Chapter 26

Ishe was planning to flee east, but Yuyu, Jun, and Xun all suggested heading south to Xu Prefecture—Xun knew that before Cao Cao's forces arrived, Xu Prefecture was still relatively peaceful. Tao Qian, though not as kind-hearted as described in the legends, was still a capable administrator. Seeking refuge with Zheng Xuan or Sun Gan in Xu Prefecture was the best option at the moment.

So, they finally decided that Ishe and Xun would escort the money, grain, and valuables south, first to Anqiu, where they would rest and gather information before deciding whether to continue south to Gumu County in Langya. Yu and Jun would take half of the able-bodied men to Ju County to protect Yi.

The four brothers parted with tears—of course, the other three were genuinely sad, but Xun's tears were forced. The next morning, they set off with over ten carts through the southern gate of Yingling. That night, they stayed in a small village on the north bank of the Wen River. The next day, they crossed the Wen River and arrived in Anqiu by afternoon.

After spending one night, the next morning, a rider suddenly galloped up to find Ishe. The rider dismounted and Ishe recognized him as a household servant. He hurriedly asked, "Are you from Father? How is the capital?"

The servant wiped the sweat from his forehead, caught his breath for a long time, and finally reported, "I accompanied the Fourth and Eighth Young Masters to the capital. Just as we arrived, the Yellow Turban rebels attacked and set up their formation outside the city. The governor and our master gathered the troops to fight back, but they lost three battles in half a day. The Fourth Young Master, seeing the situation was dire, sent me to inform the Eldest Young Master to flee quickly to Gumu and not to stop there, but to at least reach Zhu County before resting. He also said that the master, with the protection of two young masters and over twenty able-bodied men, would be safe, so please don't worry."

How could Ishe not be worried? Even if he was a bookworm, he knew that with just over twenty men, they were no match for hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels and would be trampled to death. However, there was no choice; they couldn't let the whole family die here. Although the third brother, Kuan, was studying abroad, the family wouldn't be without an heir, but without the family's wealth, it was questionable whether Kuan could survive, let alone continue and expand the family's legacy.

Since the brothers had divided their tasks, with half protecting the family's assets and the other half protecting their father—or rather, going to die with their father to fulfill their filial duty—Ishe had to steel himself and order the servants to pack up and continue their flight.

But Xun didn't want to follow him anymore. Over the past two days, he had thought a lot and realized that his decision to flee south with Ishe was a huge mistake. He was still an unknown figure, and his poetry wasn't well-known enough—apart from Kong Rong, few people knew him. In this era, poets couldn't communicate easily without phones or the internet, and Kong Rong had no time for networking lately. His only support was the family, or more accurately, Yi.

Yi was at least a local figure in Beihai, a minor official hired by the governor. As long as he followed Yi, or even Kong Rong, he had a chance to advance. If Yi and Kong Rong were killed, all that would be left was the bookish Ishe... It would be easy to take all the family's wealth from him, but in this era, money alone wasn't enough to ensure survival. Without power, one was still doomed.

Although historical records showed that Kong Rong and Yi didn't die in this Yellow Turban attack, since he had been transported to this era, who knew if some butterfly effect might change that? He shouldn't have any illusions or hopes about this unpredictable fate.

So, Xun hesitated between "humiliating survival with an uncertain future" and "taking a bold risk to break through." When he heard the news from Ju County, he finally made up his mind. He bid farewell to Ishe, saying, "Taishi Ci of Donglai is a brave warrior, and I am his close friend. I wish to ask for his help to rescue our uncle and brothers."

Ishe, being indecisive, tried to dissuade him with the dangers of the journey, but seeing that he couldn't stop Xun, he let him go. Xun mounted his horse, accompanied by two strong servants, and parted ways with Ishe. As he left, Yue, with tears in her eyes, came to see him off, saying, "Please be careful, Master! I will pray for you every day..." Xun smiled at her, thinking that if he survived and saw her grow up, he would take her as a concubine. Then he spurred his horse and rode away.

The horse that Jun had chosen for Xun had been taken by the Yellow Turbans outside Yingling. Later, as he traveled between Ju County and Yingling (Yi took a day off every five days, no matter how busy, and never asked for leave, so Xun often had to follow), he asked Yi for another horse and had a blacksmith in Ju County make him a pair of iron stirrups.

Yi preferred to travel by carriage, but Xun couldn't stand it. First, he wasn't used to kneeling, and in those days, one had to kneel in a carriage unless alone. Second, the carriages had no springs or shock absorbers, and the roads were terrible, making the ride more bumpy than riding a horse. Kneeling and bouncing around like that, his shins would break!

