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

After clearing up Zhang Fei's misunderstanding by taking a gamble, Zhou Cang quickly bandaged his wounds. The group then carried the injured soldiers onto their horses, sent two men to Woniu Mountain for treatment, and then led the rest of the group to follow Zhang Fei on their journey.

Zhang Fei remained short-tempered throughout the journey, and Zhou Cang dared not utter a word, thinking to himself, "Why is it that since I transmigrated, there's always someone unhappy by my side..."

After the second awakening of the voice in his mind, Zhou Cang was basically certain that although each injury would result in a loss of stamina depending on the severity of the injury, each injury would also increase his maximum stamina or life points by the same amount. Not only that, it would also temporarily increase his combat power, significantly improving his strength and skills in combat. Although he did not know the specific duration, it was still a pretty good secret in this chaotic world.

As they traveled until noon, withered grass stretched to the horizon on both sides of the desolate road, and crows flew overhead. Zhang Fei suddenly stopped.

After traveling another twenty li or so, they saw a mountain town in the distance. Just then, an old woodcutter passed by, and Zhang Fei reined in his horse and asked, "Hey! Old man, what is that mountain town ahead?"

"Reporting to the general, that is a county town called Gucheng." The old woodcutter, seeing the group's posture, dared not be negligent.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Cang perked up, as if it matched the plot of the book.

"Oh? I didn't know there were many soldiers in this ancient city?" Zhang Fei suddenly thought that since they parted ways in Xuzhou, he had been traveling all the way with no certainty of his fate, so he started to think about the ancient city.

"General, I truly know nothing of the matter concerning troops," the old woodcutter said, rising shakily to leave. Then, as if remembering something, he turned back, looked up at Zhang Fei, and said, "Oh… there must be very few troops left! Cao Cao is fighting Yuan Shao, and all the able-bodied men in the county have been conscripted to Guandu!"

"Very good...very good!" Zhang Fei nodded upon hearing this, glanced at Zhou Cang, and Zhou Cang understood. The group then whipped their horses and charged towards the ancient city.

As you approach the ancient city, more and more villages appear.

The cold wind was fierce, and along the way one could see occasional refugees in tattered clothes begging on the road. The fields were barren, the villages were dilapidated, and many showed signs of burning. Hungry dogs were gnawing on withered grass, a desolate scene.

Having been a time traveler and accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city, Zhou Cang couldn't help but feel melancholy upon seeing such a desolate scene around him, and unknowingly fell behind the group.

Overwhelmed with mixed emotions, a loud roar suddenly came from ahead—

Where is Zhou Cang?

Hearing Zhang Fei's roar, Zhou Cang quickly spurred his horse forward, shouting, "Your subordinate is here!"

"How do we take this city?" Zhang Fei turned around and squinted at Zhou Cang.

Following the direction of the whip, Zhou Cang could vaguely see the outline of the county town.

"General Zhang, why don't we pretend to be Cao Cao's troops coming to borrow grain after suppressing bandits, and then lure them into the city?"

Zhou Cang recalled the plot of the book.

How did you take this city? In the novel, you, Master Zhang, went to borrow grain, but the county magistrate refused, so you drove him away and occupied the city…

Zhang Fei nodded: "That's what I thought too."

Can they be different?

Having devised a plan, the group rode forward and soon arrived outside the ancient city. Few people were coming and going, and the few old, weak, and disabled soldiers at the city gate looked lifeless.

Zhou Cang followed Zhang Fei forward and shouted from horseback, "We are here on orders from the prefecture to suppress bandits and have come to borrow grain. Make way at once!"

Seeing the two men's terrifying appearance, the gatekeeper dared not stop them and hurriedly tried to let them pass.

Suddenly a voice came from the watchtower: "This man is a Yellow Turban rebel! Do not let him pass!"

Looking up, he saw the city gate official. It turned out that the city gate official was originally a county soldier who had once gone to Woniu Mountain to suppress bandits, so he recognized Zhou Cang. He had become suspicious because he saw that Zhou Cang looked similar from a distance. Only when Zhou Cang called the gate did he confirm that there was no doubt about it.

It really is different!

Zhou Cang was shocked; he had actually been recognized!

Before Zhang Fei and Zhou Cang could react, the gatekeeper shouted again, "Close the gates immediately!"

In an instant, the drums on the city wall sounded loudly, followed by a sparse volley of arrows being shot down.

