Chapter 43: A Joyful Reunion

  Thanks to book friend bluemin for the 10-point evaluation vote, I just saw that book friend kuangma comrade voted for the update ticket yesterday, unfortunately didn't see it, if I saw it, hehe - also can't update o(╯□╰)o

  After several days, Yuan Shang's elite cavalry finally arrived in the borders of Runan after going through many events.

  Far away, he saw the administrative center of Ru'nan, Pingyu, and Yuan Shang's heart finally slowly let out a sigh.

  How many days of hardship, how many days of galloping, how many days of exhaustion. The 5,000 elite cavalry from the north to the south, almost across the entire Central Plains, now finally arrived at Runan City.

  Hard work pays off for those who are diligent.

  Five thousand elite cavalrymen marched forth in grandeur, trampling the grass and shaking the dust, with a stern and majestic air, their spirits high as they headed towards Ruo Nan City.

  The ancient and thick city wall, the majestic and spacious city gate, the red "Liu" character flag standing upright in the middle of the castle tower, fluttering in the wind, flying high and dancing. The grass under the city is green and lush, the official road is clean, and the willows along the road are shaded, swaying gently in the breeze. It's all a harmonious scene that makes people feel carefree and relaxed, with their thoughts flowing freely within it.

  Report!

  A lone horseman galloped in from the direction of Runan City, and it was one of the elite soldiers that Yuan Shang had handpicked from his army to inform Liu Bei at Runan City two days ago.

  A scout rushed forward on horseback, bowed to Yuan Shang and reported: "I report to the young master, Han's left general and governor of Yu state, Liu Bei, is now leading his civil and military officials, lined up outside the north gate of Runan city, personally welcoming the young master, with very strict etiquette!"

  Yuan Shang heard this and blinked his eyes, nodding in admiration: "After all, he is a descendant of the Han imperial family, the emperor's uncle, and when it comes to doing things, he is indeed warm and elegant, knowledgeable about books and etiquette. Our army hasn't even arrived yet, but he has already set up such an impressive welcoming formation at the gate of Runan City."

  Zhang Liao smiled slightly and said, "This matter was already within our expectations. Now everyone knows that the deepest grudge is between Cao Cao and Liu Bei! Our lord has swallowed up the north of the river, while Cao Cao occupies the central plains. The two sides are at war, which is a natural response to the situation. However, the relationship between Liu Bei and Cao Cao is different. During the campaign against Lü Bu, Liu Bei was originally a guest general under Cao Cao's command and received his attention. But after that, not only did Liu Bei betray him, but he also deliberately opposed Cao Cao in everything. When Cao Cao used the emperor's edict to order the vassals, Liu Bei suddenly produced an imperial edict of his own, ordering the vassals to rebel against Cao Cao! This disrupted Cao Cao's legitimate position as the unifier of the world. If it weren't for the fact that Cao Cao has to oppose us right now, I'm afraid he would have gone south and killed Liu Bei a thousand times already."

  Yuan Shang nodded and said, "General Zhang's meaning is that Liu Bei is now treating us with such enthusiasm, but in fact he has ulterior motives. He befriends us and uses us to restrain Cao Cao, so that he can have a chance to breathe and develop steadily in the south... And in fact, we are indeed doing this, aren't we?"

  Zhang Jie nodded and said: "The end will is exactly this meaning."

  Yuan Shang's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought to himself, "So that means we're Liu Bei's benefactors? He should be begging us?"

  Zhang Jue and Yuan Shang had been together for a long time, and suddenly he became vigilant, deeply aware that this young master was refined in appearance but actually... how to describe it, even more sinister than Cao Cao.

  Yuan Shang's current expression is extremely familiar to Zhang Jue... obviously, he has another idea in his mind.

  "Your Highness, what are you up to again? We're almost at Runan. Please don't come up with any more absurd ideas, I really can't keep up with you."

  Zhang Jue's tone sounded somewhat shaky, which is no wonder. As one of the four pillars of Hebei, he was actually asked to frame Guan Yu and tarnish someone else's reputation. Zhang Jue had lived a long life, but this kind of dirty trick was something he had never done before.

