Mythical Three Kingdoms

After running several dozen li, Zhang He removed the silvery gray armor he was wearing and replaced it with a set of pitch-black heavy armor. The silver long spear was also swapped for a jet-black pure steel spear, and the helmet with a black plume was substituted for his original one. The fake white face paint was washed off with water, wiped with a handkerchief, and once again his skin regained its natural bronze hue.

As for the two mustaches, he didn’t bother with them. Once Zhao Yun and Guan Yu joined forces and truly faced Zhang He, he would definitely sport a big beard. By then, even if Zhao Yun encountered him face-to-face, he would definitely not realize that it was him in disguise.

This was also why Zhang He did not launch a night raid—an important consideration. Perhaps the night served as the best cover, but because it was night, many things could not be seen clearly, which would cause people to think more.

Tian Feng was quite certain that as long as Chen Xi thought carefully, there would surely be doubts. And once doubts arose, even if Chen Xi could not obtain intelligence from Lyu Bu, he would try to contain his actions and prioritize the big picture.

After completing this task, Zhang He no longer hesitated and immediately led his remaining cavalry and infantry back to Wei Commandery, planning to reappear as reinforcements with his troops in a few days. Of course, Jiang Yiqu, Han Meng, and others would accompany him.

That night, a deputy of Zhang He wearing a scout’s attire hastened non-stop back to Tian Feng’s stronghold. This scene did not attract anyone’s attention.

The reason being, all three camps were set up not far from each other. Hence the patrols were increased to prevent being caught off guard by the others. This frequent nighttime scouting did not arouse any suspicions.

”Assistant Officer Tian, General Zhang has sent a secret order.” After returning to the camp, Zhang He’s deputy did not wait and immediately rushed to Tian Feng’s tent.

”Bring it here,” Tian Feng nodded and said.

After the guard handed over the secret letter from Zhang He to Tian Feng, he opened it and a trace of joy appeared on his face. He trusted Zhang He with his arrangements. Compared to the straightforwardness of Yan Liang and Wen Chou, Zhang He might appear fierce on the outside but was meticulous inside. It was for this reason Tian Feng dared to carry out such a plan.

[Sigh, Jun Yi is even more thorough than I thought. The cavalry will leave no survivors among those knocked off their horses, thus there should be no threat of exposure. On the other hand, I overlooked this detail. But Zhao Zilong’s strength is indeed formidable.] After reading the secret letter, Tian Feng sealed it and set it alight on the oil lamp.

”You should go and rest early, too,” Tian Feng, having burned the secret letter, felt lighter and more confident about the coming plans, gesturing to his deputy.

”Yes,” the deputy bowed with a fist and slowly left.

[The next step is to convince Lyu Fengxian of our sincerity. But first, I must persuade Chen Gongtai. This man is indeed a nuisance with his demands…] Tian Feng sighed in relief and began to carefully consider the conditions laid out by Chen Gong.

Chen Xi was ruthless indeed, offering Chen Gong highly favorable terms. After all, since they did not care whether Lyu Bu lived or died, no matter how high the offer to Chen Gong, it couldn’t pose any harm. Thus, there was no need for Chen Gong to make exorbitant demands. The terms laid out by Liu Yan were enticing enough for Chen Gong.

Moreover, Chen Gong himself had some admiration for Liu Bei’s ambitions. As Liu Bei’s power grew stronger, those who had once thought Liu Bei to be mere big talk with no action, or purely idealistic, now had to seriously consider Liu Bei’s ambitions.

What kind of strength, what kind of confidence it must take to do so—just like this, when Lyu Bu claimed he was unrivaled in the world, although many cursed in their hearts, they had to admit one thing: they once thought Liu Bei was nothing but a trifling figure, but now he has grown into a colossal force. The jokes of the past now demand serious contemplation!

Perhaps Liu Bei really could accomplish it—this was what many sages throughout the land were now considering. Do not underestimate the significance of the word ”perhaps”; its very use indicates that people have started to ponder the possibility of what Liu Bei has proposed, instead of scoffing at it as they did before, a significant shift in perspective.

Clearly, Chen Gong now regarded Liu Bei quite favorably, and the terms offered by Liu Yan were so generous that even he found them to be somewhat exaggerated. Had he not felt the sincerity from Liu Bei’s side, Chen Gong would have definitely thought that Liu Bei had come to dupe him. However, over time, Chen Gong had come to realize that Liu Bei seemed somewhat at a loss over how to deal with Lyu Bu.

What Tian Feng was completely unaware of was that the progress between Chen Gong and them could not compare with that of Liu Bei’s side. The negotiations between Chen Gong and Liu Yan had virtually no issues concerning terms, only the problem of Lyu Bu, while the discussions with Tian Feng revolved largely around what terms could be offered.

It could be said that if Chen Gong were to abandon Lyu Bu, he could have already reached an agreement by now. The conditions offered to Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Cao Xing, Hao Meng, and Chengg Lian from Liu Bei’s side were extremely generous. For example, after Zhang Liao transferred over, he could immediately be promoted to Deputy Legion Commander and, after a bit of polishing and proving himself, he could be converted to an Army Commander!

But Lyu Bu had yet to do anything to betray Chen Gong’s trust, so naturally Chen Gong would not abandon him. As for the terms offered by Tian Feng’s side, honestly, they were also quite decent, but when compared with Liu Bei’s side, apart from the issue with Lyu Bu, all others simply paled in comparison.

There was no helping it. Chen Xi could say that he had taken a large portion of what Yuan Shao could offer to Lyu Bu and allocated it to Chen Gong and the others, so naturally, the others appeared far more favored.

Because of this, the negotiations reached a deadlock. Chen Gong and Liu Yan kept revisiting old matters, hoping to negotiate terms and join Liu Bei’s side, while Tian Feng revisited past events with Chen Gong, hoping to absorb Lyu Bu and all his generals.

Overall, this situation was a tragedy, and the debate had to go on, tragedy or not. Of course, when it became impossible to argue any further, it would come down to who had the stronger fist, and fortunately, Liu Bei’s fist was strong enough now.

”General, we are honored by your presence.” Guan Yu, Guo Jia, and Xuu Chu, leading a group of officers, came out of the camp to greet them, saying, during other times formalities could be relaxed, but at a rendezvous like this, rules must be strictly observed, and no one would dare to act out of line.

Then, without waiting for Chen Xi to speak, Guan Yu handed over the Commander’s Seal to him. There was no choice in this matter—Chen Xi, as this route’s Army Commander, must hold the Commander’s Seal, otherwise, it would undermine his authority.

”Return to camp,” Chen Xi commanded, pulling on the reins and leading the way back to the main camp. Even if Chen Xi disliked horseback riding, at a time like this, he had to enter on horseback.

Once back in the camp, things became much more informal. After everyone exchanged updates about recent events, they once again touched upon the prior ambush.

”That being the case, let us attack Tian Feng’s Stronghold,” Guo Jia, after hearing about the previous ambush and without further explanation from Zhao Yun, immediately proposed.

”Oh, you think so too?” Chen Xi asked curiously. Normally, Guo Jia shouldn’t be able to step back and take a broader view of the situation, given the potential for Lyu Bu to benefit substantially from the chaos.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this, please visit Qidian ) to vote for us, your recommendation votes, monthly votes, and support are my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please browse m.qidian.com to continue reading.)