The 21st Section: The Single Father Shows Respect and Presents a Gift

  A group of Tianping Army leaders stood respectfully in the big account, with Zhang Kuang lying in the middle. This scene was indeed a bit comical.

  However, no one present found it amusing. In their eyes, Zhang Kuang seemed to be doing something perfectly normal whether he was standing, sitting or lying down.

  "Childhood..."

  Usually carefree and nonchalant, Dian Wei now looked like a child who knew he had done something wrong, hanging his head in shame and not daring to speak. Upon hearing Zhang Fei's shout, Dian Wei managed to squeeze out a faint voice:

  "My lord... I... Tian Wei was wrong..."

  "Today's events... weren't me intentionally going easy on you... To be honest, there will definitely be a series of fierce battles soon, and as our army's number one brave general, you must conserve your strength... Remember to ask Wang Junshi for guidance on military law when you return..."

  "...Dian Wei knew..."

  Dian Wei and Wang Fu didn't get along, everyone knew that. When Zhang Kuang gave the order, most people's hearts rose with a sense of schadenfreude. Wang Fu felt even more at ease, secretly pondering whether to take advantage of this opportunity to add a few more military laws on the spot.

  "Great abundance..."

  "My lord!"

  Zhou Cang was injured in many places on his body, but they were all superficial wounds. After bandaging them, he could still muster up the energy to attend the post-battle meeting, which showed that his physical strength was not something that a normal person like Zhang Kang could compare with.

  "Dafeng has made great contributions this time. For this battle, your unit can have priority in selecting personnel and equipment to fill the gaps."

  "Thank you, sir!"

  Zhou Cang sat down with a pleased smile. In this battle, although the fighting power of the Haoqiang Army was not too strong, their equipment was quite good. With Zhang Kuang's words, Zhou Cang's hundred-man team would become the second fully armored hundred-man team in the Tianping Army. This could be seen from the envious and jealous glances of the surrounding onlookers.

  "Zhong Rong..."

  "Get down!"

  Compared with others present, Shen Fu was undoubtedly a latecomer and stood in a remote corner. Upon hearing Zhang Kuang's summons, he stepped forward two paces to stand before Zhang Kuang.

  "Faced with the battle situation, you were able to act decisively, take over command and lead the charge, defeating the enemy army. Zhong Rong, you did a great job."

  "He's overpraised..."

  "Now, I'm promoting you to be the leader of a hundred men, officially taking over the command of the hundred-man squad. The personnel and equipment for your unit can be selected first."

  "Thanks!"

  Shen Fu's heart was filled with excitement. Originally a low-ranking soldier, he had been promoted to the position of commander of 100 men in just over half a month, overseeing more than 200 people under him. This was his original goal when he enlisted in the army ten years ago. For Zhang Kuang's kindness and promotion, Shen Fu would be willing to sacrifice his life if needed.

  The rewards and punishments have been decided, and the rest of the trivial matters, Zhang Kuang naturally didn't have the energy to care about. Just as the crowd dispersed, Zhang Kuang glanced around and found that Dian Wei was still in the tent, not going out, and couldn't help but curiously ask:

  "Zi Lian, what else is there?"

  Dian Wei said with some embarrassment:

  "When I was chasing and killing that group of Han soldiers, I found a few fleeing soldiers. I went up to kill them together. Unexpectedly, one of the fleeing soldiers had two moves in his hand and could actually block three of my moves. For a moment, my heart was moved, so I captured this guy and brought him back. Does Master have any interest in taking a look at this guy?"

  Zhang Kuang's heart skipped a beat. To be able to make Dian Wei take notice, he must have some ability, at the very least being a skilled martial general. If it were possible to win him over...

  "Bring it over and take a look..."

  The Han army that was brought over, was a Shi Chang. He wasn't very old, just around twenty years old. People of this age were the ones Zhang Kuang was most interested in. Because his "point of enlightenment" secret technique could only awaken each person's potential, allowing them to reach their peak state of combat power in life.

  Those generals in their thirties to forties, who are at the peak of their martial prowess, have almost no effect from "pointing". On the other hand, young warriors under eighteen years old, if they receive "pointing", will suffer severe consequences due to their immature bodies.

  In this way, the best "enlightenment" age is between eighteen and twenty-four years old. Zhang Kuang's several subordinates who had been "enlightened" before were all within this range.

  Although the future is worrying, this young warrior does not care. Zhang Kuang can see that this person is really not concerned, rather than pretending to be. Such an attitude suddenly doubled Zhang Kuang's interest.

  "I heard you're a deserter?"

  "Yes."

  The strong man nodded in agreement.

  "At that time, our army's ambush had already been seen through by you Yellow Turbans. The best response would have been to immediately retreat and set a fire on the main road to hinder your advance. Unfortunately, our commander's judgment was unclear and his command was incorrect, and we were actually cut off from retreating by you Yellow Turbans."

  What's even worse is that our commander, the head of our army, is as timid as a chicken. When faced with a desperate situation, he can't bring himself to fight to the death and be reborn from the ashes; all he wants to do is flee. This kind of situation has already reached a point where the overall trend is irreversible. For us low-ranking soldiers, the only way to escape with our lives is to head into the forest. If we weren't unfamiliar with the terrain and had wandered around in circles in the woods, I'm afraid even this fierce general wouldn't have been able to catch up to us."

  Zhang Kuang's eyes lit up when he heard this. In the midst of chaos, he remained unmoved, and was still able to analyze the situation calmly and find the most effective way out. A person with such talent is a born great general!

  Such talent, if not used by me, then it's better off...

  "You're a great talent! May I ask your honorable surname and given name?"

  In the face of Zhang Kuang's arrogance and flattery, Zhuangzi remained unmoved, still with his usual calm and composed demeanor.

