The great war of the three kingdoms forty-eight chapters, De Cai's joyful news of the military situation, entering Yanmen for the first time to meet Zhang Liao.

  Lü Bu rode the black horse and galloped north for dozens of miles. The horse was incredibly fast, and soon left Xu Huang and Cheng Lian far behind. As Lü Bu saw how fierce the horse was, he became more determined to tame it. Lü Bu sat on the horse's back as it galloped north without any intention of stopping, and his pride rose up in vain. He grabbed the horse's mane with one hand and pressed down on its neck with his elbow, using all his strength. The black horse resisted at first but eventually slowed down. Seeing that this method was effective, Lü Bu leaned forward, almost pressing his entire body onto the horse's neck. The black horse snorted loudly and slowly came to a stop. Only then did Lü Bu breathe a sigh of relief and laugh heartily: "Good horse, you are truly a fine steed from the northern plains!" As the horse stopped in its tracks, Lü Bu realized that he had used too much force earlier and now felt sorry for the horse. He gently stroked the horse's neck with one hand and softly said to it: "Well-behaved horse, the big man who rode on your back earlier didn't deserve to be your master. I am your true master. Good horse, don't be stubborn anymore... Hehehe..."

  The black horse was also clever, seeing Lü Bu stroking its neck, it didn't resist and became obedient, allowing Lü Bu to stroke it. After comforting the black horse for a moment, Lü Bu turned his horse around and galloped southward.

  Lü Bu rode his black horse south for several miles before he saw Xu Huang and Cheng Lian leading a dozen or so personal guards rushing to find him.

  Lü Bu saw Xu Huang and others chasing after him. He hastily asked: "What is the situation of the battle? Where is Gao Shun?"

  Cheng Lian hastily said: "We have been closely pursuing the general, I don't know what the current situation of the battle is."

  Lü Bu urged his horse forward and shouted: "Follow me quickly back."

  Lü Bu's heart was now filled with cold sweat. Just now, seeing this fine steed, he had momentarily lost control and harbored the intention of stealing it, entrusting command of the thousand-strong army to Gao Shun. Lü Bu knew that Dian Wei was no ordinary person; if Gao Shun failed to command the cavalry formation effectively and they suffered defeat, it would be entirely his own responsibility. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel guilty towards his comrades who had followed him through thick and thin.

  Lü Bu rushed back to the battlefield, where only the heads of the dead were left on the ground, and no one was seen. Just as Lü Bu was anxiously looking around, he suddenly saw several riders rushing towards him. Lü Bu's eyes were sharp, and he saw that they were wearing his own elite guard's unique leather armor, so he hastily rode to meet them.

  Those few close attendants discovered someone approaching, first a burst of vigilance, then seeing clearly that the person was Lü Bu, hastily urging on their horses to rush over, mouths shouting: "Sir... Lord Lü..."

  Lü Bu stepped forward, his heart filled with fear. He hastily asked: "Why are there only the five of you left? What about the others?"

  Originally, several riders were sent by Gao Shun to scout out the enemy. The leader of the scouts returned and said: "The Xianbei people have already fled westward, and Gao Zuoyi does not know where you are, so he dare not attack. He has led his troops back to Majiao Pass. We were ordered by Gao Zuoyi to come find you."

  Lü Bu heard that the Xianbei people had run away, and Gao Shun had led the army back to Mamingguan. A hanging heart finally settled down. He thought: From now on, no matter what happens, he cannot abandon his troops again.

  Cheng Lian and Xu Huai's troops arrived just in time. Lü Bu retreated back to Mount Tie with his followers.

  The battle outside Maicheng, Xianbei killed over 1,500 people, and the life and death of Tan Shi Huai were unknown. Lü Bu's near-guard army lost over 100 people, Yang Feng's wolf cavalry was defeated by over 150 horses, Xian Yu Fu's hundred or so troops were almost completely lost, and Xian Yu Yin died in battle. Gao Shun had no handover from Lü Bu and had already handled the post-war affairs.

  Gao Shun saw Lü Bu return safely, and finally put his mind at ease, but his face still looked unpleasant. Lü Bu saw that Gao Shun was calm in the chaos, composed when dealing with matters, and handled things in an orderly manner, and he inwardly praised him. He said: "Big Brother Gao's command on the battlefield today was calm and unhurried, I highly approve."

  Gao Shun listened to Lü Bu's praise with no expression of joy, instead he spoke sternly: "Sir, I have something to say, and if I don't speak it will be unbearable."

  Lü Bu's expression turned exceptionally good, and he smiled: "Please speak."

  "Gao Zongdao said: 'The general often teaches us soldiers, the military law is strict, and once an order is given, it must be followed. The commander leads by example, and the soldiers will bravely follow. A commander should set an example for the soldiers. Therefore, a commander cannot act arbitrarily or follow his own desires. But today, you, sir, abandoned your horse and fled during the battle, this is not the behavior of a commander. According to military law, this crime deserves beheading. I hope that in the future, you will put the safety of the soldiers first and never make such an improper move again.'"

