Reunion

  Liu Xuan and his party marched again for nearly two hours.

  The sky is still clear and blue without a speck of cloud.

  Liu Xuan's horse stopped on a small hill, his mind slightly dazed. From the top of the hill, the outline of Jiangling City could be vaguely seen, like a fierce beast. At this time, the sound of mournful cries and wailing could be faintly heard coming from Jiangling, and smoke signals rose from within the city. It seemed that Ma Da's sneak attack had also caused significant damage to Jiangling City.

  However, Liu Xuan believed that with Gan Ning leading the reinforcements, the crisis in Jiangling would also be resolved. What worried Liu Xuan was whether Ma Da would leave any hidden tricks behind.

  Zhang Ming and his party were obviously used as abandoned sons by Ma Da.

  Liu Xuan still didn't dare to confirm Ma Da's true identity, according to the testimony of Ming Lin before his death and various clues pointing to Xu Du, he kept calling Cao Cao as General, in this case, was he under Cao Cao?

  This completely confused Liu Xuan, since he was under Cao Cao's command, and judging from his intelligence, he should have left a mark in the Cao camp, but strangely, there is no record of such a person named Ma Da in history. Among Cao Cao's four great strategists... five good sons... eight tiger riders... none of them had the surname Ma.

  Liu Xuan thought for a long time, and perhaps the name "Mada" was a code name. As soon as he thought that Mada, such a person, had gone south to deal with his own father, Liu Xuan felt a sense of urgency in his heart... and secretly burned with anxiety.

  "Your Highness, we'll arrive at Jiangling in half an hour." A bodyguard stepped forward quietly and whispered.

  "Huh?" Liu Xuan came back to his senses, his expression shocked, and immediately asked: "What's the situation in Jiangling?"

  "Jiangling is still in our army's hands, and just now a scout came to report... looking at the city tower above, General Gan Ning's flag is still inserted..."

  "Hmm..." Liu Xuan's heart finally felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders as he slowly exhaled a few mouthfuls of stale air, and chuckled: "Looks like the situation in Jiangling hasn't deteriorated to that extent yet, haha."

  Liu Xuan's reason for leading his army to pursue Ma Da instead of going to Jiangling was none other than two.

  One is that Liu Xuan really wants to meet this clever and cunning strategist... also, he wants to take the opportunity to probe Mada's bottom line, to see if it matches his own speculation about the person in his heart.

  The second is that Liu Xuan cannot defeat Sun Da.

  With Gan Ning by his side, Sun Da in bravery and martial arts should be able to take down the infamous pirate chief of the Brocade Sails, right?

  Furthermore, if he were to follow Gan Ning to Jiangling, he would only have the power of a bystander and would still need Gan Ning to divide his troops and attention to protect him, which would be unseemly. Moreover, Ma Da's bandit army also needed someone to lead them, so Liu Xuan explained all these circumstances and after some hesitation, Gan Ning gritted his teeth and agreed.

  Before that, Gan Ning had also handed over his family to Liu Xuan. What Gan Ning did not expect was that Liu Xuan was unharmed, but Gan Xing was seriously injured and almost died a terrible death.

  About half a time later... Liu Xuan and his party rushed towards Jiangling City, thinking that the city was in urgent need of rescue, they flew out like an arrow leaving a bowstring.

  At this time, Liu Xuan's eyes could see the Jiangling City that had suffered from the smoke and fire of war. His gaze swept across, a bloody scene, with countless corpses lying horizontally and vertically. If one word could be used to describe it, it would be "desolate".

  Liu Xuan saw this place and had been prepared in his heart for a long time, but he couldn't help but let out a faint sigh. In such a chaotic world, this was truly the epitome of chaos.

  It is better to be a dog in a peaceful time than to be a hero in a chaotic era.

  In a chaotic world, outstanding heroes and talents emerge in succession. They all lead the way with their unique style, laughing proudly for a time. To fight against such heroes and geniuses on the battlefield is a great pleasure.

