Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 362 The Rift Is Hard to Mend
Le Jin's side has already broken through the crossbowmen's defenses.

The crossbowmen, as if they had a blood feud with Yue Jin, all threw down their crossbows, drew their swords and knives, and rushed forward to attack Yue Jin, who was charging the fastest.

Le Jin's spear flew up and down, parrying, blocking, thrusting, and sweeping, each move precise and ruthless.

He no longer held back, because after being blocked by the crossbow formation for a while, the fat man was no longer in sight.

In fact, Le Jin also knew that with each additional person killed, the enmity would deepen.

Le continued shouting as he entered the mouth: "Stop! There's a villain plotting this! Listen to me!"

However, with the deafening noise of the battlefield and comrades falling one after another, how could anyone hear anything clearly?
Moreover, the other party is fighting for their life and cannot stop.

A stray arrow whizzed past Le Jin's iron helmet, sending sparks flying and making his ears ring.

One of Yue Jin's men, a servant, suddenly rushed to Yue Jin's side without hesitation.

Immediately afterwards, a crossbow bolt from the other side struck the Marquis of Naqu in the back.

Qu Hou screamed and fell to the ground.

The scream ignited the anger and anxiety that Le Jin had been suppressing... The Marquis of Naqu was his fellow villager and friend, an old brother who had grown up with him and joined the army together!
"Disperse! Eliminate the enemy!"

Le Jin gave the order in a hoarse voice, which for a moment drowned out the clamor.

He swung his spear, deflecting the weapons in front of him, then lunged forward, stabbing the soldier in front of him to the ground.

After clearing out the surrounding enemies, the troops dispersed and began to pursue all the remaining enemies.

Le Jin led his personal guards to the blazing smelting site.

The smelting warehouse was engulfed in flames, and most of the surrounding buildings were completely burned through; it was definitely uninhabitable now.

Through the burned-out gate, one could see many corpses lying inside.

The smell of burning was overwhelming.

These corpses weren't killed by Le Jin...

It was clearly the fat man who did it.

Le Jin anxiously stood on a small hilltop, looking around, but he couldn't find the fat man again.

The road ends at the smelting plant. Further south lies the vast mountainous area and forests at the northern foot of Mount Tai, which is also a source of fuel for the smelting plant.

The primeval forest north of Mount Tai is vast, with dense trees covering the surrounding mountains for hundreds of miles.

That fat man has probably already entered the forest and is unlikely to be found.

"Woo..."

"Dong dong dong..."

A heavy horn sounded from the north, followed by the thunderous clatter of horses' hooves, as if striking the very heart of Yue Jin.

"Form ranks... circular formation, hold this mountain!"

Le Jin sighed, beckoned to the messenger, and blew the assembly call.

This hill wasn't big, only about ten feet high, but at least it could avoid a direct confrontation with the cavalry.

Moments later, where thick smoke and fire intertwined, a cavalry force swept in like an iron torrent, their black banners fluttering in the wind.

The first general was as tall as an iron tower, riding a black steed, his spear gleaming coldly, exuding a murderous aura.

That's Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei led his troops to the foot of the mountain in an instant, reined in his horse and stopped, his eyes quickly scanning the battlefield.

There were many corpses lying on the ground, including soldiers dressed in Liu Bei's military uniform and Yue Jin's troops.

The flames in the smelting plant were still rising, turning the sky crimson.

Zhang Fei's face turned from initial astonishment to ashen. He turned to look at Yue Jin, who was forming an array on the mountain, his eyes blazing with fury: "Yue Jin! How dare you!!"

This roar shook the surrounding area, even suppressing the roar of the raging fire.

When Le Jin met that gaze, his heart turned ice-cold.

This is the worst case.

But he couldn't give up the opportunity to explain.

Le Jin slammed his spear on the ground, cupped his hands, and said, "General Zhang! This is a misunderstanding! A villain led me here to exchange money. As soon as the transaction was completed, a fire suddenly broke out in the area, and soldiers tried to kill me without saying a word!"

"I was forced to defend myself and had no evil intentions whatsoever! General Zhang, please see the truth!" Le Jin remained calm, his voice clear, trying to extinguish Zhang Fei's anger.

Zhang Fei stared coldly at Yue Jin on the hill, his voice unusually low due to suppressed anger: "Misunderstanding? Yue Wenqian, your convoy was carrying the wealth of my Qingzhou! You were standing by the fire! Your blade is stained with the blood of my soldiers! And you still tell me this is a misunderstanding?!"

