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

Inside Guan Yu's military camp, in the commander's tent.

Guan Yu, sitting upright before his desk, narrowed his phoenix eyes as he listened to his eldest son, Guan Ping, report on the military situation.

"Father, when we took stock of the troops in the camp today, we found that several hundred more men had deserted from the old camp in Jingzhou during the night. Although our army managed to gather some food near Dangyang, it will only last for two more days... I'm afraid it won't be enough to retake Jiangling."

Just then, they heard a commotion and weeping outside the tent. Guan Yu opened his phoenix eyes, his gaze flashing with a sharp light.

Although Guan Yu was compassionate towards his soldiers, he was extremely strict with military regulations. Normally, no loud noise was allowed in the camp; otherwise, one would be punished with beatings. But now, Guan Yu's reputation in the army had plummeted…

Guan Yu frowned, about to get up and go out of the tent to check. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the camp gate, followed by Liu Feng's voice.

"Please return to Xiangyang to take charge of the overall situation!"

Guan Yu heard it clearly, but for a moment he did not understand its meaning. He was always proud and relied on his status as an elder. Even in such a defeat, he just stroked his beautiful beard and ordered his eldest son Guan Ping to go outside the camp gate to find out what was going on.

The soldiers, who had just been making a ruckus and were on the verge of a ruckus, were suddenly startled by Liu Feng's voice outside the camp gate, as if struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

Liu Feng's voice was loud and clear, and his voice immediately carried far from the gate of the stockade. Before long, the military camp, which was originally in a state of chaos and on the verge of losing control due to the Yi Ji's "performance", calmed down after hearing the news of reinforcements and seeing the dual hope of survival and revenge!

At this moment, Liu Fengyao saw a person walking quickly towards him.

Guan Ping wore a faded battle robe, a sword hanging at his waist. His face bore a striking resemblance to Guan Yu—the same phoenix eyes and slanted eyebrows, though he lacked the signature long beard, but possessed a youthful sharpness. Months of battle had etched weariness onto his face; his eye sockets were slightly sunken, and his cheekbones were more prominent than before, but his back remained ramrod straight, like a spear planted in the snow.

Guan Ping, courtesy name Tanzhi. Liu Feng recognized him from the original owner's memories.

Upon seeing Liu Feng, a hint of surprise flashed in Guan Ping's eyes. He then strode forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Brother!"

Guan Ping did not address Liu Feng as "Deputy General," but instead called him "elder brother." Liu Feng was several years older than Guan Ping. Although they did not share the same surname, they were both second-generation generals under Liu Bei and had fought side by side many times over the years.

Liu Feng returned the greeting, reached out to support Guan Ping's arm, and looked him up and down.

"You've lost weight."

Guan Ping smiled, a smile tinged with bitterness, but without a trace of dejection. "I've lost some weight, but thankfully I'm still strong." He then stepped aside to lead the way, "Father is in the commander's tent, brother, please."

Liu Feng did not rush to take a step.

He stood inside the camp gate, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers who had gathered around. Yi Ji's cries still echoed in the camp; some of the Jingzhou soldiers still had tear stains on their faces, their fists clenched tightly, and their eyes burning with hatred.

Liu Feng knew that hatred was the best fuel, but also the easiest to extinguish.

He needs to add fuel to the fire.

He suddenly raised his voice and asked Guan Ping, "Tanzhi, how is your health, my lord?"

The question was asked very loudly, and all the surrounding soldiers heard it clearly. Guan Ping was slightly taken aback, but then understood and answered in the same loud voice, "Father is in good health and can still draw a three-stone bow every day!"

Liu Feng nodded, his voice rising a notch: "That's good! I've come here for two reasons: first, to welcome you back to Xiangyang to take charge; second—"

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over the tear-stained and dust-covered faces around him, before speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Secondly, I want to tell you brothers that Fancheng and Xiangyang are now in my hands. Cao Ren has been beheaded, Lü Chang has committed suicide, and the Han River region now belongs to the King of Hanzhong!"

The sound was like a thunderclap.

The soldiers in the camp, who were either crying, shouting, or silent, stopped all their movements at almost the same moment and all looked at Liu Feng.

