Liu Bei POV

The next day, I handed over command of my personal army to Gong You, and was planning on reporting alone to the punitive force sent to conquer Baima when Zi Long stopped me as she was afraid I would be careless. I wasn’t able to refute her and had no choice but to bring her alone. Under a further request from her, we did not join the main body, and were placed in charge of the supplies in the rearguard.

In this expedition, Yan Liang brought a rather substantial number of troops. And so before we even reached the city, we heard that she had already broke into the city.

“Yan Liang is a great general as expected.” Zi Long nodded with a smile when she heard the news, “I’ve had several dozen bouts with Wen Chou before, and it was never decisive. I’ve also heard that Yan Liang’s bravery and martial skills are better than Wen Chou’s.”

Un… I would like to be impressed but I can’t feel it. No, it’s not that I’m not impressed, but that I have no spare capacity to think about other things at the moment.

“I heard Yuan Shao saying she needs Baima as a checkpoint for launching attacks further southward. Seems like this place has significant strategic importance.” The confident smile appeared in my head, “If it’s that important, Meng De will definitely not hand over Baima that easily, and will surely send reinforcements.”

That’s right, I’m more concerned about the reinforcements. As I looked at the city ahead which was much smaller than Liyang, my heart began to start thumping.

Yun Chang, would you appear before me?

“Ah, the supply team is here~” Just as we entered the city, Yan Liang’s loud yell resounded. I looked over and saw Yan Liang running toward us from afar.

“We really troubled you huh Lord Liu Bei. You even had to help us manage our supplies, hahaha~~” Yan Liang said so in a mocking tone and didn’t bother with me anymore as she began to count the wagons that wheeled in.

“Lord Yan Liang, have you deployed troops to each city gate?” Zi Long hurriedly asked when she saw no one at the city walls, “If they aren’t in position yet, immediately send some archers up to see if there are any Cao army reinforcements!”

“Reinforcements? Impossible impossible. General Liu Yan who was guarding this city looked like a fearless man but he only had 3,000 men after all so I was able to sweep them out easily. Liu Yan himself has disappeared to G.o.d knows where~” Yan Liang said, and got off her warhorse, “Besides, I have more than 10,000 troops here. Cao Cao has only several ten thousand troops, how would she dare to pull off enough troops to face me?”

Yan Liang smiled as she said so, and placed her broadsword on the horse before taking out a wine gourd which she began drinking from.

Zi Long shook her head as she looked at Yan Liang before turning to me as though she suddenly thought of something, “My lord, I haven’t asked but what is the reason why you want to join this expedition?”

“Ah… That.” I can’t really tell her I have a vague idea of how history will go, can I? But I can’t help but tell her how I really felt anyway, “I just have a feeling that Yun Chang will come.”

“My lord means that Guan Yu will a.s.sist Cao Cao in attacking Yuan Shao?”

I nodded.

“Then what does my lord plan to do if Guan Yu does come?” Zi Long understood what I meant but her eyebrows creased, “Could it be that you plan on having Guan Yu join our side?”

“That’s what Ben Chu and the rest told me to do,” I said, and sighed, “But from what I know of her, having Yun Chang change sides in a battle is not possible. Moreover, there are more people still in Xuchang, changing sides is easier said than done.”

But at least, I should be able to meet Yun Chang.

As we continued to talk, we walked toward the center of the city. There were many battalions in the city but most were preoccupied with s.n.a.t.c.hing the equipment and supplies left behind by the Cao army and were scattered all over the city.

“General Yan Liang, drinking will make it difficult to work~~” An officer saluted and tried to stop Yan Liang who was still drinking behind us.

“No problem!” Not only did Yan Liang not stop, she even started forcing that officer to drink as well.

Hai, if the Cao army just sends a battalion of light cavalry to attack us, this scattered defensive line will fall easily…

*Dadadadadadadadada*

Un?

What is this sound that is creating significant tremors in the ground caused by? Horse hooves?

I looked about and aaw that the other soldiers had stopped what they were doing and were looking for the source of the sound…

“Report!!! The Cao army is coming!!” Just then, the voice of a soldier at the city walls captured the attention of the entire army and in the next instant, almost everyone began panicking.

