Chapter 5, Silver-tongued.

After listening to Liu He’s self-introduction, the villagers whispered among themselves, appearing to have heard of Liu Yu's reputation to some extent

Liu nodded and asked again, "How were the bodies of those who were killed handled"

Dear Angel, all the heads of households in the village have arrived

Tian Chou's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he echoed, "This plan of yours is indeed brilliant. It not only prevents the villagers from leaking tonight's events but also allows us to disguise ourselves as villagers and smoothly pass through the crowd."

Injured, Xianyu Yin spoke with some difficulty, and he quietly asked, "Young Master, how shall we deal with the twenty fine horses we have seized? If we leave them in Youzhou, they would naturally be of little significance, but we are in urgent need of these horses to expedite our journey."

To receive the appreciation and praise of Liu He, a few individuals felt that the hard work of the entire night was worthwhile. The saying "a scholar dies for a confidant" probably conveys this sentiment.

How formidable must one be to not even be a match for Lü Bu

Liu opened his mouth to ask Tian Chou: "Are there any common people in the village who have been harmed?"

Everyone responded in unison, hurriedly getting up and dispersing, each returning home to gather their valuable belongings, waking their family members, and preparing to set off to Nanyang with Liu He.

Suddenly, Tian Chou's eyes brightened, and he smiled as he said, "Young master, do not worry, why don't we do it this way..."

Liu looked at the honest and simple farmers before him, cleared his throat, and then spoke loudly: "To be frank with all of you, esteemed elders and fellow villagers, I am a court attendant by the side of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty. My father is Liu Bo'an, the royal family’s chief of protocol and the current Grand Tutor of Youzhou!"

Upon hearing that disaster was imminent, everyone fell to their knees, bowing to Liu and pleading with voices filled with despair: "We implore you, great angel, have mercy and do not let the strong harm our lives!"

As for Li Jue, Liu and others were certainly aware of him. As a general under Dong Zhuo, Li Jue and Guo Si caused considerable suffering to the people of Guanzhong after Dong Zhuo's death. By the time Li Jue and Guo Si met their end, the once densely populated land of Sanqin was already filled with the cries of the grieving.

Liu nodded, adopting an air of calmness, and said: "Well, since Master Wang has taken action, even if twenty strong men come, not to mention another twenty, they certainly cannot harm me in the slightest. Let’s go, we shall return to the village right now"

At dawn, Liu He and the old man returned to the village safely under the protection of Wang Yue

At this moment, Old Man Feng urged everyone, saying: "Nowadays, the military disasters in Guanzhong are incessant, and natural calamities occur year after year. If we stay here, we will eventually meet our demise. It is better to venture out of Wuguan in search of a way to survive!"

After Liu He listened to all this, he was greatly astonished and could not understand why he had such a deep-seated enmity with Li Jue that it would lead the latter to want to take his life. At the same time, Liu He was also very curious as to why Wang Yun had entrusted Wang Yue to come from Chang'an to protect him.

Everyone became flustered at Liu He’s reminder. In fact, the reasoning is quite simple; it is just that before Liu He articulated it, everyone had habitually acted like ostriches, choosing to ignore it.

Liu He believes that individuals like Wang Yue are the super enforcers specially tailored for him by heaven

Liu then said: "I am now on a mission from the Son of Heaven to travel from Wuguan to Nanyang to pay my respects to the esteemed General Yuan Gonglu. Unexpectedly, I encountered strong adversaries who attempted to assassinate me on the way. The final outcome, as you all must have seen, is that all who dared to offend me have already lost their heads"

Wiping away the drool that was about to spill, Liu hurriedly took two steps forward, almost running to Wang Yue's side. He then helped Wang Yue, who was bowing in greeting, and said: "It is rare for the great hero Wang to have such loyalty to the country and to come to my rescue in a timely manner. In the future, I will certainly advocate for you to the Emperor and Lord Situ!"

