Chapter 62: Mei's Family and Gan's Family

  The young woman's appearance may not be stunningly beautiful, but she is extremely pretty and has a noble and elegant temperament.

  Her face was as pale as paper, her long eyelashes quivering slightly, but she sat upright and still, seemingly fearful in her heart yet trying to appear calm on the surface.

  "Are you from the Zou clan or the Gan clan?" Yan Liang asked loudly.

  Yan Liang knew that Liu Bei had two wives, the main wife being the sister of Xu Zhou's wealthy Mi Zhu, and the other was Gan Shi, who was the mother of Emperor Xianzong of Shu Han.

  The beautiful young woman opened her eyes and stared at Yan Liang for a moment before shifting her gaze elsewhere, responding to Yan Liang with silence.

  You still dare to show me attitude? Humph, don't think that just because you're Liu Xuan's wife, I'll give you three points of respect.

  Yan Liang's face turned cold, and he sneered: "You don't dare to speak up? Fine, I'll just treat you as an ordinary woman, and reward the soldiers with you to release their pent-up energy."

  The beautiful girl's face changed color upon hearing this, and she hastily shouted: "If you dare to insult me like this, I will have no choice but to take my own life to preserve my chastity."

  In an instant, she drew a short dagger from her sleeve and placed it on the snow-white neck without hesitation.

  Yan Liang's words were just meant to scare her, and this young woman was also very cooperative in falling for it.

  She called herself "Zhen", presumably Liu Bei's legitimate wife Zhen.

  Look at this young and beautiful woman in front of him, then think about Liu Bei's middle-aged uncle-like appearance. Yan Liang couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion in his heart. This old cow Liu Bei really got to eat some tender grass.

  With a "brush" sound, Yan Liang put away his sword and ignored Mi Zhen who was about to kill herself in the carriage.

  Zhou Cang said beside him, "General, I think this woman is so stubborn. Why not let me send someone to knock her out and take away her dagger, lest she really kills herself."

  "Don't worry, she will never commit suicide." Yan Liang said with his head held high, his words full of confidence.

  Yan Liang knew that Zhen Ji had been captured several times in history, but she never committed suicide. As long as Yan Liang did not use force, he guessed that she also didn't have the courage to commit suicide.

  He drove his horse forward and arrived at another horse-drawn vehicle.

  The carriage was already badly damaged due to the intense battle, and in the remaining compartment, a beautiful young woman, as delicate as carved jade, was cowering anxiously in one corner.

  The one in front was Zhen, and this beautiful woman in front of me is naturally Gan.

  She is also a stunning beauty, and what's most astonishing is that Gan's skin is as white as snow, truly like a jade maiden.

  Yan Liang's cold and stern gaze swept back and forth over Gan's body.

  Unlike Tong Mianjing's pretended calmness, Gan's fear was written all over her face. Her weak body trembled non-stop, like a startled lamb, as if she feared being eaten by Yan Liang.

  "What's your name?" Yan Liang asked again to confirm.

  Nangong's body shook slightly, and she replied in a low, trembling voice: "My name is Gan Mei."

  That self-deprecating phrase "your humble servant" was completely different from Zhen's usual haughty and proud tone, which made Yan Liang feel much more at ease.

  Yan Liang nodded slightly and waved his hand: "Come on, send these two back to Xin Ye, don't delay."

  Under orders, Zhou Cang chose more than 100 elite soldiers and let Gan Ning's two daughters ride in the same horse-drawn carriage to send them to Xinye.

  The two women seemed to have gotten used to being captured, and since Zou Xian saw that Yan Liang was not behaving improperly, she put away her dagger and stopped making a sound. Gan Mei then summoned up the courage, trembling as she climbed out of the carriage, wanting to switch to Zou Xian's intact carriage.

  Yan Liang saw that she was not agile in her movements, so he stretched out his long arm and lifted her up, then turned his horse to another carriage.

  Gan Mei was caught off guard by Yan Liang's sudden move, and a wave of shyness washed over her. Before she could even struggle, Yan Liang had already placed her in the carriage.

