Audience with the Emperor

Within Suizhong's borders, Gongsun Fan's forces indeed clashed with the chaotic troops from Yuyang. Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun, leading over ten thousand soldiers, intercepted the remnants of Gongsun Fan's troops on the crucial route from Liaoxi to Youbeiping.

The battle had barely begun when reinforcements from Gongsun Du arrived. Encircled on both sides, the already depleted soldiers fell like harvested wheat.

"Divide the remaining troops into three lines to resist the enemy in turns! Dan Jing, quickly take a squad to protect the young lord and break out!"

Fortunately, the generals in the army fought desperately to protect him, allowing Gongsun Fan to narrowly escape with his life. Qu Dan, wounded by an arrow, painfully pulled the arrowhead from his chest and turned to command Dan Jing.

Holding back tears, Dan Jing bid farewell, "Take care, General," and led a few dozen soldiers to carve a bloody path for Gongsun Fan to escape.

"What a desperate struggle!" Gongsun Du's war chariot stood atop a hill, and he squinted as he disdainfully observed the remaining troops still resisting below.

"Just the bravery of a cornered beast," remarked Xi Zhucai, who accompanied him, with a somewhat indescribable expression.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei, who led three thousand troops to assist, found himself deeply mired. Thanks to Zhang Fei, who fought valiantly, they managed to kill several enemy generals, greatly intimidating Gongsun Du's forces.

"Elder brother! This situation looks bad; Gongsun Fan has escaped, and his remaining troops are nearly wiped out. We should find an opportunity to retreat!" Zhang Fei, sweeping away the enemy in front of him, rode to Liu Bei's side.

Liu Bei wiped the blood off his face and gritted his teeth. "Alright, let's find a gap and break out; if we continue fighting, we may be completely wiped out!"

"Leave it to me!" Zhang Fei roared, stretched his body, and charged into the chaotic enemy ranks on his black horse.

Meanwhile, Guan Yu and Gao Lan led reinforcements into Youbeiping, tracking the movements of a large army of tens of thousands, indicating Gongsun Fan's dire situation.

Another half-hour later, the Battle of Suizhong came to an end. From a high vantage point, the plain was littered with over ten thousand corpses, the dark red blood soaking the earth beneath the grass.

Qu Dan, left behind to cover the retreat, fought valiantly until he died of his injuries, his blunted long sword stabbed into the ground, propping him up even in death. Gongsun Du's soldiers were moved by this scene and silently watched the fallen general.

"My king!" Yang Zuo, the commander of Yingzui Pass, reported from the battlefield, "We did not find Gongsun Fan among the corpses; he must have broken through."

"What?" Gongsun Du clicked his tongue in annoyance. "He managed to escape even in this situation. If we weren't worried about friendly fire, he wouldn't have had a chance!"

"Report!" A scout rushed over on horseback. "My king, a large army of over ten thousand is approaching from Youbeiping, likely the forces of Qin Longyang from Jicheng!"

"Qin Longyang?" Gongsun Du frowned. "Ah, the self-proclaimed Inspector of Youzhou. Well, we'll inevitably clash sooner or later. Let's test their strength today. Follow me and crush them!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The Koguryeo barbarian troops, filled with a murderous aura, raised their weapons and shouted, preparing for another fierce battle...

...

"Ah!" Liao Hua awoke with a start to the sound of Qin Longyang's shouting, drawing his waist knife, thinking an assassin had come.

"Lord! Are you alright?" The room was pitch dark. Qin Longyang sat up, cold sweat covering his forehead.

Qin Longyang took a deep breath and waved his hand. "I'm fine, just a nightmare. I dreamed that Gongsun Du captured Youbeiping, then Jicheng, and executed me..."

Liao Hua laughed heartily. "Lord, you've been traveling without rest; dreams are often contrary to reality. Once we return to Youzhou, you can lead the army to solve the problem in Liaodong and take care of Gongsun Zan. Then we can rest easy."