  In the end, it is still the innocent civilians who suffer. As the saying goes, "When a dynasty rises, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer."

  Liu Xuan's mind suddenly recalled that the three kingdoms had been in turmoil for nearly a hundred years, and Jin had unified them. He thought that everything could finally come to an end and enter a peaceful and prosperous era. However, before the people of the world could even catch their breath and enjoy the peace... The invasion of foreign tribes, known as the "Five Barbarians' Chaos in China", shocked the entire Chinese nation, and nearly 60-70% of the Han people in the Central Plains were annihilated. The remaining Han people had no choice but to grit their teeth and flee to Jiangnan. They barely managed to survive, struggling to eke out a living. Every time Liu Xuan thought about this, his heart felt a pang of anguish.

  The unification of Jin was just the beginning of a nightmare, is this irony?

  Liu Xuan often saw this place in later generations, Liu Xuan's red eyes scolded the incompetence of the Jin Dynasty, but today, Liu Xuan actually came to this chaotic world by mistake, from initial confusion, gradually numb...

  Liu Xuan gradually figured out a clue, "Since you've come, then stay."

  Coming to this chaotic world of the Three Kingdoms, isn't it a kind of arrangement by heaven? Is one's own life just going to be so mediocre and fleeting? No... absolutely not. Liu Xuan roared in his heart: "The glory of the Han Dynasty... the iron bones of the Han people, the tradition of Huaxia..."

  "It will be passed down." Liu Xuan's eyes shone with determination and persistence: "Whoever blocks a certain person's path, as said, will be killed without pardon."

  "Your Highness, Your Highness..."

  Qin Wei's voice came, Liu Xuan suddenly woke up, his sharp eyes staring at Qin Wei, saying in a low voice: "What is it."

  That close guard was swept by Liu Xuan's stern gaze, and his heart suddenly chilled. He hastily lowered his head and replied: "Young master, at the city gate, General Gan Ning is accompanying General Han of Jiangling to welcome you."

  "Huh?" Liu Xuan's expression changed, his cold face suddenly filled with warmth as he gazed at the frightened guards and chuckled: "Big Brother Xing Ba actually came to welcome me personally, haha..." He paused for a moment before saying: "Let's go."

  As he spoke, Liu Xuan suddenly spurred his horse's belly and galloped towards Jiangling, leaving behind a cloud of dust. The imperial guard saw this and felt extremely stifled in the chest. Looking at Liu Xuan's gradually disappearing back, he turned around and angrily shouted: "Damn it, all of you follow me!"

  At this time, one of the Imperial Guards spoke with a slight smile: "Well, ahead is Jiangling City, and General Gan Ning is at the city gate. Whether we go or not doesn't matter much."

  "Yes!" Another close guard also nodded in agreement and immediately turned around to shout angrily: "The young master has given an order, hurry up and march quickly, use the fastest speed to rush to Jiangling."

  The officers and soldiers of the great army all responded in unison: "Yes!"

  The sound faded away, and all that could be seen was the multitude of soldiers rushing towards Jiangling in unison, leaving the imperial guards on the side to secretly click their tongues.

  "This... Young Master's words have such a great effect?" The group of close guards all widened their eyes, secretly shocked in their hearts.

  This group of guards did not know that Liu Xuan's deliberate suppression, sincere and earnest apology... and calmly directing the annihilation of Zhang Ming's troops in a crisis, had already unconsciously cast aside their concerns about Liu Xuan's age.

  They deep down think Liu Xuan is not a young man, they put Liu Xuan on the same level as Jingzhou's veteran generals Wen Ping and others. When he said "those who pretend to be mighty will eventually be punished", those officers did not resist, but carried out his orders resolutely. After this battle, Liu Xuan gradually gained some prestige in their hearts, especially when they returned from the expedition and saw how different Liu Xuan was from those frivolous aristocrats... They all took notice of him.

  Not a hint of overbearing, no arrogant aura, nor an air of superiority, Liu Xuan's smiling face was like a gentle spring breeze that made people feel as comfortable as being caressed by the warm wind.

