gnovel Chapter 27 Taishi Ci
Chapter 27 Taishi Ci
Sun Fu led one person into the study.
The newcomer was seven feet seven inches tall, with long arms and a knives that were good at shooting. He carried two halberds on his back. Although his face was weathered, his eyes revealed a heroic spirit that was hard for others to ignore.
This person was none other than Taishi Ci of Donglai, courtesy name Ziyi.
As soon as he entered the room, his gaze quickly swept over everyone inside, finally landing on Li Zhao.
Before Li Zhao could speak, Taishi Ci stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a loud voice, "I am Taishi Ci of Donglai, ordered by Kong Beihai to break through the siege and seek reinforcements. May I ask which one of you is Magistrate Li of Pingyuan?"
Li Zhao rose, returned the greeting, and said gently, "I am Li Zhao. Brave warrior Ziyi, you have had a long and arduous journey."
Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci's tense body did not relax; instead, he spoke with even greater anxiety:
"Now that you, my lord, are here, then the siege of Duchang..."
Liu Bei, standing to the side, interjected with a smile:
"Ziyi, rest assured. My lord led his army on a night raid through the snow and decisively defeated the Yellow Turban rebels led by Guan Hai yesterday morning, beheading over ten thousand and capturing one hundred thousand. The siege of Duchang has now been lifted, and Lord Kong is safe and sound."
"What? It's fixed?"
Taishi Ci stood there, stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He risked his life to break through the encirclement, trekking through wind and snow for several days, and finally reached the plains to seek help, only to be told that the battle was over.
"That scoundrel Guan Hai...is he dead?"
Taishi Ci pressed for an answer, seemingly finding it hard to believe.
Zhao Yun stepped forward and said calmly:
"Guan Hai was killed by my spear and fell from his horse. His body is now displayed on the city wall of Duchang."
Looking at the young general in white robes and silver armor with a calm demeanor, Taishi Ci sensed the sharp and piercing aura emanating from him and knew that what he said was true.
"call......"
Taishi Ci let out a long breath, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his body in an instant, and he was even a little unsteady on his feet.
To repay Kong Rong's kindness in caring for his elderly mother, he single-handedly charged into the encirclement and risked his life to break through for help. He was already at his limit, sustained only by a strong belief.
Now that my belief has been shattered, a wave of exhaustion washes over me.
Seeing this, Li Zhao quickly stepped forward to help him up and instructed Sun Fu, "Quickly, help Ziyi sit down and bring him a bowl of hot ginger soup."
After Taishi Ci drank a few sips of hot soup and recovered, Li Zhao finally asked, "Brave warrior Ziyi, now that Duchang has been liberated, what are your plans for the future?"
Taishi Ci put down his soup bowl, looking somewhat lost. He had come to repay a debt of gratitude, but now that the debt had been repaid, he was at a loss as to where to go in this vast world.
"I came here to repay the kindness of Lord Kong. Now that the matter is settled, I should return to my hometown of Donglai to serve my elderly mother," Taishi Ci said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Li Zhao looked at him intently: "Ziyi is a tiger general of our time, with unparalleled martial arts skills. Are you willing to grow old and die in seclusion? Qingzhou has just been pacified, and everything needs to be rebuilt. The remnants of the Yellow Turbans still exist, and the people have not yet escaped their suffering. I am eager to find talented people and would like to invite Ziyi to come out of seclusion and help us save the situation."
Taishi Ci hesitated.
He was a very filial son and did not want to be away from his elderly mother.
Li Zhao saw his concerns and smiled, "Ziyi, there's no need to worry about the old lady. I have already arranged a residence for you in Beihai City, and all your living expenses will be provided by the government."
"You could bring the old lady to the city to live with you. That way, you can fulfill your filial duty and also realize your ambitions. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
These words were exactly what Taishi Ci wanted to hear.
Looking into Li Zhao's sincere eyes, and then glancing at the distinguished figures of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Xu Changling, his last remaining concerns vanished.
A good bird chooses its tree to perch on.
The young prime minister before me is not only benevolent and loves his people, but also has a wealth of talented people under his command. Perhaps he is truly a lord worth following.
Taishi Ci, as if overturning a mountain of gold and a jade pillar, immediately bowed and said, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Your Excellency. I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty!"
