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

As darkness fell completely, the sound of hurried hooves finally came from the end of the official road.

Kou Wei dismounted, his armor splattered with mud, and slammed a Wu army squad leader, who was bound hand and foot, to the ground. "General!" he exclaimed. "I intercepted a small patrol of Wu soldiers ten miles southwest of Lin Yuan City. It turns out that Eastern Wu has changed generals in the midst of battle. Jiang Qin is seriously ill and has been summoned back to Jiangdong by Sun Quan to recuperate. Pan Zhang has now taken full command of the military affairs in Wuyang."

Liu Feng suddenly stood up.

Ma Liang's feather fan stopped in mid-air, and his expression became extremely solemn in an instant.

"Pan Zhang?"

Liu Feng's voice deepened, "The Pan Zhang that Ding Feng mentioned?" Kou Wei nodded and recounted the prisoner's confession in detail.

Ma Liang stepped forward, his voice hushed: "My lord, Pan Zhang's military tactics are completely different from Jiang Qin's. Jiang Qin is a seasoned and experienced general, knowing when to advance and retreat, while Pan Zhang is a ruthless and fierce general, greedy for merit and fond of killing. Although his troops are capable fighters, their discipline is poor, and there is even a military market in the army, allowing soldiers to sell stolen goods. If he doesn't come to rescue Yuanling, there is probably only one destination—taking advantage of the fact that all the able-bodied men of Wuxi have left, he will go into the mountains to plunder the mountain strongholds, seize the wealth of the mountains, and take women and children hostage."

He took a step back and lowered his eyes: "In the end, this matter was due to my miscalculation. I only considered Jiang Qin, but I did not foresee that Sun Quan would change generals at the last minute. I beg you, my lord, to punish me."

Liu Feng supported his arm: "Mr. Ji Chang, there's no need for this. Changing generals on the eve of battle was a last-minute decision by Eastern Wu, something we couldn't have predicted. What does it have to do with you?"

He paused, then said, "I will take care of things with Shamoke. But right now, the most urgent matter is how to deal with Pan Zhang."

Liu Feng turned to look at the horizon in the direction of Wuxi, his brows furrowed: "Pan Zhang has led his army deep into the Wuxi mountains alone. The barbarians are skilled in mountain warfare; his move is suicidal. We should seize the opportunity to annihilate Pan Zhang in the mountains..."

"My lord!" Ma Liang suddenly spoke.

Liu Feng turned to look at him. Ma Liang's eyes flickered slightly in the firelight, his handsome face revealing no emotion. "I have a plan. How about we pretend we don't know Pan Zhang has entered the mountains and take Yuanling first?"

Liu Feng's gaze suddenly froze.

Ma Liang's voice was steady and calm as he continued, "Pan Zhang's entry into the mountains appears to be a bad thing, but it is actually a double-edged sword. If he really does something in the heart of the Wuxi region, then Eastern Wu will have formed an irreconcilable enmity with the Wuxi barbarians. From then on, the Wuxi barbarians will have no other choice but to follow our army. This is the first point."

"Secondly, if the Wuxi earthen village is destroyed by war, you, my lord, can take this opportunity to grant Wuxi's able-bodied people a household registration, relocate their tribes out of the mountains, and incorporate them into the counties. This would facilitate management and also enrich the population of Wuling."

"Thirdly, once our army has captured Yuanling and returned to Shishan, we will help Shamoke reclaim the women, children, and valuables that were captured. At that time, Pan Zhang will be seen as the murderer who slaughtered the mountain stronghold, while you, my lord, will be seen as the benefactor who avenged them. With this exchange, the Wuxi barbarians' loyalty to you and the King of Hanzhong will be immeasurable by any amount of salt and iron."

Liu Feng remained silent for a long time.

The torch flickered in the night wind, casting shifting shadows on his face. He understood perfectly well what Ma Liang meant—to pretend ignorance was tantamount to indifference.

