Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 83: The Emperor of Han? He can replace him!
In the big tent, the brazier crackled.

Yan Zhong sat at the table, his legs shaking slightly unconsciously, his hands rubbing his knees nervously, his eyes wandering, and he would steal a glance at Huangfu Song from time to time, seeming a little restless.

Huangfu Song was holding a cup of hot soup and taking a sip. He caught a glimpse of Yan Zhong's strange behavior from the corner of his eye, frowned slightly, put down the cup, and asked softly with concern in his eyes, "Boxiao, could it be that you have caught a cold?"

Yan Zhong had been with Huangfu Song for less than a year, which was shorter than Liang Yan's time with him, who had been with him for nearly twenty years. However, Huangfu Song was extremely friendly and caring towards Yan Zhong.

After all, Huangfu Song and Yan Zhong were both from Liangzhou, but Huangfu Song was from Anding County, while Yan Zhong was from Hanyang County. However, as Liangzhou scholars who were at the bottom of the "contempt chain" in the Han Dynasty, they naturally had to stick together and take care of each other.

Yan Zhong did not answer, but stared at the swaying flames in the brazier, biting his lower lip tightly, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, as if he was having a fierce ideological struggle. Then he suddenly stood up and knelt on his knees with a "thump".

"What is Boxiao doing?"

Huangfu Song was shocked and several guesses flashed through his mind.

Yan Zhong must have embezzled military funds, accepted bribes from the Neihuang magistrate, or committed other illegal acts, so he needed to ask for his protection before performing this grand ceremony.

Huangfu Song bent down and tried to help Yan Zhong up from his kneeling position, but Yan Zhong stubbornly knelt on the ground. Instead of getting up, he stretched out his hand and pressed Huangfu Song back onto the cushion, holding his shoulders tightly with both hands, his expression serious.

"I have something to say, I hope General Zhonglang will accept it!" Yan Zhong's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

When Huangfu Song saw Yan Zhong's expression and heard what Yan Zhong said, he couldn't help but feel more and more puzzled.

Yan Zhong straightened his body and said solemnly, "I've heard that timing is hard to come by and easy to lose! A wise man acts according to the times, and a wise man seizes opportunities. Now, General, you have encountered this timing. If you don't seize it, your reputation will be in jeopardy!"

Huangfu Song frowned, puzzled. He did not understand what Yan Zhong meant by that, so he asked, "What does Boxiao mean?"

Yan Zhong leaned forward slightly, gesturing with his hands in the air. His eyes seemed to ignite with a fiery flame as he spoke passionately, "General, you led the army to suppress the rebellion. Your troops moved with divine speed, without second thoughts. In a few months, your divine troops swept through like lightning, easily breaking through the enemy lines. You crushed the enemy like boiling water and snow, annihilating the Yellow Turban army and eliminating the evil threat."

Yan Zhong became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his face flushing and his saliva splattering. "Lu Jizhou, Yuan Yanzhou, Cai Xuzhou, Wang Yuzhou, Dong Zhonglang Jiang—how can these provincial governors and generals compare to you in terms of achievements? If you lead your troops into Jizhou and suppress the Yellow Turbans, no one in the world will be as accomplished as Yizhen!"

Huangfu Song could tell that Yan Zhong was praising him for his outstanding achievements and contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turbans. He also realized that once he entered Jizhou to quell the rebellion, he would be the number one contributor to the suppression of the Yellow Turbans.

However, looking at Yan Zhong who was talking so eloquently, Huangfu Song's heart trembled slightly, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He seemed to have heard some hidden meaning in Yan Zhong's words, and pretended to be calm and said in a cold voice: "So?"

"Heaven's way is impartial; the people share their talents. Therefore, those with great achievements will not be rewarded by mediocre rulers." Yan Zhong seemed completely oblivious to the coldness in Huangfu Song's words and continued, "Han Xin, unable to bear the thought of a meal, abandoned a three-point profit, rejected Kuai Tong's loyalty, and ignored the power of the triad. Only when a sword was at his throat did he regret it, and he was ultimately killed by women and children."

"shut up."

Huangfu Song's voice was icy cold, and he instantly drew the ring-handled sword from his waist. The cold light of the sword flashed as it was unsheathed, and he warned Yan Zhong with this actual action.

However, Yan Zhong remained unmoved. Instead, he shouted even more passionately, "The General of the Central Army now commands 40,000 of the Han Dynasty's most elite troops. The Imperial Army and the Yellow Turbans are weaker than Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, and the General of the Central Army's authority surpasses that of Huaiyin."

Huangfu Song's movements faltered slightly, his grip on the knife tightening. The blade reflected his increasingly stern expression. He took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in his heart. His chest heaved violently. He gave Yan Zhong one last chance and said, "The general is drunk. Go down and rest."

But Yan Zhong advanced instead of retreating. He grasped Huangfu Song's hands tightly, his hands trembling slightly with the force, as if he wanted Huangfu Song to hear the entire speech he had prepared in his mind. He said, "Today's emperor is foolish, appointing corrupt officials to persecute his party members. The crown prince is unfilial, imprisoning his own father. General, you must mobilize the righteous men of the world, with feathered dispatches at the front and the army roaring behind. We should cross the Zhang River, drink at Mengjin, and raise our net to encompass the capital. We will then eliminate the tyrant's resentment and resolve the crisis that hangs over the world."

"I told you to shut up!" Huangfu Song was furious, with veins popping out on his forehead. He pushed Yan Zhong to the ground and kicked the soldier hard, causing the corner of his mouth to bleed. He held a knife in his hand and his eyes were wide open with anger.

