Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 157 Under the Great Han Dynasty, there still stands Cao Mengde of Yan Province.
"Cannibalism!" Upon hearing Zhao Qi's words, the eunuchs and ministers beside Liu Xie all exclaimed in horror, their faces filled with disbelief.

"I never imagined that the Kanto region would have fallen into such a miserable state..."

"I've heard that Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan are locked in a fierce battle, Cao Cao is also engaged in repeated battles with Lü Bu and Tao Qian, and Yuan Shu is launching attacks on all sides, causing unrest in all directions. In comparison, only Jingzhou is relatively peaceful..."

"With frequent wars, the people are suffering terribly!"

"The Guandong region is also suffering from a severe drought; it must be a barren wasteland, littered with bones..."

"Is the trip to Kanto still necessary?"

"Yes! If the warlords of Guandong are too busy to take care of themselves, we might as well stay in Anyi and find a safe place for the time being."

Everyone chimed in with their own words, their expressions filled with worry and confusion.

However, Zhao Qi, with his head down, couldn't help but smirk slightly. He thought to himself, "When I tell you the truth, I'll give you all a real shock!"

Everyone was filled with doubts and cast probing glances at Zhao Qi, hoping he could provide an answer.

Zhao Qi, however, remained calm and composed, appearing as steady as Mount Tai.

Emperor Xian, Liu Xie, could no longer bear it and urgently asked, "Minister Zhao, please tell me quickly, what exactly is the situation on Cao Cao's side?"

Zhao Qi's feigned posture whetted everyone's appetite, giving him immense satisfaction.

Since the emperor had asked, Zhao Qi replied, "I entered Nanyang County of Jingzhou from Wuguan, passed through Yingchuan County, and then entered Yanzhou."

The experience I mentioned earlier, where I was almost boiled and eaten, happened in Yingchuan.

After entering Yanzhou, I first arrived at Chenliu, then passed through Puyang, and finally reached Juancheng.

Zhao Qi paused suddenly at this point, instantly drawing murderous glances from everyone.

Fearing a beating, Zhao Qi quickly added, "However, since I stepped into the territory of Yanzhou, it feels as if I have entered a completely different world!"

"Your Majesty, it feels as if I have returned to a peaceful and prosperous era!"

As far as the eye could see, there were no frozen bones, no wailing cries, and no doors shut to avoid the chaos.

What I could hear was the sound of rice being pounded, the sound of reading aloud, and the laughter of children chasing butterflies with their yellow dogs.

Despite the severe drought, Yanzhou implemented the policy of military farming early on, vigorously constructed ditches and canals, and actively stored water to prepare for famine.

Under the rule of other feudal lords, the land was littered with corpses of the starving.

But in Yanzhou, especially in Dongjun, there has been an unprecedented bumper harvest—granaries are overflowing! This is utterly outrageous, Your Majesty!!

Zhao Qi took a breath and calmed himself down before continuing, "Not only that, in the cities I visited, there were shops everywhere, and ordinary people had new clothes in every household and could eat meat every day!"
I even saw countless shops selling paper books, including the Four Books and Five Classics, the cheapest of which was no more than ten coins per book!

As Zhao Qi spoke, he took out a stack of paper books carefully wrapped in oilcloth from his pocket, and carefully opened them to reveal the "Mencius", "Thousand Character Classic" and "Wanmin Journal".

Liu Xie took the book, opened the cover of "Wanmin Journal", and began to read.

"Your Majesty!" Zhao Qi's body began to tremble slightly, and his eyes started to redden.

I have never seen such a vibrant and lively place. I imagine that even the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing could not have been more spectacular!

What is most commendable is that Cao Mengde was wholeheartedly loyal to the Han Dynasty and never made the slightest act of usurpation!

According to his younger brother Cao Zian, Cao Mengde's greatest ambition in the past was to become the General Who Conquers the West of the Han Dynasty!

"I pledge my life as collateral: if Your Majesty goes to Yanzhou, you will surely restore the glory of the Han Dynasty!"

Zhao Qi's words left the emperor and his officials speechless with astonishment.

The world is in such chaos, how can you say that Cao Cao's rule is comparable to the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing?

