Chapter 152: A Youth's Courageous Heart

On the left bank of the Yu River, around the area of Nanjiu Township.

As it was nearing the Mid-Autumn Festival in mid-August, the autumn wind blew in soughing gusts, whipping up rolling waves upon the Yu River.

The deep forests rustled as autumn leaves fluttered and fell amidst the wind, swaying with a gentle sound.

At this moment, Shen Chen wore a ferocious expression, holding a severed human head in his left hand and a blade in his right, shouting with a roar like spring thunder.

Frightened by this terrifying scene, the young woman on the carriage let out a piercing shriek, her eyes rolling back before she finally fainted dead away inside the carriage.

Zhang Quan was startled out of his wits, hastily pulling on the reins and shouting, "Hold your horses!"

The Xiliang soldiers in the rear had only just set off and had yet to assume a charging formation, so each displayed superb horsemanship by halting behind him.

By now, the battle was nearing its conclusion. The number of men Wang Bi had brought was actually roughly about the same as Shen Chen's force—some thirty or forty men.

However, Shen Chen had first used bows and crossbows to pick off a dozen or so men at the front and rear of the caravan, halving the Cao army's numbers. Then, striking suddenly with tight coordination, they wiped out the Cao soldiers in an instant.

Presently, many of Shen Chen's soldiers took advantage of the moment Shen Chen beheaded Wang Bi and seized Zhang Quan's younger sister to immediately retreat into the brush, pick up their bows and crossbows, and form a battle array along the post road, aiming directly at the Xiliang troops.

A volley of thirty or forty crossbows fired simultaneously would inevitably cause heavy casualties, even if the Xiliang troops charged anew.

Moreover, the enemy could slip away into the forests on either side at any moment, and cavalry were extremely ill-suited for movement within the woods. With a hostage in hand, Zhang Quan found himself unable to protect both ends, trapped in a dilemma where he could neither advance nor retreat smoothly.

Shen Chen had visited Zhang Xiu so many times that Zhang Quan naturally recognized him. Seeing now that Shen Chen had gained the upper hand, he gritted his teeth, urged his horse forward until he was close to their crossbow array, and rebuked angrily, "Shen Chen, let my sister go!"

"Releasing her is simple," Shen Chen replied with a grin. "Trade yourself for her."

Zhang Xiu had only one son and one daughter; the daughter could die, but the son could not.

"I—" Zhang Quan froze instantly, never expecting that the other party would demand him as a hostage.

Shen Chen said coldly, "What, you don't want to make the trade? No matter. Today I shall kill your sister first, then kill you, and afterwards send a large army to encircle your father so your whole family can be reunited."

Zhang Quan's complexion turned icy cold, and he said, "Shen Chen, are you trying to drive us to utter destruction?"

"Humph!" Shen Chen let out a cold grunt. "Your father was merely a stray dog fleeing from Guanzhong. It was thanks to my grand-uncle persuading the Liu Prefect that your father was given a place to settle. Yet now he seeks to betray our alliance, assist a tyrant, and join forces with Cao Cao to pincers-attack me. I am left with no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

"You—how did you find out?" Zhang Quan was immensely shocked.

The total number of people who knew about this matter was limited to Jia Xu, Zhang Xiu himself, and his sister. Even the numerous knights following in their retinue did not know what Wang Bi had come for; how could he have known?

Yet Zhang Quan could never have guessed that the reason for the exposure was simply because Han dynasty carriages lacked enclosed cabins.

At that time, Zhang Xiu's sister was seated in an open carriage. Zhang Ying recognized Zhang Quan and his sister, casually mentioned their identities to Yi Ji, and Yi Ji, feeling suspicious and recalling Wang Bi's identity, exposed the plot—which could only be described as the mysterious workings of providence.

Yi Ji stepped forward and shouted, "I know Wang Bi. Seeing you leave the city at dawn today, how could I not know what schemes you were plotting?"

"Accursed wretch." Zhang Quan glared dourly at Yi Ji. He had seen this man before—a minor registrar from Chaoyang County.

"Zhang Quan," Shen Chen called out coldly from atop the carriage, issuing a threat, "Either you come over here yourself, or I will have you shot to death!"

"You—" Zhang Quan looked at the bows and crossbows pointed directly at him.

Cavalrymen feared bows and crossbows deeply; Ju Yi had once used eight hundred archers and crossbowmen to slaughter three thousand of Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry.

