The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

That was the signal to withdraw the troops.

Upon hearing the command, a hint of resentment flashed in Lü Bu's eyes. He suddenly let out a long roar, and his halberd burst forth with unprecedented light, changing position several times in a single move, forcing Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei back several steps.

Taking advantage of this lull, he turned his horse around and abandoned the fight.

Red Hare galloped towards Hulao Pass. After running several dozen paces, Lü Bu suddenly reined in his horse, turned around, and gave Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei a deep look. "Let's call it a day! We'll fight again another day!"

After saying this, he didn't linger and spurred his horse back into the pass.

"Don't run, you thief!" Zhang Fei wanted to give chase.

"Yide, come back!" Liu Bei stopped him in time.

The three brothers reined in their horses and watched Lü Bu's figure disappear behind the closed gate. Their chests heaved and sweat poured down their backs.

The entire battlefield was first deathly silent, then erupted in cheers like a tsunami from Cao Cao's army.

"General Liu is incredibly brave!"

"The three generals are truly awe-inspiring!"

Cao Cao went to greet him. He walked up to Guan Yu, looked at him intently, and exclaimed sincerely, "Yun Chang is truly a divine being!"

Finally, he smiled at Zhang Fei and said, "Yide's bravery is unmatched by ten thousand men!"

Liu Bei humbly returned the greeting, saying it was just good luck.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and nodded slightly in response.

Only Zhang Fei, grinning widely, his face a mixture of excitement and resentment, exclaimed: "That was satisfying! It's just a shame I couldn't cut off that traitor's head!"

Although the battle ended in a draw, it showcased the might of the Cao-Liu alliance and demonstrated Lü Bu's formidable power to everyone. That evening, Cao Cao hosted a small banquet in his central command tent to entertain Liu Bei and his two brothers. There was no singing or dancing, only a few jars of strong liquor and sizzling lamb legs. The atmosphere wasn't particularly lively, but it was filled with the candor and sincerity of comrades-in-arms on the battlefield.

Xun Hao was forcibly pushed back into the tent by Guo Jia. The excitement he felt watching the battle during the day faded, and fatigue and illness surged up like a tide.

Guo Jia came in with a bowl of medicine, sat down by his bedside without saying a word, and stirred the dark medicine with a spoon, the strong bitter smell instantly spreading.

"I can do it myself." Xun Hao reached out to take the bowl.

Guo Jia nimbly dodged Xun Hao's touch. He scooped up a spoonful of medicine, blew on it, and held it to Xun Hao's lips. Xun Hao had no choice but to open his mouth and drink it.

After being fed a bowl of medicine, Xun Hao felt dizzy from the bitterness, and his facial features contorted in pain.

He felt the taste travel from the tip of his tongue all the way to the top of his head. He knew that Guo Jia was trying to express the dissatisfaction of the camp watching the battle in this way.

"Brother Fengxiao? I was wrong," Xun Hao said tentatively.

"Where did you go wrong?" Guo Jia asked, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"Completely wrong?"

"Lu Bu, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei," Guo Jia put down the cloth, enunciating each word clearly, "Was it a good watch for them to fight?"

Xun Hao sensed that familiar sour smell in the air and was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Fengxiao, that wasn't a fight, that was a duel between the world's top military generals."

"So it was worth you standing in the cold wind, practically dying, just to watch this?" Guo Jia's voice finally crackled with emotion, a suppressed rage. "Do you know how hot your face was just now? I was afraid you'd collapse on the viewing platform any second!"

"I'm just... a little excited."

"Excited?" Guo Jia asked as if he had heard a joke. "I saw you staring at them without blinking. Anyone who didn't know better would think you had your eye on someone."

That's a bit unreasonable.

"Why would I be interested in them? I think Cao Cao is the one who's interested in Guan Yu."

"Cao Cao can only dream about it. Liu Bei is no pushover. His most powerful weapon is not the double-edged sword in his hand, but his methods of winning people's hearts."

"But the way he looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei was genuine," Xun Hao replied softly. "That brotherhood was his strongest foundation."

That night, the atmosphere inside Cao Cao's central command tent was not as lively as it had been during the day.

The bravery of Liu Bei and his two brothers thwarted Lü Bu's ambition, but it also made everyone realize a fact more clearly: Lü Bu was an insurmountable mountain.

"Today's battle has greatly boosted the morale of our army, but without eliminating Lü Bu, Hulao Pass will remain difficult to take." Cao Cao tapped his fingers on the table, breaking the silence.

"That Lü Bu is indeed incredibly brave and fierce," Xiahou Dun said in a deep voice. This fearless general's tone also carried a hint of seriousness. "Liu Bei's two sworn brothers are both heroes among heroes, and even the three of them combined could only barely hold their own. If we were to add another person to the fray, I'm afraid that not only would we not be able to help them, but we would also disrupt their formation due to our lack of coordination, and become a hindrance to each other."

The generals present nodded in agreement; it was an obvious fact. In a duel between top experts, having an extra person often doesn't mean having more strength, but rather having an extra opening.

"What if we send archers to harass them from the side while they are engaged in battle?" Cao Ren suggested.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Yuan, the best archer, shook his head in denial: "On the battlefield, things change in an instant. The four of them are locked in combat, their warhorses galloping back and forth as fast as ghosts. I am not confident that I can accurately hit Lü Bu without harming my own troops. Hitting someone with a sneak attack is already a loss of face; if we also accidentally injure friendly forces, our morale will be completely destroyed."

Silence fell again. They couldn't win a fight, and their shooting was inaccurate; how could they possibly fight this battle?

The curtain was gently lifted, letting in a blast of cold air.

"Lord Mengde, fellow generals," Xun Hao bowed to the crowd, his voice weak but clear.

"Yanruo, you're not feeling well, why did you come here?" Cao Cao quickly got up and gestured to his personal guards to bring over a cushioned seat.

"I also want to do my part in the fight against Dong Zhuo." Xun Hao sat down, but another image appeared in his mind.

Several months earlier, at the south gate of Luoyang, he deliberately rammed his chariot into Lü Bu's cavalry in an attempt to buy time. At that moment, the magnificent Red Hare reared up the instant the chariot struck, and with an elegant and agile movement, nimbly leaped over the obstacle.

"I might have a way," Xun Hao said, and all eyes turned to him.

"Lu Bu's bravery is unparalleled. His steed, Red Hare, is also a king among horses. The perfect harmony between man and horse is what gives him his current might. However, a horse is still just a horse." Xun Hao's voice was soft, yet it carried a peculiar penetrating power. "I once witnessed Red Hare dodging obstacles in Luoyang. This horse is extremely intelligent; when faced with danger, it will rear up and trample on its own two hooves. This is our opportunity."

Xun Hao extended his slender finger and lightly tapped the sand table: "Tomorrow, we can ask the three brothers of Xuande to fight again and entangle Lü Bu. When the battle is at its most intense, we can send our weapons straight for Red Hare's hindquarters."