This individual was eager to serve in an official capacity, ultimately opening a martial arts school in Luoyang to make a living. He spent his days mingling with the emperor and the ministers, hoping to secure a minor official position. However, due to the decline of imperial power and the deeply entrenched concept of aristocracy at the end of the Han dynasty, he, coming from a commoner background, was unable to enter officialdom for his entire life, and his later fate remains unknown

Tian Chou replied, "The five individuals killed by Minghui and me have all been reduced to ashes by the great fire, and they are still piled beneath the ruins at the base of the wall; the fifteen individuals dealt with by Master Wang and his two disciples have their bodies still piled in a desolate ditch outside the village"

The meaning of "Xianyu Yin" is that if the team passes through Wuguan with these twenty warhorses, it will certainly attract the attention of the Xiliang soldiers guarding the pass, which would then become a significant trouble. However, if they do not take these fine horses with them, once they exit Wuguan, they will have to rely solely on their two feet to walk to Youzhou, which would take too much time and is definitely not the outcome that Liu He, who is eager to return to Youzhou, desires.

The old man known as Feng Bo did not dare to oppose and hurriedly nodded in agreement, then went to call people from each household

Liu pondered for a moment, then turned to the old man who had been at a loss since returning to the village and said, "Uncle Feng, could you please invite the heads of each household to come over? Just say that the imperial envoy has matters to discuss with everyone"

Wang Yue initially believed that Liu and his two attendants would be unable to handle the more than ten people surrounding the village, and he had secretly prepared for a rescue. However, he was surprised to find that Tian Chao and Xianyu Yin were exceptionally fierce, using ruthless and decisive methods along with calm and clever thinking to force the attackers to retreat.

The events of today arose because of me. I originally intended to take Elder Feng to Nanyang and then send him to Jingzhou to reunite with his family. However, if we leave, we cannot guarantee that the strongmen who are to be punished in the future do not have accomplices. If they discover the matters in the village and the books, in their anger, it is highly likely that they will harm you all

Liu He, perceiving the people's sentiments, continued, "Fellow villagers, today I solemnly promise that as long as you follow me to Nanyang, I will do my utmost to secure a means of survival for you, which will undoubtedly be better than your current situation"

On the way back to the village, Wang Yue informed Liu He that he had been entrusted by Situ Wang Yun to specifically come from Chang'an to protect them. Coincidentally, he discovered that a group of people was secretly following Liu He and the others. Wang Yue then infiltrated their camp at night to gather intelligence, and as a result, he learned that they were actually subordinates of Li Jue. He then prepared to take action

Liu, who is well-versed in both the official and unofficial histories of the Three Kingdoms, does not consider Wang Yue to be a simple person. Upon hearing that the visitor is the great swordsman Wang Yue from Yanshan, a wave of delight surged in his heart, feeling as if a pillow had been delivered just as he was about to doze off

Tian Chou replied, "I have already inquired everywhere, and there are no innocent villagers harmed in the village"

Wang Yueqi is rarely mentioned in the historical records of the Three Kingdoms in later generations. However, the author of "Records of the Three Kingdoms," Chen Shou, is one of the few who refers to him, stating that Wang Yueqi "was in a time of peace yet never parted with his sword."

Liu furrowed his brow, lost in thought and silent

After everyone had dispersed, Liu He finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he had not disgraced the honor of being the "Best Debater" of his previous life.

Wang Yue enthusiastically said, which also served as a further demonstration of his achievements to Liu

Since Li Jue intends to harm himself, regardless of the reason, Liu He has already marked him with a big red cross in his heart. If there is an opportunity in the future, he will definitely take the chance to personally eliminate this menace

Young Master, the twenty assailants who came to commit murder have already been eliminated by me and your two attendants. The humidity in this forest is heavy, and we cannot linger here for long. I kindly request that we return to the village swiftly

Half an hour later, Old Man Feng was followed by a dozen or so middle-aged farmers who arrived at the courtyard and the library, which had already been reduced to ruins.

