Chapter 65

Qin Feng, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shao were young and vigorous generals of the imperial army, enjoying considerable prestige among the troops.

If one of them had surrendered, it would have been fine. But suddenly, all three of them surrendered together, causing a great shock in the imperial army.

Looking around, the imperial army's formation began to stir.

Liu Bei thought that Qin Feng and the other two had surrendered, and Huangfu Song initially thought so too. However, the old general, having experienced many things, quickly realized something and said to Zhu Jun, "Gongwei, could it be a feigned surrender!"

Zhu Jun's eyes flickered, and he nodded, "General Huangfu, you and I are on the same page. Before Zi Jin set out, he relied on a forged identity to enter the Yellow Turban camp. People like Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu, from noble families, would never tarnish their family names by betraying their lords and the court."

"However, we still need to observe for a while..." Zhu Jun concluded.

Huangfu Song stroked his beard and nodded, then suddenly had a thought and hurriedly said, "Pass my order: the army is forbidden to spread rumors about Qin Zijin and the others. Those who violate the order will be executed!"

Once the order was issued, the imperial army calmed down.

On the Yellow Turban side:

The imperial army's morale was low, and Zhang Bao, who had been in many battles, immediately noticed everything. He looked at Qin Feng and thought, "As this person said, the impact of Cao Cao and the others' surrender on the imperial army is greater than killing them. Let them speak first, then lead the charge, and the imperial army will surely not be able to resist!"

After making up his mind, Zhang Bao waved his sword and said, "Mengde, Benchu, why don't you quickly tell these imperial soldiers to follow your example, abandon the dark and join the light, and join our Yellow Turban army to overthrow the court and establish a peaceful world!"

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao's faces twitched, thinking that Zhang Bao was too despicable to use them for such a thing. However, they also thought that since things had come to this point, even if they tried to run back now, they would probably be unable to explain themselves.

Therefore, Cao Cao and the others agreed with what Qin Feng had said earlier: they could only return by establishing merit and achievements, and there was no need to explain the surrender, as everything would fall into place naturally.

Thus, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao rode forward ten steps, stopped, and looked at each other.

Cao Cao's face was dark, and he made a face, saying, "Brother Benchu, in terms of literary talent, I fall short. Brother Benchu, you speak."

Yuan Shao, with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, had a fairer complexion than Cao Cao, but after hearing Cao Cao's words, his face turned even darker. He was unhappy and said, "Brother Mengde, there's no need to be modest. Who in the court doesn't know Brother Mengde's literary talent? You should speak."

Cao Cao thought he couldn't lose face, but Yuan Shao felt the same way. As the two stared at each other, the crowd of hundreds of thousands saw the two riding side by side, one short and dark, the other tall and fair, a stark contrast.

Since Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun needed to observe further, they took no additional action and waited, puzzled about what Cao Cao and the others were going to do.

Seeing the two hesitate, Zhang Liang was unhappy and said angrily, "Cao Mengde, Yuan Benchu, what are you doing? Are you feigning surrender? Quickly persuade the imperial soldiers to surrender, or else don't blame my subordinates for being ruthless! Prepare to fire!"

The sound of footsteps echoed as a group of archers came forward, and a hundred arrows were aimed at Cao Cao and the others.

Cao Cao's forehead immediately broke out in sweat, and he whispered, "Those despicable Yellow Turbans, if we had tried to escape just now, we would have been shot like hedgehogs!"

Yuan Shao was also terrified but said, "Qin Zijin indeed has some ability. It seems that to return smoothly, we need to defeat the Yellow Turbans."

Seeing no movement, Zhang Bao began to call out names. Noticing Yuan Shao's good image, he said, "Yuan Benchu, you speak first."

Cao Cao felt a great relief, but Yuan Shao was almost ready to curse. Cao Cao, riding his horse, extended his right hand and said loudly, "Brother Benchu, please. Both leaders are waiting for your words."

Yuan Shao's body trembled, and he wanted to kill Cao Cao, but now that he had been called out, not speaking would surely result in being pierced by a thousand arrows. Yuan Shao had no choice but to move forward two more steps.

The eyes of the 50,000 imperial soldiers focused on Yuan Shao. He had no idea what to say but couldn't remain silent, so he steeled himself and began to shout, waving his hand, "Brothers of the imperial army, I am Yuan Benchu."

Behind him, Qin Feng saw some imperial soldiers also waving their hands, and his eyes twitched. He then heard Yuan Shao shout, "I have already joined the great cause of the Yellow Turbans, following the great Three Generals of Heaven, Earth, and Man, dedicated to establishing a peaceful world. Join our ranks, and in the peaceful world, there will be no oppression, no exploitation, and everyone will be like brothers. We will share our wealth, drink, and food. Have you ever thought that while you fight in the front, your families suffer in the rear..."

Suddenly, the imperial soldiers began to stir again.

Zhang Bao was overjoyed and said to his subordinates, "Yuan Benchu spoke so well, we couldn't have said it better." He then said to Qin Feng, "Zijin was right; using the gentry is better than killing them." He also said to the others, "From now on, let Yuan Benchu handle the propaganda."

Qin Feng smiled and thought, "Yuan Benchu, you're quite capable. Your ideological work is excellent. Not only in this time, but even 1800 years later, with your skills, you could be a committee member."

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun were devastated. They never expected Yuan Shao to say such heart-stirring words. Huangfu Song, furious, could not let Yuan Shao continue and shouted, "Who will go forward and kill this traitor!"

Yuan Shao's face turned pale, and he trembled, thinking, "I am from a family of four generations of high officials, and today I have become a traitor..."

This was a challenge on the battlefield. Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat, fearing a change, and he quickly called out, "Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu are injured; I will take this challenge." He then spurred his horse forward, brandished his spear, and shouted at the imperial army, "Enemy general Xu Chu, dare you face me in battle!"

Zhang Bao and the others did not know Qin Feng's background but knew that Xu Chu was a major general of the imperial army. Seeing him challenge Xu Chu, they were surprised and then delighted, "Could it be that Zijin not only has outstanding strategy but also excellent martial arts?"

They were delighted to have such a capable general on their side and looked forward to it.

On the imperial side, the situation was already chaotic. If not for Huangfu Song's strict order not to discuss Qin Feng and the others, the soldiers would have been shouting. Because of this, Zhang Jue and the others did not know Qin Feng's background.

Xu Chu and Dian Wei exchanged glances. Xu Chu, with his large waist, first glanced at Huangfu Song and then whispered, "Old Dian, let's take advantage of the imperial army's lack of preparation and lead the Xianyang Camp to join our lord!"

Dian Wei nodded and gripped his twin iron halberds tightly.

The two began to look for an opportunity to return to their lord's command.

Between the two armies, Qin Feng waited, looking back at his Xianyang Camp. He saw the formation beginning to waver, and the eager expressions of Dian Wei and Xu Chu. Qin Feng, feeling a deep connection with his Dragon Guard, was suddenly alarmed, "This is bad!"

He realized that Dian Wei and Xu Chu were about to lead the troops to join him. On one hand, he was pleased by the loyalty of his Dragon Guard, who would follow him even if he became a "traitor." However, now, no one on the Yellow Turban side knew he was Qin Feng of the Xianyang Camp. If Dian Wei and Xu Chu led the troops to join him, his identity would be completely exposed.

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