Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 139 Yuan Benchu, do you now know if your sword is sharp or not!
When Dian Wei and Xu Chu led the guards of the Crown Prince's residence into the General of Chariots and Cavalry's residence, many of the guards, though fearful of the two menacing figures, still brandished weapons and bows and arrows, ready to resist.

Ultimately, many soldiers in the General of Chariots and Cavalry's mansion believed that He Jin, after all, was the Crown Prince's maternal uncle and the Empress's elder brother, and held a respected position in their hearts. They found it hard to believe that anyone would dare to cause a large-scale bloodshed in the mansion.

For a long time, these soldiers had relied on He Jin's power to act arrogantly and subconsciously believed that no one would dare to harm them.

Seeing this, Xu Chu shouted, "Anyone still holding weapons within three breaths is considered to be putting up a stubborn resistance and shall be executed on the spot!"

Xu Chu still had his senses, but don't misunderstand, he wasn't being soft-hearted. He just wanted to kill the person in a way that was justifiable and wouldn't give anyone cause for criticism.

However, three breaths had passed, and although the soldiers hesitated, none of them put down their weapons.

Dian Wei, who had been holding back for some time, immediately gave the order, shouting, "Fire the arrows!"

At Dian Wei's command, the archers behind him unleashed a volley of fire, and dozens of soldiers wielding swords instantly fell into pools of blood.

Those who are lucky die on the spot, while those who are unlucky still have a breath left and struggle to survive in pain, relying on their instincts.

Master Dian was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see them suffer!

He immediately ordered his men to finish them off, giving them a quick death.

One after another, ring-pommel swords pierced the necks of the wounded. The light in their eyes quickly faded, their eyes lost focus, their breath ceased, and they remained motionless.

At this moment, a group of officials from the General of Chariots and Cavalry's mansion, such as Wang Kuang, Yuan Shao, Zou Jing, Han Zhuo, and Qi Wumeng, seemed to have just heard the commotion outside the mansion and hurriedly came from the mansion garden to check.

Upon seeing the dozens of soldiers lying dead, the crowd was instantly enraged and roared, "What do you intend to do!"

"You dead soldier, how dare you be so disrespectful!"

Among all the officials, Yuan Shao was undoubtedly the one who appeared the most "angry." However, it is worth pondering how much of his anger was genuine and how much was feigned, and who he was actually targeting.

This morning, Yuan Shao had just entered the General of Chariots and Cavalry's residence to report for duty when he learned that Bian Rang had written an incredibly audacious memorial. His first reaction was... "Time to get out of here!"
Are we just waiting to get stabbed if we don't run?
As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, He Jin blocked his way, so even when he went to the toilet, he was monitored, and his chance to escape was completely cut off.

Yuan Shao inwardly groaned; he truly felt that He Jin was no human being!

Although he had long anticipated He Jin's fate, he had not expected the situation to change so swiftly and without warning, leaving him no chance to escape.

He was unwilling to share the blame with that scoundrel He Suigao!
Moreover, he was well aware of He Jin's intentions, which were to use him as a "hostage" to drag Yuan Wei, the Minister of Works, down to share the risks and costs.

But Yuan Shao was suffering in silence!
He knew that if he truly had such value, why would Yuan Wei send him to the General of Chariots and Cavalry's mansion and ruin his plan to cultivate his reputation?

But since things had come to this point and there was no way to escape, Yuan Shao decided to continue to maintain his positive image, hoping to gain the favor of the Crown Prince and, considering the status of the Yuan family of Runan, to spare his life.

"Would you like to test the sharpness of my sword?"

Dian Wei drew his sword and glared angrily at the man who jumped out and insulted him with the term "dead soldier".

Yuan Shao, not to be outdone, also drew his sword and pointed it at Dian Wei, shouting angrily, "My sword is no less formidable!"

Despite the critical situation, Yuan Shao showed no fear. He considered himself a renowned scholar and the eldest son of the former General of Chariots and Cavalry, Yuan Feng, even though he had been adopted by Yuan Cheng. He figured these lowly soldiers wouldn't dare to lay a hand on him.

Even if someone were to be killed, only the Crown Prince would have the authority to order his execution!
However, with a flash of cold light, Dian Wei's sword shot out like lightning, and the sharp blade instantly sliced ​​open Yuan Shao's throat.

The metallic taste and icy sensation in his throat made Yuan Shao tremble. His hand holding the sword gradually felt weak and powerless, as if his strength was slowly draining away from his arm.

Clang! Yuan Shao's hand went limp, and his long sword fell to the ground. But not only were his arms weak, he somehow lost the strength to even stand up.

"Primordial! Primordial!"

