Chapter 40: The Upper Part of Pan Feng

  Gaotou Town, Beihu Village.

  This is a village located in the west of Wujixian County, surrounded by rolling hills. On the mountain road outside the village, a winding and long procession was moving slowly forward. There were many war horses in the procession, and the neighing sounds of the war horses kept coming from afar.

  War horses around, there are soldiers protecting, lest the horse group mistake.

  In the middle of the team, he was tall and strong, like a fierce tiger. He wore armor, rode a pure white horse, held an axe that could split mountains, and exuded an aura of majesty. His thick eyebrows and large eyes were striking, with a distinctive eight-shaped beard and high nose bridge. His thick lips were the focal point, while his chin was adorned with a whisker-like mustache standing upright like steel needles. His eyes gleamed with haughty isolation, as if he didn't even notice the surrounding soldiers.

  His name is Pan Feng, and he is a military officer in Xinshi County, responsible for escorting war horses.

  "Come in!"

  Pan Feng let out a loud shout and scolded Hou to run over, kneeling on one knee, clasping his fists: "General!"

  "Where have we arrived?"

  "Reporting to the general, we have reached Gaotou Town in Wuji County. Further north are Donghoufang Town and Laitoudao Town, and then we can enter Xinshi County. It is estimated that it will take two more days to reach the county seat."

  Pan Feng nodded and ordered: "Hurry up and get on the road, don't delay."

  General, we've been marching for three hours in a row. The soldiers are quite exhausted and the war horses haven't eaten for a long time. Please take a rest before continuing on our journey.

  Pan Feng's eyes widened, his thick lips parted, and he said in a deep voice: "Are you questioning my decision? I'm feeling great, I can still walk for another hour. Let's walk for another hour, then rest."

  Zi Hou wanted to persuade him, but found that Pan Feng grasped the reins, turned his eyes and ran away to pass on the order.

  The army continued to advance and did not stop to rest until an hour later.

  Pan Feng's giant axe leaned against the side, he sat cross-legged, his eyes fixed on the six hundred war horses, with a strong expectation in his eyes. According to the county lieutenant's promise, after these six hundred war horses arrived at Xinshi County, they would be formed into a cavalry by him and commanded by him. With the cavalry in hand, he would become the most powerful general in Xinshi County.

  When the time comes, he will lead his army to sweep away the bandits in Heishan and surely make a name for himself that will shake Ji Province.

  "My great axe has long been eager to drink the blood of the battlefield, and only by trampling on the corpses can I make my name known throughout the world. Alas... if there were bandits blocking the way, it would also be a good way to pass the boring time."

  Pan Feng's eyebrows rose in a slant, and his eyes shone with a sharp light.

  Confidence comes from great strength, Pan Feng believed in the giant axe in his hand. He thought for a moment, sneered at himself, with his reputation, which bandit would dare to come and provoke him?

  ……

  Three miles southeast of where Pan Feng is located, on a hillside.

  Over 100 soldiers were stationed here, all fully armed and ready for action.

  In front of the soldiers, three people stood. These three people were Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei held a long spear in his hand, riding on his black horse, looking towards the direction where Pan Feng was, and said impatiently: "Big brother, we have already caught up with the team transporting war horses, it's time to attack. With my move, one spear will send the leader of the team transporting war horses to see his parents, six hundred war horses can be obtained with a flick of the wrist."

  Liu Bei's expression was calm and composed as he said, "According to the report from Zhong Hui, apart from our troops, there is another group of soldiers hiding in the northwest direction, also eyeing this batch of war horses. If we rush out now, when we clash with the team escorting the war horses, we will inevitably let those hidden people reap the benefits. Hold back your thoughts and don't be impatient."

  Zhang Fei's thick eyebrows stood on end, and he shouted: "Big brother, an opportunity like this cannot be missed! If the people escorting the war horses continue to rush ahead, we'll still have to hang back. My second brother and I will take action, and we must capture them. More than 400 people are nothing but crumbling walls and rotten tiles, not worth mentioning."

  Liu Bei still had a calm and composed expression, patiently explaining: "Third brother, it's not that I don't agree with you. It's just that we only have over a hundred men, losing one person means losing a portion of our strength. We need to use the least loss to gain the greatest benefit. At this time, it depends on who can remain calm. If the opponent attacks first, we can take advantage of the situation."

  Guan Yu stroked his beard, a smile on his face, and chimed in: "I agree with Big Brother's suggestion. The more critical the moment, the calmer we must be. Let's wait a bit, I bet the other group will make a move."

  Liu Bei's face showed a look of approval and he said, "My second brother is right."

  "Good grief, you guys are... never mind, never mind. I'm old Zhang going to take a nap. By the time I wake up, you'll probably still be preparing for battle. You guys are so boring."

  Zhang Fei lost interest and turned to leave.

  ……

  In the northwest, in a forest four miles away.

  Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan led their guards to hide in this place. Xiahou Dun grasped his long knife, with a serious expression, "Miao Cai, this time it's not just our group, there's another group waiting for an opportunity to move. Things have become complicated!"

  Xiahou Yuan lightly laughed and said: "We will surely win without a doubt!"

  "Report!" The scout ran back and said: "Master, the other group of people didn't make a move!"

  Xiahou Dun ordered: "Continue observing!"

  Xiahou Yuan furrowed his brow and said seriously, "Brother, another group of people hasn't made a move yet. It's clear they're planning to reap the benefits. Looks like it won't be easy, what should we do?"

  Xiahou Dun said, "Fishing is all about patience and being able to hold your breath. Now we have six hundred war horses, this is not a small number, I don't believe the other side will return empty-handed. It's now a matter of who can hold on, we'll hold our breath, and in the end, victory will be ours."

  ……

  Two miles east of where Pan Feng is located.

  There was a group of people hiding in this place, and it turned out to be Wang Yue and Dian Wei's party.

  Dian Wei wore black clothes, holding a large iron halberd, with small halberds placed on both sides of the war horse's back. Dian Wei smiled and said: "Master, unexpectedly, a batch of war horses has attracted so many people, northwest and southeast have people, plus our group, there are three groups of people and horses eyeing us. Unfortunately, the other two groups of people and horses do not know our existence, they are yellow sparrows, we are the last hunters."

  Report!

  The scout returned and reported: "Sir, both northwest and southeast are still calm, no one has made the first move."

  Wang Lei looked at Dian Wei and said, "Brother, the ambushes in the northwest and southeast have not moved. It seems that neither side wants to break the balance and gain an advantage. Plans are inferior to changes. Even if Feng Xiao knew about the two groups of soldiers and modified his original plan, from the current situation, we can't just sit back and be the hunters. We need to change our plan. This way..."

  Dian Wei's face was puzzled, and he said: "This time, we are the pioneers."

  Wang Lei nodded and said, "There's nothing wrong with being the first to take action. This way, we can retreat and also allow people from both sides to quickly join the battlefield. If we don't take action for a long time, it will be unfavorable to us and we'll easily be attacked from both sides."

  Dian Wei did not say another word and immediately relayed the order.