Insufficient balance

  Liu Bi had just assembled five hundred shield-bearing soldiers and was rushing out of the camp to pursue Ma Jue. As soon as he arrived at the gate, he ran into General Du Yuan, who asked: "General, you're mobilizing troops in the middle of the night, where are you going?"

  Liu Pi said: "Ma Jue is a foolish child who does not know good from bad. I will go and capture him."

  Du Yuan was shocked and said: "Bo Qi has already gone to Zhao Hong's military camp in the west of the city at the invitation of Gan Pi, General, don't you know?"

  Liu Bi became even more enraged and said: "What! Ma Jue has actually defected to Zhao Hong?! How detestable, I swear to kill him."

  Liu Yanyu raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly, saying disbelievingly: "Did Brother Du see it with his own eyes?"

  Du Yuan's face changed as he replied: "Is this still a lie?"

  Liu Bi said, "Du Yuan, quickly go and contact Gong Shuai and Sun Shuai's garrison generals, ask them to join forces with me, take advantage of the night to launch a surprise attack on Zhao Hong's west camp, and cut down Zhao Hong's treacherous son and Ma Yue's little boy together."

  In a fit of rage, the old resentment between Zhao Hong and him, plus the new hatred for Ma Yue's betrayal, all surged up at once. Liu Bi, who was originally rough-tempered, immediately lost his reason and completely forgot that not long ago in the wine banquet in Wan City, he had sworn to Zhang Mancheng that he would put aside his past grievances with Zhao Hong.

  Du Yuan said: "I will follow orders."

  Du Yuan lashed his horse and quickly disappeared into the thick night, Liu Yan stared at the dark sky for a moment, then turned to Liu Bi and said: "Brother, I still don't believe that Ma Yue will go to Zhao Hong, did Brother Du Yuan make a mistake?"

  Liu Bi impatiently said: "No need for more words, right or wrong will be clear once the Zhao Hong army is defeated."

  Liu Yan let out a soft sigh and didn't say anything else.

  Liu Bi did not wait for Gong Dou and Sun Xia's troops to arrive and merge, but instead led his army to attack Zhao Hong's large camp in the west of the city.

  ……

  The main hall of the prefecture of Wan City, Liu Bei had been gone for a long time and did not return. Zhang Mancheng was getting impatient when a yellow turban general rushed into the hall from outside and walked to Zhao Hong's side, whispering a few words in his ear.

  Zhao Hong's face changed greatly as soon as he finished listening, and he stood up from his seat with a mournful expression and said to Zhang Mancheng: "The commander is in trouble, Liu Bi's treacherous heart has not died, on the surface he agreed to make peace, but secretly he actually gathered the troops of Gong Dou and Sun Xia, and launched a surprise attack on our western camp."

  "What? So Liu Bi went to find Ma Yue is false, and taking the opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the west camp is true?"

  "General Zhao must stand up for me!" Zhao Hong exclaimed loudly.

  Zhang Mancheng's face turned red with anger: "How dare this little Liu Piao be so presumptuous? I, the commander, will not let him off! Come, quickly assemble two thousand elite soldiers, and all of you generals follow me to the large camp in the west of the city. I want to see what this Liu Piao is really up to!"

  Gong Dou and Sun Xia stood up from their seats with wide eyes, hardly daring to believe their ears. What time was it now? Liu Bi was still so brainless! What's worse, this guy had even mobilized his own subordinates. Now, even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he might not be able to wash himself clean.

  In the corner, only Han Zhong's eyes flashed a hint of unusual coldness.

  ……

  The northern camp of Chang'an, Zhang Mancheng's younger brother Zhang Xian led 100,000 Yellow Turbans to garrison here.

  This Zhang Mancheng still has a bit of military mind, knowing that deploying the entire army in Wan City not only fails to help defend the city but also leaves an opportunity for the government troops to surround them from all sides. Therefore, he stationed his main force north of the city, forming a pincer movement with Wan City, which is quite in line with the essence of military strategy.

  Before Zhang Mancheng started the uprising, Zhang Xian was just an ordinary mountain hunter. Except for his physical strength, the largest scene he had ever seen in his life was spending 200 coins to visit a brothel in the county town. However, after Zhang Mancheng's uprising, Zhang Xian relied on his blood relationship with his elder cousin and quickly rose through the ranks within a few months. Now, he is commanding an army of 100,000 men.

  Zhang Mancheng used people only with kinship, but committed a major taboo of military households.

  Zhang Xian is not only a scoundrel but also a drunkard and a lecher. Tonight, he again forcibly took the wife of one of his generals into the camp to drink and have fun. Just as they were having a good time, a general suddenly burst into the camp. Zhang Xian was furious and was about to scold him when he realized that this person looked somewhat familiar. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be one of Zhang Mancheng's trusted generals.