Upon realizing his identity had been exposed, Zhou Cang disregarded his shoulder injury and spurred his horse forward, braving a hail of arrows, towards the gate that was about to close.

The ancient city was just a small county town, with no moat. In just a few steps, Zhou Cang rushed up to it and cut down a slow-moving gatekeeper with a single stroke.

Just as the city gate was about to close with a creak, Zhou Cang pulled hard on the reins, causing his warhorse to rear up. He then rolled off the horse and rushed forward in a single stride.

Six or seven soldiers behind the city gate were frantically trying to push it open when Zhou Cang took a horse stance, braced himself, and used his arms to forcefully hold the heavy city gate in place.

As the saying goes: "With fists raging, the gate of a thousand pounds is opened; it seems as if a giant spirit has descended to the mortal world."

Seeing the number of soldiers increasing behind the door, Zhou Cang gritted his teeth and shouted, "General Zhang, help me!"

"Here I come!" Zhang Fei roared, dismounted, brandished his spear, and charged forward. He thrust wildly through the gap that Zhou Cang was blocking, knocking down several people in the process.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Zhou Cang focused his energy into his dantian, his muscles tensed, and his veins bulged like earthworms. He exerted his strength and managed to push open the heavy door by himself, the hinges creaking loudly.

The crowd swarmed in, drew their swords and began to slash. The county magistrate, who had no intention of dying, scattered like birds and beasts.

Zhou Cang strode up the city wall and kicked over the drum stand. The city gate official, seeing the situation was bad, tried to escape, but Zhou Cang rushed forward and swung his steel knife, striking him squarely on the back of the neck, killing him instantly.

With such a meager salary, why risk your life?

When Zhang Zhou and his men stormed the county government office, the magistrate had already fled in terror, leaving without even taking his official seal.

After arresting the county magistrate and registrar, posting notices to reassure the people, and gathering up the remaining forces in the county, everyone was busy until late afternoon before they could finally rest.

After this experience, Zhang Fei looked at Zhou Cang with a more affectionate gaze.

That evening, the two drank together in the main hall of the county government office.

"Brother Zhou Cang, I still don't know your courtesy name?"

Zhang Fei put down the half-empty wine jar, his face flushed, and squinted at Zhou Cang, asking a question.

Zhou Cang was also slightly tipsy, recalling the information from the modern world.

Neither in my mind nor in books does he have a courtesy name, though some information about it appears in later plays...

"Third General! My name is Yuanfu," Zhou Cang said, bowing.

"Very good, very good. Yuanfu is very skilled, why did you follow the Yellow Turbans to rebel?" Zhang Fei asked as he took another big gulp of wine.

"Third General, to my shame, I came from a poor family and made a living by manual labor. When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the people in the county suffered from the salt tyrant hoarding and deceiving the market. I traveled back and forth day and night to smuggle salt, so I gathered some men and killed the salt tyrant."

Zhou Cang paused for a moment, then continued recounting the unofficial historical anecdotes he had read online in his previous life.

"That Earth God General Zhang Bao somehow learned of this matter and invited me to join his gang, which led me astray..."

It's not fair to blame Zhou Cang for making things up; the original owner simply couldn't find these distant memories in his own.

"It was out of necessity to rid the people of this scourge, so be it..."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhang Fei, in his drunken state, thought of Guan Yu, who had "betrayed his promise" and surrendered to Cao Cao. He recalled how Guan Yu had killed a local bully and wandered the world before finally meeting his sworn brother and himself. Zhang Fei couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"Brother Yuanfu, I heard that my elder brother is currently with Yuan Shao and intends to seek him out. Do you have any good ideas?" Zhang Fei stared at Zhou Cang.

Zhou Cang stopped picking up the wine.

I accidentally mentioned General Guan's affairs during the day, which angered him...

Moreover, if he hadn't read the script, he probably wouldn't be able to explain the truth about General Guan at this point.

If I were to follow my own ideas and suggest going to find General Guan first, wouldn't I get another beating from him?

I can't find a reasonable explanation for the Imperial Uncle's trip to Runan...

"Third General, the Imperial Uncle's benevolent reputation is known throughout the land. Yuan Shao will certainly not dare to harm him. I think we should recruit soldiers and horses in this city as a place to settle down. It will not be too late to go and find the Imperial Uncle when our troops are strong enough."

