Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 106 Liu Bei personally leads the expedition, Zhao Yun captures Ma Chao with one arm (Please follow and vote!)
With Liu Bei's military order issued, all eight camps of Yongzhou set off.

Commandant Zhao Yun led the vanguard into Chencang.

The commanders of the Upper Army, Guan Yu, the Commander of the Central Army, Zhang Fei, the Commander of the Army, Zhang Liao, the Assistant Commander of the Left Army, Xu Huang, and the Assistant Commander of the Right Army, Zhang Yang, each led their respective divisions and proceeded in their respective orders.

Left Colonel Dian Wei and Right Colonel Huangfu Jianshou then escorted the grain and fodder.

The entire Yongzhou army set off, which also alarmed Huangfu Song.

Huangfu Song hurriedly came to find Liu Bei and asked in surprise, "Liu Bei has sent all the Yongzhou troops to Chencang. If a powerful bandit attacks Chang'an as an inside agent, won't we be attacked from both sides?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "With General Zuo stationed in Chang'an, which villain would dare to attack Chang'an?"

Huangfu Song's eyes widened: "Liu Yongzhou, don't be ridiculous. I've already handed over military power to you, where would you get any soldiers?"

Liu Bei had already made arrangements, saying, "When the Left General handed over 30,000 soldiers to me to fight the bandits, I only selected half of the elite troops to join the Yongzhou army. The other half were either laid off and returned to their fields or distributed among various counties. There are also 1,000 soldiers fighting the bandits in Chang'an City."

"Now, the Right Governor of Fufeng is Huangfu Li, the nephew of the Left General, and the Prefect of Jingzhao, Shi Sunrui, is also a man knowledgeable in military affairs. The Consultative Office official Liang Yan, the Magistrate of Ikeda She Jian, and the Magistrate of Lantian She Yuan are all talented individuals recommended by the Left General. If the Left General is stationed in Chang'an, how could he not stop a group of powerful and petty bandits?"

"Unless General Zuo also joins the rebels, Chang'an will remain as stable as Mount Tai."

Huangfu Song's expression was complicated: "Liu Yongzhou is quite the schemer. You recommended me for the position of Censor-in-Chief several days ago, but I haven't seen any imperial edict issued yet. Could it be that you're just deceiving me?"

Liu Bei chuckled: "It's not that I'm deceiving General Zuo. I did send someone to Luoyang with a memorial, but He Jin is already wary of my troops in Yongzhou. How could he possibly agree to let General Zuo enter Luoyang and give me full control of the 30,000 troops to quell the bandits?"

Huangfu Song sighed softly: "If He Jin knew that you had already gained military power, he would definitely regret letting you enter Yongzhou."

Liu Bei was unconcerned: "What can a fool like me do if he regrets it? Now that I have entered Yongzhou, I am like a bird soaring into the sky or a fish entering the sea, no longer bound by any constraints. Even if He Jin wants to use the imperial decree as a pretext, I only need to obey orders to quell the rebellion, not to obey summons. If he angers me, I will lead my troops to the capital and carry out a secret edict to support a new emperor."

Looking at the spirited Liu Bei, Huangfu Song felt even older and said, "Don't worry, Governor Liu, now that I'm in Chang'an, I will never let those villains succeed."

"Then I'll have to trouble General Zuo." Liu Bei clasped his hands in thanks.

With Huangfu Song's ability and prestige, even if there were powerful bandits within Chang'an, he would be able to defend the city.

If the rebels fail to breach Chang'an, their only fate will be annihilation!
Just as he reached the door, Huangfu Song suddenly turned around and asked, "Is Liu Yongzhou engaged?"

"Hmm?" Liu Bei looked at Huangfu Song in surprise: "What do you mean by that, General Zuo?"

Could this guy be like Yin Xiu, wanting to find a daughter, niece, or clanswoman to marry into my family?

Liu Bei's guess was correct; Huangfu Song did indeed have this idea.

Liu Bei, the governor of Yongzhou, was almost thirty years old and still unmarried, making him a highly sought-after and desirable man.

