Although Ye Feng did not immediately accept Zhang Miao's defection, Zhang Miao was not displeased.
Instead,
He was grateful!
Because Ye Feng's suggestion was the best option for him.
The future was uncertain!
Even with Ye Feng's intervention, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had an eighty to ninety percent chance of winning.
But so what?
Who could be sure that the Han Dynasty truly had no trump cards left?
After all,
The allied forces for the imperial court gathered the elites of most of the great clans within the Han Dynasty.
And the Yellow Turbans?
A mob!
Even if they now had 340,000 troops, they were still just a mob.
Moreover,
Even if they couldn't defeat the Yellow Turbans on the main battlefield, wasn't there still the covert battlefield?
War was never decided by the outcome of a single battle!
Bribery, assassination, defection...
With the dark methods of the great clans, few people could withstand them if they were all employed.
He didn't believe the Yellow Turbans could resist them either!
Unless Ye Feng personally entered the fray!
With the strength of his two legions and 200,000 troops, they would crush the Han Dynasty along with the Yellow Turbans.
But looking at Ye Feng's plan, he clearly did not intend to get directly involved.
Indeed!
He was now a rebel who had just been cleared, how could he easily get involved again?
Although everyone knew what was going on, at least on the surface, things had to be presentable.
Just like now!
If Ye Feng still carried the identity of a rebel, Zhang Miao would definitely not have considered defecting to him.
Even if the Yellow Turbans truly attacked, he would likely have sought refuge elsewhere.
The late Han Dynasty placed great importance on reputation.
No matter how dark or bright you were internally, you had to be clean and upright on the surface.
Just like Yuan Shao in history.
Did the strategists and generals not know that Yuan Shao was rebelling at that time?
They did!
So why did they prefer to defect to Yuan Shao rather than to Old Cao, who was also rebelling?
It was a matter of reputation!
The reputation of the Yuan family as four generations of dukes and three lords was not just talk; it was a tangible achievement.
And Old Cao?
Descended from eunuchs!
No matter how hard Old Cao tried later, as long as Yuan Shao was alive, people would not consider him.
Except for those who were not valued by Yuan Shao.
It was quite ironic!
Using the reputation left by the Han Dynasty to recruit talent to overthrow the Han Dynasty.
But the scholars of today fell for it!
Why?
They didn't know!
This feeling was inexplicable, but it genuinely existed.
Therefore,
Zhang Miao also agreed with Ye Feng not getting involved directly, but rather being the beneficiary behind the scenes.
But this brought up a problem.
What if?
What if, after he defected to Ye Feng, the allied forces for the imperial court made a miraculous comeback, and his open defection to Ye Feng would become a joke?
So,
For the current Zhang Miao, defecting to Ye Feng was not unacceptable.
But it was best to do it secretly!
This way.
Even if the allied forces for the imperial court made a comeback, he could still act as an inside informant for Ye Feng within the imperial court.
And Ye Feng clearly had the same idea.
Despite his confident claims to Zhang Miao yesterday that the Yellow Turbans would win,
That was just to deceive him!
Although he was optimistic about the Yellow Turbans and had instructed Yu Huatian to act as an inside informant in Luoyang,
He believed that as long as the Yellow Turbans were not fools, Luoyang would surely be captured.
But it was better to be safe than sorry!
What if there was a mutiny within the Yellow Turbans, and they decided not to attack the city? Ye Feng couldn't possibly hold their hands and lead them himself, could he?
He still had his reputation to uphold!
What was the point of all this effort and the roundabout way he had taken?
It was to make these two factions fight to the death.
If he could act personally, would he need all this trouble?
He would have swept through them long ago!
But he couldn't!
It wasn't because of reputation or anything like that, but simply because he lacked the energy and strength.
Yes!
He had a lot of summon cards in his inventory, and he could conjure hundreds of thousands of troops.
But it still wasn't enough!
To simultaneously suppress so many regions of the Han Dynasty, how could it be done without a million troops?
Perhaps as soon as you captured a county, they would recapture it the next day.
In that case, you would have to leave garrison troops, right?
At least a thousand men per county, right?
Even then, it wouldn't be safe!
Not to mention the great clans, the Yellow Turbans alone could gather tens of thousands of men in an instant.
What would you do?
Suppression by main force?
They would attack and retreat, not taking your cities. What could you do?
Given the current road conditions, by the time your main force arrived, it would be too late.
And they could attack multiple points simultaneously.
Think about later times.
After that great war was won, how many years did it take to suppress bandits?
And that was with cars, cannons, and all sorts of modern equipment.
In ancient times?
They could just find a mountain to hide in, and have a few archers shoot from a distance...
Hiss!
Just thinking about it made Ye Feng's scalp tingle.
Furthermore,
Even if a thousand men were left to guard each county, how much manpower would that require?
The Han Dynasty had thirteen provinces, over a hundred prefectures, and over a thousand counties.
Just the garrison troops would require a million soldiers.
Add the main force?
Therefore,
Before completely suppressing and resolving internal issues, Ye Feng had no intention of expanding too quickly.
He didn't want to be overwhelmed later.
It was precisely because of this,
That regardless of the outcome of this battle, he did not intend to get directly involved.
Because whichever side won would benefit him!
The Yellow Turbans won?
Then the great clans would surely not give up, and perhaps a second allied force would gradually emerge.
The great clans won?