So, he rode a horse, and after some practice, his riding skills improved significantly, jumping from F to E! After leaving Anqiu, the master and two servants galloped toward Donglai. Xun, though not riding at full speed, was much faster than when he had tried to escape from Guan Si.

The distance from Gumu to Huang County, the seat of Donglai, was over 500 li. If they rode at full speed without stopping, they could reach it in a day. However, their horses weren't the best, and after half an hour of galloping, even if the horses didn't need a break, the riders' legs and buttocks couldn't take it. If they had stirrups like Xun, they could ride and rest without dismounting, but the two servants had to dismount to rest.

Thus, it took them a day and a half, plus a night, to reach Taishi Ci's home outside Huang County. Ci, upon hearing Xun had arrived, welcomed him with joy, saying, "Hongfu, it's been a long time! I've missed you!" In the past half year, Xun had only written one letter to Ci, briefly describing his situation—there were no post offices or emails in those days, and sending a letter was very troublesome.

Xun, still trembling from the ride, immediately told Ci, "Kong Rong is in danger, Ziyi, you must go and save him!" Ci was shocked and asked for details. Xun explained the situation and added, "The local troops are no match for the Yellow Turbans, and there are no capable generals. Although the battle is still undecided, I believe Beihai will fall!"

Ci, hearing this, went inside to bid farewell to his mother and was about to leave. Xun pulled on his sleeve, "It's not necessary to rush... Can you give me a bowl of water first?"

Xun and the two servants rested for a while, ate something, and Ci prepared his bow and spear. The four of them left Huang County and headed for Ju County.

As they rode, Ci noticed Xun's stirrups and asked what they were. Xun, tired of explaining, mechanically replied, "They are from Goguryeo, used for mounting and dismounting, and for resting on the horse."

Ci stared at the stirrups for a while and asked, "Stand up and show me." Xun demonstrated, and Ci, impressed, slapped his thigh, "This is excellent! It will aid in archery and combat on horseback—I will have a pair made too!"

Xun thought Ci had a keen eye, being the first in half a year to recognize the stirrups' value, truly a future general of Jiangdong!

After that, Ci started to ride faster. His horse, though not the best, was much better than the others, and he often had to slow down for Xun to keep up. After nearly an hour of galloping, Ci gradually slowed down. Xun, with the stirrups, was fine, but the two servants couldn't take it and begged to dismount and rest.

Ci said, "Rescuing people is like putting out a fire; how can we rest?" In the end, he and Xun went ahead, leaving the two servants to follow slowly. They finally reached the walls of Ximi at dusk.

The city gates were closed, and the soldiers on the walls looked tense. Ci called out, "I am Taishi Ci of Donglai, heading to Ju County to save Governor Kong. Open the gates and let me in to rest." His reputation was well-known, even in Beihai. After a while, a junior officer responded, "The governor has ordered that no one be let in due to the proximity of the Yellow Turbans. You should go around the city. We just received news that the capital has fallen, and the governor has retreated to Dachang. You should go there."

Xun was both shocked and relieved. Shocked that Kong Rong had indeed been defeated, but relieved that he was still alive and that Yi might be safe too. He was about to mention Yi's name to help get them in, but Ci stopped him.

Ci suggested, "Dachang is only thirty li away, a half-hour ride. I believe the Yellow Turbans are disorganized, and we can break through their lines and reach the city. Hongfu, rest here while I go to save Kong Rong."

Xun refused, insisting on going with Ci. Ci said it was too dangerous, but Xun thought, "How dangerous can it be with you, Taishi Ziyi? I'm not just a common soldier; I'm your friend. If there's danger, you won't leave me, right? Leaving me here with the gates closed would be even more dangerous!"

Seeing he couldn't persuade Xun, Ci declared, "Fine, then we'll face the crisis together! A man dies when he must, what is there to fear?" Xun shuddered, thinking, "I'm following you to avoid death, don't jinx it..."

They rode under the moonlight and reached Dachang by the end of the tenth hour. The city walls were brightly lit, but the outside was sparse, with scattered torches and campfires. Ci rode to a high point and observed, "The rebels haven't fully surrounded the city; now is the time to enter." He told Xun, "Hongfu, don't fight, just follow me closely."

Xun nodded, thinking, "Don't worry, I'll stick to you like a turtle, wherever you go, I go."

Ci spurred his horse and rode at a trot. When they reached the outskirts of the rebel camp, he shouted and accelerated. Xun followed closely. As they entered the camp, a drum sounded, and the rebels attacked from all sides...

——————————I am the grateful divider——————————

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