Zhang Fei raised his spear and pointed it at Yue Jin, his tone resolute: "Then I'll give you a chance to explain! If you truly have a clear conscience, lay down your weapon, come down the mountain and surrender! I guarantee I'll escort you before my elder brother, and you can go and prove the truth yourself!"

Bound upon descending the mountain?

Le Jin's pupils constricted slightly.

Given the current situation, if we lay down our weapons, we'll be fish on a chopping block.

Zhang Fei is hot-tempered and in a fit of rage; can his promise be kept?
Even if Zhang Fei keeps his promise, how can he explain himself if the person behind the scenes hasn't been caught?
Could the person behind this have a backup plan?

I fear that if I give up, I will die in prison before I can even see Liu Bei... Without witnesses, I will have no way to defend myself.

Besides, Cao Cao's supplies have run out... What Cheng Yu and he brought was all the money Cao Cao had plundered over the course of a month...

Even if it could be explained, it would probably take a long time, and Cao Cao might face a fierce counterattack from Liu Chong, Chen Gong, and others because of the lack of supplies!
"General Zhang, it's not that I don't trust you. It's just that this scheme is malicious, intended to incite conflict between Cao Cao and Liu Bei! If I lay down my weapons, I fear there will be no day to clear things up!"

Le Jin shook his head sadly, his face bitter: "Everything I said is true. It was indeed a thief who deliberately lured and framed me! I didn't burn down the smelter, and I didn't kill the people inside... Please forgive me, General Zhang..."

"You didn't kill him?!"

Seeing that Yue Jin showed no intention of surrendering his weapons, Zhang Fei's last bit of patience ran out, and he interrupted Yue Jin: "These corpses all over the ground, weren't you the one who killed them?! Since you don't admit it, I'll take you myself and then go find Cao Cao to settle the score!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Fei had already dismounted and was galloping up the mountain with his spear, heading straight for Yue Jin.

Aside from the corpses inside the smelting plant, the other bodies were indeed killed by Yue Jin's men...

"Don't do anything!"

Knowing he had said all he could, Le Jin had no choice but to fight to the death to survive. He raised his spear and charged forward, but still instructed his men not to surround and attack Zhang Fei.

"clang!"

Spears clashed, sparks flying.

Le Jin felt an overwhelming force coming from the gun barrel, his entire arm instantly went numb and sore, his chest felt tight, and he staggered back several steps before he could barely steady himself.

Zhang Fei stood on the downhill slope, but Yue Jin, who was on the uphill slope, could not withstand his divine power.

Zhang Fei turned his spear around and attacked Yue again, smashing, sweeping, stabbing, and thrusting, kicking up dust and forcing the surrounding soldiers to retreat.

Le Jin's troops didn't move, but Zhang Fei's men were about to advance. They surrounded the hilltop and began a fierce attack.

The battlefield became noisy once again.

Zhang Fei never had any personal guards within a ten-foot radius of him. To avoid accidental injury, Zhang Fei would only allow his men to approach him when he needed their support.

The two main generals were essentially engaged in a fair one-on-one battle.

Le Jin gritted his teeth and tried his best to resist. His strength was far inferior to Zhang Fei's, and he could only rely on his agile movements to maneuver.

Fortunately, being in a mountainous area on an uphill slope, Le Jin's short stature was compensated for by the terrain, allowing him to barely hold on.

The clanging of metal against metal continued incessantly. Although Le Jin was at a disadvantage, his spear skills were excellent, and he held out for more than a dozen rounds without showing any signs of defeat.

Unable to gain the upper hand after a prolonged battle, Zhang Fei's rage intensified, and he roared repeatedly, "Le Jin! Surrender or die!!"

Le Jin felt extremely bitter. With each attack he blocked, the rift between them deepened.

His subordinates were also fighting to the death with Zhang Fei's troops...

The war between elite troops is actually more brutal. Both sides have a strong will, which makes them fight to the death.

Regardless of the outcome of this forced conflict, the mastermind behind the scenes has already largely succeeded in his evil scheme.

But Le Jin dared not lay down his weapon.

"Master Zhang, stop! Don't fall for their divisive tactics!"

"Wenqian, stop fighting!"

Just when Le Jin was about to give up, a few men finally arrived on horseback.

As soon as Guo Jia reached the foot of the mountain, he shouted loudly for Zhang Fei to stop.

Cheng Yu, behind Guo Jia and being escorted by several cavalrymen, also caused Le Jin to give up resistance.

(End of this chapter)