“I am not a resident of Yanzhou, so what reason do I have to stay here?”

Qiao Yan spoke calmly and smoothly as if she hadn’t noticed the flustered reaction of Liang Zhongning dropping his food.

She articulated her words so naturally that it was hard to tell she was lying.

Under this composed demeanor, Liang Zhongning couldn’t discern that she was playing a game of advancing by retreating.

He quickly responded, “With troubles all around, it would be a great loss if someone as talented as you were to meet with an accident on the road.”

His words were filled with genuine concern.

But then he saw Qiao Yan’s face darken.

Qiao Yan had been remarkably calm in the face of his broken spear and during the defense of the Tian family’s fortress.

Now, her expression changed suddenly, different from before, and it made Liang Zhongning feel uncomfortable.

He suddenly realized that she was a person with an exceptionally sharp temperament to dare to confront him directly like this.

She retorted sharply, “What nonsense is the leader talking about? Knowing that troubles are rampant, I should return to Gaomi as soon as possible to serve by Master Zheng’s side. How could I linger here just for the sake of stability in this place?”

Qiao Yan’s swift and fierce words caught Liang Zhongning off guard.

No matter how the Yellow Turbans rallied under the slogan of

“The heavens are dead,”

they wouldn’t truly undermine the tradition of respecting teachers and teachings.

This made Qiao Yan’s argument particularly strong.

Liang Zhongning, with a mind somewhat akin to that of a bandit, contemplated detaining him directly, but he couldn’t help but feel…

He had only managed to break into the fortress with the assistance of the other party’s abilities, obtaining enough food to feed his people for nearly two years.

Even his subordinates had changed their impressions of Mr. Yan, showing him a respectful attitude.

If he were to act against him now…

No, it wouldn’t do.

Forcing him onto a chariot would somewhat damage his authority.

Although his so-called authority had already diminished significantly when his subordinates carried him like they were carrying a pig.

His mind raced, and suddenly an idea popped into his head.

He began in a friendly tone, “Sir. Yan is right. Your assistance in capturing this fortress and obtaining food is akin to saving the lives of the soldiers in my army. Your warning about potential dangers is another act of kindness…”

He continued, seeing a slight improvement in Qiao Yan’s expression, “Considering these factors, simply sending you to Gaomi wouldn’t be enough to repay your kindness.

It’s better for you to rest here for a few days before leaving.

Besides, not everyone in the Yellow Turban army has my abilities to discern friend from foe.

There’s a risk of accidental harm on the road. So, how about I talk to some of my comrades in neighboring areas and then send someone to escort you on your journey?”

Qiao Yan glanced at him without giving a clear response.

Liang Zhongning felt that his gaze inadicated some disagreement with his self-praise about his ability to control his subordinates, but also a hint of interest in his proposal.

Regardless, the fact that he hadn’t received an immediate rejection of his suggestion was a good sign.

After some consideration, he decided to push a little further.

Before he could think of how to do that, a natural reason, like a pillow delivered during drowsiness, appeared before him.

With the fortress taken, Qiao Yan no longer had to sleep in a tent like the previous night.

Instead, she was given a separate room to rest, which allowed her to sleep more soundly.

She slept until midday, but upon stepping outside, she almost doubted whether she had truly woken up.

As soon as she looked, she saw Liang Zhongning standing at the door with a mournful expression.

Though his expression seemed somewhat exaggerated and insincere, when he revealed the half of his face covered by his hand, it made Qiao Yan’s eyelids twitch involuntarily.

“Did you run into a tree?” Qiao Yan asked as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes, taking the opportunity to change into clothes she had taken from a deceased person within the fortress.

Liang Zhongning couldn’t help but silently praise her gracefulness, but when he spoke and touched the wound on his face, he grimaced.

“It wasn’t a tree,” he whispered back. “As you know, I mentioned last night that capturing Dian Wei was a good thing if we could recruit him to our side. So, I challenged him to a test of strength!”

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but think, You really dare!

But she couldn’t express it so directly, so she asked indirectly, “And what was the result?”

In truth, Dianwei was indeed an honest man.

If Qiao Yan had Liang Zhongning’s strength, and the opposing commander was someone as short-sighted as him, then she could have just taken advantage of their duel to kidnap him.

If she had his strength, why bother with anything else? They could have resolved the siege of the Tian family’s fortress and maybe even launched a counterattack on Puyang.

Thinking about this, Qiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a little scared.

However, Liang Zhongning obviously didn’t perceive any condemnation in her gaze.

He just continued, “Actually, I’m not that foolish. When I brought him into the trap earlier, it took so many sandbags and manpower to subdue him.

It would have been impossible to swap positions with him. I told him about our Yellow Turban ideology, but he didn’t understand.

So, the only way to subdue him was to rely on physical strength.”

“How can Leader Liang be so confident in his own strength?” Qiao Yan asked.

