Chapter 45

Hearing the news of the great general Zhang Yan's defeat!

Struck down in one move, the Black Mountain Army was broken through by the enemy cavalry and scattered.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Liang was enraged, his hair standing on end, while Zhang Bao's beard trembled, both of them feeling their hearts and livers split.

They never expected that the top general of the Yellow Turbans would be defeated. In their minds, the threat posed by Qin Feng immediately surpassed that of Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, and Zhu Jun, making him the number one threat to the Yellow Turban forces!

"Is this military司马 (military officer) who emerged from the Northern Army so powerful?" Zhang Bao exclaimed, "This reminds me of the young Wei Qing and Huo Qubing! Could it be that heaven has not abandoned the Han, and thus sent such a young general?" In his view, things might have been just like that. If Qin Feng had not appeared, Cheng Yuanzhi's forces would have already broken through Zhuo Commandery and swept through Youzhou. And Bian Xi's forces would have already joined forces with his elder brother Zhang Jue to attack Lu Zhi from both sides.

If they had succeeded, the landscape of the world would have changed long ago, and everything was because Qin Feng's appearance did not lead to success.

"I will go and kill this person, removing the heart and belly's great worry!" Zhang Liang waved his large saber, the wind roaring.

However, another extremely unfavorable change occurred for the Yellow Turbans.

The Yellow Turban vanguard suddenly retreated. It turned out that Huangfu Song had received a message from Qin Feng. Seeing that the Yellow Turbans were repeatedly diverting troops to pursue him, he was able to gather the defeated soldiers. With a counterattack, the Yellow Turban forces, having lost the main force of the Black Mountain Army, could not hold their ground and were defeated.

Huangfu Song in the west and Qin Feng in the east formed a pincer attack on the Yellow Turban forces.

With the death of He Yi and the injury of Zhang Yan, the Yellow Turbans lost two major generals and were left without any capable leaders, leading to a major defeat.

The Yellow Turban attack lacked strategy, but their retreat was a unique skill, like a tree full of crows, scattering in all directions at the slightest alarm.

Qin Feng and Huangfu Song met and triumphed in the middle of Changshe, turning the tide for the imperial army.

Since Huangfu Song's forces had suffered a defeat earlier and were extremely fatigued, they did not pursue further but returned to their main camp in the western part of Changshe.

Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, having suffered a defeat and lost many soldiers, retreated to the eastern side to regroup.

Half an hour later, in the main camp of the western part of Changshe, the central tent.

After Huangfu Song and others tidied up their appearance, they summoned Qin Feng and Liu Bei.

In the tent, Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun sat side by side, with over ten generals standing below. To Qin Feng, they were all unknown, not even worth knowing their names. These generals all looked at Qin Feng with admiration, thinking that it was his appearance that turned the tide of the battle. Otherwise, their deaths would have been minor, but the loss of the capital would have been major.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were now a mix of sorrow and joy. They were sad because of the defeat and the loss of soldiers, with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao both captured. They were happy because a capable general had appeared in time to turn the tide.

Huangfu Song gathered his strength and said solemnly, "If it were not for Zi Jin's efforts to turn the tide today, we would have been hard-pressed to defend the last line of defense before the capital!"

Qin Feng was very humble, bowing and saying, "In times of national crisis, Qin Feng must fulfill his duty and fight bravely. The praise from General Huangfu is something I do not deserve."

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun exchanged glances, both showing approval.

Zhu Jun said, "General Qin, there is no need to be too modest. Having a general like you is a great fortune for our army!"

Liu Bei, upon hearing this, was not pleased. He thought, "So I'm not involved at all? If it weren't for me, how could Qin Zi Jin have achieved such great merit? We three brothers also contributed." Suddenly, Liu Bei understood a truth that took him many years to realize in his previous life: following Qin Zi Jin could lead to great victories, but all the credit would be taken by him. Throughout history, no one has been better at taking credit than Qin Feng!

Liu Bei stepped forward, showing that he was still there, as if to say, "Are you all blind?"

Zhu Jun asked, "Zi Jin, what is your background?" They already knew Qin Feng's background, but as a matter of protocol, Zhu Jun and others, as superiors, had to ask personally, which was part of their duty.

Qin Feng immediately bowed and said, "I am Qin Feng, also known as Qin Zi Jin, from Ye City in Wei Commandery, currently serving as a司马 (military officer) in the Northern Army."

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun nodded, and Huangfu Song smiled, saying, "General Lu Zhi truly has a keen eye for talent. Promoting General Qin is a great fortune for our army!"