Li Zhao was overjoyed and quickly helped him up: "With Ziyi's help, Qingzhou is safe!"
He immediately appointed Taishi Ci as Cavalry Commandant, placing him under Zhao Yun's command and assisting in leading the cavalry.
Taishi Ci is skilled in archery and horsemanship, a natural-born cavalry general. With his addition, Li Zhao's cavalry combat power will be further enhanced.
By this time, Li Zhao had assembled five valiant generals—Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Taishi Ci—as well as his strategist, Xu Shu. His civil and military leadership was now complete.
After making these adjustments, Li Zhao turned to Sun Fu and instructed him, "Ziyi, you brave warrior, have been traveling and working hard; you must be hungry."
Go and have the kitchen prepare a table of fine wine and dishes, and bring out the best rice from the warehouse.
In addition, send a troop of elite cavalry, carrying my handwritten letter and two carriages, to Donglai overnight to fetch the old lady.
Remember, do not disturb them along the way, and treat them with the same respect you would show your own mother.
Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci's eyes welled up with tears.
As a mere military man, it was common for him to seek refuge with other lords. But to be like Li Zhao, who not only treated scholars with respect but also took care of his family's safety before even achieving merit, was truly unprecedented in his life.
"Since Your Excellency has treated me so kindly, I... will certainly serve you to the death!"
Taishi Ci bowed deeply once again.
Before long, the aroma of wine filled the small hall in the backyard of the study.
Instead of the common brown rice soup, the table was set with finely cultivated rice, each grain distinct and translucent, and even several plates of braised pork and steamed fish, a rarity in this famine year.
Upon seeing the food, Zhang Fei's Adam's apple bobbed, and he laughed heartily, "Ziyi, you've come at the perfect time! Following my brother, I dare say there's nothing else to boast about, but this feast is absolutely unparalleled in the world. Try this wine, it's my brother's secret recipe 'Shaodaozi,' it's incredibly potent!"
Taishi Ci stared blankly at the fine rice on the table. He was a man of the world; even in Kong Rong's mansion in Beihai, such high-quality grain was only seen at grand banquets. Yet here in Li Zhao's house, it seemed to be just an ordinary family meal?
"Ziyi, there's no need for formalities, please." Li Zhao picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
After several rounds of drinks, Taishi Ci couldn't help but ask, "My lord, on my journey, I've seen countless corpses of the starving in Qingzhou, even Yellow Turban leaders like Guan Hai are so short of food that they're considering attacking Duchang. Why is it that in Pingyuan, not only do the people have surplus grain, but even the army's rations are so...so luxurious?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and the others exchanged glances and all revealed a mysterious smile.
Li Zhao smiled faintly, pointed to the night outside the window, and said, "Ziyi, do you know what the root cause of this chaos in the world is?"
Taishi Ci thought for a moment and replied, "Powerful ministers abuse their power, and the social order collapses."
Li Zhao shook his head:
"No. The collapse of social order is merely a symptom; the root cause lies in the people's hunger. When people are driven mad by hunger, all talk of propriety, righteousness, and integrity is meaningless. I, Li Zhao, have no other strengths, but my ability to 'transform grain' is something I can be quite proud of."
He stood up, walked to a large vat in the corner of the study, and casually lifted the lid. Taishi Ci peeked out and saw a vat full of pure white rice, as if it had appeared out of thin air.
"As long as I, Li Zhao, am alive in this land of Qingzhou, there will be an inexhaustible supply of food."
"Ziyi, if you trust me, then come with me to create a prosperous world where everyone can have enough to eat."
Taishi Ci was deeply moved by these bold words and lofty ambitions. At this moment, he was completely conquered by Li Zhao's personal charm and incredible depth of knowledge.
Throughout the meal, Xu Shu kept fanning himself with a feather fan, his gaze calm. He looked at the sumptuous food on the table, then at Taishi Ci's face, which still bore the marks of time, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
"My lord, General Ziyi's surrender is a cause for great joy. However, in Linzi, Tian Kai is still sitting on the sidelines watching the two tigers fight."
Xu Shu put down his feather fan, pointed to the white rice on the table, and smiled, "Just now, I saw General Ziyi marveling at the abundance of our army's provisions, and I suddenly came up with a plan. If used well, the 30,000-strong garrison of Linzi City can be defeated without a fight."
Everyone's curiosity was immediately piqued.