  Lü Bu knew that Gao Shun was dissatisfied with his arbitrary behavior during the battle, and he himself had nothing to say for the time being. Zang Ba heard this and intentionally came to his rescue, saying: "What General Gao said is not entirely true. I didn't see you abandon your formation and steal a horse, but rather saw you fighting bravely against the enemy general, trying to capture him alive. It was just that you temporarily mounted the wrong horse and couldn't control the fierce steed. What General Gao said was a bit too severe."

  Lü Bu smiled and said, "The two commanders' words are all reasonable. This matter will be dropped here. Lü Bu thanks Commander Gao for reminding him. If such a thing happens again in the future, Lü Bu is willing to accept punishment."

  Several officers were originally going to listen to Gao Shun's words, thinking that Gao Shun would be punished for his offense against Lü Bu. Unexpectedly, not only did Lü Bu not get angry, but he even thanked Gao Shun profusely. In their hearts, they were delighted that they had followed a good general. At this point, seeing that Lü Bu had settled the matter, they didn't say anything more.

  Lü Bu got a good horse and was delighted for the time being. He called his generals to come and admire it, asking who knew this horse.

  Xian Yu Fu Dao: "This horse is called Si Feng, it's a favorite steed of Tan Shi Huai..."

  "What?" Lü Bu exclaimed in surprise, interrupting him.

  Xian Yu Fu thought he hadn't made himself clear and added: "This horse is called Si Feng, it's Tan Shi Hua's mount."

  Lü Bu was overjoyed when he heard this. Xian Yu Fu had only been by the side of the cavalry array during the battle and hadn't seen Lü Bu fight Tan Shi Huai. And Lü Bu didn't recognize Tan Shi Huai either, only knowing that at the time he had fought a Xianbei general. So it wasn't until now that Lü Bu knew that the one he had kicked off his horse was actually the Xianbei king Tan Shi Huai. This was indeed extremely important military information.

  Lü Bu quickly recovered from the joy of having obtained a fine horse and hastily asked, "Where is Xianbei fleeing to in the west?"

  Gao Shun saw that Lü Bu was not pleased and knew he had regained his composure, so he hastily said: "My scouts have already found out that the main force of the Xianbei has withdrawn from Dai Commandery and gone west into Yanmen, where they have joined forces with the Xianbei tribes of Yanmen."

  Lü Bu thought to himself: If he kicked that person, it would be Tan Shi Huai. That one kick was not light, and if he accidentally kicked Tan Shi Huai to death, then the plan to break through the Xianbei would be ruined in these few days. He hastily ordered his subordinates to arrange for people to guard each pass and city. He personally reorganized his elite cavalry, selecting strong and capable men to fill up the five hundred troops. He left Gao Shun at Dai Commandery's county seat of Gaoliu City to take charge of military affairs in his place. He brought Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Cheng Lian, Xianyu Fu, and the five hundred cavalrymen with him as he headed west towards Yanmen Pass.

  Lü Bu rode to the city of Shanyu in Yandang Commandery, only to find the city gates tightly closed. When Lü Bu's army arrived at the foot of the city walls, Xianyu Fu shouted up at the top of his voice: "Open the gate quickly! We are the officers of the governor of Dai Commandery and have urgent military business; open the gate quickly!"

  A small soldier on the city wall looked down and saw hundreds of riders coming, but he didn't rush to open the city gate. Instead, he shouted at those below: "Now that the Xianbei are raiding and plundering, military affairs are unclear, I don't dare to open the city gate arbitrarily. You'd better speak with the governor of Dai Commandery's garrison, do you have any official documents or credentials?"

  Lü Bu did not speak, and Cao Song on the side suddenly shouted at the city gate tower: "You little kid, quickly open the city gate. The governor of Daijun Lü is in front of the army, what official document do you need? If you don't open the door, I will crush your head."

  Lü Bu looked up to see a young boy, apparently another child soldier. Lü Bu thought Cao Xing's shout would scare the boy off. But instead, the boy showed no fear and drew his bow, pointing an arrow at Cao Xing and shouting: "The military situation is unclear, the Xianbei are just outside the pass. If you don't have official documents, leave quickly. Otherwise, I'll make you taste my arrows."

  Lü Bu, instead of getting angry, actually liked the young soldier. Cao was about to get angry, but Lü Bu stopped him with a wave of his hand. He shouted at the city wall: "You little soldier, I am Lü Bu, the governor of Dai Commandery. Quickly lower the drawbridge and I will show you my official documents."

  The young soldier then put away his bow and arrow, saying: "This general is indeed a man of his word. Wait." He then withdrew his head, and before long, a basket was lowered from the city by a rope.

  Lü Bu took out the governor's seal from his bosom and let Xu Huang put it in the basket. The young man, while pulling up the basket, said: "This noble lord will have to wait for a moment, after verification by the soldiers below, we will welcome you into the city."