Chapter 38

With the addition of four new members, Liu Yao's team was now brimming with talent. In terms of civil affairs, he had Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Cheng Yu, Chen Lin, and Tian Chou. In terms of military affairs, he had Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci, Gao Shun, Zhang He, and Gao Lan. With such a solid foundation, Liu Yao had already laid a firm groundwork for future battles, giving him a significant advantage over others.

On this day, another challenge was placed before Liu Yao.

Liu Yao sighed helplessly as he read the urgent report in his hand. He called out to the guard outside, “Come in, go and bring Zhongde and Gongyu to me.”

The guard acknowledged the order. Soon, Cheng Yu and Ju Shou arrived.

“Lord, why have you summoned us?” Ju Shou asked.

Liu Yao handed the urgent report to Ju Shou and Cheng Yu. After reading it, both of them frowned.

“Do you have any thoughts on the outbreak of the plague in a village outside Jixian?” Liu Yao asked.

Cheng Yu spoke up, “My lord, the plague is a serious matter. Over the years, countless people have died from it. Fortunately, the plague is currently confined to a small village and has not spread. I suggest that we kill all the villagers and cremate them to prevent the spread of the plague.”

Liu Yao was chilled to the bone by Cheng Yu's words. He himself would only be so ruthless towards foreigners, but Cheng Yu was willing to be so harsh on the common people of the Han. No wonder he was known for his cruelty, even using human flesh as food for the army.

“Absolutely not, my lord, absolutely not,” Ju Shou quickly interjected. “Only a dozen people in the village have been infected. The rest are fine. We just need to get a doctor to treat the infected villagers. There's no need to kill so many people; they are all citizens of our Han.”

Ju Shou, who had studied Confucianism, was known for his leniency, which was in stark contrast to Cheng Yu's Legalist philosophy. Since Cheng Yu joined Liu Yao's team, the two often disagreed on policy. However, their personal relationship was still good.

“I agree with Gongyu. I know you, Zhongde, are thinking of the bigger picture, but we should be more lenient towards our Han people,” Liu Yao said.

“Understood,” Cheng Yu replied softly.

“Report...” A messenger burst into the meeting hall.

“What is it!” Liu Yao shouted, clearly annoyed. He hated being interrupted during meetings.

The messenger, intimidated by Liu Yao's tone, stammered, “My lord, the small village with the plague that you asked me to monitor has had an incident.”

Liu Yao was shocked, “What! What happened! Has the plague spread?”

“No, my lord, it's not that. A few Taoist priests and a wandering doctor are arguing with each other,” the messenger finally finished.

Liu Yao breathed a sigh of relief but almost wanted to kill the messenger for making him so worried. However, he then asked, “Do you know what the Taoist priests look like?”

The messenger recalled, “My lord, the Taoist priests are wearing yellow robes and yellow headbands.”

“Are you sure they are wearing yellow headbands?” Liu Yao asked anxiously.

The messenger confirmed, “I am absolutely certain.”

Liu Yao waved his hand, “You may go.” The messenger left. Liu Yao thought to himself, “I didn't expect the Yellow Turbans to have developed in Youzhou under the emperor's indulgence. Humph, although the Yellow Turbans are part of my plan, Youzhou is my territory, and I won't let them cause trouble here.”

Ju Shou, seeing Liu Yao deep in thought, asked worriedly, “My lord, what's wrong? Is there something suspicious about those Taoist priests?”

Liu Yao nodded and asked, “Gongyu, do you know when these Yellow Turban priests appeared in Youzhou?”

“About two months ago, according to reports from the secret agents. I saw that they were mostly giving medicine to the people and helping refugees, so I didn't interfere much,” Ju Shou replied.

“Hmph,” Liu Yao sneered, “Helping refugees, Gongyu. Today, you and I will go and see the true nature of these people.”

“Absolutely not, my lord, you are a person of great importance. How can you go to a place with a plague?” Cheng Yu quickly opposed.

“No problem, the plague is not that scary. As long as we take proper precautions, we will be fine,” Liu Yao said firmly.

Seeing Liu Yao's determination, the two had no choice but to agree.

Soon, Liu Yao called on Shi A and twenty guards to escort him and the others to a small village outside Jixian.

Upon arrival, they found, as the messenger had said, a white-haired, energetic wandering doctor with a medicine box on his back arguing with several Yellow Turban rebels.

“You old man, get out of the way. Don't interfere with my spreading blessings,” a Yellow Turban pushed the doctor away. He then lit a talisman, burned it to ashes, and poured it into a bowl of water. He handed it to a villager suffering from the plague, saying, “Come, drink it quickly. The Great Virtuous Teacher will bless you, and your illness will be cured.”

“Thank you, Master,” the villager said happily, about to drink the water.

“Don't drink it!!!” The doctor rushed forward and knocked the bowl out of the villager's hand.

“You old scoundrel, what are you doing?” The Yellow Turbans, seeing their plan ruined, became furious and rushed to attack the doctor.

“Stop!!!” Liu Yao shouted, but it was too late. However, the doctor, to Liu Yao's surprise, easily knocked down four or five Yellow Turbans.

Liu Yao, an outsider, didn't fully understand, but Shi A knew that the doctor's agile movements indicated he was a skilled fighter, perhaps even on par with his own master.

“Oh, it's the governor,” a villager who recognized Liu Yao called out. Everyone's attention turned to Liu Yao. The Yellow Turbans, seeing the situation, tried to flee.

“Guards, arrest those men,” Liu Yao ordered. Several guards immediately rushed forward and restrained the Yellow Turbans.

Liu Yao walked up to the villagers and said, “Villagers, do you trust me, Liu Yao?”

An elderly man stepped forward, “You drove away the Wuhuan and reduced our taxes. Our lives have improved this year. I, an old man, trust the governor first.” The other villagers echoed, “We trust you!!!”

“Good, since you trust me, rest assured, I will find a way to treat your plague,” Liu Yao said, moved.

“Thank you, my lord...” the villagers shouted in unison.

“Now, let me deal with these people,” Liu Yao muttered to himself. He walked up to one of the leading Yellow Turbans and asked, “Who are you, and why are you spreading such lies in my Youzhou?”

The Yellow Turban, who had been ordered by Zhang Jiao not to provoke the government, but was now in a difficult situation, replied, “We are not lying. The Great Virtuous Teacher will bless us. As long as you believe in the Great Virtuous Teacher, all your illnesses will be cured.”