Chapter 40: Appointed To Replace Lu Zhi

They spend 3 days in Changshe recuperating their body and minds when suddenly an envoy from the Imperial Court arrived bringing them an urgent message from The Emperor in particular for Lie Fan

Zhu Jun immediately order all generals to enter the command tent to receive the Imperil Edict, whoever it is for everyone has to symbolically receive the edict when the envoy reads it

Lie Fan who was training his halberd and having mock duels with his Huang Zhong trying to get more strength goes to the command tent immediately accompanied by his bodyguards, Sun Qian, and Xu Kai as the edict is addressed to him

When he arrived at the command tent, all battalion generals were already in there with Zhu Jun at the front with the Imperial Envoy who by the looks of it the envoy is a Eunuch which makes him raise his vigilance

Zhu Jun: “Little Lie you’re here come and meet Eunuch Zuo Feng, he brings Imperial Edict from the Emperor addressed to you”

Lie Fan: “Vice General Lie Fan meets Eunuch Zuo Feng! Thank you for coming to the frontline to bring Your Majesty Edict!”

Zuo Feng: “It is my duty as The Emperor’s servant to bring the edict, Vice General Lie now receive your edict!”

Everyone in the tent except for Zuo Feng himself takes a knee before the edict to receive or hear what the Emperor has ordered them to do

Zuo Feng: “Due to bad influence and not obeying Imperial Decree, General Lu Zhi’s position as General of his army has been revoked and to replace his position as the General is Vice General Lie Fan of Zhu Jun Army with his merits and excellent service in the battle to resume Lu Zhi position as the General Of Lu Zhi’s Army now Lie Fan’s Army”

Everyone in there was shocked by the news as Lu Zhi is one of the pioneers that started this campaign and this edict shocked all of them except Lie Fan who already know what will happen after hearing Zuo Feng’s name but doesn’t expect him was appointed to replace Lu Zhi

Lie Fan: “Lie Fan receives His Majesty’s orders and will immediately head towards General Lu Zhi’s Army position to resume his post!”

Zuo Feng: “Your Majesty has high expectations for General Lie, only 17 years old this year and has already contributed numerous merits this is one of the rewards Your Majesty bestowed upon General Lie”

Lie Fan: “It’s all thanks to Your Majesty Heaven bestowed Luck that I was able to contribute numerous merits to the Imperial Throne”

Zuo Feng: “Hahaha! I will convey what you said back to the Emperor, now may I have a private conversation with General Lie please everyone leave”

Hearing what Zuo Feng said, everyone begin to leave still in shock from the announcement they hear. Zhu Jun was skeptical about the whole situation but decided to obey first and talk with Lie Fan after this

Zuo Feng: “Ahem now that everyone has left the tent, General Lie Fan doesn’t want to give me something for the edict that I have brought and announced?”

Lie Fan knew that Zuo Feng will want him to give him something as a ‘gift’ which was a bribe for him to keep his mouth closed but he doesn’t expect this fast

Lie Fan: “Of Course! I only have 50.000 taels in banknotes in me right now, I hope Eumuch Zuo is satisfied with this gift?”

Zuo Feng: “Satisfied pretty satisfied, I thank Young General Lie for his generosity. Then I will take my leave now to report back to His Majesty”

Lie Fan: “Yes, Of Course, may Eunuch Zuo’s trip back to Luoyang is safe”

Zuo Femg left the tent and after that Zhu Jun alongside Lie Fan’s retinue enter the tent and wanted to discuss what just happened with him

Zhu Jun: “What the hell just happened?! Old Lu will never disobey the Emperor this is lies!”

Lie Fan: “Calm down Uncle Zhu, I think Uncle Lu never disobeys and be a bad influence on the army but it’s because the eunuchs don’t get bribes from Uncle Lu so they slandered him in front of Your Majesty”

Zhu Jun: “Gosh damn it those bastards! How can they still think of enriching themselves while we are South here fighting a rebellion that threatened to overthrow the Empire?!”