Liu Bei was secretly resentful, thinking, "That old Lu Zhi, I'm even his nominal disciple, and he didn't even give me a military司马 (military officer) position. At least he could have given me a屯长 (company commander) or something. Now, I have nothing, and I've fought in several battles for nothing."

"Who are you?"

Liu Bei was pondering when he saw that the question was directed at him. He hurriedly bowed deeply, his buttocks raised high, his palms almost touching his feet, and said, "I am Liu Bei, also known as Liu Xuande, a descendant of the Prince of Zhongshan and the great-grandson of Emperor Jing of Han..."

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun exchanged glances, recognizing him as a member of the imperial family.

However, there were so many members of the imperial family that the royal records could not keep up. Therefore, Huangfu Song asked, "What position do you currently hold?"

Qin Feng was amused, thinking, "No need to explain further, he must be a commoner."

Sure enough, Liu Bei's face twitched imperceptibly, thinking, "Are these people crazy? As long as I can fight, why ask about my position?" He had no choice but to say, "I am a commoner."

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun exchanged glances again, just smiling.

In the four hundred years of the Han dynasty, the descendants of the Han royal family were as numerous as fish crossing a river, and many had fallen into obscurity. Liu Bei was a typical example. His ancestors were princes, and even with the Edict of Grace, over the centuries, any capable person could not become a county marquis, a township marquis, or a village marquis. But as a member of the imperial family, even without a fief, he could still manage to be a marquis within or outside the pass.

However, in reality, no capable person had appeared in his family for centuries. Many people had lived off the family name for generations, and even if the Prince of Zhongshan were still alive, he could not withstand such a burden, let alone the fact that he had long since passed away. By the time Liu Bei's branch of the family reached him, there was nothing left, just a large tree at the gate that Liu Bei used as a canopy.

This was like a branch of a wealthy family, without any skills, not favored at home, and looked down upon outside.

Huangfu Song sighed, looking at Qin Feng and then at Liu Bei, "If there were more descendants of the Han royal family like Qin Feng, would the world be in such a state now?"

"Definitely not, right?"

Most people thought this way, and seeing that Liu Bei was not young, they wondered what he had been doing all these years. Now, he was still a commoner, and it was embarrassing to claim his royal lineage. Many people were not included in the royal family records because it was too shameful.

The world being in such a state was first and foremost due to the lack of capable descendants of the Han royal family. Therefore, Huangfu Song only called out, "So you are Liu Yishi..."

Liu Bei was also disappointed, thinking that he was approaching his thirties and did not know what his future would be like. "Can I become like Qin Zi Jin?" Liu Bei secretly observed Qin Feng, feeling envious, thinking, "This guy was once like me, how can his fate be so good?"

In fact, Qin Feng's fate was the worst. He had been living comfortably in the future, but unexpectedly, heaven sent him to this chaotic era. Without struggle, he would die. Liu Bei could still complain, but Qin Feng had no one to reason with.

After a moment.

Everyone was tired, and the Yellow Turbans had also retreated. There was nothing else to do today. Exhausted, after the customary greetings, Huangfu Song arranged for Qin Feng and others to return to rest, planning to discuss everything further the next day when they were more energetic.

Qin Feng walked out of the tent.

"Brother Zi Jin, I hope you will take care of me in the future. I am deeply grateful." Liu Bei said earnestly, even using Qin Feng's local dialect to address himself.

Qin Feng smiled, patted Liu Bei's shoulder, thinking, "If I get the chance, I won't let you off," but said, "Brother Liu, we are naturally close."

Liu Bei was overjoyed, bowed deeply, "I will take my leave first..." and then stepped back two steps, turned, and walked away.

Qin Feng smiled, thinking, "Indeed, he is too smooth, too smooth."

Now that Qin Feng was part of the system, and the system was still in order, he needed to use it to gain benefits after the system became chaotic. Therefore, whether he liked it or not, he had to spend some time "interacting" with people like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shao.

Qin Feng suddenly thought, "Cao Cao and Yuan Shao have been captured, what should I do?"

As he walked and pondered the future, suddenly, there was a commotion ahead. Looking up, he saw the imperial army escorting a group of Yellow Turban prisoners. Among them were a few female soldiers, each tied with ropes, and one person stood out.

"Fei Yu! Captured!" Qin Feng's face turned black, feeling as if at least ten thousand crows were flying over his head, cawing. His mind buzzed, thinking, "This is really a case of misfortune piling up. Not only were Cao Cao and Yuan Shao captured, but my wife from my previous life was also captured!"