Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Zhang Yan watched the rhythm of Li Ru's fingertips tapping the armrest, a bitter taste rising in his throat. "Sir, do you know that Yuan Shao took advantage of the battle with Gongsun Zan to send troops to Chang'an, precisely because he calculated that the troops here were empty!" Before he finished speaking, sparks suddenly burst out from the brazier in the tent, startling Du Xiong so much that he tightened his grip on the knife.

Li Ru, however, threw his head back and laughed: "What does the number of troops have to do with you, General?" He suddenly stood up, sweeping the remaining wine on the table with his wide sleeves. "Although the garrison in Chang'an is small, it is not isolated and helpless. Han Zhongxiong and Zhang Ren can mobilize 30,000 to 50,000 elite troops at any time." When he paused, the breathing in the tent seemed to be strangled. "Trapping Yuan Tan here is just like catching a turtle in a jar."

The old counselor's beard trembled violently in the cold wind, and Zhang Yan's broken blade twirled half a circle in his palm. Li Ru, however, had already straightened his robe and said casually, "However, General Zhang, carrying the elderly and children, traveled thousands of miles to deliver this message. Xiliang will certainly remember it. If nothing else..." Before he could finish his words, Du Xiong knocked over the wine jar behind him: "You!"

"Brother Du!" Zhang Yan suddenly grasped the deputy's shoulder. The clashing of armor mixed with the rustle of flowing wine. He looked at Li Ru's half-smile and suddenly realized that he had seen through him. Everyone in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment. They had thought that the bombshell news would shock Chang'an, but now it felt like a punch on cotton.

Zhang Yan's face flickered between pale and blue, evidently torn between inner and outer pressure. Finally, Zhang Yan gritted his teeth and tumbled to his knees. His armor clashed with the frozen ground, sending up icy shards that splattered against his visor with a crackling sound. Li Ru observed Zhang Yan's weather-worn features, a few strands of gray at his temples tumbling in the wind. "Sir!" His voice was hoarse like a broken gong, each word forced from the depths of his chest. "Ever since my adoptive father, Niu Jiao Gong, died in battle, the lives of these three hundred thousand women, children, the elderly, and the infirm have rested solely on Zhang's shoulders!" Zhang Yan, barely in his twenties or thirties, had gray hair at his temples, a testament to the immense pressure he was under.

Du Xiong gripped the weapon at his waist tightly, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. Zhang Yan continued, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "For years, we've lived between the feudal lords, our lives a matter of life and death every time we open our eyes. When Gongsun Zan was still alive, we could still manage; but now that he's defeated, how could Yuan Shao tolerate us?"

"We may be the Black Mountain Army, but in the final analysis, we are just poor people who want to survive!" Zhang Yan suddenly ripped open his clothes, revealing the hideous old wound on his chest. "We are fighting so hard just to make sure the women and children behind us have something to eat. Yuan Shao's people say we are bandits, but do they really regard us as human beings? In this chaotic world, we are just looking for a place to settle down!"

At this point, his eyes were red and his voice was almost choked: "I have long heard that Liang Wang Ma Chao is a man of great righteousness and treats the people as his own brothers. I have traveled thousands of miles today, risking my life, just to serve Liang Wang and find a way to save these 300,000 old and weak!" After saying this, he kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ice ridge on the ground, oozing out a trace of blood.

Silence reigned within the tent, the only sound being the howling north wind outside, which seemed to sob at these heartfelt words. Zhang Yan knelt there, his body trembling slightly beneath his armor, awaiting Li Ru's response. Now, he was no longer the leader who roamed the Black Mountains, but a survivor who had surrendered his dignity and groveled for the survival of his people.

Ma Yunlu raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye, his fingertips stained with unshed tears. Dong Bai bit her lower lip, her fingertips beneath the black armor digging deep into her palm, but she couldn't stop the soreness rising in her throat. The man kneeling before them bore a striking resemblance to their fathers and brothers, who had fought on the battlefield in their memories.

