By mid-April, in the Sili region.
In Chang’an’s Weiyang Palace, the seat of the Governor of Jingzhao.
Inside the grand and imposing Deyang Hall, the Son of Heaven, Liu Xie, only twelve or thirteen years old, sat upright upon the imperial throne.
Below him, hundreds of civil and military officials sat in their assigned places.
A young eunuch stepped forward and publicly read aloud a letter that Grand Coachman Zhao Qi had sent back.
The letter mainly discussed the Qihuo Army in Yan Province.
It also recommended that Cao Cao, Governor of Dong Commandery, be appointed Colonel of the Northern Army.
“Wow—”
As soon as the officials heard the contents, the entire court erupted in discussion.
“Are those Yellow Turbans really that formidable?”
“In my opinion, the lords east of Hangu Pass are all a bunch of incompetents!”
“These are troubled times indeed. May the late Emperor watch over us.”
“Cao Cao is a loyal servant of the Han. If he comes to Chang’an, it would be a good thing for all of us.”
“That’s true, but I’m afraid Li Jue and Guo Si won’t agree.”
“…”
The ministers whispered among themselves.
As they exchanged words, they secretly glanced toward the three armored generals seated at the head of the court, all broad-shouldered men with sabers hanging from their waists.
These three were now the leaders of the Liang Province Army.
They were General of Chariots and Cavalry Li Jue, General of the Rear Guo Si, and General of the Right Fan Chou.
“Everyone has heard what the Grand Coachman had to say.”
At that moment, Li Jue rose to his feet.
Instead of looking at the Emperor, he addressed the assembled officials directly.
His expression remained calm.
“That Qihuo Army is all the way over in Yan Province. If the lords east of the pass can’t handle them, that’s their own incompetence.”
“It has nothing to do with us.”
“As for this Cao Cao wanting to enter Chang’an—tell me, should we allow it or not?”
In Li Jue’s eyes, the Qihuo Army had absolutely nothing to do with him.
What actually mattered was Cao Cao.
After suffering defeat, Cao Cao now wished to seek refuge in Chang’an, and that was the matter that deserved discussion.
“General Li!”
A middle-aged official with a lean face and refined bearing rose and bowed.
“This humble official believes we should allow it.”
“When the coalition lords once attempted to establish a new emperor, it was Cao Cao who sent messengers to warn the court.”
“His loyalty is beyond question.”
“If the Imperial Court refuses him entry today, it will be shutting loyal servants of the Han out from serving the dynasty.”
“That would benefit neither the Court nor the General.”
No matter what, Cao Cao was still an official of the Imperial Court.
Even though he had been defeated in Yan Province and had nowhere else to turn, if he wished to seek the protection of the Court, the Court could hardly refuse him.
To do so would greatly damage public confidence.
The Han Dynasty was already walking on thin ice and could not afford further blunders.
“The Chief Justice speaks wisely. This humble official agrees.”
Another minister immediately bowed respectfully toward Liu Xie.
“We agree as well!”
The remaining officials rose one after another in support.
Seeing this, Emperor Liu Xie did not immediately state his position.
Instead, he glanced toward Li Jue and the others, clearly waiting for their decision.
“Minister Jia.”
As Li Jue pondered the matter, Guo Si turned toward another middle-aged official who had remained calm and composed throughout.
“What do you think? Should we permit Cao Cao to enter Chang’an?”
“The generals may decide as they see fit.”
The official Guo Si had called upon was none other than Jia Xu.
His heart skipped a beat, but his face remained composed.
“This humble official believes that appointing Cao Cao as Colonel of the Northern Army would be beneficial to the Imperial Court.”
“Good!”
Hearing even Jia Xu say so, Guo Si saw no reason to hesitate.
He immediately turned to Liu Xie and spoke as though issuing instructions.
“Your Majesty may issue the decree. Summon Cao Cao to Chang’an and appoint him Colonel of the Northern Army.”
“Very well.”
Seeing that neither Li Jue nor Fan Chou objected, Liu Xie merely nodded gently.
“I can’t carry them. It’s completely impossible…”
Jia Xu’s mouth twitched slightly.
Inwardly, he could only lament that these brutes were beyond saving.
Hadn’t he already made himself clear enough?
Beneficial to the Imperial Court.
What did that have to do with you Liang Province warlords?
“Forget it. I’d better start planning my escape.”
“Li Jue and Guo Si are this foolish. They won’t last long.”
“Chang’an isn’t a place where I can remain forever.”
