Volume 1 Chapter 38 The Father of the Unparalleled General

  Before I start, I would like to thank book friends Water Cement Forest ace for their reward and book friend Jing Tian Chang for their 10-point evaluation vote. Thank you all for your support!

  Deng Ai's name is undoubtedly a powerful shock and impact for Yuan Shang, of course, what is mixed in it is more attractive.

  Historically, in the late period of Shu Han and Cao Wei's warfare, the two most important figures were undoubtedly Jiang Wei and Deng Ai.

  These two men have extremely high military literacy, whether it's deploying troops, using tactics or strategies, they can be described as having a hundred tricks up their sleeves, changing and adapting to the situation, beyond what ordinary people can achieve.

  As for the Battle of Yinping, Deng Ai was able to do what ordinary people could not, and did what ordinary people could not do. He led his army to tread on danger, fought against heaven and earth, and struggled against nature. In the end, he broke out from the Ghost Gate Pass, and in one fell swoop, killed into the Chengdu Plain, occupied the capital of Shu, and destroyed the Shu Han state, achieving a feat that would be remembered for generations to come.

  Now, this future great man was lying quietly in his mother's arms, half-closing his eyes and sleeping soundly, the lovely appearance of his childhood was fully displayed before Yuan Shang.

  Looking at the young Deng Ai, Yuan Shang's eyes involuntarily lit up.

  Compared with other famous figures of the same period, including Jiang Wei and Zhong Hui, Yuan Shang thought that Deng Ai was truly a rare talent in the world!

  Compared with Jiang Wei, who followed Zhuge Liang as his master, and Zhong Hui, who came from a noble family, Deng Ai, although born into a prominent clan in Xinye, had lost his father at an early age, lived a hard and struggling life, and did not receive any guidance from famous teachers. He even worked as a cowherd boy. His later achievements were almost entirely due to his own efforts and innate sensitivity to war.

  It can be said that such a commander is completely a gift from heaven!

  He was born for the battlefield, no need for excessive polishing from the outside world, no need for unnecessary pressure from the outside world. As long as the environment is right and the atmosphere is appropriate, let him grow naturally, his future achievements will naturally emerge. Too much indoctrination can affect his thinking way and growth process in the future.

  A fool would let go of meat on his lips!

  Yuan Shang patted Deng Xian's shoulder and asked, "Deng Xian, I recall you once told me that you're from Yiyang, Zigui, which is also known as XinYe county in Jingzhou, right?"

  Deng Xian did not expect that Yuan Shang would bring up this topic, blinking his eyes and nodding: "That's right, I am Deng Zong, courtesy name Tongzhi, a native of Yiyang, Jiangxi."

  "What kind of household is your DENG family in XinYe?" YUAN Shang blinked and continued to ask.

  "I won't deceive you, General. My family, the Deng clan, has a considerable presence in Xinye City, with over 370 households, including many officials and magistrates among our ancestors. However, I'm ashamed to say that I've only managed to become a county magistrate through bribery, and I plan to resign after this year's term is up and return home to live a simple life of hunting, farming, and reading."

  As he said this, Deng Zhen's mouth suddenly opened wide and tears began to well up in his eyes again. "I never thought that before the end of the year, you'd have me robbed! Am I not being wronged?"

  "It's settled." Yuan Shang waved his hand as if shooing away flies, saying: "Don't be a complete waste of space! You're not even like a real man."

  Deng Xian gave Yuan Shang a resentful glance and thought to himself, "It's not you who will suffer, it's easy for you to say that..."

  According to Deng Xianzhi's description, Yuan Shang has basically confirmed in his heart that Deng Xianzhi's son is the legendary unparalleled general.

  What is meant by "treading on iron shoes without finding a place, getting everything without spending any effort"? This is it - caught a foolish county magistrate, and unexpectedly got his clever son!

  Things in the world are really strange, and no one can tell what will happen next second.

  However, what made Yuan Shang feel even more strange was that later generations who went online to read books found records saying that Deng Ai, although a rare and excellent general, unfortunately had a stutter, speaking with a stammer.