Sun Qian: ” General Zhu this is already the routine of the 10 attendants, they always try to take benefits in every situation, and I will not be surprised if some of them even collaborate with The Yellow Turbans”

Zhu Jun: “Do you think so? The 10 attendants can be wiped out if that’s true and we can find evidence to prove that”

Lie Fan: “Even though it’s true I doubt that Your Majesty will kill all of them, especially Zhang Rang but we can try to search for the evidence, even if it’s not true we still need to destroy the Yellow turbans anyway”

Zhu Jun: “Then Little Lie please take care of Old Lu, that stubborn old man can’t change his ways, and use him as your strategist in your Army”

Lie Fan: “Of Course Uncle Zhu, please rest assured that Uncle Lu will be safe and happy”

Zhu Jun is assured of what Lie Fan said and say his congratulations on his promotion, telling him don’t get arrogant on the battlefield and that he can leave whenever Lie Fan is ready allowing him also to bring his retinues and original soldiers

Lie Fan takes his leave to prepare his generals and soldiers, he planned to depart as soon as possible to minimize bad things happening in Lu Zhi’s Army just lost the General in charge

Lie Fan spends 2 days preparing his army and saying goodbyes to the other officers of Zhu Jun’s Army as no matter what grievances they had with each other had been replaced by respect with their time spent in battle

After saying his goodbyes and his army is ready, Lie Fan began to ride out while in deep thought that if the event that happened still the same as history then when Zuo Feng slandered Lu Zhi causing him to lose command when Lu Zhi managed to defeat Zhang Jiao’s army and right now besieged Zhang Jiao’s army in Guangzhong County

The Number of Yellow Turbans is massive compared to Lu Zhi’s army, so he ordered Sun Qian to make a letter to the Imperial Court requesting reinforcements as they have to face the main army of the Yellow Turbans as well him requesting Lu Zhi’s appointment as his strategist rather than he was sensed back to Luoyang

Xu Kai was entrusted with the letter and alongside Oriole members that were guarding them against shadows they were sent toward Luoyang, while Lie Fan and his army of 5.400 men with a composition of 2.400 men from Huai’An that he brought 360 died in battle and 3.000 from the Prisoners army that Zhu Jun doesn’t want to have so he told Lie Fan to brought it with him alongside his retinue toward Guangzhong County Ji Province

Due to the distance, they spend time in the road about 20 to 24 days before they reached Guangzhong County in Ji Province, Lie Fan use a vision map to see where is the exact location of Lu Zhi’s Army now and he saw that they were stationed outside of Guangzhong City

Lie Fan led his soldiers March there and on the way there they meet a small yellow turbans group numbering between 100-300 men where Lie Fan send his soldiers to defeat them quickly and efficiently

When he arrived at Lu Zhi’s Army, he saw that morale is low and there was a minimum of activity in the camp while the defenses are lazy with almost no patrol in sight and some empty watch towers

Lie Fan’s arrival caused some commotion as they see that Lu Zhi’s replacement is the Young General from Zhu Jun’s army and many of the officers feel indignant thinking this is a humiliation for Lu Zhi who was a senior general to be succeeded by a young general they don’t even know

Lu Zhi who was ordered to wait for his replacement heard the commotion and walk out of his tent then shocked as Lie Fan was appointed as his replacement

Lu Zhi: “Little Lie! So you were the one who will replace the old me, that’s good at least my replacement is trustworthy and competent enough”

Lie Fan: “Uncle Lu is jesting, I have sent letters to the Emperor for Uncle Lu to stay here as my strategist rather than be sent back to Luoyang”

Lu Zhi: “Haha good good! Little Lie is full of surprises now your mind is as cunning as a fox and knows how to interact with these snakes in the Court”

Lie Fan: “It’s nothing Uncle Lu, why don’t we enter the command tent and Uncle Lu can brief me about how is the condition right now with the battle against the Yellow Turbans”

Lu Zhi agrees with what Lie Fan said and invites him alongside his retinue to enter the command tent so he can inform them of the situation right now

When all of them entered the command tent, Lu Zhi inform them how he managed to defeat looks like the army of the Yellow Turbans Leader named Zhang Jiao in Julu Commandery then follow them to here Guangzhong County and managed to besiege him but because of Zuo Feng he was stripped from his post halting the advance of his army

Sun Qian: “Master does the Yellow Turbans know that you’re stripped from your post causing you to stop the advance of your army? If so then we need to hurry and prepare as if they fight back our army will lose in a morale battle”

____________________

Name: Lie Fan

Title: Yellow Turbans Nemesis 𝒷𝒹𝓸𝓿𝓁.𝒸ℴ𝓶

Age: 17 Years Old

Level: 11

Next Level: 412.000

Renown: 75

Cultivation: Art Of War (level 7)

SP: 181.700

•ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 320

VIT: 105

AGI: 102

INT: 104

CHR: 88

WIS: 74

Will: 45

ATR Points: 20