Yang Feng looked at the ministers below, at their gazes mingling fervor, adoration, and awe, and felt his whole body prickle, as though thorns were digging into his back.
This Heavenly Screen had really screwed him over.
How was this bestowing supreme prestige upon him? It was plainly hoisting him onto a blazing woodpile, with a ring of burly men standing below, blowing away at it with hair dryers.
Well, now the Heavenly Screen had temporarily disappeared.
But his name, Yang Feng, had already resounded throughout the entire Divine Land.
He could practically imagine how his wolfish, tigerish neighbors, such as Cao Cao and Lü Bu, were eyeing the fat piece of meat that was Huainan.
No, they were not eyeing Huainan, but this head of his that the Heavenly Screen had "certified."
This would not do. He had to think of something.
His life mattered far more than some empty title like "the greatest emperor of all time."
At that thought, Yang Feng immediately formed a plan.
He raised a hand to quiet the clamorous court, then dismissed the attendants, leaving only the most trusted of his confidants.
"Yan Xiang, Ji Ling."
"Please accompany me to the rear hall for a talk."
Yan Xiang and Ji Ling exchanged a glance, each seeing the excitement in the other's eyes. They hurriedly bowed in assent and followed closely behind Yang Feng into the spacious, silent rear hall.
Once inside, Yang Feng dropped all pretense. The imperial dignity on his face vanished instantly, replaced by genuine gravity.
"Gentlemen, I hardly need to explain our current situation."
"The Heavenly Screen has thrust me onto the crest of the storm. Cao Cao, Lü Bu, and their ilk must now see me as a thorn in their eyes and a splinter in their flesh."
"Our only course now is to strengthen our defenses along the borders adjoining their territories immediately and hold them tightly, lest they leap over the wall like cornered dogs and launch a surprise attack."
At this, Ji Ling immediately thrust out his chest and promised in his deep, rumbling voice, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will make the arrangements at once. I guarantee Cao Mengde and Lü Fengxian will come but never return!"
Yan Xiang stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. "Your Majesty is absolutely right. We must never be without vigilance against others."
Looking at the two of them, Yang Feng sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, these two could only see the first layer.
He shook his head and continued, "Strengthening our border defenses is only a stopgap."
"Haven't you noticed?"
"This Huainan we occupy is a land exposed to war on every side. The wind leaks in from all directions, and enemies surround us."
"If we keep wearing ourselves down against them here, sooner or later they'll grind us to death."
He paused, then presented the plan he had carefully considered.
"So my thought is that we first see what the Heavenly Screen has to say tomorrow."
"Let's see whether I win that so-called Shooting a Cannon at the Camp Gate, or Cao Cao and Lü Bu do."
"If we win, our prestige will reach its peak. We'll seize that opportunity to abandon Huainan outright and march our entire army west to take Yizhou."
Yizhou.
At the mention of that place, Yan Xiang and Ji Ling both froze briefly.
Yang Feng ignored their surprise and continued refining the plan in his mind.
That's right. Yizhou.
A land of heavenly abundance, with fertile fields stretching a thousand li, and treacherous roads that make it easy to defend and hard to attack.
Most importantly, according to the Heavenly Screen's spoilers, two outstanding inside men are waiting for me there.
Li Yan and Fa Zheng.
All I have to do is raise my arm and call, and those two might just chop off Liu Zhang's head that very night, then open the city gates to welcome me with gongs and drums.
Then I can simply hold the strategic passes, put my arms around three or five lovely wives and beautiful concubines, and live a salted-fish life of early retirement. Wouldn't that be nice?
Whoever wants to be emperor can go right ahead.
This plan is simply perfect.
Yet when his far-sighted considerations reached the ears of those two loyal ministers, they became an entirely different signal.
Ji Ling and Yan Xiang exchanged a glance, the admiration in their eyes almost spilling over.
Together, they bowed deeply to Yang Feng.
"Your Majesty's foresight is profound. Truly, Heaven has endowed you with divine martial brilliance. We cannot compare."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Looking at their utterly worshipful expressions, Yang Feng was completely speechless.
This routine again.
Can you two do anything besides play the straight man?
