Yu Hua Tian clearly distinguished that the voice belonged to Ye Feng.
But, impossible?
How could Ye Feng spare his life? He must be hallucinating.
"Bold thief, to impersonate the Lord! I will make sure you have no burial ground."
Yu Hua Tian's movements grew faster and faster.
The coldness of the dagger made Zuo Ci tremble a few times, and blood dripped down.
"You foolish wretch, who told you to make a move?"
Yu Hua Tian heard an angry shout, and his body was uncontrollably sent flying backward. Looking up, he met Ye Feng's cold gaze.
"Lord, didn't you just tell me to act? Now?"
Yu Hua Tian was completely bewildered and spoke without restraint. Ye Feng, unaccustomed to such bad habits, cursed him.
"I am the Lord, listen to me!" He then got up to help Zuo Ci, untying all the ropes on Zuo Ci's body and showing great concern.
"Is what the esteemed sir just said true?"
Facing the ferocious Ye Feng, Zuo Ci shivered but did not dare to delay, quickly replying.
"Did the King of Chu speak of Heaven's indifference to me?"
"No, the previous sentence!" Ye Feng said without hesitation. "Didn't you just say you would join forces with the Yellow Turban rebels, no, the Yellow Turban Army to deal with those noble families? Is that true?"
Zuo Ci had no time to worry about anything else and quickly nodded in agreement. This was his current mission, and if he completed it, he could feast and drink with Zhang Bao.
Moreover, Ding Yuan could become Zhang Bao's confidant, swayed by imperial power and troubled by Ye Feng's strength.
That day, he had used his methods. If this matter was handled well, wouldn't he smoothly become the Imperial Preceptor?
His plan was indeed excellent, but Zhang Bao, having seen the strong will of ordinary Embroidered Uniform Guard, had long since fled!
"It's true, a promise is a promise. As long as the King of Chu agrees, I will mediate this matter." Zuo Ci nodded heavily, fearing Ye Feng would go back on his word.
Only then did Ye Feng relax, sat behind the desk, signed his seal in a few strokes, and handed it to Zuo Ci, saying solemnly, "Esteemed sir, please take this. I, your king, will surely assist the Yellow Turban Army and reduce those so-called noble families to ashes!"
Zuo Ci touched the seal on his chest and walked out of the military camp a few steps later, heading towards Luoyang.
Yu Hua Tian, facing Ye Feng, was utterly bewildered. Why would Ye Feng agree to such a thankless task? It was as if he had picked up a bargain.
"Do you have many questions you wish to ask your king?"
"I dare not!" Yu Hua Tian, after all, was a general provided by the system, and was quite sensible at this moment.
Ye Feng was not one to be dictatorial. In a rare good mood, he decided to explain things thoroughly to Yu Hua Tian.
"Never mind anything else, the noble families have become a tumor in the Great Han. If they are not removed, they will surely become a serious threat."
Ye Feng's eyes were bright and he spoke righteously, "I, Ye Feng, want to use this opportunity to deal with both the noble family alliance and the Yellow Turban rebels, who will be locked in a mutual destruction, and restore peace and order to the Great Han!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Hua Tian and the others' eyes lit up.
The real situation was that as long as the noble family alliance and the Yellow Turban rebels clashed at Taohua Mountain, with his elite troops, it would be a piece of cake.
Then there would be another wave of gift packages, followed by the elimination of those foreign tribes, and the world would be pacified, which was just around the corner!
And it would all be Ye Feng's world.
Unbeknownst to him, his perfunctory words were clearly heard by Emperor Ling outside. The Emperor was instantly moved to tears and hurried forward to grasp Ye Feng's hand.
"I thought the King of Chu had ulterior motives for saving me, but I never expected that the King of Chu was so loyal to the Great Han. I now understand that everything the King of Chu does is for the Great Han."
Before Ye Feng could react, Emperor Ling waved his sleeve and announced to everyone, "From now on, wherever the King of Chu goes, it is as if I myself am present. Furthermore, any rebels the King of Chu defeats are enemies of the Great Han, and anyone can raise an army to fight them."
Ye Feng, in a daze, accepted Emperor Ling's command. Meanwhile, Wang Yue, who had learned that Yuan Shu had fallen into Zhang Bao's hands, rushed to Zhang Jiao's place. Zhang Bao had already fled, and only Lu Zhi still believed he had everything under control.
Zhang Jiao looked at the mess before him and sighed helplessly.
With so many people, what would they eat and drink?
Coupled with Zhang Bao taking captives, the food supply for so many people became a major problem.
Robbery? Impossible.
He had already dug three feet into the ground and taken everything edible.
Could it be that he really had to sweep through foreign tribes like Ye Feng? He didn't have that ability.
For a moment, he became worried.
"General, someone is asking to see you outside, saying they can solve your urgent problem."
Desperate, Zhang Jiao couldn't care less and was furious.
"Never mind who it is, tell him to get lost! I don't want to see anyone!"
The subordinates received the order and retreated listlessly, complaining.
"I knew the general wouldn't see that Wang Yue. Now look..."
"You also agreed because of the money, otherwise why would you have agreed!"
Wait, Wang Yue?
Zhang Jiao frowned. He remembered that this seemed to be a talented person.
If what was said was true, wouldn't he be immensely rewarded?
"Wait, bring him in!" Zhang Jiao said righteously.
Having already set his sights on benefiting from Wang Yue, he naturally put on a kind and approachable demeanor, acting humble and respectful of talent.
