Chapter 21: Lü Bu is forced to bow down to his adoptive father

  As soon as he saw Ding Yuan arrive, Gao Shun hastily paid his respects and asked after his well-being. Only Lü Bu ignored him and glared at Ding Yuan in anger.

  Ding Yuan saw Lü Bu like this, and didn't get angry. He just smiled slightly, "Fengyi, you go down first, I want to talk to Fengxian alone for a few words."

  Gao Shun retreated from the military tent, and after he left, Ding Yuan said to Lü Bu: "Fengxian, I know you're not satisfied with me, but I had no choice. You two violated military discipline first, although you also killed Tan Shi Huai, I still have to give an account to others. As the governor of a state, if subordinates violate military discipline and are not severely punished, how can I convince the masses? Fortunately, your merit in killing Tan Shi Huai offsets your fault, so people below won't say anything."

  Ding Yuan was explaining to Lü Bu, and if you didn't know better, you'd think it was a family elder and younger member chatting and discussing matters of the heart. At this time, Ding Yuan didn't have much of his usual haughty air about him.

  Lü Bu was a man who yielded to softness but not to hardness. As soon as he saw Ding Yuan, he said so, and he no longer glared at Ding Yuan with anger. Ding Yuan saw it and continued: "Fengxian, although you can't continue in the army, you can stay by my side as a chief clerk. And I have always appreciated you very much. This year I am forty-one years old, with no children, from now on you are my son, Ding Yuanyang!"

  Chief Clerk? Lü Bu thought he was going to be an official, but didn't expect Ding Yuan wouldn't let him stay in the army anymore. This is clearly a move to guard against himself! Adopted son? Bah! Clearly just wants me to die for him!

  As expected, Ding Yuan spoke up again, "Although Feng Xian is not in the army, but from now on, if there are any battles, Feng Xian can also be a general, wear armor and go to battle, fight on the battlefield!"

  It's indeed the case, they just want to take advantage of me. Lü Bu may not be very wise, but he's not stupid either. He wanted to refuse, but Ding Yuan's tone had a sense of not allowing refusal. Maybe if he refused today, he might not even be able to leave the valley afterwards. When you're under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to lower your head.

  Thinking of this, Lü Bu knelt down in front of Ding Yuan, "Lü Bu has met his adoptive father!" He said as he kowtowed. But in his heart, he thought, I, a nine-foot-tall man, today actually have to kneel in front of you and kowtow to acknowledge my adoptive father, one day I will definitely wash away the shame of today!

  "Quickly, please get up!" said Ding Yuan, as he hurried to help Lü Bu up with both hands. Ding Yuan was overjoyed in his heart, thinking that from now on he could make good use of Lü Bu. Little did he know that the seeds of hatred had already been sown in Lü Bu's heart, and they were slowly taking root and sprouting.

  Ding Yuan only saw the benefits in front of him, but didn't know that danger had already been placed beside him. He looked down on Lü Bu, thinking that Lü Bu was just a brave warrior with no strategy, only knowing how to wield his halberd and kill, and wouldn't amount to much. Today, he forced Lü Bu to acknowledge him as his adoptive father, and from now on, he could make good use of him to do things.

  Ding Yuan himself was also a military general, but he thought he was much stronger than Lü Bu. Otherwise, why would he be the governor and Lü Bu just one of his generals?

  But he never thought that he could keep Lü Bu under control for one day, two days, a year, or two years... As the saying goes, "things will turn against you when they reach an extreme", how long can Lü Bu remain docile? When he stops being docile and shows his claws, what will Ding Yuan do? Our great governor Ding thought he had gained the upper hand, but didn't realize that he and Lü Bu were evenly matched, and in some ways, he was even inferior to Lü Bu.

  After helping Lü Bu up, Ding Yuan became more and more pleased with himself. What a mighty general! With Lü Fengxian in the province, who can rival him on the battlefield?

  "Offering sacrifices to ancestors, great! Tonight, your father will host a banquet in the grand tent to announce the good news of Ding Yuan and Ding Jianyang recognizing you as their sworn son!"

  "It's all up to my adoptive father's arrangement!" Lü Bu smiled on his face, but in his heart, he couldn't help but feel extremely resentful.

  "Alright, alright!" Ding Yuan smiled and patted Lü Bu on the back before turning around and leaving the military tent.

  Before long, Gao Shun, Zhang Yang and Ma Chao successively entered the military account to ask about the situation. It seems that after Gao Shun went out earlier, he brought all of them here. Seeing them, Lü Bu, who had been cold-faced since Ding Yuan left, showed a hint of a smile.

  "Gao Xian, how is it?" Gao Shun asked with concern.

  "Yes, what did Ding Jianyang say to you?" This was asked by Zhang Yang, while Ma Chao didn't say anything and just stood beside Zhang Yang.

