Chapter 902: The Zhang Family Takes Action

Of course, the thing Ma Chao had learned best was the Han etiquette concerning respect for elders. After all, he believed Zhang Fei’s favorable treatment towards him was not unrelated to his courtesy. In the future, Ma Chao would surely be flawless when it came to loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness!

As for Fa Zheng, he didn’t trouble Ma Chao because he knew what his mission was. His task wasn't to provoke a conflict with Cao Cao or Ma Teng, but to wait for news of the battle between Yuan Shao and Liu Bei, and then let the mediation army through.

After observing Ma Chao's behavior, Fa Zheng was actually quite satisfied. He had a broad perspective now, seeing everything from a high vantage point. In reality, many past events could be dismissed as fleeting clouds.

He hadn't lost anything significant, nor was there anything to be humiliated by. Standing as a marquis, even without saying a word, the Wang family of Fufeng would tread cautiously around him. No one would ridicule him; instead, they would laugh at the Wang family for being blind.

[Power truly is intoxicating. But this is enough. At least the Wang family has learned their lesson. Perhaps I should set my sights on something greater, something that takes China as its foundation. To win the hearts of the people is its own satisfaction. The will of the people... I finally understand the meaning behind Lord Xuande's straightforward words during that altar ceremony.]

Fa Zheng silently opened his folding fan, his embroidered robe fluttering in the wind, as majestic as Ma Chao had once seen him—a figure of unrivaled elegance.

"Has it arrived?" Fa Zheng smiled as he watched a rider gallop through the camp. The soldier's clothes were neat, his expression stern, yet a hint of joy could be seen. Liu Bei's army had achieved a great victory. Even if it wasn’t a decisive win, the battle between Yuan Shao and Liu Bei had concluded.

With the letter in hand, Fa Zheng glanced through it briefly and then burst into laughter. The central plains were now secured, the major players in the world were clear, and there was no longer any need for further words. The world still belonged to the Han, and Liu Xuande's fate was sealed. No one could defy destiny anymore.

[So in the end, it was Li Shih who assassinated Yuan Shao...] Fa Zheng sighed inwardly. He had always known that Li You and Jia Xu were terrifying when it came to their scheming. Sure enough, Jia Xu gradually led Yuan Shao’s army into a situation that perfectly suited Hua Xiong’s combat style. Ju Shou was indeed formidable, but Jia Xu was ultimately a step ahead.

"General Guan has slain Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Those two..." Fa Zheng marveled. Yan Liang’s bravery was famed across the land, and yet he had fallen to Guan Yu’s blade.

"Send this letter to General Zhang and General Yu," Fa Zheng ordered with a smug expression. This was the best news he had received in a long time.

Soon, Zhang Fei and Yu Jin received the message and were overjoyed. Zhang Fei, however, lamented why he hadn’t personally claimed the head of a mighty general.

"Let's go. No need to delay any longer. The reason the message took so long to reach us was likely because they wanted to carve out the best parts of Ji Province first," Fa Zheng chuckled, knowing that the information blockade on Cao Cao’s side would soon be lifted.

In fact, Fa Zheng’s assessment was correct. For the past two days, Liu Bei’s main task had been to take control of Ji Province, and they had already succeeded in capturing most of it!

In just two days, Liu Bei, having made prior preparations, had taken control of Bohai, Anping, Qinghe, Hejian, Weijun, and parts of Zhongshan. It must be said, the Zhen family’s influence in Ji Province was unparalleled.

After Gao Lan left Bohai County, the Zhang family immediately activated the Zhen family’s plan without consulting any of the clan elders. The Zhen family had long been divided internally on whether to defect from Yuan Shao. Although they had indeed been betrayed by the Yuan family, many in the Zhen family believed that Liu Bei had also acted with ulterior motives.

Moreover, Yuan Shao had been growing in power, and many of the Zhen family’s elders still had confidence in Yuan Shao’s dominance. Given their vast wealth and influence, they felt there was no need to take such a risky step, leading to significant opposition.

However, after Gao Lan’s departure, the Zhang family seemed to have an epiphany. They swiftly placed all the Zhen family elders under house arrest and followed the plan to usher Zang Ba into Bohai. With the Zhen family’s extensive influence across Ji Province, Zang Ba easily seized control of Bohai and then took Hejian and Anping.

Unfortunately, when Zang Ba entered the capital of Ji Province, Xindu, the beacon tower that Ju Shou had set up was ignited by Ju Hao, foiling Zang Ba’s attempt to take the entire province. He also lost the opportunity to rest and prepare while waiting for the defeated Yuan Tan to arrive.

After seizing Anping, Zang Ba found it difficult to advance further into the other counties, which were now more prepared. His final attempt was to take Zhongshan, taking advantage of the fact that it was the Zhen family’s ancestral home, and the proximity to the homes of Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping. Through their combined efforts, they managed to wrest control of half of Zhongshan.

As for Qinghe, after Xu Shu left the Cui family of Qinghe, Cui Yan had been contemplating whether to defect to Liu Bei. He found himself in a tricky position. One of the reasons the Cui family of Qinghe was suppressed by the Cui family of Boling, led by Cui Jun, was because of Cui Yan’s leadership.

Cui Yan was well aware that in terms of ability, he and Cui Jun were evenly matched. But his loss stemmed from his previous allegiance to Cao Cao. After Cao Cao had secured Yanzhou, defeated Yuan Shu, and taken the prosperous Nanyang, with the full support of the Wei family of Chenliu and the addition of the Wei family of Hedong, he seemed unstoppable.

Invited by Xun Yu, Cui Yan had joined Cao Cao’s camp. The Xun family, it must be said, had connections with almost every major family.

However, while Cui Yan was evaluating whether Cao Cao was a worthy lord, the massacre in Xuzhou occurred. Cui Yan, being a man of principle, much like Tian Feng, was a steadfast individual. Disgusted, he left Cao Cao’s camp, ignoring Xun Yu’s pleas.

Cui Yan didn’t care whether Cao Cao was avenging his father’s death. His only concern was that a ruler who could massacre innocent Han civilians out of anger might one day execute his trusted officials for similar reasons.

Though Cui Yan returned to Ji Province, he was no longer as important to Yuan Shao as Cui Jun, who had returned from Jingzhou and pledged his loyalty to Yuan Shao. Cui Yan and Tian Feng shared a tendency to make their lord uncomfortable, and Yuan Shao already had his hands full dealing with Tian Feng and Ju Shou. Adding another with a similar temperament was too much for him.

Thus, the Cui family of Qinghe, led by Cui Yan, ended up in its current situation partly due to Yuan Shao’s decision to abandon them.

Even though Yuan Shao gave up on them, the Cui family of Qinghe dared not forsake Yuan Shao. After all, Yuan Shao still had a chance to rise to the top, and such power was not something a noble family could afford to offend.

Although great powers like Yuan Shao's generally avoided antagonizing aristocratic families, if a family handed Yuan Shao the knife, giving him an excuse to act, he would not hesitate to eliminate one or two noble families as a warning to others, ensuring they didn’t become a nuisance.

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