Chapter 54

More than ten thousand Cao army troops surrounded the nearly one million Yellow Turban rebels in the areas of Suixiang and Sheqiu. It was like a small pack of wolves surrounding tens of thousands of sheep; it was impossible to seal off every gap. The Cao army only controlled the main passages, and while large groups of Yellow Turbans would be attacked if they tried to break out, it was impossible to stop two or three people from escaping through the mountains and forests.

Guan Si and Bai Laowu managed to escape the encirclement by luck.

According to Bai Laowu, the Yellow Turban army was already out of food, and with winter setting in, there was nothing to plunder from the wild. Everyone had to chew on grass roots and tree bark to survive, and nearly a thousand people had starved to death. After their letter to Cao Cao asking him to withdraw his troops failed, they decided to surrender. However, Cao Cao set a condition: they had to kill Guan Hai and over ten other leaders and present their heads before he would guarantee the safety of the remaining troops.

Guan Hai was about to commit suicide on the spot but was held back by Guan Si and his close followers. Guan Hai then sent more people to negotiate with the Cao camp and instructed Bai Laowu to protect Guan Si and help her escape through the dense forest. Guan Hai told his daughter, "You go and scout the way first. If it's safe, I will also escape. Then Cao Cao will have no choice but to accept our unconditional surrender."

When Bai Laowu described this, he deliberately turned to look at Shi Xun, giving him meaningful glances. Shi Xun understood his meaning: Guan Hai had already made up his mind to die and would not escape alone. He was only tricking his daughter into escaping first because he knew that Cao Cao would not easily let the remaining Yellow Turbans go without his head.

Shi Xun asked, "I advised you to retreat to Mount Tai, establish a base there, and farm for a living. Why didn't you listen and instead attack Yanzhou?" Guan Si, lying on the mat, pouted weakly and said, "That was a great idea, but there's no farmland in the mountains. How can we farm? A million people, how can they survive without farming?"

Shi Xun was taken aback for a moment, then realized—how could he have overestimated the agricultural technology of this era? Even if the Yellow Turbans were experienced farmers, how many of them had the skills and experience to cultivate barren land in the mountains? His suggestion to go up the mountain to fight a guerrilla war was truly a "Why not eat meat?" kind of nobleman's idea... He thought he only knew about the backward farming techniques in the poor areas, but if he hadn't been helping Chen Deng with farming in Tancheng recently, he might not have realized this yet!

Thinking about this, he bowed his head and put his hand to his forehead, saying, "It's my fault..."

"Of course it's your fault!" Despite just waking up and feeling weak all over, Guan Si's tongue was still sharp, "Now my father is about to die... wailing, it's all your fault!"

"About this..." Shi Xun wanted to say it wasn't his fault, but the words died in his throat. Bai Laowu looked at him and said softly, "Si'er says you are the smartest and might be able to save the commander's life, so we took the risk to save you..." Guan Si pouted, "Who said he's smart? I said it's all his fault, and he has to save my father's life!"

"The commander once spared my life..." Shi Xun wanted to say, "But I already repaid that debt at Duchang," but he swallowed the words along with his saliva. He told Guan Si, "Rest well. I will think carefully about how to save the commander..." He lifted the tent flap and crawled out.

Inside the tent, there was a candle, but outside it was pitch black. Looking up, he saw countless stars twinkling in the clear winter sky, like the million Yellow Turbans who were now deep in the clutches of death. Shi Xun called a soldier to bring water to clean the blood from his face, and as he wiped, he thought hard, "Cao Cao really wants Guan Hai's head. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't let him go either... How can I make Cao Cao change his mind? This is a big problem..."

A voice in his heart sneered, "Do you think you are someone who can make Cao Cao change his mind? Are you planning to go to the Cao camp, sit down, and emit some aura to change his mind?!"

Guan Si's face appeared before his eyes, so thin and sallow, her eyes lacking the usual sparkle, her voice so weak—except for her sharp tongue, she seemed like a completely different person... Moreover, almost a year had passed, and she hadn't grown taller at all.

Thinking about this, Shi Xun felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

If he hadn't met Guan Si, it would have been better not to meet. If they never met again, the image of this little girl in his heart might gradually fade away; if he saw her again after Guan Hai's death, he wouldn't have to worry about persuading Cao Cao—after all, "It's all your fault, you have to save my father's life" was just a sharp-tongued remark, and she wouldn't really blame him for Guan Hai's death. However, since he had already seen her and she had made a request, if he couldn't fulfill it, he would truly have no face to show.

