Mythical Three Kingdoms

”This horse is named Curly-Haired Red Hare, and it is a treasure horse brought back by Zhang Shiping from the Southern Barbarians. Only an exceptional valiant general can tame it, General Guan, do you have the ambition to subdue it?” Zhao Yun asked with a smile, patting the neck of Curly-Haired Red Hare. The horse, in turn, fixated its gaze on Guan Yu and let out a whinny before transforming into a streak of light and racing away, with Guan Yu turning into a streak of azure light and leaping onto its back.

No matter if this Red Hare Horse was the Galloping Red Hare Horse or Curly-Haired Red Hare, it was destined to share a connection with Guan Yu. Without Red Hare, Guan Yu’s life would surely be incomplete; with Red Hare, Guan Yu could truly reach the pinnacle of his life.

After all, it was with Red Hare Horse that the Martial Saint came to be. No one remembers Guan Yu’s wife, no one remembers Guan Yu’s father, but everyone remembers Guan Yu’s Red Hare Horse...

Transforming into flames, Red Hare flew away, and instantly, Guan Yu moved with intent, far surpassing his previous limits, and landed directly onto Curly-Haired Red Hare’s back. Then, no matter if Curly-Haired ran, jumped, flew, dashed, or even did a 360-degree turn in the air, Guan Yu wouldn’t let go, convinced that this creature suited him.

After a crazy struggle, Guan Yu contentedly descended riding his own Curly-Haired Red Hare. The reason for such a commotion from the horse was solely that it could sense that Guan Yu truly wanted to ride it, rather than Zhao Yun’s approach of merely keeping it without riding. Sadly, though it managed to avoid Zhao Yun, it couldn’t escape Guan Yu.

”Thank you, Zilong,” said Guan Yu from atop the horse, giving Zhao Yun a cupped fist salute. He now felt an urge to ride Curly-Haired and duel with Lyu Bu, determined to take him on one-on-one. He was confident that even if he couldn’t win, he wouldn’t get hurt.

”General Guan looks as if his qi reaches the heavens and his might is greatly enhanced. Could it be that you also wish to have a friendly spar with Lyu Bu?” Guo Jia chuckled as he spoke. He could feel Guan Yu’s excitement; ever since Zhang Fei got injured, Guan Yu had been somewhat downcast, and even sending Zhang Fei back to Xuzhou didn’t make a big difference in that.

”Lyu Bu is indeed formidable, and even with Red Hare, I am no match for him,” Guan Yu said, tugging at Curly-Haired’s mane. At that moment, Curly-Haired Red Hare completely submitted to Guan Yu, ceased to struggle, and even nuzzled up pleasingly, ”But it is still necessary to have another go.”

With that, Guan Yu dismounted, handing over his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Red Hare to Zhou Cang and instructing him to take them down to dress Red Hare in its armor and attach bells and such. In other words, it had to be adorned handsomely to satisfy Guan Yu.

”Hmm, it appears that everyone shares this thought. How about we go challenge Lyu Bu this afternoon?” Chen Xi spoke, mentioning that he couldn’t stay at Guan Yu’s camp for too long. The construction of the Linyi fortress was of utmost importance. To follow Chen Lan and Fan Jian’s advice, Xincheng must be built up, or else he would never be at ease.

”Isn’t this a bit too hasty?” Chen Chi voiced his concern. Among the army, he was in charge of logistics. Chen Xi had only arrived today, and the troops were exhausted from the march. Now they were just starting to cook. Going for a challenge that afternoon seemed overly impatient.

”We don’t need too many people, just a few hundred will suffice. Although I don’t particularly appreciate Lyu Bu’s character, given the current situation and his courage, turning the duel to our advantage is possible,” Chen Xi reasoned. The time had not yet come to offend Lyu Bu, and his strength was not something that could easily be overcome.

”Right, we can invite Lyu Bu over for a challenge on our side. There’s no need for many people, eight hundred to a thousand will do,” Guo Jia glanced at Chen Xi and took over the conversation, agreeing with the idea.

