Chapter 2, Arrival at the Esteemed Place

The large army had not marched for long when they encountered a group of Qiang soldiers. After reconnaissance by the scouts, it was discovered that the Qiang army was also advancing towards Tianshui, with the two armies now less than 50 miles apart

Once everyone was seated, Huangfu Song spoke up, "Governor Dong, why have you not yet raised your troops? Have you not received the imperial edict from the court?"

"Colonel Sun is quite adept in strategy and has made significant contributions during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans. I deeply agree with his words..." said Huangfu Song

"Who are you?" Dong Zhuo was somewhat enraged, for he placed great importance on status. In his view, among those present, only Huangfu Song was qualified to discuss matters with him; the others had no right to interject. Now, someone actually dared to challenge him. Had it not been in front of Huangfu Song, he would have already lost his temper.

Having roughly understood the sequence of events, Xu Cheng was filled with frustration and once again raised his middle finger to the heavens. What a disaster! Did I make a mistake? Is it that you, Heaven, want to see our Xu Laoda die in a more spectacular fashion? The Three Kingdoms, indeed! It was a time when death occurred in droves every day. And yet, here I am, and of all people, I have to deal with Dong Zhuo, the most notorious villain of the Three Kingdoms, the number one unfortunate soul, the ultimate green turtle. Just thinking about this made Xu Cheng's head throb.

Thus, Xu Cheng was taken to the governor's office with a noose around his neck. There, he happened to encounter another son-in-law of Dong Zhuo—Li Ru. Upon understanding the situation, Li Ru sent someone to bring a basin of cold water, which stimulated Xu Cheng, and everything was resolved.

He did not know how he had changed into a different body, yet he found himself in the third year of the Zhongping era of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Xiliang. The horse was none other than the Red Hare, discovered by Dong Zhuo during a hunting expedition. He sent men to capture it, only to find it was a divine horse belonging to a Qiang tribe. Thus, Dong Zhuo, leveraging his authority as the governor of Xiliang, ordered the tribe to surrender the prized horse. The Qiang tribe refused, infuriating Dong Zhuo, who then dispatched troops to attack. As a result, many lives were lost, but amidst the chaos, the Red Hare was set free and could not be found. Unexpectedly, when he was in deep despair, he received a report stating that the Red Hare had been spotted outside the city. The rest was straightforward; after much effort, they managed to capture the Red Hare, only to discover that a person was hanging from its neck. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be one of his own Xiliang soldiers, but he was tightly bound and could not be freed. At that moment, his son-in-law, Niu Fu, wanted to cut off Xu Cheng's hands and feet, but Dong Zhuo stopped him, saying that even if they were to do so, it should not be in front of so many soldiers.

"Kid! Get up!" A loud shout rang in Xu Cheng's ear, but Xu Cheng showed no reaction. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, a large foot then made a rather intimate contact with Xu Cheng (commonly referred to as a kick). "Who is it?" Xu Cheng jumped up. This sleep did not replenish the energy he had lost, especially since he hadn't eaten for several days. He was already feeling quite uncomfortable from lack of sleep, and now someone was kicking him. Was he not allowed to live?

However, at this moment, the Qiang soldiers were in a strong position. If..." Dong Zhuo was about to speak, but Huangfu Song waved his hand and said: "The army will rest for one day today and set out tomorrow, heading straight for Anding!"

I dare not, I am Sun Jian, currently serving as a school lieutenant

"Who are you? What do you want?" Xu Cheng asked anxiously

After the welcome ceremony, Dong Zhuo entered the conference hall with Huangfu Song and the other generals, while Xu Cheng happened to be standing guard outside the hall

However, since he is already here, he must make the best of it. Xu Cheng quickly figured out what he should do. First, the most immediate threat is not the assassination of Dong Zhuo, but rather those few personal guards. They are psychologically imbalanced and constantly create trouble for Xu Cheng, so he must find an opportunity to resolve this issue. Secondly, there is the matter of status. After living here for a while, Xu Cheng realized that in this era, people place great importance on social status. The level of one's status and background directly determines interpersonal interactions. As a low-ranking soldier, he does not even have the qualification to converse with the most basic scholar. Ironically, those at the bottom are the most insecure; no one values their lives. Moreover, it is impossible for a low-ranking soldier to rise to a high position. Even personal guards can only hold some low-level official positions unless they achieve great merit, which would provide an opportunity to advance slightly. Therefore, Xu Cheng's second task is to achieve merit, and it must be significant merit. Finally, he must find a chance to leave Dong Zhuo; he cannot accompany him to the grave.

As Xu Cheng's living conditions began to improve slightly, the governor's office received news: the Xiliang Qiang people had rebelled. Under the leadership of the Tiexiang Alliance chief Beigong Boyu, Ma Teng and Han Sui also rose in rebellion simultaneously. The court ordered Dong Zhuo to accompany General Huangfu Song to quell the rebellion.

