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

That night, the water fortress of Xiangyang City, which was already taking shape, was brightly lit.

Zhou Cang, shirtless, personally led his naval soldiers to unload provisions and arrows onto the ships.

Liao Hua stood on the deck of the warship, holding a list that had just been delivered—a list of supplies needed for Ma Liang's westward journey the next day, including grain, weapons, medicine, salt, iron, and cloth, each item clearly marked.

He checked each item one by one, and as he looked away from the bamboo slips, he suddenly glanced in the direction of Xiangyang City.

Zhou Cang, carrying two bundles of spears, walked past him and casually asked, "Brother Yuanjian, what are you looking at?"

Liao Hua withdrew his gaze and rolled up the bamboo slip.

"wind direction."

Zhou Cang also looked up. Tonight, a southeast wind was blowing, carrying the scent of water plants from the lower reaches of the Han River. He didn't understand what Liao Hua was looking at, nor did he intend to ask. He shouldered his spear and strode down the deck.

Meanwhile, atop the city walls of Xiangyang, Guan Yu stood alone on a watchtower. His gaze swept over the city walls, across the Han River, and landed on the boundless darkness to the south.

That's the direction of Gangneung.

Guan Yu will not attack Jiangling directly from Xiangyang, but he will make Lü Meng think that he is going to attack. He will make a big show of gathering his remaining troops and training his army under the walls of Xiangyang, have his navy patrol back and forth on the Han River, and have his spies send a steady stream of news back to Eastern Wu that "Guan Yu will soon march south".

Then Liu Feng went around to the west, crossed the Shangyong Mountains, and like a silent dagger, plunged into Wuling.

Guan Yu suddenly smiled.

This elder brother's adopted son has some of the military prowess of Cao Mengde in the past!

Guan Yu gazed at the darkness of the south, the night wind blowing his long beard like a faded flag.

"Liu Feng," he murmured the name.

Immediately, Guan Yu turned around and walked back to the table, picked up the bamboo slips and brush that had been prepared, and drafted a personal letter to inform the King of Hanzhong in Chengdu.

In just half a month, the entire situation in Jingzhou had undergone tremendous changes. The passage from Jiangling to Sichuan had been cut off, and Guan Yu's messages could only be transported from the Han River to Hanzhong, and then to Chengdu.

Though separated by thousands of miles, I only hope that my elder brother can personally lead a large army to recapture Jiangling after this letter arrives! I hope everything is in time!

Looking down from the tower, the lights of countless homes in Xiangyang City gradually went out. A few lights still flickered in the direction of the water fortress; Liao Hua was taking inventory of the last batch of supplies.

At this moment, Liu Feng was standing in front of the map in the back hall of the governor's mansion. Most of the lights had been turned off, leaving only a single lamp on the table. His shadow was stretched long, falling on the location of Wuling County on the map.

He wasn't looking at the map. He was looking out the window at the night view, in the direction of Chengdu.

He suddenly remembered someone.

Zhuge Liang. If this prime minister were in Xiangyang and saw this situation, what would he say? Would he nod or shake his head? Would he agree with the strategy of breaking the stalemate at Wuling, or would he suggest another path he hadn't considered?

Liu Feng withdrew his gaze and rolled up the map. When he reached the location of Wuling County, he paused, then unfolded it again for a second look.

The Five Streams Barbarians. Ma Liang. Guan Ping. Three thousand elite troops.

He closed the map and blew out the lamp.

In the darkness, his voice was so low that only he could hear it.

"See you in Wuling."

The next day at dawn, at the water fortress of Xiangyang City.

Three thousand elite troops lined up in front of the camp and boarded the ships in turn. The Fengzi Battalion led the way, with Kou Wei holding a sword at the bow, his armor gleaming coldly in the morning light. The Wancheng Battalion followed behind, with Ma Liang in the middle of the ship, which carried twenty jars of fine wine from Xiangyang.

Guan Ping stood beside Liu Feng, his young face covered with a thin layer of sweat, a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Liu Feng glanced at him. "Tanzhi. The journey to Wuling is treacherous, and the barbarian tribes are not yet subjugated. Are you afraid?"

Guan Ping straightened his back. "I'm not afraid."

Liu Feng smiled. He waved his right hand lightly, facing west. The morning light shone from behind him, bathing the entire team in a golden glow.

"Raise the sails, set sail!"

……

Liu Feng stood on the second floor of the ship, leaning on the railing and gazing at the north bank.

Kou Wei stood half a step behind him, holding a newly delivered register of garrisons along the route, and reported it item by item.

"A thousand soldiers were stationed at the Yunxian ferry crossing, and the garrison commander was Li Fu, a former subordinate of Shangyong, who was considered a mature and experienced man."