“Don’t panic! Everyone report to your 1,000-man general! All those who have gathered their troops, follow me to battle!” Yan Liang threw down her wine gourd and mounted her horse. Yan Liang’s actions seemed obtuse and frantic, perhaps from the effect of alcohol and the surprise from the sudden attack.

“Don’t leave my side, my lord,” Zi Long, however, was calm, and we followed a battalion of troops that followed after Yan Liang, and she began to explain to me, “We are only guest generals, and need not fight for her. We just need to follow along.”

After only a few hundred meters, the troops ahead descended into chaos again.

I looked ahead, and saw Yan Liang fighting with a Cao general who wielded a large axe. The Cao general had lifeless eyes which were able to read every move of Yan Liang’s. Yan Liang had great strength but every move was deflected, parried or dodged and the Cao general counterattacked between openings such that the entire flow of battle was completely dictated by the Cao general.

But I wasn’t here to see their duel, and I fervently searched for the figure of a green robed girl but there were far too many troops in the area and it was hard to separate body from body.

“Yaa!!!!!!” Just then, a thunderous roar came from in front. I looked over and saw a young girl wearing green, with red hair fly out from the surrounding crowds like an arrow.

Yun Chang!!

She galloped through the troops and made it to Yan Liang’s side. Before I knew what happened, Yan Liang cried out and fell to the ground.

When they saw their commanding general cut down, the surrounding troops descended into total chaos and many began to retreat.

“Yun Chang!” I yelled on my horse and made to rush to Yun Chang.

But in the chaotic battlefield, it was difficult for me to advance. The noises from the battlefield also scared my horse quite a bit, and my ability to control the horse was no sufficient for me to command it to enter the fray.

“My lord, there are too many troops ahead. It’s too dangerous.” Zi Long said as she frantically held on to the reins in my hands, and pulled me along as we ran out of the city.

“No, Yun Chang is still there.” My eyes never left Yun Chang but she did not come over, and turned her horse away and left.

“My lord, even if you do meet Yun Chang! What can you hope to achieve in this chaos?!” Zi Long yelled at me and slapped my back.

The strength behind the slap was so great I nearly fainted. I coughed for a while and by the time I recovered, Yun Chang was nowhere to be seen.

I kept yelling out her name but there was no reply.

Zi Long brought me and the other troops out of the city. We only stopped to rest after we were several miles out of the city and we saw that there were no pursuers. Looking about, it seems like we only have half of our original troops left. I looked at Baima city and saw that the Cao flag was flying at the city walls once more.

At this time, I had finally calmed down. Now that I think about it, I hadn’t even thought of what I ought to say if I really did meet Yun Chang. And so if we did meet, that would probably result in an even greater mess.

On the other hand, I was relieved as I finally saw Yun Chang alive. But now there was another problem. General Yan Liang was dead and by Yun Chang’s hands no less. If I go back now, I wonder if Ben Chu will suspect me…

“Hai, I really messed up huh~~~ I can’t believe I got done in by that green la.s.s~~”

Eh?

I looked to the side and saw Yan Liang standing beside me. “Eh?! A ghost!”

“Oi oi, Lord Liu Bei, what’s with that look of yours? Do you really wish that I’m dead?”

“But, just now…” Zi Long seemed very bewildered as well just like me.

“Haha, I really have to thank my lord this time.” As she said so, she took off her outer plate and revealed another layer of plate inside, both of which were sliced in half but Yan Liang herself was unhurt. “I don’t know what’s with my lord recently, as she seems to be happy all the time nowadays. Just before I left today, my lord even specially gave me her personal plate. Thanks to it, I wasn’t sliced in half… But it still hurt quite a bit~~”

Leaving aside how Yan Liang was able to move so well despite wearing 2 sets of plate armour, Yun Chang actually sliced through those 2 layers of plate with 1 blow that even threw Yan Liang to the ground. What sort of unG.o.dly strength does Yun Chang have huh.

But Yan Liang didn’t die… That’s different from what happened in history… As I thought so, I followed Yan Liang who gathered the scattered troops and returned to Liyang.