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

At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), torches illuminated the city of Runan.

At the city gate, Sun Qian paced anxiously back and forth with his hands behind his back.

Sometimes he would glance out the gate, and sometimes he would lower his head in deep thought.

"Clatter-clatter~ clatter-clatter~ clatter-clatter" Finally, a rapid sound of hooves came, and a dozen riders gradually appeared.

Sun Qian hurriedly went to meet him. The burly man at the front dismounted, threw his weapon to the man next to him, and jogged towards Sun Qian.

"Mr. Sun Qian! Mr. Sun Qian!" This roar echoed repeatedly at the city gate, deafeningly loud.

"Yide!"

The two met and held each other's hands tightly, their eyes glistening with tears of emotion.

"It's been over a month since we parted in Xuzhou... I never imagined we'd meet here!" Sun Qian said, choking back tears.

Zhang Fei, his face also flushed, said in a deep voice, "Me too!"

Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao, Liu Pi, Gong Du and others who were following behind were also quite moved when they saw this.

Liu Pi glanced at Gong Du and sighed, "As expected, there are many men of true character under the Imperial Uncle's command. We only regret that we did not meet you all sooner!"

Gong Du nodded, and the group walked and talked.

"Why are you here, sir?" Zhang Fei asked, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Alas, since we parted in Xuzhou, I have been wandering aimlessly. Fortunately, General Liu Pi has taken me in, and I can finally settle down here." As he spoke, Sun Qian turned back and gave Liu Pi a grateful glance.

Zhang Fei also turned around and bowed deeply to Liu Pi.

"I knew about this great victory at noon, so why did it take you so long to return?" Sun Qian asked curiously.

"Blame this fellow," Zhang Fei said, pointing to Pei Yuanshao, who was carrying a spear, standing to the side.

"Oh? And who is this?" Sun Qian then noticed that there was a burly man carrying weapons next to Zhang Fei.

Pei Yuanshao grinned, slammed his spear on the ground, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "I am Pei Yuanshao. I was originally in the Yellow Turban Army with my elder brother Zhou Cang. Later, we became outlaws, but General Zhang took us in. Now I am General Zhang's personal guard!"

Sun Qian stroked his beard and nodded, while Liu Pi and Gong exchanged glances and nodded in return.

Liu and Gong were not actually firm in their stance. Although they had long heard of Liu Huangshu's reputation, they were always concerned about their Yellow Turban identity and feared that they would not be accepted. Therefore, although they often expressed their stance to Sun Qian, their actions were actually to observe back and forth between Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shao, waiting for the best offer.

Although they haven't met Liu Bei in person yet, seeing how Sun Qian and Zhang Fei readily accept Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao, and other remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and treat them like family, the two are gradually solidifying their choice.

"Why did Yide say that the delay was all General Pei's fault?" Sun Qian returned to the topic.

Seeing that Pei Yuanshao remained silent, Zhou Cang spoke up: "Since we have all come out, the Third General may find it inappropriate, so we have arranged for him to lead more than two hundred men to temporarily guard the ancient city."

"Who knew that this fellow also brought his men out yesterday, and today he happened to run into Cao Cao's army in a rout. Perhaps he had been staying in the mountains for too long, because he took his men and went to loot horses and armor. If we hadn't run into him while chasing Cao Cao's army, he probably would have chased us all the way to Xuchang."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"I had heard that Cao Cao's army was powerful, and I thought I might be able to help, but who would have thought... alas."

Sun Qian laughed when he saw Pei Yuanshao's face turn red and he looked unhappy.

Back at the mansion, a celebratory feast had already been prepared, but Liu Pi and Gong Du did not take their seats. Instead, they respectfully invited Zhang Fei to sit in the main seat.

Zhang Fei asked, puzzled, "Gentlemen, why is this?"

Liu Pi said solemnly, "Since the fall of the Yellow Turbans, we have not found a good master and have been living in fear in Runan City. We have long heard that Liu Huangshu's benevolence and righteousness are known throughout the world, but we have been unable to meet him."

"After witnessing the general's unparalleled bravery in today's battle, we are even more convinced of his superiority and are willing to offer this city to the Imperial Uncle and serve him with utmost loyalty."

