A Bite of Douluo Continent

“Of course.” Song paused for a moment, then nodded. “Who doesn’t know General Gongsun Zan? I hadn’t thought of him. As you said, he is indeed a better candidate than Yuan Shao.”

"What do you all think?" Having reached a consensus with Song, Zhao Yun turned to look at the other militiamen.

Song Que and Zhao Yun were always more strategic, while most of the other militiamen were brave but lacked strategy. Therefore, they didn't have much of an opinion on the two men's ideas. They simply followed Zhao Yun wherever he went.

Soon everyone reached a consensus and set off that very day to join Gongsun Zan's army.

Through Song Que's eyes, Qi Han gazed intently at the young general galloping through the mud, knowing that Zhao Yun's legendary life was about to begin.

Song Que, the creator of Zilong's Armor Removal, will be his witness.

Chapter 461 Desperate Situation

Seventeen years have passed since Zhao Yun led his militia to join Gongsun Zan.

Making a name for himself was far from as smooth as Zhao Yun had imagined. Gongsun Zan had many fierce generals in his camp, so he naturally wouldn't pay much attention to Zhao Yun, who had just arrived. Zhao Yun was not discouraged. He followed Gongsun Zan in his campaigns, trying to find an opportunity to show his skills.

Unfortunately, such an opportunity has been slow to arrive.

After joining Gongsun Zan's camp, Song Que, as Zhao Yun's closest confidant, naturally became his personal guard.

The claim that he was a cook in the army back then was just a joke. With the war in full swing, Song had no time to cook delicious food. He followed Zhao Yun closely in every battle, protecting him.

Having trained with Zhao Yun for many years, Song is no longer the frail boy who would be blown away by the wind. Although he is not as strong as Zhao Yun, he is still quite strong. Because of his background as a cook, Song is more skilled with a knife. He forged himself a good knife and, after several battles on the battlefield, he became even more formidable.

It's impossible to emerge unscathed from the battlefield.

Over the years, he has had no major injuries, but has suffered numerous minor ones.

This caused Qi Han, who was possessing Song Que's body, to feel secretly troubled.

Why was this time, when Zilong disarmed himself and ate his prey, so dangerous...?

Eight years passed, and even after Gongsun Zan died in battle against Yuan Shao, Zhao Yun was still not considered a famous general. Fortunately, he met Liu Bei, who had also joined Gongsun Zan. The two shared the same ideals and had many pleasant conversations.

Therefore, after Gongsun Zan's death, Zhao Yun did not hesitate much before turning to Liu Bei.

Under Liu Bei's command, Zhao Yun was much more at ease than before. Although his reputation outside was still not as great as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, he was indeed more valued than when he followed Gongsun Zan. He also participated in several battles. Originally, he thought he would spend his life like this.

Nine years later, the Battle of Changbanpo, which made this young general famous, broke out.

...

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao personally led his army south to attack the Jingzhou region. Just then, Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou at the time, died, and his son Liu Cong succeeded him as governor.

Liu Cong was timid and cowardly. As soon as he took office, he had to face Cao Cao's army marching south. In his panic, he surrendered without a fight, but he dared not tell Liu Bei that he had surrendered to Cao Cao. When Liu Bei sensed that something was wrong and sent someone to inquire about Liu Cong, he discovered that Cao Cao's army had already reached the Wancheng area.

My teammates were terrible.

Zhuge Liang and others under Liu Bei's command advised him to take this opportunity to attack Liu Cong, occupy Jingzhou City, and then defend the city against Cao Cao's army. However, Liu Bei hesitated to attack Liu Cong, after all, he and Liu Biao were cousins, and Liu Cong, no matter how weak and incompetent, was still his cousin.

Faced with Cao Cao's army that had already reached his doorstep, Liu Bei gritted his teeth and chose to leave.

However, for Liu Bei, leaving was not such a simple matter. Accompanying him were more than 100,000 people from Jingzhou. These people were extremely lost and helpless in the midst of war, and could only follow Liu Bei's army closely. However, the people had a lot of baggage and their physical strength was not as good as that of the soldiers, which seriously slowed down the march.

"My lord, this cannot continue."

During the march, a strategist rode quickly to Liu Bei's side and said, "If this continues, we will surely be overtaken by Cao Cao's army. We have too many civilians and supplies, and we are moving too slowly."