  Yuan Shang plugged his ears and laughed, saying: "General Zhang, after your analysis just now, I think our position is actually higher than expected. After all, Liu Bei is now in a position of seeking us out, so this time he comes, it shouldn't be that we ask him to send troops to attack Cao Cao's rear, but rather that we help him send troops, or say that we order him to send troops! We must turn the tables and take advantage of this opportunity, what a fool if we don't seize it!"

  Zhang Jing heard this and said in surprise: "Ask him to send troops... help him send troops? Both are sending troops, what's the difference? And what is a turtle?"

  "Of course, it's different, a difference of one word can be as vast as heaven and earth! A standpoint is an invisible thing, but in reality, it's extremely important, even more useful than some physical objects. General Zhang is good at fighting, but not at negotiating, so this time when meeting Liu Bei, let me take full responsibility... As for the turtle, also known as the tortoise, it's the oldest reptile still in existence, referring to all members of the order Testudines."

  "Negotiation? Who wants to negotiate?" A somewhat excited voice suddenly sounded behind Yuan Shang, giving the third son of the Yuan family a fright.

  Deng Zhuang suddenly came galloping over on his horse, his face filled with inexplicable excitement.

  Yuan Shang touched his chest, discontentedly saying: "I've told you before, don't suddenly appear behind me! Or else I might subconsciously turn around and chop you with my knife, my reflexes are very fast!"

  Deng's face lit up with a smile: "Young master, didn't you just say you were going to negotiate? This is exactly where Deng can be of use! I'm willing to help the young master out today."

  Yuan Shang was shocked: "What kind of ears do you have? I'm speaking so quietly, how can you hear it?"

  Deng Zhuo chuckled: "Young master, Deng's ears are not the key point, the key point is Deng's three-inch-long tongue that has not rotted yet, it will definitely be of great use to you."

  Yuan Shang's eyebrows slightly furrowed: "I knew you were full of nonsense, but I really didn't expect you to be so shameless."

  Deng Zhi's face changed, and he was about to argue a few words for his own eloquence, but saw Gao Lan flying on horseback, bowing his hands to Yuan Shang: "Young master, the north gate of Pingyang has arrived, and Liu Bei is leading a group of civil and military officials waiting in front!"

  "Good!" Yuan Shang's expression turned serious, and he thought for a moment before saying: "The whole army will dismount and proceed on foot. It's better to be polite than to risk offending others. The people of the city have come out to welcome us, so we can't be too proud. This is our first meeting with Liu Xuande, and we need to make a good impression. Let's suffer a bit and walk a few steps with me!"

  "Promise!"

  The northern gate of Pingyuan, Liu Bei led a group of civil and military officials, welcoming guests outside the city gate.

  He looked up at the sky and saw the bright sunshine, it was almost noon.

  After Liu Bei's death, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as the leaders of the two generals, all the civil and military officials stood upright one by one, their military appearance was neat and tidy, and their demeanor was excellent.

  "Big brother, Yuan's army is coming!" Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly as he stroked his three long mustaches and spoke to Liu Bei.

  Liu Bei heard this and looked up to see a cavalry unit maintaining a fairly neat formation, walking towards them at a steady pace on the horizon in the distance.

  Zhang Fei raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise: "Big brother! Why is the Yuan army's advance so slow?"

  Liu Bei raised his head and looked carefully for a moment, smiling and nodding: "Indeed the son of Yuan Benchu, truly has the style of his father, dignified without losing etiquette! Third brother, you see, although the Yuan army came with all elite cavalry generals, but at this moment they have already dismounted their horses and are approaching on foot, which can be said to be extremely respectful... Young Master Yuan, it was not in vain that I personally led the troops out of the city to welcome him, indeed he is not common, no wonder Benchu cherished him like his life, this son is truly precious to Benchu."

  As they spoke, the vanguard of Yuan's army had already approached, and although they were only marching on foot, the dust kicked up by the 5,000 horses was still enough to make one's heart tremble with fear. The sand and soil filled the air, the ground rumbled loudly, and the sound of the soldiers' footsteps echoed in unison, making it a truly earth-shaking spectacle with an astonishing effect.

  As soon as they saw that the welcoming team led by Liu Bei was less than a hundred steps away, Gao Lü suddenly raised his hand and shouted loudly to the soldiers behind him: "The whole army stops!"

