The white-faced eunuch stared at the black-clad, black-armored cavalry in the distance, radiating an aura of formidable power. He wished he could slap Liu Bei to death.
Did this count as "a few more"?
Were they blind?!
A thousand?
Just by the endless formation, anyone would believe it was ten thousand!
What did that represent?
Rebellion!
Even though the Yellow Turban threat was great, Emperor Ling wouldn't ignore ten thousand cavalry.
Or rather,
Even if Emperor Ling was so foolish he didn't want to deal with it, the vested interests of the Han dynasty would first eliminate *you*.
Did they really think the Han dynasty had no one?
That was because you hadn't touched what belonged to them.
The Qiang and Hu were powerful, weren't they?
They could muster tens of thousands of cavalry at any time, unstoppable in their conquests.
Yet, weren't they firmly suppressed in Liangzhou by the Han?
Simply put,
If you gathered a few thousand people to cause a commotion and then suppressed them, earning some battle achievements, it wouldn't be a big deal.
As long as no one else wanted the position you were aiming for, and you greased a few palms.
This way, everyone would be happy.
But if you truly wanted to rebel?
Dream on!
Even if the court couldn't suppress you, the noble families would pool their resources and crush you.
Wasn't the Yellow Turban Rebellion precisely like this?
In the beginning, it was the noble families who wanted to divide military power.
It was just that things got a bit out of hand later.
Otherwise, do you really think those peasants could have obtained so much weaponry and armor?
This wasn't like food and grain, which could be seized by breaking into a city.
The salt and iron controls in the late Han were extremely strict.
Smuggling might go unnoticed, but could you hide it if it scaled up?
Especially when the so-called Great Teacher of Wisdom rallied everyone, and dozens of provinces and counties rose in revolt.
This couldn't have been orchestrated by mere peasants.
Furthermore,
After the imperial army suffered defeat, the Great Teacher of Wisdom immediately died.
Wasn't that clear enough?
Therefore,
Upon realizing the situation was not as expected, the young eunuch panicked.
He was an emissary!
If rebels were discovered by an emissary like him, what would their fate be? It was self-evident.
Meanwhile, Liu Bei, standing beside him, hadn't thought that far. Instead, he said excitedly:
"Eunuch Zuo, did you see? I told you they were going to rebel!"
"..."
The white-faced eunuch, already flustered, now wished for death.
I knew he was going to rebel, but I didn't expect him to *actually* rebel!
What should I do now?
Run?
Glancing at the approaching cavalry, the eunuch quickly dismissed the idea of escaping.
It was simply impossible.
But if he didn't run?
Once he met the main force, there would be no chance to escape!
Offering terms of appeasement?
Appease who!
It would be a display of civilization if they didn't dismember him and send him back.
Fortunately,
After a brief moment of excitement, Liu Bei also seemed to regain some composure.
The situation seemed a bit off?
Too many soldiers!
If Qin Feng only had ten thousand infantry, then the imperial court would have been the dominant party, and appeasement would have been a reward.
But now it was the reverse!
With such elite cavalry, couldn't they even launch a surprise attack on Luoyang?
Moreover, who knew how many men they actually had?
And,
The idea of appeasement was solely Dong Zhuo's wishful thinking. It was uncertain whether they would accept it or not!
If they refused... walking into a trap?
"Thump~!"
Liu Bei's legs weakened, and he accidentally fell off his horse.
"Big Brother, are you alright?"
Guan Yu saw this and quickly dismounted to help him up.
"I'm, I'm fine..."
After being helped up by Guan Yu, Liu Bei looked at him with hope.
"Second Brother, do you think we can break out of here now?"
"N-now?"
Looking up at the cavalry close at hand, Guan Yu gave him a look as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"
"Big Brother, what do you think?"
"I, I..."
Already vaguely surrounded by cavalry, Liu Bei's legs went weak, and he knelt down again.
"Let's just kneel. It might be more comfortable to kneel!"
"..."
Guan Yu's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't stop him.
Of course!
He didn't kneel down with him.
After all,
It was his elder brother who had informed on them, and it was also his elder brother who had incited Dong Zhuo to dispatch troops. He was merely a messenger.
Besides,
If he couldn't lead his elder brother out, it didn't mean he himself couldn't get out.
...
Meanwhile,
Qin Feng, lying in a four-wheeled carriage, was comfortably enjoying the service of Li Xiuning and Yang Yanqi.
Well,
If you thought otherwise, go face the wall. It was just a simple massage.
"Master~!"
While massaging Qin Feng's shoulders, Li Xiuning surveyed the interior of the carriage.
"Your carriage is so luxurious, why didn't you get any supply carts?"
"..."
Qin Feng, who had intended to show off, was immediately exasperated.
This strategist was truly dedicated.
Thinking about supply carts at a time like this?
Yang Yanqi, however, hadn't thought that far. She merely said with some surprise:
"Master, why doesn't this carriage feel bumpy at all?"
"This is high technology!"
Struck by the point, Qin Feng proudly introduced:
"Because this carriage has springs and rubber tires installed underneath."
"Not only does it ride smoothly, but it's also much faster than ordinary carriages."
"Springs and rubber tires?"
Yang Yanqi and Li Xiuning exchanged glances, both shaking their heads in confusion.
"Never heard of them!"
"Uh..." m..oΓg
Qin Feng gestured for a long time, unsure how to explain these two things. Helplessly, he steered the conversation back.
"That said, Xiuning..."
"I did prepare supply carts, but I was in too much of a hurry last time, so I didn't bring them."
"Really!"
"If you don't believe me, I'll get you a hundred of them when I get back..."
"Report!"
Before Qin Feng could finish speaking, a scout's voice came from outside.
"What is it?"
Qin Feng lifted the curtain and looked at the slightly out-of-breath scout outside.
"Reporting to Master, there are imperial troops outside Zhuo County!"
"What?!"
Qin Feng's expression froze. He immediately went from lying down to sitting up.
"Did you find out which army it is? How many soldiers are there?"
"It's the Imperial Guard!"
"What the heck?"
If Qin Feng was merely surprised just now, he was now astonished.
The Imperial Guard?
What was going on?
Even if the Five Battalions of the Northern Army had come, why would the Imperial Guard show up?
As if sensing Qin Feng's confusion, the scout added:
"According to their report, they are here to deliver an imperial decree offering terms of appeasement!"
"Appeasement?"
Qin Feng, already full of questions, was now completely bewildered.
Had his reputation grown so great?
In such a short time?
The imperial court had already sent a decree offering appeasement?
This didn't make sense!
Deeply puzzled, Qin Feng subconsciously looked at Li Xiuning beside him.
"Xiuning, what do you think?"
"Perhaps the noble families of Zhuo Commandery, or someone else, reported your presence to the court."
Li Xiuning didn't seem surprised by this. She shook her head and smiled:
"It seems the court is facing even greater trouble than we imagined."
"They even skipped the encirclement and suppression and directly issued a decree of appeasement?"
"I just don't know what position they offered you."
"Heh heh..."