Then the prestige of the imperial court would completely disappear after this incident.
Emperor Ling would perish at some unknown time.
Then,
The era of warlords would arrive, and the late Han Dynasty would completely enter an era of contention.
And he?
Wouldn't it be nice to secretly bring the young emperor over and play the role of Cao Cao, who favored wives of others?
What?
Cao Cao was a good husband to other people's wives?
This...
Ye Feng stated that if the opportunity arose, he wouldn't be opposed to it either?
.........
Although the matter was largely settled, Ye Feng still stayed in Chenliu for a few more days.
A gentle haven is a hero's grave; the ancestors' words held much truth.
Anyway,
By the fifth day when Ye Feng left, he boarded the carriage rubbing his lower back.
As for Bian Yuer?
She was too frail!
She couldn't compare to Yang Yanqi, who was accustomed to military life, so Ye Feng couldn't force her to travel with him.
After letting her go home to rest for a few days, she could go to Youzhou on her own.
Safety?
Don't joke!
Ye Feng didn't believe anyone could harm her under the escort of a thousand elite Xuanjia cavalry.
Yes!
To ensure Bian Yuer's safety, Ye Feng directly allocated a thousand elite Xuanjia cavalry to protect her.
This treatment...
Ye Feng didn't know how the person concerned felt, but her father, Kaiyang Jing Hou, was overjoyed.
"Yuer, it seems that Governor Ye likes you quite a bit!"
Returning home, Kaiyang Jing Hou Bian Yuan looked at his daughter with great joy.
"Did His Excellency the Governor say he wants to marry you?"
"This..."
Upon hearing Bian Yuan mention this, Bian Yuer's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously recalled the events of the past few days.
Well... her legs felt a little weak.
If possible, she wished she would never see that man again in her life.
But obviously,
She couldn't!
Although Ye Feng did not express his intention to marry her, he did grant her the status of a concubine.
"So that's how it is..."
Hearing this, Bian Yuan nodded and did not appear too disappointed.
He was quite aware of his family's standing.
Given their family's background, marrying into a family might allow her to be the main wife.
But to enter the doors of those powerful and wealthy families, being a concubine was already a very good treatment.
Didn't you see many unmarried women who could only be dancers?
So,
Bian Yuan was already satisfied that Bian Yuer could become Ye Feng's concubine.
However...
Thinking of his initial plan, Bian Yuan looked at Bian Yuer with some trepidation.
"Yuer, did His Excellency the Governor say how he would settle our family?"
"Don't worry, Father!"
After a brief period of composure, Bian Yuer forced herself to forget the events of the past few days and instead began to recall Ye Feng's kindness.
"Husband said that if you are willing, you can all go to Youzhou."
"Willing!"
"Of course, we are willing!"
Before Bian Yuer could finish speaking, Bian Yuan eagerly nodded in agreement.
He had wanted to find someone to defect to for a long time!
It was just that,
Over the years, the people he met either looked down on them, or he looked down on them.
Thinking about it,
There were only a few top noble families within the Han Dynasty, and would the young masters around them lack women?
Not at all!
It could be said that
Women were lining up to offer themselves, from the south city to the north city.
Useless!
The great clans valued matching backgrounds, and even when taking concubines, they would not want a dancer.
So,
Bian Yuan had no intention of going to Luoyang, and was looking for a suitable family.
But he didn't expect that,
Before he could take action, he was forcefully taken by Zhang Miao.
Host a distinguished guest!
Go or not?
If not, don't even think about staying in Chenliu today, they would immediately send you to prison.
Fortunately,
Although the process was not pleasant, Bian Yuan could accept this outcome.
That was the Governor of Youzhou, Ye Feng!
A rebel?
So what if he was a rebel!
The founding emperor of the Han Dynasty started his career by rebelling, who said rebels couldn't rule the world?
With the hundreds of thousands of troops under Ye Feng's command, who in the Han Dynasty could match him?
Besides,
The Han Dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and if they didn't leave soon, it would be too late.
He had heard of the brutality of the Yellow Turbans.
They left nothing behind!
Not to mention their prominent families, even ordinary people were swept up and became Yellow Turbans.
Unwilling?
If you are unwilling, then you will be cannon fodder for the next attack, as they are not short of people.
"Father?"
Bian Yuer's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Bian Yuan's thoughts.
"Hmm?"
Looking up at his daughter, Bian Yuan asked with concern:
"What is it?"
"Nothing!"
Bian Yuer shook her head helplessly and asked with a wry smile:
"Daughter wants to ask Father, when is a good time for us to go?"
"Now!"
"Ah?"
"Right now!"
To Bian Yuer's astonished expression, Bian Yuan said with determination:
"The Sili region is about to become a war zone. If we don't leave now, when will we leave?"
"But, but..."
"No buts!"
Waving away Bian Yuer's words, Bian Yuan said resolutely:
"Your father will have people pack our things now. We will set off as soon as possible!"
"The sooner the better!"
Saying this, and seeing Bian Yuer's reluctance, Bian Yuan said earnestly:
"My daughter!"
"You are now one of Governor Ye's wives!"
"If this news gets out, we won't be able to leave when we want to!"
"This..."
Bian Yuer, who had planned to rest for a few more days, could only agree with a pained expression.
She was too stressed!
After being tormented by a certain beast for several consecutive days, she now had to endure a long journey.
How did that saying go?
Beautiful woman,
Suffers what?