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

How did Cao Cao's army end up here?

Zhou Cang then remembered that when Guan Yu subdued him in the book, the locals told him that Zhang Fei had occupied the ancient city several months earlier... and the person he had encountered on the way was Zhang Fei, who hadn't even entered the ancient city yet.

So this Cao army might be the Second Prince who came to Runan to quell the rebellion, or it might be... Cao Hong who came to quell the rebellion earlier but failed?

With this in mind, Zhou Cang decided to take a risk and get a closer look at which army it was.

To avoid revealing his whereabouts, he abandoned his horse and walked slowly down the winding mountain path, concealing himself with the dense bushes. When he was less than two hundred paces away from Cao's army, he finally saw the words on the deputy flag: "Cao Hong, Marquis of Guoming Pavilion"!

Just as Zhou Cang was about to turn back, he suddenly heard the sound of approaching hooves coming from directly in front of Cao Cao's army and behind him. He then shouted loudly!

"There's a spy!"

It turned out that two scouts from Cao Cao's camp were about to return to camp to report, and one of them, with sharp eyes, spotted Zhou Cang lying in ambush halfway up the mountain!

At this shout, the first dozen or so riders of Cao's army charged forward on horseback, spears in hand.

Oh no! We've run into a regular army. My life is the most important thing!

At this moment, Zhou Cang could no longer care about anything else. He abandoned his horse, turned around along the mountain path, and ran away as fast as he could!

The wind whistled in his ears. As Zhou Cang ran, he felt the wind beneath his feet and his steps became lighter and lighter. He finally remembered that he had always heard in his previous life that Zhou Cang had hair on the soles of his feet and that his running speed was comparable to Red Hare!

Is this the speed of a normal person? This stride frequency is so fast that Zhou Cang looked down and saw afterimages of his own legs...

When they stopped to catch their breath and looked back, there was no sign of Cao Cao's army.

After confirming that there was no tail, Zhou Cang took a shortcut back to Pei Yuanshao.

"Cao's army?" Pei Yuanshao's eyes widened, and the people behind him panicked upon hearing this.

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion weakened and they retreated to the mountains, these people had never seen a regular army again.

Runan Commandery is located in the heart of Yuzhou, but it is like a no-man's-land. Cao Cao in the north has been dealing with Yuan Shao recently, and Liu Biao in the south has been focusing his attention on Jiangdong. They usually just rob merchants and gentry from the nearby counties, and at most they fight with the county soldiers. For these few hundred people, the name of Cao Cao's army is still very intimidating.

"Judging from their movements, they must be heading to Runan."

Zhou Cang scratched his beard, looking at the slightly panicked crowd.

"Let's go to the ancient city first and meet with General Zhang to discuss this further."

After listening, everyone nodded and set off again, speeding up their journey toward the ancient city.

The ancient city was bustling with activity. Zhang Fei was watching as the county officials opened the granaries and distributed grain to the people, while he also ordered the county constable to register soldiers for recruitment right next to the granaries.

Seeing Zhou Cang return from afar, accompanied by a burly man with a stern face, he stepped forward, whip in hand.

Zhou Cang was also a little nervous. Pei Yuanshao remained silent the whole way, his expression solemn, and it was unclear what he was thinking. However, he kept squeezing towards Zhou Cang's side as they walked, making Zhou Cang very uncomfortable.

"This is the General Zhang Fei I told you about. Don't forget what I told you!" Zhou Cang whispered to Pei Yuanshao beside him.

"I, Pei Yuanshao, have long admired General Zhang's name! If the general does not despise me and accepts me as a soldier, I am willing to hold the whip and stirrup, and carry the spear for the general, even at the cost of my life!"

Before Zhang Fei could get close, Pei Yuanshao shouted a few words and bowed deeply to Zhang Fei, making three loud thuds that startled Zhou Cang, who was standing nearby.

I haven't even seen Guan Yu yet, and he's already bowing to Zhang Fei?

He even stole my lines!

She always looks miserable, and she never even consults me about it; how could she have such ulterior motives...

I even want to ask Pei Yuanshao if he also has some kind of stat panel, and where he got the courage to carry the spear for Master Zhang.

"Get up." Zhang Fei glanced at Pei Yuanshao, but did not agree directly. He then glared at Zhou Cang, thinking that this fellow must have said something.

Pei Yuanshao quickly stood up, bowed his head, and kowtowed to Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei sized him up. Although Pei Yuanshao was not good-looking, he had a broad frame and strong muscles, which made him look powerful.

Zhou Cang quickly bowed and said, "General Zhang, please don't be offended. My brother Pei Yuanshao is a reckless man, full of courage but lacking in strategy, but he understands the meaning of loyalty and righteousness. I hope the general will take him in as a loyal servant!"

Zhang Fei glared at Zhou Cang again: "So what if I'm a brute? Are you insulting me, buddy!"

Zhou Cang waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no!"

These two are indeed a good match. If they really became master and servant, each more reckless than the other, I wonder what kind of legendary story they would create. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

Zhang Fei's voice interrupted Zhou Cang's daydreaming: "Alright, Pei Yuanshao, from now on you will carry my spear and stay by my side at all times. Wherever I go, you will go! If you neglect your duty, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After Zhang Fei finished speaking, he pointed to the eighteen-foot spear standing not far away.

Pei Yuanshao was overjoyed upon hearing this and kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude. He then got up, walked to the spear, grabbed it, and carried it on his shoulder. Standing next to Zhang Fei, his already intimidating appearance, coupled with his angry glare, made him look like a guardian Arhat.

The onlookers, both civilians and soldiers, all turned to look and whispered among themselves.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Fei laughed heartily and led Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao back to the county government office.

On the mountain road over there, two scouts and a dozen Cao army cavalrymen had already returned to the front of the army.