"I have long heard of your great talent, sir, and I am honored to meet you today. Please, come in!"
Wang Yue was surprised. He had never heard of the Heavenly Duke General Zhang Jiao being so "approachable." However, since he needed a favor, he put on a professional smile.
"General, what are you saying? My small reputation is insignificant compared to the great name of the Heavenly Duke General."
Zhang Jiao placed his hands on Wang Yue's shoulders, "Today, we must have a good drink. Bring wine!"
Enduring his discomfort, Wang Yue couldn't help but inwardly grumble, could it be that Zhang Jiao was his true confidant?
No! Wang must still become the Grand Commandant.
"General, I have a pressing matter to request your assistance with today. Please lend me a hand!"
Wang Yue cupped his hands and spoke directly.
"Clack!" The chopsticks fell to the ground. Zhang Jiao suddenly remembered that it seemed Wang Yue was supposed to solve his problem, but it had reversed.
"Easily said, easily said. Let's drink, let's drink." Zhang Jiao chuckled and asked, "What do you think of the current situation, sir?"
"How can I understand the situation of the world!"
"Then how do we get enough grain, after all, the Yellow Turban Army is currently..."
Wang Yue was stunned. Was this the process of asking for help? He subconsciously shook his head.
Zhang Jiao took a deep breath, clearly showing displeasure. "Aren't you here to help me solve my problem!"
"I know this one!" Wang Yue quickly responded.
"To be frank, please persuade your younger brother to release the young master of the Yuan family, who is from a family of four generations of dukes. I, Wang, will also owe you brothers a favor!"
This statement struck Zhang Jiao like lightning.
What?
And he had provoked the noble families!
He originally just wanted to capture a few cities for his brothers to eat and drink.
What other idiotic thing had Zhang Bao done!
"Nonsense, we brothers have never done such a thing. You shouldn't listen to those scoundrels and question me, General." Zhang Jiao turned around coldly. "Guards, escort him out!"
The guards rushed forward, holding sabers and axes, ready to attack Wang Yue.
Wang Yue drew his sword slightly, his face trembling.
He just wanted to use the fact that Zhang Jiao was a fellow countryman of his great-uncle to get Zhang Bao to release Yuan Shu.
Perhaps he could be promoted three ranks beyond Grand Commandant, but now, what was this?
Despite this, Wang Yue still smiled artificially. "General, have you truly considered this? If I were to fight, I could still take down one or two of you at the cost of my life."
"Feel free to try. Attack!" Zhang Jiao gave the order, adhering to the principle that if he didn't admit it, it wasn't a siege of Yuan Shu, and he continued to condemn Wang Yue for being too overbearing.
"Wang Yue, you won't be leaving today. I thought you could solve the problem, but it seems I was mistaken to trust you," Zhang Jiao said sternly. "You even want to pin the blame for losing Yuan Shu on me. Do you really think I have no temper?"
Zhang Jiao was not afraid of the noble family alliance; he still had so many Yellow Turban soldiers. Forcibly suppressing his emotions, Zhang Jiao directed his men to clear a path for Wang Yue to leave, while waiting for an opportunity.
"You scoundrel Zhang Jiao, how dare you say this wasn't your plan and that you are completely unaware of it?" Wang Yue, holding his sword, killed a Yellow Turban soldier and spat out a mouthful of phlegm. "Do you think everyone in the world is being deceived by you?"
"I, this general, only speak with evidence. Furthermore, Heaven is dead, this is destiny. You mere mortals, dare to defy Heaven!"
"Today, Wang will show you that mortals can defy Heaven." Wang Yue spoke with righteous indignation, but in his heart, he was already cursing profusely from anxiety.
If only he hadn't been so greedy.
Moreover, with just his word, how could Zhang Jiao possibly believe the information he had gathered?
As soon as the words fell, a commotion was heard from outside. Zhang Jiao's expression turned serious as he stared outside. "Who is making noise outside? Bring them in."
Looking up, a Yellow Turban soldier with a quiver on his back knelt on the ground, his face beaming with joy. "Congratulations, General, congratulations! General Zhang Bao has successfully captured Luoyang, and all the young masters of the noble families have been captured."
Before Zhang Bao could intervene, Wang Yue drew his sword and said coldly, "General, how do you explain this?"
"You foolish wretch, where did you hear this? How dare you spread it! Drag him away and beat him eighty times!"
Zhang Jiao clearly did not want to offend Wang Yue, or rather, did not want to be attacked from both sides. Before he could speak, he heard the Yellow Turban soldier exclaim.
"General has already let those young masters of the noble families go. Now, the ones who want to deal with him are not us, but the noble family alliance, the noble family alliance!"
"Wait," Zhang Bao raised his hand, his brows furrowed. "What did you just say? The noble family alliance wants to deal with Yuan Shu?"
"You foolish wretch, how is that possible?"
Wang Yue, thinking of Yuan Gong's deep love for his son, immediately cursed. Conversely, Zhang Bao, an outsider, saw it clearly.
"Otherwise, my brother would never lie. Perhaps you are not aware, but this matter has changed!"
"I, Wang, would like to hear what other wise opinions you have, General!"
Wang Yue sat down behind the desk, picked up a wine bowl, and stared intently at Zhang Jiao, not forgetting to keep one hand on his sword hilt.
As long as Zhang Jiao made any small moves, he would, even if he died, take a few people down with him as burial companions!