My brothers are all warriors capable of taking on ten thousand men; I'll roam freely in the Thr

In March of the second year of Jian'an (197 AD), in Qiao County, Yuzhou.

The spring breeze swept across northern Anhui, turning the fields green and making the wildflowers bloom.

But Liu Bei's heart was colder than the dead of winter.

He was bound hand and foot, mounted on a horse, surrounded by a dense horde of Sun Jian's soldiers.

With swords and spears everywhere and arrows nocked, he would be riddled with arrows if he made the slightest move.

He did not resist.

An hour ago, his men had just stepped into the territory of Yuzhou when they were surrounded by Sun Jian's patrol.

Xu Chu and Xu Sheng tried to break through the encirclement at the cost of their lives, but he stopped them with a stern shout.

"Put down your weapons," he said.

Xu Chu's eyes widened: "Big Brother!"

Liu Bei looked at him, his eyes filled with weariness and helplessness: "Second brother, listen to me, put down your weapons."

Xu Chu gritted his teeth and threw down the knife in his hand.

Xu Sheng, Jian Yong, and the three thousand remaining soldiers also laid down their weapons.

Sun Jian's army swarmed forward and captured them all.

Liu Bei was bound hand and foot and put on a horse.

He didn't say a word the whole way.

He simply gazed southward, at the land on which he had placed such high hopes, and felt a chill in his heart.

Sun Jian...wouldn't he take him in either?

He recalled the scene in Luoyang where the four of them swore an oath facing the Luo River.

Ji Xuanyuan, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and him.

At that time, they were all passionate young generals who vowed never to wage war and to work together to support the Han Dynasty.

But now...

Liu Bei closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Your Majesty, please forgive my incompetence.

Your Majesty... truly did your best.

Qiao County, the prefecture of Sun Jian.

The mansion gates were wide open, and armored soldiers stood in rows.

Liu Bei was escorted into the mansion, passed through many courtyards, and arrived at the main hall.

In the hall, Sun Jian sat in the main seat.

He was dressed in military uniform, with a resolute face and fierce eyes.

Although he is over forty years old, he still has the air of a fierce general.

Beside him stood four generals, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai, and Zu Mao, with their hands on their swords, looking imposing and awe-inspiring.

Liu Bei was brought into the hall and forced to kneel on the ground.

Sun Jian looked at him and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... Xuande, oh Xuande!"

He stood up, walked up to Liu Bei, and looked down at him: "Do you know that the Prime Minister is now offering a reward of a thousand pieces of gold and a fiefdom of ten thousand households for your head?"

Liu Bei raised his head and looked at him, his gaze calm as still water.

"Know."

Sun Jian's smile vanished, replaced by a stern expression: "I've heard that the Prime Minister has treated you well, bestowing upon you the title of Guanglu Xun and appointing you to command the Southern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Why then did you bring disaster upon yourself by defecting to the north?"

Liu Bei sneered: "Hmph, no need for further words. You and I are old acquaintances. Take my head and ask for a reward. It would be better to exchange it for a thousand gold pieces and be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households than to humiliate me here."

Sun Jian looked at him, a meaningful glint in his eyes: "How did you know I was going to ask for a reward?"

Liu Bei was taken aback.

Sun Jian returned to the main seat, slowly sat down, and looked directly at him: "Xuande, I only have one question for you. The Prime Minister values ​​you highly, yet you led your troops to defect. What is the reason behind this?"

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I, Liu Bei, am a descendant of the Han imperial family. If I do not think of restoring the Han dynasty, how am I different from a beast?"

His voice gradually rose: "The reason I defected from Ji Xuanyuan was to escape the north, develop my power in the south, and wait for the right opportunity to launch a northern expedition to rescue the emperor! I originally thought that you, Sun Wentai, were a loyal subject of the Han dynasty, just like me! Who knew..."

He gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Never mind, never mind, it's not your fault. Ji Xuanyuan is powerful, who isn't afraid of him? This... is fate."

Sun Jian listened without showing any emotion.

He suddenly asked again, "Oh? If I take you in, what will you do?"

Liu Bei raised his head, looked directly into his eyes, and said, word by word, "I will help you conquer the six commanderies and eighty prefectures of Jiangdong! Then I will rally loyal ministers throughout the land to raise an army and jointly punish Ji Xuanyuan!"

Sun Jian's eyes lit up: "Together we fight against Ji Xuanyuan?"

Liu Bei declared loudly, "Let us join forces to defeat Ji Xuanyuan, rescue the Emperor, and restore the Han Dynasty!"

The voice was firm and resounding.

The hall was completely silent.

Sun Jian looked at him, remaining silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed through the hall, making the window frames tremble.

"Excellent! What a fine Liu Bei, Liu Xuande!"

He suddenly stood up, strode up to Liu Bei, and drew the sword from his waist.

A flash of cold light!

Liu Bei closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal blow.

But after waiting for a while, he found that the ropes binding him had all broken.

He opened his eyes and saw Sun standing with his sword, a smile on his face.

"Guards! Quickly, give Xuande a seat!"

Liu Bei was stunned.

He stared blankly at Sun Jian, unsure of what to say.

Sun Jian waved his hand, and his personal guards brought over a couch, inviting Liu Bei to take a seat.

Liu Bei sat down, still looking completely bewildered.