Gong Du continued, "General Zhang, being a trusted advisor to the Imperial Uncle, should rightfully take the seat of honor!"

After they finished speaking, they clasped their hands in a fist and bowed, then knelt down and kowtowed.

"In that case, I'll accept on behalf of my elder brother. Please rise, both of you!"

Zhang Fei quickly helped the two up, then stopped refusing and headed for the main seat.

"Please!" "Please!" Then everyone took their seats.

"Sir, my elder brother is currently with Yuan Shao. I intend to go to Hebei to find him. Do you have any good advice?" Zhang Fei asked Sun Qian after finishing a swig of wine.

Sun Qian put down his wine cup, stroked his beard, and said, "General, do not be anxious. With our lord's benevolence, Yuan Shao will not dare to harm him. However, there are many strategists in Yuan's army who are vying for power and profit. If you go now, I fear you will be resented."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei jumped up: "They won't let me go to this place, they won't let me go to that place! Ugh! I'm so angry!"

Sun Qian also stood up and said, "Yide, do not worry. I will set off for Hebei tomorrow. When I see the lord, I will make arrangements."

"Furthermore, Cao Hong suffered a major defeat this time, and with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao about to engage in a major battle, this place is undoubtedly a thorn in Cao Cao's side. He will surely send troops to attack this city again. We still need the three generals to stay here and not act rashly! This matter also depends on you generals!"

After speaking, Sun Qian bowed deeply to everyone before sitting down.

Zhou Cang heard it clearly and was quite excited.

Although Mr. Sun Qian is not good at fighting, his analysis of the current situation is incisive and hits the nail on the head, which is admirable!

According to the plot of the book, the next person to come to Runan to quell the rebellion will be General Guan. Let's just wait here as Mr. Sun Qian suggested!

Zhang Fei pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Sir, your thinking is indeed very thoughtful!"

"Come on, let's drink!"

"Pei Yuanshao, you shall punish yourself with three cups of wine!"

"Hahahaha!"

The mansion was filled with laughter and joy once again.

Two days later, a victory celebration banquet was also held at the Prime Minister's residence in Xudu.

Guan Yu, the Marquis of Hanshou, killed Wen Chou, a general of Yuan Shao, at Yanjin. Cao Cao was overjoyed and held a banquet for his officials to celebrate Guan Yu's victory.

The man in the hall was seven feet tall, with narrow eyes and a long beard. He wore a golden crown, a long robe and a wide belt, and a red silk robe. He was none other than Cao Cao, who held the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords.

"Yun Chang has once again achieved great merit, congratulations!" Cao Cao personally raised his cup, beaming with joy.

The officials raised their glasses in agreement, and the hall was filled with praise.

Marquis of Hanshou, Guan Yu, sat in the chief seat, his face as red as a jujube, never smiling. He raised his wine cup and nodded slightly in Cao Cao's direction, saying, "To serve the court and repay the Prime Minister's kindness." He then slowly drank the wine in his cup, showing no joy.

Cao Cao was not annoyed by this, and still sat down with a smile, gesturing for everyone to drink heartily.

Suddenly a servant rushed into the hall and whispered a few words in Cao Cao's ear.

Cao Cao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He glanced at Guan Yu, then his expression returned to normal. He simply nodded, and the servant quietly withdrew.

A moment later, Cao Cao used the excuse of changing his clothes to leave the table.

Seeing this, Guan Yu suspected that Cao Cao had news of his elder brother, but since it was inconvenient for him to follow up and ask, he drank alone.

"With the war fought like this, how can you possibly face coming back?"

As soon as Cao Cao entered the side hall, he flew into a rage at Cao Hong, who was kneeling on the ground, his armor tattered and his appearance disheveled.

Cao Hong didn't raise his head, but bowed and said, "This humble general is incompetent; please punish me, Prime Minister!"

"When we set out on the expedition, who boasted to me that the mere Yellow Turbans were nothing to worry about?"

Cao Cao made no attempt to hide his anger in front of his cousin.

As they were cursing, a tall, fair-skinned, slender, and handsome scholar walked in and quietly watched from the side.

