“Fengxiao, you’ve been drinking again?”
Seeing that the owner of the voice had already turned and walked back inside, the young man shook his head with a faint smile and, as if it were second nature, closed the courtyard gate behind him.
The owner of the small courtyard was Guo Jia.
Courtesy name Fengxiao.
He came from a branch of the Guo clan, a prominent gentry family.
He was the young man’s close friend.
Ever since returning from Ji Province two years ago, this friend’s fondness for alcohol had become increasingly difficult to control.
He often dragged the young man along to drink with him.
The young man also knew the pain hidden in his friend’s heart, so he quietly kept him company.
“When a happy occasion comes along, of course one should drink to celebrate it!”
Guo Jia wore a blue robe.
He was slightly younger than the young man.
His handsome face had become somewhat pale from frequent drinking, but his eyes remained exceptionally lively.
Hearing the question, he smiled and gestured toward a nearby seat.
“Zhicai, come have a drink too.”
The young man was named Xi Zhong, courtesy name Zhicai.
Born into a poor family, he had needed financial assistance from friends even for daily living expenses while studying at Yingchuan Academy.
Among those who had helped him was none other than Guo Jia.
“A happy occasion?” Xi Zhicai sat down beside the table without the slightest hesitation.
After taking a sip of wine, he looked at Guo Jia and asked, “Has Wenruo mentioned the reason in his letter?”
“That man once said, ‘If a talented person cannot be used by me, then he must die by my hand.’ Aren’t you afraid?”
Strictly speaking, his friend came from a noble clan and should have viewed Zhang Jing with hostility.
Yet Xi Zhicai knew Guo Jia’s free-spirited nature well enough to understand that he simply did not care about such things.
“Afraid? Afraid of what?” Guo Jia laughed bitterly.
“If that sentence hadn’t been in the letter, I, Guo Fengxiao, probably wouldn’t go.”
“Do you know how envious I was when I learned that Wenruo had been placed under house arrest because of his talent?”
“If Yuan Shao had possessed that kind of decisiveness back then, he wouldn’t be confined to ruling a single province despite all his ability today.”
In Guo Jia’s eyes, the fact that Xun Yu had been imprisoned by Zhang Jing was proof that Zhang Jing recognized Xun Yu’s talent.
That was far better than remaining unnoticed and accomplishing nothing.
“Hahaha!” Xi Zhicai nearly laughed himself to tears.
“If Yuan Shao truly dared do such a thing, then before Gongsun Zan even had the chance to act, Yuan Shao would have been condemned by everyone and faded into obscurity.”
“There are things that man can do.”
“But Yuan Shao, born into a family of Four Generations of Three Excellencies, cannot.”
“Hmph!” Guo Jia did not argue.
Instead, he snorted coldly.
“And that’s precisely why Yuan Shao is destined never to accomplish great things!”
“Fengxiao.” Xi Zhicai’s expression grew serious.
“Are you truly planning to accept Gongda’s invitation and enter service in Yan Province?”
“Zhicai.” For once, Guo Jia became completely serious.
“Ever since the Way of the Great Peace raised its banner of rebellion and Emperor Ling repeatedly made disastrous decisions, nationwide chaos has become inevitable.”
“The young Emperor is like a bird trapped in a cage.”
“Dong Zhuo’s relocation of the court to Chang’an has completely shattered the prestige of the Han.”
“The struggle among warlords is now unavoidable.”
“The letters sent by Uncle and Nephew Wenruo each conveyed different things, but both allowed me to sense that man’s extraordinary nature.”
“As the saying goes, heroes are born of turbulent times.”
“In this great age of contention, that man is destined to have a place among them.”
Whenever the world was reshuffled, a new batch of great families would rise.
The old aristocratic clans would either be exterminated or reduced to struggling on as common households.
That was perfectly normal.
In Guo Jia’s view, as long as Zhang Yuheng possessed a chance of achieving greatness, he was worthy of serving.
As for the fate of the great clans— if they succeeded, people like them would naturally prosper as well.
Anything was better than being exterminated, or reduced to commoners.
As for producing another Liu Xiu and restoring the Han dynasty— the chances of that were slim.
“Hahaha!” As if remembering something amusing, Xi Zhicai said, “I’ve heard that the Taiping Administration is currently short on grain. Even that man has spent several months eating porridge.”
“If you go to Yan Province, there may not be any wine left for you to drink.”
He truly found it hard to imagine.
A former Yellow Turban leader, in order to save more grain for the people, had willingly gone that far himself.
Such character was incredibly precious in this age.
