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

The army marched south, the night as dark as ink.

As Liu Feng led his troops over the last mountain ridge, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the pale glow of dawn. The morning light shone through the eastern ridge, gilding the outlines of the peaks with a thin layer of silver.

The Jade Lion Horse stood proudly atop the ridge, snorted, and the white mist instantly dissipated in the morning breeze. Liu Feng reined in his horse and looked down at the hilly area below, which was faintly visible in the morning mist. The Yi River meandered by like a bluish-gray ribbon, with terraced fields and scattered villages on both banks.

Further south lies the territory of the Wuxi Barbarians.

Since leaving Danshui City, the army has been trekking through the mountains for nearly half a month, and their provisions are becoming increasingly scarce. Fortunately, there are always springs along the way, so the men and horses have no shortage of water, but most of their dry rations have already been consumed. The veteran soldiers in the camp are used to saving food, each taking only half of their daily ration and keeping the other half for later use.

Liu Feng saw this and knew that he had to make contact with the Wuxi barbarians before the food supplies ran out.

Below the ridge was a relatively flat valley, where Liu Feng ordered his men to rest. His personal guards found a dry cave to serve as temporary military tents.

A fire was lit in the cave, the scent of pine resin mingling with the smoke from damp firewood, filling the air. Ma Liang spread the map on the stone platform and pointed to the sparsely marked area on the south bank of the Yi River.

"Deputy Commander Liu. South of the Yi River lies the territory of the Five Streams Barbarians. The Xiongxi, Manxi, Chenxi, Youxi, and Wuxi Rivers—each has a chieftain of a cave. I've long heard that the Xiongxi tribe is the strongest among them. If we can persuade the Xiongxi chieftain, Bayemo, the other four tribes will be easier to deal with."

Ma Liang's voice remained as steady as ever, but Liu Feng keenly caught a hint of seriousness in his expression and immediately asked, "Mr. Ji Chang, have the envoys sent out some time ago not yet returned?"

"Yes."

Ma Liang spoke frankly.

"When Liang set off from Xiangyang, he sent out three groups of envoys with letters and gifts to contact the leaders of the various tribes of the Wuxi Man. According to the journey, there should have been a reply by seven days at the latest. However, there has been no news to this day."

He put away the map and looked through the cave entrance at the distant, vast mountains.

"The Wuxi barbarians have always been wary of Han Chinese regimes. When Liu Biao governed Jingzhou, he used a policy of appeasement to keep them at bay. After Cao Cao took Jingzhou, he was too far away to reach them. After Eastern Wu occupied Jiangling, they would definitely send envoys to pacify them. Now their attitude is ambiguous, and there are only two possibilities: First, Eastern Wu has taken the lead; second, the leaders of the various tribes are watching and seeing who will win."

Pine branches crackled in the fire, sparks flying and falling into the ashes. Liu Feng was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Since the Wuxi barbarians are observing, let's give them a reason to observe. How far is Fengjie from here?"

"About seventy li to the southwest."

Ma Liangdao said, "Fengjie is now a key border town facing Yidu, and there should be grain reserves in the city. If the deputy commander wishes to lead the main force to rest and reorganize..."

"I'm not going."

Liu Feng said decisively, tracing a line across the map with his finger, "Seventy li is a round trip of one hundred and forty li, which will take at least two days. The attitude of the Wuxi barbarians is wavering. If the army enters Fengjie to rest now, it will only delay important matters! Moreover, Fengjie is a border city, and there must be spies from Eastern Wu inside. Once news of the army entering the city reaches Lu Xun's ears, with his abilities, he can deduce our approximate location. If our army's whereabouts are exposed now, the plan to launch a surprise attack on Wuling will fail!"

He turned to Ma Liang and said, "Mr. Ji Chang, let's split up. You take a few personal guards, travel light, and carry my letter to see Shamoke in person."

Ma Liang placed the map on the stone platform and said solemnly, "I had the same idea. The messenger has not returned, so the message must not have been delivered. I will go there myself."

He paused, his tone becoming more earnest, "However, Deputy Commander Liu must agree to one thing. The chieftains of the Five Streams are fierce and many are still uncivilized. If I cannot persuade the chieftains of each cave within three days, it will mean that Eastern Wu has already made its move. At that time, Deputy Commander Liu cannot wait here any longer and must make a decision quickly."

"I will wait for you to return within three days," Liu Feng said.

Ma Liang got up, selected five guards, changed out of his military uniform and into merchant's clothes, and carefully hid Liu Feng's handwritten letter on his body.

Before leaving, he turned back to look at Liu Feng, his lips moved, but in the end he only cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said nothing more. Liu Feng stood at the cave entrance, watching Ma Liang's figure disappear into the misty mountain path at the end of the morning.

After Ma Liang left, Liu Feng turned around and went back into the cave, where he summoned Guan Ping.

"Tanzhi, lead several dozen riders to Fengjie City."

Liu Feng pointed to Fengjie on the map. "Don't use my banner. Just say you're part of the vanguard escorting military supplies from Shangyong. Requisition some grain from the city, find out about the garrison there, and return quickly."

Guan Ping clasped his hands in agreement, but hesitated for a moment: "Yes, Deputy Commander Liu, if you encounter the Chengdu envoy in Fengjie City..."

"If there is an envoy from Chengdu, he will not stay in Fengjie for long," Liu Feng said. "If we do encounter him, we will say that I have led my army into Wuling and it is inconvenient for me to turn back."

