Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

Fancheng.

At the fourth watch of the night, before dawn, Liu Feng's grain transport fleet reached the water gate of Fancheng. Nearly a hundred ships were lined up in a row on the Han River.

The Cao army soldiers guarding the water gate were greatly alarmed when they suddenly saw so many ships approaching. Their first instinct was that Guan Yu's Jingzhou navy had turned back, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads. They hurriedly sounded the war drums, rousing all the hundreds of Cao army soldiers stationed at the water gate.

These soldiers, whose nerves had been taut like taut strings for three or four months after the great battle, suddenly relaxed. But they were awakened by the sudden drumbeats. Some soldiers even stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

Seeing the situation in the city, Liu Feng had a general idea of ​​the fighting strength of the defending army in Fancheng. So he stood at the bow of the boat and shouted loudly: "This humble general is Feng Liu, the grain officer of Wancheng. I have been ordered by the third son of the King of Wei, the Marquis of Linzi, to escort 3,000 shi of grain and 300 jars of fine wine to Fancheng and Xiangyang to reward the soldiers! Quickly open the city gates and let us into the city."

On the city gate tower, the garrison captains, upon hearing Liu Feng's words and seeing the Cao army flags hanging on the ships, breathed a sigh of relief and glared angrily at the man beating the drum.

The garrison commander was under Man Chong's command and had always feared Man Chong's orders. Although he heard that the grain transport ships outside were from Wancheng, he dared not open the water gate without authorization. He only shouted loudly, "Since you were sent by the Third Young Master, do you have official documents and seals on you? Show them to me!"

Liu Feng's eyes flashed, and he replied loudly, "It's quite a coincidence. When the Marquis of Linzi first arrived in Wancheng, he invited the local literati and scholars to drink until dawn. He fell into a drunken stupor and couldn't get up. General Cao Zhen, fearing that the frontline supplies were running low, ordered us to transport grain here immediately without delay. That's why I didn't carry the official seal with me. I hope you can be lenient with me, brother!"

This was the speech that Liu Feng had discussed with Ma Liang, Deng Ai, and others. He spoke it without hesitation, his voice high-pitched, yet it did not seem fake.

The garrison commander was in a dilemma. Since there were grain ships outside the city and the city's provisions were almost exhausted, it would be best to let them into the city as soon as possible. However, the ships had no official seals, and he feared that Man Chong's military law would not tolerate such behavior if he rashly allowed them to pass.

After pondering for a moment, he called out loudly, "Captain Feng, it's not that I'm unwilling to let you go. It's just that my general's orders are absolute, and I dare not act without permission. Please wait here for a moment, and I will go and report to Generals Zheng Nan and Fen Wei, and ask them to make a decision."

Liu Feng cursed inwardly, but his face remained impassive. He said to the captain, "That's how it should be. Go and return quickly. We have finished handing over the grain ships and still need to rush back to Wancheng to report!"

Fancheng. Cao Ren's residence.

Cao Ren, who was lying naked on the bed, faintly heard the sound of war drums. With his years of military experience, he immediately sat up with a jolt, ignoring the screams of the two beautiful women he had abducted from the city, and strode out of the bedroom.

"Someone! Go and see where the drums are beating!" Cao Ren stood shirtless in front of the hall, his voice booming like a bell. This "Heavenly General" was over fifty years old, but he was still agile and could tame wild horses and draw strong bows.

"Yes, General."

Two Tiger and Leopard Cavalry guards obeyed the order and left. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were elite cavalrymen carefully selected and trained by Cao Cao, and had always served as Cao Cao's garrison.

According to Cao Cao himself, every member of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had the potential to become a centurion in Cao Cao's army. Cao Ren, as a member of the imperial clan and a general, frequently charged into battle and was stationed in the south. Therefore, Cao Cao ordered three hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to personally protect Cao Ren, both as a sign of favor and to ensure Cao Ren's safety.

After the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhou Yu led his Jiangdong troops to attack Jiangling. Cao Ren's general Niu Jin went out of the city to meet the attack, but was surrounded by more than 10,000 of Zhou Yu's men. It was Cao Ren who led 300 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to break through the encirclement, rescue Niu Jin, and inflict heavy losses on the Wu soldiers, who fled in disarray. The bravery and elite status of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry can be seen from this incident.

Before long, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalryman returned, followed by the city's garrison captain who had come on horseback to deliver the news. Upon seeing Cao Ren, the captain leaped down and bowed.

"This humble general, Li Ze, has been ordered by General Fenwei to garrison the Shuimen camp and pays his respects to General Zheng Nan."

Cao Ren, already dressed, asked without turning his head, "Is it something urgent that your men are beating the drums?"

"Reporting back to the General Who Conquers the South, it is indeed our own troops beating the drums. There are nearly a hundred grain ships of various sizes outside the water gate, all flying our army's flags. They say they received orders from the Marquis of Linzi to rush to Fancheng to deliver grain!"

Cao Ren was overjoyed upon hearing this and said in a deep voice, "Oh? Zijian has lived up to expectations this time, not letting drinking interfere with the work, and the supplies have arrived so quickly?"

Cao Cao had already informed Cao Ren by messenger from Xuchang that King Wei had appointed his third son, Cao Zhi, as general, leading elite troops and provisions to garrison Wancheng. Cao Cao would not have concealed the scheming and planning behind this from Cao Ren.