  But today when he saw his father, he was garrulous and had a lot to say, with a mouthful of nonsense, speaking recklessly.

  It is said that dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes, but the county magistrate of Deng has unexpectedly given birth to a jade qilin from a lump of old mouse dung!

  Human genetics is indeed a vast and profound wonderful subject!

  However, it is said that Deng Ai lost his father at a young age and suffered from childhood. Looking at this, the lifespan of this county magistrate may not be long.

  Yuan Shang's heart couldn't help but secretly sigh, "What a pity." A rare fool like Deng Xianzai might not be seen again in his lifetime.

  After thinking of many things, it was just a momentary thing. Yuan sighed and patted Deng Xianzai's shoulder, saying with emotion: "Old Deng..."

  Deng County Zai's whole body suddenly shuddered, and he stuttered: "General, don't call me like that, I...I'm scared."

  "What's wrong?" Yuan Shang heard this and smiled slightly, saying: "I won't eat you, come on, follow me outside the tent. I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

  Deng Xian said: “............”

  Coming out of the tent, Yuan Shang looked up at the distant sunset that was slowly falling, with a lingering glow like fire, and a beauty like a painting.

  Yuan Shang had his hands behind his back, gazing at the sunset, and suddenly asked: "Deng Xianzai, we two are not related by blood or marriage, and before I came to Nandun County, we were completely strangers. By rights, when I occupied Nandun County, I should have killed you, but instead I've been keeping your life. Do you know why?"

  Deng County blinked his eyes and stared at Yuan Shang for a moment, unexpectedly not pretending to be clever, and rarely shook his head.

  Yuan Shang heard this and smiled, saying: "That's because I feel like we really hit it off."

  Deng County Magistrate heard this and suddenly broke out in cold sweat, every now and then wanting to kill me, can this be called having a good affinity?

  "General Meng's kindness is overwhelming, our county... cannot bear the shame." Deng County Magistrate had nothing to say, could only pretend to be humble.

  Yuan Shang didn't think much of it and smiled: "County Magistrate Deng, do you know who I am?"

  Deng Xian heard this and slightly raised an eyebrow, saying: "Aren't you a general under Liu's command in Fuzhou?"

  "Of course not! That was just fooling around with you."

  Yuan Shang smiled and looked at him: "Actually, my surname is Yuan, with a single name of Shang, courtesy name Xianfu, from Hebei Province's Ji Prefecture."

  Deng Xian Zai was momentarily stunned and flattered in a flattering tone: "General, what's your surname... name... courtesy name... origin... hmm?"

  Suddenly, Deng County Magistrate seemed to have thought of something and turned his head towards Yuan Shang in surprise: "Surnamed Yuan? Hebei Jizhou? Then you...you and General Yuan Shao are..."

  "Alright, he's my dad."

  Deng County's governor suddenly fell to the ground, his whole body trembling and shaking violently, cold sweat pouring down.

  Son of the Northern Hero? How is this possible? Why isn't the Prince of Ji in Hebei, but instead secretly arrived at the distant border of Henan?

  The most annoying thing is that this person has now appeared right in front of me!

  Deng County Magistrate thought Yuan Shang didn't need to tell lies, after all, although the status of the Yuan family's young master was high, in this Central Plains, it was a death warrant. Who would be idle and have nothing better to do than impersonate Yuan Shao's son on Cao Cao's turf? That wasn't showing off how long one had lived, was it?

  Yuan Shang leaned down and patted Deng Xian's shoulder, saying: "The relationship between our Hebei Yuan family and Cao Cao is something that doesn't need to be said, right? Now in this Yu Province, my identity can't be known by outsiders except for those close to me. Old Deng, do you understand what I mean?"

  Deng County's face was instantly drenched in cold sweat, and he muttered: "Young master's meaning is a... what does it mean?"

  Yuan Shanghong's white teeth gleamed as he smiled harmlessly: "Now that I've told you my identity, there are only two paths before you. One is that you must die."

  Deng County's face changed: "Young master, didn't you just say you wouldn't kill me? Why have you changed your mind again!"