Not to mention Huangfu Song, Shi Sunrui, Liang Yan and others were all secretly inquiring about whether Liu Bei had any special requirements for marrying a wife.

Huangfu Song felt a little embarrassed by the stare and coughed twice before saying, "A friend of mine asked me to inquire about this."

I have a friend.
Do you believe this yourself?
"Although there is no engagement, Governor Huang of Yu Province has inquired about it on behalf of his friend Cai Yong. I don't know if it has been settled yet." Liu Bei didn't rule out the possibility of marriage, saying, "Of the eight colonels of Yong Province, apart from my second brother Guan Yu and the son of the Left General, none of them are married. Jian Yong, the Chief Clerk, is a friend of mine from the same county and is also unmarried. If the Left General's friend is interested, he doesn't necessarily have to choose me."

Upon hearing that Huang Wan was actually asking on behalf of Cai Yong, Huangfu Song felt a pang of sadness.

Although Huangfu Song also came from a military family, he was far inferior to Cai Yong.

However, the fact that Zhang Fei, Zhang Liao, Jian Yong, and others mentioned by Liu Bei were also unmarried gave Huangfu Song some comfort.

A marriage alliance doesn't necessarily have to be with Liu Bei; it could also be with Liu Bei's sworn brother, beloved general, or close friend.

"I will convey this to my friend truthfully." Huangfu Song was secretly relieved that he had said "I have a friend" instead of "I have a daughter," otherwise it would have been even more awkward if he had been politely refused.

After Huangfu Song left, Liu Bei summoned Jian Yong, the Chief Clerk, and Xu You, who was concurrently serving as the Chief Administrator, and informed them of the plan for sending troops and leaving the city to guard the city.

"It is truly a pity that I cannot participate in such a battle." Xu You sighed inwardly. If he had not been concurrently serving as the Chief Administrator, he would definitely have participated in this battle.

Liu Bei knew that Xu You had been wronged, so he comforted him, saying, "Ziyuan, please be patient for a while. Once I find a suitable person to serve as the Chief Administrator, I can transfer you elsewhere. The Chief Administrator is an important position, and it cannot be based solely on talent; it must be someone I trust."

Although Xu You was very worried, he also knew that Liu Bei did not have many people he could trust and who were qualified to serve as Chief Administrator. Jia Xu, who was most suitable for the position, had already gone to serve as a military advisor under Guan Yu.

After the establishment of the Yongzhou Army, Jia Xu lived directly in Huaili. Even when Liu Bei personally went to persuade him, Jia Xu gave the excuse of "lacking talent and knowledge".

He simply refused to stay in Chang'an!

Xu You couldn't help but sigh inwardly: If I had known, I would have gone to serve as a military advisor under Yide. That way, I could have stayed in Huaili and participated in this battle. Whoever wants to be the governor can be the governor. Anyway, I, Xu You, have no desire to be the governor at all.

Jian Yong was also at a loss.

Although Jian Yong served as the magistrate of Wugong County for three years, he was a rare talent, especially in prefectures and counties.

After all, the most important premise for serving as a prefectural official is to prioritize Liu Bei's interests, rather than secretly forming cliques and vying for Liu Bei's interests after becoming a prefectural official.

Fortunately, Xu You is currently serving concurrently, so it won't affect the normal operation of the prefecture government in the short term.

[It is unknown whether Jiang Wei's father, Jiang Jiong, possessed the talent to govern a region. Perhaps he could be recruited and given a trial after we have taken control of Longyou.]

The four surnames Jiang, Yan, Ren, and Zhao were prominent in Hanyang. Jiang Wei was praised by Zhuge Liang for his loyalty, diligence, and meticulous thinking. Considering all of this, it can be inferred that Jiang Jiong, who once served as a county official, was also quite capable.

After pondering for a while and giving instructions to Xu You and Jian Yong, Liu Bei set off for Huaili to meet up with Dian Wei and Huangfu Jianshou of the rear army.

While Liu Bei currently has few talented scholars under his command, he has quite a few skilled military generals.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Zhang Yang, Dian Wei, and Huangfu Jianshou, these eight captains, can also be called Liu Bei's Eight Valiant Generals.