He felt utterly stifled.
Honestly, when all's said and done, this is all your fault.
If you hadn't insisted on egging that short-lived wretch Yuan Shu into proclaiming himself emperor, then forcibly jammed this deadly crown onto my head after I transmigrated here, would I be in such a mess now?
I'd have found somewhere to make a few inventions long ago, produced some glass and cement, and lived carefree and happy as a rich man.
Instead, you two have hoisted me straight onto the grill, and I have to spend every day figuring out how to survive in this chaotic age.
I really have to hand it to you two sneaky bastards.
Yang Feng ranted furiously in his mind, but still had to keep his face calm.
He waved a hand, gave Ji Ling a few more instructions on the defensive arrangements, then felt so mentally and physically exhausted that he went straight back to rest.
That night was destined to be sleepless for countless people.
Across the Divine Land, every lord with ambitions for the realm tossed and turned, pondering the earth-shattering upheaval brought by the Heavenly Screen.
And the one who found sleep most elusive was probably Liu Zhang, the provincial governor far away in Yizhou.
He lay on his broad bed, rolling back and forth, unable to fall asleep no matter what.
Outside his bedroom, a full three rings of over a hundred of his finest guards had been stationed, securing the place as tightly as an iron barrel.
Yet every so often, he still felt a chill along his neck, as though an invisible pair of hands were holding an icy blade and testing it back and forth there.
Whenever he closed his eyes, his mind filled with the bloody images from the Heavenly Screen and the two "loyal and devoted" faces of Fa Zheng and Li Yan.
Meanwhile, Fa Zheng's residence in Chengdu was brightly lit.
Fa Zheng and Li Yan sat facing each other, trading toasts.
After three rounds of wine, Li Yan set down his cup, a trace of worry he could not conceal on his face.
"Xiaozhi, the Heavenly Screen has now exposed the great deeds you and I will perform in the future."
"Although Liu Zhang has reassured us on the surface, in my opinion, he must already be suspicious."
"For all we know, spies he sent are outside this very residence right now, watching our every move."
At this, Fa Zheng gave a cold laugh, his eyes full of disdain.
"Brother Zhengfang, you are absolutely right."
"I've seen right through Liu Zhang. Indecisive, with a rat's belly and a chicken's guts. Follow him, and we'll never have a chance to rise in this lifetime."
"Since he already harbors misgivings, the time has come to sever all ties with him."
He drained his cup, a ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes.
"As the saying goes, strike first to gain the upper hand; strike late and suffer disaster."
"Rather than wait for him to settle accounts with us later, why not..."
Li Yan's heart jolted at those words, but he remained somewhat cautious.
He lowered his voice. "That may be so, but what if... what if the Heavenly Screen says tomorrow that Yang Feng was defeated by Lü Bu and Cao Cao's allied army?"
"If we throw our lot in with a defeated general, wouldn't we be courting death?"
"Ha ha ha!"
At this, Fa Zheng burst into laughter, his laughter filled with certainty and resolve.
"Defeated?"
"Even if Yang Feng loses this battle, what of it?"
He abruptly rose to his feet and stared intently at Li Yan, his eyes blazing.
"Brother Zhengfang, haven't you seen it yet?"
"A man who can bring the Heavenly Screen into this world, who can be crowned the greatest emperor of all time, is no creature destined to remain in a pond."
"What does one victory or defeat count for?"
"I, Fa Zheng, have already seen it. None but this man will be the future master of the realm!"
"Working under Yang Feng, even if we have to start over from scratch, would still be ten thousand times better than following that useless Liu Zhang and dragging out our last breaths here in Yizhou!"
Fa Zheng's words exploded in Li Yan's mind like a thunderclap.
He looked at Fa Zheng's face, flushed with excitement, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished like smoke and clouds.
He was right.
I'll take the gamble.
Li Yan abruptly raised his cup and drained its contents.
"Good!"
"Xiaozhi, I'll follow your lead."
"Let's do it!"
Seeing this, Fa Zheng gave a satisfied smile.
The two exchanged a glance, then left the residence together and went straight to the gates of Chengdu in Yizhou, silent in the dead of night.