Forced to do so, Ye Feng issued orders one by one, and the entire Third Legion implemented them in an orderly manner. Only Lu Bu remained, staring blankly at Ye Feng, unable to understand why Ye Feng had spared those people.
"Feng Xian, they also have families, and some are even fathers of several children. If they die, their family's pillar will collapse, and their entire family will struggle to survive!" Ye Feng said earnestly, "Isn't this what we are doing all this for the common people!"
Lu Bu didn't quite understand, but he felt greatly moved. Of course, there was another reason Ye Feng didn't mention: he needed a large labor force to build schools and carry out engineering projects, and he believed these people could serve that purpose.
"My Lord, what if they refuse to cooperate or seek peace!" Lu Bu frowned. "Then we won't be able to kill them!"
Ye Feng pondered for a long time. This was indeed the worst-case scenario. If the two sides sought peace in Wang Kuang's name, Ye Feng would have to agree. But after agreeing, how would he deal with the humiliation he had suffered!
Lu Bu thought for a moment and then asked softly, "His Majesty can simply refuse their peace offer. What is there to fear!"
Ye Feng smiled and shook his head gently. Refusing was easy, but it would inevitably lead to rumors. Ye Feng's carefully cultivated image would collapse in an instant.
"Feng Xian, there are gains and losses," Ye Feng said, sitting cross-legged on the ground and cutting off a piece of roasted lamb. "As the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years. Wang Kuang will eventually fall into my hands."
"My King!" Lu Bu's eyes welled up with tears. He knew how much determination Ye Feng had made to reach this decision. He remained silent.
"Go and do it. If anyone surrenders, do not stop them!" Ye Feng gently instructed.
"Yes, my Lord!" Lu Bu hurried away, his eyes lingering on the glistening roasted meat, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
The aroma of the roasted meat naturally wafted up the mountain. Wang Kuang's army, which had nothing to eat or drink, could initially supplement their water by melting snow. Later, even the snow disappeared. Coupled with the lack of food, they became increasingly irritable.
"If it weren't for Pan Feng causing us to lose our provisions, how could we have ended up like this? Now he's hiding like a turtle, and he won't even give us an explanation!"
"What explanation do we need!" another person retorted aggressively. "In their eyes, we are just livestock, even worse than livestock. They are probably feasting on delicacies right now!"
"Exactly! Last night I smelled a delicious aroma. I knew they were secretly eating!"
"If I had known this, we should have defected to King Chu. At least we wouldn't lack clothes or food!"
"Go ahead, you go and say it! See if the two generals will listen!"
The crowd fell silent. Everyone knew clearly in their hearts that if they surrendered, these nameless soldiers might survive, but Pan Feng and Hua Xiong would certainly die a terrible death. In that case, how could they agree!
"How dare you discuss this here, aren't you afraid the generals will kill you!" Hua Xiong yelled weakly. "If you're all killed, it will save food!"
"Yes!" Everyone looked at Hua Xiong and quickly dispersed, as they still had to live under Hua Xiong's command.
Hua Xiong's face turned ashen. He hadn't eaten for who knows how many meals. He stormed into Pan Feng's tent in a rage. Pan Feng, holding a bowl of crystal-clear porridge, frowned. "What are you doing here? I haven't summoned you. Do you want to rebel!"
"If rebellion meant food, then you would have died countless times already!" Hua Xiong retorted sarcastically, his tone equally unpleasant.
"Does the General intend to pin all the blame on me, Pan Feng? What a clever scheme. Why don't you just grab your sword and kill me now," Pan Feng, mustering his strength, yelled. "Kill me, and perhaps Ye Feng will let you live. Go on!"
"Unreasonable!" Hua Xiong slammed his saber onto the table. "I am here to solve the problem, not to argue. Please give me a solution. How can we address the soldiers' food shortage!"
"You have the nerve to ask for a solution?" Pan Feng shouted hysterically. "If you hadn't lost to Lu Bu back then, how could all this have happened!"
"You dare to blame me!" Hua Xiong, with a fiery temper, suddenly stood up and roared, "If you hadn't come up with this terrible idea, how would we have ended up in this situation!"
"General, please calm down. Do you want to see who is more skilled between us!" Pan Feng said with a forced smile, weighing his axe.
"Do you really think I'm afraid of you? We're evenly matched, and you might not be my opponent!" Hua Xiong said coldly. "If you don't believe me, let's go outside and try!"
As soon as the two stepped out of the tent, people immediately surrounded them and urgently said, "Generals, please don't fight amongst yourselves. The most important thing now is to find a way to leave this mountain!"
"Exactly! Generals, please think of a solution. My soldiers are already complaining bitterly. If this isn't resolved soon, I fear a mutiny might occur!"