A hint of worry appeared in Liu Bei's eyes; he had naturally noticed this problem long ago.

He turned to look at the group of generals guarding him, then at the dark mass of heads trailing behind him in the distance. "With your plan, what should we do?"

"My lord, why not abandon the people and their supplies? We, a few dozen riders, can travel swiftly and simply. As long as we survive, we can rebuild. Once we get through this difficult time, Cao Cao's army will be no match for us." This strategist was clearly prepared and spoke without hesitation.

All the generals guarding Liu Bei heard this, and for a moment the atmosphere became strange, with everyone displaying different expressions.

Not far behind Liu Bei, Zhao Yun stood expressionless, but the reins he gripped tightly in his hand revealed that he was far from calm.

He initially followed Gongsun Zan because he heard that Gongsun Zan was able to implement benevolent policies for the people. Although he later discovered that Gongsun Zan's words were not entirely true, Zhao Yun did not leave because he was unwilling to betray his lord.

Later, he discovered Liu Bei, who truly shared his ideals, and then Gongsun Zan died. Without hesitation, Zhao Yun followed Liu Bei for nine years.

Abandoning the people and fleeing at such a critical juncture is clearly not the behavior of a benevolent ruler. What choice would Liu Bei make?

Thinking of this, Zhao Yun's gaze toward Liu Bei held a hint of scrutiny.

Faced with the strategist's advice, Liu Bei's face immediately turned cold. He glanced around at the generals with their various expressions, and then said in a cold voice, "This matter must not be mentioned again! The people are willing to follow us, how can we abandon them in times of crisis!"

Zhao Yun quietly loosened his grip on the reins.

It seems that Liu Bei is still the same Liu Bei as before, a wise ruler worthy of my following.

Unaware of Zhao Yun's subtle actions, Liu Bei turned to Zhuge Liang, who had remained silent until now, after saying this, and asked, "Sir, do you have a brilliant plan?"

"Let's send a detachment of soldiers to Jiangling first." After a moment of contemplation, Zhuge Liang sighed softly, "The Cao traitor has seized Jingzhou, and his next target will probably be Jiangling. Jingzhou is already in danger, but if we capture Jiangling first, we can defend the city and resist Cao's army, thwarting his plans."

"This plan is excellent." After a moment of thought, Liu Bei finally showed a relieved smile. "That Cao traitor probably never imagined that although we abandoned Jingzhou, we could take Jiangling first."

"Second brother!"

"exist!"

A general in a green robe, with a red face and a long beard, rode closer on horseback; it was Guan Yu.

"You've heard about the plan, sir. Are you confident in entrusting Jiangling to you?"

"This is easy," Guan Yu laughed. "Brother, just leave it to me. Men, follow me to kill the enemy!"

He raised his arm and gave a shout, then led a troop of light cavalry, separating from the main army, and headed straight for Jiangling.

Zhao Yun had originally wanted to recommend himself, but now he slowly closed his mouth, remaining silent with a hint of envy in his eyes.

Which general wouldn't want to achieve great deeds and establish a career?

Zhao Yun wanted a share of the credit for such a great achievement as capturing Jiangling.

Unfortunately, although the lord is good, he has two sworn brothers who are brave and skilled in battle.

...

"My lord, there's movement over there!"

As they marched, Zhao Yun seemed to hear something unusual. He looked into the distance and suddenly saw dust rising everywhere. His pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted out loud.

Everyone fell silent, their eyes turning towards the direction Zhao Yun was pointing. They saw a group of elite soldiers, led by a young general, galloping towards them.

"It's Cao Cao's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!" someone beside him exclaimed. "These are the most elite cavalry in Cao Cao's army. Judging by their numbers, there are at least five thousand of them. The leader should be Cao Chun."

“Cao Chun…” Liu Bei’s eyes were filled with gloom. He turned to look at the shallow stream in front of him, and the gloom in his eyes deepened.

This stream, which can be crossed in just a few steps, will further delay the people's journey.

Cavalry completely overwhelms infantry. Although Liu Bei's army numbered over 100,000, they were all civilians who were completely unfamiliar with warfare, and only a few dozen cavalrymen were capable of fighting.

Given this situation, what can be done?

