Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 151 Cai Yong Cries for Dong Zhuo, Li Ru Saves Cai Yan

In the first year of Xingping, a severe drought struck the land.

In Yanzhou, thanks to the extensive construction of ditches and the availability of reservoirs for irrigation, grain production not only did not decrease but actually showed signs of a bumper harvest.

But the other feudal lords were not so lucky.

Xuzhou, Jizhou, Yangzhou, and Yuzhou suffered from years of war and famine, resulting in cracked earth and no harvest.

The people were displaced, starving to death was everywhere, and even cannibalism occurred.

The drought was particularly severe in the Sanfu region.

When Li Jue's army ran out of food, he went so far as to plunder the grain that the imperial court was using for disaster relief.

Emperor Xian, Liu Xie, tried his best to persuade Li Jue, but Li Jue turned a deaf ear and continued to do as he pleased.

In his eyes, the army's provisions were far more important than the lives of the people.

Faced with this desperate situation, millions of people in Guanzhong fled to seek a glimmer of hope.

Among the group of refugees, two people stood out.

The thinner individuals had their faces smeared with mud and their hair deliberately made messy and dirty in an attempt to conceal their identities.

But upon closer inspection, one can still discern an extraordinary beauty and charisma.

The other person was also dressed as a typical refugee, but he had his head and face covered with burlap, leaving only a pair of sinister eyes exposed.

These two women were Cai Yan and her servant, Li Ru, who disguised themselves as refugees and hid in the refugee group, preparing to head east to seek a way to survive!
Of course, Cai Yan was unaware of Li Ru's true identity.

Cai Yan found Li Ru by the roadside. He was covered in wounds, with several deep knife wounds on his face that exposed bone, and he was on the verge of death.

Seeing Dong Zhuo's increasingly brutal actions and growing distance from him, Li Ru knew the world was about to descend into chaos and, disheartened, left Dong Zhuo.

After leaving Dong Zhuo, Li Ru only wanted to find a peaceful place to spend the rest of his life.

Unexpectedly, he encountered a mob of soldiers on the way, was slashed and wounded all over his body, and collapsed unconscious by the roadside, barely alive.

When Cai Yan passed by, although she did not know him, she saw that he was pitiful and, out of kindness, helped him clean and bandage his wounds, and also gave him water and food.

Li Ru survived the life-or-death ordeal and, upon learning Cai Yan's identity, was filled with emotion, saying it was a destiny bestowed by heaven.

Dong Zhuo had once shown Cai Yong great favor, and Cai Yong later wept for Dong Zhuo when he died, which led to his execution by Wang Yun.

Now that Cai Yong's daughter, Cai Yan, had saved him, Li Ru secretly resolved to help Cai Yan escape the misery of Guanzhong.

After much deliberation, Li Ru felt that going to Guandong might offer a glimmer of hope.

Among the warlords of Guandong, Cao Cao was Cai Yong's disciple and would certainly treat Cai Yan well.

Therefore, Li Ru suggested to Cai Yan that they go to Guandong together to find Cao Cao, since with her relationship with Cao Cao, they could naturally find a place to settle down.

As night deepened, the refugees huddled at the foot of the earthen slope.

Hearing the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, Cai Yan hurriedly pulled a tattered mat over herself, her heart filled with fear.

Li Ru quietly lay prone on the earthen slope, watching the Xiliang cavalry rush past.

The torches in the cavalrymen's hands illuminated their banners, and Li Ru saw a large "Zhang" character.

Only after the sound of hooves faded did Li Ru return to Cai Yan's side and whisper, "It's Zhang Ji's army! Heading to Chang'an in the dead of night, something big is probably about to happen!"

After Cai Yan saved Li Ru's life, she discovered that he was resourceful and decisive, and extremely loyal to her, so she trusted him even more.

"Then what should we do next?" Cai Yan asked softly.

“Next is Hongnong.” After a moment of thought, Li Ru slowly said, “Zhang Ji has sent out all his troops, so Hongnong should be relatively safe. We need to get to Hangu Pass as soon as possible, then cross the river to Hedong, and then go to Chenliu.”

"Why not go through Wuguan or Hangu Pass, but instead go around to Hedong?" Cai Yan asked in confusion.

“Zhang Ji’s troops are stationed at both Wuguan and Hangu Pass, making it impossible for refugees to pass through,” Li Ru patiently explained. “The only way to survive is to cross the Yellow River and detour to the east bank.”

Cai Yan suddenly realized, and then said to Li Ru, "Fortunately, I have you, Li You, otherwise I really don't know how I would survive."

Li Ru sighed softly and said, "Let's focus on surviving first, and then we can talk about other things!"

……

Following Jia Xu's plan, Zhang Ji successfully won over and united a group of forces opposed to Li Jue and Guo Si. He rushed to Chang'an day and night to mediate the conflict between Li Jue and Guo Si, and at the same time, to get them to hand over the emperor and officials to him.

