Chapter 18: Ancient Evil [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

In the morning light, Wang Yun, dressed in a dark Hanfu with wide sleeves, was led by servants into the main hall of Cao's mansion to wait.

His thin face had a serious expression.

I read the letter sent by Cao Cao last night. I felt uneasy and came here in a hurry to find out some details.

Cao Cao came out from the back house and met Wang Yun.

In order to save time, the servants brought breakfast and even prepared a portion for Wang Yun.

Wang Yun was too busy to care about that and asked, "I came here to ask you something, about the handwritten letter that General Dian gave me yesterday, Dong Zhuo..."

Cao Cao drank his porridge in silence, "Dong Zhuo led 3,000 elite troops, plus a secret team, and approached Luoyang.

His army is on the way too."

Wang Yun narrowed his eyes and said, "It was the Grand Tutor who came out to quell the dispute outside the city yesterday. Does the Grand Tutor know that Dong Zhuo has both open and secret forces?"

"know."

Wang Yun's heart immediately tightened as he realized what was going on.

[Could it be that the Grand Tutor wants to use Dong Zhuo's military power to further control the government, or... this is too risky... how could Cao Cao know this?]

Cao Cao suddenly heard what Wang Yun was thinking.

He was analyzing Yuan Wei's intentions and the truthfulness of what Cao Cao said.

Cao Cao: "Dong Zhuo's follow-up troops will come to Luoyang and help the Grand Tutor to stabilize the government."

"But he will not tell the Grand Tutor that the actual number of troops coming to Luoyang is enough to overwhelm Luoyang's defenses."

"what!"

Wang Yun's hand trembled, and the teacup he had just picked up spilled all over himself: "You mean... he wants to occupy Luoyang!"

"More than that." Cao Cao said calmly.

He told Wang Yun this because Wang Yun and Yuan Wei were close friends.

If Wang Yun could be used to get Grand Tutor Yuan Wei to reconsider, it would pose a great obstacle to Dong Zhuo.

At least he wanted to bring troops to Luoyang, which would add to the resistance and the situation would be much more favorable.

"I'm going to see the Master."

Wang Yun stood up suddenly.

Regardless of whether what Cao Cao said is right or not, there is no room for hesitation.

Since Wang Yun had come, he was obviously inclined to believe Cao Cao.

Letting Wang Yun go to find Yuan Wei might expose Cao Cao's plan against Dong Zhuo.

But this risk is worth it. If you deal with Dong Zhuo, you will be discovered by him sooner or later. It is impossible to stay in the dark forever.

Of course, it would be more convenient and safer if you could be the mastermind behind the scenes.

Cao Cao added: "If the Grand Tutor asks how to gain trust in the news, Governor Wang should be careful with his words!"

Before Wang Yun was dismissed from office, he was appointed governor. Cao Cao still addressed him by his old official title.

He was also reminded not to casually tell others that the news came from him, because he had no evidence and it was all based on speculation, which was not credible.

"Thank you Meng De for telling me."

Wang Yun stood up, bowed, and left in a hurry.

After Cao Cao finished his breakfast, he also walked out of the mansion.

After leaving the mansion, there was a horse with shiny brown-black fur and hooves as big as bowls, and a group of personal soldiers waiting there at the door.

There have been no court meetings for three consecutive days since the coup.

Officials at all levels were summoned by the Empress Dowager to discuss matters.

The young emperor Liu Bian was frightened and did not show up for several days.

Cao Cao mounted his horse and rode out of the city.

The sun is rising.

Thunderous cheers rang out from the Xiyuan Army garrison camp outside the city.

In the training ground in the middle of the military camp, Cao Cao and the elite soldiers of the Xiyuan Army from his two schools gathered.

Cao Cao drew his bow and shot an arrow in front of the crowd.

There are clear records in later historical books that say Cao Cao had extraordinary talent and strength. He could shoot flying birds with his hands and hunt wild beasts with a bow. He could hunt 63 pheasants in a day.

The birds are good at flying and their positions are not fixed. He can shoot sixty-three birds in one hunting trip, which shows his archery skills.

At this time, Cao Cao also opened his ears to listen to the battlefield, and he was in control of the subtle changes in wind direction in the void.

He drew his bow and shot a few arrows. He could even hear the sharp sound and resistance of the arrows rubbing against the air after they left the string.

There had never been a moment when his control over the arrow was so precise.

The surrounding soldiers were in silence. Every time Cao Cao shot an arrow, everyone cheered in unison, creating an intense atmosphere.

Previously, no one knew that this captain, who led two schools alone, had such amazing archery skills.

When Cao Cao first shot, the target was thirty steps away.

Among the soldiers watching, there were many who expressed disapproval.

But Cao Cao's arrow pierced the target at thirty steps away.

A hole appeared in the middle of the target.

Accuracy is secondary. After piercing the target, the arrow still flew for more than forty steps before landing.

This shows that Cao Cao used a strong bow with amazing power.