They are far more formidable than Lu Bu's Eight Warriors and Han Sui's Eight Warriors.

Unlike last year when Huangfu Song remained inactive and waited for the rebels to tire and withdraw, Liu Bei launched an extremely swift attack this time.

On the fourth day after Ma Teng's army approached Chencang, his vanguard Zhao Yun had already arrived outside the city.

Such a swift reaction astonished Ma Teng, as if they had been waiting for him to attack Chencang. "Indeed, it's not a good time to attack Chencang! Damn Han Sui, couldn't you have waited until autumn to attack?" Ma Teng cursed, hurling insults at Han Sui's ancestors for eight generations.

Although Ma Teng had 20,000 troops, only a few thousand of them were actually capable of fighting. The majority of the rest were slaves and servants of powerful bandits, serving as auxiliary troops.

Even among the thousands capable of fighting, a large majority were composed of the private armies, retainers, and wandering knights of powerful bandits.

In addition, they had just been defeated by Huangfu Song at the beginning of the year, so their morale had not recovered. Ma Teng also had little will to fight, so the 20,000 vanguards looked no different from chickens and dogs.

Ma Teng also knew that this army was only strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to claim that it had 100,000 troops to attack Chencang last year, but after fighting for more than 80 days, it failed to break through and was instead taken away by Huangfu Song who seized the opportunity.

"General, the young general has gone to challenge the enemy."

Just as he was pondering this, the commander-in-chief rushed in with a report.

"Nonsense! How can we play games on the battlefield?" Ma Teng was startled and quickly spurred his horse to the front.

Although Ma Chao was very brave, he had mostly fought with the local youths in the past, and when he occasionally fought in the military camp, no one would kill him.

The battlefield is not a fair competition; as long as you can kill the enemy, you will use any dirty tricks, killing moves, or ruthless tactics.

As soon as they entered the front lines, they heard Ma Chao riding his horse, spear in hand, shouting a challenge: "I am Ma Chao of Fufeng, who dares to fight me!"

Ma Teng was even more worried and was about to shout to stop them when he saw another general riding out from the opposing side. He was extremely strong and imposing. It was none other than Liu Bei's vanguard general: Zhao Yun, the Colonel of the Lower Army!

"You are so young, how can you be a general on the battlefield? Even if I defeat you, I cannot claim to be brave." Zhao Yun looked Ma Chao up and down, secretly marveling at Ma Chao's strength and courage.

Although Ma Chao was tall and strong, Zhao Yun could tell that Ma Chao was not an adult. It was truly rare for a young man to have such courage.

This made Zhao Yun appreciate talent.

Ma Chao, however, was unconvinced: "True bravery is revealed on the battlefield, why judge by age? Although you are older than me, your strength, horsemanship, spear skills, and archery may not be superior to mine!"

Zhao Yun couldn't help but laugh and said, "You have quite the ambition. But in a battle between two armies, it would be a bit like bullying a young man like me, a general. Why don't you let Ma Teng go out and fight me?"

Ma Chao laughed and said, "According to you, my father is older than you, so fighting against you would be like the older one bullying the younger one. How about this: if I beat you, you can become my retainer; if you beat me, I'll go back and tell my father that I'll marry my elder sister to you."

Zhao Yun's eyes widened instantly.

Whose child is this?
How can you be so insensible?

This is a battlefield!
Do you take this lightly?
Ma Teng, who was facing off against him, almost couldn't catch his breath and coughed repeatedly. He was also annoyed: I shouldn't have let this scoundrel accompany the army. If Han Sui finds out, he will definitely think that I am secretly colluding with Liu Bei again.

Behind Zhao Yun, his deputy He Man, who was enjoying the spectacle, shouted loudly, "Lieutenant Zhao, quickly capture Ma Chao and marry his sister!"

The officers on either side echoed, shouting, "Capture Ma Chao and marry his sister!"
Zhao Yun's face darkened instantly, and with a flick of his silver spear, he made He Man and the others stop shouting.

"You young man, you have quite the courage." Zhao Yun gently tugged at the reins, his face showing displeasure, and he was no longer going to engage in a verbal battle with Ma Chao.

