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

"My lord, Cao Cao's strength is indeed not what it used to be, but even someone as brave as Liu Bei would not dare to overstep his bounds before the Emperor's decree." Kuai Yue understood the reasoning behind this.

"Yidu, why don't you speak more clearly?" Liu Biao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the two strategists he relied on most.

"Cao Cao forged the emperor's edict and, before even leaving Xuchang, had already manipulated the world at his fingertips."

"In my opinion, if our lord is unwilling to release Zhang Liao back to Xuchang, he should not be kept in Jingzhou for long. After all, he is Cao Cao's favorite general. If Cao Cao uses him to launch an attack in the future, Jingzhou will not be the first to suffer the consequences," Kuai Yue replied with a bow.

"I observe that this man is of a very noble character. Although my lord has the magnanimity to embrace the world, if the generals of Jingzhou were to learn of the three conditions he has agreed to, they would surely find it difficult to tolerate."

"Liu Bei was able to persuade this man, which shows that they have a very close relationship. Why not do him a favor and have him help Liu Bei defend against Sun Quan in the east? In return, our lord can provide him with some troops and supplies. This will also appease General Huang Zu's grievances," Kuai Liang added.

Liu Biao's gaze swept quickly over the two men, then he lowered his head in thought.

The impasse remains unresolved... The local civil and military clans of Jingzhou appear to be loyal and devoted to the state, but in reality, everything is like a spider web, constantly intertwined with their own interests.

Whenever faced with a decision, the advice given was always something like "why not do a favor," without ever expressing a firm stance from Liu Biao's perspective, setting aside personal interests.

In the past two years, Liu Bei was the first outsider whom Liu Biao wanted to use to counterbalance these aristocratic families. Unfortunately, apart from himself, everyone else's cooperation was extremely limited.

Huang Zu, in particular, has been sending one complaint letter after another ever since he was asked to support the construction of Hefei. No matter how well he promised in private, he would complain endlessly when asked for resources, which made people very angry.

The second one is Zhang Liao this time. Liu Biao originally wanted to take the opportunity to win over a brave general who was only loyal to him, but he did not expect that the other party was arrogant. He did not mention his inferiority in any of the three things, but every sentence expressed the same meaning.

Furthermore, the impact of the indiscriminate bestowal of titles was so great that it seemed as if Cao Cao had demoted himself by three ranks and lowered his authority of "holding the emperor hostage to command the princes." In reality, the mentality of everyone who was bestowed titles and those around them underwent a huge change.

"How difficult it is..." Liu Biao suddenly sighed.

At this moment, he suddenly began to envy Liu Bei, who had a group of incredibly steadfast comrades-in-arms. Even if his empire were to fall in an instant, he could get up quickly and without hesitation and continue to lead the entire army into battle.

Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue watched as the sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating Liu Biao's tall figure. They seemed to see right through Liu Biao's thoughts, yet they also seemed to know nothing about him.

A moment later, the Kuai brothers came out and invited Liu Bei into the inner room to speak with Liu Biao alone.

"What? Brother, you mustn't be joking with me!" Upon hearing that Liu Biao planned to send Zhang Liao to Hefei to help him defend Jiangdong, Liu Bei thought he had misheard, but then realized that it must be another test from Liu Biao.

"If you, brother, could obtain Zhang Liao, what worries would you have about not achieving your great cause? I would never dare to covet what you desire!" Liu Bei declined.

"Xuande, I did not intend to test you with this." Liu Biao, unusually, directly exposed the truth.

"Although I admire Zhang Liao's talent, Jingzhou is so vast that there may be no place for him to stay at this time. The Kuai brothers just said that they are afraid that Cao Cao will use this as a reason to attack Jingzhou in the future. Zhang Liao is also unwilling to turn against Cao Cao. Huang Zu of Jiangxia is also arrogant and will not tolerate him. After thinking it over, I think it is best to send him and my brother to jointly resist Jiangdong."

"In this way, he can both build a protective barrier for the east of Jingzhou with his virtuous brother, and also leave the people of Jingxiang speechless." Liu Biao explained his motives and reasons to Liu Bei, and also pointed out his own difficulties.

"This matter still requires Wen Yuan's approval." Liu Bei thought for a moment and then stopped refusing.

