Lü Bu received sixty-seven refugees and Zhang Yan led his troops to surrender.

  Liu Yu listened and didn't know whether it was feasible or not, but Lü Bu's words were reasonable and in line with reality, so he stopped talking. The two armies then marched towards Fanyang.

  Lü Bu and Liu Yu led the army to the north bank of the River Ju Ma, where they received a report from their scouts: The Black Mountain bandits and the Qingzhou bandits were crossing the River Ju Ma, thirty miles away, and were advancing towards our army. The enemy's forces were very strong, with at least 700,000 to 800,000 men or more.

  Liu Yu was shocked and said, "I received a military report that the Black Mountain bandits and the Qingzhou rebels had no more than 400,000 troops. How did they increase to 700,000 or 800,000 when they arrived at Fanyang? Is your report false?"

  Lü Bu rebuked the scout, saying: "You are always so cautious and careful. If you had reported falsely about Lü Bu, would he have spared your life?" The scout replied: "The enemy is indeed very numerous. We have made several secret investigations and dare not be careless. Seven or eight hundred thousand is a low estimate."

  Liu Yu's heart sank even more, Lü Bu had 10,000 cavalry, while he himself only had 3,000 cavalry. Even with the infantry that followed later, they were no more than a little over 10,000. The two armies combined had just over 20,000 men. How could they possibly defeat the enemy? He hastily turned to Lü Bu with hopeful eyes.

  Lü Bu did not expect the mountain bandits to be so numerous. However, he was not worried and said to Liu Yu: "Don't worry, General, the bandits are a motley crew of old and young, our army can take advantage of this and strike at their strong points first, weakening their morale, and then we'll see what happens next. As long as you and I are in sync, defeating them shouldn't be difficult." What Lü Bu feared most was not the bandits' overwhelming numbers, but rather that he and Liu Yu would not be on the same page, like Dong Zhuo at Guangzong, panicking in times of crisis and throwing away their advantage.

  Liu Yu, as the governor of Youzhou, still had to rely on Lü Bu for military battles. He hastily ordered Lü Bu to make a decision. Lü Bu then instructed Liu Yu to convey orders to the infantry in the rear army and set up camp fifty miles away from the Maji River. He himself led his cavalry to confront the enemy, unwilling to lose momentum.

  Originally, Zhang Yan and Guan Hai were together, going north to surrender to Lü Bu. Along the way, they ran out of food, so they robbed villages along the way to make a living. Many people who had been oppressed by officials and wealthy households joined them along the way. Some villagers knew that they were going north to surrender to Lü Bu, and many northerners knew that Lü Bu was divine and brave, and also knew that Lü Bu's wife, Lady Yan, was kind and benevolent in her governance. Therefore, many villagers who could not bear the oppression followed Zhang Yan and Guan Hai to surrender. By the time they reached Fanyang in Youzhou, their followers had increased to one million.

  The two armies marched for over twenty miles before encountering the mountain bandits. From a distance, Lü Bu saw that the bandits were like ants, densely packed and moving towards them. Among them, as Lü Bu had said, there were old and young people, as well as women and children carrying large and small bundles, and some even driving horses or pushing carts loaded with goods. As soon as Lü Bu saw this, he felt it was strange: these were not bandits out to plunder, but rather refugees fleeing with their families.

  The two armies were several miles apart, and Lü Bu ordered Liu Yu to lead his troops to the side to observe and act accordingly. He himself led 10,000 cavalrymen to welcome them. Three miles away from the enemy, Lü Bu ordered the formation of the array. The northern border's 10,000 cavalrymen were lined up in a row, and Lü Bu personally led one army, while Xu Huang also led one army. The momentum was so strong that it could not be estimated.

  Lü Bu had originally intended to launch a surprise attack and crush the enemy's morale, but instead he saw that the dense black mass of bandits, upon seeing the government army arrayed before them, not only failed to form up in opposition, but actually let out cheers, and what's more, they even knelt down on the ground.

  Originally, Zhang Yan and Guan Hai saw a military force approaching from the north, with the flag bearing the character "Lv". Zhang Yan recognized Lü Bu's flag and also saw that Lü Bu's army was powerful and majestic. He hastily told the crowd around him: "The arriving troops must be General Lü's army, we cannot act rashly, lest we startle Lü's cavalry and cause a misunderstanding, which would lead to our deaths."

  The crowd rushed to call out to the masses, sitting on the ground waiting. Zhang Yan led a dozen or so leaders including Guan Hai and Bian Xi to come forward.

  Lü Bu saw the bandits' strange behavior, and a dozen or so people walked out of the crowd, took several tens of steps forward, knelt down on the ground, looked north and worshiped. Lü Bu was very suspicious, and asked Zhao Yun beside him: "What does this mean?"