Du Xiong's mace slammed to the ground, spilling the remaining wine on the table. This usually violent man, his eyes red, kowtowed heavily: "Sir! What my general said is true. Behind us are the elderly, the weak, women, and children who don't have enough food to eat or warm clothes to wear." The old counselor trembled and said, "Yuan Shao's people say we are traitors, but traitors... traitors also want to live!"

Amidst the relentless kowtows, Zhang Yan's forehead was already bloodied. He knelt half a step, his armor scraping against the ground with a harsh sound. "Sir, if you are willing to take me in, I will sacrifice my life and these 34 strong men as the vanguard of the Western Liang Army tomorrow! We will use our flesh and blood to build the walls of Chang'an against Yuan Tan's 34-man army!" Before he could finish his words, the cries of a child suddenly rang out from outside the tent, mingling with the sobs within.

The sound of Li Ru standing up broke the stagnant air in the tent. A faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips, and his eyes flashed with a sharp insight: "General Zhang, if you had told me the truth earlier, why would you have gone through so much trouble?" He fluttered his robe sleeves and slowly stepped forward to support me. The airflow brought by his wide black sleeves swirled the ashes in the brazier, drawing tiny traces in the air. "Xiliang has always been based on benevolence and righteousness. How could they sit idly by and watch the people suffer? Look at this—" His fingertips touched Ma Yunlu and Dong Bai in turn. "These two are the closest relatives of the King of Liang. With their witnesses, they will not let women and children suffer from hunger and cold. But..."

Zhang Yan's knees, barely propped up by force, suddenly gave way as if struck by lightning, slamming back to the ground. The hard, frozen ground hurt through his armor, and a chill ran down his tailbone and into the back of his neck. He raised his eyes to Li Ru's face in the shadows, his voice trembling: "Please explain..."

"Chang'an has been ravaged by wars, and it's difficult to relocate hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in one place at once." Li Ru walked to the tent wall where a sheepskin map was hung, and gently tapped the symbol of Chang'an City with a bamboo folding fan, making a tapping sound. "In my opinion, it would be better to disperse the troops throughout the city, so that they can take care of each other more conveniently." Before he finished speaking, his finger pressed heavily on the icon of the tent where Wei Yan was stationed, "Before the King of Liang went to war, he entrusted the important task of staying behind to General Wei Yan. From today on, all the troops under General Zhang's command must obey the orders of General Wei."

Deathly silence instantly enveloped the entire tent. Du Xiong's weapon, gripped at his waist, was nearly bent from the grip it held, veins bulging on the rough back of his hand. The old strategist, like the roots of an old tree, held his arm down. Zhang Yan's gaze was fixed on the dark pattern on the hem of Li Ru's brocade robe. The tragic scene of Yuan Shao's cavalry crushing the Black Mountain villages flashed through his mind. Outside the tent, the sudden, crisp sound of snow breaking dead branches sent a violent shudder through him. The lives of three hundred thousand women and children now depended on the strategist's fleeting words.

The old counselor, hunched over, trembling, approached Zhang Yan. His fingers, like dry bark, quietly hooked the cracks in the other man's armor. His cloudy eyes warily scanned Li Ru's figure in the tent, and his hoarse voice dropped to a low, almost husky tone: "General, Chang'an may appear confident, but in reality, it must be short of troops!" His nails practically dug into Zhang Yan's flesh. "Suddenly accepting hundreds of thousands of old and weak, simply arranging food and fodder would be a monumental challenge, not to mention the tens of thousands of young and strong men under your command..."

Zhang Yan stiffened, feeling a chill at the back of his neck. The old strategist continued to whisper, his Adam's apple rolling violently: "In their eyes, we are not only a helping hand in times of need, but also a hidden danger right beside their bed! If you insist on maintaining the independence of your tribe, how can Xiliang be at peace?" His voice stopped abruptly, and he tugged hard at the corner of Zhang Yan's clothes, his sunken eyes filled with warning.

