Chapter 204
Chapter 204 – Chasing w.a.n.g Yun
In his private room, Ju Shou put down his brush after he had finished writing down the event reports . He had to present them to Tong later after the war was over .
"Next, I have to attend the banquette and establish a connection with Jinyang commanders . "
Ju Shou got up from his seat . Before he could leave his room, a guard knocked on the door .
"My lord, a general from Jinyang Army wants to see you . "
Surprised by the sudden visit, Ju Shou spoke, "Let him in . "
A man with a stern face, Gao Shun, stepped inside the room .
"General?" Ju Shou was confused by his visit . He cupped his fist to Gao Shun .
"Sir Ju Shou . I"m here to ask for a favor," Gao Shun coughed in embarra.s.sment, "One of our commanders is missing . We need your help to look for him . "
Baffled by the sudden request, Ju Shou asked, "What happened, general?"
"It"s the strategist of ours . He was last seen at the western cliff with a hundred bodyguards before we charged from the mountain . When the battle is over, we can"t find him or his bodyguards anywhere . We would like to request you to dispatch scouts to the surrounding perimeters . Since this is your territory, your scouts are more efficient than ours . "
"Have you checked the dead bodies?"
"Yes, he is not in there . All of his bodyguards also aren"t in the dead list . "
Ju Shou nodded in understanding . It was common that an officer or a small unit could mysteriously disappear . They could be killed, kidnapped, captured, or it was even possible that they abandoned their posts and deserted the army .
"I understand . I"ll help you . "
…
At the banquette inside the central government hall, Lu Bu sat face to face with Zhang He . In front of them, jars of wine lined up in rows .
"Can I decline this?" Complained Zhang He .
"No, you lost the duel, so you"ll have a drinking contest with me . If you lose again, you"ll have to leave Tong and join Jinyang Army . "
"I refuse . I won"t either join you or have a drinking contest with you . "
"Bah! Fine! You won"t have to join my army . Let"s have a drinking contest . "
"That"s still a NO . I only drink tea, general . "
"Puzzy! Are you a man or not!?"
"I"m man enough to fight for my belief . Change those wine to tea, and I"ll drink with you!"
There was a tension between Zhang He and Lu Bu inside the banquette .
Earlier after Zhang He returned to the city, Lu Bu stopped them and requested for a spar with this young general . The result of the duel was obvious, Zhang He lost within ten moves . Fortunately, Lu Bu held back and used the back of his crescent halberd, so Zhang He did not suffer any serious injury .
After the fight, he was dragged by Lu Bu to the banquette so they could have a drinking contest .
Zhang Liao watched over them with a wry smile . It seemed that Lu Bu attempted to poach this young general from Tong, but his method was too crude .
"You can"t befriend him after you forcefully had a duel with him . Not everyone is a maniac like you, Fengxian . "
Sighed and shook his head, Zhang Liao then gazed at the sky outside the building .
"Return alive, Feihong . Don"t die . "
…
…
It was dusk . Sky had turned red in the horizon . The main battlefield had ended, but another battle took place far away .
On a mountain path, northwest of Shangdang City, the voice of a young man echoed through the mountain .
"Charge!"
Li Feihong ordered his one hundred bodyguards to rush at his enemies at his pointed direction . In front of the 100 riders, a senior minister and 500 soldiers looked at them in shock .
The heavy cavalries did what they did best, destroying the crowded infantries . Half of the soldiers were in disarray while the others died from the charge .
*BANG*
A thunderous sound came from the direction of Li Feihong . He fired his gun to support his men . Although he did not need to, he still wanted to contribute to the fight .
*BANG*
Another gunshot echoed in the valley, and another soldier beside w.a.n.g Yun fell .
"Give up and surrender! Or I"ll shoot again!"
w.a.n.g Yun looked around him in a panic and discovered a shocking sight . Within a minute, the 500 bodyguards he brought with him either died or ran away, abandoning their master .
The old minister despaired . w.a.n.g Yun and his bodyguards manage to sneak away from the battlefield, but they were still pursued and met this group of ambushers .
In his bosom, w.a.n.g Yun clutched tightly on the Emperor Seal and Emperor Sword .
Despite being shocked by the sorcery that Li Feihong displayed, w.a.n.g Yun was determined . He did not want to give up even if he were to die!
As a father, he wanted his daughter to rise up in position and become the Empress of this country .
If he survived this, his daughter would live a happy life forever . However, if he failed, everything he had done would be for naught .
Ignored the warning of Li Feihong, w.a.n.g Yun ran and followed the deserting men .
*BANG*
The bullet pierced his left calf . The sudden pain made w.a.n.g Yun shuddered and stumbled onto the ground .
"Arrest him! He seems to be an important person . Take him back with us!" Order Li Feihong .
w.a.n.g Yun cried in pain, and tears dripped from his eyes . The sense of despair overwhelmed him .
"Chan"er, I"m sorry!"