Liang Zhongning chuckled, “Confidence? I don’t have any. It’s just a little trick. It’s like using a lever, similar to using a cart or a balance beam…”

He referred to the ancient catapult as a “lever,” which operates on the principle of leverage, similar to a balance beam.

Of course, in the Han Dynasty, they didn’t have the concept of leverage, but it’s essentially the same idea.

Using such tricks during a strength test might actually work.

But clearly, if he had succeeded, he wouldn’t be in his current state.

Sure enough, the next moment, she heard Liang Zhongning say, “But there was a little mishap. The crossbar was broken by that strongman, and it hit my face.”

He gestured to the bruising and scratches on his face, indicating that this was the result of the accident.

Just imagining the scene, you can see how comical it must have been.

Qiao Yan was torn between bursting into laughter and giving this Yellow Turban leader a bit of face.

After a moment of hesitation, she heard him starting to elaborate on the topic, “You said I’m in trouble, and I’m afraid there are signs of bloodshed recently. Even a confrontation with a defeated general can lead to such accidents. If you were to leave, I might hear news of my demise by tomorrow.”

Liang Zhongning almost slipped to his knees, “Sir! You can’t leave!”

“…?” Was this reason even valid?

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but fall into silence.

Clearly, this was the outcome she needed, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being manipulated.

Sure, Liang Zhongning had a wooden injury to his face, but his thick skin hadn’t been affected at all.

Regardless of what Qiao Yan was thinking, to him, anyone who could secure 600,000 bushels of grain in the fortress was a talent worth keeping, regardless of their age.

Without keeping such talent around, he wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully!

Facing Qiao Yan’s almost blunt expression of speechlessness, he continued without any psychological burden, “Since you’ve taught me how to capture the fortress, why not go all the way and help save people? Stay a few more days here.”

After hesitating for a moment, Qiao Yan replied with a simple “Okay.”

After giving this reply, Liang Zhongning and “strategist” Qiao Yan exchanged glances, both mentally giving a satisfactory assessment.

In a sense, it could also be considered a win-win situation.

Perhaps the only one not very pleased was Dian Wei, who, though he could be considered the winner of the confrontation, ended up being bundled up like a zongzi again with the rope package and group beating prepared by Liang Zhongning ahead of time.

Qiao Yan temporarily had no way to deal with him.

In her current situation, reaching a temporary consensus with someone who uses their brains was much easier than gaining the approval of someone who relies on physical strength.

Liang Zhongning and Dian Wei were different.

The Yellow Turban Army could be “bought” as long as they were given food, especially since they saw her through the lens of being a disciple of the great scholars.

But Dian Wei obviously couldn’t understand why this thin and weak child deserved his respect.

Just as Qiao Yan didn’t know what fortune Tian Shi had to temporarily make this “evil of ancient times” useful to them.

Even though she had activated the sign-in system in the strategist system and saw things like temporary attribute cards in the sign-in rewards, which could temporarily compensate for her lack of strength, it was still far from enough to defeat Dian Wei.

But things she couldn’t figure out could be left aside for now.

Anyway, despite Liang Zhongning’s slap on the face, his desire for Dian Wei was still alive, so he wouldn’t miss any opportunities to gain from him.

Since people couldn’t die, there would always be a chance for her to act.

More important than Dian Wei was how to deal with the people in Tian Shi’s dock fortress.

Since she had already completed the logical temporary goal of staying on Liang Zhongning’s group, she should move on to the next step.

To Liang Zhongning’s eyes, these people were accustomed to a luxurious life and special treatment that set them apart from ordinary folks.

They probably wouldn’t willingly join the Yellow Turbans and become members under his leadership as the canal chief.

At a time when the Yellow Turbans and the official forces of the Han Dynasty were in confrontation, such powerful forces, having lost the capital to protect themselves, undoubtedly were most appropriately dealt with by taking their lives directly.

That’s the rule of the game in times of chaos.

Liang Zhongning still remembered his promise to Qiao Yan before, thinking he should discuss it with Mr. Yan Qiao.

So, the imprisoned head of the Tian family heard a familiar voice outside the room.

But this time, it wasn’t the loud cursing from outside the fortress as it was before, but rather a low mention, considering rooting out the Tian family.

Tian Tai, the head of the Tian family, clenched his fists.

Indeed, this was the most appropriate way to deal with it, but it was undoubtedly the disaster of the Tian family!

But strangely, he soon heard another voice.

This voice said, “Earlier, when I observed the fate of the canal chief, the fatal disaster should not fall upon the Tian family. I think these people can still be of use.”

Tian Tai heard the canal chief ask, “May I ask Mr. Yan, what do you mean by ‘making the best use of them’?”

Though he couldn’t see the expressions of these two at the moment, he could tell from Liang Zhongning’s tone the respect he held for the other party.