Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 149 General Yue, Don't Make a Mistake
"The only solution now is to ask General Zhenbei for help!"

Taishi Ci: ? ? ?

Taishi Ci looked at Yang Hong with surprise, his brows furrowing slightly.

"The strategist's plan is brilliant, but I fear the General of the North himself is unwilling to accept it?"

A cold glint flashed in Yang Hong's eyes, carrying a profound meaning.

"That's not up to him."

Before long, Le Jin and his five hundred soldiers were hiding among a group of bunkers, desperately holding on and waiting for the reinforcements that had been slow to arrive.

However, instead of General Dian's army coming to their aid, they were greeted by Xiahou's banner fluttering in the wind.

In an instant, Yuan's army, which had been fiercely attacking the bunker and fighting them to the death, suddenly retreated.

Then, a general appeared in the distance, wearing an embroidered robe and golden armor, holding a sword and standing on horseback. His imposing and inviolable dignity was none other than General Xiahou Dun, the General Who Guards the North.
Taishi Ci, who had originally commanded the troops here and launched a fierce attack on them, seemed to have been summoned. He reported something to Xiahou Dun on horseback, and soon after, as if he had received instructions, he came to the Cao army and spoke.

"Issue the order of the General Who Guards the North!"
The General Who Guards the North said:
Many of you are my old subordinates who followed me in guarding Yingchuan, and Yue Jin and Yue Wenqian are my old friends of many years.

You are now at your wits' end. If I were to allow you to resist stubbornly to the point of death, it would be something I could not bear to see.

Lord Yuan of Huainan, whose family had produced three high-ranking officials across four generations, was highly respected throughout the country and universally regarded as a virtuous man.

His respect for the virtuous and talented was well-known, and his thirst for talent was like that of King Zhao of Yan in the pre-Qin period, who spent a thousand pieces of gold to buy horse bones.

He built the Golden Terrace in Shouchun, where even someone like Mao Jie, whose status in Cao Cao's camp was far lower than yours, Yue Jin, could enjoy a prestigious position and be appointed as a high-ranking official.

Now that defeat is inevitable, with your talent, Yue Wenqian, if you were to surrender to Lord Yuan, you would not only surely have a place in the Golden Terrace, but you might even be appointed as a general like me, a high-ranking official guarding a region.

Since Yuan Gong left Shouchun, he has been invincible, conquering all before him and winning every battle. His ambition to reunite the world and support the nation is beginning to emerge.

Today, the world is in turmoil, the four seas are in uproar, and the warlords each have their own ambitions. The signs of the impending demise of the Han Dynasty are already evident. At this time, who else but Lord Yuan could unify the world and unite the warlords?
You should all advise Yue Wenqian to see the situation clearly, and not to make a mistake for himself, acting on momentary anger and harming others.

If we can persuade them to surrender, you will all have rendered great service. Whether you follow Wenqian to the Golden Terrace to share wealth and honor, or return to my command to establish new achievements, it will all be in accordance with the will of Heaven and the times.

These words came from Xiahou Dun's mouth and were proclaimed by Taishi Ci. Among the generals, those with loud voices repeated and shouted them out, and for a time the sound echoed throughout Cao Cao's camp.

Outside the bunker, it was surrounded on all sides by Yuan's army. Inside the bunker, voices urging surrender could be heard from all sides.

Upon hearing this, Yue Jin's expression changed drastically. He immediately turned to the Yuan army outside and loudly rebuked them. Looking at the embroidered robe and golden armor of the high-ranking General Zhenbei, he angrily rebuked him.

"Xiahou Yuanrang, a traitor who betrayed his master, how dare he bark and utter such rebellious words here?"

My lord Cao Cao protected the emperor and supported the king, and now he is the Chancellor of Han, tasked with punishing the traitor Yuan Shao.

You have been close to Cao Cao since childhood, regarding him as your right-hand man. After your defeat and capture, instead of repaying him with your life, you were greedy for life and joined the bandits.

