I, Zhou Cang, am the number one tank in the Three Kingdoms.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Zhao Yun glanced at Zhou Cang, then looked around at the cautious soldiers, unable to discern their origins.

Zhou Cang planted his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) in the ground, bowed, and said, "My name is Zhou Cang, courtesy name Yuanfu. I am currently with General Zhang Fei. I learned of your name from the Third General."

Zhou Cang spoke with a heavy heart...

Who would have thought that Zhao Zilong would actually have to take those three shots!

How could we possibly run into each other by such a twist of fate? It was a dark and windy night... Why did we have to follow behind Cao Cao's scouts?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun was dumbfounded. He threw down his spear, took two steps forward, bowed, and said, "I almost lost my own men! I truly had no idea!"

Zhou Cang looked at Zhao Yun, a helpless wry smile on his face, then looked at his own injuries and waved his hand: "Misunderstanding! It's just a misunderstanding! But what is General Zilong doing here?"

Zhao Yun's expression was solemn, and he said in a low voice, "I'm afraid the general doesn't know, but I originally served under Gongsun Zan. However, Zan was defeated by Yuan Shao and died by self-immolation."

"I wanted to go to Xuzhou to seek refuge with Prefect Liu, but I learned halfway there that Xuzhou had fallen and that Prefect Liu had gone to Yuan Shao. I wanted to go to Hebei, but I heard that Prefect Liu had been imprisoned by Yuan Shao. I had nowhere to go."

"I happened to pass by this place today and saw fires rising from the mountain city in the distance, so I took a side path and sneaked over to investigate."

Zhou Cang nodded: "I see. I also happened to meet the Third General in this vicinity."

The current situation is much more complicated than in the original book. The Imperial Uncle is imprisoned and it is unknown whether Mr. Sun Qian's trip to Jingzhou will go as planned. Guan Yu is isolated from the outside world by Cao Cao, and Cao Cao's army is about to besiege Runan.

Meeting Zhao Zilong at this time is truly rare and good news.

How can an individual possibly change the disadvantage on the battlefield?

Why don't I possess extraordinary talent like those transmigrators in other online novels, capable of changing the world's situation with just a few words from behind the scenes...?

Seeing that Zhou Cang had fallen silent after speaking, Zhao Yun assumed that he was still being blamed and said with a hint of shame, "Brother Yuanfu, I have accidentally injured you. Please forgive me! Zilong apologizes to you!" After saying that, he bowed and clasped his hands in a salute.

Zhou Cang quickly helped Zhao Yun up, saying, "It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about!"

Zhao Yun then raised his head and carefully examined Zhou Cang. He saw that Zhou Cang was still bleeding from several gunshot wounds, but he was standing upright as if he was unharmed. He was shocked and secretly marveled at how strong this man's body was.

"Brother Yuanfu, I wonder where Yide is now?" Zhao Yun felt slightly embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.

"The Third General is still in Runan. Cao Cao's army has invaded this time. We originally wanted to go to Gucheng to get grain, but Cao Cao's army has already captured Gucheng and is causing chaos in the city. We are outnumbered and have no choice but to return to Runan to discuss this matter with the Third General. Alas..." Zhou Cang said, pointing to the direction of Gucheng, which was ablaze with fire, and almost fell into sorrow again.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun guessed what was going on and said, "In that case, I would like to go to Runan with Yuanfu first. Please lead the way, Yuanfu!" After saying this, he turned around, took his spear, and led his horse.

"Okay," Zhou Cang readily agreed, drew his Mo Dao (a type of long sword), and had his men give him a horse. Together with Zhao Yun, they galloped off towards Runan.

When they arrived at the walls of Runan, Zhang Fei was patrolling the city. Seeing Zhou Cang accompanied by a general in white robes, he became suspicious and shouted, "Who is that beside Yuanfu?"

"Yide! I am Zilong!" Zhao Yun pulled on his horse and shouted.

"Oh! Zilong! Hahahaha!" Zhang Fei laughed as he ran down the city wall, grabbed Zhao Yun's hand, and was overjoyed.

Back at his residence, Zhou Cang, not daring to delay military intelligence, gave a detailed account of the situation in the ancient city.

Upon hearing that the entire city had been massacred by Cao Cao's army, Zhang Fei flew into a rage, roaring, "Bring me my weapons and armor! We'll charge in now!"

"Yide, don't act rashly!" Zhao Yun advised, and Zhou Cang, Liu Pi, and others also tried to dissuade him.