“Uh…” Guo Jia’s mouth twitched.
He glanced at the wine cup in his hand and suddenly felt the aroma of the wine become unbearably enticing.
Immediately, he raised the cup and gulped down a large mouthful.
“Fengxiao, what are you doing?”
Seeing Guo Jia drink so fiercely, Xi Zhicai was both concerned and puzzled.
“If you want wine, then after the autumn harvest in Yan Province, there surely won’t be any shortage of it.”
“Zhicai, time waits for no one!” Guo Jia said with a grave expression.
“Yuan Shao has recommended Lu Bu as Governor of Yan Province. War is about to break out there.”
“That man’s ambitions are immense.”
“If Yuan Shao launches a campaign against the Heishan bandits, he certainly won’t stand by and do nothing.”
“What are you planning to do, Fengxiao?” Xi Zhicai frowned slightly upon hearing this.
“Help that man capture Lu Bu.” A glint flashed through Guo Jia’s eyes as he said, “Rather than letting Lu Bu wreak havoc in Yan Province, it would be better to capture this tiger and present him as our gift upon entering service.”
“Fengxiao, are you certain you can pull it off?” Xi Zhicai looked somewhat concerned.
“As long as Lu Bu dares enter Yan Province,” Guo Jia replied confidently, “and as long as that man has the desire to bring Lu Bu under his command, then I have complete confidence.”
“Just as the Qihuo Army launched a lightning strike against Yuan Shu.”
“All the surrounding warlords immediately fell silent.”
“If Lu Bu can be dealt with swiftly, then given Yuan Shao’s indecisive nature, he certainly won’t dare launch a campaign against the Heishan Army.”
Guo Jia understood Yuan Shao extremely well.
Yuan Shao’s decision-making often involved obsessing over minor details while neglecting the bigger picture.
At first glance, this made him seem cautious and methodical, winning battle after battle and advancing steadily.
But in reality, one small mistake could cause everything to collapse.
“Fengxiao.” Xi Zhicai still looked worried.
“Lu Bu may be brave, but he’s notoriously fickle and unreliable. Can that man truly win him over?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Guo Jia said casually, “If he can’t be subdued, then we’ll simply kill him.”
“With that man’s temperament, if Lu Bu cannot be brought under control, he certainly won’t be allowed to live.”
“Besides, striking Lu Bu quickly has advantages and no disadvantages whatsoever for him.”
From Guo Jia’s perspective, successfully recruiting Lu Bu would naturally be ideal.
But killing him would be perfectly acceptable as well.
It would also conveniently solve the Heishan Army’s problems.
No matter how one looked at it, there was nothing to lose.
“Then what are we waiting for?”
Seeing Guo Jia so confident, Xi Zhicai stood up and said, “Come on, let’s leave right now!”
“Catch!” Guo Jia tossed a bundle of luggage toward him and said with a grin, “I’ve already packed everything. There’s no need for you to go home first.”
“Good!” Xi Zhicai caught the bundle and nodded firmly.
Both men were free-spirited by nature and hated unnecessary delays.
The moment they made their decision, they immediately set out for Yan Province.
……………….
Yan Province, Dongping Kingdom.
Outside Wuyan City, on the banks of the Wen River.
Atop a watchtower in the central military camp, Zhang Jing’s expression changed as he read the letter in his hand.
“I truly didn’t expect this.”
Handing the letter to Cheng Yu beside him, Zhang Jing sighed.
“To think that the Great Worthy Teacher’s daughter—that little girl from back then—is still alive.”
Zhang Jue had a daughter.
As someone who had lived through two lifetimes, Zhang Jing naturally knew this.
The two had even been acquainted to some degree.
However, he had been too young at the time to remember much.
Later, he heard that she had died alongside Zhang Jue and never paid the matter any further attention.
What surprised Zhang Jing even more was the possibility that Yuan Shao was preparing to launch a campaign against the Heishan Army.
This was an oversight on his part.
In his previous life, Yuan Shao had indeed campaigned against the Heishan Army around this time.
However, his target had been Yu Du’s forces in the southwest.
Yu Du and several other Heishan commanders had died in that campaign.
Now, however, Yu Du had joined the Taiping Administration.
As a result, Zhang Yan’s Heishan Army had become Yuan Shao’s only remaining target.
It would be difficult to justify not attacking Zhang Yan.
“My lord.”
After finishing the letter, Cheng Yu’s expression became grave.
“We should dispatch troops to Ganling at once and relieve the Heishan Army’s predicament.”
— The end of the Chapter–
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