You traitorous scoundrel, you wear women's clothes and you don't even know shame. How dare you, such an unfaithful, unfilial, shameless person, speak of destiny?

To persuade me to surrender is utterly delusional. You traitor, come forward! I am ashamed to be associated with you.

If you want to fight, fight quickly and don't waste words. I want to see whether you break through my camp first, or Dian Wei breaks through your defenses and leads his troops to reinforce you.

"Even if Heaven truly intends to destroy me, I, Yue, will not live, and I will never follow you, you traitorous rat!" However, after he finished speaking, there was a deathly silence around him.

Le Jin vaguely sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange. He turned around and saw that most of his five hundred soldiers were looking at him with strange eyes.

“General, we believe that General Xiahou is right. Since Lord Yuan obtained the Imperial Seal, he has been invincible wherever he goes. He must be blessed by Heaven. How can we, with our own strength, defy Heaven?”

"Indeed, General. I've also heard that Mao Jie, a mere military commander, has only five thousand soldiers under his command, and his military strategy is less than half that of you."

He was still valued by Lord Yuan, who appointed him as a high-ranking official and invited him to the Golden Terrace.

Now, General, you are the commander-in-chief of an army of 30,000. Your wisdom and military strategy far surpass those of Mao Jie. Why should you worry about not being valued and favored by Lord Yuan?

Since defeat is inevitable here, and there is an opportunity to enter the Golden Terrace, why must you fight to the death and refuse to surrender, thus preventing us from following you to the Golden Terrace for a visit?

"That's exactly right!"
I heard that the Golden Terrace was made entirely of gold and jade, and contained countless treasures and luxuries. Mao Jie initially refused, but after entering, he...

Not long after, Yan Xiang asked him:
General Mao, do you still miss Cao Cao?

Mao Jie said, "I'm so happy here, I don't miss Cao Cao at all!"

The extravagant lifestyle at Golden Terrace is evident; General, do not jeopardize your own destiny.”

Upon hearing these words and seeing that all the soldiers seemed tempted, Yue Jin flew into a rage and rebuked them.

"In your eyes, am I such a treacherous villain who would betray his lord for the sake of wealth and power?"
"This matter must not be mentioned again. Anyone who dares to speak of it again should not blame me for the sharpness of my sword."

"What are you saying, General Yue? What is your relationship with Cao Cao? And what is your relationship with General Xiahou?"

Could Cao Cao's favor towards General Yue be comparable to his favor towards General Xiahou?
Even General Xiahou knows to assess the situation and choose the right tree to perch on; why should General Yue act impulsively and risk his life?

"You don't want me to act rashly and lose my life? I think you're just afraid of death and are after the riches and honors of the Golden Terrace!"

Le Jin glared angrily, his eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed, staring intently at the lieutenant who dared to try to persuade him again after his stern warning.

"You traitor, how dare you disrupt the morale of our army!"

Before anyone could react, he suddenly struck with his sword, killing the man.

The entire hall fell silent instantly; all attempts to persuade someone to surrender ceased.

Le Jin, his expression stern, stared intently at the crowd, "If anyone dares to speak of surrender again, don't say we didn't warn you!"

"Gentlemen, follow me to the death in this battle. General Dian will arrive soon. At that time, we will all be meritorious officials of the court, and Cao Cao and the Emperor will surely reward us handsomely."

However, the effect he imagined—to intimidate and appease the crowd—failed to materialize.

When the collective will has reached a consensus, whether or not to surrender is something that no individual can change.
Immediately, a young general who followed Xiahou Dun saw his comrade lying in a pool of blood, and anger rose in his heart, and evil thoughts arose in his heart. He also drew his sword.

"Damn it, I called you General and tried to persuade you with kind words, but you wouldn't listen. How dare you kill someone?"
Brothers have fought bloody battles for you, risking their lives to survive, and now they have gained nothing but wealth and honor, and are about to be killed by you.

"Your sword is sharp, but are our swords not sharp too?"

(End of this chapter)