  Lü Bu then told them what Ding Yuan had said in the tent, and Gao Shun and Zhang Yang looked at each other in surprise, clearly this was beyond their expectations. Ma Chao seemed to be deep in thought. So that's how it was, now Lü Bu has made Ding Yuan his adoptive father, and Ding Yuan is not far from death. Ma Chao let out a soft sigh, but it was unclear whether it was for Ding Yuan or Lü Bu.

  "Feng Xian is a born general on the battlefield, how can he be a chief clerk?" Zhang Yang spoke directly, saying whatever came to his mind.

  Gao Shun listened and quickly pulled him, "Zhi Shu, although Ding Jianyang doesn't allow Feng Xian to be in the army anymore, he said that if there's a war, Feng Xian can still go out to battle, and I believe Feng Xian also has his own plans!"

  He finished speaking and looked at Lü Bu again. Although Lü Bu had a smile on his face, Gao Shun felt that the Lü Bu in front of him was very unfamiliar. Perhaps from now on, Lü Bu would no longer be the Lü Fengxian he used to know. From now on, everyone could only become more and more distant from each other. How did he have such thoughts? Gao Shun hastily shook his head vigorously, trying to throw away the messy thoughts in his mind.

  "This is a good thing, although I won't be continuing in the military, my adoptive father said I can still go to the battlefield. Being a chief clerk is also good, and I have an adoptive father who is a governor, you should all be happy for me!"

  "Gao Xiang..." Gao Shun wanted to say something, but was stopped by Lü Bu.

  "Fu Yi, we've known each other for so many years, don't you understand me yet? In this life, I love nothing more than fighting on the battlefield and being an official. Now that I have both of these wonderful things, I'm truly delighted!" Lü Bu said with a smile, while Gao Shun could only shake his head in dismay.

  "Tonight, Father is hosting a banquet to celebrate, and none of you can be absent!"

  "Of course, of course." Gao Shun responded perfunctorily, while Zhang Yang and Ma Chao also nodded in agreement.

  "Alright, I'll go to my adoptive father's place first." With that, Lü Bu turned around and left the military tent.

  No one saw Lü Bu's expression after he left the military account, his face was cold as frost.

  Zhang Yang and Ma Chao also returned to their camp. Zhang Yang asked Ma Chao, "Brother Mengqi, don't you think that Lord Cao was very strange today?"

  "Strange? No way." Ma Chao thought to himself, I certainly can't tell you that he's going to kill Ding Yuan.

  Zhang Yang didn't hear any useful answer and could only helplessly shake his head.

  Ma Chao is now thinking more about another matter, he saw the recruitment notice in Yunzhong City and joined the Pingzhou Army nearly four months ago. Now that he has been to Pohan Mountain, witnessed Lü Bu's revenge, and feels that his trip to Pingzhou has been very fulfilling, he wants to leave as soon as possible, but he doesn't know how to tell Zhang Yang.

  If I just leave like this, how can I meet friends in the future? Although I haven't been in contact with Zhang Yang for a long time, we have already recognized each other as friends. It's really not okay to leave without saying goodbye. Anyway, it's inevitable to leave eventually, so I might as well wait until after attending Ding Yuan's dinner party and then say goodbye to Zhang Yang.

  Having made up his mind, Ma Chao didn't think much about it anymore. The two entered the tent, Zhang Yang seemed to be thinking about something, while Ma Chao was extremely bored. He should have brought all the books with him, but when he entered Pingzhou Army, he didn't bring anything and left everything in the house he bought in Yunzhong City.

  He also thought of Liu and Ma Teng, his younger brother and sister, teacher Yan Zhong, Mr. Cui and his son Cui An. It is not known whether Cui An escorted Cai Yong's father and daughter back to Wu County or not, but according to the time, they should have returned. At that time, he had agreed with him that after returning, he would go to Yunzhong, but he didn't see himself waiting there all the time. The money he brought was absolutely enough to spend, but it's unknown whether he listened to his words or not.

  Thinking of this, Ma Chao felt a bit anxious and wanted to hurry back to Yunzhong to take a look. He looked at Zhang Yang and felt a little reluctant. In the evening, Gao Shun came to find Zhang Yang to go to Ding Yuan's tent together for a banquet. With their current official positions, Ding Yuan would not have invited them, but because they were friends of Lü Bu, Ding Yuan didn't care. Moreover, those who originally had the qualifications to sit in the tent and drink were not there, so they went just to make up the numbers.

  Gao Shun and the other two arrived at Ding Yuan's large tent, after entering the tent, the three first paid their respects to Ding Yuan. Ding Yuan waved his hand, "Three of you, take a seat!"

  Ding Yuan sat in the center of the tent, with Lü Bu to his left and the young general who had first pleaded for Lü Bu's cause on his right. Next to him was another general. Gao Shun took a seat beside Lü Bu, while Zhang Yang sat beside Gao Shun. Ma Chao sat opposite Zhang Yang, which meant that there were three people seated on either side of Ding Yuan, creating a symmetrical arrangement.