After Cao Cao finished venting his anger, the scholar said, "My lord, please calm down. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. In my opinion, Liu Pi and Gong Du are ultimately not brave enough and lack strategy. Their strength is very weak. It is impossible for these two to have caused such a great defeat. Why don't you ask Zilian to tell me about the course of this battle?"

"Fengxiao has spoken, get up." Cao Cao said irritably, and after Cao Hong got up, he glared at him fiercely.

At this time, strategists such as Xun Yu and Cheng Yu also entered the hall one after another and stood aside.

Upon hearing this, Cao Hong lowered his head and stood up, then recounted in detail how he had first encountered spies spying on his military intelligence, how he was suddenly ambushed from behind by Zhang Fei during the siege, and how the city was surrounded and defeated due to a coordinated attack from both inside and outside.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao frowned slightly, paced back and forth in deep thought, and remained silent.

Guan Yu once told him, "Zhang Yide can take the head of a general from a million-strong army as easily as taking something out of a bag."

To remember this person, Zhang Fei still had his name written on the hem of his robe. He never expected to meet him so soon.

"This is it." Guo Jia stepped forward and looked at Cao Hong, asking, "General, are you sure it's Zhang Fei?"

Cao Hong nodded: "When I first saw this man, I felt that his face was familiar. It was only on the way back that I realized that he was Zhang Fei, Liu Bei's third brother. Liu Bei had seen him twice before when he was in Xuchang."

Upon hearing that it was Zhang Fei, Cheng Yu quickly dismissed his attendants, closed the palace doors, and whispered, "Guan Yu must not know about this."

Cao Cao nodded, then waved to Cao Hong: "You may step down now. You can atone for your mistakes in this battle by performing meritorious service in the future!"

Cao Hong, dragging his tattered armor, retreated hastily and meekly.

Cao Cao then looked around at his advisors and slowly said, "I am about to have a major battle with Yuan Shao, and my troops are all at Guandu. If Liu Bei colludes with the bandits of Runan to take advantage of the situation and attack, I will be attacked from both sides, and Xuchang will be in danger."

"Gentlemen, do you have any good ideas?"

"I have a plan that can relieve your worries, sir!"

The speaker was Cheng Yu.

"Oh? What brilliant plan does Zhongde have?" Cao Cao felt a little relieved when he saw that it was Cheng Yu who spoke.

After all, a cunning strategist like Cheng Yu is known for his ruthless tactics; the only problem is that his schemes are overly aggressive, not ineffective.

"Runan is a small place after all. Zilian's great defeat this time was due to underestimating the enemy. If we send more elite troops and strong generals, we can surely break through quickly. There is nothing to worry about."

Cheng Yu spoke as he walked forward.

"However, Yuan Shao has just suffered a defeat at Yan Jin. How can he let this go? He will definitely send all the troops from Hebei to attack. If you, my lord, send a large army to Runan, the morale of the army will be in chaos, and Shao will surely take advantage of the situation to attack."

Cao Cao nodded slowly: "This is exactly what I'm worried about."

"General Yu Jin has now discovered that Liu Bei is with Yuan Shao. Why don't you borrow Guan Yu's prestige from his consecutive killings of Yuan Shao's generals and send him to guard the Guandu camp? This could also cause the brothers Liu and Guan to turn against each other."

"I will send men to spread rumors in Yuan Shao's army, hoping to take advantage of Shao's lack of strategy and eliminate this great threat to Liu Bei."

Cheng Yu stopped, bowed deeply to Cao Cao, and continued, "In this way, we can kill two birds with one stone. Why should you worry about being attacked from both sides, my lord?"

Cao Cao turned his back, stroking his beard in thought, then suddenly turned around and said, "I also have this idea, but if we send Guan Yu into battle again this time, and Yuan Shao doesn't kill Liu Bei but instead makes him recognize him on the battlefield, I fear Guan Yu might defect on the spot!"

"This is not difficult; I already have a plan." Cheng Yu straightened his back, raised his head, and continued, "In Xuchang today, does Your Excellency know who Yun Chang admires most?"

"Hmm?" Cao Cao found the question quite interesting.

It definitely wasn't him, even though he really hoped it was.

"Could it be the current emperor?" Cao Cao asked, frowning.

"No, no!" Cheng Yu shook his head, and everyone perked up, staring at him intently.

"The person Guan Yu most admired was..."