"Summon the grain officer immediately! I want to ask him how the battle of Wancheng is going, and whether Liu Bei's adopted son has been captured!"

Li Ze hesitated and said, "Well... the captain who brought the grain said that the Marquis of Linzi hosted a banquet for celebrities and drank heavily, so no official documents or seals were issued and therefore he dared not let them into the city."

Upon hearing this, Cao Ren laughed loudly and said, "I thought Zijian had changed his nature, but he still acts so absurdly. If he didn't want to lure Liu Feng to Wancheng, how could the King of Wei have appointed him as a general! Enough, it's natural that you have doubts because you don't know Zijian's character. Let the grain ships enter the city!"

Li Ze looked troubled, knelt down and said, "It's not that I dare to disobey the orders of General Zheng Nan, but that Man Fenwei is extremely strict with his subordinates, and we are afraid that we will be punished by him."

Cao Ren frowned, then suddenly asked, "Alas! Where has Man Boning gone? Summon him to me."

"This humble general did not know where General Man was. I went to General Man's residence to ask for his orders, but I did not find him. That is why I hurriedly came to see General Zheng Nan."

After pondering for a moment, Cao Ren recalled Man Chong's advice to him yesterday to restrain his troops, and he snorted coldly, saying, "Men! Prepare the horses, I will go to the water gate myself to take a look."

Cao Ren did not put on armor. After his personal guards led him to his horse, he immediately mounted it and led his Tiger and Leopard Cavalry towards the water gate of Fancheng.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Liu Feng saw a white-robed general with a majestic and imposing gait surrounded by his officers and soldiers on the water gate tower of Fancheng. He immediately guessed that this person was Cao Ren!

A thought suddenly struck him, but his face remained impassive. He clasped his hands in greeting and said loudly, "You've come from the city wall, is that the General Who Conquers the South? This humble general, Feng Liu, greets the General!"

Cao Ren stood on the city wall and saw nearly a hundred boats of various sizes on the river. However, the grain officer was an unfamiliar face, and he did not recognize him. Suspicious, he asked, "Who are you? Why have I never seen you in the army before?"

Liu Feng replied loudly, "Reporting to the General, I was originally a guest of the Marquis of Linzi's household. This time, I followed the Marquis of Linzi's army south and was temporarily recruited as the Chief Grain Officer. I come from a humble background, which is why the General has never met me before."

Cao Ren asked, "Did your husband, the Marquis of Linzi, come from Ye City? Or from Xuchang? Is the King of Wei in good health?"

Liu Feng frowned secretly, wondering what Cao Ren meant by asking this question. He could only reply, "The Marquis of Linzi came from Xuchang. The King of Wei's camp is currently at Mobei. He is in good health, but his headaches occasionally flare up."

Cao Ren nodded. It was likely only the people from Xuchang who knew that Cao Cao suffered from headaches. Even if they were from Sun Quan's or Liu Bei's side, they wouldn't know the location of Cao Cao's camp.

Liu Feng secretly felt lucky. If he hadn't been a time traveler who had read history books, he would have given himself away after Cao Ren's probing questions.

"You come from Wancheng, how is the battle going?" Cao Ren asked again.

"Liu Feng's army has already marched sixty li south of Wancheng, and will soon be at the city gates. Reinforcements from all directions have arrived, and Liu Feng will have no chance of escape."

After a long pause, Cao Ren finally lowered his guard, pointed to the majestic city across the Han River, and shouted, "Excellent! Order your soldiers to send 30% of their grain supplies to Xiangyang City and inform Lord Lü Chang!"

Liu Feng also breathed a sigh of relief, clasped his hands and said, "Yes!" He then turned to Deng Ai beside him and whispered, "Shizai, you take the troops from Wancheng to Xiangyang. Act according to the situation, and do not act rashly!"

Deng Ai nodded.

The heavy gate of Fancheng slowly opened, and Liu Feng led more than seventy "grain ships" into the Fancheng waterway in single file. When the ships docked at the ferry terminal, Liu Feng jumped off first and ordered the soldiers disguised as soldiers of the Fengzi Battalion to unload all the grain, grass and wine from the ships.

Cao Ren, leading his officers and soldiers, saw that what was being unloaded from the ship was indeed grain and fodder, and their hearts were at ease. They then saw large jars of wine and were overjoyed. Cao Ren picked up a jar of wine, broke the mud seal on the jar, and smelled the aroma of the wine.

Cao Ren laughed loudly, picked up a wine jar, and addressed his officers and generals: "Brothers! We've fought hard for the past three or four months, and we've driven back that scoundrel Guan Yu. King Wei is fair in his rewards and punishments, and he will surely not forget us. Today, I'm issuing an order to the entire army to grant us a day off so we can drink to our hearts' content! These past few days, I've been drinking this sour wine from the city every day, and my mouth is practically tasteless."

He then burst into laughter. The officers and soldiers around him also showed expressions of ecstatic joy, echoing, "General, you are wise! We are willing to die for King Wei! We are willing to die for the General!"

Cao Ren was secretly pleased and pointed at Liu Feng, saying, "You! You've had a hard journey, so rest in the city for a day, and you can return to Wancheng tomorrow!"

Liu Feng hurriedly replied, "Yes! Thank you, General!"

Cao Ren waved his hand, ordering his generals and officers to take the wine and provisions back to their respective camps. No one noticed that the grain ships, which should have been emptied, were still drafted much deeper than ordinary ships...