Zhang Fei was pulled back by the crowd, so he simply sat down on the ground and started drinking alone.

Liu Pi said, "Cao Hong has breached the ancient city today, and within three days his army will be at our gates. How should we respond?"

Gong Du said, "Cao Cao's army has come from afar and is attacking the city without resting. I expect they will be exhausted by the time they reach Runan. Why not ambush them halfway? Perhaps we can win."

Zhou Cang shook his head: "Last time, Cao Hong was killed and escaped alone. This time, he will definitely be prepared. It might be unwise to send troops rashly."

Zhao Yun also said, "Yuanfu's words make sense."

Soon, silence fell over the hall again.

Zhou Cang thought to himself, "Even having one strategist here would be fine..." His gaze unconsciously drifted to the spot where Mr. Sun Qian had stood during the day.

Map!

Zhou Cang strode up to the map and began to study it carefully.

Although the map was not as good as the navigation maps used in my previous life, the mountains, cities, lakes and rivers were still drawn clearly.

"Generals!" Zhou Cang cleared his throat, and the others all looked at him.

"The strength of Cao Cao's army this time is far greater than before. It is not a good strategy for us to defend this city to the death. Why don't we find some advantageous terrain in the surrounding mountains and rivers?"

After Zhou Cang finished speaking, he pointed to the map, and the sullen crowd immediately perked up.

Although he didn't have any specific strategies, Zhou Cang vaguely remembered that many ancient war cases, whether from historical novels or from his previous life, involved taking advantage of the terrain to turn the tide. Since he lacked the brainpower, he thought he might as well encourage everyone to think in this direction; perhaps there would be unexpected gains.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei found it very reasonable and immediately stood up, joining the others to examine the map closely.

Gong Du and Liu Pi had been operating in Runan for a long time and knew more about it, so they quickly came up with an idea.

Liu Pi slowly traced the location of Runan City northward, and soon stopped on two characters.

Ru River.

Gong Du suddenly realized what was going on and hurriedly explained to everyone, "This river flows from west to east, passing through the north of this city. The current is quite strong; perhaps we could make use of it?"

Zhang Fei glanced at Gong Du and Liu Pi, then at the map, and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. Cao Cao's army is large, and they will surely camp near the water. In that case..."

Liu Pi immediately chimed in: "We will first ambush an army upstream on the Ru River, using earth and stones to build a dam to constrict the water flow. When Cao Cao's army attacks the city, we will release the water to flood them, and their formation will surely be thrown into chaos!"

Following their line of thought, Zhou Cang realized something was still amiss and asked, "But what if the floodwaters spread to the city? What then?"

Gong Du said, "Yuanfu, you may not know this, but precisely because your waters are so powerful, they will inevitably flood during the flood season. Therefore, this city has taken thorough precautions, and there is nothing to worry about!"

Zhao Yun's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Excellent plan! Yide, make the arrangements quickly!"

Zhang Fei scratched his head. This was the first time he had issued orders to select his troops as the commander-in-chief, which was somewhat of a stretch.

After thinking for a while, Zhang Fei pointed at Liu Pi and said, "General Liu, since you are most familiar with this terrain, take a thousand soldiers, bring enough food and supplies, and tomorrow go to the upper reaches of the Ru River to build a dam and divert the flow. Take wood to make rafts, and when Cao Cao's army attacks the city, you can release the water to flood them and then charge in to kill them."

Liu Pi accepted the order.

"General Gong, tomorrow you will also lead a thousand men, select those skilled in naval warfare, build many rafts and bamboo floats, and wait inside the city. After the flood, you will charge out of the city."

Gong Du accepted the order and left.

"The rest... will be discussed when Cao Cao's army arrives."

Zhao Yun and Zhou Cang both accepted the order.

It was almost dawn, and everyone, with red eyes and exhausted bodies, quickly went back to rest.

Zhou Cang lay on the bed, recalling how Zhang Fei had reviewed the generals, which was completely different from what he remembered.

I don't know if it was the defeat at Xuzhou that changed him, or if he was always like this...

Unconsciously, I started to worry about Guan Yu and Liu Bei.

Having fought a fierce battle with Zhao Yun, and exhausted from the back-and-forth journey, Zhou Cang quickly fell asleep.

The next day, the entire city of Runan once again entered a state of pre-battle preparation.

According to the arrangements made last night, Liu Pi led his troops to block the Ru River, Gong Du urgently manufactured various wooden rafts and bamboo rafts, Zhang Fei, Zhou Cang, and Zhao Yun each led their own troops, and Pei Yuanshao was assigned to oversee the grain and military supplies.