Guan Ping nodded, then turned and went out of the cave to muster his troops.

Liu Feng then ordered the entire army to lie in wait during the day and move out at night, continuing south to avoid the eyes and ears of Eastern Wu in the direction of Wuling.

During the day, they camped in dense forests and valleys, without lighting open fires, and ate dry rations. At night, they marched without torches, wrapped their horses' hooves in cloth, and communicated with passwords throughout the army.

The password was changed every night and personally relayed by Kou Wei to the head of each hamlet.

Meanwhile, outside Fengjie City.

A caravan was resting at a post station beside the official road. The post station consisted of only three mud-brick houses, the thatched roofs of which were half-blown up by the river wind.

Mi Zhu sat at the only wooden table in the pavilion, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. He had traveled all night from Chengdu, traveling light and with only a dozen or so riders and a heavy brocade box.

Inside the brocade box was the General's gold seal and purple ribbon—a gold seal with a tortoise-shaped knob, the ribbon woven with purple silk thread and adorned with a jade ring. At the bottom of the box was a silk letter written in Liu Bei's own handwriting, sealed with the seal of the King of Hanzhong.

Before Mi Zhu left, Liu Bei patted him on the shoulder and instructed him, "Give this seal to Feng'er, and don't delay."

Mi Zhu traveled day and night for eleven days. As a merchant by trade, he was used to the hustle and bustle and didn't find it hard. However, a hint of sorrow occasionally flashed across his dignified and refined face.

"Alas! Zifang, why did you choose to serve Eastern Wu? My brother and I followed Lord Xuande across the land, and even when we had no place to stand, we remained loyal to him. Why did you choose to do this after he became king..."

Mi Zhu muttered to himself.

After learning that his younger brother Mi Fang had surrendered, Mi Zhu often wallowed in self-pity, as if his entire body had been drained of its energy.

Even though the King of Hanzhong personally came forward to comfort him, Mi Zhu's resentment was still hard to quell, and he didn't know what had caused it.

His mission to Fengjie was precisely to have Mi Zhu volunteer so that he could get away from Chengdu and avoid facing many disdainful or scrutinizing eyes.

Just as he was pondering this, the magistrate of Fengjie County rushed over.

The county magistrate, surnamed Du, was an old official in his early fifties who had spent most of his life in Fengjie, a small border town, and had rarely seen any important figures.

Upon hearing that General Mi Zhu of Anhan had arrived in person, he rushed out of the county temple before he could even properly put on his official hat, and bowed to Mi Zhu breathlessly.

"Governor Mi, your esteemed presence is an honor! I have failed to greet you properly!"

Mi Zhu waved his hand and asked directly, "Has Deputy General Liu Feng ever been to Fengjie?"

Sweat streamed down Magistrate Du's graying temples. "Your Excellency, Deputy Commander Liu has never been to Fengjie. I have sent men to guard various passes for days, but so far we have not seen Deputy Commander Liu's banner."

Mi Zhu's heart sank slightly. Could it be that he had taken the wrong path?

Just then, a rider came galloping from the direction of the city gate. The rider was a courier from the county. He dismounted and knelt on one knee: "Your Excellency! There are dozens of riders outside the city carrying flags pointing towards Shangyong. They claim to be the vanguard of a military supply convoy and say they want to enter the city to requisition grain."

Mi Zhu's brow twitched slightly. Shangyong direction? Escorting military supplies? He stood up and said, "Come with me to take a look."

Guan Ping waited at the city gate for a moment, and then saw a group of people walk out from inside the gate. The one in the lead was a middle-aged scholar with a calm and dignified air about him.

Guan Ping recognized Mi Zhu twice and immediately dismounted, clasping his hands in a salute.

"That Mi Anhan is here! That's wonderful!"

Mi Zhu's gaze lingered on Guan Ping's face for a moment, and he couldn't help but think of his younger brother Mi Fang, feeling another pang of pain in his heart. He quickly stepped forward and took Guan Ping's arm.

"Tanzhi, why have you come here? Where is Deputy Commander Liu?" His gaze passed over Guan Ping and looked behind the dozens of riders, as if he were looking for someone.

Guan Ping shook his head: "Liu Feng has not yet arrived in Fengjie. He has already led a large army south."

Mi Zhu's hands loosened slightly, and then he took out the brocade box from his sleeve and held it in both hands.

"This is a letter personally written by the King of Hanzhong, along with the gold seal and purple ribbon of the General of the Rear. I have come all the way from Chengdu on the orders of my lord to personally deliver these items to Deputy Commander Liu. Tanzhi, where is Deputy Commander Liu now? Take me to see him."

Guan Ping lowered his head and remained silent for a moment.

"Please forgive me, Mi Anhan. Deputy Commander Liu has military duties to attend to and cannot return. I will take the provisions, but the letter and official seal..."

He glanced at the heavy brocade box. "If Mi Anhan is worried, he can personally deliver it to the army. But I cannot reveal the army's whereabouts without authorization."

Mi Zhu looked at Guan Ping for a moment, then suddenly understood the meaning behind Guan Ping's words. The members of the Mi clan could no longer be unconditionally trusted and involved in core planning.

Mi Zhu sighed inwardly, holding the brocade box and pondering for a long time before finally speaking slowly: "In that case, I will go with you. This seal and letter must be delivered to Deputy Commander Liu personally."

Guan Ping clasped his hands in a salute, then turned and ordered his cavalry to enter the city to urge the delivery of grain, and to load the grain carts and leave the city to meet up within two hours.