[Now, Yang Feng, that emperor for the ages, led his followers to Yizhou.]
[By this time, Yuan Shao had defeated and destroyed Gongsun Zan of You Province, gaining complete control of Ji Province, Qing Province, You Province, and Bing Province, and becoming the strongest warlord in the north.]
[Meanwhile, Cao Cao controlled Yan Province, Yuzhou, and Sili, and held Emperor Xian of Han hostage in Xuchang, surrounded by enemies.]
[Yuan Shao lay to his north, and Zhang Xiu to his west.]
[By this time, Sun Ce had completely pacified Jiangdong.]
[Liu Biao of Jing Province controlled its seven commanderies, pursuing a policy of protecting his territory and keeping his people at peace, without joining the chaotic wars in the Central Plains.]
[Liu Bei, a kinsman of the Han imperial house, had also sought refuge with Liu Biao and was stationed at Xinye.]
[In Liang Province and Guanzhong, Han Sui and Ma Teng each held territory of their own.]
[In Hanzhong, there was Zhang Lu.]
The words on the heavenly screen unfolded like a vast, magnificent painting, displaying the balance of power throughout the realm before everyone with perfect clarity.
The civil and military officials in the hall watched with pounding hearts. While they had followed His Majesty in establishing his reign and proclaiming himself emperor in Shouchun, the world outside had long since become a place of rising warlords and raging warfare.
Yang Feng, meanwhile, committed this map of power firmly to memory.
Wasn't this the standard early Three Kingdoms script?
The political map on the eve of the Battle of Guandu.
Yuan Shao blazed like the midday sun, seemingly invincible.
Boss Cao, meanwhile, was beset on every side, hemmed in at the center, looking as though he could be steamrolled at any moment.
Sun Ce, the Little Conqueror of Jiangdong, had already established his power base.
Imperial Uncle Liu was still living under someone else's roof, serving as Xinye's old gatekeeper.
Everything matched the history he remembered down to the last detail.
So next, would the heavenly screen explain how he, this "chosen one," would break through this situation?
A faint sense of anticipation stirred within him.
Yet when the next line appeared on the heavenly screen, the anticipation on Yang Feng's face froze instantly.
[At this very moment, Yang Feng went straight to Liu Zhang of Yizhou and pledged himself to his service, declaring his willingness to follow at Liu Zhang's feet and serve him like a dog or horse.]
[Who could have known that Liu Zhang would distrust Yang Feng and repeatedly try to poison him?]
[Fortunately, the fellow proved hard to kill.]
[Although Yang Feng survived, his contest with Liu Zhang truly began, and the heavenly screen froze at this point.]
The heavenly screen stopped.
The golden light faded, as though it had never appeared.
A deathly silence filled the hall.
Everyone instinctively shifted their gaze from the heavenly screen to Yang Feng, their eyes filled with an indescribable oddness.
Seek refuge with Liu Zhang?
Serve him like a dog or horse?
And repeatedly get hunted down?
This was... the rise of an emperor for the ages?
Wasn't that just... too humiliating?
Yang Feng's brows knitted tightly.
Why was the script this heavenly screen described completely different from what he had imagined?
Go to Yizhou and serve Liu Zhang?
Was I insane?
Didn't I know perfectly well what sort of man Liu Zhang was?
Narrow-minded, weak, and incompetent-a textbook watchdog guarding the family gate, a wastrel squandering his inheritance.
Become his subordinate, only to be treated as a threat while he spent every day pondering how to poison me?
Wouldn't that just be cranking up my own difficulty for no reason?
Yang Feng inwardly unleashed a torrent of complaints.
Whoever wanted to act out this script could go right ahead. I certainly wasn't playing along.
With my disposition, I'd never willingly get involved in this kind of mess.
Wouldn't it be better to plagiarize some literary works, write some poetry, earn a little money, then find somewhere with beautiful mountains and clear waters, gather a few lovely wives and concubines into my arms, and enjoy retirement?
Why insist on wading into these muddy waters in Yizhou?
Still...
Yang Feng's gaze turned cold again.
Then again, the future this heavenly screen predicted might well come to pass.
If I really were forced into that situation, and Liu Zhang really dared to harbor murderous intentions toward me, just as the heavenly screen said...
Then he couldn't blame me.
If others left me alone, I would leave them alone; if others attacked me, I would strike back.
I hadn't wanted to be some emperor in the first place. You were the one determined to drive me into a dead end.
