Guo Jia had finally sincerely pledged allegiance. This foremost strategist of the Three Kingdoms was now finally his!
Zhang Chen's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He quickly pulled Guo Jia up and said, "It is my great fortune to have Sir willing to assist me. From today onwards, I appoint Sir as my military advisor. I will treat Sir with the utmost respect and will listen to Sir's teachings on all matters, both internal and external."
"Lord, you exaggerate. I am unworthy of such praise."
Zhang Chen tightly held Guo Jia's hand and said excitedly, "Fengxiao, let us join hands and work together to achieve great things, pacify the world, and restore peace and stability to the common people!"
"I am willing to follow Lord, pacify the world, and restore peace to the people!"
At this moment, their hands were clasped tightly, and they made a joint promise.
After a long while, Zhang Chen suddenly thought of something. He looked up at Guo Jia and secretly used the "Hand of Plunder."
He wanted to plunder Guo Jia's "Heavenly Jealousy" trait so that he wouldn't have a short lifespan!
Zhang Chen wasn't worried that the "Heavenly Jealousy" trait would affect him, because he himself didn't have "Clairvoyance."
"Ding! Plunder failed! This trait is a bound trait of the target and cannot be plundered!"
Failed?! Bound trait? What does this mean?
A series of questions appeared in Zhang Chen's mind. Zhang Chen quickly silently summoned the System in his heart.
"System, what is a bound trait, and why can't I take this 'Heavenly Jealousy'?"
"A bound trait refers to a trait bound to the character. Only a few specific characters possess bound traits. Bound traits are only effective for the bound character and cannot be taken. They can only be dropped after the character's death."
The System's calm, mechanical reply echoed in his ears.
"Then... how can I change Guo Jia's destiny?"
"There are two methods: one is to use or not use Clairvoyance as little as possible, and the other is to find a treasure that can extend his life. The System reminds the host that Guo Jia's current lifespan is 45 years."
45 years old? In history, Guo Jia only lived to be 38 before he died. This means that he must have used "Clairvoyance" many times afterwards!
Forget it, before I find a treasure that can extend his life, I should try not to let him use "Clairvoyance."
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen looked at Guo Jia and said, "Fengxiao, I have something to say, and I hope you will listen."
"Lord, please speak."
Zhang Chen said, "Fengxiao, I know you possess Clairvoyance and can discern people's hearts and distinguish good from evil, but do you know that this action may be suspected of revealing heavenly secrets?"
Guo Jia was startled when he heard this and said, "How did Lord know? To be honest with Lord, I do have this extraordinary talent. What Lord just said was also told to me by someone before."
"Oh? Who was it?"
"It was the immortal Left Ci, who taught me the 'Book of Mystic Armor,'" Guo Jia said. "The immortal once said that Clairvoyance reveals heavenly secrets and may harm one's lifespan, so he taught me the 'Book of Mystic Armor,' hoping that I would use Clairvoyance less in the future to avoid harming myself."
"As expected of an immortal, he truly has foresight!" Zhang Chen couldn't help but sigh. "Fengxiao, listen to me. What the immortal said is true. Do not use Clairvoyance to pry into heavenly secrets in the future. I believe that with your talent, even without using Clairvoyance, you can still strategize and win battles a thousand miles away!"
After hearing this, Guo Jia bowed and said, "Fengxiao will remember Lord's teachings. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, I will not use Clairvoyance."
Zhang Chen nodded and then asked Guo Jia to leave first.
Fengxiao, don't worry. In this life, I will definitely find a way to extend your life and will never let you die young as you did in history.
Guo Jia left the tent, and Zhang Chen immediately ordered Gao Shun to bring Xu Huang.
Not long after, Gao Shun brought Xu Huang to see him. Xu Huang was bound, but he glared angrily, with a hint of disdain in his eyes.
When Gao Shun saw this, he was immediately furious and shouted, "How dare you! How dare you be rude in front of Lord, yet you still don't kneel!"
"Xiaofu," Zhang Chen said quickly, "Do not be rude."
After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he personally walked forward, drew the chishan sword, and cut the ropes on Xu Huang's body.
Xu Huang was startled by this but still said coldly, "Lord, what is the meaning of this?"
Zhang Chen cupped his fists and said, "General Gongming, we met on the battlefield, and I personally witnessed your bravery. I know you are a talented person, and it is truly a pity that you are serving the bandits. Why not serve me? In the future, you can achieve great deeds and bring glory to your family. How about it?"