The shouts and cries of his colleagues behind him seemed to come from a distant place. Yuan Shao's eyes were unfocused as he slowly focused on the bloodstains on Dian Wei's sword. The crimson blood dripped down the blade and, together with the blood that kept gushing from his body, pooled on the ground to form a thick bloodstain.

He raised his hand with trembling hands and touched the short, prickly beard under his chin. At this moment, he had no time to think about why his usually carefully maintained beard had suddenly broken off and was so prickly. He just subconsciously touched the cool spot on his neck.

A sticky, warm sensation came from his palm. Upon closer inspection, he saw a streak of bright red blood, so red it was glaring and terrifying.

Yuan Shao opened his mouth to shout, but a sharp pain shot from his neck to his brain. His throat felt blocked, and he could only make weak "hoarse" sounds. His breathing became increasingly rapid and difficult, and large gulps of blood gushed from his mouth, splattering onto the ground in front of him.

It hurts so much! Why does it hurt so much?
An unprecedented fear filled his mind, taking over his remaining consciousness.

Yuan Shao's eyes widened in terror. He instinctively covered his throat with both hands, trying to stop the gushing blood, but blood gushed out from between his fingers, winding down his arms and quickly staining his magnificent robes crimson.

His body began to tremble violently, his legs went weak, and he slowly fell backward.

In the pool of blood, the face that was once praised for its "beauty" was now stained red with blood. The bright eyes gradually lost their light, the pupils began to dilate, the body convulsed uncontrollably, and the legs kicked and struggled, but only stirred up bursts of blood in the pool of blood.

Even at the very last moment of his life, Yuan Shao still couldn't understand why Dian Wei didn't follow the rules of conduct of powerful families, and why he didn't consider his future escape route before killing him.

Why are you lowly, ungrateful soldiers... not following the rules set by our gentry?

"Ah, do you now know how sharp your precious sword is?"

Dian Wei looked at Yuan Shao's still convulsing body, spat a thick wad of phlegm at the supposedly "handsome" blood-stained face, and cursed, "You've spoiled me rotten! I warned you, and you still dare to resist with weapons!"

I dared to kill He Jin, so why wouldn't I dare to kill a mere prefectural clerk like you?
The Yuan family of Runan?

You didn't introduce yourself, so why should I know a lowly clerk from the General of Chariots and Cavalry's office?

Moreover, the thought of Yuan Shao's identity gave Dian Wei a sudden surge of pleasure.

What kind of high-ranking, noble scholars are they? A white knife goes in and a red knife comes out. If your neck is slashed, you will bleed, and if you bleed too much, you will die!
Xu Chu shook his head inwardly. He had also heard of Yuan Shao's name. Once upon a time, Yuan Shao was an idol in the hearts of a "poor man" like him who came from a minor noble family. Now, however, he was gone.

Ugh!
Yuan Benchu, why did you provoke that fool Dian Junming?
-

PS: In the previous chapter, many people didn't understand why Xiao Ji only gouged out one eye and didn't kill him when he threw the halberd. They thought half of his face should have been gone.

My understanding of the small halberd is that it is a hidden weapon similar to a dart, such as the character illustration in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series of games (as shown in the picture below), rather than the small halberd like the double iron halberds that everyone is familiar with, or even a smaller hand halberd.

"Dian Wei held more than ten halberds, shouted loudly, and none who stood in his way fell to the ground." How could Dian Wei alone hold more than ten small halberds? Even if he were to carry them, it would be inconvenient.

　This is the framework of He Jin's General's Mansion in history, excluding the talents recruited by the protagonist, as presented in the book:

　　General of Chariots and Cavalry (rank of 2,000 shi), with the same rank as the Three Excellencies: He Jin
　　Chief Secretary (rank of 1000 shi): Wang Qian
　　Sima (rank of 1,000 shi): Fan Zeng, courtesy name Zimin
　　Acting Sima (rank 600 shi) (Sima's deputy): /
　　Attendant Gentleman of the Palace (rank of 600 shi), 2 people: Zheng Da (courtesy name Wenxin); /
　　Registrar: /
　　Dong Cao Yuan (equivalent to 400 shi): Kuai Yue
　　Eastern Cao (equivalent to 200 shi): Wu Fu (courtesy name Deyu)

　　Prefectural Clerk (equivalent to 300 shi): Wang Kuang (courtesy name Gongjie), Yuan Shao (courtesy name Benchu), Zou Jing, Han Zhuo, Qi Wumeng
　　Clerk (100 shi): Bian Rang (courtesy name Wenli)
　　Military Appointed Sima: Wu Dang

　　Generals: Wu Kuang, Zhang Zhang

　　
　
(End of this chapter)