"Generals, please think of a way!"
Their voices grew louder and louder. The two looked at each other and suddenly thought of someone. If anyone could solve their current predicament, it would undoubtedly be Wang Kuang.
Although he had fallen unconscious, he was still an officially appointed official by the emperor, and they had a relationship as former colleagues.
"Halt, die!" Hua Xiong roared. "How dare you disregard the life of our Lord! I will never forgive you!"
"Hua Xiong, I will kill you today to uphold military law!" Pan Feng said coldly, then changed his tone. "If you go and attend to our Lord now, I might spare your life!"
The numerous retainers wiped the sweat from their brows, thinking that the two had finally reached the crucial point: Wang Kuang was still unconscious!
With someone speaking, the rest became much easier to handle. One person quickly offered the two a way out: "If our Lord wakes up, Ye Feng will surely show some respect. It might not be impossible for us to descend the mountain together!"
"That makes sense!" In an instant, the two reached a consensus and rushed to Wang Kuang's tent, showing great concern and respect. The retainers smiled knowingly and slowly retreated.
"I think it's all their fault that we've ended up like this. Let's go all the way. Why don't we hand them over to Ye Feng? Perhaps he'll let us go."
"All the generals involved are either dead or injured. It has nothing to do with us. Why wouldn't he let us go!"
"That's right, I agree!"
In a few words, everyone reached a consensus. Suddenly, a discordant voice emerged: "That's what you say, but how should we do it? After all, they are..."
After all, Hua Xiong and Pan Feng were the most powerful fighters in the open. If they acted together, they couldn't afford to offend them. Realizing this, they all shrank back, afraid to step forward.
After a long pause, a timid voice was heard, "Why don't we use poison? They can't be immune to it!"
Everyone was amazed. After all, this plan ensured foolproof success.
The next moment, another voice spoke, "Where can we get poison?"
"Although we don't have poison, we have anesthetic powder here!" Someone threw a paper packet heavily onto the table. Looking at the quantity, everyone felt their scalps tingle. So much medicine, even an elephant would be knocked out after eating it, let alone just the two of them.
"A good plan! Coincidentally, I found a wild boar. We can use it as bait!"
In no time, everything was ready. Soon, a pig's squeal echoed through the mountain. Everyone followed the sound, and the retainers had already surrounded the wild boar.
"Hey, guys, are you trying to hog it all?" a soldier said sarcastically. "Ask my brothers if they agree first!"
With so many people attacking, even a master could be defeated. At this moment, none of the retainers dared to step forward. Suddenly, a young man about a dozen years old stood up and said coldly, "Do you want to satisfy your cravings for a moment, or do you want to get out of this mountain? You choose. Do you want the wild boar or not!"
After some discussion, everyone reached an agreement to assist the retainers in catching the wild boar. Soon, a wild boar was carried into the tent. Looking at the crowd before him, the retainers skillfully began to shave and build a fire, and the aroma soon spread.
Hua Xiong and Pan Feng naturally couldn't resist. They rushed out and gathered around the wild boar, their faces beaming with joy. "I knew you brothers weren't ordinary people. Now I see it's true. How should this wild boar be divided!"
"Of course, whoever caught it gets it!" a crisp voice broke the silence. The smiles on Hua Xiong and Pan Feng's faces vanished instantly. They were the commanding generals, how could they not get a share!
"Nonsense!" The retainer who had spoken earlier was slapped hard on the head. Then, the man, with a fawning smile, said slowly, "The child doesn't know any better and is just talking nonsense. It's absolutely impossible. After all, you two have worked hard and made great contributions, so you should get more. We will definitely send it to you!"
Hua Xiong and Pan Feng didn't bother to demand benefits for Wang Kuang. They nodded hastily and left, waiting for the wild boar to be delivered.
Not long after, after a tempting aroma, the two looked at the golden-yellow wild boar. Without thinking, they devoured it. They saw the retainers bowing and waiting. After a while, one of them asked softly, "How do you two generals find it!"
Only then did Hua Xiong and Pan Feng realize they didn't have the strength to get up. They were immediately shocked and stammered, "Wh-what is this stuff? What are you trying to do!"
"This is your death warrant!" a retainer sneered, drew his saber, and lunged forward. With a swift stroke, two heads stared up at the retainer with wide eyes.
"Generals, you can only blame yourselves. Now I have done a good deed!" The retainer grabbed a piece of tattered cloth, wrapped the two heads in it, and casually bagged them. He said coldly, "Pack this up and send it to King Chu as an apology. We will surely be safe!"
Wasn't it just a letter of surrender and a peace proposal! Those who wanted to live quickly penned them. "I don't believe King Chu won't agree to our terms of surrender!"
"Since I've shown sincerity, he should know!"