Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Guan Hai looked at his hand gripping the spear. As he gazed at the promising future that seemed within his grasp, he had believed that surrendering would absolve everything. Yet, reality proved otherwise. Was this fate?

A suffocating feeling welled up in his chest, but he couldn’t find the voice to release it. As these thoughts churned in his mind, a vicious glint flashed in his eyes. The late leader was a saint, but he, Guan Hai, was not. He couldn’t do it—he didn’t want to die!

The next day, Guan Hai walked out of his tent, looking dejected and sporting dark circles under his eyes. He glared at everyone he encountered, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor. His mood puzzled the Yellow Turban leaders and Liao Hua—everything had been fine before, so why was Guan Hai acting like this? Had someone offended him?

”Liao, what did you say to the boss yesterday? Why is he like this today?” one of the smaller leaders nudged Liao Hua with his elbow.

”I didn’t say anything,” Liao Hua replied, equally confused. Yesterday, Guan Hai clearly hadn’t understood the implications of their conversation. If he had, with his temper, he should have been furious, not like this.

Guan Hai glanced at Liao Hua, saw the confusion on his face, but said nothing. He handed out vegetable dumplings to everyone, ate his portion, and then set out to inspect the camp with a few guards.

Over the next few days, every time Liao Hua tried to talk to Guan Hai in private, Guan Hai either became impatient, made excuses, or avoided him entirely, leaving Liao Hua baffled as to what was going on.

On the sixth day of Liao Hua’s stay in Beihai, Guan Hai called for a meeting with all the Yellow Turban leaders, just as he had done before, and didn’t exclude Liao Hua.

”Boss, why did you call us together?” one of the smaller leaders asked as he casually found a seat. The others also looked at Guan Hai, curious.

”We only have one day’s worth of food left,” Guan Hai said helplessly. Food had always been a problem for the Yellow Turbans—they never had enough.The group, though aware that time was running out, hadn’t expected it to be this soon. They were shocked into silence.

”What do we do now?” one of the leaders jumped up. ”Without food, how are we supposed to maintain the siege on Beihai? There’s no grain left nearby. It’s not like Kong Beihai will lend us any!”

”Yuanjian, when will the Taishan army arrive?” Guan Hai asked, his head lowered so that no one could see his expression.

”Probably five days after the grain arrives,” Liao Hua said with a bitter smile. ”The army never moves without ensuring the supply lines are secure. If we had known the Yellow Turbans would surrender, the grain could have been used for relief rather than preparations for war.”

”Five days...” The entire camp fell into despair.

”We need to find a way to solve the grain issue. Otherwise, even if the Taishan army arrives and we surrender, it could still cause big problems. Yuanjian, you mentioned that we disrupted Taishan’s plans...” Guan Hai trailed off, but everyone understood what he meant.

”I’ve already sent word back. In the letter, I made it clear that the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou are willing to surrender. I trust Governor Lu will make the necessary arrangements in advance,” Liao Hua said, standing up. But he couldn’t help glancing at Guan Hai.

Guan Hai didn’t catch Liao Hua’s look, but he felt the weight of his gaze linger on him. When Liao Hua mentioned the Yellow Turbans’ willingness to surrender, Guan Hai felt a pang of unease. He thought about the dire situation of the Yellow Turbans and felt a wave of sorrow followed by a surge of anger.

Guan Hai silently cried out in his heart. He really didn’t want to die, but he understood now that unless he did, no one would ever feel safe accepting the million Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou. He was now in the same position as their late leader.

”Report!” A Yellow Turban guard burst into the meeting. ”Great news, great news!”

”What news?” Guan Hai asked with a gloomy expression. ”Has the Taishan army arrived?”

”No, no! It’s not that. A messenger from Yuan Shao has arrived, offering us a friendship along with ten thousand shi of grain. Ten thousand shi of grain!” the guard said excitedly.

”What?” Guan Hai roared as he stood up.

The others were startled by Guan Hai’s reaction, but the mention of ten thousand shi of grain quickly shifted their focus. They, too, leapt to their feet in excitement, momentarily forgetting everything else. Ten thousand shi of grain, even rationed among the million Yellow Turbans, could last seven or eight days. With that buffer, everything would be easier to manage.

Guan Hai looked up and sighed, feeling a strange sense of emptiness.

Guan Hai had an uneasy feeling after making his decision. He knew something wasn’t right, but his survival instincts suppressed those thoughts. He couldn’t afford to waver now—the Taishan army was approaching. Or maybe he feared that if he thought too much, he might change his mind.

”Let’s go welcome the grain,” Guan Hai laughed. ”It seems we can hold out a little longer.”

As he traveled, Meng Dai’s opinion of the Yellow Turbans dropped lower and lower. Seeing this ragtag group, lacking even basic weapons, Meng Dai felt confident that a mere thousand cavalry could easily crush them. How could such a force be worth ten thousand shi of grain?

When Meng Dai finally met Guan Hai and the other leaders, he was even more disappointed. These haggard, demoralized Yellow Turban leaders—how could they possibly hold back Liu Xuande’s development? It was laughable.

As he pondered, Meng Dai recalled Feng Ji’s suggestion before he left for Qingzhou. The plan seemed more reasonable now: take advantage of this gathering of Yellow Turban leaders, kill them all, and then use the grain to incite the remaining Yellow Turbans into becoming bandits, wreaking havoc around Qingzhou and Taishan. That would hurt Liu Bei far more.

Meng Dai licked his lips. To him, these Yellow Turban leaders were practically defenseless. If he acted quickly enough, he could slaughter them before they even knew what was happening. Then, by using Yuan Shao’s authority to appoint spies within the Yellow Turbans, success seemed entirely possible.