Mythical Three Kingdoms

Of course, what Ma Chao learned most adeptly was the Han etiquette regarding the reverence for elders. After all, in his eyes, Zhang Fei’s behavior towards him and subsequent rituals were not unrelated. It would seem that in the future, even if Ma Chao falters in other areas, he will never overlook matters of loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and shame!

As for why Fa Zheng didn’t trouble Ma Chao, it was because he understood his mission. His task wasn’t to clash with Cao Cao or Ma Teng but to await the outbreak of the Yuan-Liu war and then deploy the mediating army.

After witnessing Ma Chao’s performance, Fa Zheng was actually quite satisfied. Standing at his current elevated position, he could oversee everything that once was, with many events reduced to ephemeral trivialities.

Nothing was truly lost, nor was there anything truly shameful. From his lofty Marquis position, even if nothing else was said, the Wang Family of Fufeng would inevitably tread cautiously. No one would ridicule him; instead, they would laugh at the Wang Family’s lack of discernment.

[Power truly is intoxicating. But let it be so. At least the Wang Family has shown some insight. Perhaps I too should set a greater ambition—an ambition rooted in the very foundation of Huaxia. Garnering the will of the people is itself a fulfillment. Ah, the will of the people... I finally understand Lord Xuande’s frank words at the altar back in those days.]

Fa Zheng silently unfolded his fan, his embroidered robe billowing in the wind, reminiscent of the glory Ma Chao once beheld—truly unmatched elegance.

”Has it arrived?” Fa Zheng asked, a smile alighting on his face as he observed the soldiers galloping through the barracks. Their attire was pristine; their serious expressions bore an undercurrent of joy. Liu Bei’s forces had achieved a great victory; at the very least, the Yuan-Liu conflict was now concluded.

Scanning the letter in his hand, Fa Zheng let out a hearty laugh. The Central Plains were settled, the grand chessboard of the world had become crystal clear. There was no longer a need for words. This was still the Han Dynasty’s realm. Liu Xuande’s rising momentum was unstoppable; no one could defy the heavens any longer.

[So in the end, it really was Master Li who ambushed and killed the target.] Fa Zheng mused to himself. He was well aware of how terrifyingly sinister both Li You and Jia Xu could be when playing tricks. As it turned out, every step Jia Xu had taken led Yuan Shao’s military deployments directly into an optimal setup for Hua Xiong’s forces. One had to admit that Ju Shou was remarkable, but Jia Xu’s strategy ultimately outshone his by a single move.

”General Guan has slain Yan Liang and Wen Chou, those two figures…” Fa Zheng clicked his tongue in astonishment. Yan Liang’s valor was renowned across the land, yet he had fallen so simply under Guan Yu’s blade.

”Send the report to General Zhang and General Yu,” Fa Zheng said with a pleased expression. This was the best news he had received in a long while.

Before long, Zhang Fei and Yu Jin also received the news and were ecstatic. Zhang Fei, however, lamented why he hadn’t managed to stain his blade with the blood of even one famed general.

”Let’s go; there’s no need to delay any longer. The reason the news was delivered now was likely to extract the essence of Jizhou.” Fa Zheng chuckled lightly. Likely, the blocked messages on Cao Cao’s side would soon be delivered as well.

Indeed, Fa Zheng’s judgment was correct. Over the past two days, Liu Bei’s Army had focused its efforts entirely on capturing Jizhou and had already succeeded in securing most of it!

In just a few short days, the prepared Liu Bei had seized Bohai, Anping, Qinghe, Hejian, Wei Commandery, and part of Zhongshan State. It must be said that the Zhen Family’s penetration into Jizhou was truly unparalleled.

After Gao Lan left Bohai Commandery, the Zhang Clan didn’t even notify any clan elders before activating the Zhen Family’s arrangements. One must admit, the internal debates within the Zhen Family on whether to betray Yuan Shao were highly contentious. Although the Zhen Family had indeed been betrayed by the Yuan Family, many within the clan believed that Liu Bei’s initial alliance was also not entirely altruistic.

