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

Zhou Cang and his companions led Xu's mother back out of the city through the west gate.

Upon reaching the city gate, the same gatekeepers who had whipped Zhou Cang and his companion the day before stood there.

"What brings you out of the city? Is it related to the Imperial Examination Hall?" The gatekeeper looked at Zhou Cang with a hint of impatience.

Zhou Cang ignored him, took his horse, and continued walking forward.

"I'm asking you a question!" When the gatekeeper saw that Zhou Cang didn't answer, he stepped forward and grabbed Zhou Cang's horse reins.

"Crack!" A loud crack of the whip!

Zhou Cang lashed his horsewhip at the gatekeeper, shouting, "My Zhong family is out hunting; how dare you, a lowly servant, obstruct us!"

The gatekeeper was stunned by the whip and stood there without reacting.

Seeing this, Zhou Cang lashed the gatekeeper's arm with his whip again, cursing, "You scoundrel, get out of the way!"

Just then, the city gate official passed by. Upon seeing Zhou Cang and his men's attire and hearing them scolding and beating the gatekeepers, he hurriedly stepped forward and kowtowed.

"Excuse me! Please come in, sir!" he said, while pulling the gatekeeper, who had been beaten senseless, aside and making him kowtow on the ground.

Seeing this, none of the other gatekeepers or the farmers queuing to enter the city dared to block the way.

The farmers pushed and shoved each other, all afraid of being whipped, and quickly made way for Zhou Cang and the others, clearing a wide path.

"Hmph!" Zhou Cang sneered and spurred his horse through the city gate.

The companion who had been whipped yesterday was secretly delighted to see that Zhou Cang had actually gotten his revenge today.

The only regret was that the city gate official knelt down too quickly, otherwise I could have gone up and slapped him a couple more times to vent my anger.

"General, those two whip strikes were truly excellent!" Once they were far from the city gate, his companions specially rode up to praise Zhou Cang.

"Judging from the farmers here, they must have been whipped by him quite often. This kind of bullying scoundrel should be taught a lesson," Zhou Cang said with a smile.

After leaving the city and turning onto a side road, they saw the men and horses they had left behind the day before.

Zhou Cang and the others then asked the Xu family servants to mount their horses and quickened their pace to head south.

After traveling about five miles, they finally saw Xu Shu, Zhao Yun, and a dozen soldiers carrying torches.

"Mother! Your unfilial son is late! I have frightened you!" Xu Shu knelt down and kowtowed as soon as he saw his mother's carriage.

"You..." Xu's mother peeked out and looked at Xu Shu, who was kowtowing on the ground. She wanted to scold him, but then she remembered what Zhou Cang had said yesterday, so she held back.

Taking advantage of the moment when the mother and son recognized each other, Zhou Cang and the others quickly put on their armor and prepared for any eventuality.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from a distance behind them.

"This is not the place to talk, Zilong. You should quickly escort the carriages back first, and I will cover the rear," Zhou Cang shouted to Zhao Yun.

"Don't panic." Xu Shu waved his hand, signaling not to act for the time being.

After listening carefully to the sound of horses' hooves, he said, "I would trouble Zilong to take my mother back to the camp first. Yuanfu and I will arrive shortly."

Zhao Yun accepted the order and led the group away in a hurry.

Xu Shu and Zhou Cang were left standing in the middle of the road, quietly waiting for the pursuers to arrive.

"Whoa—!" Cheng Yu was chasing after the two riders when he suddenly saw them standing in the middle of the road ahead. He quickly reined in his horse and slowed down.

"Lord Zhongde, it's been a long time! How have you been?" Xu Shu bowed to Cheng Yu, who looked astonished.

"Yuanzhi...it really is you!" Cheng Yu stammered.

"Why are you here instead of at Guandu, where you are devising a plan to defeat Yuan Shao for Cao Cao?" Xu Shu asked with a smile.

"Well, I just happened to hear that Yuanzhi was assisting Liu Bei, and I was passing by when I decided to visit your mother. However, she was nowhere to be found. I fear that your mother has been murdered by thieves, so I came to look for her." Cheng Yu had calmed down.

"Hahaha, Cheng Zhongde, how dare you say such a thing? You've come here today only to kidnap my mother as bait and trap me in a state of disloyalty and injustice." Xu Shu laughed loudly before exposing Cheng Yu's lies.

Cheng Yu was not annoyed and listened quietly as Xu Shu continued.