Li Jue and Guo Si were already exhausted after a long period of internal strife.

Zhang Ji stepped forward at this crucial moment and mediated their conflict.

To avoid a mutually destructive outcome, the two had no choice but to agree to Zhang Ji's proposal to move the emperor and officials to Hongnong County in order to ease the conflict.

Thus, Zhang Ji's first step in his plan succeeded, and he successfully stabilized the situation temporarily.

On his way back to Hongnong County, Zhang Ji went alone to see Emperor Xian Liu Xie to prepare for the implementation of his subsequent plans.

"Your Majesty, General Zhang Ji, the General Who Guards the East, requests an audience." A young eunuch approached Emperor Xian's carriage and reported this with a trembling voice.

Emperor Xian sat up abruptly, his fingers unconsciously clenching his dragon robe, his heart filled with fear.

Zhang Ji was a former subordinate of Dong Zhuo. His request for an audience at this moment was neither a blessing nor a curse.

But he couldn't refuse to see her, so he took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "Summon her."

A moment later, Zhang Ji, clad in armor, approached Liu Xie's carriage, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your subject Zhang Ji greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Xian lifted the carriage curtain and asked in as calm a voice as possible, "General, what brings you here?"

Zhang Ji looked up and glanced inside the empty carriage. Empress Fu was sitting in the innermost corner of the carriage.

“I have important matters to report to Your Majesty privately,” Zhang Ji said.

Empress Fu was slightly taken aback, her beautiful eyes revealing a hint of unease. However, seeing Emperor Xian's resolute expression, she dared not say anything more, and could only curtsy and slowly leave.

As Empress Fu's figure disappeared into the crowd, Zhang Ji stood up and entered the carriage with Emperor Xian.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Ji revealed Jia Xu's plan to Emperor Xian.

Jia Xu's name was known to everyone in Sili.

After all, it was his plan that enabled Li Jue and Guo Si to successfully occupy Chang'an, leading to the humiliating situation that the Han court and the emperor are in today.

Emperor Xian of Han (Liu Xie) harbored deep hatred for Jia Xu.

At this moment, Zhang Ji said that Jia Xu would help him escape from Sili and go to Guandong. Liu Xie was really afraid that this was another of Jia Xu's schemes.

"Oh? I wonder what Military Advisor Jia plans to do?" Emperor Xian tried to keep his tone calm.

Zhang Ji took out a sheepskin map from his bosom and said, "Li Jue and Guo Si are currently kept in the dark. I am willing to escort Your Majesty to Hangu Pass. After passing Hangu Pass, there is a natural fortress. I will send troops to guard it. Even if Li Jue and Guo Si realize what is happening, it will be too late."

Although Liu Xie had long hoped to break free from the control of Li Jue and Guo Si, he was also afraid that this was Zhang Ji's test. If he rashly revealed his feelings, and things went wrong, he would surely be doomed.

So, forcing himself to remain calm, he frowned slightly and said, "General Zhang, this matter is of great importance and should not be taken lightly. Li Jue and Guo Si hold considerable military power; if they find out about this, they will certainly not let it go easily. I'm afraid Hangu Pass won't be able to hold them off for long!"

Seeing this, Zhang Ji understood Emperor Xian's concerns and further said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have made proper arrangements. Currently, Li Jue and Guo Si are suffering from severe internal strife, and the morale of the army is low. The forces I have united are sufficient to contend with them."

Liu Xie's fingers, hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly; he had finally seen a glimmer of hope.

But the question is, why did Zhang Ji and Jia Xu suddenly become so kind?
After a brief silence, Emperor Xian gritted his teeth and decided to get straight to the point and ask for clarification.

He looked directly into Zhang Ji's eyes and asked, "General, is this for my sake, or for your own?"

Zhang Ji remained silent for a moment, then suddenly unsheathed the long sword from his waist, presented it with both hands, and said, "I am doing this for Your Majesty, and also for myself! I beg Your Majesty to trust me. If I have any disloyal intentions, I am willing to be executed."

Emperor Xian stared at the gleaming longsword, his heart churning.

But Liu Xie, who grew up amidst deceit and humiliation, would not easily trust Zhang Ji.

"General, please rise and speak first." However, he was also quite shrewd, so he pushed back Zhang Ji's sword, helped Zhang Ji up, and continued, "I naturally trust you, General, but I don't know how to proceed from here on out?"

After Zhang Ji stood up, he said, "I urge Your Majesty to send an envoy to Guandong to find a Guandong lord to whom one can entrust oneself as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xian pondered for a long time.

But he also knew that this might be his only chance to get out of his predicament.

Thinking of this, Emperor Xian nodded slightly and said, "This matter will be entirely entrusted to the general. However, the choice of envoy must be made with utmost care."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly select a reliable person."

(End of this chapter)