Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Cheng Yaojin nodded, his eyes still fixed on the object.

His mind raced. First, he clicked his tongue in admiration at how beautiful the girl was, and then two people suddenly popped into his head.

Shen Wansan and Lu Bing.

Shen Wansan, that guy, used to find two beauties, Mi Zhen and Gan Mei, for his lord, and he was so smug about it, always bragging to everyone, "I found two stunning beauties for my lord."

Lu Bing is even more cunning. A while ago, he found a wife for his lord, Liu Ce, named Yin Ying. She served his lord very well and received a lot of praise from him.

Lu Bing now walks with a swagger, his back straighter than anyone else's.

Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up, and said:

"Hey! If those two lads, Shen Wansan and Lu Bing, can find a confidante for our lord, why can't I, Old Cheng? This girl is so pretty and seems so gentle; our lord will definitely like her!"

The more he thought about it, the more delighted he became:

"This is such a great opportunity, delivered right to our doorstep! We shouldn't refuse such a blessing from heaven!"

Thinking of this, he completely forgot about meeting up with Su Lie and Huang Zhong.

He turned the horse's head and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Brothers! Turn around! Come back with me, Old Cheng!"

The guards were completely dumbfounded.

"Huh? General, aren't we going to find General Su and General Huang?"

"What are you looking for!" Cheng Yaojin glared, swung his axe, and said, "Let's do something great to ease the lord's burden first! Quick, catch up with that carriage ahead!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than he spurred his horse and, with a dozen or so guards, turned around and gave chase in a flurry of activity.

On the official road, the sound of horses' hooves thundered, and the dust rose even higher than before.

...

Inside the carriage, the maid was lifting the curtain to look back.

Upon seeing the cavalry turn and charge towards them, her face turned pale, and she frantically shouted to the girl beside her:

"Miss! Miss! Something terrible has happened! That army that just passed by has turned back! It seems... it seems they're heading straight for us!"

Sitting in the carriage was Feng Yu, the daughter of Feng Fang, the former Commandant of the Capital Region.

She is eighteen years old this year, with delicate features and a gentle and charming appearance. She is a well-known beauty in Luoyang.

Upon hearing this, her hand holding the handkerchief tightened slightly, and a hint of panic flashed across her face.

But she was, after all, a young lady from an official family, and had seen some of the world, so she quickly put on a brave face and calmed down.

She looked back following the maid's hand and saw a troop of cavalry charging toward the carriage.

The burly man leading the group carried a large axe and looked fierce and menacing.

"Miss, what should we do?" the maid cried, almost in tears. "In this chaos, have we run into bandits? Will we be robbed? Will we be killed?"

Feng Yu took a deep breath, pressed the maid's hand, and gently comforted her:

"Don't panic. Judging from their armor and banners, they are the Youzhou army of the Prince of Yan, not mutinous soldiers. They shouldn't cause any trouble."

She said that, but she was also feeling uneasy.

Before her father left, he specifically told her that Luoyang was in chaos and that she should seek refuge in Yangzhou.

They were just about to leave Yuzhou territory when they were spotted by the King of Yan's troops.

Before she could think further, the carriage suddenly stopped.

A trembling voice came from outside:

"General... what are your orders for stopping our carriage?"

Immediately following was that loud voice that made the carriage vibrate:

"Whose daughter is in the carriage? I am Cheng Yaojin, a colonel under the command of the Prince of Yan! No ill intentions, just asking a few questions!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu composed herself.

She reached out and lifted the carriage curtain a crack, revealing half her face, and respectfully bowed to Cheng Yaojin outside.

Her voice was gentle yet not timid as she said:

"I am General Cheng. My name is Feng Yu. My father was Feng Fang, the former Commandant of the Capital Region. We came from Luoyang to seek refuge with relatives in Yangzhou. However, Dong Zhuo caused chaos in Luoyang before he left, and my father specifically instructed us to go to Yangzhou to avoid disaster."

When Cheng Yaojin saw that the girl was even more beautiful up close, and that she spoke in a gentle and soft voice, he was even happier.

He quickly slung the axe behind his back, scratching his head and chuckling.

His appearance was completely different from his fierce and menacing demeanor just moments before.

He even lowered his voice, afraid of startling people, and said:

"Oh! So you're Commandant Feng's daughter! My apologies! I, Old Cheng, have heard of your father's reputation; he's a good official!"

Then, he took two steps forward and said with a smile:

"Miss Feng, your information is way out of date! Dong Zhuo has long been beheaded by my lord, and Luoyang has long been pacified by my lord, His Highness the Prince of Yan! Luoyang is perfectly safe now, no one picks up lost items on the road and doors are left unlocked at night! You don't need to travel all the way to Yangzhou to seek refuge!"

He patted his chest and said:

"In my opinion, you should turn back to Luoyang! I, Old Cheng, happen to be going that way, and I'll send someone to escort you back. I guarantee a safe and uneventful journey!"

Upon hearing that Luoyang had been pacified, Feng Yu's eyes lit up instantly.

His face was full of surprise.

Her home, her old house, and the things her father left behind are all in Luoyang.

If there were no other choice, who would be willing to leave their hometown and go to Yangzhou, a place where they know no one?

But after the initial surprise, she quickly calmed down.

She quickly waved her hand in refusal:

"Thank you for your kindness, General. But... but we've already come so far, so we shouldn't trouble you any further. It would be safer to go to Yangzhou."

She wondered to herself: What a coincidence! Why would he insist on escorting her back to Luoyang right after we met? This general seems so carefree, who knows what he's really up to?

When Cheng Yaojin saw that she refused, he immediately became anxious.

He patted his chest and began his "verbal offensive," spouting a string of straightforward, colloquial phrases:

"Miss Feng, are you being silly? Think about it, in Yangzhou, you have nothing but a relative! You're a complete stranger in this place. If they treat you sincerely, great, but if they're just being insincere, a delicate young lady like you will be bullied there and have no one to stand up for you. You'll have nowhere to cry!"

He became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke:

"Going back to Luoyang is a different story! Your family residence is there, you know all the neighbors, and you also have your father's old friends and subordinates. Wouldn't that be much more reassuring? Besides, now Luoyang is ruled by my Prince Yan!"

He became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke:

"His Highness is most protective of the common people, especially officials and their families who have been harmed by Dong Zhuo. Once you return, just give your name, and no one will dare to bully you! I, Old Cheng, guarantee it!"

He wanted to tell everyone all the good things about Luoyang:

"Besides, the road to Yangzhou isn't safe right now! Those prefects in the south are all self-reliant with their own armies, acting like bandits. What if you, a young girl, with your family and valuables, run into robbers? My Youzhou army will escort you back to Luoyang, with no obstacles along the way! Anyone who dares to lay a finger on you, I'll chop them down with an axe!"

The guards beside him chimed in:

"Yes, miss! Our general is telling the truth!"

"Luoyang is so peaceful now, much safer than Yangzhou!"

"Our Prince Yan is benevolent... He would never let you suffer any injustice!"

"Our general may look rough, but he has a very kind heart and never lies!"