"With my mother still alive, it is the utmost filial piety for a son. Instead of helping me fulfill my duty of filial piety, you are plotting against me with such a despicable scheme, like those that even dogs and pigs would refuse to eat. Cheng Zhongde, you have truly wasted your education in the classics!"

Xu Shu became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and he began to hurl insults at Cheng Yu.

After Xu Shu finished cursing, Cheng Yu calmly said, "Yuanzhi is indeed a very filial person, but it's a pity that he couldn't be both loyal and filial."

Xu Shu looked coldly at Cheng Yu and asked, "I am a dullard, please enlighten me."

Cheng Yu spurred his horse forward two steps and said, "Now the Han Dynasty is in decline, and the people are suffering. The Prime Minister has deployed his military forces in all directions, conquering the east and the west, suppressing the wicked and eliminating the treacherous, and supporting the Emperor to command the disobedient."

"Tell me, throughout the entire land, how many men are as loyal and devoted as the Prime Minister?"

"Yuanzhi possessed the talent to govern the world, but he did not consider the great righteousness of being loyal to the emperor and serving the country, nor did he assist the prime minister in pacifying the world and being loyal to the emperor."

"Yet he submits to Liu Bei, who falsely claims to be the Imperial Uncle, is utterly untrustworthy, a gentleman on the outside but a villain on the inside. Is this not disloyalty?"

After Cheng Yu finished speaking, he looked straight at Xu Shu.

Zhou Cang almost burst out laughing behind Xu Shu.

Could Cheng Yu really believe Cao Cao was a loyal minister? Did he even believe it himself?

Furthermore, would Cheng Yu really try to persuade the strategist to surrender with such nonsensical reasoning?

"My lord Liu Xuande spreads benevolence throughout the land and is a hero of our time. Moreover, the emperor has entrusted a blood edict to him to make a clear decree."

"Cao Cao claimed to be the Chancellor of Han, but in reality he was a traitor to Han. Since you disregard your reputation after death and willingly serve the traitor, how can you presume to talk about loyalty and righteousness?"

Xu Shu responded coldly to Cheng Yu.

"Xu Yuanzhi, Liu Bei is like a drifting duckweed, how can we rely on him for long..." Cheng Yu wanted to persuade him again.

"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. You serve traitors to the Han, while I am a Han subject. How can I associate with you?! If you say any more, this sword will recognize an old friend."

As Xu Shu spoke, he drew his sword halfway out, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he looked at Cheng Yu. Seeing this, Zhou Cang behind him also drew his sword horizontally, ready to fight to the death.

Seeing that Cheng Yu did not respond, Xu Shu turned his horse around: "Yuanfu, let's go!"

"Hmph!" Zhou Cang glanced at Cheng Yu and the dozen or so officials around him, snorted coldly, and spurred his horse to catch up with Xu Shu.

"Sir, why don't we give chase?" A constable stepped forward and asked when he saw that Cheng Yu had no reaction.

"Xu Shu's swordsmanship is superb, and the general beside him is no ordinary man either. Their composure must be due to their preparedness, so we must not act rashly," Cheng Yu explained helplessly, watching the two figures disappear into the distance.

Xu Shu and Zhou Cang ran for several miles and caught up with Zhao Yun and the others. The group dared not delay and returned to the camp in Yan County overnight.

The carriage bumped along the way, and by the time it returned to Yan County via a side road, a full day and night had passed.

Upon returning to the main camp, Xu Shu led his mother to pay respects to their lord, Liu Bei, and the two exchanged pleasantries.

The front lines were dangerous, so Liu Bei personally wrote a letter to Gong Du and sent men to escort him, along with Xu Shu's family, back to Runan to settle down.

Having resolved his biggest worry, Xu Shu finally calmed down and spent the night copying maps and organizing his thoughts.

Early the next morning, Xu Shu and Liu Bei held a military assembly together, preparing to plan two major tasks: attacking Yan County and capturing Wan City.

Suddenly someone came to report that a messenger had arrived from Hebei.

"Mr. Chen Zhen, the army's grain transport has been intercepted and burned by Xu Huang. Our lord requests your immediate return to Guandu to discuss the matter!"

"What?!" Chen Zhen stood up in surprise.

The military food transport route was from Wuchao to Guandu, both north of the river, which should have been a safe route.

How could Guandu be attacked and burned by Cao Cao's troops south of the river? Could something terrible have happened at Guandu?

If this road can be breached, then what about Wuchao, this grain storage place...?

Chen Zhen dared not think too much about it, hurriedly bid farewell to Liu Bei and the others, and followed the messenger back to Guandu at top speed.

Please, whatever you do, don't let anything happen to Wuchao!