  "Whoosh!"

  "Whoosh!"

  "Whoosh!"

  The neat footsteps suddenly stopped in front of the city gate, and the horses also stopped neighing under the pulling of Yuan's soldiers, 5,000 men and horses waited neatly, looking far at the city gate.

  Liu Bei smiled and nodded, muttering to himself: "Not bad, a decent fierce army."

  Guan Yu turned his head and said in a low voice: "Can big brother see anything unusual?"

  Liu Bei shook his head slightly and smiled: "There's nothing wrong, Yunchang, look at the commander-in-chief of the soldiers, it is Gao Lan, a fierce general under Yuan Shao's command. I saw this person when I was in Ben Chou's camp before, absolutely no mistake!"

  Guan Yu heard this and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally relaxed slightly.

  Liu Bei took the lead and walked away, saying as he went: "Gentlemen, follow me to welcome the guests from afar in Hebei."

  Everyone heard the words and followed Liu Bei's footsteps, but no one saw that among the welcoming crowd, two people suddenly turned purple after seeing each other's horses, as if they had swallowed a fly alive, feeling nauseous and vomiting, unable to describe in words.

  These two people were precisely Mi Zong and Gong Dou.

  Gong Du's hands trembled as he pointed at the approaching army, disbelievingly asking Mi Zhu: "Mi Zhu, isn't this...this...the group of impostors who pretended to be our troops? How did they suddenly become honored guests from afar?"

  Mo Zhai also couldn't believe it, rubbed his eyes, and after making sure he saw clearly, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with a wide sleeve, saying in a low voice: "Don't panic, don't panic at all, this matter is not yet confirmed, you stay still for now, let me take a closer look."

  As the two men spoke, Liu Bei had already taken big strides to welcome him, and with a smile, he rushed towards Yuan Shang, who was also smiling and welcoming. He laughed and said: "The comer, isn't it the son of an old friend, Yuan Shang, Yuan Shu's nephew?"

  Yuan Shang also walked up with a smile, beaming with joy, the two shook hands simultaneously, their affectionate demeanor making it impossible for anyone to tell that this was their first meeting.

  Yuan Shang performed the junior's courtesy, rushing towards Liu Bei with his hands clasped together and said: "I am Yuan Shang, I have seen Lord Xuande! Today we meet, it is truly a fulfillment of my lifelong wish. When I was in Ye City, I often heard my father mention and praise Lord Xuande's good name and virtues, which are beyond what ordinary people can achieve. I had long wanted to see you, today I finally got my wish fulfilled, indeed as my father said, Lord Xuande is a man of great bearing!"

  Liu Bei burst out laughing, patted Yuan Shang's arm warmly and said: "Nephew is too polite, in terms of elegance and virtue, I am far from being comparable to your esteemed father. Your respected father is the benevolent one of this generation, a true hero who wins the hearts of scholars! Haha, today I see you for the first time, and you indeed have some of your father's demeanor back then. Indeed, a tiger does not beget a dog! Your father has such an excellent son, it's truly enviable."

  Yuan Shang hastily waved his hand and said, "Gongming's praise is too excessive, I don't dare to accept it. Gongming, let me introduce you to these two men, they are my top generals from Hebei, Zhang Jie and Gao Lan! This time when we came to Runan, we were able to meet with Gongming safely, all thanks to the joint efforts of these two!"

  Zhang Jie and Gao Ren stepped forward together, clasping their hands in greeting.

  "Lord Guan, it's been a long time since we last met."

  Liu Bei also hastily returned the courtesy, smiling and saying: "General Zhang, General Gao, since parting ways in Hebei, are you both still safe and sound?"

  Gao Bo laughed loudly and said: "Haha, thanks to the good fortune of Lord Xuan De, we two have been fighting until now, and it's still not bad!"

  Everyone listened to Gao Lan's interesting words and followed with laughter.

  But Liu Bei raised his hand and said to Yuan Shang, "Come, come, my worthy nephew. Let me introduce you to a few of my trusted generals. It will be good for you to know them in case we need each other's help in the future."

  Yuan Shang hastily clasped his fists: "Thanks for your trouble!"