"Hu..." Qin Longyang sighed deeply. Liao Hua's words didn't ease his mind. If things went as smoothly as he said, how could unifying the realm be easy with over ten provinces and countless warlords vying for power?

As he was about to speak, there was a light knock on the door. The young eunuch responsible for summoning him for court gently reminded him, "General Qin, it's almost time for the audience."

"I understand." Qin Longyang responded calmly, the fright from the nightmare having wiped away any desire to sleep. He got up, dressed, and washed his face.

In China, etiquette has always been paramount, especially when meeting the emperor. The ritual requires officials to rise early at around 3-5 AM on the day of the audience, arrange their appearance, and wait in order outside Zhuque Gate. Only after the eunuch atop the gate strikes the gong are they allowed to enter the palace.

Living in the official residences, Qin Longyang, dressed in court robes, saw other officials heading toward the palace in groups.

"General Qin," a voice greeted him as a man stepped out from the crowd and bowed. It was Cao Cao. "Is this General's first time entering the capital for an audience?"

"General Cao!" Qin Longyang quickly returned the bow. At this time, Cao Cao was not yet a powerful warlord. To Qin Longyang, he was a rare mentor and friend. "If it's convenient, may I accompany you, General Cao? I have some questions."

"Hahaha," Cao Cao stroked his goatee. "No problem, no problem. Since General Qin has asked, please, let's go together."

"Please!"

"The order of officials in court is arranged, with the most senior being the Three Ducal Ministers and the Nine Ministers," Cao Cao whispered to Qin Longyang, nodding towards the elderly officials at the front.

"Hey, that person..." Among the officials in the front was a slightly plump man in his thirties. Could it be Dong Zhuo? But according to the timeline, Dong Zhuo was just a local official in Yongzhou. How could he be walking with the powerful officials?

Cao Cao sneered disdainfully, "That's General-in-Chief He Jin, the Empress Dowager's stepbrother. He was originally a butcher in the countryside, but after the Empress entered the palace, he was appointed General-in-Chief."

So it's He Jin, Qin Longyang thought, feeling a bit embarrassed. The saying "a man attains the Dao and even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" was truly apt.

After a while, the officials arrived at Zhuque Gate. The civil and military officials, along with the inspectors and governors from various provinces, lined up in three rows outside the gate.

"General Qin, do you see that richly dressed official on the left?" Cao Cao pointed to a stern-faced man. "That's General of Chariots and Cavalry Dong Cheng. I heard you had a dispute with his nephew Dong Kui in the city the other day. He might cause trouble for you today."

Qin Longyang looked at Dong Cheng, who briefly glanced at him. Their eyes met, and though no words were exchanged, the hostility was clear.

"Thank you, General Cao, for the warning. Let's part ways here."

"Alright!"

They bowed to each other and joined their respective groups. The inspectors and governors of the thirteen provinces formed a line, mostly elderly generals who looked at Qin Longyang, the young face among them, with curiosity.

"Gentlemen, the time has come!" As the sound of drums echoed from the gatehouse, the tall, red lacquered doors creaked open, revealing the imposing imperial city beyond...

"Long live the Emperor!" As they ascended the steps into the Hall of Proclamation, an overwhelming sense of awe enveloped the room. All the officials and foreign princes prostrated themselves, chanting "Long live" in unison.

Seated on the golden dragon throne, the 33-year-old Liu Hong lounged lazily, half-closed eyes scrutinizing the court officials. His casual demeanor lacked the dignity of an emperor.

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

With the court etiquette concluded, Liu Hong, uninterested in further pretense, beckoned to the eunuch by his side. The eunuch understood and produced an imperial edict from his sleeve.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

"This must be Zhang Rang," Qin Longyang thought, barely listening as the eunuch read. New to the court, Qin Longyang felt like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, his eyes darting between the dragon throne and the officials.

