Commandery.”
“So let us proceed according to Gongda’s suggestion instead.”
“We obey.” After bowing in acknowledgment, Cheng Yu and Xun You exchanged faint smiles.
Both men knew perfectly well that the original order to plunder the lands north of the Yellow River in Dong Commandery had come from none other than the lord sitting before them.
…………….
Three days later, Yu Province.
The defeated Yuan Shu was deeply unwilling to accept his loss.
After returning to Runan Commandery with only a few hundred surviving troops, he immediately sought to rebuild his forces and prepare for another campaign against Yan Province.
Unexpectedly, Liu Biao stabbed him in the back.
He moved swiftly and reclaimed Nanyang Commandery—the richest and most important commandery under Heaven.
For Yuan Shu, it was a case of misfortune piling upon misfortune.
A family that had once been wealthier than nations now found its fortunes greatly diminished.
Just as he was considering how to rebuild his army and retake Nanyang, he unexpectedly received a letter from the leader of the Yan Province Yellow Turbans.
At first, he had no intention of reading it.
But considering his current circumstances—and the military strength demonstrated by the Yan Province forces—he ultimately decided to take a look.
Once he started reading, he was immediately hooked.
“To Lord Yuan,
The Han Dynasty now stands on the brink of collapse.
The heroes of the realm contend for supremacy, and the age of rival warlords is already upon us.
This younger brother is a disciple of the Way of Great Peace (Taiping Dao).
I have long heard the prophecy:
‘He who shall replace the Han shall be Dangtu Gao.’
And Dangtu Gao is none other than Lord Yuan Gonglu!”
Upon reading this passage, Yuan Shu’s expression changed instantly.
Even his breathing became noticeably quicker.
“To be honest, I never truly believed this prophecy.
Yet during the recent war in Yan Province, I exhausted every effort and devised a Ten-Sided Ambush, intending to annihilate the invading army completely.
This is no boast.
Anyone caught in that trap should have faced certain death.
Yet when it came to Lord Yuan, the plan ultimately failed at the final moment.
Could it be because Your Lordship is truly destined by Heaven?
When I later saw you again upon the battlefield, I realized my mistake—but by then it was already too late.
Lord Yuan truly is a man favored by Heaven’s Mandate.
Yet once the armies had engaged and the orders to battle had been given, there was little I could do.
The only thing within my power was to restrain my officers and soldiers from pursuing the one destined by Heaven.”
Reading this, a look of sudden understanding crossed Yuan Shu’s face.
So that was why his escape had gone so smoothly.
It turned out that the enemy commander had regarded him as Heaven’s chosen and had never truly wished to oppose him.
Judging from the tone of the letter, there even seemed to be a hint of flattery—and perhaps an intention to submit.
Sure enough, the contents that followed matched Yuan Shu’s suspicions exactly.
“…The Han Dynasty is destined to fall, and the heroes of the realm vie for supremacy.
Lord Yuan bears Heaven’s Mandate and possesses the sacred instruments of state.
This is clear proof that Heaven has chosen you.
When Your Lordship sweeps across the realm,
offers sacrifices to Heaven and Earth,
and ascends to the Nine-Five Supreme Throne,
I shall be the first to answer your call.
I will advance and retreat alongside Your Lordship, thereby atoning for my previous offense.”
By this point, all of Yuan Shu’s anger toward Zhang Jing had vanished beyond the clouds.
His defeat no longer seemed important.
After all, he was still alive.
Given the resources of the Yuan clan, two months would be enough for him to raise another two hundred thousand troops.
Yu Province had always been the Yuan family’s stronghold.
The letter continued:
“However, this younger brother also faces great difficulties.
I was born among the common people and studied under the Way of Great Peace.
My only wish has been to overthrow the corrupt Han Dynasty and carve out a path of survival for the common folk.
Today, the four commanderies of Yan Province contain more than three million people.
The daily consumption of grain is immense.
Without food, people become little different from beasts.
I would be powerless to stop my followers from plundering,
bringing suffering upon the people and misery upon all living beings.
The fault would be mine alone.
But now, I have recognized Heaven’s Mandate.
The one chosen by Heaven is born to rescue the people from suffering
and establish an age of peace and prosperity.”
“……”
— The end of the Chapter–
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