  "My name is Yu Jin, style name Wenzhen. I am from Taishan, Zhuping."

  As soon as he heard this, Zhang Kuang almost jumped out of bed!

  Even though Zhang Kuang had already seen several famous Three Kingdoms generals, he was still shocked by this surprise. Yu Jin and Wen Pin, the first of Cao Cao's "Five Elite Generals", ranked above Yue Jin and Wen Qian, the number one general of Cao Wei from a different surname!

  Yu Jin's ability was not in bravery, but in his ability to command troops. This was exactly the kind of talent that the Heavenly Army needed, especially since they already had fierce generals like Dian Wei. Now, there was only one thought left in Zhang Fei's mind:

  How can Yu Jin be used by me?

  "Yuwen Zhen, are you willing to join my Yellow Turban Army?"

  "If you can be a commander for a hundred people, then descend. Otherwise, please be imprisoned in the forbidden place."

  "If you don't surrender, I'll have no choice but to kill you."

  Yu Jin's expression didn't change as he replied:

  "With Lord Cao's love for talent, Yuan Shao should have no worries about his life."

  Yu Jin's words were pleasant to hear, causing Zhang Kuang to burst out laughing.

  "Since Wen Ze has this confidence, I naturally won't be petty. Wen Ze can select 100 people from the troops that have been demoted this time, and I will add another 100 people to form a team of 100 people, temporarily acting as the leader of the 100 people. When there is merit, I will naturally make Wen Ze's position official!"

  Yu Jin was born in a poor family, although he had read some poetry and books, but he couldn't enter the eyes of those high-ranking officials. He had to join the army, wanting to rely on his sword and spear to seek fame and fortune on the battlefield. Now, with danger to his life above, temptation of power below, and a wise lord's recognition in between, Yu Jin no longer hesitated, knelt down on one knee, and called out "My Lord".

  After a day of preparation, the Tianping army set out on the second day and rushed straight to the city of Danfu County. Since the main force of the Han army in Danfu City had been eliminated in the previous battle, even if the city wall was not low and the defenses were complete, it would be difficult to resist the superior forces of the Tianping army.

  Arriving at the foot of the city, he saw that the defending soldiers on the city wall were sparse and timid, with no will to fight. Zhang Kuang lay on a small stretcher carried by four personal soldiers, arriving at the front line. Seeing this scene, he was undoubtedly delighted in his heart.

  Zhang Kuang gave an order to his personal soldiers, and a group of troops rushed out of the camp in disarray, crowding together as they surged towards the city of Danfu. The leader of the hundred men was Yu Jin himself.

  "Can the officers on the wall recognize me, Wen and Yan?"

  Some of the original county and national soldiers looked at each other with bated breath, discussing it in a flurry.

  "It's really too much!"

  "Has he surrendered?"

  The strong and sturdy men around him who did not understand what was going on inserted their voices and asked:

  "Who is that yellow scarf leader? Do you guys know him?"

  "That's a good fellow! When recruiting soldiers, he and Fifth (surname) Que had a competition, both of them were masters who had practiced 'war qi', the fight was incredibly wonderful! Don't look at Yu Shi being young, but he can still fight evenly with Fifth Que!"

  No sooner had he finished speaking than another soldier from a different county retorted disdainfully:

  "Bullshit! Is the fifth team's opponent that easy? That's because they're new and intentionally letting the fifth team win! Don't you get it?"

  "But this... how did he become a Yellow Turban rebel?"

  The county and national soldiers heard this, their faces filled with shame, one by one they closed their mouths and did not speak.

  "Fellow villagers! Fellow soldiers! Yu Jin, although of humble origin, is not a coward who fears death! Now the Han dynasty has lost its way, eunuchs hold power, and countless common people are displaced! With our Tianping Army's mighty forces pressing in on the borders, we're about to take down Danfu. Don't sacrifice your lives for those corrupt officials in the imperial court!"

  "I, the commander of the Tianping Army, swear to heaven that as long as the people of Shanfu do not resist, no one in the Tianping Army will be killed or harmed. If heaven is unfair, let my Tianping Army bring justice!"

  Behind him, Dian Wei heard this and slammed his twin axes together with a loud "clang", shouting in a hoarse voice:

  "The blue sky has died, and the yellow sky will rise! The year is Jiazi, and all under heaven is greatly auspicious!"

  Being shouted by Dian Wei's loud voice, the tens of thousands of Tianping Army below the city all cheered together:

  "The blue sky has died, and the yellow sky should rise! The year is Jiazi, and all under heaven is greatly auspicious!"

  …………

  The residents of Duanfucheng had been in contact with the Taiping Taoist preachers and knew that the Taiping Tao was always teaching people to be good. Now, this organization, which used to teach people to be good, has turned against us, it must be because the imperial court is not virtuous. Looking at the Yellow Turbans below the city, our side seems to have a disadvantageous position.

  Moreover, the Yellow Turbans who were besieging the city were mostly familiar faces to the city's residents. It seemed that their claims of not killing people indiscriminately were somewhat credible. With this understanding, many of the robust young men defending the city changed their minds and decided to slack off, lest they provoke a disaster that would cost them their lives.

  "This is terrible!"

  Several county officials hiding behind the city wall's battlements, secretly observing the situation, looked at each other in dismay, at a loss for what to do.

  Character: Yu Jin

  Yu Jin should be one of the five good generals of Cao Wei, who was greatly underestimated. His fatal weakness was that he later surrendered to Shu Han when Guan Yu flooded and defeated seven armies.

  Actually, whether it's from experience, ability or achievements, Yu Jin is the most outstanding among the five elite generals. Unfortunately, he failed to preserve his later years, and although it was not a crime of war, he couldn't escape people's criticism. This is what they mean by "judging heroes by their success or failure".