"Thanks to the General-in-Chief He Jin, the Yellow Turban rebels have been defeated. He Jin is credited with the greatest merit!"

It's unclear whether the Ten Attendants are colluding with He Jin behind the scenes or if it's due to internal factional strife, but all the accomplishments of the three Colonel Generals, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun, have been credited to He Jin alone. To think that He Jin hasn't even set foot outside Luoyang this entire year—what a joke!

Qin Longyang had a suspicion in his heart, thinking he might know the real reason Liu Dai told him about Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi resigning from their posts. The current imperial court had long become a breeding ground for corruption, and all because of that incompetent emperor sitting on the dragon throne who cares nothing about state affairs!

"Your Majesty! This humble servant has a petition!" A discordant voice interrupted Zhang Rang, who was reading out the imperial decree. All eyes in the hall turned to an unremarkable corner. Who was this?

"You reckless scoundrel! Don't you know you're supposed to wait until the decree is read before speaking?" Dong Cheng shouted angrily, pointing at the person.

"This humble servant is appearing before His Majesty for the first time and was unaware," Qin Longyang stood up, revealing his face, causing everyone to exchange glances.

Seeing it was Qin Longyang, Dong Cheng was about to continue fanning the flames when the Emperor Ling suddenly stopped him, instead looking at the young and spirited face with interest. "What is your position, and what do you wish to say? Speak freely."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" Qin Longyang stepped out of the line and knelt in the center of the hall, reporting, "This humble servant is Qin Longyang from Youzhou. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Youzhou, I fought alongside Governor Liu Yan to repel the Yellow Turbans and also repelled the invading Xiongnu. Governor Liu Yan fell ill and passed away in Ji City, temporarily entrusting his position to me."

"Youzhou…" Emperor Ling murmured, looking at the young man, "Tell me, how many enemy heads did you claim in total?"

"We defeated over fifty thousand Yellow Turban rebels, seventy thousand Xiongnu troops, and countless other bandits and brigands in Youzhou," Qin Longyang reported truthfully, unaware that such large numbers left the entire court astonished, with the generals standing nearby nearly dropping their jaws.

"With such numbers, Zhang Rang, why is Qin Longyang's name missing from the list of meritorious deeds?" Even Emperor Ling was taken aback and turned his gaze to Zhang Rang.

"Well…" Zhang Rang was momentarily speechless. After all, the so-called list of meritorious deeds was essentially a bribery list; the more money one sent, the higher their achievements were listed. Qin Longyang had not given him a single coin, so Zhang Rang naturally didn't know his name. "There must have been an error in the records; I'll correct it immediately."

"Wait!" Qin Longyang interrupted Zhang Rang, surprising everyone. "Your Majesty, the numerous achievements in Youzhou were not solely due to this humble servant. Former Governor Liu Yan, Governor Ding Yuan of Bingzhou, and Governor Gongsun Zan of Beiping—without their support, it would have been impossible to repel tens of thousands of enemy troops. Compared to them, this humble servant's contributions are insignificant."

These words immediately earned Qin Longyang goodwill. Gongsun Zan and Ding Yuan both looked at this young talent with deep gratitude, mentally noting down this favor.

"Oh?" Emperor Ling smirked. "Since that's the case, I will reward you according to your merits. I appoint you as the Prefect of Langya Prefecture in Xu Province. Do you accept?"

"Pre… Prefect?" Qin Longyang couldn't believe his ears. He thought Emperor Ling would appoint him somewhere in Youzhou again, but instead, he was sent to Xu Province! "This humble servant thanks Your Majesty for the imperial grace."

From a provincial governor to a prefect, his rank dropped by several levels. Seeing this, Dong Cheng and the others couldn't help but snicker.

"Your Majesty, this humble servant has one more matter to report," Qin Longyang suddenly stood up, his icy gaze fixed on Zhang Rang beside Emperor Ling…