One of the men dismounted and knelt before the general at the head of the army, calling out, "My lord!"

The leading general, wearing a steel helmet, was burly and broad-shouldered, clad in a red robe, and wielding a heavy iron sword. His face was full of menacing features. He reined in his horse, glanced at the scouts, and coldly asked, "They got away?"

The speaker was Cao Hong, Cao Zilian, Cao Cao's cousin and later the General of the Cavalry of Cao Wei.

"Uh...we are incompetent..." The scout dared not look up, but answered with a forced smile.

"You men on horseback can't even keep up with someone on foot?" Cao Hong was somewhat speechless.

"This man's speed is indeed remarkable. I wonder where he came from..." The scouts were indeed wronged. They had never seen a man like this, who was said to be able to race against Red Hare.

"Enough. Where lies ahead?"

"My lord, there is a fork in the road five li ahead. Thirty li to the west is a county town called Gucheng, and seventy li to the east is Runan."

"Issue my order: the entire army must march at full speed! We will set up camp and rest upon reaching Runan!"

After Cao Hong finished speaking, he waved his hand to signal the scouts to leave, and continued forward expressionlessly.

At this time, Xuchang was shrouded in the shadow of war with Yuan Shao. Not only were the soldiers in a state of panic, but the officials in the city were also restless, and there were quite a few who colluded with Yuan Shao.

He had originally planned to go to the front lines to make a name for himself, but he was unexpectedly sent to Runan, a remote area, to suppress the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. This might be considered a good job for others, but Cao Hong felt very resentful.

What they never expected was that a petty scoundrel, whom even a horseman couldn't catch up with, would appear during the march and openly spy on military intelligence.

At this moment, all he wanted was a quick victory to eliminate the overconfident remnants of the Yellow Turbans in Runan as soon as possible, so that he could return to Xuchang and confront Yuan Shao's army.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered, kicking up a trail of dust.

Inside the ancient county government office, Zhou Cang was reporting his work to Zhang Fei.

"Third General! We have brought the troops from Woniu Mountain with us, and they are all at the drill ground awaiting orders."

"Hmm." Zhang Fei nodded, then asked, "Was the journey smooth?"

"We were just about to inform the general! We encountered Cao Cao's army on their way to Runan!"

As Zhou Cang spoke, he glanced at Pei Yuanshao, and the two of them waited expectantly for Zhang Fei's reaction.

Sure enough, upon hearing of Cao Cao's army, Zhang Fei flew into a rage. His hair and beard bristled, and with a "crack!" he slammed his hand on the table, snapping it in two. He stood up, glaring and roaring, "You traitorous Cao Cao! You two, quickly muster your troops and follow me to attack!"

"Huh?" Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao looked at each other in bewilderment. With the few soldiers they brought, they were only good at robbing people on the road, let alone fighting a real battle.

Seeing Zhang Fei's angry expression, and not daring to dissuade him, the two frowned, unsure how to respond.

Just then, the county magistrate walked in tremblingly: "General Zhang..." He had just opened his mouth when he saw Zhang Fei looking at him angrily, and he was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground.

"What is it?!" Zhang Fei asked the county magistrate loudly, his tone impatient.

"Ah... This humble official has registered all the conscripts in this county and requests the general to review them..." The county magistrate stammered, his voice growing softer as he spoke. These past two days, he had been ordered by Zhang Fei to distribute grain and recruit soldiers, and he had already been whipped twice by Zhang Fei for not doing his job well.

"Oh? How many people were conscripted?" Zhang Fei stared at the county magistrate.

"Reporting to the general, there are a total of 321 people, plus the original 98 county soldiers, making a total of 419 people..." The county magistrate carefully presented the register with both hands.

"Yuanfu, how many men did you bring?" Zhang Fei was clearly dissatisfied with the number 419 and turned to stare at Zhou Cang.

"Reporting to the Third General, a total of 518 people were brought from Woniu Mountain," Zhou Cang replied in a low voice.

How many soldiers did Cao Cao's army send?

"According to my opinion, there are probably four or five thousand people..."

Upon hearing this number, Zhang Fei did not answer. Instead, he paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, occasionally glaring at the county magistrate and Zhou Cang, making everyone feel uneasy and afraid to even breathe.

It's obvious that five or six hundred bandits plus four hundred untrained greenhorns were just there to feed Cao Cao's army.

At this moment, Zhou Cang finally realized how important the strategist was. Now, with just the three of them, burly men, what brilliant plan could they possibly come up with to defeat the enemy with fewer troops?

A surprise attack on the camp? Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were scattered in Xuzhou precisely because they wanted to raid the camp, but Cao Cao's strategists, with their incredible foresight, guessed it and ended up being ambushed…

As Zhou Cang pondered this, he rubbed the folds of his trousers, making a "rustling" sound.

After a moment, Zhang Fei asked again, "How many days will it take to reach Runan?"

The county magistrate, who had been lying on the ground listening, noticed that no one answered Zhang Fei's question and the silence was strange. He cautiously looked up and saw that Zhang Fei, Zhou Cang, and Pei Yuanshao were all staring at him. He was so frightened that he collapsed and replied in a trembling voice, "If we ride at full speed, we can arrive in about a day. If we go on foot, it will take about... three days."

Zhang Fei nodded, then turned to Zhou Cang and asked, "Who is this man from Runan?"

"Reporting to the Third General, I have heard that Liu Pi and Gong Du, originally leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, command several thousand soldiers and have occupied the city. Yuan Shao intends to recruit them to attack Cao Cao!"

"Oh..." Zhang Fei seemed to be deep in thought, then paced back and forth. He walked to the hall, suddenly stopped, took out a command arrow, and threw it on the ground—

"Why worry about so much?! Call in the troops!"