Though Shen Chen did not have many men, the terrain here was narrow and unsuited for a large-scale cavalry charge. A single volley from them would send the front-row cavalrymen and their warhorses crashing to the ground.

At that point, like falling dominoes, the rear cavalry would trigger a chain reaction and tumble down one after another. Thus, Zhang Quan knew he might not necessarily prevail against the forces arrayed before him.

Yet admitting defeat just like that left him deeply unwilling, placing Zhang Quan in profound distress. Caught between a rock and a hard place, he wavered back and forth, unable to make up his mind.

Seeing him hesitate, Shen Chen turned his blade toward the young woman, staring at him with indifferent eyes as he said, "Zhang Quan, your father chose to break the alliance, which makes us enemies. In the face of enemies, I will never show mercy. I shall count to three. If you do not agree, I will order them to loose the arrows and simultaneously execute your sister! Three!"

"Shen Chen, you—!"

Veins bulged on Zhang Quan's temples as his eyes split wide open. He never imagined Shen Chen would be so resolute, leaving him no time to think at all.

"Two!" A murderous intent flickered in Shen Chen's eyes.

In truth, he had no intention of killing Zhang Xiu's daughter. However, had Zhang Quan refused to surrender, he certainly would have given the order to shoot down Zhang Quan and the cavalrymen behind him.

Since Zhang Xiu had already chosen to break the alliance, both sides had become enemies, just like Eastern Wu.

Therefore, killing enemy soldiers on the battlefield was entirely a matter of course.

Though Shen Chen desired to build a nation that treated its people kindly and strived to eradicate poverty, it did not mean he was a foolishly benevolent saint.

For instance, in ancient times you could speak of fairness and credibility, but you could never speak of universal freedom and equality. You could speak of sheltering all the scholars under heaven and bringing joy to their faces, but you could never speak of completely eradicating the aristocratic and bureaucratic classes.

At best, one could strive for relative fairness, compress the living space of the great landowners, magnates, and powerful clans, and expand the living space of the common people. Otherwise, one would invite an unimaginable backlash.

Thus, Shen Chen deeply understood that to fulfill the ideals in his heart, he had to resort to certain methods, even if those methods were not always entirely upright.

"One!"

As the final number escaped his lips, Shen Chen feigned a downward hacking motion with his blade.

Burning with anxiety and dread, Zhang Quan blurted out, "I'll trade! Use me to trade for my sister!"

"Hmph," Shen Chen grunted coldly. "How much better if you had agreed sooner. Tie him up for me."

Glaring fiercely, Zhang Quan protested, "Release my sister first."

"She is in my hands; do you have any right to make demands? If you do not trust me, you are quite welcome to turn around and walk away to see if I dare order the arrows loosed and execute your sister right after," Shen Chen rebuked sharply.

With no further room to object, Zhang Quan dared not speak another word. He ordered his rear soldiers not to act rashly while he allowed himself to be securely bound head and foot by Shen Chen's men.

When he was brought before Shen Chen, he said with difficulty, "Shen Chen, I have fulfilled your demand. Release my sister."

"I am not like your father, a person who breaks faith and betrays righteousness." Shen Chen leaped down from the carriage, gripped Wang Bi's severed head in his hand, looked around at his men, and commanded, "Soldiers, let's move out!"

"Move out!" the soldiers roared in unison as they hoisted Zhang Quan and plunged into the forest.

Turning back, Shen Chen shouted to the Xiliang troops in the rear, "Go back and tell Zhang Xiu: if he wants his son to stay alive, he'd better behave himself. I will send Wang Bi's head to Xuchang and tell Cao Cao that it was Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu who had him killed. He is welcome to send men to Xuchang to offer explanations, but when the time comes for final reckoning, I will never spare him!"

With that, he turned his head and strode away, leaving behind hundreds of Xiliang cavalrymen staring blankly at one another, utterly at a loss amidst the autumn wind.

There was nothing they could do.

With Zhang Quan held hostage, they dared not attack.

And now that Zhang Quan had traded himself for his sister, these cavalrymen dared even less to make a move.

They knew full well that Zhang Xiu had only one son; should Zhang Quan die, the Zhang family line would be severed. Consequently, they were filled with dread and dared not charge forward.

When the sound of horse hooves echoing from the distant forest grew fainter and finally faded away, the men stepped forward to retrieve Wang Bi's corpse, took charge of Zhang Xiu's daughter's carriage, and headed back in the direction they had come.

Matters of this scale were not something ordinary foot soldiers could handle; they had no choice but to return and report to Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu.

