"Plop!"
Zuo Feng, already somewhat nervous, stumbled from the sudden shout and fell directly to the ground.
But he paid no mind, instead saying with frantic urgency:
"Lord Qin, spare my life, spare my life!"
"It was Liu Bei!"
"It was him!"
"He and that scoundrel Dong Zhuo jointly slandered His Majesty, saying that you only had ten thousand soldiers fit for use."
"His Majesty believed them, and that's why he decided to grant you the position of Governor."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Qin Feng nodded, a hint of realization appearing on his face.
He had been wondering,
Given the speed of information transmission in the late Han Dynasty, the court could at most have only heard of him by now.
A peace offer?
How could they decide on a peace offer without first experiencing a siege?
Now, this question was finally answered.
"Liu Bei, Liu Xuande?"
Qin Feng turned his gaze to Liu Bei, his expression playful as he asked:
"Your intelligence work doesn't seem to be quite up to par, does it?"
"This, I..."
Suddenly implicated, Liu Bei wished he could kill this eunuch Zuo Feng.
Why drag him into this?
Couldn't you have just said it was that fat scoundrel Dong Zhuo who reported it?
Besides,
If I hadn't gotten the information wrong, would I have ended up here like this?
Huh?
Wait a minute!
Liu Bei, consumed by anxiety, faltered, then turned ecstatic:
"Lord Qin, Lord Qin, Xuande was only doing this for your own good!"
"Hmm?"
Qin Feng subconsciously stroked his chin, crossing his arms.
"Continue!"
"Lord Qin, Xuande, Xuande speaks the truth!"
Seeing that Qin Feng seemed disbelieving, Liu Bei quickly analyzed:
"Look, Lord Qin."
"Ten thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry are not the same thing."
"If I hadn't downplayed your troop numbers, you might have received an imperial decree for a siege instead of a peace offer!"
"Is that so?"
Qin Feng nodded as if he understood, then said with a look of regret in front of Liu Bei's somewhat stunned expression:
"But I was hoping for a siege army, not a peace offer."
"This..."
The smile on Liu Bei's face instantly collapsed, and he stammered, unsure of what to say.
"Look!"
Before Liu Bei and the others could recover, Qin Feng pointed his finger towards Zhuo County.
"From being a commoner to taking Zhuo County, I only took a few days."
"If it weren't for the Wuhuan suddenly causing trouble, the entire Zhuo Commandery would be mine by now."
"Do you think I need a peace offer?"
"Oh, right..."
At this point, Qin Feng paused and then continued in a low voice:
"Who told you I only had ten thousand cavalry under my command?"
Liu Bei: "???"
Zuo Feng: "???"
...
The farce at the gate of Zhuo County did not last long.
As Qin Feng and his entourage departed, the commotion naturally dispersed.
No one was killed, of course.
After all,
Even in wartime, envoys are not killed. Killing Zuo Feng would have been meaningless.
As for Liu Bei and Guan Yu?
With the bond of Zhang Fei, Qin Feng felt it inappropriate to act against them.
He also wanted to see,
Without the help of Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, whether Liu the Charmer could still rise.
Within the Prefectural Governor's mansion,
Qin Feng, reclining on a rattan chair and enjoying himself, said with amusement:
"I didn't expect I'd be worth a Prefect Governor now."
"Heh heh~!"
Li Xiuning, who was massaging Qin Feng's shoulders, retorted with a light laugh:
"Even Prefect Governor Liu Qi awaits your summons; what is the position of Prefect Governor?"
"Liu Qi..."
As Li Xiuning's words fell, Qin Feng's brows furrowed slightly.
"Has the matter been clarified?"
"More or less!"
Li Xiuning stopped her movements, beckoned to Yang Yanqi beside her, then sat down next to Qin Feng.
"According to Zhou Zhi, the leader of the spearmen, the influential families in the city became restless the day we left Zhuo County."
"Including Wang Tie, whom you entrusted with important tasks, they had all expressed thoughts of seeking alternative paths."
"Liu Qi did not?"
"No!"
Li Xiuning nodded affirmatively, then continued:
"It is said that Liu Qi not only had no such intentions but also advised them to remain steadfast and not be tempted by others."
"What about those people in prison?"
"Them?"
Thinking of something, a smile touched Li Xiuning's lips.
"They are all the ones who came to their senses afterward and prepared to flee."
"Liu Qi did it?"
"Yes!"
At this point, Li Xiuning sighed with emotion:
"I don't know what kind of intoxicating potion you gave him to make him bet so heavily on you."
"I'm curious too!"
Having confirmed that Liu Qi was not problematic, Qin Feng was also perplexed.
Does this brother of mine have such charisma?
After stealing your Zhuo Commandery, you're still so devoted?
It doesn't make sense!
Never mind!
There's no point in dwelling on it now; might as well wait and see.
Even if you're a cunning old fox, you probably can't outplay a cheat.
Reassured, Qin Feng thought for a moment and instructed Li Xiuning:
"Xiuning, go prepare some gifts. We're going to pay a visit to the Liu family!"
"To visit?"
"Yes!"
Qin Feng nodded affirmatively, smiling as he explained:
"Since he supports me so much, I can't disappoint him, can I?"
"Not only will we visit him!"
"If he has any descendants, I can even hand over a portion of the army to him."
"This..."
Speaking of the army, Li Xiuning slightly frowned, hesitating:
"Can all your soldiers be as trustworthy as Zhou Zhi and his men?"
"More or less!"
"Then there's no problem!"
Seeing Qin Feng's confidence, Li Xiuning swallowed her advice.
There was no choice!
The loyalty of those spearmen truly surprised her.
If only individual generals were loyal, it would be understandable.
But how could those influential families of Zhuo County not even bribe a single soldier?
They had just handed over the money, and the next moment it was turned in.
And that was gold!
Thinking of the two large chests of gold that Zhou Zhi had brought, Li Xiuning couldn't help but sigh:
"These influential families of Zhuo County are truly exceptionally wealthy!"
"Heh~!"
Hearing Li Xiuning say that, Qin Feng scoffed dismissively.
"It's all ill-gotten gains from the people; not a single one of them is good!"
"Besides selling salt and iron to foreigners, what else can they do?"
"Don't they know where the foreigners get their gold and silver?"
"They are so happy to aid the enemy!"
"They are typical examples of those who don't feel the pain until the blade is at their own throats."
"That's true..."
Thinking of the treasures plundered by the foreigners, Li Xiuning's brows also furrowed.
"My Lord, it's not just the people of Zhuo County doing business with the foreigners. How do you plan to deal with the others?"
"That will depend on whether those foreigners behave themselves!"
"Hmm?"
Li Xiuning blinked blankly, slightly unable to follow Qin Feng's train of thought.
Weren't we just talking about those traitors?
Why did it suddenly shift to the foreigners?
Could it be...
You intend to exterminate all the foreigners so they have no business to conduct?