Otherwise, he could try to infiltrate the encirclement and persuade Guan Hai to escape. After all, he had successfully persuaded Guan Hai before, and this rough man was much easier to convince than the cunning Cao Cao. But could he really infiltrate the encirclement? Guan Si could escape, but that didn't mean he could get in. If he ran into Cao's soldiers, he would surely die. It would be better to face Cao Cao's wrath...

Moreover, Guan Hai was a straightforward and rough man, but also a hard man with his own beliefs and principles. He could persuade him before by using the excuse of protecting the old, weak, and women of the Yellow Turbans, but now he would have to ask him to abandon them. How could he say that, and how could Guan Hai agree?

It was difficult, truly difficult... What leverage did he have to negotiate with Cao Cao? Xu Province? No, he didn't fully control Xu Province, and the alliance between Xu and Yanzhou was just a topic of debate, not a solid argument. What else could he offer? As he thought hard, his eyes unconsciously turned to Cao's luxurious tent—could it be...

Shi Xun thought all night. The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, he went into his tent and told Bai Laowu, "I'm going to see Cao Cao and ask him to spare the commander's life. You stay here and take good care of Guan Si until I come back." Bai Laowu nodded and said he would.

Shi Xun turned to leave but heard Guan Si say softly, "Be careful..." Her voice was choked with emotion. Shi Xun glanced at her and met her fearful gaze...

He fled from the tent, turned toward Cao's main tent, and went to see Cao De.

Shi Xun lied to Cao De, saying, "We can't go forward. My two friends brought news that the Yanzhou troops are still fighting the Yellow Turbans. If we run into the Yellow Turbans, your lives will be in danger. Stay here, control your troops, and comfort the soldiers. I will go find Cao Yanzhou and ask him to send troops to escort you." He asked Cao De to write a letter to Cao Cao, saying that Shi Xun was trustworthy.

Third, he found Zhang Kai and gave him detailed instructions to protect the lives of Cao's family, waiting for his return or for Cao's troops to come. Zhang Kai agreed and then asked quietly, "Are the two friends you brought in last night... Yellow Turbans?"

Shi Xun was startled but then thought, Bai Laowu was bald, but Guan Si still had a yellow headband. This couldn't be hidden. He replied, "An old man and a young girl, both weak and old, who just escaped. They once helped me, so you must take good care of them." Zhang Kai bowed and replied, "Understood."

Shi Xun knew the situation was urgent and time was running out—every moment he delayed, Guan Hai was one step closer to death. He didn't even eat breakfast, didn't ride in a carriage, and set off on horseback with two Tancheng soldiers toward Sheqiu.

After running for more than ten miles, they could already see the walls of Sheqiu County. They ran into a Cao army patrol. Shi Xun identified himself but didn't mention that he was a messenger from Tao Qian. The soldiers took him to their superior.

This officer was a cavalry commander stationed in Sheqiu County, responsible for ensuring the safety of the flank and monitoring Zang Ba's troops between Hua and Fei. Shi Xun bowed and said he had important matters to report to Cao Cao. The officer looked him up and down and asked, "Are you Shi Hongfu, who repelled the Yellow Turbans at Duchang?"

Shi Xun thought his reputation had spread far. He didn't know that the Yanzhou side—no, at that time, Cao Cao was only the governor of Dong Commandery—was particularly concerned about the Yellow Turbans surrounding Kong Rong and the rescue by Taishi Ci. They had sent many spies to lurk around Duchang. So while other forces might not know about the relief of Duchang, Cao Cao's main generals were well-informed.

Hearing this, Shi Xun felt a bit proud and replied, "Yes, I am Shi Xun." The officer nodded slightly and then shouted, "Bind him and behead him!"

Shi Xun was so shocked that his soul almost left his body. Before he could react, two soldiers had already grabbed his shoulders and put a rope around his neck. He felt a surge of heat from his dantian to his head and a chill from his spine to his perineum. He was two parts surprised, two parts anxious, and two parts terrified, almost wetting his pants... The remaining four parts were sheer unwillingness—damn, was he going to be killed by Cao Cao's subordinates before even seeing him? If he failed to persuade Cao Cao and was then executed, he could accept it, but he had a belly full of words that he hadn't even had a chance to say, let alone to the main person. Who was this guy? What grudge did he have against him to want to kill him? He couldn't help but shout, "Wait!"

The officer stroked his beard and smiled coldly, "With your silver tongue, I won't let you speak. What can you do to me?"