The great war of the three kingdoms lasted for twenty-three nights in the desolate wilderness, proclaiming the lofty and announcing the heart's affairs.

  Lü Bu and his ten riders waited a little longer in the distance, but seeing no one coming, they dismounted to rest in a place with a broad view. Lü Bu still ordered people to take turns keeping night watch, while the other nine men lay down to rest one by one.

  Lü Bu lay down beside Zhang Fei, and Lü Bu recalled that he had also known of Zhang Fei's name when playing games before. Curious for a moment, he asked in a low voice: "Can Xuan Gong sleep?"

  Zang Ba turned his head back and said: "What's the matter, Jun Hou? I haven't gone to sleep yet."

  Lü Bu asked lightly: "Where is Xuan Gong from? How long has he been serving in the army?"

  Zang Ba sighed and said, "I am from Huaxian County in Taishan. My father was a just and honest man who served as the prison warden of Huaxian County. He was framed by the corrupt official, Tai Shan Governor, for refusing to follow his orders to kill someone based on false charges. As a result, my father was wrongly accused and exiled to Pingzhou Shangjun. I was young and hot-headed at that time, so I gathered some friends and robbed the prison cart on its way. Unexpectedly... unexpectedly, it led to my father's death. I had no face to return to my hometown and see my relatives, so I asked a good friend to send my father's body back home, and I wandered outside the pass. Last year, I arrived in Shuofang and saw that the county was recruiting strong men, so I enlisted."

  Lü Bu listened and didn't know what to say either. As for the future, he was still at a loss. He just felt that he should say some comforting words, so he casually said: "Everyone has things they're not satisfied with, why do good men need to sigh? But relying on the strength of one's shoulders, one can fight for a better future."

  At this time, Cao Xing also chimed in and said: "The Military Marquis is right. With the Military Marquis here, we can hold our heads high. Think about it, before this, ugh, what kind of manly thing was that to do? Year after year, hearing about the Xianbei and running away with your tail between your legs, truly a shameful thing. Since following the Military Marquis, I have finally lived up to being a real man. Following the Military Marquis is really exhilarating, even if it means death, it won't be in vain."

  Cheng Lian also chimed in: "Right, right, right! Cao Gou'er is absolutely right. Following Jun Hou will make you a real person."

  Cao Xing saw Cheng Lian calling him by his childhood name, and was annoyed: "Cheng Lian, you dare to call me by my childhood name? Just wait and see how I'll deal with you."

  Cheng Lian smiled lightly and said: "What's wrong, are you still angry? Doggy, doggy didn't used to be called that way before?"

  Ts'ao Hsing had an angry look and said: "You young whippersnapper..."

  Lü Bu didn't want them to quarrel, so he said: "Don't argue anymore, get some rest early, and scout at dawn." So everyone fell silent and rested.

  The next day at dawn, Lü Bu and his ten riders returned on horseback, encountering several ownerless horses along the way, but saw no signs of the Xianbei. When they arrived back at the Xianbei campsite, they only saw many ownerless horses eating grass with their heads down, and the ground was littered with Xianbei corpses, but there were no Xianbei cavalrymen to be seen. Lü Bu did not dare to be careless, observing the surroundings carefully, and after a long time, he still did not see anything unusual. He then led his riders to circle around the city of Shuofang to scout out the situation, only discovering a few heavily injured Xianbei soldiers who were unable to move in the Xianbei campsite, whom Lü Bu's ten riders easily killed, and there was no other movement.

  Lü Bu again led his cavalry to circle around Shuofang for ten miles to scout, but still gained nothing. Zang Ba said beside Lü Bu: "Could it be that the Xianbei people have run away?"

  Lü Bu remained cautious and ordered: "We mustn't be careless; let's take a short rest, eat some dry rations, and then scout out the next twenty li."

  Then the ten riders rested for a moment and circled around Shuofang City to explore twenty miles.

  As night fell, there was still no sign of the Xianbei. Cao Xing laughed and said: "Haha... The Xianbei slaves have been scared out of their wits by General Jun, they must have escaped back to the north of the desert."

  Within twenty miles of Shuo Fang, no Xianbei was seen, and Lü Bu led his cavalry to the north gate. Gao Shun saw Lü Bu's ten riders returning safely from a distance on the tower of the north gate of Shuo Fang, and he was overjoyed. Last night, Gao Shun had been listening carefully on the tower, and this morning at dawn, he saw that the Xianbei camp was in disarray, and there was no sign of the Xianbei. He ordered his men to pay attention to any movements around them. Now, seeing Lü Bu return before nightfall without any signs of the Xianbei, he ordered his men to remove the earthworks and open the city gate to welcome Lü Bu's return.