An elderly man among the crowd shouted loudly: "The angel is right! Nowadays, it is no longer possible to stay here; to survive, one can only go east or south"

Wang Yue's lack of prominence in official history is solely due to his humble origins. He never held an official position throughout his life, nor did he have the opportunity to serve in the military as a general, making it naturally difficult for him to gain the attention of those pedantic literati who thrive on flaunting their literary skills.

At this moment, Wang Yue also spoke up to ask: "If the young master were to take the villagers of this village out of the pass, how would he arrange for these villagers once they have escaped from danger?"

Shi A followed Feng Bo, which not only prevented the old man from escaping and reporting but also protected him from being harmed by others, clearly making it very necessary

Old man Feng muttered a few words and then hid among the crowd, remaining silent thereafter

Tian Chou saw Liu He in a predicament, so he quickly began to think of a way to help him out.

As people reflect on the suffering caused by years of warfare and various disasters, they feel a deep sense of empathy. Consequently, they begin to express a willingness to follow the esteemed angel to Nanyang in search of a livelihood

Wang Yue gave a knowing glance to his eldest disciple, Shi A, who understood and silently followed behind Feng Bo.

Cao Pi, the ruler of Wei, also mentioned Wang Yue in his "Dianlun: Self-Narration," stating that he was the master of Shi A and possessed exceptional swordsmanship.

If personal safety cannot be guaranteed, then even if Liu possesses knowledge of civilization from two thousand years in the future and has foresight into the trajectory of the Three Kingdoms era, what value does such an absolute advantage hold if he is unable to utilize it before his life is lost

After several days of interaction, Liu He realized that Tian Chou and Xian Yu Yin were absolutely loyal to Liu Yu and would follow his orders without question. However, both of them were not particularly exceptional in terms of strategy and martial skills. While they would certainly be competent as trusted aides by his side, it would be somewhat unrealistic to expect them to independently take charge of a region or manage affairs on their own in the future.

After meeting with Tian Chou, Shi A, and others, Liu He generously offered his compliments and praise.

Liu He, seeing that his intimidation had taken effect, revealed a reluctant expression and hesitantly said: "In the current situation, you can only move your entire family to Nanyang with me. If you stay here, I truly cannot protect you!"

Wang Yue noticed that Liu He did not display the usual arrogance typical of aristocratic youths, and even mentioned wanting to take credit for him in front of the Emperor and Wang Situ, which filled him with joy

Wang Yue is a great hero of the present age. At the age of eighteen, he rode alone into the Helan Mountains and returned with the head of the Qiang tribe leader, unmatched by anyone. By the age of thirty, he traveled across various states, nearly defeating all opponents in the world. He possesses immense strength and unparalleled spirit, even Lü Bu is not his match

Liu He paused here again

In order to prevent the ten individuals who escaped from the village from returning to report to Li Jue, Wang Yue finally appeared, silencing them through murder, only to be discovered by Tian Chou thereafter

Once again, it is a problem that troubles Liu

Tian Chou timely urged from the side, saying: "Villagers, what are you still hesitating for? My son, as a special envoy of the Son of Heaven and a member of the Han royal family, has already made a promise. Shouldn't everyone hurry home to pack their bags and prepare to leave?"

Liu He, after listening to the strategy proposed by Tian Chou, immediately applauded in approval, and Wang Yue and others also nodded repeatedly

Liu He is a frail scholar, with a delicate physique that cannot withstand the turmoil of others, thus he urgently requires a skilled fighter to protect himself

Liu and Jiang observed the actions of Wang Yue and Shi A, and could not help but add a few more points to their esteem in their hearts

After the old man left, Liu He said to the remaining few: "This place is not suitable for staying long. I plan to gather the villagers and head towards Wuguan after dawn. At that time, it will be easier for us to pass through if we blend in with the common people."