Chapter 1: The Grain-Extorting Bully

Luoyang Prefectural Office.

"My Lord, this is a disaster!"

Wang Kuang, feeling irritable, tossed the bamboo slips in his hand aside and glared at the panic-stricken clerk.

"Disaster, disaster! Is that all you know how to say? Can't you let a man have a moment of peace?!"

As the esteemed Colonel of the Sili, tasked with the heavy responsibility of overseeing the capital and its surrounding regions, he had already hidden himself away in the office of the Luoyang Magistrate—what more was expected of him? He couldn't very well flee outside the city walls of Luoyang, could he?

The clerk, kneeling on the ground, failed to notice the impatience on Wang Kuang's face, or perhaps he was simply too distraught to care. He pointed frantically toward the outside of the office. "My Lord, that brute! That bully who keeps demanding grain is here again."

Wang Kuang rubbed his throbbing temples, his teeth grinding in hatred.

That grain had been purchased at a high price from the Sima clan of Henei. It had only arrived that morning, and by noon, the debt-collecting demon was already at his door! He even began to suspect that Chen Cong possessed some sort of supernatural insight.

Of course, it was never Chen Cong who possessed such insight. Now that Luoyang was his own domain, the Heroic Tower had to be reopened, and on an even grander scale than before. After all, while it was previously overseen by the chivalrous Shi A, it was now managed by the Sword Saint, Wang Yue.

"Kuang-zi, my father-in-law is sharpening his blades and preparing to march west to punish Dong Zhuo. I'll be taking this grain of yours without ceremony!"

The annoying voice rang out from outside the hall. Wang Kuang could no longer sit still; he rushed out in such a hurry that he lost one of his shoes. Outside, he saw Chen Cong directing a hundred men to haul away his grain.

"Zi Ning, you cannot do this! This is impossible!" Wang Kuang pleaded.

Chen Cong laughed, teasing him, "I say, Kuang-zi, look clearly—it's me, Chen Cong. I’m not here to defect to you, so why are you putting on this show of running out barefoot?"

Wang Kuang silently cursed every single one of Chen Cong’s ancestors back eighteen generations, though he wasn't sure if he was cursing the right ones. He then squeezed out a smile that looked even more wretched than a cry.

"Zi Ning," he stammered, "look... for the Western Expedition against Dong Zhuo, I will provide ten thousand gold, how about that? But the grain..."

Ten thousand gold... In the past, Chen Cong would have jumped at the offer. But now? In these times, grain was the only hard currency! Could he eat that worthless gold?

Chen Cong didn't even dismount. He leaned down toward Wang Kuang’s ear and whispered, "Kuang-zi, for the sake of our old friendship in the anti-Dong coalition, let me give you some heartfelt advice: Rebel. Because if you don't rebel, I will come here every single day. If you can stand it, I certainly can't."

Wang Kuang wanted to cry.

***

Rebel against whom? Naturally, against Cao Cao! But the problem was, he had to be capable of it! With his ten thousand and three hundred emaciated, remnant troops?

Fine, let’s say he conceded that point. Even if their forces were matched, what about their generals? Leaving aside that demon Chen Cong, just looking at those two crude, bear-like brutes, Xu Chu and Dian Wei, standing there was enough to make his neck turn cold whenever he looked at Cao Cao.

The worst part was that he could neither afford to offend them nor hide from them. Staying in Luoyang meant offending Cao Cao; abandoning Luoyang meant offending Yuan Shao. Caught between two evils, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and endure.

"Zi Ning, it is not that I, Wang Kuang, am being unreasonable. Lord Yuan appointed me as the Colonel of the Sili; it is truly difficult to abandon such a post. If Lord Cao truly finds me such an eyesore, perhaps he could write to Lord Yuan to have me appointed as the Governor of Bing Province instead?"

"Forget it, forget it. You, a provincial governor? I don't even know where I'm going to find a governorship for myself yet. Also, stop calling me 'Zi Ning'—we aren't that close." Chen Cong pulled out the official gold seal of the Palace Secretariat and dangled it before Wang Kuang’s eyes. "Look closely: I am an official of the Great Han Palace Secretariat. From now on, address me as Magistrate Chen."