Liu Feng nodded without turning around.

The fleet sailed smoothly. The Han River widened here, reflecting the green mountains on both banks. Occasionally, a fishing boat would pass by, and the boatwomen would sing folk songs from Jingxiang, the melodies rough and lingering.

Guan Ping crawled out of the cabin, carrying a water bag in his hand. He tilted his head back and took a swig, about to speak.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the bottom of the cabin. Something had been overturned, followed by several urgent shouts, and finally a clear, startled scream from a woman.

All the soldiers on the ship stopped what they were doing and looked toward the hatch.

Liu Feng turned around, exchanged a glance with Guan Ping, and strode towards the hatch.

The bottom of the cabin was a communal sleeping area for the soldiers, the air was stuffy and the light was dim. Dozens of eyes flickered in the gloom, all looking in one direction—at the far end of the cabin, a slender soldier was surrounded by three or four other soldiers, his back against the cabin wall, his arms wrapped around his chest, like a small animal cornered against a wall.

The soldier's leather helmet was knocked off during the shoving, and his long, black hair cascaded down like spilled ink, hanging over his shoulders.

The entire cabin was completely silent.

Guan Ping pushed his way through the crowd to the front, his gaze falling on that face, his pupils suddenly contracting.

It was a face he had seen for over a decade, a face he knew all too well—almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and a jawline like Guan Yu's, yet much softer than his father's.

Her skin was tanned to a light honey color by the sun, unlike the fair skin of a young lady, but this only made her phoenix eyes appear even darker and brighter.

"...Yinping?"

Guan Ping's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Guan Yinping brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her back, raised her chin, and her phoenix eyes showed no fear of being caught. Instead, they shone like two obsidian stones just taken out of the furnace.

She was wearing a soldier's uniform that she had somehow acquired—it was too big, with the sleeves rolled up three times and the belt fastened to its tightest point, yet it still looked loose.

A short sword hung at his waist, the copper buckle on the scabbard polished to a shine. It was a standard-issue sword from Guan Yu's camp, clearly not stolen, but brought from home.

"Brother," she called out confidently.

Guan Ping grabbed her wrist and pulled her outside. "Nonsense! When did you sneak in? Go back, immediately! I'll have someone send you back to Xiangyang at the next ferry crossing."

Guan Yinping struggled to shake off his hand, but couldn't.

Guan Ping's hand gripped her wrist like an iron clamp, pulling her towards the hatch. She braced her feet against the hatch planks, her boots scraping against the wood with a harsh screech. Turning back, her gaze passed over Guan Ping's shoulder and landed directly on Liu Feng at the hatch.

"Deputy Commander Liu!"

She wasn't calling out Liu Feng's name, but his bugle call: "I'm here to join the army! I can ride a horse, shoot an arrow, and wield a sword! I'm no worse than any other soldier!"

Liu Feng stood at the hatch, light shining in from behind him, making it impossible for those inside the cabin to see his expression; they could only see his silhouette.

He didn't speak immediately. Guan Yinping added another sentence during his silence, her voice a little louder.

"My father fought his whole life, and my brother served in the army for many years. Why can't the Guan family's daughter go to the battlefield?"

Guan Ping stopped, not because he was moved by her words, but because Liu Feng raised his hand to stop him.

Liu Feng descended the stairs, and the soldiers automatically made way for him. He walked up to Guan Yinping and looked down at her.

Guan Yinping was much taller than the average woman, but she was still more than half a head shorter than Liu Feng when they stood in front of him. She did not flinch, her phoenix eyes meeting Liu Feng's gaze without blinking, the stubbornness in her eyes remarkably like that of Guan Yu.

Historically, Guan Yu did indeed have a daughter. She was the one whom Guan Yu retorted when Sun Quan came to propose marriage, saying, "How could a tiger's daughter marry a dog's son?"

But Liu Feng didn't know why she was here. Shouldn't she be in Jiangling or Chengdu right now?

Seemingly noticing the doubt in Liu Feng's eyes, Guan Ping explained in a low voice, "Yinping has always loved archery, horsemanship, and swordsmanship. When we were in Jiangling, she often mingled with the army. My father dotes on my younger sister, so he had no choice but to let her stay in the military camp."

"That's precisely why Yinping escaped a calamity. Otherwise, if Jiangling City had fallen and everything had been destroyed, she probably wouldn't have escaped the clutches of the villains."

As he spoke, Guan Ping's voice lowered, and a look of sadness flashed in his tiger-like eyes.

Liu Feng patted Guan Ping on the shoulder, walked up to Guan Yinping, and looked her up and down.

"When did you get on board?" Liu Feng asked.