Chapter 23: Generation of Thieves?

  In November of Zhongping 6th year, Wang Can had been in control of Runan City for half a month.

  In half a month, Wang Can promoted his trusted followers, dismissed dissidents, and gradually gathered the power of the Yellow Turbans in Runan City. He reorganized the Yellow Turbans inside the city into an iron-clad force, while two generals, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, trained soldiers, and the overall strength of the Yellow Turban army began to rise steadily.

  Wang Can was worried that Yuan Shu would send troops to attack Runan because of Ji Ling's death.

  It had been half a month since then, and Yuan Shu still did not make any move. Therefore, Wang Can specially sent someone to Nanyang to gather information about Yuan Shu.

  After receiving the news from various sources, Wang Can finally understood why Yuan Shu had not made any moves. It was not that Yuan Shu did not want to send troops to attack Ru Nan, but rather he did not have the ability to do so. After Dong Zhuo led the Western Liang Iron Cavalry into Luoyang and took control of the imperial court, Dong Zhuo began to actively recruit those who had been persecuted during the Party Purge, including members of prominent families and clans. Yuan Shu, being a direct descendant of a family that had produced three generations of high-ranking officials, was particularly targeted by Dong Zhuo's recruitment efforts. However, Yuan Shu looked down on Dong Zhuo as a mere military general and did not want to surrender to him. At the same time, he was also afraid of Dong Zhuo's retaliation, so he hastily brought his family and retainers and escaped to Nanyang.

  Yuan Shu sent Ji Ling in coordination with Bao Hong to attack Ru'nan, with the intention of taking advantage of the situation to occupy Ru'nan.

  But what Yuan Shu did not expect was that Ji Ling was actually shot and killed by Wang Can with a single arrow, causing Yuan Shu to lose another great general and suffer heavy casualties.

  Nowadays, Yuan Shu is just a stray dog who escaped from Luoyang, and apart from the reputation of being a fourth-generation noble, he has no real power. Ji Ling was killed by Wang Can, and Yuan Shu can only swallow his anger. However, Wang Can also knows that killing Ji Ling will definitely lead to revenge from Yuan Shu. In view of this, Wang Can's idea of surrendering to the imperial court becomes more urgent. Now that Dong Zhuo is in power, it is a great opportunity for Wang Can to profit from the chaos. As long as Dong Zhuo issues an edict, Wang Can can transform himself from a Yellow Turban rebel who everyone wants to kill into a legitimate official of the imperial court...

  Ru Nan City, the main hall of the county governor's mansion.

  Wang Can sat at the top of the hall, with Zhou Cang sitting to his left and Liu Cheng to his right. To his right were Pei Yuanshao and Dong Fang, followed by a group of captains and centurions from the Yellow Turban Army. Wang Can sat upright and serious, scanning the crowd below him before speaking in a deep voice: "I have summoned you all today because there is an important matter that requires your collective discussion. I hope we can pool our wisdom and come up with a plan."

  Zhou Cang's face turned serious, and he cupped his hands together, saying: "I don't know what you are referring to, sir."

  Wang Can's face flashed a hint of a smile as he said, "I am prepared to surrender to the imperial court. I wonder how you gentlemen feel about this?"

  "What, surrender to the imperial court?"

  In an instant, the entire hall was filled with exclamations of surprise. One by one, the Yellow Turban leaders' faces changed, gazing at Wang Can in astonishment. Some even cursed him under their breath as a white-eyed wolf, having just taken over Runan City from Gong Du and Liu Bi, only to hand it over to the imperial court.

  Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, both of whom were aware of the situation, sat motionless on their seats, watching the developments quietly.

  Although Liu Cheng's eyes showed a look of surprise, he didn't say anything out of trust in Wang Can. He believed that Wang Can wouldn't speak without reason and must have something to say, so he raised his head, fixed his gaze on Wang Can, and waited for him to speak.

  As for Dong Fang, his expression became somewhat complicated, his face turned pale one moment and white the next, with a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes.

  Dong Fang was Liu Bi's personal bodyguard and had been fighting against the government troops for many years, harboring a deep hatred towards the imperial court. Now that Wang Can wanted to surrender to the imperial court, Dong naturally felt unhappy in his heart. However, because Wang was extremely outstanding, not only did he kill Ji Ling and Bao Hong, but also brought back the heads of Liu Bi and Gong Dou, which were achievements that could not be erased. Although Dong's abilities were not exceptional, he understood that without Wang, the Yellow Turbans of Runan would definitely be a disorganized mob, vulnerable to bullying by others.

  At this moment, Dong Fang's heart was as if he had knocked over a bottle of five flavors, and it was extremely complicated, he didn't know what to say.