  Yuan didn't bother to reason with him, and continued: "Two, you lead your wife and son, follow me back to Hebei, from now on serve under the Yuan family's banner. I guarantee that once we arrive in Hebei, you will no longer be just a nameless county magistrate, but a trusted official under my four generations of aristocratic family... including your son, who will also have a smooth and prosperous career path in the future. Two options, simple enough? Choose!"

  Yuan Shang revealed his true identity to Deng County Magistrate, and without a doubt, he had made up his mind to tie this muddled egg to his own ship.

  Deng County hesitated for a long time before finally opening his mouth to speak: "Young Master values me so much, it's really making me extremely nervous. How could I dare refuse? However, there is one thing that I don't understand, and I hope Young Master will enlighten me."

  Yuan Shang raised an eyebrow and said, "Go on."

  Deng County's voice was trembling with a hint of tears: "What have I done wrong? To provoke the young master to use such tactics, and now he wants me to return to Hebei?"

  Yuan Shang chuckled and waved his hand, saying: "You're really something, I want your son... cough, cough, what I mean is... uh, didn't I just say that because we get along pretty well?"

  Deng Xian's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed: "Is that all?"

  Yuan Shang nodded solemnly and said: "It's just that simple!"

  Deng County hesitated for a moment and then said: "Young Master, I have another question to ask you?"

  "What's with all these questions? Spit it out."

  "It is known to all that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao are now in a life-and-death struggle, with the momentum of water and fire. As the son of Yuan Shao, why did you come alone to this land of Yu Province?"

  This question has puzzled Yuan Shang since he reported his identity to Deng County Magistrate.

  Yuan Shang heard this and restrained his smile, speaking seriously: "County Magistrate Deng, what do you think is the most important thing for a person to have in life?"

  Deng Xian Zai heard this and remained silent for a long time, then asked in doubt: "Achievements, fame, wealth, and nobility, are they the joys of peace?"

  Yuan Shang shook his head.

  "Leave a name in history, and be remembered for thousands of years?"

  "Not true."

  "That is..."

  "It's responsibility! It's the responsibility to one's parents, children, brothers, friends, and for those in high positions, also the responsibility to their subordinates, officials, and the people they govern. Only then can what I'm saying now make sense. As of now, I'm only 18 years old, so my responsibilities aren't that many. But by coming to Yu Province, helping my father Yuan Shao disrupt the enemy's rear, and covering his retreat, this is a responsibility that a son should fulfill. Power, wealth, and fame are all empty things, they're just fleeting clouds in my eyes, not worth paying attention to. In this world, only relationships can last forever. Do you understand what I mean?"

  Deng County Magistrate heard the words and stared blankly at Yuan Shang for a long time, then suddenly his face turned serious, saying: "Young master, you are so young, yet what you say is so true, unlike those who always talk about restoring the country as their own responsibility, but in fact they are just using it to invade the world for personal gain. As a humble and foolish man like me, I have the opportunity to follow you, how dare I not obey."

  Yuan Shang heard the words and smiled, patted Deng Xianzai's shoulder and said: "You've said some unnecessary things, don't take it to heart. For now, just be a chief clerk under my command. Tomorrow I'll send someone to pack up your belongings, you and your wife... especially your son, come with me to Runan."

  Deng Xian heard this and said: "How dare I disobey?"

  After finishing, Deng Xianzai also looked up at the distant sunset in the distance, sighed and exclaimed: "The young master is indeed an extraordinary person! At the age of 18, he has such courage! It's really enviable... Thinking back to my youth, if I had the same demeanor and pursuit as the young master, I wouldn't have ended up with just a county magistrate position... Alas, thinking about that year, it's unbearable to recall. That year, I was also as big as the young master, that year, I was only 18 years old too..."

  Yuan Shang smiled and pushed Deng Xianzi, saying: "Alright! Today's words will stop here. Get some rest early, tomorrow morning, follow the army to Ru Nan."

  "Ah! Ah! Young master, the words haven't been spoken yet, I usually don't tell people what's in my heart! It's all on the tip of my tongue, don't make me swallow it back! That year, I was also eighteen years old... Ah, ah, young master! Don't go, don't go!"