Insufficient balance

  Xi E, originally Liu Bei's military camp, has now become Zhu Huan's official army barracks.

  The night was as black as ink, and the majestic camp of Zhu Huan welcomed a mysterious visitor. The man had a face like jade, with an elegant demeanor, wearing a green robe, with a graceful posture, who was none other than Qin Bing, the governor of Nanyang. After the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Qin Bing failed to defend the city and lost the county seat of Wan City, but due to his deep connections in the imperial court, he was given the opportunity to redeem himself by making achievements despite his past mistakes.

  As soon as he entered the camp, Qin You cupped his hands and said loudly: "I heard that General He has defeated the Yellow Turbans at Baima today, beheading over 100,000 of them. I have come to offer my congratulations."

  Today, the government army won in western Hubei, but it was only a crushing defeat. In Baidilongtan, it can't be said that they were victorious either. The number of heads cut off is not even 30,000. But when Qin Jiong spoke like this, Zhu Yun knew he intentionally exaggerated the military achievements to invite merit from the imperial court for himself.

  Zhu Yun smiled slightly, his sharp eyes fixed on Qin Yong, and said in a loud voice: "The Yellow Turban rebels are powerful, but I didn't know about it until I arrived in Nanyang. After arriving in Nanyang, I found that the situation had already deteriorated to this point. Under such a dangerous situation, Lord Qin still insists on his duty, risking his life, and is indeed a model for local officials."

  Zhu Huan threw peaches to repay plums. In saying this, he also intentionally wanted to substitute for Qin Ping's loss of the county seat of Wan City and exonerate him from the imperial court.

  The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing, their expressions ambiguous. After this brief exchange of words, they had already gained a preliminary understanding of each other. In Zhu Yun's eyes, Qin Xuan was well-versed in the ways of being an official, no wonder he could break through the conventions of the Great Han Dynasty and not be dismissed or investigated after losing the county seat; in Qin Xuan's eyes, Zhu Yun was good at fighting and winning, and was loved by his soldiers, but also had a deep understanding of the court and was highly valued, not just a mere military officer, but a person worth getting to know.

  Each of them had their own plans in mind, and this was how they returned to normal conversation.

  Qin Hengdao said: "After receiving the general's letter, I immediately contacted the spies in the enemy camp to gather information. Now there is news that has been fed back. This person surnamed Ma named Yue, style name Boqi, from Liangzhou, claims to be a descendant of General Ma Yuan, but it is temporarily impossible to verify. According to other information provided by the spy, this person seems to have parted ways with the Yellow Turban bandits and has already left Liu Bei's camp under cover of night, accompanied only by two small children, destination unknown."

  With a slight frown, he said in a low voice: "It turns out that you are the descendant of a famous general, no wonder you're so formidable!"

  Qin's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he asked in a low voice: "How does the general plan to deal with this?"

  Zhu Huan's expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice: "If I were to surrender now, I'm afraid the generals under my command would lose heart. Especially today, Dong Zhuo of Xiliang suffered heavy losses in battle and will certainly not be tolerated. Have this person's appearance drawn into a portrait, posted throughout Nanyang and Jingzhou counties, put up wanted posters, and capture him as soon as possible. Once caught, behead him immediately and display his head to the public."

  Qin Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he said in a low voice: "This official understands."

  This one decision made Qin Hui understand Zhu Yan a little better, and in terms of talent, this person is enough to be called a famous general of the current era. However, in terms of ambition and courage, Zhu Yan is not a heroic talent at all, otherwise he would not have made such a decision.

  Zhu Rong nodded and asked: "Lord Qin, how is the arrangement of the Prone City going?"

  "Please be at ease, General. Everything has been arranged properly. I believe we will receive news within a few days. Just wait for Han Zhong to surrender the city and that's all."

  Zhu Yan's face was cold and stern, with a hint of a smile, and his eyes gleamed with a fierce killing intent.

  ……

  Wan Cheng Nan, Liu Bi's military camp.

  Liu Bi searched everywhere in the camp for Ma Chao but couldn't find him. Just as he was getting anxious, he ran into Liu Yan and asked: "Little sister, have you seen Ma Chao?"

  Liu Yan hastily said: "Brother, I'm also looking for him."

  Liu Bi furrowed his brow, wondering where Ma Yue had gone. At this critical moment, there was no one in sight, which was really frustrating. When the siblings were at a loss for what to do, Pei Yuanshao slowly walked in from outside the gate, looking dispirited and as if his soul had suffered a great injury.

  Liu Yan's eyes lit up and she hastily asked: "Brother Pei, have you seen Ma Yue?"

