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

The journey from Runan to Wancheng was quite long. To avoid attracting too much attention too early, Guan Yu only led a hundred men and traveled lightly, heading east from the Ru River to Shouchun, and then overland through six counties to Wancheng to appease the soldiers and civilians.

After seeing Guan Yu off, Liu Bei and Xu Shu originally planned to take Zhang Xiu and his son, who had just surrendered, to Jingzhou. However, Zhang Xiu refused to go because he had previously allied with Liu Biao but later betrayed the alliance and surrendered to Cao Cao.

Xu Shu then ordered Zhang Xiu to train soldiers in Runan, while he took his son Zhang Quan and Zhou Cang as guards to Jingzhou.

On the one hand, Zhang Quan's humble yet assertive attitude when he surrendered left a deep impression on Liu Bei;

On the other hand, Liu Bei learned from Zhang Xiu that although Zhang Quan was young, he had long held the attitude of not wanting his father to associate with the traitor Cao Cao, which Liu Bei greatly appreciated.

Of course, the most important factor was that Xu Shu was not yet completely at ease with the newly surrendered Zhang Xiu. Therefore, he took the pretext of having many scholars in Jingzhou and Xiangyang who could broaden his horizons to bring Zhang Xiu's beloved son with him, in order to prevent Gong Du, Liu Pi, Jian Yong and others who were left to guard Runan from being unable to control Zhang Xiu.

After all, Xu Shu was very familiar with Jingzhou. The four of them, along with only a dozen or so followers, traveled westward from Runan, taking only small paths. They boarded a boat at Biyang and sailed southwest along the Bi River. In just ten days, they arrived at the city of Jingzhou.

As soon as he stepped off the boat, Zhou Cang could hardly believe his eyes.

Having grown accustomed to the war-torn north, I felt somewhat out of place and even a little moved upon arriving in Jingxiang for the first time.

Honestly, this is just like the scenes I've only ever seen in ancient tourist cities in my past life.

The dock was filled with sails, and merchant ships of all sizes carried Shu brocade, Wu salt, Jingchu rice and even Jiangnan porcelain, loading and unloading goods back and forth. The shouts of porters, the whistles of boatmen and the sounds of bargaining rose and fell.

The small market by the dock alone offers a dazzling array of fresh fish, oranges, pomelos, vegetables, and even all kinds of bamboo, lacquerware, bronzeware, and spices.

The tavern flags fluttered in the breeze, and the aroma of food and wine was so enticing that it almost made one unable to leave.

"I wish the whole world were like this." Just outside the city, looking at the surging crowds, Zhou Cang thought of the ancient city, Runan, and all the desolate scenes he had seen since his transmigration, and muttered to himself.

Liu Bei and Xu Shu heard Zhou Cang's mutterings and turned to look at the burly, dark-skinned man.

"Ah, my lord, please forgive me!" Realizing he had been talking too loudly to himself, Zhou Cang quickly bowed and apologized to Liu Bei.

Looking up, he saw that Liu Bei was also deeply moved.

Liu Bei glanced at Xu Shu, then looked at Zhou Cang and said, "What crime has Yuanfu committed? When I first came to Jingzhou, I was deeply moved by this magnificent scene and lamented that I had wasted half my life and accomplished nothing."

However, Liu Bei quickly composed himself and said, "Yuanfu's words are exactly what I want to hear. I know this matter is not easy, but with the help of you gentlemen and generals, and despite my limited virtue and strength, I firmly believe that the day when the world is at peace is not far off."

Besides Zhou Cang, Zhang Quan also listened attentively and was quite moved.

Xu Shu nodded, then reminded him, "My lord, let's go. Liu Jing Sheng is probably already waiting for us at the city gate."

The group quickly mounted their horses and rode at full speed without stopping. After traveling along the post road with its constant stream of caravans for about a quarter of an hour, they finally saw the magnificent city of Jingzhou. A tall and imposing man, leading dozens of civil and military officials, stood at the city gate, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Liu Bei then dismounted from a distance, bowed, and strode towards the city walls.

"Duke Jingsheng!"

Liu Biao hurriedly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Xuande!"

The two greeted each other politely upon meeting, both with smiles on their faces.

Zhou Cang sized up Liu Biao; although the man was nearly sixty, he was still very energetic.

He was surrounded by more than ten civil and military officials. The civil officials were all elegant in demeanor, and the military officials were all imposing and awe-inspiring.

Based on what he had just seen and heard at the dock outside the city, Zhou Cang felt a sense of disorientation, as if this was not the Three Kingdoms period, as if these ten days had not been from Runan in Yuzhou to Xiangyang in Jingzhou, but rather from a war-torn land to a paradise.

