Chapter Thirty Coercion

  Thanks to San Wu Nei Fu Hei brother for the reward, and I also got my first apprentice, so touching!!!

  When he heard the three words "Huang Yueying", Yan Liang's heart skipped a beat.

  This Huang Yueying is none other than the wife of Zhuge Liang in history and the daughter of Huang Chengyan, a famous scholar from Jingzhou.

  Isn't it just a namesake?

  Yan Liang's heart was filled with doubts, but they were quickly negated.

  In history, Huang Yueying was extremely talented and skilled in inventing and manufacturing ingenious devices, and she was also quite proficient in military tactics and formations.

  As soon as he thought of how she had just arranged the formation and directed the family servants, Yan Liang wondered which other family's daughter besides Huang Yueying had such skills.

  Isn't it said in the novel that Huang Yueying is very ugly, but how come this girl in front of me is so beautiful, not even a bit related to the word "ugly"?

  Yan Liang carefully thought back and vaguely remembered the appearance of Huang Yueying. In history, there is also a saying that the women in the village were jealous of Huang Yueying's looks and talent, so they deliberately slandered her, saying she was ugly, but actually Huang Yueying had extraordinary beauty.

  Now I see it with my own eyes, indeed what is heard is false and what is seen is true.

  "Is the famous gentleman Jing Zhong who inherited the title of Duke Xian, your respected father?" Yan Liang asked.

  Huang Yueying nodded and said, "It was indeed my father."

  As soon as she admitted it, Yan Liang confirmed her identity and must be the Huang Yueying he knew.

  Today, I inadvertently saved Huang Yueying. As soon as he saw this woman, Yan Liang immediately thought of Zhuge Liang's daughter.

  Historically, Liu Bei's humble escape to Jingzhou was made possible by Zhuge Liang's Longzhong strategy and his loyal assistance, which eventually led to the establishment of the empire.

  Zhuge Liang is such a rare talent, Yan Liang thought to himself that he could take him in and use him for his own purposes.

  However, Zhuge Liang at present is still just a young man, far from being as mature as he was when Liu Bei visited him three times in his thatched cottage.

  Perhaps Zhuge Liang is still studying and learning in Longzhong, and has not yet grown into the well-known "Sleeping Dragon" who can bring peace to the world with just one idea.

  Moreover, there is another issue, Zhuge Liang's residence in Longzhong is located just south of the Han River and extremely close to Xiangyang City.

  As Yan Liang's subordinate, he would not dare to take risks and cross the Han River to visit Zhuge Liang in Longzhong under Liu Biao's nose.

  Furthermore, Yan Liang knew that Zhuge Liang was extremely particular and would only serve a lord he deemed worthy, making it no easy task to recruit him.

  "General's great kindness, ordinary woman can't forget, one day must repay, just now ordinary woman is in a hurry to go home, so ordinary woman thinks..."

  Huang Yueying saw Yan Liang lose his spirit and thought of taking leave to depart.

  Yan Liang returned from his reverie and glanced at the sun, "Now that the sky is getting late, it's not very peaceful around here. Miss, you're in such a hurry to get home, aren't you afraid of something happening again?"

  Huang Yueying furrowed her delicate eyebrows, revealing a hint of worry.

  "Miss, it's better for you to return to Xin Ye with Ben first. We'll wait till dawn and then I'll send someone to escort you back home."

  Yan Liang was naturally worried that such a delicate and weak beauty would walk the night road, in case she encountered robbers or other accidents, wouldn't he have saved her for nothing today.

  "The general's kindness, Huang Yueying understood in her heart, but..." Huang Yueying tactfully wanted to decline.

  "But what's decided is decided."

  Yan Liang didn't give her a chance to refuse, and without giving her time to explain, he gently lifted her up and pulled her onto the horse, placing her in front of him.

  Huang Yueying was shocked and hastily said: "General, what are you doing? Quickly put me down."

  "Get in, miss! Let's go!"

  Yan Liang laughed loudly and ignored her, galloping out on his horse.

  If she had lain in Yan Liang's arms before, it was out of desperation in a critical situation, but now that she is so close to him, how can Huang Yueying not feel embarrassed and anxious.

  No matter how eagerly she begged and struggled, Yan Liang remained unmoved, simply urging his horse forward.

  After several twists and turns, Huang Yueying's efforts were in vain, so she closed her eyes, her face flushed with shame, allowing him to carry her away.

  Racing along, the sound of the wind whizzing past her ears, the evening breeze blowing through her hair, gently brushing against Yan Liang's face and nose, that faint fragrance, and that ticklish feeling, made Yan Liang feel extremely exhilarated.

  Since crossing over, Yan Liang has been in a state of war excitement all the time, and it has been a long time since he was so close to a woman.