The cold wind howled outside the tent, but it couldn't drown out Zhang Yan's heavy breathing. He looked at Li Ru's faint smile and finally understood why he had downplayed Yuan Tan's military situation. He wasn't just wary of Yuan Tan, he was also wary of his hundreds of thousands of men. This seemingly compromising resettlement plan was actually a venomous plot to completely dismantle the Black Mountain Army. At this point, they had no choice but to nod in agreement; there was no way out.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Zhang Yan slammed his forehead against the ground, making a dull sound. Ice and snow mixed with blood left mottled marks on his forehead. "Sir, you are very thoughtful. I am willing to follow your instructions!" He had originally wanted to lead these people to seek a way out in the chaotic world. Besides, with so many of them, it was only natural for people to be on guard against them.

"Good man!" Li Ru's hand landed heavily on Zhang Yan's shoulder. The seemingly intimate gesture concealed strength. "In the future, under the command of the King of Liang, there will be many opportunities to make achievements!" He turned and looked at the sparse bonfires in the refugee camp outside the tent. He tapped his bamboo scissor fan lightly, his tone sounding both emotional and threatening. "As for the elderly, the weak, women and children... they can finally sleep peacefully under the protection of Xiliang."

Li Ru leaned back in his chair, tapping his knees with his fingers. His eyes swept across the endless rows of refugee tents outside the tent, and he suddenly chuckled: "Miss Yunlu, you and Dong Bai will set off immediately to return to Chang'an." His voice was filled with unquestionable majesty. "Tell your father to order General Wei Yan to organize the military tents and accommodate the troops. Also, arrange for a place for the civilians to live—300,000 civilians, we can't let them freeze to death under the city walls."

Ma Yunlu's fingers gripping the reins tightened slightly, his clear almond-shaped eyes clouded with confusion. "The military tent is simple. When my brother was in Chang'an, he had at least a hundred thousand troops stationed there, so it was easy to arrange everything. But resettling hundreds of thousands of civilians requires allocating food and fodder, allocating housing, and building temporary huts... I'm afraid father won't be able to handle such a complicated matter."

Li Ru, however, was not in a hurry. He turned the folding fan in his palm, and the fan ribs made a crisp sound when they hit the table. "Bai Er, what do you think?"

Dong Bai tilted her head, the Qilin pattern on her black armor swaying slightly as she moved. She parted her red lips and said, "Although I have learned some strategies from my uncle, I really don't know where to start when it comes to matters of public welfare." Her watery eyes looked at Li Ru with a hint of coquettishness.

"Chang'an is full of hidden talents. How could there be no one capable of shouldering this important task?" Li Ru suddenly stood up. "Xun Yu and Xun Wenruo, they assisted Liu Bian in governing Chang'an. With just a single decree, they could get merchants to open their warehouses and release their grain. Since Liu Bian..." He paused, a gloomy look flashing in his eyes. "After his death, although he closed his door to visitors, his ability to govern the country and maintain its security will never be buried with him!"

Li Ru looked at Dong Bai with a sly smile: "Go and ask Lu Wan to go with you - he is concerned about Liu Bian and refuses to come out of seclusion. But we call Lu Wan. With Lu Wan's previous status as the queen, and your status as the future Princess of Liang..." He suddenly lowered his voice and pointed the fan bone at the refugees huddled in the snow outside the tent, "Just carry Xun Lingjun to the top of the city! Let him see those children who are frozen purple, and the old woman gnawing on tree bark! I want to see, can Xun Lingjun, who cares about the world, still stand idly by?"

Dong Bai's eyes lit up instantly, and his clear laughter startled the crows from beneath the eaves. "My uncle's plan was brilliant! Lord Xun can't bear to see the people suffer, and he'll definitely do his utmost to help them!" Li Ru stroked his beard and laughed heartily. Everyone in the tent thought this old man was incredibly wise. Meanwhile, outside the tent, the wind and snow continued to howl, and the fate of three hundred thousand refugees quietly changed amidst this conversation.