Chapter 462 Blood Courage

"Anzhi, be careful."

As Zhao Yun galloped through the chaos, he carefully observed his surroundings and casually gave instructions to Song Que, who was following closely behind him.

"Zilong, don't we really need to tell our lord?" Song asked with a hint of helplessness. "Even if you don't tell him, you still need to tell me what we're supposed to do now."

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry eventually charged into Liu Bei's army. Faced with the armored cavalry, the civilians, who had no fighting ability, could only scream and cry for help. The commotion they caused almost disrupted the formation of Liu Bei and his men.

In such chaos and turmoil, it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. As a general, Zhao Yun should have stayed by Liu Bei's side and never left him. However, he seemed to have discovered something and, with Song, turned around and charged directly into the battlefield between the two armies.

If Song hadn't grown up with Zhao Yun, he would have thought Zhao Yun had betrayed him.

Hearing Song Que's question, Zhao Yun also showed a hint of helplessness on his face, "Save the young master."

"Little Lord?"

Song's eyes widened, and he abruptly turned to look at Zhao Yun, ignoring the fact that he had almost been hit by a stray arrow. "Isn't Young Master Liu Shan with the Lord?"

“No…” Zhao Yun shook his head. “The young master is too young, so the ladies are taking care of him in the rear. In this chaotic situation, I’m afraid the lord will not be able to come back to their aid. While Cao Chun is still unaware that the young master and the ladies are in the crowd, I can sneak in and perhaps rescue them.”

"At this moment, I should be glad that I don't have much of a reputation." Zhao Yun forced a laugh. "If General Yide were to come, Cao Chun would definitely know that there was something strange in the crowd. If I rush in, Cao Chun won't notice me. As long as I don't clash with the commander, this matter is not too dangerous."

Song's face showed a hint of worry. "Then I'll go with you..."

“No, wait outside to meet me after I enter the battle zone.” Zhao Yun shook his head. “Although the Qingzhou soldiers are strong, their discipline is lax. If they attack the civilians in the rear now, they will probably start killing and looting.”

A pang of heartache flashed in Zhao Yun's eyes, but he was still very clear about which was more important, the young master or the people.

He is just a human being, not a god. It is absolutely impossible for him to save all the people. If he were to force it, not only would he fail to save the young master, but he would also put himself in danger.

"Their burning, killing, and looting are our opportunity to rescue people amidst the chaos. The fewer people there are, the smaller the target will be. If the two of us go together, we will be more easily discovered, which will actually be more dangerous. So you can stay nearby and prepare to meet me."

Song opened his mouth, but found he couldn't persuade Zhao Yun. In the end, he could only nod sharply and rein in his horse, saying, "Then I'll stay here. Be careful!"

...

Are the generals still alive?

After galloping for a while, Liu Bei suddenly reined in his horse and shouted, then looked around to see if his generals and brothers were still by his side.

But upon seeing this, he was slightly taken aback.

What about Zilong?

"Brother, Zhao Zilong is missing." Zhang Fei looked around and also noticed Zhao Yun's disappearance. His hot temper flared, and he couldn't help but snort, "I knew that kid was unreliable. He's so fair-skinned and delicate; he doesn't look like general material at all. Brother, do you think he might…?"

"Third brother, stop talking nonsense!" Liu Bei interrupted Zhang Fei with a low shout, then frowned and looked behind him. "Zilong has been loyal to me, how could he do this? You mustn't tarnish his reputation!"

"Alright." Zhang Fei shrank back and didn't say anything more.

"My lord... the whereabouts of General Zilong is not the most important thing right now." Zhuge Liang on the other side said with a pained expression, "Young master..."

"Zhan'er!"

Liu Bei then remembered that he had only had this one son when he was over fifty years old, and now he was also with the people in the rear.

His face turned deathly pale in an instant, and his hands, gripping the reins tightly, gradually developed several bloody marks from the force.

"Brother, I'll go and rescue Chan'er!" Zhang Fei was also anxious. This was his nephew, and his elder brother's most cherished child. How could he not save him now that he was lost!

“No, there are thousands of elite cavalry behind us. How can you go alone?” Liu Bei shook his head violently, his body swaying as if he might faint at any moment, but he forced himself to speak, each word seemingly using all his strength, “We can have another son, so be it.”