"You want me to surrender to you? Hmph!" Xu Huang snorted coldly and turned his head to the side.
When Gao Shun saw this, he couldn't help but feel angry and shouted, "Bold bandit! You are already a prisoner, yet you are still so arrogant!"
Zhang Chen waved his hand and said again, "Gongming, do you think I only value your martial arts? Among my generals, Zhang He, Gao Shun, Qian Zhao, and Qu Yi, who is not a brave and skilled general capable of fighting against ten thousand men? What truly makes me value you is what happened today!"
Xu Huang was slightly startled when he heard this and couldn't help but turn his head back.
Zhang Chen continued, "In the battle in the valley today, you led your army to guard outside the valley. When the Yellow Turbans were defeated, you could have clearly led your army away, but you still charged into the valley. You knew that once you entered the valley, it would be impossible to escape, but you still rushed in desperately to save your sworn brother, Yang Feng. What I truly value is this loyalty of yours!"
Zhang Chen paused and then said, "I know you are sworn brothers with Yang Feng and cannot bear to let you bear the name of betraying your lord. If you are unwilling, I will not force you. You can go find him yourself..."
After Zhang Chen finished speaking, he looked at Xu Huang.
Xu Huang hesitated for a moment and turned to walk out of the tent.
When Gao Shun saw this, he frowned and reached for his sword.
When Xu Huang reached the entrance, he hesitated for a moment, then turned around and said to Zhang Chen, "Lord, can you promise me one thing?"
"Speak."
"If in the future, my sworn brother becomes an enemy of Lord, can Lord... spare his life?"
"Okay, I can promise you. As long as he has not done anything heinous, and it is just a battle between two armies, each serving their own lord, I can spare his life."
When Xu Huang heard this, he immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lord's broad-mindedness and magnanimity are admirable. This humble Xu Huang is willing to serve Lord!"
Zhang Chen was overjoyed when he heard this and quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Haha! To have Gongming assist me is truly like adding wings to a tiger!"
Zhang Chen was in a very good mood after gaining Guo Jia and Xu Huang. He immediately ordered a banquet to be held at the Prefect's Residence to celebrate the victory.
...
A few days later, in Loyang, at the General's Residence.
General He Jin was in a great mood as he held the victory report submitted by Zhang Chen. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion was suppressed, countless rebel armies fighting under the banner of the Yellow Turbans had caused chaos in various places, and the court was constantly busy suppressing the bandits, which was exhausting. Now that 100,000 Yellow Turbans had been annihilated, this was a rare great victory that would surely strike fear into the hearts of those bandits!
Not long after, a young scholar walked in.
"General," the young man bowed.
When He Jin saw him, he quickly beckoned him over and said with a smile, "Zhen Yan, a major event has happened in your Ji Province recently. Have you heard?"
Zhen Yan said, "Reporting to General, I have not received any letters from home recently, so I do not know what happened in Ji Province."
"Come, take a look," He Jin said, handing the victory report to Zhen Yan.
He Jin stroked his beard and smiled, "This Zhang Chen is a talented person. With 50,000 troops, he wiped out 100,000 Yellow Turban bandits! This time, he truly frustrated the bandits' spirit and raised the prestige of our Great Han Army! Haha! By the way, Zhen Yan, you have been in Ji Province for a long time. Do you know this person?"
Zhen Yan opened the victory report and examined it, then exclaimed, "It's... it's him!"
"What, you know this person?" He Jin was startled and quickly asked, "What is this person like? Do you know anything about him?"
Zhen Yan said, "General, although I have never seen this Zhang Chen with my own eyes, his deeds have already spread throughout Ji Province. He was originally the Magistrate of Guangping. Not only did he govern the county well, making the people's lives prosperous, but he also possessed strategic brilliance. As soon as he took office, he formed a county militia of 700 men and wiped out the 3,000 bandits entrenched around Guangping in one fell swoop! Later, when the Black Mountain Bandits besieged Yingtao County, he led his army to reinforce it, and with less than 10,000 troops, he heavily defeated 50,000 bandits and lifted the siege of Yingtao County!"
"Good! Good!" He Jin was immediately overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Unexpectedly, such a talent exists in a small Wei Commandery! This is truly a blessing to the court!"
Zhen Yan added, "General, this person also has a deep connection with my Zhen family. He is my sister's husband."
"What?! You said he is your sister's husband!" He Jin was startled when he heard this.
"Precisely," Zhen Yan said. "My sister, Zhen Jiang, has already set the date for her marriage with Zhang Chen. The wedding will be in February of next year."