“I’ll keep looking and see if there’s somewhere better to go.”
“Born into such chaotic times…”
“I, Jia Wenhe, seek neither fame nor glory among the warlords.”
“I only wish to survive this age of turmoil.”
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Jia Xu looked once more at the arrogant and domineering Li Jue and his companions.
It was almost as though he could already see the manner of their deaths.
………
Late April, Ji Province.
Leccheng, in the Kingdom of Hejian.
Not long after seeing Cao Cao off, Yuan Shao gathered his civil and military officials.
Full of confidence and high spirits, he prepared to launch a campaign against Zhang Yan.
He intended to ensure that no other armed force would remain within Ji Province.
“Report!”
Just as Yuan Shao was assigning military duties and his officers eagerly anticipated the campaign, a young officer hurried into the tent and bowed respectfully.
“Reporting to my lord! An urgent military dispatch has arrived from Qinghe.”
“It states that Zhang Yan of the Heishan Army has formed an alliance with Yan Province.”
“Yan Province will soon dispatch an army of one hundred thousand men.”
“Their target is Qinghe. My lord must make a decision at once.”
The moment the report was delivered, the command tent erupted in commotion.
“What!?”
Yuan Shao’s eyes widened in shock before anger quickly overtook him.
“What kind of damned Qihuo Army is this?”
“I haven’t even gone looking for trouble with them, yet they’ve already stuck their noses into the affairs of Ji Province!”
“In that case…”
“We’ll teach them a lesson!”
“Forget Zhang Yan for now.”
“Transmit my orders immediately!”
“The army will march on Qinghe!”
“I’d like to see just how many heads this Zhang Jing has on his shoulders!”
The moment he heard that Zhang Jing intended to attack him, Yuan Shao completely lost his composure, to the point of flying into a rage.
As for the alliance between the Qihuo Army and the Heishan Army, he did not doubt it in the slightest.
After all, two years earlier, the two sides had already attempted to unite their forces.
It was only because Yuan Shao had been fighting Zhang Yan of the Heishan Army, while Gongsun Zan was fighting Zhang Rao of Qing Province, that both groups had been defeated.
As a result, that attempted alliance had come to nothing.
What truly angered him was that Yan Province’s intervention would indeed create serious problems for him.
It was not that he feared he could not defeat them.
Rather, if he became entangled fighting the forces of Yan Province, then dealing with Zhang Yan afterward might be postponed indefinitely.
“My lord, calm your anger!”
Before the messenger could even depart with the order, Tian Feng hurriedly rose and bowed.
With an anxious expression, he said:
“The classics state:
‘A ruler must not raise an army out of anger, and a general must not wage war out of resentment.’
At present, Yan Province has not yet dispatched its troops. There is no need for our army to rush into action.”
“Why not wait and observe how the situation develops?”
“If we send the army to Qinghe now, it will only mean mobilizing troops on a large scale, exhausting the people and wasting resources.”
“Instead, we would merely make ourselves a laughingstock in Zhang Jing’s eyes.”
“As for eliminating Zhang Yan of the Heishan Army, that matter should be considered carefully over the long term.”
In Tian Feng’s view, the claim that Yan Province would dispatch one hundred thousand troops was little more than an attempt to frighten children.
If they made a grand show of marching to Qinghe, their opponents could simply withdraw south of the Yellow River.
And then there would be nothing they could do.
Surely they could not march around and invade Yan Province directly?
If they did, it would effectively become a war to the death.
Their supply lines would be stretched over a great distance, and victory or defeat would be impossible to predict.
After all, the strategists had already analyzed Cao Cao’s assessment.
Most of them understood that the current Yan Province was no weaker than Ji Province by any significant margin.
“My lord, please calm your anger!”
The other advisers rose one after another and bowed.
Regardless of how Yan Province intended to deploy its forces, recklessly charging into Qinghe was clearly unwise.
“My lord!”
Yan Liang stood and clasped his fists.
His expression was resolute as he declared:
“Give this general only thirty thousand troops.”
“Even if Yan Province truly dispatches one hundred thousand men, I will block them at the passes and prevent them from setting foot in Ji Province.”
“My lord, I request permission to fight!”
Qu Yi also rose and saluted.
His eyes were full of disdain as he said:
“Give me my own troops and another ten thousand men.”
“I guarantee that those Yellow Turbans of Yan Province will come but never return.”
“This general requests battle!”
“We likewise request battle!”
— The end of the Chapter–
TL note : Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 50 chapters of the release :
https://www.patreon.com/DeCakraWnloverz