It should be noted that Emperor Wu of Han was able to defeat the Xiongnu by virtue of the wealth accumulated during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, which provided him with sufficient funds and resources.

Zhao Qi seemed oblivious to the shocked and suspicious looks on their faces, and continued to speak eloquently: "Yanzhou won a battle against a million Yellow Turbans and took in hundreds of thousands of people!"
The battle against Yuan Shu's 200,000-strong army ended in a great victory for Cao Mengde.

Lu Bu, the Marquis of Wen, launched a surprise attack on Juancheng from Chenliu, but unexpectedly fell into Cao Mengde's trap of luring the enemy deep into his territory. He has now fled to Xuzhou and sought refuge with Liu Bei..."

"Yanzhou today boasts a strong and well-equipped army, prosperity and stability, and abundant food supplies. Looking across the entire Guandong region, no warlord dares to easily covet Yanzhou!"

"Zhao Qing...is what you said really true?!" Liu Xie finally recovered from his extreme shock and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Yes, this sounds like a fabricated story," a minister muttered to himself.

“I know Cao Mengde. Back then, he went alone to assassinate Dong Zhuo. Although he failed, he took the lead in launching the anti-Dong alliance. Later, he even led troops alone to pursue and kill the traitor Dong. It can be seen that he was wholeheartedly loyal to the Han Dynasty!”

"Our great Han Dynasty still has such a loyal minister; this is because Heaven protects the Han Dynasty and Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie nodded slightly and exclaimed, "Cao Mengde is indeed a man of commendable loyalty and bravery!"

During this period, many feudal lords no longer respected the imperial court, appointing their own officials and completely disregarding the laws and regulations of the court.

Yuan Shu even detained Ma Ridi, an envoy who was on a mission to inspect other places. He not only seized Ma Ridi's official seal, but also forced him to appoint more than ten soldiers in his own army.

When Ma Ridi failed to obtain the tally, he tried to leave but was stopped by Yuan Shu, who even attempted to force Ma Ridi to serve as his military advisor.

Ma Ridi felt deeply humiliated by the theft of his imperial seal and eventually died in Shouchun, overwhelmed with grief and indignation, vomiting blood.

Needless to say, Yuan Shao even considered establishing a new emperor.

Liu Biao of Jingzhou is petty and narrow-minded; it's better to rely on Lü Bu than to rely on him...

Seeing that Liu Xie was already interested, Zhao Qi pressed his advantage and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Cao Yanzhou is the most trustworthy warlord in Guandong, and also the one with the most potential!"

But Liu Xie still had some hesitation in his heart.

To be honest, in his mind, the best choice was not Cao Cao, who came from the family of eunuchs, but Yuan Shao.

So Liu Xie said, "But I think Yuan Shao might be a better choice?"

Zhao Qi had never been to Yuan Shao's place, but the Yuan family had held high office for four generations, and Yuan Shao had also served as the leader of the coalition, so his prestige was still there.

Moreover, Yuan Shao controlled the entire Ji Province and had the strong support of various powerful families, so his army was no less than Cao Cao's.

Liu Xie's idea was actually the same one that most of the ministers thought.

"Your Majesty, has the messenger who went to Yuan Shao returned?" Zhao Qi asked.

"He has not yet returned, but one of his men once served under Yuan Shao and is now an official in the court," Liu Xie replied truthfully.

"Oh? Your Majesty, could you please introduce me to someone?" Zhao Qi immediately became interested.

Then, Dong Zhao stepped forward, knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subject Dong Zhao greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

"Rise, Minister Dong," Liu Xie said. "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Dong Zhao stood up.

"Let me ask you, how does Yuan Shao compare to Cao Cao?" Liu Xie asked Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao originally served under Yuan Shao, but his younger brother Dong Fang was in Zhang Miao's army.

Zhang Miao and Yuan Shao had a long-standing feud, and Yuan Shao, believing slanderous words, wanted to punish Dong Zhao.

As a result, Dong Zhao's situation in Yuan Shao's camp became extremely dangerous, and his life was seriously threatened, so he had to consider finding another way out.

Therefore, Dong Zhao naturally wouldn't speak well of Yuan Shao.

If the emperor really goes to Yuan Shao's place, wouldn't I be going back to my death?

(End of this chapter)