  Among the Yellow Turban leaders, a hot-tempered leader stood up and said: "My lord, we are Yellow Turbans, and we have an irreconcilable vendetta with the imperial dog. How can we surrender to the court? Please think thrice about surrendering to the court!"

  Wang Can's expression turned cold and he rebuked, "What are you making a racket about? This is a place for discussion, not a vegetable market. If you want to speak, come out one by one and talk."

  As soon as Wang Can's voice fell, the noisy hall suddenly quieted down.

  Half a month later, Wang Can's prestige was on the rise, and the Yellow Turban leaders also became more and more fearful of him. With one shout from Wang Can, all the murmurs ceased instantly.

  Wang Can's gaze swept across the crowd in the hall, paused for a moment, and his icy expression turned into a smile. He said with a heavy heart: "I gathered you all here, not to let you come and quarrel, but to discuss the matter of surrendering to the imperial court. If you have anything to say, stand up one by one and express your thoughts clearly. Don't make any noise down there. If anyone makes another disturbance, don't blame me for being ruthless."

  Wang Can's voice was cold and measured, and the Yellow Turban leader sitting below felt a chill run down his spine.

  Zhou Cang shook his head, as if everyone had forgotten that the man sitting directly above the main hall was a ruthless and decisive leader.

  At this time, an older school lieutenant stood up and said: "Master, my son was killed by the government soldiers. I have a deep hatred for the government soldiers that cannot be reconciled. If Master wants to surrender to the imperial court, old Wu will be the first to disagree."

  After finishing speaking, Old Wu sullenly returned to his seat.

  Wang Can did not get angry, but instead smiled kindly. The thoughts of the officials and soldiers below also became more active. Another young centurion came out and said respectfully: "Your Excellency, my parents were all killed by government troops. I have a vendetta against them that cannot be shared with others. Please forgive me. We joined the Yellow Turbans in order to avenge our families and to have enough food to eat. If we surrender to the imperial court, what is the point of being soldiers?"

  Wang Can shook his head, still smiling on his face, without saying a word.

  After the hundred officials retreated, another school lieutenant came out and said: "Your Excellency, we are all forced by the imperial court. If you surrender to the imperial court, what should we do? Do we have to put down our weapons again and relive those days when we were worried about our livelihoods every day?"

  The hundred officials shook their heads and retreated.

  One after another, the centurions and the hundred men stood up to speak, and what they said most was about life and hatred.

  After listening to everyone's words, Wang Can fell silent for a long time before asking: "The things you've thought of are all about yourselves, mostly about whether you can survive or avenge your loved ones. I understand and agree with these thoughts. But have you considered the future generations? The era of the Yellow Turbans has already passed, and even someone like Hei Youdao couldn't overthrow the imperial court; what chance do the remnants of the Yellow Turbans stand now that their power is waning?"

  "It is said that one day as a thief, a lifetime as a thief. We have been labeled as 'Yellow Turbans' and it's not scary, what's scary is that our descendants will still be carrying the label of 'Yellow Turbans' in their daily lives. I believe no one wants to see this happen, so I think about surrendering to the imperial court, taking control of righteousness, only then can we openly occupy Xuchang and become its masters, giving our future generations a bright future."

  Wang Can's voice was not loud, nor was his speech fast, but everyone heard him.

  Those who were previously excited and wanted to argue with Wang Can all fell silent, their faces filled with contemplation.

  No one is willing to stake the future of their descendants as a bet, once they bear the name of Yellow Turban bandits, wanting to get rid of it, the only way out is to surrender to the imperial court, and transform into an imperial court official, in order to wash away the mark on their body. Therefore, after Wang Can finished speaking, all the generals fell into deep thought.

  A parent's feud, a child's feud, and a life of hardship are all small matters.

  Compared with the future of their children and grandchildren, all these seem too pale and powerless.

  Disobedience has three forms, and the worst is to have no descendants. The descendants who inherit the incense are the most important. If the children and grandchildren live with a "thief" on their heads, it's not what everyone wants to see. Therefore, after a long silence in the main hall, many people stood up and agreed with Wang Can's words, and no one spoke out against him anymore.

  Even if one or two people spoke out in opposition, they were glared back by the crowd of yellow turbans.

  Wang Can looked at the expressions of the crowd, nodded in satisfaction and said: "Since you all agree, I will prepare to set off for Chang'an, to plan a great future for you all, and also to plan a happy and stable family for your children and grandchildren. However, after I leave, I still hope that you can all work together, defend Ru'nan well, if Ru'nan is lost, we will not have the capital to turn things around."

  "My lord, rest assured, we will not let you down!"

  A crowd of Yellow Turban leaders responded thunderously, their voices like exploding thunder that kept reverberating in the living room, lingering on and on.