Chapter 209
Chapter 209 – Li Feihong, the Fire Starter
Although Lu Bu and his men wore Xiangnu outfits, they took over the county without a resistance . Since all of their soldiers were drafted by Liu Ping, no one could stop their massive army .
Unlike Tong or Ju Shou, Lu Bu did not chase away the family members of the local nobles, who joined Liu Ping in his crusade . He did not understand the logic behind the government reformation that Tong pursued, and Lu Bu did not like socializing with someone else's families . Zhang Liao and Gao Shun also did not fare well with the government management, so all of them left the domestic jobs to Li Feihong .
After they entrusted the desk jobs to their advisor, the three generals left to check the deserters inside the city .
As for the bullied strategist, he sat in the main seat in the government hall and accepted his fate .
"Those warmongers . . . Now I know why Tong was so excited when he recruited Jia Xu or Ju Shou . "
He finally understood the shortage of government workers issue . Their clan needed more talented civil officers who could help them in managing the cities .
Li Feihong gazed at the trembling old civil officers in government hall, who were left behind . He smiled at them as he consoled them, "Don't worry, we're not really from Xiangnu . "
Hearing that the invaders were not part of the barbarians, the officials rejoiced .
"Excuse me if I ask . Which affiliate are you from?" An elderly officer asked their new boss .
Li Feihong thought about it for a second before he grinned, "We're the Immortal Yellow Turbans, the subordinates of the Immortal King . "
…
Four thousands of Wang Kuang men, who had parted way with Zhang Yang, gathered at the government barrack as Lu Bu had summoned them . Because they were jobless, starving, and freezing as they only had their underwear with them . They were willing to surrender and join Lu Bu Army as they had nothing to lose .
Lu Bu, however, had an ugly expression as he looked at their sorry state .
"Give them clothes and food first . Then, we can talk," Lu Bu chased them away . He did not want to see these unsightly soldiers even one more second .
On the other hand, Han Hao and his one thousand men did not reply to Lu Bu's summon . They exchanged their gold and treasures for food and clothes as they plan to leave Nie County tomorrow .
Han Hao wanted to move south to Shangdang . They wanted to return to their birthplace, Henei City .
One hour later, the four thousand soldiers received their clothes and filled their stomach . Zhang Liao and Gao Shun managed to gather the information about Zhang Yang Army and their status .
The two generals reported the result of the investigation to Lu Bu, who then told them heart-wrenching news .
"I don't want you lots in my army! Go home!"
Zhang Liao and Gao Shun frowned . An excellent opportunity to get free soldiers was hard to come by . Why would their boss decline it?
"Because you lost a few horses, you cried and quit your job! I don't need sissies in my ranks! Get lost!"
"Fengxian, they are still professional soldiers . You should not be harsh toward them," Complained Zhang Liao .
"Boss, every cavalry treat their horses like their children . You can't treat them like this," Gao Shun also protested .
Lu Bu groaned as he was taken aback by the reprimand of his subordinates .
"Alright, you take care of them . But I don't want them in my army . That's the bottom line!"
Both Zhang Liao and Gao Shun shook their head and sighed . Lu Bu's mood was unpredictable sometimes . Had they not picked up by this temperament god of war since they were still rookies, they would have forsaken him ages ago .
'He's going to get stabbed in the back one day if he keeps this up . ' Zhang Liao thought .
Meanwhile, Gao Shun gave the four thousand jobless men a bitter smile .
"You've heard it . Unfortunately, we cannot take you in as our soldiers . But don't lose hope! South of here where you've come from, our guys in Shangdang will be more than happy to welcome you . I know the governor and the grand general of the new Shangdang Army . I'll write a recommendation letter to the guys so you can return to your family . "
Hearing that they still had a chance to go home, the four thousand men were delighted . They bowed to Gao Shun in frantic as they thought that he was their benefactor .
Zhang Liao elbowed Gao Shun and whispered to his ear, "Hey, since when that you can write?"
Gao Shun gestured his colleague with his eyes and whispered back, "I can't . I was going to ask you or Feihong to help me . "
Zhang Liao facepalmed, 'For some reason, the boss and his subordinate have something in common,'
…
October 29th .
6 AM .
In the end, all five thousand ex-soldiers of Wang Kuang departed from Nie County toward Shangdang, including Han Hao .
The former thousand-man commander was surprised when he heard that Lu Bu refused to take in the men, so he asked around .
"Ah, he said we were weak or something and chased us away . " One of the four thousand men answered .
"He's the same as Zhang Yang?" Han Hao questioned again .
"No, they're not! Look at my robe! You see this?"
He fetched a leather bag and opened it to show the content inside . The bag was full of rice!
"They also gave us food and a recommendation letter . They allowed us to pass Shangdang and return home!"