  Pei Yuanshao nodded and replied: "I saw him just an hour ago."

  "Where is he?"

  "He's gone."

  "He's gone!?" Liu Yan's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly remembered that Ma Chao had once told her, if he could save Big Brother Liu Bei's life this time, then he would no longer owe Big Brother a favor. Did this mean that he was going to leave Big Brother and the Yellow Turbans? Thinking of this made Liu Yan even more anxious, and she asked, "Pei Big Brother, do you know where he went?"

  Pei Yuanshao sighed and shook his head: "I don't know."

  Liu Pi said: "Ma Yue is an ungrateful and treacherous man, I was wrong to have saved his life! Pei Yuanshao, quickly gather 500 halberd-wielding soldiers with me, and go capture him!"

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" Pei Yuanshao glanced at Liu Bei and said in a low, mournful tone: "If not for Ma Chao, today's battle at Baidicheng would have ended with the deaths of Commander, General, and tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers."

  Liu Bi was furious and roared: "Pei Yuanshao, how dare you disobey orders?"

  Pei Yuanshao's expression turned cold, just as he was about to speak, Liu Yan beside him hastily said: "Brother, what are you talking about? What capture and bring back, it's invite back."

  Pei Yuanshao sighed softly and said, "Ma Yue is probably not coming back. He said that he has already saved the commander's life today and they are even."

  "What a ridiculous thing!"

  Liu Bi was furious and went to the camp to gather his troops, preparing to capture Ma Yue. Liu Xian was afraid that Liu Bi and Ma Yue would clash, and either of them getting hurt would be unbearable for her, so she hastily followed him.

  As he watched the figures of Liu Bei and his sworn brothers disappear into the distance, Pei Yuan Shao felt a deep sense of melancholy and depression. Even Ma Chao, such a renowned general, had left him; what hope was there now for the Yellow Turbans?

  ……

  The next morning, Zhu Huan gathered the generals to discuss matters. Qin Bian mentioned that Ma Jue was a descendant of General Ma Yuan, the Marquis of Fubo.

  Cao Cao's expression changed upon hearing this, and he proposed: "General, Lord Qin, since Ma Chao is a renowned general, why not send someone to persuade him to surrender? With the court obtaining the assistance of this mighty general, defeating the Yellow Turbans will be a certainty!"

  Zhu Huan's face was expressionless, but Qin You couldn't help but steal a glance at Cao Cao. He thought to himself that this man had a broad mind and a far-reaching vision, and he would definitely not be an ordinary person in the future. If there was an opportunity, he should try to make friends with him.

  Cao Cao had barely finished speaking when Yuan Shao frowned and retorted, "Meng De's words are wrong. Although this bandit claims to be a descendant of Fu Bo, there is no way to verify it, so how can we lightly believe him? Moreover, if the imperial court pardons Ma Chao's crimes, then the Yellow Turbans in various places will rise up and follow suit. Can the imperial court pardon them all? If the imperial court pardons them and they rebel again after the official army withdraws, when will the Great Han dynasty be at peace? Therefore, this precedent must not be set!"

  Dong Zhuo struck his thigh and said: "What Ben Chou has said is absolutely right. The rebels, regardless of whether they are men or women, old or young, should all be executed to the last one, in order to eliminate future troubles!"

  Qin You shook his head secretly after hearing this. These two men were either exceptionally brave or from a noble family, but they were just ordinary people and would ultimately not amount to much. They could not compare with Cao Cao's exceptional talent and great strategies.

  Cao Cao furrowed his brow, seemingly uneasy in his heart, but ultimately said nothing more.

  Sun Jian worried: "The bandits have the bravery of Ma Jue, the multitude of Zhang Mancheng, and the advantage of Wan City. In a short time, it's feared that they will be difficult to attack."

  Liu Bei nodded in agreement: "What Wen Tai said is absolutely right. In the battle of Baidi, our army has already missed the opportunity to win quickly. Now we should link up with the righteous armies of various counties and cities, surround and besiege them, which is the best strategy."

  Zhu's face flashed a mysterious smile, and he said loudly: "Everyone doesn't need to worry, I already have a plan. If nothing unexpected happens, we will capture Wan City within a few days. Ma Jue is brave, but now he has fled alone and is not worth fearing. I have ordered someone to draw his portrait and post it in each county to catch him. I think there will be news soon."

  As soon as Zhu Huan spoke, the reactions of the various generals below were different. Liu Bei, Yuan Shao and Dong Zhuo looked stunned, Sun Jian was full of doubt and seemed disbelieving, while Cao Cao was deep in thought...