Unwelcome guest

  In the late afternoon, the troops returned one after another from Guangzong City. The small city of Guangzong had already accommodated tens of thousands of surrendered people. The Han army could only temporarily stay in the original large camp outside the city and only sent some soldiers to guard the four gates.

  The soldiers returned, and the quiet camp was suddenly bustling. A bonfire quickly rose, and the tired soldiers sat around it, chatting happily and telling stories about what had happened during the day. Gao Fei became the subject of conversation among these soldiers. His story of beheading Zhang Jiao and generously distributing wealth was compiled into various versions by the soldiers, spreading throughout the military camp, making him a popular figure in the army for a time.

  Gao's subordinate also returned, and his thousand cavalrymen only lost a dozen or so. Today's battle was a great victory. In addition to surrendering Zhou Cang and Guan Yu, he was overjoyed and appointed Zhou Cang and Guan Yu as military marquises. He called Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei together, sat around the bonfire, and had Lu Xiang bring wine and meat.

  The bonfire's flames flickered bright and dim, Gaofei stood straight at the edge of the bonfire, raised his wine bowl high and loudly said: "Everyone, tomorrow we will attack Xiayang, tonight let us drink freely, no one leaves until drunk!"

  "We five military marquises offer a toast to the great lord!" The five newly appointed military marquises sitting around the bonfire all raised their wine bowls and said in unison.

  After drinking a cup of wine, Zhang Fei grumbled and complained: "Damn it, I'm so frustrated! I thought I could have a good fight, but as soon as I led the troops over, we only killed three enemy soldiers, and the rest all surrendered in a hurry. It was completely meaningless!"

  "Hahaha!" Everyone burst out laughing after hearing it.

  Gao Feng said: "Brother Yide, you are as fierce and unmatched as a tiger bursting out of its cage. I wonder how many dare to block your way? Those few bandits who were killed by you must have been scared stiff, they didn't even have time to surrender their weapons before they met their demise!"

  "Tomorrow, we'll attack Xiaoyang, and I, old Zhang, will surely have a good fight. If we meet someone like Zhou Cang again, you're not allowed to compete with me for merit! Today, you killed Zhang Jiao, but when we get to Xiaoyang, Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao will be mine!" Zhang Fei originally wanted to shout "Brother Gao", but seeing that there were people around, he thought for a moment and changed his words, saying slowly.

  Gao Fei smiled and said: "Alright, at that time I will absolutely not compete with you, but I don't know if Yun Chang brother is willing to let you monopolize the credit?"

  "Second Brother?" Zhang Fei hastily turned his head to take a look at Guan Yu, whose face was completely red, and asked in a soft voice: "Second Brother, you won't compete with me, will you?"

  Guan Yu said: "No need to fight over it, we'll each take one!"

  "Hah! What's the difference between this and robbery?" Zhang Fei cried out.

  Guan Yu just smiled and didn't answer.

  Liu Bei gave Zhang Fei a white eye, bowed to Gao Tiao and said: "My three brothers are all relying on the adults, and we can only stand in the army of the imperial court. What my second and third brothers just said is nothing but a joke, please don't take it seriously, Zhang Liang, Zhang Bao, my three brothers will never compete with you for merit..."

  "Brother Guan De's words are a bit too cautious, killing Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao would indeed be a great achievement, but they won't just stand there like wooden stakes, the battlefield is unpredictable, who can guarantee anything? Since Brother Yun Chang and Brother Yi De are willing to kill Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao, what's wrong with that? You two are under my command now, if you kill them, it's as good as me killing them, no difference at all. Besides, we're brothers, who kills is not the point." Gao Fei hastily said.

  Zhang Fei said with a big laugh: "Right, it's still what you said, elder brother is being too cautious."

  Guan Yu took advantage of the opportunity to pour wine for Zhang Fei, pulled his sleeve and whispered in his ear: "Listen to your brother, speak less and drink more!"

  Zhang Fei's face froze for a moment, seeing Liu Bei's expressionless face, his eyes seemed to reveal a layer of gloom, and he stopped talking.

  Zhang Fei observed Liu Bei's words and expressions, seeing that he did not reveal his emotions on his face. In his heart, Zhang secretly thought: "This big-eared fellow, what is he thinking in his mind? His face doesn't show any expression at all, it's really hard to fathom."

  Zhou Cang and Guan Yu only focused on drinking wine, not saying much. After all, they had just surrendered and been promoted to military marquises, but many relationships were still unfamiliar, let alone that they used to be bandits.

  After three rounds of wine, the originally lively scene became very dull due to a sentence from Liu Bei. Gao Fei felt bored and left first, followed by Zhou Cang and Guan Yu, and finally Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei all got up and left, returning to their camp.

  "Brother, Gao Xian's good intentions, why must you refuse him from a thousand miles away?" Zhang Fei muttered as soon as he entered the tent.

  Liu Bei glanced sideways at Zhang Fei, slowly sat down, and said nothing.

  "Big brother, say something! Gao Xian's younger brother not only took us in but also let us join his troops to fight against the Yellow Turbans together. Today, even our 300 village braves have changed into official army uniforms... what are you thinking?!" Zhang Fei saw that Liu Bei was not speaking up, and he became increasingly anxious, unsure of Liu Bei's opinion, so he shouted out loud.

  Guan Yu pulled Zhang Fei back with one hand, shook his head and said in a low voice: "Third brother, big brother is not in the mood, don't bother big brother!"

  "Feeling down? We don't have to suffer from others' white eyes anymore, we have wine to drink, meat to eat, and battles to fight, we can kill bandits and make merits, what's there to feel down about, big brother?"

