Chapter 19: The Abduction of Three Scholars
After a few days of rest, Liu Zhan organized his troops and conducted indoctrination sessions for the captured Yellow Turban soldiers. These captives were then dispersed among various units to reinforce the army, rapidly increasing its size to nearly ten thousand men.
Once these preparations were complete, Liu Zhan ordered the camp to be broken and the army to continue south. Leaving the Xiaquyang region, Liu Zhan instructed Gao Shun and Zhao Yun to lead a large force towards Qingzhou, to proceed slowly and practice their military skills along the way while remaining cautious. Liu Zhan himself took fewer than a thousand troops, traveling light and swiftly towards Julu.
Soon, Liu Zhan arrived in Julu with his thousand soldiers, and inquired about Tian Feng's residence along the way, heading there to visit.
At this time, Tian Feng was still young but enjoyed a pastoral lifestyle, having settled his home in the countryside outside the town.
When someone knocked on the door, Tian Feng went outside and was stunned to find his house surrounded by a large army. He wondered if he had done something wrong.
"Are you Tian Feng, Tian Yuanhao?"
"Yes, I am. May I ask why this general has surrounded my home?"
The unusual situation alarmed the other occupants of the house, and two scholarly-looking individuals came to the door.
"Yuanhao, what is going on? Why is the army surrounding us?"
"Ziyang, you're here too. I don't know why this is happening either."
Liu Zhan, hearing that one of the individuals was addressed as Ziyang, recognized him as Liu Ye, Liu Ziyang. Realizing he was present, Liu Zhan decided to apprehend everyone.
"Oh, and another person is here. Are you Liu Ye, Liu Ziyang?"
Liu Ye and the others were astonished. How did this person know their names upon meeting them? They had never seen him before and were puzzled by how he knew their full names just from their courtesy names.
"Yes, that's me. May I ask how the general knows my name?"
Liu Zhan did not answer Liu Ye's question but instead looked at the other young scholar beside him.
"May I ask who this gentleman is?"
The others realized that Liu Zhan did not recognize him either.
"I am Hua Xin. May I ask what the general wants?"
"Oh, it's the renowned Mr. Ziyu. Liu Zituo offers his respects."
The ability to know names from courtesy names indicated that this military leader was quite knowledgeable about scholars. It was unclear what his intentions were, so Tian Feng decided to inquire.
"General, you still haven't stated your purpose. What brings you to us?"
"Hehe, it's simple. You are being conscripted. Pack your things and come with me."
This was rather overbearing. Meeting someone and immediately dragging them away without explanation seemed excessive.
"This… this seems a bit improper."
"What's improper about it? The Yellow Turbans have rebelled, and chaos is spreading across the land. In this time of national crisis, shouldn't you be serving the country?"
The imposition of such a heavy responsibility left the scholars momentarily speechless. The method was too forceful; there should have been some formal requests or invitations to make it more polite. Instead, they faced a sea of soldiers and felt like scholars encountering soldiers, unable to argue their case.
The atmosphere was tense and strange, with everyone's expressions showing their displeasure, a sentiment everyone would share in their position.
Liu Zhan paid no heed to their discomfort. He approached Tian Feng, reached into his pocket, and produced an item.
"Mr. Tian, I'm a soldier and not very good with words. Please don't take offense. I have a small gift for you as a token of our meeting. What do you think?"