Wang Kuang clutched his chest, gasping for air as if he were choking, nearly collapsing on the spot. He felt as though he had seen it all now. A father-in-law who shouted anti-rebel slogans to the heavens, and a son-in-law who walked the streets brandishing an official seal granted by a traitor to the state. What was even more sickening was that, despite the heavy bounty Dong Zhuo had placed on his head, the world still viewed Chen Cong as a righteous hero who had attempted to assassinate the tyrant. There was simply no reasoning with such things!

...

Watching the grain convoy disappear into the distance, Chen Cong took one last look at Wang Kuang, then rode north toward the Cuihong Tower.

"Master." Sister Hong greeted him with her usual flamboyant charm.

Chen Cong nodded and headed familiarly up to the second floor. Outside the private room, Chen Yi stood at the head of nine elite guards, their hands resting on their swords. From inside, the sound of women’s laughter and an old man’s mournful cries could be heard.

Chen Cong didn't stand on ceremony and pushed the door open. Inside, a middle-aged 'little white rabbit' was moving with the agility of a hare, dodging around the table, his face and clothes stained with rouge, giving him a touch of human frailty. Two young 'big bad wolves' were laughing as they chased him; upon seeing Chen Cong, they bowed and gracefully exited the room.

Jia Xu finally caught his breath, leaning against the table and panting, "Chen Zi Ning, General Chen! I have already said I am willing to serve the General Who Conquers the West; why must you humiliate me so? This is truly beneath a man of culture!"

Chen Cong grabbed a teapot from the table and took a long swig.

"I also said that it doesn't matter who you serve. We are a match made in heaven; we must be bound together. If I become a marquis or a duke, you shall be my chancellor. If I die on the battlefield, you shall be my companion in the afterlife."

"Fine, fine, fine. I am afraid of you, I agree, I agree to everything."

Chen Cong scoffed. "Enough, you poisonous Jia. You only agree with your mouth; if you find a chance, won't you just run away? Either you move your family to Luoyang to enjoy life, or you leave behind your seed so the ladies can bear your children. Only then will I believe you are truly loyal."

Jia Xu: ...

From "Master Wenhe" to "Sir," and now to "Poisonous Jia." It wasn't just a change in address; he could hear that this brute was determined to drag him into a life-and-death pact. But he truly had no interest in Chen Cong. This man appeared glorious, but in reality, he was reckless to the point of insanity. He did absolutely nothing that a normal person would do. He didn't fear death in battle, he kidnapped princesses, tricked the Emperor, and stole the Imperial Seal right under the nose of the demon king Dong Zhuo. If he were to get on this pirate ship now, getting off would be as hard as reaching the heavens.

Chen Cong knew Jia Xu’s temperament and wasn't in a rush. He would just wear him down slowly. With seventy-four brothels in Luoyang, there was bound to be one that suited him. Once he had a dozen children, if he dared to leave, he would just throw them all into the pot together.

Chen Cong changed the subject. "Enough, let's put that aside for now. Tell me, what should I do about Wang Kuang? He neither leaves nor rebels."

He was like a toad sitting on one's foot—he didn't bite, but he was incredibly irritating. As long as Wang Kuang remained, the Cao army could not move freely, for if they did, Luoyang would be lost. Yet, he was a warlord of the anti-Dong coalition; without a valid excuse, it wouldn't do to just kill him.

Jia Xu took a deep breath and said with profound meaning, "General, you stole his grain, leaving his soldiers and clerks hungry, while Wang Kuang himself eats and sleeps well. Why would he rebel?"

"Go on."

"Does the General wish to make him leave, make him rebel, or make him die?"

"Oh? Tell me each."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said leisurely, "If you want him to die, secretly send someone with a silver tongue into his camp. The soldiers are hungry and resentful; a little provocation will spark a mutiny, forcing the chaotic troops to storm the office—how could he survive that? If you want him to rebel, find a minor offense to kill his son, insult his wife, or destroy his clan, then lead half of the Cao army out of the city to 'suppress the rebels' while showing weakness. With the pain in his heart and the pressure of the moment, how could he not rebel? If you want him to leave, it is easiest: leak a plot to assassinate him, and in his terror, how could he not flee?"

"Good," Chen Cong clapped his hands and laughed. "Write down what you just said. I’ll give it to Wang Kuang later; I don't believe he won't flee. And don't forget to sign your name. We share our fortunes, and I will surely make your name known throughout the world."

Jia Xu was stunned. "General, if you act this way, won't it just leave others with a handle against you?"

Chen Cong looked puzzled. "But you are the one proposing the murders, what does that have to do with me?"

Jia Xu: ...