  The people in the city knew early that Lü Bu had led a surprise attack on the Xianbei camp with ten riders last night, and saw that the Xianbei camp was in disarray, without any signs of the Xianbei. They knew that Lü Bu had returned triumphantly, and all 3,000 soldiers and civilians in the city went out to welcome him.

  Lü Bu's ten riders entered the city. Gao Shun led his troops to welcome them, saying: "General, your military prowess is divine, and with just ten riders, you defeated hundreds of Xianbei cavalry, without a single injury or death among our ranks; we are in awe."

  Lü Bu said calmly, "Let's not relax yet. Order someone to fill in the city gate and tomorrow we'll scout out thirty miles. If we really don't see any Xianbei tracks, then we can celebrate."

  Gao Shun saw that Lü Bu was not arrogant after his victory, and remained cautious. In his heart, he admired him even more. For nearly a month now, he had quietly taken note of everything Lü Bu said and did.

  Lü Bu ordered his cavalry to return and rest, while he himself rode towards the county office. Along the way, all were singing praises of him. Lü Bu then said to the people: "Although the Xianbei have been defeated, their remaining forces are unclear in which direction they went; you must not relax your guard."

  The common people listened to Lü Bu's words and stopped celebrating. Those who had work to do went back to their tasks. Lü Bu returned to the county office, spent one night killing and another day inspecting horses, and was truly exhausted. He fell asleep with his clothes on, letting Yan Ni and Li Yu'er help him wash off the dirt from his body.

  The next day, Lü Bu slept until noon and got up when he heard someone talking. It turned out that Gao Shun had come to see Lü Bu early in the morning, but saw that Lü Bu was still sleeping and didn't dare disturb him, so he came back three or four times already.

  Lü Bu heard it was Gao Shun's voice in the inner chamber and asked: "What is it, Elder Brother Gao?"

  Gao Shun listened to Lü Bu's question and replied: "I have disturbed you, General. I have a military situation to report."

  Lü Bu came out of the inner chamber, and Li Yu'er hurried forward to serve him in washing. As he washed, Lü Bu asked: "Is there any news from Xianbei?"

  Gao Zongdao said: "Shun had already sent two detachments to scout out the Xianbei, and the cavalry had gone thirty li without seeing any signs of Xianbei activity. He has come to ask for instructions on what to do next."

  Lü Bu heard that the scouts had not seen any Xianbei tracks within thirty miles for two days, and he thought to himself: Could it be that the Xianbei really retreated? Lü Bu did not know that the Xianbei had been defeated by him that night and fled east overnight to join their fellow tribesmen in Youzhou.

  Lü Bu had just arrived and was not very familiar with the environment, so he didn't dare to believe that the Xianbei people had escaped so easily. He asked Gao Shun: "Big Brother Gao, where do you think the Xianbei went?"

  Gao Shun said: "The Xianbei bandits are not only in one place, and the northern frontier is just a place where one of the Xianbei tribes has invaded. I think that the Xianbei who invaded the northern frontier have suffered losses and casualties, and it is difficult to find a good place to attack them. It is very likely that they have already gone to another place. The northern frontier is not a rich and prosperous land, and east of the Yellow River is Yunzhong. Yunzhong has no natural barrier like the Yellow River, making it easier for bandits to raid. I think that the Xianbei here must have crossed the Yellow River to join their fellow tribesmen in Yunzhong."

  Lü Bu thought that since he hadn't seen the Xianbei for two days, and even after adding thirty more miles, they must have really left. So he ordered: "Send people to scout out thirty miles around and patrol quickly. Quickly dispatch craftsmen to repair the city gate. Also send strong citizens from within the city to clean up the battlefield, and throw all the corpses into the pit trap to bury them. Remember, on my way back to the city, I saw many ownerless horses, so send soldiers to quickly round them up. Even if the Xianbei abandoned their weapons and leather armor, collect everything."

  He died of natural causes.

  The Shuo Fang civilians, upon hearing that they were going to clean up the battlefield, all rushed forward in a scramble, stripping the corpses of their clothes and furs, leaving the Xianbei corpses completely bare, before throwing them into the horse pit to bury. They also rounded up several hundred stray horses.