  Zhao Yun also found it strange and said: "Could it be that they want to surrender in the face of General's might?"

  Lü Bu thought for a moment, then ordered Zhang Liao and Zhao Yun to lead the army in formation, waiting on the spot. He rode forward alone. Lü Bu stopped his horse about 100 paces away from Zhang Yan's group, seeing over ten people lined up in a row, kneeling on the ground. His heart was suspicious, but also cautious. He went forward and shouted: "What do you want?"

  Zhang Yan and others heard Lü Bu speak, so they raised their heads. As soon as Lü Bu saw that it was Zhang Yan, he became even more angry in his heart, furrowed his brow and shouted loudly: "Zhang Feiyan, you treacherous thief, previously I did not want to kill people of the same clan, and had no intention of killing you all. You actually dare to gather a crowd to attack my Youzhou. Could it be that you really think Lü Bu cannot kill you?"

  "General, do not misunderstand. I, Yan, have no intention of offending you. I know of your divine bravery and righteousness, and I wanted to come and surrender to you. However, I was afraid that if I came alone, I would be intercepted by the government troops on my way north. So, I invited Qingzhou's Guan Hai to come with me to surrender to you. I had no intention of gathering a crowd and causing trouble, but because the people along the way knew that I wanted to surrender to you, they brought their families and followed me north. General Lu, we were forced into this situation and thought of rebelling only because we were desperate to survive. We have long heard that you have expanded your territory in the northern border and even the northern barbarians are willing to be your slaves for three years and work on your land for three years in order to gain their own land. We beg of you, General, to take us in, considering that we are all Han people. I, Yan, will definitely build a monument for you, and my descendants will burn incense and kneel in worship for generations to come."

  Lü Bu listened, secretly pleased. However, he also didn't dare to be careless and said: "If you all truly come to surrender, I will naturally sincerely accept it. But since you are coming to surrender, why do you plunder the counties, villages and towns along the way? How can I believe that you are truly surrendering?"

  Zhang Yan said: "Yan led hundreds of thousands, with nothing to eat. If we don't search for some grain and grass along the way to fill our bellies, I fear that before we even arrive at this place, we will have already starved to death. Yan has truly come to surrender, if the general does not believe it, then take Zhang Yan's head."

  Lü Bu looked puzzled and asked: "Aren't you called Chu Feiyan? Why are you calling yourself Zhang Yan now?"

  "This general doesn't know, uh... previously, Yan's older brother Zhang Niujiao had already died in the Battle of Julu, and before his death, he appointed Yan as the commander. Yan was grateful, so he changed his surname to Zhang and kept the name Yan. That's why now Yan is called Zhang Yan."

  Lü Bu thought to himself: Zhang Yanjiao is a disciple of Zhang Jue, and since Zhang Yanjiao is dead, perhaps this Zhang Yan has truly come to surrender. However, he still wants to test him, so he said: "If you are truly sincere in your surrender, then follow my orders and do one thing first."

  "General, just give your orders."

  Lü Bu said: "You go and get some people to cut down trees and build a large cage."

  Zhang Yan didn't understand what Lü Bu meant, but still ordered someone to quickly cut down trees and build a cage. With many people working together, they soon built a large cage.

  The cage was finished, and Lü Bu pointed at the cage with his ghostly spear and said: "You ten or so bandit chiefs, all of you enter the cage by yourselves."

  Zhang Yan listened and then wanted to walk into the cage by herself. Next to her, Guan Yu advised: "If we enter the cage, if Lü Bu kills us, it will be certain death."

  Zhang Yan said to Guan Hai: "We have gathered hundreds of thousands of people and come, how can General Lü not defend? This move is to test our sincerity. We are sincere in our hearts, I think General Lü will also sincerely accept us. Now we should treat each other with sincerity." After finishing speaking, he walked into the cage. Guan Hai, Bian Xi and others hesitated for a moment, and finally walked into the cage by themselves. Zhang Yan then closed the cage door himself.

  Lü Bu saw the dozen or so bandits rushing into the cage, and he rode his horse around the cage in a circle. Then he burst out laughing: "Hahahaha... Zhang Yan, you are now a bird in a cage, you know that? If I wanted to kill you, you would certainly die."

  Zhang Yan grasped the bars of her cage with both hands and said, "Yan has come to surrender sincerely. If the general is unwilling to accept me, the world is vast, but I fear it will be difficult for Zhang Yan to survive. If the general wants to kill Zhang Yan, then do it quickly. Yan will not resist death, only die without regret."

  Lü Bu saw that Zhang Yan's words were sincere, and he really closed his eyes to await death. In his heart, he believed that Zhang Yan had truly come to surrender. Lü Bu raised his guandao, let out a loud shout, and with one swing of the blade, struck down at Zhang Yan.