  "This is Guan Yu, the sworn brother of Liu Bei. Haha, in the past, there was some misunderstanding between him and Cao Cao, but today I introduce him to my nephew, hoping that our past grievances will be forgotten, and from now on we will unite as one to defeat the villain Cao."

  The man in front of him was majestic and tall, with a face as red as a ripe date, a long beard on his chin, and an air of grandeur that was not common. Without saying much, he was none other than the famous Wu Sheng Guan Yu.

  Liu Bei's words were clear to Yuan Shang, and the so-called misunderstanding referred to the killing of Hebei's famous generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou.

  "Lord Guan's words are reasonable. At the beginning, General Guan and the affairs of Hebei were each for their own masters, forced to do so, my father had long since put it out of his mind." Yuan Shang smiled slightly, glossing over the matter with a single phrase.

  Guan Yu heard this and his impression of Yuan Shang improved. He made a fist and bowed to Yuan Shang.

  Liu Bei was delighted and immediately introduced a giant with a curly mustache, yet still looking majestic to Yuan Shang: "This is also one of my sworn brothers! Zhang Fei, styled Yide."

  Yuan Shang heard this and was taken aback: "So you are the renowned General Zhang, I have long admired you from afar. I had heard that your martial prowess is extraordinary, and that you single-handedly fought against Lü Bu at Tiger Trap Pass without being outdone. Now that I see you in person, it's clear that your reputation is well-deserved - you truly are a man of heroic bearing! You're not like ordinary people!"

  Zhang Fei heard this and laughed heartily: "Young Master Yuan is too polite, I am unworthy of such praise!"

  Immediately afterwards, Liu Bei pointed to another person: "This is Sun Qian, styled Gongyu, currently serving as a subordinate under the account."

  Yuan Shang smiled and clasped his fists: "I've long admired you."

  "This is Jian Yong, a fellow townsman of Sima Yi and a current attendant under his command."

  Yuan Shang nodded: "I've long admired you."

  "This is Mi Zijian, Mi Zijian's son. In the past, he was a wealthy family in Xuzhou and had helped me out of danger before. He is my trusted aide, not like others."

  Yuan Shang turned his head and smiled at Mi Zhu, cupping one hand in the other: "I've long admired you... for a loooong time!!"

  Behind Yuan Shang, Deng Zhi, who had been looking around with a mixture of surprise and fear, also let out an unconscious "ah!" when he saw Mi Zhu. His expression changed to one of shock, and before he knew it, he blurted out: "How is it you?!"

  "What's with you!" Yuan Shang's face turned pale, and he hastily kicked Deng Zhonghan on the back of the head: "You don't even know him, what are you pretending to be familiar for!"

  Deng Zhuobo nodded hastily and smiled: "Right, no mistake, I was going to say...I don't know you, I don't know you!"

  At this moment, he had already seen through the two of them clearly. His face turned red and green alternately, looking a bit stiff, shaking his teeth and opening his mouth to say: "Is it really you?"

  Liu Bei looked at Yuan Shang curiously, as well as Deng Zhi behind him, then turned his head and looked at Mi Zhu, saying: "Zi Zhong, don't you know each other?"

  "We don't know him, absolutely don't know him!" Yuan Shang and Deng Zhi denied in unison.

  Mi Zuo took a deep breath and bowed his hands towards Liu Bei, saying: "My lord, this is the third son of the Yuan family..."

  "This is indeed the son of Hebei's Yuan Shao! Genuine goods at a fair price!" Yuan Shang hastily interrupted.

  Deng Zhi hastily chimed in from the side: "He is still the wise nephew of Xuande."

  His eyebrows furrowed again and he continued: "The soldiers behind them..."

  "It's all benevolent and righteous!" Yuan Shang hastily added.

  "Obey the law, serve the public and obey the law!" Deng Zhuo echoed again.

  His face turned bright red with rage, gritting his teeth: "The horses behind them..."

  "Good horses! All of them are fine horses from Hebei's Youzhou, not a single one is related to other places, completely authentic!" Yuan Shang's face was very serious.

  Deng Zhi nodded vigorously: "Not bad, not bad, all are good horses from Youzhou, Lord Xuande doesn't believe it, he can kill two to try."