NOVPUBLast night indeed passed without incident, and the next morning Guan Yu broke camp on time, slowly marching in the direction of Zhang Fei.
After completing their morning sparring session, Zhang Fei and Xuu Chu each shouldered a bucket of food and ate breakfast in big, eager mouthfuls. Ever since food became plentiful, the Great Han Dynasty’s practice of two meals a day was completely overthrown by Chen Xi’s three meals a day at Mount Tai, especially for the likes of Xuu Chu and Zhang Fei, who must not miss a single meal.
"Refreshing!" exclaimed Zhang Fei after gobbling down an entire pork chop, then he picked at his teeth with a chicken bone, looking immensely satisfied.
"You’re doing great; I’ve noticed you’ve been eating even more than me lately," Xuu Chu remarked in a low, muffled voice. For martial artists of their caliber, eating a lot also meant formidable combat power. If they couldn’t even eat well, how could they have the strength to fight?
"After we finish eating, let’s continue. Today I’m definitely going to return those punches you gave me," said Zhang Fei as he rubbed his beard, which was as prickly as steel needles. Before battling Lyu Bu, to show his ferocity, he hadn’t bothered to trim his bristly beard, making him look particularly fierce.
"Just wait; I still want to return that loud voice you used this morning, it made my head spin," Xuu Chu replied as he wolfed down the rice from his special large bowl and pointed at Zhang Fei.
"Let’s digest a bit, then continue fighting!" Zhang Fei muttered. He found that he seemed to be a bit stronger than Xuu Chu at the moment, but it wasn’t evident in life-and-death struggles.
"General Zhang, General Xuu, there’s a messenger from General Guan," Chen Chi walked in, frowning at the disarray inside the large tent.
"Big brother is here!" Zhang Fei’s eyes snapped open, and a surge of valor hit him squarely, "Hahaha, big brother finally arrived. I’ve been so impatient, damn Lyu Fengxian, this time I must measure myself against you!"
"When will General Guan arrive?" asked Xuu Chu, scratching the back of his head. He was quite familiar with Guan Yu.
"He should arrive by Wei Hour in the afternoon. As for our current military camp, when I was constructing it, I already took this situation into account; there is more than enough room to accommodate General Guan’s troops," said Chen Chi with a proud smile.
Zhang Fei and Xuu Chu both felt a bit sheepish. The entire camp’s construction was managed solely by Chen Chi, while Zhang Fei and Xuu Chu spent their days eating and drinking or wielding spears and swords in battle.
"The two generals need not be concerned. I was transferred from Qingzhou expressly for this purpose. After all, this place is in Yanzhou, Lyu Fengxian’s territory. And Chen Gongtai, once he acts, it’s always with a lethal blow, which is why I came here as the Sima of Separate Division," Chen Chi said with a hint of wariness when mentioning Chen Gong. Chen Gongtai’s impressive exploits in Yanzhou were well known.
"Thank you, Governor Chen..." Zhang Fei said gravely, always showing great respect for civil officials like Chen Xi, who had managed to create a military camp that left no desire for assault.
"No need for thanks, General Zhang and General Xuu should get ready. If General Guan sees the two of you drinking in the military camp..." Chen Chi left the rest unsaid, but the implication was clear.
"We’ll clean up immediately, and please keep the wine safe, Governor Chen," Zhang Fei hurriedly said. He held the values of filial piety and brotherly respect in high esteem, and his second brother, Guan Yu, would absolutely not allow drinking during wartime. If he were caught, Zhang Fei felt that Guan Yu’s piercing gaze would make him die of shame.
Chen Chi said nothing more; he had given all the necessary instructions, and he did not need to pay too much attention to the rest. His task was to stabilize the situation after Liu Ye had left and before Guo Jia arrived, so that Chen Gong would not find an opportunity to defeat Zhang Fei and cause a rout.
Although both Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were extremely capable in commanding troops, when it came to underhanded strategies, as long as Chen Gong had a general who obeyed orders and a sizable army at his disposal, it was not impossible for him to plot the deaths of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Sometimes ingenious strategies could have game-changing effects.
On the other side, Lyu Bu, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun had also gathered together. Compared to Lyu Bu’s spirited demeanor and Gao Shun’s reticence, Zhang Liao felt somewhat bitter—he couldn’t even understand how he had lost.
"General, I have taken care of the matters you entrusted to me. The Vanguard won’t be able to reappear on the battlefield for a while, but Wei Xu and Houcheng have already died in battle," Gao Shun reported to Lyu Bu calmly.
"What? How is that possible?" Lyu Bu’s face turned dark as he stared at Gao Shun, "With your Trap Formation present, how could Wei Xu and Houcheng be dead! Weren’t you supposed to have already crushed the Vanguard? Don’t tell me that there is someone in this world who could, despite being outnumbered by you and the Wolf Cavalry, stand toe to toe and slay officers from your side. I won’t believe such a thing."
Lyu Bu had not the slightest doubt about the Vanguard being defeated by Gao Shun—as far as he was concerned, it was to be expected. What shocked him was Wei Xu’s death; after all, Wei Xu was not only one of his Eight Valiant Generals but also his brother-in-law, and Lyu Bu would have sent Wei Xu if there were any danger.
"General, things aren’t as you imagine," Hao Meng stepped forward at this moment and recounted the entire sequence of events.
After all, if Gao Shun were to fall, once he lost his military power, it would be over, and no matter how dissatisfied Lyu Bu was with Gao Shun, aside from stripping him of his command, he wouldn’t actually dispose of him. Gao Shun was long accustomed to life without command, and so the one who would definitely end up carrying the blame would be Hao Meng.
"Hmph!" Lyu Bu snorted coldly. A thunderous boom seemed to burst right beside Hao Meng’s ear, but Hao Meng’s words prevented Lyu Bu from losing his temper—they only allowed him to express his dissatisfaction.
"Gao Shun, your deployment was unsuccessful. As punishment, you are to return to Puyang effective immediately and await further orders. And the Trap Formation..." Lyu Bu scanned the generals before him, his gaze finally resting on Zhang Liao, "The Trap Formation will be temporarily led by Wen Yuan," he said.
"As you command." Gao Shun’s expression remained indifferent as he spoke. He felt nothing special about losing military power, having long been used to the ups and downs in his status. Even without him, the veterans of the Trap Formation would seek new recruits to train and fill their ranks.
Chen Gong frowned. He was just about to dissuade Lyu Bu when the order had already been issued. Out of respect for preserving Lyu Bu’s authority in public, he could only sigh inwardly and planned to bide his time to counsel Lyu Bu in private. However, Chen Gong was relieved to see that Gao Shun bore no resentment towards Lyu Bu’s decision and thus felt even more regretful that Lyu Bu dared not fully employ such a loyal and courageous subordinate.
"General, please retract this order. Wen Yuan has already suffered a loss of troops on this campaign without achieving a shred of merit. How can he seize command from Gongzheng?" Zhang Liao said, bowing his head. Even now, he still didn’t understand how he had been defeated.
"Hm? You’re unwilling?" Lyu Bu glared at Zhang Liao, whose expression looked somewhat gloomy. Lyu Bu was displeased with Zhang Liao’s lack of tact—he could give his command to whomever he wished, and those who were favored had no right to criticize. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on QiDian (qidian.com), as well as leave a monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