The second time was fifty steps, the third time was a hundred steps, and the fourth time was a hundred and fifty steps, which was close to the upper limit of the effective range of conventional bows and arrows.

When Cao Cao shot him through the bull's eye again.

The cheers from the onlookers had become uniform and genuine.

Cao Cao shot his arrow for the fifth time, but the arrow flashed and missed the target. The cheers that burst out from everyone's mouths were immediately withdrawn.

The training ground fell into an eerie silence.

But in the blink of an eye, a bird fell from the sky, penetrated his lower jaw and broke out from the top of his head.

"The general is good at archery—"

"Great! Cao Dianjun's archery skills are extraordinary!"

"Now we are in the center..."

The soldiers were in high spirits.

Cao Cao took the bow and arrow and handed it to Xiao Xiang who was beside him.

He came here to train the troops, but before the training, he demonstrated his archery skills first to find common ground with the troops so that he could better integrate.

Soon, the team gathered and began to practice attacking tactics. As expected, everyone cooperated well and the atmosphere was good.

[Your reputation +10, reputation +10, 4310/5000]

[You are the commander of the Xiyuan Army, the commander of the army, and you are in charge of 1979 people, of which 1348 are (obeying orders)

313 people (obeyed)

...]

Cao Cao thought that his display of skills had caused a resonance among people and actually boosted his reputation.

The loyalty of a small number of people has gone from 'obeying orders' to 'submitting'.

However, higher loyalty levels cannot be raised by demonstrating archery skills.

Cao Cao spent the whole day in the military camp, training his troops and getting them to work together.

It was getting dark when he returned to the city.

----

Suiyang is located six or seven hundred miles east of Luoyang.

With the speed of horses in this world, it would take two days to reach the destination by galloping.

Dian Wei squatted on a big tree, took out a big pancake from the bag on his back, and put it into his mouth with a grunt.

He was over eight feet tall, looking as solid and strong as an iron tower, with a short beard around his chin.

It's midsummer.

He was wearing a ragged short-sleeved shirt, and his muscles bulged out from his clothes, as if they were made of cast iron.

After eating the pancake, Dian Wei jumped down from the tree and strode into Fuchun County ahead. Along the way, he came to a mansion in the city and stopped to stare at the gate.

The gatekeepers at the gate of the house looked at Dian Wei and shouted, "You know this is the county magistrate's house, stay away!"

Dian Wei shouted, "I'm looking for the county magistrate!"

He pushed the ground with force, and the large bluestone paving the entrance of the county residence suddenly cracked.

He shrugged and charged forward, causing the stone wall in front of him to fly into pieces and collapse with a loud bang, making an extremely terrifying sound.

The servants at the gatehouse were shocked.

Dian Wei rushed into the courtyard and ran into two guards head-on. He stretched out his hand and punched them one by one, defeating them all.

His fist landed on one man's head, and the man's head exploded like a watermelon.

The other man's chest was pierced and his flesh and blood were all over the place.

He fought his way through the house and entered the main hall, where he saw a middle-aged man walking out of the inner courtyard. He shouted, "What happened?"

When the man saw Dian Wei, he asked in surprise, "Who are you? Do you know where this place is?"

"You are Li Yong!"

Dian Wei's voice is like a tiger's roar!

"So what!"

The middle-aged man opposite quietly reached his hand behind him and suddenly threw out a halo: "Idiot!"

Dian Wei threw a punch.

The powerful punch fixed the halo in the air.

It was a hidden weapon shaped like a sharp cone. As soon as it stopped for a moment, it was crushed by Dian Wei's fist and exploded into pieces.

The middle-aged man was horrified that someone could crush metal with just the force of his fist.

He tried to dodge again, but Dian Wei's punch to the chest left him off the ground and he hit the wall behind him, hanging there. His body was as thin as paper, and cracks quickly spread across the wall.

Dian Wei rushed straight into the inner house.

He had checked it very clearly before he came.

This family bullies their neighbors and is as good as pigs and dogs. Let’s kill them today.

The setting sun.

Dian Wei's hands were covered in blood. He killed 37 members of Li Yong's family, the magistrate of Fuchun County in Suiyang, to avenge Liu who had rescued him. He has been on the run ever since.

He ran wildly through the mountains and fields, and had already thought about how to avoid pursuers before killing people.

He suddenly stopped while running and shouted, "Who?"

A small group of people came out from the back, panting: "You are running fast. My captain wants you to go to Luoyang, are you willing?"

Dian Wei was stunned. He had just killed someone, and then a group of people suddenly appeared and wanted to recruit him to Luoyang?

"I just killed a whole family, you know..."

"Don't brag. You only knocked out a young kid. That doesn't count as a complete victory."

"As for the rest, my captain said they were committing many injustices, so just kill them. He will help you suppress this matter."

Dian Wei was stunned again, and inexplicably felt that this captain who appeared out of nowhere could be dealt with.

(End of this chapter)