”Indeed, after all, our goal is to recruit Lyu Bu. A friendly competition is proper, and it also allows us to forge a bond through martial arts, narrowing the gap between us,” Chen Xi said with a calm smile, while Guo Jia affirmed with a clever twist of words.

”Like this?” Guan Yu furrowed his brow, and to tell the truth, he certainly acknowledged Lyu Bu’s strength, but had a really poor impression of Lyu Bu’s character.

If patricide wasn’t an issue, Guan Yu said he would be willing to accept Lyu Bu, even if the other was arrogant and lacked interpersonal skills, even if he was somewhat foolish, but when it came to patricide, to disloyalty and unfilial conduct, Guan Yu absolutely did not wish to serve in the same court as him.

”Just a joke, merely a disguise. What do you think Tian Feng would think if Lyu Bu came over to engage with us in a warrior’s meet?” Chen Xi said with a smile, having noticed Guan Yu’s expression and understanding his thoughts. For someone as loyal and righteous as Guan Yu, compatibility with Lyu Bu was out of the question.

”Tian Feng would definitely see it as facing a formidable enemy, but considering the current relations between the three parties, Tian Feng would surely realize that there’s still room for salvaging the situation. He would definitely rush to re-discuss strategies with Chen Gong!” Guo Jia said with a laugh, picking up the conversation.

”Tian Feng will surely go in person, so it’s very likely that Yuan Tan and Yann Liang are the only ones left in the main camp, it’s even possible that Yann Liang is not there,” Chen Chi realized the situation at once as he clapped his hands.

”No discussion, just beat them up,” Chen Xi said with a smile, ”Send a valiant general to lead the cavalry and charge directly into the camp. After a round of killing and burning, leaving would be just fine. Of course, don’t forget to mock Tian Feng, whether it’s his doing or not, just pin it on him!”

”Our army just arrived, and we’re still not settled. Meeting Lyu Bu in a warrior’s meet to win him over would be seen as reasonable, and with Zichuan present, our rank and status are certainly sufficient. Many conditions can be quickly agreed upon, and this will greatly affect Tian Feng’s judgments,” Guo Jia nodded slightly and provided a brief explanation.

Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, and Xu Zhu all came to a realization. After a brief discussion, the task of raiding the camp was naturally handed over to Xu Zhu and Chen Chi, while Chen Xi, in his capacity as the commanding officer, wrote a letter to Lyu Bu.

Of course, after several rounds of discussion by the group, the content was changed to engaging in a warrior’s meet to enhance mutual understanding, suggesting that they might need to work together in the future. In the conversation, enough face was given to Lyu Bu.

”Start cooking, give the soldiers a full meal. Mhm, also prepare lunch and dinner for Lyu Bu’s side. Less meat is fine, but make sure there’s enough steamed buns and rice.” Chen Xi said with a smile, noting that even just salted steamed buns without pickles and dried fish were satisfying enough for many soldiers who were used to going hungry.

”We’re not lacking that bit of food, and since it’s a warrior’s meet, the main goal is to leave a good impression,” Chen Chi nodded and said. Then, remembering Lyu Bu’s suspicions, he sighed, ”Just afraid Lyu Bu won’t eat it.”

”Don’t worry, with his strength, even if he swallowed arsenic, it wouldn’t kill him, and he also knows nobody would resort to such petty tricks,” Guan Yu said with a cold expression.

”Since it’s a warrior’s meet, ensure there’s plenty of meat and wine, including the remaining half-piece of beef. Boil it, and as for the strong alcohol for medical treatment, dilute some and prepare a vat, but also have a small vat of the undiluted. If sincerity is what we’re talking about, let’s show our sincerity to the other party!” Guo Jia glanced at Chen Xi, quite dissatisfied with Chen Xi’s stinginess. This is a warrior’s meet after all!

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it at with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)