When that happened, Liu Zhang, you would probably meet a very ugly end.
While thoughts raced through Yang Feng's mind, a strange flush appeared on Yuan Shu's face atop the dragon throne, which had been deathly pale with fear.
He cautiously glanced at Ji Ling and Yan Xiang standing beside him. Seeing that both were absorbed in pondering the heavenly screen's contents and had no time to pay him any attention, his heart blossomed with delight.
Haha!
Just as I thought.
How could this Yang Feng possibly be emperor material?
A fellow born a slave, running off to serve Liu Zhang and getting hunted down like a dog.
What sort of emperor for the ages was that?
It seemed everything earlier had been a misunderstanding. This heavenly screen was spouting nonsense.
My Zhong realm was still as unshakable as Mount Tai.
Meanwhile, far away in Xuchang, Yan Province.
A heavy atmosphere hung over the council hall in Cao Cao's residence.
Cao Cao sat in the seat of honor, tapping his fingers lightly against the table, his expression so dark it seemed water might drip from it.
To him, the balance of power displayed on the heavenly screen was a naked threat.
Yuan Shao possessed all four northern provinces, with powerful troops and sturdy horses, and could march south at any moment. It felt like a thorn digging into his back.
"My lord, there is no need for concern."
His chief strategist, Guo Jia, gently waved his feather fan and spoke with a smile.
"Though Yuan Shao has many troops, he is fierce in appearance but timid at heart, fond of making plans but incapable of deciding. He cherishes his own life when undertaking great affairs, yet forgets it at the sight of petty gains. He is no hero."
"He has many strategists, but they are divided into factions, undermining one another, united in appearance but divided at heart."
"My lord holds the Son of Heaven and punishes rebels in Heaven's name, with every rightful justification. Though you seem surrounded by enemies, you actually command the moral high ground."
"That Yuan Shao is merely dry bones in a tomb. Sooner or later, my lord will defeat him."
Xun Yu, Cheng Yu, and the other advisers voiced their agreement, bolstering their lord's spirits.
"Fengxiao is absolutely right."
"Yuan Benchu is outwardly lenient but inwardly harsh, obstinate and self-willed. He is no cause for concern."
As Cao Cao listened to their analysis, his expression eased somewhat, though his brows did not fully relax.
In a corner of the council hall, however, Liu Xie, the nominal Son of Heaven of the Great Han, had already clenched his fists beneath his sleeves until they turned white.
Ji Province, Qing Province, You Province, Bing Province...
Yan Province, Yuzhou...
Jiangdong, Jing Province...
These-these were all the lands of my Great Han!
Yet now these traitors to the realm, these rebellious ministers, had carved them all up among themselves.
His eyes reddened instantly. Overwhelming grief, indignation, and helplessness surged through him, and he nearly cried aloud.
But he did not dare.
He bit his lip hard, forcibly holding back his tears.
He was afraid.
He feared that if he cried, Cao Cao beside him, a chancellor of Han in name but a traitor to Han in truth, would draw his sword and kill him without hesitation.
Ye City, Ji Province.
In stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere in Xuchang, Yuan Shao's residence was filled with cheerful voices and laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Holding a wine cup, Yuan Shao laughed heartily, his face glowing.
"Did you see?"
"Did you all see?"
"You Province, Bing Province, Qing Province, Ji Province-all four provinces belong to me!"
"In this world, who besides me, Yuan Benchu, deserves to be called the greatest power?"
He brimmed with triumphant spirit, as though he could already see the day he would reign over all beneath heaven.
"As for that Yang Feng the heavenly screen mentioned, what an utter joke!"
"A slave, dreaming of proclaiming himself emperor?"
"And running off to be Liu Zhang's dog! Enough to make me laugh my teeth out."
Feng Ji, Shen Pei, and the other advisers beside him immediately joined in with flattering praise.
"My lord is wise and mighty, blessed by Heaven's mandate, the ruler of all beneath heaven to whom everyone's hopes turn."
"Indeed, that heavenly screen must make mistakes too. After all, no man is a sage-who can be without fault?"
"How could an utterly unknown slave compare to a hero like my lord, whose family has held the highest ministerial offices for four generations?"
"There must have been a mistake. There must have been."
Listening to their flattery, Yuan Shao laughed even more merrily, draining cup after cup of fine wine, immersed in his beautiful dream of soon unifying the realm.
Meanwhile, in Yizhou...