  Liu Xuan also chatted with the soldiers, asking about their well-being and gathering around them, which secretly stirred up these soldiers. I wonder, among the current young masters of wealthy families and noble descendants, who would be willing to suffer and casually come to interact with ordinary soldiers?

  This series of events left a different impression on Liu Xuan in the hearts of these generals, and perhaps this impression will deepen over time.

  Jiangling City, city gate!

  Gan Ning and Han De were whispering to each other, their brows furrowed in concern, yet with a hint of joy.

  "Boss, Liu Gongzi has arrived."

  A brother of the Jin Fan came flying over, laughing and joking as he approached Gan Ning.

  Gan Ning nodded and said to the approaching person, "You go down first." After that, he looked at Han Xi and smiled, saying, "See, I told you, that kid isn't going to die so easily."

  "Huh? Xing Ba big brother, don't be like this, speaking ill of little brother behind his back."

  Liu Xuan's figure flashed out, looking at Gan Ning and Han De, lightly smiling: "Two gentlemen, Xuan has worried you."

  "It's good that nothing happened to you, young master." Han Xi nodded slightly and immediately said: "Let's enter the city first."

  "Good."

  Xu You, Han Dang, Liu Xuan, and Gan Ning immediately went together to the Jiangling city governor's mansion.

  …………

  Time passed unnoticed for several days.

  Liu Xuan, Gan Ning, Han Dang and Fu Shou stood together at the city gate, looking up to wait for Liu Bei's arrival.

  "I'm here."

  Gan Ning's sharp eyes, with piercing gaze, first saw Zhao Yun, who was still riding a white horse and wearing silver armor, holding the precious spear Long Dragon Cane... His eyes shone like bright stars, his spirit like lightning, majestic and awe-inspiring.

  A moment later, Liu Bei also appeared on horseback, his tightly furrowed eyebrows scanning the fluttering flags atop the walls of Jiangling City. His eyebrows suddenly relaxed, and a hint of ease flashed across his previously gloomy face. His gaze shifted to the city gate, where he saw Liu Xuan, Gan Ning, Han Dang, and Fu Shou... and his eyes shone with an intense light.

  "Xing Ba, Gong Ti, Zi Wang..." Liu Bei spurred his horse to gallop quickly, dismounted and looked at Gan Ning, Fu Shuo, Han Dang and others, excitedly mentioning each of their names one by one. His eyes then swept over to Liu Xuan: "Xuan'er."

  "Lord Guan's father."

  Liu Bei nodded slightly, then furrowed his brow, his tone somewhat worried: "Where's Hu'er?" Fu Shao stepped forward a few steps and whispered a few words, after which Liu Bei learned that Liu Hu had been seriously injured and was still unconscious. At this time, a glimmer of greed flashed in the depths of Liu Bei's eyes, but he quickly covered it up. His expression turned heavy, and he said with regret: "Alas, it's all my fault. If I had discovered the conspiracy of Sun and Ma earlier, Hu'er wouldn't have ended up like this."

  "It's all your fault!"

  "Liu Bei (Imperial Uncle) (My Lord), the fault is not yours."

  "Yes, Lord Guan, how can we blame you?" Fu Sheng's expression turned solemn, and he said seriously: "If it weren't for your wise and brave decision to order the army to return to Jiangling in time, I'm afraid Jiangling would have fallen into the hands of Sun Da and Ma Da by now. The people in the city would be suffering terribly... If it weren't for you, Lord Guan..."

  Fu Sheng boasted about Liu Bei for a while before reluctantly stopping, and Liu Bei smiled lightly with an unchanged face: "Ah, Gong Ti has spoken too much, too much."

  As they spoke, Liu Bei couldn't help but take Liu Xuan's hand and head towards the inner city of Jiangling, laughing as he walked: "Everyone, let's go into Jiangling and catch up again, shall we?"

  "It is what I have always wished for, but I dare not ask."