Let Pan Zhang burn, kill, and turn the Wuxi barbarian stronghold to ashes. Then use the blood debt of Eastern Wu to exchange for the Wuxi barbarians' unwavering loyalty to Shu Han.

A kind heart cannot command an army.

These four words kept running through Liu Feng's mind.

Ma Liang was born into a prominent family in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He received this kind of education from a young age, and the idea that those who are not of our kind must have different hearts was deeply ingrained in his bones.

But Liu Feng, the time traveler, was different. He grew up under the red flag and his mind was full of advanced ideas about national integration and all ethnic groups as one family.

That's why they're conflicted and struggling!

Ma Liang's plan was ruthless, chilling to the bone.

After a brief silence, Liu Feng opened his eyes, his gaze regaining its composure and sharpness.

He turned around and strode towards the central army.

"Order—all ambush troops withdraw, and the entire army immediately rushes to the aid of Yuanling City to join forces with Shamoke. Take Yuanling before dawn."

That night, the garrison on the walls of Yuanling City remained awake. In the darkest hour before dawn, the number of fires outside the city suddenly increased—first the campfires of the barbarian soldiers, then countless torches surged from the direction of the official road, like a fiery dragon continuously pouring into the encirclement below the city.

Under the firelight, a large banner with the character "Han" stood prominently on the high slope south of the city.

The garrison captain on the city wall looked down from the crenellations and his expression changed drastically. He saw not only barbarian soldiers—but also thousands of well-armored regular troops, their ranks impeccable and their banners clearly visible.

The words on the flag were particularly striking in the firelight: General Liu of the Great Han Dynasty!

It is the King of Hanzhong's revenge army that has arrived.

"Open the city gates and surrender! The Han army will not kill the surrendered soldiers!" The shouts from below the city walls shook the heavens and the earth.

The garrison captain's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the hilt of his sword—he was originally a former subordinate of Jingzhou, and when Eastern Wu took Jingnan, he surrendered along with the crowd, showing no loyalty to Sun Quan.

Now that the King of Hanzhong's army is pressing in, how can a small city with only a thousand or so defenders withstand it?

As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the gates of Yuanling slowly opened amidst a muffled winch whirring.

When Liu Feng rode his horse onto the main bluestone street in Yuanling City, the surrendered soldiers had already neatly piled their weapons on both sides of the street entrance, the archers had untied their bowstrings, and the captain was kneeling on one knee by the roadside, holding his sword.

Ma Liang, along with several clerks, began to inventory the grain and fodder registers in the city's treasury, while Kou Wei led his troops to take over the city's defenses, raising the Han army flags one by one atop the city walls.

Shamoke rode his horse through the city gate, looked up at the large banner with the character "Han" fluttering in the wind atop the city wall, and suddenly burst into laughter, his voice shaking the rooftops: "We've taken Yuanling! Warriors of Wuxi, this city is ours!"

The barbarian soldiers raised their swords and spears and cheered in unison, their shouts echoing for a long time along both banks of the Yuan River.

Just then, a barbarian scout galloped into the city from the northwest, carrying a blood-covered boy on his back.

The boy had disheveled hair, his face was blackened by smoke, his arms were covered with bloody scratches from thorns, and his bare feet were worn raw and bloody from the rocks.

He stumbled and fell before Shamokoma, barely able to cry out, only able to hoarsely cry out, "Barbarian King... Wu soldiers... Wu soldiers have entered the mountains! The village... our village has been burned down! Mother is still in the village..."

Shamok's laughter stopped abruptly.

He abruptly turned his head to look northwest, where several plumes of black smoke rose into the sky on the horizon, still faintly visible even a hundred miles away.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Feng quickly walked out of the main hall, exchanged a glance with Ma Liang, and both showed a shocked expression.

Shamoke's tiger-like eyes turned bloodshot in an instant. He grabbed the boy's collar, his voice hoarse like a trapped beast: "Explain yourself! Which village was burned down? Your mother—no, what did you see!"