However, Yan Zhong only coughed a few times and stood up again. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his hand, and a strange smile appeared on his face: "Even children can be made to fight with their fists, and women can be made to lift their skirts to fight for their lives, let alone people with strong intelligence!"

"Oh, the Emperor of Han? He can replace him!"

"When the cause is complete and the world is in order, the General of the Central Army will burn incense to the God of Heaven, announce the will of heaven, unify the world, sit facing south to rule, transfer the sacred artifacts to his own family, and overthrow the Han Dynasty to establish his throne..."

"Then the general Zhonglang will be very lucky, and the world will be very lucky!"

A resounding slap sent Yan Zhong stumbling and crashing into a beam. Huangfu Song pointed a trembling finger at the tip of Yan Zhong's nose and roared, "If you don't shut up, I'll kill you!" Yan Zhong slowly stood up, a strange smile still on his face. He was completely unafraid of the sharp weapon in Huangfu Song's hand. Instead, he stepped closer to Huangfu Song and shouted, "General, this is a godsend opportunity. You must not miss it, or you will surely repeat the mistakes of Han Xin and Peng Yue!"

However, perhaps because they were too focused or the wind and snow outside the tent covered up the footsteps, they did not notice the footsteps outside the tent at all.

Huangfu Song sighed heavily, his shoulders drooping slightly, his eyes revealing a trace of fatigue. After much hesitation, he finally couldn't bear to kill this fellow Liangzhou native. He slowly exhaled and said in a hoarse voice, "Boxiao, you can no longer serve in the army. Return to Liangzhou."

"I will write a letter to Zhu Gongwei, the governor of Liangzhou. You must remember not to have such thoughts again, otherwise I will kill you sooner or later..."

"bass!"

Before Huangfu Song finished speaking, a sword flashed and the sound of a sword rang out.

Yan Zhong suddenly felt a chill on his back and turned around quickly, but before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his back.

"Cao...Mengde——!"

A sharp cry of pain was heard, and Cao Cao drew his sword. The blood gushing from Yan Zhong's back splattered all over Cao Cao. Huangfu Song hurriedly shouted to stop him, but Cao Cao ignored him and did not stop.

Yan Zhong suddenly felt a chill in his throat, but the sword came too fast, he could even see the blood gushing out of his throat and spinning in the air.

The blood drops hit the beams and instantly condensed into red ice beads, rolling all over the ground with crackling sounds. However, Cao Cao simply shook off the blood beads on his sword with his backhand. His movements were clean and neat, and he completely ignored the ring-handled knife that was already pointing at his throat.

Exhaling a puff of white mist, Cao Cao slowly squatted down, and the tip of the sword in his hand precisely wedged into the gap between the cervical vertebrae in his eyes. With a crisp "click", his head tilted back at a strange angle, and his throat was torn open like a broken sac, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.

Only after he cut off Yan Zhong's head did Cao Cao breathe a sigh of relief. He tore off the corner of Yan Zhong's robe with his backhand and slowly wiped the blade of his sword. His movements were neither fast nor slow, causing Huangfu Song's ring-handled sword to freeze in mid-air.

Cao Cao and Huangfu Song met each other's eyes, but there was no fear in his eyes. He raised his hand and slowly pushed away the ring-handled sword, then bowed deeply to Huangfu Song and said, "This beast is causing chaos in the country. I, under the order of the General of the Central Army, must execute him!"

Huangfu Song sighed and threw his ring-handled sword to the ground. The blade made a dull sound when it hit the ground. He stared blankly at Yan Zhong's head and the headless corpse. Suddenly, he looked up to the sky and laughed loudly, "Good Cao Mengde!"

When Cao Cao saw Huangfu Song abandon his sword, he sheathed it as well. He no longer worried, but instead said to Huangfu Song with a smile, "If Lord Yizhen really has any intention of rebelling, you can first take my head to avenge him!"

"Meng De, there's no need to test me anymore." Huangfu Song shook his head and sat down on the cushion like a deflated ball. He sighed and said, "I only know that those who eat Han's salary are Han ministers in life and Han ghosts in death."

"It's a pity that Boxiao was originally a beautiful woman, but he became a thief..."

Cao Cao's eyes darkened slightly. He knew that Huangfu Song was regretting Yan Zhong's talent.

Given the living and educational environment in Liangzhou, it would take many years for a talented scholar like Yan Zhong to emerge, and he definitely did not harbor rebellious intentions.

Seeing that Huangfu Song was somewhat depressed, Cao Cao stood up and opened the curtain. He nodded to Liang Yan, who was already stunned, and left a seemingly insignificant remark.

"Yan Boxiao is good at studying Meng's Book of Changes. I wonder if he has been able to perform divination until today?"

Cao Cao shook his head slightly and turned to leave. Only Huangfu Song looked at Yan Zhong's corpse solemnly and murmured, "Mengshi Yi?"

(2872 words)
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PS: Although it’s a bit late, the update volume is still sufficient!

PPS: In history, Yan Zhong really advised Huangfu Song to rebel. At that time, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had just been pacified and Huangfu Song was temporarily appointed as the governor of Jizhou. Yan Zhong, on the other hand, held a grudge against the Han Dynasty because he was the prefect of Xindu during the Yellow Turban Rebellion but the city fell and he was dismissed from office.

However, when he was abducted by the Liangzhou rebels led by Han Sui and Ma Teng and served as the rebel leader, he was ashamed of this and died of shame and anger.

(End of this chapter)