Meanwhile, Liu Biao's camp also received the news dispatched by Deng Mao's messengers.

Learning that Zhang Xiu intended to rebel once more and defect to Cao Cao, Liu Biao hesitated not a moment before ordering Wen Pin to lead eight thousand men northward, marching imposingly toward Rangcheng.

At this juncture, he was at a critical stage in suppressing Zhang Xian's rebellion; his main forces were stationed entirely in the southern region of Jingzhou, leaving only twenty to thirty thousand men to protect the areas surrounding Xiangyang. Once Zhang Xiu and Cao Cao launched a pincer attack against Kunyang, destroying Shen Chen and Liu Bei, Nanyang would be lost.

Though in history he failed to hold Nanyang, that was because Liu Biao's early strength was relatively weak. Now, however, Shen Chen had helped him gather the refugees migrating from Guanzhong and the Yellow Turban remnants of Runan and Nanyang, establishing military agricultural colonies in Nanyang.

The annual revenues from these colonies caused his strength to surge tremendously. The population of Jingzhou in the late Han era had risen from over three million to more than six million. Once the pacification of southern Jingzhou was complete, his power would ascend to yet another level, meaning he could by no means hand Nanyang over on a silver platter.

By evening, Zhang Xiu was still dispatching men to various counties to muster his dispersed garrisons. According to Jia Xu's strategy, he intended to turn the tables by feigning compliance—first marching north to Wancheng, then proceeding to Kunyang to join forces with Cao Cao and launch a surprise assault on the armies of Liu Bei and Shen Chen stationed at Kunyang.

Yet just as he firmly made up his mind to surrender to Cao Cao, someone suddenly came rushing breathlessly from outside the manor, shouting, "Report!"

"What is the meaning of such panic?" Zhang Xiu was drinking wine; seeing the servant in such a fluster, displeasure instantly showed on his face.

This was the most critical of moments. Once his troops arrived, he planned to set off for Kunyang immediately, and he detested impatience in subordinates the most.

"General—General," the servant said with a weeping expression. "Registrar Yi Ji of Chaoyang County saw that envoy this morning and recognized him. He reported the matter to Shen Chen, who personally led dozens of cavalrymen to lay an ambush at Nanjiu Township. They killed the envoy, seized the young master, and even declared they would send Wang Bi's head to Xuchang to tell Cao Cao that you and Advisor Jia Xu gave the order to kill the envoy!"

"What?!"

Zhang Xiu was struck dumb with horror, leaping straight up from his mat and glaring wildly at the servant as he barked, "Say that again!"

The servant had no choice but to repeat himself.

Zhang Xiu's face instantly turned ashen white. Disregarding everything else, he bolted out of the mansion like a whirlwind, heading straight for Jia Xu's residence.

Moments later, Jia Xu also received the news, and his expression turned exceedingly grim.

"Uncle, what is to be done now?" Zhang Xiu trembled as he spoke. "This scoundrel Shen Chen has abducted my son and intends to frame us with the crime of murdering the envoy. Should we now send men to Xuchang to offer explanations to Lord Cao?"

"Alas," Jia Xu heaved a long sigh and gave a bitter smile. "Forget it. Even if we send men now, whether Lord Cao will believe it is another matter entirely. Did you not hear what Shen Chen said? When the final reckoning comes—and if my calculations are correct—Liu Biao's forces are likely already on their way to Rangcheng."

"This—"

Zhang Xiu was already frightened out of his wits. If they offered no explanation, they would completely and irredeemably offend Cao Cao.

Yet Shen Chen's side had been thoroughly offended as well.

With no place in either camp, what on earth was he to do in the future?

Only Jia Xu walked slowly out of the main hall, a bitter trace showing on his aged face.

The path of defection to Cao Cao had now been completely blocked off.

As for Yuan Shao, I see in him no ambition of an overarching lord; in the days to come, Lord Cao is bound to win the empire.

That was precisely why I wished for Zhang Xiu to surrender to Cao Cao.

Yet halfway along the road, a fierce tiger blocked the way, seemingly possessed of the ambition to swallow the universe.

Shen Chen.

Truly a youthful hero!

Jia Xu raised his head to gaze at the sky, a strange gleam flickering within his eyes.

Perhaps...

Shen Chen was an alternative choice.

Hasty of me; I should have named the book *Tiger of Han in the Three Kingdoms*, I made a typo when I first typed it.

(End of this chapter)