Sun Jian returned to his seat, placed the sword on the table, pointed at it, and asked Liu Bei, "Xuande, do you know what kind of sword this is?"

Liu Bei looked at it carefully.

The sword was about three feet long, with a sheath that was jet black and covered with ancient cloud and thunder patterns. It was simple and unadorned, yet it possessed a profound and weighty aura.

Two seal characters are faintly visible on the hilt of the sword.

Crimson Sky.

Liu Bei was startled!

"The Crimson Sky Sword? The Crimson Sky Sword of the High Ancestor?!"

Sun Jian smiled slightly and nodded.

Liu Bei stared at him in disbelief: "This...how is this possible? How did Emperor Gaozu's sword end up in your hands?"

Sun Jian leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant, and slowly began to recount: "You still remember the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Xuande?"

Liu Bei nodded.

Sun Jian continued, "Dong Zhuo fled and set Luoyang ablaze. At that time, there were only four of us: you, me, Cao Cao, and Ji Xuanyuan. We led troops in pursuit. Ji Xuanyuan took you and Cao Cao to chase after Dong Zhuo, while I went to Luoyang to put out the fire. Yang Zaixing, Zhou Yu, and others accompanied us."

As Liu Bei listened, his thoughts drifted back to those days.

Sun Jian said, "Ji Xuanyuan found the Imperial Seal of the State in the palace and returned it to His Majesty. This is known throughout the world, but what no one knows is..."

He paused, his gaze falling on the sword on the table: "I found this Crimson Sky Sword in the ruins of the armory."

Liu Bei stared blankly at the sword.

Sun Jian's voice became deep and firm: "When I obtained this sword, I told Quan'er and Ce'er that this sword was not for establishing a regional power, but for eliminating tyranny, bringing peace to the people, and saving them from suffering!"

He raised his head, looking at Liu Bei with burning eyes: "This sword was known only to me, Ce'er, Quan'er, Han Dang, Zu Mao, Huang Gai, and Cheng Pu. Today, you are the eighth."

Liu Bei's heart was in turmoil.

Crimson Sky Sword...

Emperor Gaozu's sword...

Sun Jian was hiding such a secret!

Sun Jian looked at him and slowly said, "Xuande, now that treacherous officials are in power and Ji Xuanyuan is ruling the court alone, effectively controlling the emperor, tell me, isn't it time for the Crimson Sky Sword to be drawn?"

Liu Bei took a deep breath, stood up, walked to Sun Jian, and bowed deeply: "Brother Wentai, you are truly wise and righteous; Liu Bei admires you!"

He took something out of his bosom and presented it with both hands: "Brother Wentai, please take a look."

Sun Jian took it, unfolded it, and took a look.

That was a blood-written edict.

The blood-red handwriting was shocking.

"I have heard that the Han dynasty is in decline, treacherous officials are in power, and Grand Tutor Ji Xuanyuan is domineering and arrogant, usurping the emperor's authority and harboring rebellious intentions... I hereby secretly order Imperial Uncle Liu Bei to leave Shuntian immediately, secretly unite with the other lords, and jointly punish the rebellious minister, in order to cleanse the emperor's inner circle and secure the state..."

Sun Jian's hands trembled slightly.

He raised his head and looked at Liu Bei.

Liu Bei whispered, "Brother Wentai, this is the Emperor's own handwritten edict, written in blood. I risked my life to bring it out of Shuntian, hoping that one day I could gather loyal and righteous men to jointly restore the Han Dynasty!"

Sun Jian remained silent for a long time.

Then, he carefully folded the blood-written edict and put it into his pocket.

"Rest assured, Xuande, I will keep this edict safe and secure, and will never let it slip out."

He stood up, walked to Liu Bei, and grasped his hand: "Xuande, from this day forward, we are brothers, to support the Han Dynasty together, to live and die together!"

Tears welled in Liu Bei's eyes as he nodded emphatically: "Let us support the Han Dynasty, and live and die together!"

Inside the hall, Cheng Pu, Han Dang, Huang Gai, and Zu Mao knelt down in unison: "We are willing to follow our lord and together restore the Han Dynasty!"

Sun Jian laughed heartily, helped Liu Bei to the main seat, and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Xuande, you just said you would help me conquer the six counties and eighty prefectures of Jiangdong?"

Liu Bei nodded: "Exactly."

Sun Jian's eyes gleamed: "Excellent! Once I conquer Jiangdong, I will join forces with Xuande to defeat Ji Xuanyuan and rescue the Emperor!"

Liu Bei then said, "Brother Wentai, what about Mengde's side..."

Sun Jian waved his hand: "I know that Cao Cao must have a deeper meaning in letting you go. This man has the demeanor of a hero, so we must be wary of him, but we must also be on good terms with him. When the time is right, I will contact him myself."

Liu Bei nodded.

Sun Jian then said, "Xuande, I will incorporate all three thousand soldiers you brought. Xu Chu and Xu Sheng are both fierce generals and can be entrusted with important tasks. Mr. Jian Yong can be my strategist. What do you think?"

Liu Bei clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I'll leave everything to Brother Wentai!"

Sun Jian laughed heartily, took Liu Bei's hand, and walked outside:

"Come on! I'll treat you to a welcome-back feast! We won't leave until we're completely drunk!"