"Report—Cao Hong's troops have set up camp ten miles west of the city!"

The speed of Cao Cao's army's advance was beyond everyone's expectations.

"Report—Xiahou Dun's army is less than fifty li away!"

As dusk fell, news of the imminent arrival of Cao Cao's main force made the city of Runan even more tense.

Unlike the last time the city was defended, this time the participation of the people in the city was much higher. Some people took the initiative to donate food to the defending army, some took the initiative to send the men in their families to participate in the city defense, and some even dismantled their own gates and handed them over, saying that they wanted to do their part.

The ancient city is only a hundred miles away from Runan, and the people there frequently travel between them. Therefore, when the news of Cao Cao's army massacring the ancient city reached the people's ears yesterday, the whole city was filled with hatred and feared that it would fall into the hands of Cao Cao's army.

"Report! The vanguard of Xiahou Dun's army has set up camp ten miles north of the city!"

The last military intelligence report of the night alarmed everyone. Only after confirming that there was still a safe distance between Xiahou Dun's camp location and Liu Pi's garrison location did everyone feel relieved.

After nightfall, it started to drizzle.

Zhou Cang was patrolling the city at the South Gate when he heard what sounded like approaching hooves amidst the rain. He immediately signaled his men to be ready to beat the drums as a warning.

Upon seeing that there was only one person and one horse, he braved the rain and shouted, "Who goes there below the city?"

The man raised his hand to shield himself from the rain with his sleeve and shouted, "It's Sun Qian!"

"Mr. Sun Qian is back! Quickly lower the drawbridge! Quickly invite General Zhang Fei to his residence!" Zhou Cang said and hurriedly went down the city wall.

"Mr. Sun Qian! How's it going?" Zhou Cang asked impatiently as soon as he saw Sun Qian.

Sun Qian, wearing a straw raincoat and panting heavily, pointed to his body and nodded.

When the two arrived at the mansion on horseback, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun were already waiting at the gate.

After a brief discussion about the city's defenses, he inquired about the trip to Jingzhou.

Sun Qian wiped the rain off his face and said with a hint of excitement, "After I arrived in Jingzhou, I explained the advantages and disadvantages to Liu Biao, but he originally did not want to help me."

Seeing Sun Qian's disheveled appearance, Zhou Cang quickly handed him a cup of water, which Sun Qian drank in one gulp. He continued, "Fortunately, his strategist, Kuai Yue, a renowned scholar from Xiangyang, persuaded Liu Biao to agree to this matter."

After Sun Qian finished speaking, he took out a small wooden box from his sleeve, opened it, and took out a silk book.

Zhang Fei immediately took it and looked at it.

"Respectfully submitted by General Who Guards the South and Governor of Jingzhou to General Yuan Shao."

I recently heard that Lord Xuande is a guest in your army, and I have a deep respect for you. I have submitted a memorial to you, as we are both descendants of the Han dynasty. Since you received the secret edict, I have sworn to work together to eliminate the traitor. Now, the usurper Cao Cao's power is becoming increasingly evident, and the people are filled with indignation. In order to uphold Lord Yuan's righteousness and continue the alliance against the traitor, I am willing to prepare the troops of Nanyang and send them out of Yecheng as a partial support to jointly restore the Han dynasty.

Fearing unforeseen circumstances due to the long journey, I request that Xuande provide support, so that our troops can arrive in a few days.

However, the east of the Yangtze River is in turmoil, preventing the entire nation from turning north. Yet, the will of the people is clear as day and night. Only you and Xuande can devise a plan.

I bow again.

Zhang Fei tore at the silk scroll and looked at it over and over again several times. Finally, a smile appeared on his face. He carefully put it back into the wooden box and then knelt down in front of Sun Qian!

"Mr. Sun Qian, I entrust my elder brother's life to you!"

"Yide, what's wrong?" Sun Qian hurriedly helped Zhang Fei up, saying, "It's my duty to relieve our lord's worries. There's no time to lose; I'll immediately rush to Yuan Shao's camp in Hebei!"

"The safety of Runan rests in your hands!" Sun Qian said, bowing deeply.

Everyone bowed and paid their respects to Sun Qian.

Sun Qian put away the wooden box, put on his raincoat, and went out and mounted his horse without hesitation.

Just as we were about to drive out of the East Gate, a shout suddenly came from behind us.

"Mr. Sun Qian, please wait a moment!"