The Jade Lion also sensed Zhao Yun's intentions and glared fiercely at Ma Chao's mount.

Although Ma Chao's warhorse was no ordinary horse, it was too young, just like Ma Chao himself. When the Jade Lion glared at it, it was so frightened that it took a step back.

Seizing this brief opening, Zhao Yun spurred his horse and thrust his spear forward.

Zhao Yun's spear technique has always been simple; he dislikes anything fancy and only pursues the ultimate way to defeat the enemy.

With a single spear thrust, he knocked Ma Chao's spear away. Then, with a swift movement of his arm, he tucked Ma Chao under his arm. With a deft flick of his tail, the Jade Lion turned and headed back to its own lines.

This scene shocked Ma Teng.

My son was captured alive just like that?
Ma Chao, who had been captured alive, was completely stunned. It wasn't until he was thrown down that he reacted and angrily shouted, "This was a sneak attack! I refuse to accept this!"

Looking at the still indignant Ma Chao, Zhao Yun said calmly, "On the battlefield, it is a battle of life and death. What is there to talk about sneak attacks? You have done very well. At such a young age, you were able to withstand my first shot. Since my debut, only my second and third brothers have been able to match me."

Zhao Yun spoke the truth, but Ma Chao was both ashamed and angry.

I was captured by you in one round, and you actually think that I was already doing well to catch your first shot?
"Kill me quickly!" Ma Chao knew that saying more would only bring him humiliation, so he tilted his head to the side and waited for death.

He Man chimed in from the side, "Hey, who said that if you win, you'll marry your sister to Commander Zhao? Commander Zhao hasn't married yet, so it seems like he and your sister are a perfect match."

Hearing He Man say this, Ma Chao felt even more ashamed and indignant.

He only said those words on the battlefield to provoke Zhao Yun, but he didn't expect it to directly cause Zhao Yun to activate "Angry Cloud" mode, and he was captured by Zhao Yun in one round.

While it's true that Ma Chao encountered Yun Nuyun when he was only thirteen years old and had just left the beginner village, the fact remains that he was captured alive by Zhao Yun.

For Ma Chao, who had never lost a fight since childhood, losing to Zhao Yun was already difficult enough, but having to marry his elder sister to save his life was even more humiliating.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhao Yun shouted, his face solemn. "Ma Teng is a traitor. How could I marry the daughter of a traitor?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chao angrily retorted, "This is slander! My father raised an army to punish the eunuchs and restore the Han Dynasty, not to be a traitor!"

Zhao Yun looked at Ma Chao in surprise: "You said that Ma Teng raised an army to punish the eunuchs and restore the Han Dynasty. Is there any imperial decree from His Majesty?"

Ma Chao snorted, "So what if there is no imperial decree? Eunuchs harm the people, and everyone has the right to kill them! My father raised an army in accordance with the will of Heaven and responded to General Yan Gong's call to punish the eunuchs."

"On the contrary, you possess such martial arts skills, yet you are willing to serve eunuchs! Don't you know shame? If you were willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, I could have my father recommend you to the General of Chariots and Cavalry for the position of general. Why should you be a mere captain?"

He Man and the others all looked at Ma Chao with strange expressions.

Should we send Commandant Zhao to join the rebels?
Is Lieutenant Zhao just a lowly captain?
Zhao Yun couldn't help but laugh and asked, "You keep calling me a eunuch, but I'm under Liu Yongzhou's command. How does that make me serve a eunuch?"

Ma Chao raised his head and said, "Everyone in Liangzhou and Longyou knows that Liu Bei bribed the eunuch Jian Shuo to become the governor of Yongzhou. Now he has expelled the officials and soldiers of the Three Auxiliary Regions without cause, which has aroused the anger of the people and made them uneasy. Liu Bei is an accomplice of the eunuchs. If you are under Liu Bei's command, you are serving the eunuchs."

Zhao Yun shook his head and smiled, momentarily at a loss for words. He then instructed He Man, "Send someone to deliver a message to the magistrate, saying that I have captured Ma Teng's son, Ma Chao, alive. Please give your instructions. Also, write down what Ma Chao just said."

(End of this chapter)