  "Except for Feng Xian, you are not familiar with each other, so let me introduce everyone first!" Ding Yuan said this mainly to let Gao Shun and the two young generals on his right side get acquainted.

  Ding Yuan pointed at Lü Bu with his hand and said, "My adopted son Lü Bu, Lü Fengxian, is now the chief clerk. All of you should know him!"

  Lü Bu made a fist and bowed to those around him, his body turning ninety degrees, which was his way of greeting everyone present.

  "This is Yanmen Zhang Liao."

  Zhang Liao? Ma Chao raised an eyebrow, but having seen many impressive people before, he didn't have much of a reaction. However, he was still interested and took a few glances at Zhang Liao.

  Zhang Liao also clasped his fist and greeted the others.

  Ding Yuan pointed at Gao Shun again, "This is Gao Shun, Gao Fu's brother." Gao Shun also greeted everyone.

  Then Ding Yuan introduced another young general beside Zhang Liao, "This is Cao Xing." Cao Xing also greeted the others.

  Ma Chao also glanced at him a few times, because Cao Xing was next to him, and when he looked at others, they also took a look at him.

  Ding Yuan then introduced Zhang Yang and Ma Chao, after which everyone had met each other and the banquet began.

  Ma Chao didn't care about others, he was starving and started eating on his own, while everyone else was thinking their own thoughts and nobody paid attention to him.

  At this time, Ding Yuan spoke up, "Everyone present is a talent in our Pingzhou army. Here, I, Ding Jianyang, offer a toast to each of you!"

  Ding Yuan had already finished his cup, and Ma Chao couldn't eat like that anymore. He also learned from others, picked up the cup against Ding Yuan, and drank the wine in one gulp.

  "I have already reported to the whole army that I will take care of the matter as a righteous son!" After Ding Yuan finished speaking, everyone below raised their cups again. "Congratulations, Governor, congratulations, Chief Clerk Lü!" Ding Yuan smiled and took a sip of wine, while Lü Bu also smiled at everyone, but only Ma Chao knew clearly that hidden behind Lü Bu's smile was a sharp dagger.

  Ma Chao continued to struggle with food, and before long, everyone had eaten and drunk enough. They bid farewell to Ding Yuan and returned to their respective camps. Lü Bu and Gao Shun returned to Gao Shun's camp, while Ma Chao and Zhang Yang naturally returned to Zhang Yang's camp.

  At the banquet, Ma Chao also chatted with Zhang Liao and Cao Xing for a few words. Zhang Liao and Cao Xing were of the same age, both sixteen this year, they had some interest in Ma Chao too, but how could Ma Chao possibly tell them many true words? So it was Zhang Liao who spoke more truth, while Ma Chao spoke more falsehoods.

  He and Zhang Yang returned to the account, he thought about whether to say directly that he wanted to leave now, but it's not possible to leave even if he leaves now. Ding Yuan stationed 10,000 Pingzhou troops in this valley, and because the governor was here, the valley was heavily guarded, and no one could enter or exit without the governor's order.

  Of course, with Ma Chao's skills, it's not impossible to knock out the guards and sneak away quietly later. But if he did that, he would be discovered by other guards and then chased all the way by the Pingzhou army, which is not what he wants.

  He looked at Zhang Yang and said, "Young Master Zhang, I have something to say to you!"

  Zhang Yang also took a look at Ma Chao, "Mengqi brothers, if you have something to say, just say it, this doesn't seem like you!"

  Ma Chao smiled and rubbed his nose. "Young Master, I'm preparing to leave."

  "Leave? Where to?"

  "I'll head back to Yunzhong first, where I should have some friends waiting for me. After we gather, we might go to Youzhou or Jizhou!" Ma Chao spoke the truth, after all Zhang Yang was a friend, so there was nothing he couldn't say.

  "It seems that Brother Mengqi is determined to leave. Well, Brother Mengqi, I have never been able to see through you. You say you are only ten years old, but you do things with such maturity, sometimes I even think you are older than us!"

  Ma Chao heard this and couldn't help but smile wryly, Zhang Yang was right.

  "Since Mengqi brothers have their own plans, then go. However, the valley is heavily guarded now, and it's probably very difficult to get out."

  "Yes, young uncle, I've been thinking about how to get out too!"

  At this time, Zhang Yang's eyes rolled over, "Got it, Brother Mengqi, I remembered. At the previous dinner party, I had a few words with Feng Xian, and he mentioned that the whole army would follow the governor back to JinYang in two days. Isn't this a great opportunity?"

  Ma Chao slapped his thigh, "That's right, this is indeed the best opportunity. At that time, I'll just improvise!" Ma Chao said confidently.

  The day after tomorrow, the army will return to Jinyang, which is a good opportunity. On the way, he just needs to take advantage of people's unpreparedness and escape.