"Are you serious? Why should Xiangnu help us? It doesn't make any sense!"
"We were fooled, commander . Those men were not Xiangnu, but Jinyang Army! One of us recognized their grand commander Lu Bu of Jinyang . The rest of their soldiers are also the famous heavy cavalries at the border . The Imperial Army had been tricked . "
Han Hao's eyes widened in shock .
Julu and Jinyang had formed a secret alliance and targeted the Emperor in this war! With Jinyang Army at the back of the main force, then the Emperor would face Julu at Jinyang City .
Emperor Ping had been surrounded without a path to escape!
Han Hao's body could not stop shaking . He was not trembling because of the weather, it was fear . If this was true, then they had escaped death without realizing it .
'We've probably cheated death . '
He was elated that he picked the right choice for not following Zhang Yang . Han Hao was also enlightened about the truth of this war after he understood the whole picture .
'The edict was a complete bullcrap . Jinyang and Julu are friends . Zhang Tong probably went to Jinyang and had a friendly spar with Lu Bu, but the Emperor exaggerated the spar into a war between cities!'
'Damnit! The Emperor is insane! He's a tyrant!'
'But, wow . The stratagem of these forces is totally sick . Since their force took Shangdang, then the other detached armies have been probably defeated already . Julu and Jinyang Army are pretty good . '
Han Hao respected the well-crafted strategy and the strategists who came up with this plan .
'If I want to work for someone, I want my superiors to be at least this competent . I don't want to fight for someone like Zhang Yang again . '
'I wonder if Shangdang City accepts ex-soldiers like me …'
…
9 AM .
Lu Bu and his men also left the city . Li Feihong tagged along like usual with dark circles around his eyes . He did not sleep last night as he had to solve the domestic issues for the locals before their departure .
Several white hair officials stood on top of the wall to send off Li Feihong . They were gratified for his help and sincerity . A dozen of them even promised to give their granddaughters to Li Feihong as his concubines to repay for his kindness .
Gao Shun and Zhang Liao looked at Li Feihong, baffled at the official crowd . They did not wave at Lu Bu or them, but Li Feihong alone .
Lu Bu, on the other hand, did not notice this as he was leading the march .
"What did you do to them, Feihong?" Asked Zhang Liao .
Li Feihong answered while he was dozing on the back of his horse, "I gave them a bit of food, cows, and rice seeds . I also wrote a couple of textbooks for them . "
"Textbooks?"
"Mathematics, accounting, financing, and a few products they can make with their local specialties . "
Both Gao Shun and Zhang Liao still puzzled by Li Feihong's sleep talking . They were going to continue questioning him, but they stopped after they saw a hickey and red marks on his neck and his face .
Before Li Feihong could regroup with the army, a few granddaughters of the officials came to see their potential prospect . They fell in love with this young strategist at first sight as he was also a handsome young scholar . A bold teenage girl managed to get close and stole several kisses on him, leaving a few bite marks on rouge lips on his face .
Li Feihong declined their approach and the officials' offering, but he gentlemanly patted their head and promised them that he would visit them in the future . He was not aware that he had planted several flags on these innocent maidens .
After this day, he had become the number one prospect in Nie County that all young girls wanted to get as their husband .
"Our Feihong is now an adult . " Zhang Liao laughed .
"Damn! I thought you were working hard . You went for the hoes before the bros?" Mocked Gao Shun .
"He DID work hard . I bet his girl is satisfied . Look at his face . I'm sure he didn't sleep last night . "
"Well, damn! I've never lasted the entire night . Respect Feihong . Truly respect!"
The two generals misunderstood Li Feihong, and a new rumor was born after this day in Jinyang Army .
…
…
Thirty kilometers north of Nie County, the Imperial troops were marching while they were enduring the zero degrees temperature . The weather was dry and cold, hampering their march speed .
The soldiers still managed to randomly find forest and mountain food in the wilderness as they marched . Although they could not find a wild animal anymore, they still had plenty of food in stock .
At the back of the marching army, Zhou Cang and his horse trotted beside the cage where Lu Zhi was inside . With a flick of fingers, a bundle of papyrus paper flew and hit Lu Zhi hand .
The imprisoned veteran scholar hid the paper and read it in secret .
[Ambush party is in front . Escape when it starts . ]
Lu Zhi's eyes brightened . He glanced at Zhou Cang who was still riding near the cage .
"I've managed to buy a few units to our cause . We've also secured a unit of a thousand horsemen with us, but they are quite expensive . We're pretty much broke when we return home . "
Lu Zhi chuckled at Zhou Cang's complain, "I have a bit of saving in Julu . I'll pay you back with interest . "
"Haha, that's not necessary . Just teach us how to write and read . "
"Hahaha! Of course . "
