At that moment, inside the imperial palace in Shouchun.
Countless ministers watched the words "The Realm Divided in Three" slowly fade from the Heavenly Screen, disappointment written on every face as they longed for more.
That was it?
More tomorrow?
This Heavenly Screen really knew how to leave people hanging!
Just as everyone was wringing their hands and sighing, a brilliant light suddenly burst from Yan Xiang's eyes!
He seemed to have suddenly grasped something crucial!
"My lord!"
Yan Xiang stepped forward excitedly, his voice trembling with exhilaration.
"What the Heavenly Screen said... isn't this precisely the matter our lord discussed with Fa Zheng and Li Yan in Yizhou?"
Those words instantly opened everyone's eyes!
That was right!
Their lord had foreseen it long ago!
The more Yan Xiang spoke, the more excited he became, his whole being fired up!
"And Liu Biao of Jing Province is going to hand Jing Province over to our lord, too!"
"Doesn't that fit perfectly with the earth-shaking grand plan our lord laid out back then?"
"Gather both Jing Province and Yizhou into our grasp, then wait for upheaval in the realm, march straight north, and contend for the crown in the Central Plains!"
"Heavens!"
"So our lord had already accounted for everything!"
Everyone nodded repeatedly after hearing this, their faces filled with shock and fervor!
"Exactly, exactly! That's precisely it!"
"Our lord's foresight is simply divine!"
"This Liu Biao of Jing Province certainly knows which way the wind blows, offering Jing Province to our lord of his own accord. That old fellow has a future!"
"Indeed! Unlike that Liu Bei, who does nothing but cry all day and put on a show of righteousness!"
"Ah, serving our lord just gets more invigorating by the day!"
"Does that even need saying? Our lord is the one favored by heaven's mandate!"
"Cao Cao, Sun Ce-they're all clay chickens and pottery dogs!"
"Sooner or later, this realm will belong to our Great Yang Empire!"
"Our lord truly is an emperor for the ages!"
The ministers chimed in one after another, showering Yang Feng with a wild barrage of rainbow farts, their extravagant flattery making flowers rain from the heavens. They were a hair away from shouting, "Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years!"
Seated on the dragon throne, Yang Feng listened to the ministers below bombarding him with praise and was almost speechless.
His mind was full of complaints.
I give up!
These guys fill in the blanks better than those novel writers in later generations!
What even is all this?
What the screen showed was clearly Boss Cao and Yuan Shao's Battle of Guandu, okay?
What the hell does that have to do with me, Yang Feng?
And that Liu Biao in Jing Province-do I even know him?
Why would he hand Jing Province over to me for absolutely no reason?
What's he after?
My handsome face or my huge appetite?
This makes no sense at all!
These people won't even bother with the most basic facts just to kiss my ass!
They're really screwing me over!
Yang Feng ranted furiously inside, yet still had to maintain an unfathomable imperial air on his face.
He thought for a moment and finally decided he could not let them keep making things up like this.
If they went any further, he would almost start believing it himself!
So Yang Feng gave a light cough, interrupting their flattery.
"Enough."
He spoke mildly. His voice was not loud, yet the entire hall instantly fell silent.
"Go back and get some sleep."
"No one can say for certain what will happen with this Heavenly Screen tomorrow."
Yang Feng swept his gaze over them, his tone turning serious.
"The most urgent matter now is strengthening our border defenses!"
"Keep a strict guard against Cao Cao and Lü Bu!"
"Especially that scoundrel Lü Bu. He's a household slave of three surnames, fickle and treacherous. We absolutely cannot let our guard down!"
Hearing their lord's orders, the ministers immediately put away their smiles, their expressions solemn as they bowed to receive his command.
"We obey!"
They all saluted in unison, then respectfully withdrew from the hall.
Only as he looked at the empty hall did Yang Feng let out a long breath.
I finally got rid of those guys.
He rose straight from the dragon throne and headed deeper into the palace.
Why think so much?
If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up!
Tomorrow's problems can wait until tomorrow!
The most important thing now is going back and getting a good night's sleep!
Besides, isn't having a few gentle, lovely little maids for company a hundred times better than standing here thinking about all that messy crap?
Now this is life!
And just as Yang Feng was preparing to enjoy his wonderful retirement.
Elsewhere, in Xu Province.
Beneath the cover of night, the entire city was exceptionally quiet.
Yet the city lord's residence was brightly lit, with figures moving to and fro.
Lü Bu, the peerless warrior who had once shaken the world with his might, had already packed all his belongings.
Beside him stood his strategist Chen Gong, looking grave, and Diaochan, whose beauty defied comparison.
Without any hesitation, without any lingering attachment.
Lü Bu took the two of them and led a squad of personal guards, galloping straight toward Shouchun!
He was joining them!
He, too, was going to pledge allegiance to that Great Yang Empire!
At the same time, he had already issued his final orders to Zhang Liao, the general he trusted most.
At the very moment Lü Bu's party left the city in Xu Province.
Zhang Liao personally raised a brand-new banner, slowly hoisting it to the highest point in the city!
It was a banner they had never seen before.
Its field was a vivid red, like flames.
Against the pitch-black curtain of night, that vivid splash of red was illuminated like congealed blood.
So red it was almost black.
It was the national flag of the Great Yang Empire!
From that moment on, Xu Province had changed masters!
Meanwhile, inside Cao Cao's chancellor's residence.
The lights blazed brightly.
Cao Cao was studying a map intently when a scout suddenly rushed in from outside.
"Report!"
"Chancellor!"
"Urgent news from Xu Province!"
Cao Cao raised his head, his gaze sharp.
"Speak."
The scout dropped to one knee and delivered his report at great speed.
"Our scouts report that tonight, Lü Bu hurriedly left Xu Province with a large group of his core followers, including Chen Gong and Diaochan."
"Judging by their direction, they're heading straight for the imperial palace in Shouchun."
As Cao Cao listened, his brow first furrowed slightly.
But a mere two seconds later.
It was as though a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind, and he instantly understood.
He slammed his hand on the table, a smile appearing on his face as he anticipated the spectacle.
That Lü Bu.
He must be going to launch a surprise attack on Yang Feng.
That's it.
That's definitely it.
Cao Cao instantly reached his conclusion.
With the brains of a brute like Lü Bu, he would never have possessed such courage or cunning on his own.
But.
He had Chen Gong with him.
That Chen Gong was no ordinary strategist. It was perfectly natural for him to devise a vicious scheme like this, pulling the firewood out from under the cauldron.
Heavens.
There's going to be a good show.
That fellow named Yang Feng is completely finished this time.
Right now, he surely still thinks he's gained Jing Province and is dreaming of unifying the realm in his palace.
How could he imagine that Lü Bu, that deadly weapon, is already charging straight toward his lair?
That's Lü Bu, after all.
Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare.
That fellow's martial prowess is simply unrivaled under heaven.
What could Yang Feng possibly use to stop this surprise attack?
He can't stop it at all.
The more Cao Cao thought about it, the more excited he became, until he could no longer hide the smile tugging at his lips.
This Yang Feng is dead for sure this time.
Absolutely dead for sure.
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