  "Third Brother!" Guan Yu growled, "You mustn't be rude to Elder Brother!"

  "Second brother, third brother, you two sit down and listen to me." Liu Bei did not get angry either, he raised his head and looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, saying softly.

  Guan Yu pulled Zhang Fei down to the ground with one hand, and suddenly heard Liu Bei sobbing softly. He hastily asked: "Big brother, a man of great stature, why are you crying?"

  Zhang Fei was also unsure what to make of Liu Bei, but in any case he was quite happy these past two days. Since the Oath of the Peach Garden, he had spent all his family's wealth to organize a local militia and followed Liu Bei to fight against the rebels together with his second brother Guan Yu. They had fought in over ten battles big and small, and every time they encountered government troops, they were not taken seriously. It wasn't until they met Gao Fei that he felt there were still good people among the government troops. But now seeing Liu Bei like this, a hint of sadness arose in his heart, so he asked: "Big brother... I shouldn't have complained, shouldn't..."

  "Third brother, don't blame you, only blame big brother's incompetence. Big brother as the Han family's relative, has repeatedly been ridiculed by others, and it's a blessing to have met High Virtuous Brother... However, today's battle, High Virtuous Brother killed Zhang Jiao, his reputation soared, while looking at our brothers' situation, how can one not feel heartbroken? At the time of the Peach Garden Oath, we made a vow together to raise an army and defeat the rebels, wanting to make a big name for ourselves, but now we can only serve as generals under others... Earlier I said those words, it was also out of necessity, after all High Virtuous Brother is our superior, how can subordinates openly compete for merit? Alas!" Liu Bei interrupted Zhang Fei's words, sobbing while slowly speaking.

  Guan Yu and Zhang Fei heard this, their hearts also felt a layer of gloom, they both let out a deep sigh, and together consoled him saying: "Big brother doesn't need to be sad, we understand big brother's meaning, when the time comes to attack Xuchang, we will definitely cut off Zhang Liao and Zhang Bao's heads, and make a name for big brother!"

  Liu Bei gradually stopped his crying, reached out and grasped the hands of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, saying very sincerely: "I, Liu Bei, can die without regret in this life for having you two brothers."

  "Big Brother!" Guan Yu and Zhang Fei shouted together.

  Liu Bei saw that he had calmed down Zhang Fei's anxiety, and his heart was also quite relieved. In the past few days of interacting with Gao Fei, although they were not very familiar, it could be seen that Gao Fei was a person with great ambitions, and from various signs, it seemed that he intentionally or unintentionally wanted to win over Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

  "I now have nothing, only two sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. If I cannot retain their hearts, what grand ambitions can I still speak of? Once the Yellow Turbans are pacified, the imperial court will surely issue an edict to reward those with merit. At that time, I will take Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and bid farewell to Liu Biao, striving to realize my own aspirations."

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  Gao Fei returned to his tent, feeling very displeased. He shouted at Lu Heng outside the tent: "Bring wine!"

  Lu Heng sent over some wine and saw Gao Fei's unpleasant expression, so he asked: "Sir, what's wrong?"

  "It's nothing, just feeling a bit anxious!" Gaofei replied casually.

  Lu Heng, although he had been following Gao Fei for a short time, was knowledgeable and experienced. He still had some insight and poured Gao Fei a bowl of wine, saying slowly: "Sir, are you distressed about what happened earlier?"

  Gao Fei raised his eyelids and looked at Lu Heng, asking: "What just happened?"

  Lu Hengdao said: "Sir, I have something to say, but I don't know if it's suitable to say or not."

  "No one is gagging you!"

  Lu Xun put down the wine jug, bowed his head and said: "Sir, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei are sworn brothers of different surnames. In the past few days, I have been observing them. These three people all attach great importance to their relationships. If you only want to win over Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, it may be quite difficult..."

  "You know quite a lot, don't you? I didn't expect you to see through my little thoughts!"

  "Your Excellency, forgive me for my crime! I should be put to death! But I have been thinking only of you, Your Excellency, and this must be said!" Lu Heng hastily knelt down on the ground and knocked his head.

  Gao Fei waved his hand and smiled, saying: "You can get up now. I can tell loyalty from treachery. Continue speaking."

  Lu Su stood up and said: "In my opinion, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei are of one mind. Although they may have some differences in certain areas, their fraternal bond is greater than everything else, and they will never be separated. If you really want to win over Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, you must also win over Liu Bei."

  Gao Fei naturally understood this principle, but he knew that Liu Bei was not a person who could be kept under control for long, and it would be somewhat dangerous to keep him by his side. He only wanted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, not Liu Bei. After careful consideration, he slowly said: "This matter must not be mentioned to outsiders, as for where Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei go, I have my own plans."

  "I understand!"

  "Zhou Cang and Guan Hai, these two have just surrendered, it's not possible to deeply trust them. Now there is only you by my side. As long as you do a good job for me, once the Yellow Turbans are pacified, I will naturally bring you with me and share wealth and honor!"

  Lu Heng bowed and thanked: "Your subordinate will definitely serve you wholeheartedly!"

  "Uh-huh, you go and send a jar of fine wine to Zhou Cang and Guan Yu each. I saw them not drinking much tonight and being quite estranged from others, you go and help me break the ice."

  "I understand, I'll go and take care of it right away, sir. You should get some rest early, I bid you farewell!"

  Gao Fei saw Lu Su leave the tent, drank another bowl of wine, lay on the bed, and was still thinking about how to win over brave generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Unbeknownst to him, he became drunk and fell asleep in a daze.