NOVPUB"How has Hansheng been faring lately?" Liu Pan, seeing Huang Zhong standing atop the city wall and looking down at the military camp below, opened with this inquiry.
"He’s not dead yet!" Huang Zhong knew Liu Pan was not asking about the situation across from them but was inquiring about his son. However, Huang Zhong, who had pretty much given up on himself, replied irritably. His own son was barely clinging to life, yet Zhang Zhongjing had said there would be no immediate danger to his life.
Though Huang Zhong had often wanted to hack his colleague, the physician Zhang Zhongjing, to death, under normal circumstances he trusted Zhang Zhongjing greatly. Since the physician had assured that there would be no death, there would be no death.
"Oh~" Liu Pan nodded and did not press further. That Huang Xu was still alive was already a miracle to him. Liu Pan was even more aware that Huang Zhong had issues of his own—otherwise, why would he, who was fixated on a single son and daughter, not have countless Beautiful Ladies at his beck and call, given his performance in pursuing the title of the world’s top military general?
Because his son was half-dead, the Huang Family risked dying out at any moment, and Huang Zhong had lost all purpose in life. Ennoblement and high office—for what? Though he spoke of bringing honor to his ancestors, wasn’t it all for the sake of his descendants? Without an heir, no matter how lofty one’s official or noble rank, wouldn’t it all amount to nothing in the end? When dead and facing his ancestors underground, not being able to utter the words "The Huang Family has perished," Huang Zhong felt he would have no face to meet his forebears.
With no aspiration left, Huang Zhong lost all motivation. The fall of Jiangling City or the death of Liu Biao meant nothing substantial to him. Let death come—what significance did high office and noble titles have when his only son could not leave him a grandchild and was half-dead? To whom would he leave those things?
To be entirely truthful, should Yuan Shu now promise Huang Zhong that he could restore Huang Xu back to health, Huang Zhong might not hesitate to leave immediately to bring Liu Biao’s head back to Yuan Shu. But joining Yuan Shu would come without any pressure, for Liu Biao was not truly Huang Zhong’s superior, much less his lord.
This was why, in the past period, Huang Zhong had lost interest after some engagement with Lyu Bu; he only dragged the fight out with Lyu Bu daily, preventing him from leading the troops to charge and strike at Jingzhou Army’s morale. Even if Huang Zhong didn’t put in his full effort, merely holding Lyu Bu at bay, the Jingzhou Army nonetheless revered him as a Celestial God, since having someone like Lyu Bu unchecked would have been far too demoralizing.
Speaking of Lyu Bu, he was like an ancient battlefield’s Stone Thrower. In fact, under stable military conditions, it could kill not too many men, yet such ferocious behavior dealt a major blow to the enemy’s morale. This was why siege engines like Stone Throwers and Bed Crossbows, which actually killed very few during an attack, were still popular—because they could significantly reduce the enemy’s morale.
The presence of Lyu Bu was akin to a more infuriating state than those devices. According to some game descriptions, whenever Lyu Bu appeared on the field, the enemy’s morale would automatically decrease each round, while the morale of his own side would start rising without limit.
With one side’s morale soaring and the other’s lagging, if the low-morale side endured this for a long period, deserters might arise and even seizing the commanding officer wouldn’t be too serious a problem. Thus, having a Valiant General like Lyu Bu on the field was essentially a disaster.
However, the original disaster was forcibly contained once Huang Zhong appeared. Lyu Bu, the number one Valiant General under the heavens, was directly blocked beneath Jiangling City. Regardless of whether Huang Zhong won or not, at least on the surface, neither of them had received anything more than minor wounds that would heal by the next day. Hence, under the leadership of such Valiant Generals, the morale of the Jingzhou Guards gradually surpassed that of Yuan Shu’s Army, who had been repeatedly thwarted in their assaults.
Liu Biao saw a glimmer of hope for victory from the day-to-day situation, Yuan Shu’s morale was continuously declining while the Jingzhou Army’s morale was steadily climbing, especially after Huang Zhong almost killed Ji Ling with an arrow when he came to persuade them to surrender. The morale of the Jingzhou Army utterly overwhelmed Yuan Shu’s forces, after all, when the enemy commander-in-chief was almost directly shot off his horse. If it weren’t for Lyu Bu lending a hand, Ji Ling would have probably been killed instantly by Huang Zhong’s arrow through the head.
However, Ji Ling was clever. When he came to persuade them to surrender and saw Huang Zhong appear on the city walls, he knew trouble was looming and immediately dismounted. The street horse that had been with Ji Ling for many years was pinned to the ground by Huang Zhong’s arrow, which could have been compared to a short spear; the bow and arrow blew a hole the size of a bowl in the horse’s body. It was estimated that if it had directly hit Ji Ling, he would have been dead for sure.
That bloody scene caused Yuan Shu’s vanguard to collectively step back, as the death was too brutal. Previously, when Huang Zhong killed with his light arrows, it was just crushing into powder, devoid of such terrifying scenes, but now, this brutal scene directly caused Yuan Shu’s already low morale to drop even further!
It was precisely because of Huang Zhong’s immense deterrence that Liu Biao had been trying to win him over recently, tempting Huang Zhong with high-ranking positions, generous rewards, beautiful women, and luxurious residences, hoping that this masterless warrior would decide to support him. Unfortunately, Huang Zhong was completely indifferent, which made Liu Biao feel quite helpless. Was he really that unimpressive?
"Lord, we have thoroughly investigated. Huang Hansheng is indeed a local from Jingzhou; however, he has a hidden illness and has a son and a daughter, and his son has been seriously ill for several years. Because of this, Huang Hansheng has not been involved in military affairs for many years and has entrusted everything to Your Lordship’s nephew. According to Zhang Zhongjing, Huang Hansheng’s son won’t survive for more than two years, and Huang Zhong has already resigned himself to despair," Kuai Yue reported to Liu Biao all the intelligence he had recently acquired.
Liu Biao suddenly realized it was not his charm, kindness, or unfair distribution of rewards but Huang Zhong’s personal issues.
"Yidu, that means our previous approach to recruitment was wrong," Liu Biao said as he stroked his beard. The recent situation was continuously improving, and Liu Biao could see the hope of victory. Jiangling was not short on money and grain; even if Yuan Shu was besieged for a year or two, they would not run out of provisions! Liu Biao had all the time in the world to wear down Yuan Shu.
"My Lord, you are wise. Indeed, our previous method was flawed. Titles and nobility mean nothing to someone who might lose his lineage at any moment. Among the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the worst. I think we should try approaching him from this angle. Furthermore, from what I understand, Huang Hansheng is a loyal and brave general. Once he submits, he will not betray," Kuai Yue spoke earnestly. The battle in Jingzhou had taught him a lot—such military generals, especially those who could turn the tides of war, were essential to recruit.
"In that case..." Liu Biao whispered a whole slew of words into Kuai Yue’s ear. As an old rogue who, at the age of fifty, was still siring children with the Cai Clan, he indicated that Huang Zhong’s hidden illness was not a problem at all—he was an expert in that area!
After speaking, Liu Biao fumbled in his sleeve and pulled out a small porcelain bottle, handing it to Kuai Yue with a suggestive look.
After passing the item to Kuai Yue, Liu Biao noticed Kuai Yue was staring at his sleeve, which made him somewhat embarrassed, and his old face turned red, "Go quickly! Yidu, if you fail to win over Huang Hansheng, don’t blame me for being heartless!"
Kuai Yue could only shake his head with a wry smile, bowed without saying anything more, and pocketed the porcelain bottle, then respectfully left. However, as he was leaving, he felt somewhat uneasy—what exactly was off? (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