"Since you, my worthy brother, have persuaded Wen Yuan to surrender, this matter should not be difficult." Liu Biao said this, but there was a sense of loss in his voice.

"General, I also agree to the third matter." After discussing with Liu Bei, Liu Biao quickly came out of the inner room and said to Zhang Liao.

"Your Excellency's magnanimity is as vast as the heavens and the earth; I will surely repay you!" Zhang Liao said, kneeling before Liu Biao.

"General, please rise! Xuande is my virtuous brother. Last year, he began to build a new city in Hefei. Today, the Jiangdong bandits, along with Zhang Xun and other former subordinates of Yuan Shao, have been misled by Cao Cao's indiscriminate bestowal of titles and are attacking Hefei. I intend to rescue them. I wonder if you, General, are willing to lead troops to suppress them?" Liu Biao directly stated his plan to Zhang Liao.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao replied without hesitation, "I am willing to obey your orders, Your Excellency!"

Xu Shu and Zhao Yun exchanged glances, both curious about what Liu Biao, the Kuai brothers, and their lord had discussed inside the house, which led them to accept Zhang Liao's unusual conditions and so swiftly send him to Hefei to assist their lord.

"Otherworld." Liu Biao looked at Kuai Yue.

"My lord," Kuai Yue stepped forward and replied.

"Quickly allocate five thousand soldiers, money, provisions, and horses to General Zhang. From now on, General Zhang will serve as a bulwark for the eastern border of Jingzhou alongside Xuande," Liu Biao said calmly.

"I obey your command." Kuai Yue finished speaking and quickly left.

"Zirou, please write a letter to Huang Zu as soon as possible, instructing him to prepare to escort Xuande and Wenyuan to Wancheng. There is no need to send troops to Hefei again."

"Yes, sir." Kuai Liang accepted the order and left.

Only then did Xu Shu understand that Liu Biao had replaced the aid he had promised to Hefei with Zhang Liao.

That evening, Liu Biao hosted a farewell banquet for Zhang Liao, Liu Bei, and others.

The gentry congratulated Liu Biao on winning over the general Zhang Liao, and were pleased that Liu Biao had sent Zhang Liao out to resist Sun Quan. They lined up to toast Liu Biao, Zhang Liao, Liu Bei, and others.

Finally, Liu Biao got completely drunk and, with the help of his servants, staggered back to his room to rest.

"My lord, why is Jing Sheng...?" Xu Shu could tell that Liu Biao's drunken state was not due to joy, but rather an indescribable sense of loss. After returning to his room, he immediately asked Liu Bei about it.

Liu Bei then told Xu Shu the whole story of their conversation in the inner room of the guesthouse that day. Only then did Xu Shu realize that Liu Biao had been sidelined by the gentry to such an extent that he couldn't help but sigh.

The next day, Liu Bei, his two companions, and five hundred soldiers, together with Zhang Liao, boarded a warship bound for Wancheng via Jiangxia.

Upon arriving in Jiangxia, Huang Zu was very hospitable to Liu Bei, Zhang Liao, and others, not only sending elite troops to escort them but also gifting them a considerable amount of grain and fodder.

"Wen Yuan, the situation in Huainan is extremely dire. Not only is Sun Quan advancing westward, but Zhang Xun is also attacking from Shouchun, and Lei Bo has rebelled in Hefei..." Liu Bei stood on the deck, explaining the perilous situation in Huainan to Zhang Liao.

"This must have been done by Liu Ye!" Zhang Liao realized as soon as he heard this.

"Liu Ye?!" Xu Shu exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed, when I was in Cao Cao's camp, I heard Jia Xu say that Cao Cao originally intended to personally lead an expedition against Hefei, but unfortunately his forces were insufficient after the Battle of Guandu. Therefore, he granted Liu Ye the expedient option and ordered him to attack Hefei in Huainan."

"I see, that makes much more sense now." Xu Shu suddenly realized.

"Strategist, judging by the time, Zhou Cang and Liao Hua should be arriving in Hefei soon, right?" When Liu Bei learned in Jiangxia that no military intelligence from his second brother Guan Yu had been sent from Wancheng, he became even more anxious.