The boy described in fits and starts the scene of the Wu army's surprise attack on the mountain stronghold before dawn—the Wu soldiers killed people and burned houses indiscriminately, loaded dozens of carts with the village's valuables, and drove women and children out of the mountains in bunches of ropes, with cries echoing along the way.

He narrowly escaped only because his mother pushed him into the bushes by the stream.

Shamoke trembled violently, then abruptly turned and strode toward the city gate, his furious roar sending dust flying from the rooftops lining the street: "Beat the drums! Beat the drums! The whole army, follow me back to the mountains!"

Liu Feng quickly caught up and grabbed Shamoke's shoulder. Shamoke whirled around, his eyes blazing with fury, and his right fist instinctively swung up. Liu Feng didn't dodge, but simply held his wrist firmly.

The two stood frozen in the middle of the street for a moment, Liu Feng's gaze never leaving Sha Moke's eyes, which burned with rage and grief.

"Commander! Go back now, the village has been burned down, and everyone is dead." Liu Feng's voice was not loud, but every word was like a nail driven into Sha Moke's ears.

"Wu Bing is waiting for you to lose your composure and charge back. The Eastern Wu troops will ambush you on the mountain path and devour your men one by one. If you die at their hands, not only will your mother be beyond saving, but all ten thousand of your brave young men will also perish, and the Wuxi region will be completely wiped out—this is what Eastern Wu truly wants!"

Shamoko's fist trembled violently in Liu Feng's palm. He was panting heavily, his teeth clenched so tightly they were grinding together.

Liu Feng released his wrist and pointed to the open river beach outside the south gate of Yuanling City. The Yuan River made a bend there, creating a large area of ​​flat gravel shallows and open space, enough to accommodate 100,000 people.

"The Eastern Wu burned down your stronghold, but I will rebuild a new city for you." Liu Feng's voice suddenly rose, making it clear to the surrounding barbarian soldiers.

"Right there—on the banks of the Yuan River. You don't have to be trapped in the mountains. There are city walls to shelter you from the wind and rain, ferry crossings for trade, and fields to cultivate and support your families. The women, children, and the elderly of the Five Streams Barbarians will be protected by the King of Hanzhong and I."

Shamoke stared at the open space, remaining silent for a long time. The surrounding barbarian soldiers gradually quieted down, and hundreds of eyes focused on him.

Finally, he slowly nodded and hissed at Liu Feng, "Liu Feng! What do you say we do? Are we just going to let the blood feud of Wuxi go unpunished?!"

Liu Feng gritted his teeth and said, "Of course we must avenge them! We must make Eastern Wu pay for their blood debt! But we must plan carefully and not fall into Eastern Wu's trap! Commander, if you trust Liu Feng, then let us go into the mountains with you to seek revenge against Eastern Wu!"

Shamoke nodded heavily, then turned and roared at the barbarian soldiers behind him, "Leave two thousand tribesmen to guard the city, and rebuild the stockade there!"

Shamoke pointed to a large open space by the Yuan River, then looked at Liu Feng and hissed, "The rest of the troops, intercept and kill Wu soldiers along the way, and seize back the women and valuables!" The barbarian soldiers roared in unison, as if a torrent had found an outlet.

Liu Feng immediately ordered: Guan Ping to lead 1,000 soldiers from Wancheng and more than 1,000 surrendered soldiers from Yuanling to stay and defend the city, while he himself joined forces with Sha Moke and led 3,000 elite troops and 8,000 barbarian soldiers to advance rapidly westward.

Tens of thousands of soldiers poured out of the gates of Yuanling City in the dawn light, the sound of hooves shaking both banks of the Yuan River. Zhaoye Jade Lion Horse led the way, followed by Liu Feng's iron cavalry of the Fengzi Battalion, and then Sha Moke's eight thousand barbarian youths with flames of revenge burning in their eyes. Like a surging, angry wave, they swept towards the Eastern Wu's army, which was laden with plundered wealth and prisoners.