  When Zhen saw Yan Liang's frivolous behavior, she was also shocked and angry in her heart, but she didn't dare to make a scene. She could only glare at Yan Liang with anger, hurry to pull Gan Mei into the carriage, and spread out her hands to protect her, as if she was afraid that Yan Liang would do something to Gan Mei.

  Yan Liang coldly laughed and whipped his horse, leading his troops towards An City.

  The wheels creaked and groaned as they began to turn, heading southwest.

  Through the window gap, Gan Mei's eyes glanced towards Ancheng direction, watching Yan Liang's iron tower-like majestic figure gradually moving away.

  "Sister, don't worry, husband will definitely find a way to save us." The nearby Zhen Chen tightly grasped her icy hand, her tone was very firm.

  Gan Mei murmured a soft "hmm" and nodded lightly, but in her mind, she couldn't help but recall the scene from just now when Yan Liang had picked her up, her beautiful face flushing with shame.

  Forty li east of Ancheng.

  The flickering campfire crackled from time to time, and Liu Bei sat silently beside it, his tattered clothes a testament to his hardships. In his hand, he listlessly poked at the fire with a charred wooden stick.

  His forehead was covered in blood, his eyes were slightly open, and the two small mustaches on his lips still had ash on them. On his ordinary-looking face, which seemed to have no majesty or aura, a subtle yet unspoken air of authority seeped through.

  A heart that bleeds beneath a calm and peaceful expression.

  The tens of thousands of horses that had just been gathered together were lost in a matter of days; it would be strange if one's heart did not ache.

  "Yan Liang, Yan Liang..." Liu Bei muttered to himself, gritting his teeth in secret.

  Suddenly, a light and quick horseshoe sound came from afar, everyone's heart tightened at once, followed by the sound of weapons being unsheathed one after another.

  Liu Bei's nerves also tightened, thinking that Yan Liang was really relentless in his pursuit, and had actually chased him all the way here?

  Before long, they heard the scouts shouting excitedly: "It's General Winged Tiger and General Dragon!"

  Liu Bei's hanging heart finally relaxed, and a few happy expressions still flowed out between his eyebrows. He immediately jumped up, threw down the fire stick in his hand, and ran towards the direction of the horseshoe sound.

  Under the reflection of the firelight, several riders galloped near, and at the forefront were Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, both covered in blood.

  The two men looked ashamed, reined in their horses, dismounted, and bowed their heads to Liu Bei.

  Zhang Fei said with a sense of shame: "My younger brother is incompetent, causing both sisters to fall into the hands of that traitor Yan Liang. Please, older brother, punish me."

  Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

  However, the gloom flashed and disappeared, and Liu Bei immediately helped Zhang Zhao get up.

  "Brothers are like hands and feet, wives and children are like clothes. Even if the family is trapped, I think Yan Liang will not harm them. As long as Yide and Zilong, you two generals are safe, I can be at ease."

  Zhang Fei was both moved and ashamed, and hot tears welled up in his tiger-like eyes.

  Zhao Yun stood with his head bowed, his face gloomy.

  Guan Yu sighed beside him, "This battle is unfavorable for us, causing my brother to lose troops and land. Now that Ancheng has been lost, Runan cannot be stayed in for long. What does my brother plan to do next?"

  Liu Bei was not facing a desperate situation for the first time, and his mood soon calmed down as he thought about his next strategy.

  Many strategists such as Sun Qian and Jian Yong etc. came forward to offer their opinions, the majority of whom suggested that they should first return to Yuan Shao's side before making further plans.

  Liu Bei fell silent for a long time, and his eyebrows gradually revealed determination. With a sudden movement, he stood up.

  "I may have been defeated by Yan Liang this time, but all of you strategists and generals are still here, the situation is far better than the last few defeats. Now that I've finally escaped from Yuan Shao, how can I go back?"

  Liu Bei's tone was resolute, as if he had already made up his mind.

  Guan Yu cupped his hands and said: "From brother's words, it seems that there is already a bold plan?"

  Liu Bei stroked his mustache, a hint of a smile playing on the corners of his mouth.