  Zhang Xian Zheng was embarrassed at that time, and the general hastily said: "Second Commander, something bad has happened. When the Grand Commander went to the west camp to mediate the dispute between Liu Bi and Zhao Hong, he was suddenly attacked by Liu Bi's rebel army. Now the Grand Commander is surrounded in Zhao Hong's camp, the situation is extremely critical, and Zhou Cang is leading his troops in a desperate fight. We hope that the Second Commander will quickly send troops to rescue him."

  Zhang Xian was shocked, Zhang Mancheng was ambushed and in danger, what's going on? This shock made the soft, warm and fragrant woman lose her charm instantly. She jumped up immediately and shouted loudly: "Someone, quickly gather the troops for me."

  ……

  Not mentioning Zhang Huan, who left a small number of old and weak soldiers to guard the camp, he led an army of 100,000 men to rush to the west of the city to rescue Zhang Mancheng. As for Zhao Hong's large camp in the west of the city, at this moment, flames were soaring into the sky, and the sound of killing was shaking the universe. The various Yellow Turbans were attacking each other, crazily attacking possible enemies around them, and had already become a mess like a pot of porridge.

  Liu Bi, who was in the midst of it all, didn't know what was going on either?

  Around midnight, he led his Yellow Turbans to rush to the west of the city under the cover of night. The troops of Gong Du and Sun Xia who had been in contact with him beforehand had not yet arrived. At this moment, the west gate of Wan City suddenly opened wide, and a team of Yellow Turban soldiers with bright armor appeared from the city, surging towards the big camp in the west of the city. Although there was a firelight shining, Liu Bi still couldn't see clearly who the troops were because they were far apart.

  Because various Yellow Turbans including Liu Bei himself have troops stationed both inside and outside the city, it is not necessarily Zhang Mancheng's army just because they come out of the city.

  Liu Bi was in a state of shock and uncertainty when the troops approached the west camp of the city. As they drew closer, Liu Bi realized that it was indeed Zhang Mancheng's army, with Zhang Mancheng himself riding at the front. Just then, a loud killing cry suddenly erupted from all directions, and countless cavalrymen emerged from the darkness, surrounding Zhang Mancheng's army in the center and engaging in a fierce battle.

  In the darkness, a frantic shout rose: "By order of General Liu Bei, behead the rebel Zhang Mancheng and Zhao Hong, reward one thousand pieces of gold!"

  Liu Bi was so shocked that he almost fell off his horse. What the hell is going on? It seems that Gong Dou and Sun Xia's men are suddenly causing trouble, but who told them to shout like this? Du Yuan, this idiot, how did he get in touch with them? This time I'm really going to be killed by him.

  Surrounded Zhang Mancheng was furious, this Liu Bi was really bold and lawless, what did he want to do? Did he want to usurp the position of the great leader of the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang? He hadn't even died yet, but he couldn't wait to declare himself the Grand Commander. It was unbearable! In the darkness, it was impossible to know how many men Liu Bi had contacted with Gong Dou and Sun Xia, only knowing that the offensive of "Liu Bi" troops was very fierce.

  "General Commander, the situation is very unfavorable. The retreat route back to Wan City has been completely blocked. Why not temporarily take refuge in the large camp in the west of the city?"

  "Since we can't enter the city, should we quickly retreat to the large camp in the north of the city?"

  Zhou Cang furrowed his brow and said: "The detour via the north of the city is a long way, and besides, it's not advantageous to march at night, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen."

  "Then... send someone to the large camp in the north of the city to ask for reinforcements at once!"

  Zhou Cang replied: "The messenger has already been sent."

  Zhang Mansheng said, "Alright, let's first temporarily hide in Zhao Hong's camp to the west of the city. But first, we must capture Zhao Hong, Han Zhong, Gong Dou and Sun Xia. At this critical moment, no one can be trusted!"

  ……

  On the forest path from Wan City to Yu Yang, Ma Yue was hurrying along with the Chen brothers. Although some ambushes had been set up along the way, it was uncertain whether they would be effective, and Ma Yue was also unsure in his heart. However, one thing was certain: as soon as Liu Bi found out that he had left, he would definitely lead a group to chase after him, and if he were caught, it would likely end in disaster.

  Young Chen Ley sat down on the ground with a thud, panting: "Brother, big brother, I really can't walk anymore, let's take a break?"

  Ma Yue said in a low voice: "We can't give up. We must arrive at Yu Yang before dawn! Come on, big brother will carry you."

  Ma Yue had just crouched down when Chen Gan suddenly pointed at the northern horizon and shouted: "Big brother, look quickly, firelight!"

  Ma Yue's heart sank, Liu Bi had caught up so quickly!? He turned his head back in shock, but after taking a clear look, he let out a sigh of relief. In the northeast corner, flames were shooting into the sky, illuminating half of the horizon with a deep red glow. It was clearly not the torches of pursuing soldiers. Judging by the direction, it should be Wan City, and it seemed that something had happened there. It was highly likely that they had encountered a surprise attack from the government army.

  But now, Huang Jin and Ma Yue have nothing to do with each other, right?

  Ma Yu jumped up and carried Chen Le on his back, patted Chen Gan's shoulder and said in a low voice: "Don't look anymore, let's go."