Li Feihong looked at w.a.n.g Yun with sympathy . He felt bad for this old man, but it had to be done as it was his job . With this minister secured, Li Feihong looked around .
The one hundred bodyguards were efficient . They had already driven away all unnecessary soldiers and killed the stragglers .
One of the guards, who had tied w.a.n.g Yun, walked to Li Feihong and gave his report, "Sir, we have found something that this man is hiding . "
He presented the Emperor Seal and Emperor Sword .
"This …"
Li Feihong looked at the two items in shock .
"Hurry and put it away . Hide them in clothes and don"t tell anyone!"
In a panic, Li Feihong ordered his men in a hurry .
There was a reason to keep it a secret . Li Feihong knew about the history of China, so he knew that these items could bring a calamity to everyone around him if the news spread .
The Emperor Seal was a square jade with a carved dragon on top of it . Below the seal, there was the symbol stamp of the Han Dynasty . Every Han Emperor used this seal as their signatures when they gave out edicts .
Anyone who possessed it equaled possessing the Emperor"s Authority!
Any warlord who acquired it could also declare himself as a new Emperor!
This was the item that should be with the Emperor at all time regardless of circ.u.mstances, yet this old man had it .
Li Feihong approached w.a.n.g Yun and asked him, "What"s your name?"
Still sobbing, the old minister whimpered, trying to save his life by answering honestly, "w.a.n.g Yun of Luo Yang . "
"WHAT!?"
Li Feihong was stunned as he knew about this figure . This was the person behind the downfall of Dong Zhuo in his previous world"s history!
There were two versions of w.a.n.g Yun"s biography . The first one was based on the historical records which described him as a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty .
In 192, he conspired with many other officials who dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo"s cruel leaders.h.i.+p . In the end, he managed to recruit Lu Bu into his cause and successfully a.s.sa.s.sinated Dong Zhuo . After the deed, w.a.n.g Yun attempted to eliminate all remnants and subordinates of Dong Zhuo, but he was captured and killed along with his family by Li Jue and Guo Si .
The other version was from the novel of the 14th-century where w.a.n.g Yun used his own daughter, Diao Chan, to seduce both Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu into fighting each other, which turned into a famous tale . In this version, w.a.n.g Yun committed suicide as he forced Li Jue and Guo Si not to harm the young Emperor Xian .
"Why is he following Liu Ping if he"s an honest civil officer? Does he think Liu Ping is a good Emperor?"
Confused, Li Feihong continued his interrogation, "What"s your relations.h.i.+p with the current Emperor?"
w.a.n.g Yun shuddered and glanced at Li Feihong in fright . He was afraid that if his status as the father-in-law of the Emperor exposed to the public before Diao Chan became the official Empress, everyone would criticize his ambitious scheme . His political influence and reputation would also decrease, and his colleagues would cut ties with him because of his shamelessness .
w.a.n.g Yun bit his lower lips and came up with a lie, "I was forced to follow him . "
Li Feihong squinted his eyes . He felt it contradicted to the actions of Liu Ping . If w.a.n.g Yun was forcefully dragged along with the army, why would he be entrusted with the Emperor Seal?
"Then, why do you have this jade seal and this sword?"
"I-I stole them from the main army . I found them in the luggage of the other commanders during the chaos, so I took them and fled the battle!"
"Oh? If you are fleeing from the battle, why did those soldiers try to protect you as if you are someone important?"
Li Feihong knew that this old man was lying as he monitored w.a.n.g Yun"s action from the very beginning . Ever since Lu Bu charged down from the top of the west cliff, Li Feihong kept his close surveillance on w.a.n.g Yun and his bodyguards .
On the other hand, w.a.n.g Yun gulped . He realized that Li Feihong was suspicion of him .
w.a.n.g Yun avoided Li Feihong"s stare and looked at the ground, "I"ll tell you the truth, but can you let me live?"
Sighed, the young strategist nodded, "Fine . I"ll protect you from the others, but you"ll have to tell me everything, now!"
The hope in w.a.n.g Yun heart grew bud . He finally saw a way out .
Hesitated for a minute, w.a.n.g Yun raised his head to look at Li Feihong and was about to open his mouth to speak . He stopped .
The old minister saw the shock look of Li Feihong and the heavy cavalries, and they seemed to fix their stare toward the direction behind his back . They did not look as confident as a few minutes ago . Everybody seemed to be afraid of something .
"M-Monster?" A soldier exclaimed .
Li Feihong gritted his teeth to calm his nerve . His gun pointed toward a being behind w.a.n.g Yun .
"Stop where you are! I don"t know what you monster is doing here, but this is human"s business!"
Since n.o.body was looking at w.a.n.g Yun, the old man turned his body around to look behind his back . Then, he saw a female monster .
The upper part of the monster was that of a young woman, but the lower parts were the same as snakes . Moreover, it was a huge snake!
The purple hair of the monster fluttered in the wind . She looked at everyone and asked them with her calm voice . At the same time, her pupils flashed in red light .
"Give that old man to me, and I won"t hurt anyone . "