Chương 55: Arrows, Letters, Appointments, Conversations

That evening, the sun was setting.

An arrow with a letter attached shot into the wooden pillar of a watchtower on the edge of the Han army camp with a "whoosh".

The patrolling soldiers immediately took the arrow and letter, reported it up the chain of command, and soon delivered it to Zhao Yun.

Liu Ce was studying a map of the area surrounding Guangzong in his tent when he suddenly heard a slight commotion outside.

Soon, Zhao Yun strode in, holding an ordinary arrow with a folded letter tied to the shaft.

"Big brother!"

Zhao Yun presented the arrow, saying, "An arrow was shot from outside the camp fence just now. It wasn't very powerful; it seemed to be a warning rather than a killing blow. This message was tied to the arrow."

Liu Ce took the arrow and tore open the letter. On the envelope, in slightly messy but still skillful handwriting, were eight characters: "To be opened personally by Liu Ce, General of the Southern Army."

Liu Ce muttered to himself, "Why all the secrecy? Who is it? So boring?"

He unfolded the letter and read it carefully. The gist of the letter was: The letter writer was Zhang Jiao, who specially invited Liu Ce, the General of the Southern Army, to meet him secretly in a grove of trees near the gate of Guangzong City in the latter half of tonight.

After reading the letter, Liu Ce frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and quickly began to calculate in his mind:

"Zhang Jiao? He's nearing the end of his life, and suddenly he wants to see me? Does he want to surrender before he dies?"

Or is there some other motive? Or perhaps... a trap has been set to drag me down with it?

He reconsidered and then thought it unlikely. If Zhang Jiao truly had the ability to orchestrate a deadly trap, he wouldn't be trapped in this isolated city.

"That's enough."

Liu Ce thought to himself, "I'll go and meet this great and wise teacher who has stirred up the world."

Anyway, he's already a dead man, so he can't cause any big trouble.

If he dares to resort to any underhanded tricks, with Yun Chang and Zi Long in command, they can simply take him down.

In the dead of night, the moon was bright and the stars were few; it was eerily quiet.

Liu Ce took only Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei with him, each riding a warhorse, and quietly left the camp, heading towards the agreed-upon grove of trees near the city gate.

Just in case, he also ordered Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin to secretly lead a team of elite Xuanjia cavalry to meet him at a slightly farther distance.

The four men arrived at the edge of the grove and reined in their horses. In the cool moonlight, they could see a clearing in the woods, where, sure enough, a dozen or so people were waiting.

The leader was an old man wearing an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, sitting on the ground. In front of him was a small tea table, on which there seemed to be tea sets.

Behind the old man stood two burly generals who were clearly brave and valiant. Further behind them was an inconspicuous sedan chair and more than ten guards with knives.

Liu Ce's sharp eyes immediately recognized the frail old man as Zhang Jiao. He spurred his warhorse forward a few steps and spoke calmly:

"Zhang Jiao?"

Upon hearing the voice, the old man slowly raised his head, revealing a pale and haggard face that still carried a certain transcendent air. He smiled, his voice weak yet clear:

"This humble Taoist priest, Zhang Jiao, greets General Liu."

Then, Zhang Jiao waved his hand gently.

The two generals behind him (Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao) and the dozen or so guards, though they looked worried, However, he still obeyed the order and retreated more than ten meters away, maintaining a distance that allowed him to provide support at any time without being able to hear the specific conversation.

Seeing this, Liu Ce thought to himself, "This is interesting. It seems they really want to talk business, not that they want to fight."

He then turned and gestured to Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Dian Wei:

"You all step back and wait."

"Brother, be careful, it might be a trap," Guan Yu whispered a warning.

"It's alright, I know what I'm doing," Liu Ce nodded.

After Guan Yu and the other two had also stepped aside, Liu Ce dismounted and walked slowly to Zhang Jiao. He sat down on the cushion without any ceremony, facing Zhang Jiao across the small tea table.

Zhang Jiao still wore that bleak, all-knowing smile, and gestured for him to enter.

"This is a desolate place, and we have nothing much to offer but a cup of tea. General Liu, please accept it if you do not mind."

Liu Ce didn't touch the teacup; he just looked at Zhang Jiao.

Zhang Jiao didn't mind, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky, saying as if in casual conversation:

"The moonlight is so beautiful tonight."

Liu Ce followed his gaze and glanced at him, then casually replied:

"Indeed, the moonlight is lovely; it's a good time... for a conversation."

After that, the two fell into a brief silence.

Under the moonlight, an old man and a young man, one a leader of a dying uprising and the other a rising star in a chaotic world, sized each other up, their eyes filled with scrutiny, assessment, and evaluation.

Liu Ce thought to himself, "What a cunning old fox! Even facing death, he remains so calm."

Zhang Jiao sighed inwardly, "What a cunning little fox! So young, yet so deep and shrewd, with an extraordinary bearing. No wonder he was able to defeat two of my brothers... His Ziwei Star destiny is indeed extraordinary."

Finally, Liu Ce broke the silence first, speaking directly to the point:

"Zhang Jiao, to be honest, putting aside our positions, I, Liu Ce, personally admire you quite a bit."

Single-handedly, he stirred up this storm that swept across eight states. If it weren't for an inside informant who disrupted your plans, forced you to launch a hasty uprising, and caused you to lose the initiative, Given the current chaotic state of the empire, your Yellow Turban army might actually have a chance to overthrow this seemingly secure Han dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiao paused slightly, then revealed an even more bitter smile and shook his head:

"Thank you, General... To receive such praise from the enemy, this humble Taoist priest... has it all been worthwhile."

"Unfortunately... there are no 'what ifs.' In the end, it was fate, and human effort could not defy it... We... were still utterly defeated."

Liu Ce smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning, and said:

"Complete defeat? Not necessarily."

"You and your hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban brothers have successfully severed the corrupt fortune that the Han Dynasty has accumulated over hundreds of years with your blood and lives."

"After this chaos, the foundation of the Han Dynasty has been shaken, and the world has become disaffected. This behemoth... is not far from its complete collapse."

Zhang Jiao's eyes widened suddenly as he stared at Liu Ce in disbelief, his voice filled with confusion and bewilderment:

"You... you can actually see this far? I sacrificed my lifespan to glimpse the secrets of heaven and vaguely saw that you are a newly born Ziwei star, destined to ascend to the highest position in the future."

"Since you are a member of the Han imperial family, and you know that I have severed the Han dynasty's destiny, why... why are you not only not angry, but instead... even somewhat... pleased?"

Upon hearing Zhang Jiao's question, Liu Ce remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering his words.

Then, he raised his head, looked directly at Zhang Jiao, and spoke frankly:

"I am a member of the Han imperial family, that is true."

"But Zhang Jiao, who says that just because I'm a descendant of the Liu family, I must inherit and continue this Han dynasty that's rotten to the core?"

He paused, his voice low but clear and resounding:

"To be honest, in some ways, you and I, Zhang Jiao, share the same goal. I also want to... overthrow this damned Han Dynasty! And establish a new order!"