Adding to this, Yuan Shao’s power undeniably appeared to be on the rise, and many clan elders of the Zhen Family had certain confidence in Yuan Shao’s prospects of becoming the overlord. Moreover, as a large and wealthy family, the Zhen Family had little incentive to take such risks. In short, dissenting opinions abounded.

Yet, after Gao Lan departed Bohai, it was as though the Zhang Clan suddenly had an epiphany. They directly placed all the Zhen Clan elders under house arrest. According to the plan, they introduced Zang Ba into Bohai. Under the vast cover provided by the Zhen Family’s businesses across Jizhou, Zang Ba effortlessly took Bohai and then advanced to occupy Hejian and Anping.

Unfortunately, the beacon tower Ju Shou had placed in Jizhou’s administrative center in Xindu was lit by Ju Hao when Zang Ba entered Xindu. Consequently, Zang Ba lost the opportunity to seize the entirety of Jizhou and similarly forfeited the chance to conserve his strength by lying in wait for the routed Yuan Tan troops to come to him.

Having forcefully taken Anping, Zang Ba found it increasingly difficult to make advances into the remaining counties, which were now on guard. His last attempt was directed at Zhongshan. Relying on Zhongshan as the Zhen Family’s ancestral land and leveraging the ties to Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping’s own hometowns, the trio coordinated their individual maneuvers. After much effort, they managed to wrest half of Zhongshan State.

As for Qinghe State, after Xu Shu departed from the Cui Family of Qinghe on that fateful day, Cui Yan had been pondering whether to align with Liu Bei. He was, after all, in an awkward position. The pressure the Cui Family of Qinghe faced from the Cui Family of Boling and Cui Jun was not insignificant, due in no small part to his own leadership as the family head.

Cui Yan was painfully aware that, in terms of capability, he and Cui Jun could be viewed as evenly matched in their own eras. However, where he faltered was in throwing his lot with Cao Cao. Back then, when Cao Cao seized Yanzhou, defeated Yuan Shu, and occupied the resource-rich Nanyang, he was supported heavily by the Wei Clan of Chenliu, alongside the participation of the Wei Clan of Hedong.

During that period, Cao Cao’s star was unequivocally rising. Encouraged by Xun Yu’s invitation, Cui Yan made the choice to join Cao Cao. It must be noted that the Xun Family’s extensive network meant they had ties with almost every prominent clan.

But when Cui Yan was assessing whether Cao Cao was a worthy monarch, the Xuzhou Massacre incident abruptly unfolded. Cui Yan, who could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye, was very much like Tian Feng in his unwavering principles. Without hesitation, he flung his sleeves in anger at Xun Yu and departed.

Cui Yan didn’t care whether Cao Cao’s actions were motivated by a need for vengeance; he cared about one thing only: a monarch who could massacre Han People out of anger—would such a ruler refrain from arbitrarily executing his trusted civil and military officials in the future?

Although Cui Yan returned to Jizhou thereafter, he certainly did not hold the same value in Yuan Shao’s eyes as Cui Jun, who had returned from his studies in Jingzhou to pledge loyalty. Naturally, this was also because Cui Yan and Cui Jun were evenly matched in ability, but Cui Yan, like Tian Feng, repeatedly caused their lord to lose face.

For Yuan Shao, tolerating the straightforward Tian Feng alone was already a headache. Enduring Ju Shou as well pushed his limits. There was no way he would accommodate yet another individual—one who was slightly less capable than the first two yet shared their inflexible temperament.

This is why the Cui Family of Qinghe, represented by Cui Yan, ended up in its current state. Part of the reason lay with former overlord Yuan Shao’s decision to abandon the Cui Family of Qinghe.

However, although Yuan Shao had cast aside the Cui Family of Qinghe, the Cui Family would not dare to abandon Yuan Shao. From any angle, Yuan Shao still appeared well-positioned to ascend to supremacy. Such a force was not one that aristocratic rich families could afford to offend.

Although typically, even a power like Yuan Shao would not lightly provoke an aristocratic family, if the aristocrats themselves handed Yuan Shao an opportunity, allowing him justification to take action, Yuan Shao would not hesitate to eliminate one or two rich families as a warning to others, sparing himself the trouble these unruly factions might cause. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re encouraged to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)