"I have long admired Lord Xuande as a hero of the world, and I have long wished to meet him but could not. Today, having met him, I can see that his reputation is indeed well-deserved!"

Upon meeting Liu Bei, Liu Biao immediately felt a sense of kinship and closeness, especially after Kuai Yue returned and Liu Biao heard about Liu Bei's solo journey to Wancheng.

"Lord Jingsheng is a peerless sage, while I, Liu Bei, am of meager virtue and dare not accept your undeserved praise." Liu Bei said, bowing deeply to Liu Biao, displaying utmost humility.

"Xuande, there's no need for such formalities. We are both descendants of the Han Dynasty, and today we feel as if we've known each other for a long time. I am a few years older than you, so from now on we can address each other as brothers!" Liu Biao said as he steadily helped Liu Bei up.

"I would never dare!" Liu Bei remained modest. This wasn't just him being polite; rather, he felt that with his current strength, he dared not presume to call himself "brother" to Liu Biao.

"Hey! My brother Xuande, now that you've arrived in Xiangyang, you're a distinguished guest of Jingzhou. As the saying goes, a guest should follow the host's lead, so Xuande, there's no need for you to be modest." Liu Biao said with a big laugh, then took Liu Bei's hand and walked into the city.

Upon entering the inner hall of Liu Biao's residence, a banquet had already been prepared.

After taking their seats, Liu Biao raised his cup and said, "My brother has issued a proclamation to the world to jointly punish the traitor Cao Cao, and has won one victory after another. This is truly a blessing for our Han Dynasty. Please, gentlemen, drink this cup to the brim to celebrate my brother Xuande's achievements!"

Everyone in the hall raised their glasses.

Zhou Cang took a small sip. This wine was indeed quite good. The wine brewed with rice from Jingchu and water from the Han River seemed to be sweeter than the wine he had drunk in Yuzhou.

Just as he was savoring the moment, a servant refilled his glass.

Zhou Cang only heard his lord Liu Bei raise his cup and say, "Thanks to your great fortune, brother, without the efforts of Generals Wen Ping and Wang Wei, and all the soldiers of Jingzhou, how could I have surrendered Wancheng back to you? This cup is also a toast to you, brother, and all the heroes and virtuous men of Jingzhou!"

After two rounds of drinking, Liu Biao looked at the three people Liu Bei had brought.

Upon seeing Xu Shu, Liu Bei felt he looked very familiar but couldn't place him, so he asked, "Who is this man beside my worthy brother?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Brother, please don't be offended. This is Xu Shu, Xu Yuanzhi. Last time I came to Xiangyang to pay my respects to you, I was unable to, but I happened to meet Mr. Xu Shu. We had a very pleasant conversation, so I appointed him as my military advisor."

Xu Shu smiled slightly at Liu Biao and bowed to show his respect.

Upon hearing this name, Liu Biao finally appeared somewhat embarrassed. He had indeed seen this person in his own residence, but he had not paid much attention to him at the time. He never expected that this person would end up under Liu Bei's command.

Liu Bei's ability to win consecutive victories and reverse the tide is undoubtedly largely due to this man's efforts... It's somewhat a pity.

Seeing that Liu Biao's smile was somewhat unnatural, Liu Bei quickly continued to introduce Zhou Cang, who was standing next to him: "Beside Yuanzhi is Zhou Cang, courtesy name Yuanfu. He was originally mistakenly recruited by the Yellow Turbans, but later met my third brother Zhang Fei in Runan. He is now a fierce general under my command. In the Battle of Gualijin, he suffered more than twenty wounds but did not retreat. In the Battle of Wancheng, he made great contributions!"

Zhou Cang quickly bowed to Liu Biao and the assembled civil and military officials opposite him.

When Liu Biao's men heard that he had "mistakenly joined the Yellow Turban Rebellion," they looked at him with a hint of disdain. But when they heard that he had "suffered more than twenty wounds but did not retreat," they showed surprise.

Liu Bei ignored everyone's reactions and continued, "Next to Yuanfu is Zhang Quan, son of Zhang Xiu, the Prefect of Nanyang."

"What?! Zhang Xiu's son?!"

"A wolf in sheep's clothing!"

The atmosphere at the table immediately became lively with discussion.

One man even stood up, pointing at Zhang Quan and angrily shouting, "As Zhang Xiu's son, what face do you have to come to my Jingzhou?!"

Zhou Cang looked at the man, his hand unconsciously moving closer to the sword at his waist.