The bearded old soldier stared wide-eyed, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but couldn't utter a sound. A young soldier even forgot to wipe the tears from his face, standing there with his mouth agape.

Fancheng. Xiangyang.

No one knew better than the army what those two place names meant to them.

Six months ago, they set out from Jiangling on a northern expedition, and their first battle was at Fancheng. The Marquis flooded the seven armies, captured Yu Jin and beheaded Pang De, and his might shook the land, all thanks to the Battle of Fancheng.

For months, they besieged the city, but Cao Ren remained entrenched and refused to come out. Countless lives were lost beneath the walls of Fancheng. When they were finally forced to retreat due to the fall of Jiangling, many on the banks of the Han River looked back at Fancheng, biting their lips until they bled.

The city they had been fighting for for half a year without success was captured by Liu Feng.

The city that had blocked the lord's northern expedition was captured by this twenty-four-year-old young man.

After a brief silence, a deafening roar erupted from the camp. It wasn't a cheer, but a cathartic release of emotions that had been suppressed for too long.

Some raised their arms and shouted, some struck their shields with their swords, and some rushed forward to approach Liu Feng but were blocked by his guards. They then desperately clasped their fists at him through the wall of men. Suddenly, the bearded old soldier knelt on one knee and kowtowed heavily to Liu Feng.

"What? Xiangyang and Fancheng have fallen?"

"Cao Ren is dead? We've been attacking Xiangfan for three or four months and still haven't been able to take it... and it was easily captured by the eldest son of the King of Hanzhong?"

"Reinforcements have arrived? We're all saved?"

"We can march back to Jiangling and avenge my wife and children!"

"General Liu! Lead us back to Jiangling!"

This shout was like lighting a fuse, and more and more soldiers joined in the shouting.

"Retake Jiangling!"

"To avenge my family!"

"Kill Lü Meng!"

The roar grew louder and louder, surging and echoing in the twilight of Dangyang City. Liu Feng stood at the center of the roar, his expression calm, merely nodding slightly. He said nothing more, turning and following Guan Ping towards the commander's tent.

He knew the fire was already burning. The next step was to make it burn longer.

The commander's tent was located at the deepest part of the camp.

Compared to the clamor outside, the place was eerily quiet. Only two guards stood outside the tent, their armor scarred with sword marks, yet their eyes remained as sharp as hawks'. Seeing Guan Ping lead Liu Feng in, the two silently clasped their hands in greeting and lifted the tent flap.

Inside the tent, an oil lamp cast a dim, yellowish light. A large banner with the character "Guan" hung in the center of the tent wall, beneath which sat a simple command desk. Beside the desk stood the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the lamp.

Guan Yu then sat down in front of the general's desk.

He wore no armor, only a thin, dark-colored undergarment, revealing a thick bandage wrapped around his left shoulder. Faint bloodstains seeped from the bandage, a wound inflicted by a stray arrow during the siege of Fancheng, which had not yet healed.

His left hand rested on his knee, while his right hand held a scroll of bamboo slips, which he was reading by the light of an oil lamp. The scroll contained a map of the mountains and rivers of northern Jingzhou, its edges frayed and worn.

Hearing the rustling of the tent flap, Guan Yu raised his head.

In that instant, Liu Feng understood what it meant to "even a dead tiger retains its power".

Guan Yu was defeated.

He retreated from Fancheng to Dangyang, half of his 30,000-strong army scattered. His base in Jiangling had fallen, his camp was starving, and he was still wounded, his face etched with exhaustion. But the moment he raised his head, all of that seemed insignificant.

Guan Yu's gaze was like a knife. Not a drawn knife, but a knife hanging overhead.

Heavy, cold, and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

The air in the tent seemed to freeze the moment he looked up, and even the flame of the oil lamp seemed to dim.

He sat there, his tall stature belying his advanced age. With broad shoulders, a thick back, and arms as thick as an average person's calves, he exuded a more imposing presence even while seated than a standing person.

His ruddy face looked like a piece of red-hot iron under the lamplight, his phoenix eyes shone with restrained light, and his long beard reached down to his chest. Although he was covered in dust from the defeats of the past few days, it did not diminish his majesty in the slightest.