As for those soldiers, they were deliberately looking for trouble, and the reason was simple: it was also for the Red Hare. They had been sent to search for it but could not find it no matter what. Because of this, they had suffered greatly under Dong Zhuo's punishment, yet a little-known kid managed to find it. Naturally, they felt unbalanced and needed a way to vent their frustrations. Initially, they only wanted to make Xu Cheng a little sick, but in the following days, they frequently sought opportunities to give Xu Cheng some free massages and provided him with numerous chances to showcase his work performance. This caused Xu Cheng to go several days without a full meal, often appearing drowsy, which naturally gave them the opportunity to get close to Xu Cheng under the pretext of work communication. Initially, they only wanted to make Xu Cheng a little sick, but in the following days, they frequently sought opportunities to give Xu Cheng some free massages and provided him with numerous chances to showcase his work performance. This caused Xu Cheng to go several days without a full meal, often appearing drowsy, which naturally gave them the opportunity to get close to Xu Cheng under the pretext of work communication.

Xu Cheng's opportunity has arrived, and even he did not expect it to come so quickly. However, is it really that easy to achieve merit?

It was not until Xu Cheng had lived here for several days that he understood what had happened

Hmph! When did it become your place, a mere junior officer, to interrupt my conversation with General Huangfu? Step back!

Xu Cheng had not yet reacted when a basin of cold water splashed onto him, soaking him completely in an instant. Immediately afterward, a basin of hot water was poured over him, alternating between cold and hot, causing Xu Cheng to shiver uncontrollably. However, it was evident that these few individuals were not satisfied; they proceeded to strip Xu Cheng of his clothes and leather armor. After completing this, they left with cheerful laughter, tossing him a set of clothes and a piece of iron armor, instructing him to put them on and assemble.

Having said that, without waiting for Dong Zhuo to respond, he left with his subordinates. Although Dong Zhuo was unwilling, he had no choice but to vent his anger and ultimately had to send someone to prepare for military matters

Neither army anticipated encountering each other. Huangfu Song did not expect that the Qiang soldiers would not take a proper rest and would engage in continuous combat; meanwhile, Beigong Boyu was surprised that the imperial army arrived so swiftly. He had been discussing with the other two leaders of the Iron Qiang Alliance, Han Sui and Ma Teng, to seize this opportunity to first conquer Tianshui and eliminate Dong Zhuo's forces, which is why he hastily deployed his troops despite the fatigue of his soldiers after the great battle

"My lord, your words seem to reflect a fear of the enemy and a reluctance to engage in battle. Are you truly willing to watch the Qiang people attack our city and slaughter our citizens? Moreover, after a great battle, the Qiang soldiers will undoubtedly be exhausted. At this moment, we should advance swiftly to seize the opportunity to defeat the Qiang people," said a general under Huangfu Song.

When he came to his senses, he saw several soldiers in iron armor standing by the bed, looking at him coldly with unfriendly expressions

Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo remained unfazed, but Xu Cheng, who was on guard outside, felt a shiver run down his spine, "Goodness, he has come too!"

Now that the protagonist has arrived, the performance is naturally about to begin

Because it would take some time for Huangfu Song's army to arrive, Dong Zhuo did not immediately mobilize his troops. Xu Cheng, who was well aware of Dong Zhuo's character, naturally understood his intentions. In this era, might makes right, and military strength is capital. Moreover, in the constantly warring Xiliang, Dong Zhuo had many enemies. He was unwilling to lose troops in order to show loyalty to the court

At the moment when everyone was filled with anxiety, finally, Huangfu Song arrived, accompanied by an army of fifty thousand imperial troops. When Dong Zhuo went out of the city to greet him, Xu Cheng also followed as a personal guard. Faced with what seemed like an endless army of fifty thousand, he felt a wave of suffocation. Goodness, this is life-threatening; it seems this battle will be quite difficult! I heard that the Qiang soldiers number as many as two hundred thousand! Xu Cheng suddenly felt that he might not have the chance to achieve merit after all, so it would be better to focus on preserving his own life first. He sighed inwardly.

"Hehe! Kid," a soldier with a bit of a scruffy beard reached out and grabbed his collar, "You dare to sleep in on the first day, you have some guts! Just wait and see how I, Big Qi, will deal with you..." After saying this, he pulled him down from the bed with force and shouted to the others behind him: "Brothers, bring a basin of water, let's give this kid a wash, hahahaha"

The next day, Huangfu Song led the army into action, with Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army on the left flank and another general he had brought along on the right flank. Xu Cheng, as Dong Zhuo's personal guard, set out together with the left flank.

Dong Zhuo was not ambiguous, saying: "My lord of the chariots and cavalry, it is not that I am unwilling to raise troops, but rather that the Qiang soldiers are formidable, while my forces are few and my generals are limited. If we suffer a defeat, would it not only serve to bolster the arrogance of those traitorous rebels?"

After making up his mind, Xu Cheng immediately put his plan into action. He had considerable experience dealing with a few minor soldiers. When he first started out, he was often bullied. Although he never received the reward from Dong Zhuo, as it was embezzled by the steward, there were still other ways! Thus, within a few days, those minor soldiers became like brothers to him. Although they were not very close, it was certainly better than being beaten up every day.

Dong Zhuo did not mobilize his troops, but that does not mean others would remain idle. Beigong Boyu took advantage of this opportunity to launch a fierce attack on the important town of Anding in Xiliang. The governor of Anding, after waiting in vain for reinforcements, abandoned the city and fled. The Tie Qiang Alliance then entered Anding City, and in a short time, the Qiang troops grew in strength, merely waiting to recuperate before directly attacking the capital of Xiliang, which was also the garrison location of Dong Zhuo—Tianshui