As he spoke, Zhou Cang put down his wine bowl and continued, "I have a brother named Pei Yuanshao at Woniu Mountain outside the city. There are still five or six hundred men in the mountain, all of whom are Yellow Turban brothers who had no choice but to become outlaws."

"Oh?" Zhang Fei nodded drunkenly, signaling Zhou Cang to continue.

"If the general does not despise me, I will go to Woniu Mountain tomorrow and bring all my brothers here to serve you!" Zhou Cang solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his words barely finished—

"Good, very good!" Zhang Fei interrupted him impatiently, and then took another big gulp of wine.

After several rounds of drinks, Zhang Fei was already snoring loudly.

Zhou Cang, however, sobered up and quietly moved closer to examine the famous Yan man, Zhang Yide.

Suddenly seeing Zhang Fei glaring at him, he jumped back in fright.

"The Third General?" Zhou Cang asked cautiously, and only continued to examine Zhang Fei after seeing that he did not respond.

What a celestial demon descends, a mortal god of calamity!

He drank too much and fell asleep with his eyes wide open, his brows furrowed with a menacing aura. Anyone who saw him would be terrified.

Hiccuping from the alcohol, Zhou Cang returned to his room and quickly took off his clothes and armor to check the blow he had taken during the day.

As expected of Zhang Fei, who could "take the head of a general from among ten thousand men with ease," although he no longer felt pain, there was clearly a hole in his shoulder.

Exhausted from a day of intense work, and with the added effect of alcohol, I fell asleep quickly.

I slept without any dreams.

The next morning, the drums had just ceased, and the sky was still dark.

Zhou Cang bid farewell to Zhang Fei, chose a fast horse, and returned to Woniu Mountain alone from the ancient city.

"Is my brother alright?" Upon seeing Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao was greatly surprised, his eyebrows furrowing into a deep frown as he asked with concern.

The wounded soldiers who were brought back yesterday have all received treatment. After hearing their account of the situation at the time, Pei Yuanshao was very worried about Zhou Cang's condition.

"Don't worry, my dear brother, I'm fine!" Zhou Cang dismounted, went inside to get a drink of water, and then explained his encounter in the ancient city to Pei Yuanshao. Seeing that Pei Yuanshao didn't understand, he went on to tell him stories such as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei's oath of brotherhood in the peach garden, the beating of the inspector, and the three heroes fighting Lü Bu. He imitated the storyteller of his previous life, making it vivid and lifelike, as if he had been there himself. Pei Yuanshao's heroic spirit was immediately roused.

"This matter of whipping the inspector... General Zhang Fei is truly a hero!" Pei Yuanshao said, his eyes shining.

Although it was Liu Bei who did the dirty work in the official history, Zhou Cang thought that since it was a fictional story, he should follow the version in the novel.

"Not only that, I have heard that Liu Bei is a benevolent ruler with the world in his heart, and General Guan is the bravest in the army and righteous to the heavens. How could we not serve such an enlightened ruler!"

Zhou Cang almost blurted out the words "Great Han Succubus".

Pei Yuanshao jumped to his feet, clenching his fist, and said, "Brother! When shall we set off for Gucheng to join General Zhang?"

Zhou Cang also stood up: "I fear that General Zhang may become resentful if this continues, so let's make it clear to the brothers today: those who are unwilling can leave; those who wish to follow can go to the ancient city today!"

"As you say, brother!" Pei Yuanshao said, slamming down the bowl and striding out of the house.

The two immediately gathered the remaining troops and explained their intention to leave. None of the five or six hundred men were unwilling, and they all returned to their villages to pack their belongings.

Not long after taking stock of his men, Zhou Cang ordered his men to set fire to the village and then led his troops toward the ancient city.

Five or six hundred people marched for thirty li in a grand procession. When they reached a hill, they suddenly saw a flock of birds taking flight in the distance, as if an army was passing by.

Zhou Cang waved his hand, signaling to halt the march.

"Brother, please lead the men and wait here while I go and investigate the situation!"

After Zhou Cang finished speaking, he spurred his horse and rode away. After traveling nearly ten miles, he found a secluded hilltop, hid behind a rock, and gazed into the distance.

But on the official road below the mountain, several hundred horsemen were at the forefront, followed by countless infantrymen, their banners obscuring the sun, stretching endlessly.

Zhou Cang strained his eyes to look at the flag, and on the large, drooping banner, there was clearly a large character—

"Cao!"