That wasn't the majesty of power. It was the majesty forged by a man who fought on the battlefield for forty years, from the Yellow Turbans to Dong Zhuo, from Lü Bu to Yuan Shao, from Yan Liang and Wen Chou to Yu Jin and Pang De, sword by sword.

Liu Feng knelt on one knee and clasped his hands above his head.

"This humble general, Liu Feng, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

Guan Yu looked at him without speaking. His gaze swept over Liu Feng from head to toe, pausing briefly on the dust-covered armor before returning to Liu Feng's face.

"stand up."

The sound wasn't loud, but it made the air inside the tent buzz.

Liu Feng stood up and stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

Guan Ping walked to Guan Yu's side and whispered a few words, roughly about how Liu Feng had rushed here day and night, and how the soldiers outside the camp were greatly encouraged by the news of the victory in Xiangyang.

Guan Yu nodded slightly after hearing this.

"Has Xiangyang been captured?"

Liu Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice neither humble nor arrogant: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Fancheng and Xiangyang have both been captured. Cao Ren has been beheaded, Lü Chang has committed suicide, and three thousand surrendered soldiers have been taken in. The entire Han River, from Nanxiang to Xiangyang, is now in our hands."

He spoke concisely, without embellishment or boasting of his military achievements. None of that was necessary in front of Guan Yu.

As expected, Guan Yu simply nodded without asking for details. He placed the bamboo slips beside the couch, and slowly stood up, supporting himself on his knee with his right hand.

His left shoulder wound was clearly aggravated; his brow furrowed slightly, but his body remained perfectly still. When he stood upright, the top of his head almost touched the top of the tent, forcing Liu Feng to tilt his head slightly upwards in front of him.

"You did a very good job."

These five words, spoken by Guan Yu, carried immense weight.

Liu Feng bowed his head and clasped his hands: "This humble general only managed to take advantage of Cao Ren's unpreparedness and succeeded by sheer luck. If it weren't for Your Excellency holding Cao Ren back in Fancheng for several months and exhausting his food and troops, even if this humble general had three heads and six arms, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to take Xiangfan."

This is the truth, and the most appropriate way to put it.

Guan Yu led 30,000 Jingzhou soldiers in a bloody battle against Cao Ren at Fancheng for several months. He flooded the seven armies, annihilated Yu Jin's reinforcements, and left Cao Ren with almost no food and low morale.

Liu Feng's surprise attack was successful largely because Cao Ren's main force had been exhausted by Guan Yu.

Without Guan Yu's Battle of Fancheng, there would have been no Liu Feng's victory at Xiangfan.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu neither feigned humility nor pride, but simply hummed in agreement, acknowledging the truth.

"Sit down." Guan Yu sat back down at the general's desk first.

Liu Feng and Guan Ping sat down on stools on either side. After a moment of silence in the tent, Guan Yu suddenly spoke, asking not about Xiangyang, not about Fancheng, and not about Cao Ren.

"You came from Xiangyang, how many days have you been chasing us?"

"Two days and two nights."

"How many men did you bring?"

"More than a hundred light cavalry."

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on Liu Feng's face for a moment.

In two days and two nights, covering three hundred li, a hundred or so light cavalrymen pursued him southward. He neither praised Liu Feng for his boldness nor reprimanded him for his recklessness; he simply handed him the water bag beside him.

Liu Feng took it and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful. The water was cold, with a leathery taste, but it soothed his parched throat perfectly.

"My lord," Liu Feng put down his water bag and got straight to the point, "I have come to invite you to return to Xiangyang to take charge."

Guan Yu did not respond.

Liu Feng continued, "Xiangfan has been pacified, and the grain and supplies are on their way and will arrive soon. There are three thousand surrendered soldiers and over a thousand former troops in the city. If we join forces with you, my lord, we can still gather tens of thousands of troops."

"The Han River waterway is now open, and grain ships from Hanzhong can travel downstream in ten days. If you, my lord, remain in Xiangyang, you can advance north to attack Wan and Luo, take Jiangxia to the east, or retreat and rely on the Han River to defend your position. Cao Cao has already been defeated by Wei Yan in Hanzhong. If he is threatened from the south, he will be attacked from two directions."