Xu Shu nodded and said, "We should arrive in five days at most."

Upon learning of the changes in Hefei, Zhou Cang and Liao Hua were worried about the safety of Pang Tong and the others, so they traveled day and night. At this time, Zhou Cang and the others had actually arrived in the outskirts of Hefei.

"Brother, this place is desolate and uninhabited. Is it really as Mr. Pang Tong said, that it can become the foundation for our lord's ten-year reign?" Liao Hua asked Zhou Cang, looking at the village with broken wells and crumbling walls everywhere.

"Master Shiyuan is an extraordinary person, how could he be as ignorant as us ordinary mortals?" Zhou Cang rolled his eyes.

"The journey has been arduous. Let the soldiers cook a meal in this village and rest for a while," Zhou Cang said to the messenger.

Due to the urgency of the military situation, which exceeded Xu Shu's judgment, Jian Yong took a risk and made his own decision to send out Zhou Cang's 1,000-strong armored battalion, which was not yet fully trained, and Liao Hua's 3,000 new recruits.

This was Zhou Cang's first time leading an expedition as the main general.

"Yuan Jianquan, lead the army to rest here. Order men to patrol and guard the area. I will then go to the old city to investigate the situation." After giving instructions to Liao Hua, Zhou Cang led twenty personal guards on horseback and galloped towards Hefei City.

Although the army had specialized scouts, Zhou Cang remembered that in the historical stories he had read in his previous life, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who was invincible in battle, would always personally risk his life to conduct reconnaissance before each battle.

Less than five li east of the village, Zhou Cang saw a large mountain and casually asked, "Does anyone know what mountain this is?"

Unexpectedly, a personal guard hurriedly stepped forward and said, "General, I know."

"I have a distant relative who used to live in Hefei. He has visited several times. This mountain is called Dashu Mountain. It is located southwest of Hefei City. It is about 20 li from Hefei City and can overlook Hefei City, Jiming Mountain and Xiaoyaojin."

Zhou Cang's eyes lit up: "Oh? Such a dangerous place, why don't you come with me to climb the mountain and explore it?"

Since Yuan Shu's usurpation and rebellion, Hefei had been almost deserted. The mountain path had been untouched for a long time and was overgrown with weeds. It took Zhou Cang and his companions an hour to clear the path and reach the top of the mountain.

"As expected—" Before Zhou Cang could finish speaking, he was stunned by the sight of Hefei City in the distance.

Hefei was completely surrounded by military camps, which stretched from the city's outer edge all the way to Xiaoyaojin. Xiaoyaojin was completely blocked by no less than a hundred warships, and the road from Runan was also blocked by the enemy.

Zhou Cang's army had been traveling for days and was exhausted. If they had rushed straight to Hefei, they would probably have been surrounded by the enemy by now.

Although it was too far to see clearly which troops belonged to Zhang Xun and which to belong to Sun Quan, the dense cluster of small black dots told Zhou Cang that Zhang Xun and Sun Quan seemed to have joined forces to besiege Hefei, making the battle extremely difficult.

Upon seeing this scene, the guards behind Zhou Cang all looked fearful.

"General, look down at the foot of Jiming Mountain!" The personal guard who was leading Zhou Cang suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Looking around, Zhou Cang saw that at the foot of Jiming Mountain, a small hill in the northwest of Hefei City, a city outline was already taking shape. This must be the new city of Hefei that Mr. Pang Tong planned to build.

Unfortunately, the new city was only an outline at this time, and it had been completely cut off from the old city by the enemy.

Zhou Cang noticed that there was a huge, independent camp next to the main road on the edge of the new city.

"Where does this road lead?" Zhou Cang asked his personal guards, pointing with his horsewhip towards the main road near the new city.

"Reporting to the general, this road leads to Shouchun."

If that's the case, then... that camp is probably where Zhang Xun's troops stored their grain.

After surveying the enemy's situation, Zhou Cang already had an idea for defeating them.

The cold wind howled on the mountaintop, urging everyone to leave. Just as they were preparing to descend the mountain, Zhou Cang suddenly heard the sound of two horses' hooves clattering on fallen leaves, which vanished in an instant.

Zhou Cang drew his sword and shouted in all directions—

"Who goes there?!"