  At this moment, Yan Liang held her fragile body, smelling her fragrance, and galloping freely in the vast wilderness. The long-lost warmth made Yan Liang's tightly strung nerves finally relax a little.

  When Huang Yueying opened her eyes, she was already in a large courtyard.

  Yan Liang jumped off his horse and stretched out his hand to help her down.

  Huang Yueying ignored Yan Liang's raised hand and dismounted alone, her rosy face seeming to have a hint of displeasure, clearly dissatisfied with Yan Liang's coercion.

  Yan Liang smiled and didn't mind, instead finding her pouting expression quite charming.

  Huang Yueying looked around and asked suspiciously: "Where is this?"

  "This is the Taiwei Mansion, let's have Miss Huang stay here for the night." Yan Liang said calmly.

  Huang Yueying's expression changed as soon as she heard this.

  She is a woman from a good family, Yunying is not yet married, but she stayed overnight in the mansion of a strange man. If this were to be spread around, wouldn't it damage her own reputation?

  Huang Yueying didn't think twice and immediately refused, saying: "My Huang family has its own residence in Xinye City, how can a commoner's daughter disturb the general?"

  "Don't be polite, miss. It's not safe outside. What if those bandits come seeking revenge? Someone, please hurry and invite Miss Huang to rest in the side room. Take good care of her, don't be neglectful."

  Yan Liang's tone was unmistakable, leaving no room for Huang Yueying to refuse.

  Huang Yueying was unwilling in her heart, but she had a fearful intention towards Yan Liang, this fierce general from Hebei, and yet she did not dare to disobey, so she reluctantly went to the backyard with the attendants.

  Watching that distant figure disappear into the distance, Yan Liang's mouth curled up with a hint of a smile.

  At this moment, an idea had quietly sprouted in his heart.

  Suddenly he heard a laugh behind him, turned his head to look, and saw Xu You standing outside the main hall, stroking his beard, staring at him with a smile.

  That smile on his face obviously had another meaning, and he probably thought that Yan Liang had abducted the woman from outside to do that "beastly" thing.

  "Sir, don't misunderstand, this Miss Huang is just someone I rescued on the road, it's not what you think." Yan Liang explained.

  General, you don't need to explain. As the master of seven counties, governing over a million people, commanding thousands of troops and horses, it's exhausting. It's only natural to have some leisure activities occasionally.

  Xu You's words are somewhat flattering, but his reasoning is not bad.

  In such a chaotic world, human life is like grass and mustard, and even if a warlord like Yan Liang really occupies several civilian women, it would be considered a legitimate act in the eyes of the world and would not be subject to moral condemnation.

  In history, didn't Zhang Fei take Xiahou Yuan's niece as his wife? After Sun Ce and Zhou Yu broke through Shouchun, didn't they also forcibly take in Daqiao and Xiaoqiao?

  Xu You's words were met with a smile from Yan Liang, who did not think it necessary to say anything more.

  Two men entered the hall, Yan Liang told Xun Yu, the chief advisor, about the alliance and Liu Biao's behavior at that time.

  Xu You stroked his beard and smiled, saying: "Liu Jing's performance is indeed as expected by the general. Now that we have seven counties as our foundation, we finally have a foothold."

  "Occupying seven counties is just the beginning, what's most important now is to win people's hearts, expand and train our troops, increase our strength to expand our territory. In a chaotic world, wanting to survive is like sailing against the current, if you don't move forward, you'll fall back."

  Yan Liang's thinking is very clear, and he has not been complacent about his achievements. He is very aware that the road ahead of him is still very long.

  Xu You's face showed a look of admiration and he was deeply convinced by Yan Liang's calmness.

  Suddenly he thought of something and said, "Speaking of which, the first thing General needs to do is to connect with the Jingzhou aristocratic families. Only by winning their support can we truly stand firm in Jingzhou."

  The Three Kingdoms was an era of rising aristocratic families, with the powerful clans in each state owning large tracts of land and dependent people, whose latent power was astonishing.

  It is just like Liu Biao and Yuan Shao, who relied on the support of their aristocratic families to control a region.

  Even someone like Cao Cao, who was from a humble background, was able to gradually form his heroic aura with the support of aristocratic families such as Xun Yu and Cheng Yu.

  Yan Liang deeply knew that to achieve a great career, he must understand how to utilize the power of the aristocracy. Simply relying on violence and killing would never make him a major player.

  "Speaking of family, there's something I didn't tell you, sir. The young lady Huang we just met is actually the daughter of Huang Chengyan, a renowned scholar from Jingzhou." Yan Liang said calmly.

  "Is this really happening?" Upon hearing Huang Chengyan's name, Xu You looked somewhat surprised.