If Liu Bei's side was in a panic,
then,
other prominent families who received the news had rather complex feelings.
Happy?
Not really!
The stronger the rebel Qin Feng's influence became, the harder their future days would be.
Upset?
Not entirely!
They had no dealings with those bloodthirsty Wuhuan tribes.
In fact,
sometimes when they encountered these Wuhuan cavalry, they had to pay for their own safety.
Therefore,
if these Wuhuan cavalry could be severely dealt with, they would be happy to see it happen.
But for them,
the best outcome would be for the rebel Qin Feng and the Wuhuan cavalry to mutually destroy each other.
In that way,
it might be possible for the Han to eliminate both of them.
However,
dreams are called dreams precisely because they are rarely realized.
The Han court, let alone eliminating rebels, was on the verge of being eliminated by the Yellow Turbans.
Just as a conflict was about to erupt on the Youzhou border, the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou suddenly launched a desperate counterattack.
Led by Zhang Bao, the Quyang Yellow Turbans launched a large-scale attack out of the city, actually scattering Dong Zhuo's Northern Army of Five Regiments on the main battlefield.
The news spread,
shocking not only the court officials in Luoyang but also surprising Qin Feng.
What was going on?
Why were the Han dynasty's battle results different from those in history?
Historically, Dong Zhuo hadn't made much progress, but he hadn't been soundly defeated by the Yellow Turbans either.
Were they concealing or altering the battle results, or had he, the small butterfly, flapped his wings?
While Qin Feng was merely surprised and puzzled, Emperor Ling in Luoyang was somewhat furious.
"What are you doing?"
"When Lu Zhi was in charge, there weren't many victories, but at least the Yellow Turbans were forced to stay put."
"But you, Dong Zhuo?"
"A small battle every three days, a big one every five days, and defeated in every single one!"
"That's bad enough."
"But now?"
"You're actually being chased by mere Yellow Turbans?"
"How embarrassing!"
"With this level of skill, you have the nerve to try and claim credit?"
"Claim credit for my mother's ass!"
Enraged and ashamed, Emperor Ling slammed the table directly in the court assembly.
"Replace!"
"We must replace!"
"Go and invite Lord Lu, and have him quickly take over the Northern Army of Five Regiments!"
Regarding the sudden appointment, old Lu naturally knew what was going on.
Although displeased, he dutifully went to clean up Dong Zhuo's mess.
There was no other choice!
This was the helplessness and sorrow of being a loyal minister without encountering a wise ruler.
As for Dong Zhuo?
Although he wasn't executed on the spot, he was demoted by Emperor Ling.
This time, it was even more severe than in historical records.
Furthermore,
perhaps stimulated by the Yellow Turbans in Jizhou, the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou and Runan also became exceptionally fierce.
Even Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun found it difficult to cope, having to focus on defense.
Although Cao Cao and Sun Jian, among others, provided support as they did historically,
it had no effect!
In other words,
under the influence of Qin Feng, the little butterfly, the entire trajectory of the late Han dynasty had changed.
Regarding this,
after organizing the news, Qin Feng, apart from feeling somewhat speechless, was filled with anticipation.
He was very curious to know how the Han dynasty would deal with the increasingly ferocious Yellow Turbans.
And… the rebellion of the Qiang and Hu in Liangzhou, which was about to erupt at the end of the year.
Of course!
Anticipation was anticipation.
However, Qin Feng's attention did not remain focused on the Han territory.
Because,
after waiting for more than half a month, the Wuhuan cavalry finally rendezvoused at Yuyang.
………………
Youzhou Zhuo Commandery,
Zhuo County,
Prefectural Governor's Mansion.
In the spacious conference room, a few scattered generals sat.
Their expressions were not very pleasant.
"My Lord, absolutely not!"
Yue Fei, the commander of the First Legion, was anxiously persuading him:
"You are of noble birth and should remain in the rear. We will handle the front lines!"
"Indeed, my Lord!"
Guan Yu, who finally understood what it meant to hold great power, chimed in:
"On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. What if you were injured?"
"This, that..."
Zhang Fei, who knew Qin Feng's martial prowess well, felt that his second brother and the legion commander were making a fuss. However, after a long pause, he managed to say:
"I'm with Second Brother!"
"..."
Qin Feng, who had merely spoken casually, almost burst out laughing.
Fortunately,
after half a day of deliberation, Qin Feng managed to put on a reluctant act.
"Fine, fine..."
"Since you all say so, I will wait here for your triumphant return!"
"My Lord is wise~!"
Yue Fei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, upon hearing this, stood up in unison and bowed to Qin Feng.
Although Qin Feng's presence on the front lines would greatly boost morale,
did they need it?
The Wuhuan barbarians were not a formidable enemy, and defeating them would be no difficult task.
But on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes.
What if their Lord were to sustain any injury? How would they, his subordinates, face themselves?
Commit suicide as atonement?
Therefore,
whenever possible, they did not wish for their Lord to personally lead the army into battle.
But what they did not know was that,
despite Qin Feng's brave pronouncements earlier, he had no desire to go.
Was fighting and killing as fun as flirting with women at home?
But if he didn't act this way, he would feel somewhat guilty.
So,
at the pre-expedition meeting today, he had put on a show of advancing and retreating with his soldiers.
Fortunately,
whether it was Yue Fei, Guan Yu, or Zhang Fei, none of them agreed with him personally leading the troops.
Only Yang Yanqi, who was standing nearby, appeared somewhat disappointed.
After all,
if Qin Feng were to personally lead the troops, she, the commander of the personal guards, would have to go along.
Now?
Since Qin Feng wasn't going, it was even less likely for her, the commander of the personal guards, to go.
"You, you~!"
After the meeting, Qin Feng looked at Yang Yanqi's dejected expression with amusement and said,
"Xiu Ning has been extremely busy these days. Why don't you go and help her out?"
"What can I help with?"
Yang Yanqi looked up and shot Qin Feng an exasperated glance.
"I only know how to fight and train soldiers, and you don't let Sister Xiu Ning train soldiers."
"Who says I don't allow it?"
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow and placed the freshly written paper in his hand aside.
"After the First Legion departs, you will help Xiu Ning recruit soldiers in Liaodong, Liaoxi, and You Beiping."
"Recruit soldiers?"
Yang Yanqi's eyes lit up, and just as she was about to say something, she frowned.
"My Lord, there are very few people in Liaodong. Why not recruit soldiers in Yuyang and Shanggu Commandery?"
"What do you know?"
Qin Feng curled his lips, thinking that if it weren't for Zhao Yun, he wouldn't need to recruit soldiers.
But these words were clearly not suitable to be said to others.
Therefore,
after a moment's thought, Qin Feng said with a hint of uncertainty in his tone,
"Shanggu and Yuyang Commandery are both main battlefields. How can we recruit soldiers there?"
"That's true~!"
Yang Yanqi nodded in understanding, not thinking much of it.
As long as Qin Feng allowed her to recruit and train soldiers, she was already satisfied.
She had been suffocating these past few days.
As soon as she was given the freedom, she didn't want to wait another moment and ran off to find Li Xiuning after a brief greeting.
"This girl~!"
Watching Yang Yanqi's retreating figure, Qin Feng shook his head with a smile.
Sometimes he couldn't understand.
Other women were either doing embroidery at home or learning poetry and music.
Why were the two women he encountered different?
One was constantly pondering strategies for marching and fighting, while the other wielded a silver spear and was invincible against all personal guards?
"My Lord~!"
Just as Qin Feng's thoughts were wandering, a personal guard hurried in.
"Reporting to my Lord, Prefect Liu has arrived, and he has brought a middle-aged man with him."