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The wine cup was slammed hard onto the table. Chen Lan racked his brain for a solution, only to realize that he was completely outmatched by the situation in Jiangting, and none of the generals under his command dared to even breathe aloud.

Just then, a minor officer burst into the command tent, rushing to report to Chen Lan.

"Great Chieftain, it's a disaster!"

Chen Lan was already deeply annoyed. He thought to himself, what kind of disaster could be worse than Lei Bu being crippled? His eyes narrowed, and he barked, "Speak!"

Fearing he might be the next target of the chieftain's wrath, the officer stammered, "Great Chieftain... Cao... Cao Cao has sent... Generals Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang to lead... lead thirty thousand troops straight toward Mount Tianzhu!"

"What?!?"

Chen Lan sprang to his feet and grabbed the officer by the throat. "Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang are leading thirty thousand troops to my Mount Tianzhu?"

"Yes... yes, it is an urgent... urgent report from Mount Tianzhu!"

Choking and unable to breathe, the officer turned blue in the face as he managed to finish his sentence.

"Those treacherous dogs!"

Chen Lan was furious. He frowned and remained silent for a long moment. After a while, he let out a roar that sounded almost like a scream of agony.

"Damn their ancestors! Retreat!"

Chen Lan’s decision to withdraw was, of course, a calculated one. His side had suffered several consecutive defeats, and even his sworn brother had lost his arm to that brat Li Miao. It was unlikely that Jiangting could be taken in the short term. Mount Tianzhu, however, was the base of operations for both Chen Lan and Lei Bu. Although they had only occupied the mountain for two years, they had fortified it into an impenetrable stronghold, making it nearly impossible to attack.

Mount Tianzhu was strategically located, easy to defend and difficult to assault!

Now that Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang were marching thirty thousand troops toward his home, Chen Lan was not foolish enough to believe they were coming for tea or to persuade him to surrender.

As for why Cao Cao would send troops to attack Mount Tianzhu, Chen Lan hadn't figured it out yet, and he was in no state of mind to ponder it. He had to return to Mount Tianzhu as quickly as possible to face Cao Cao. Misfortunes never come singly; his top general had lost his right arm, and his home base was under siege. One could only imagine the curses Chen Lan was heaping upon Cao Cao’s ancestors.

Military speed is of the essence. After hearing the urgent report, Chen Lan ordered his generals to command an immediate retreat. Even if it meant marching through the night, they had to return to Mount Tianzhu as soon as possible. Once there, Chen Lan would feel secure, regardless of how many men the enemy brought.

After issuing the orders, Chen Lan went to check on Lei Bu’s injuries. He had already ordered his men to round up every physician in Linzhou County. According to the physicians, Lei Bu was no longer in critical condition and only needed a long period of quiet recovery to be as good as new.

Chen Lan flew into a rage. "As good as new? Your grandmother!"

"Take him out and execute him!" Chen Lan waved his hand, sending the physician who had tried to flatter him to the afterlife.

Chen Lan knew the truth: Lei Bu’s right arm was gone. Even if he survived, he would be a cripple. In these chaotic times, a cripple was looked down upon by everyone; nobody would show him any respect.

Lei Bu... was finished.

Without his right arm, his martial prowess—his means of survival—was gone, and with it, his status. This was more painful than death itself. From now on, Lei Bu would not only face humiliation but would also be denied the pension he deserved. He was doomed to live out the rest of his life in obscurity. For a man who identified as a general, having to submit to such a fate was tragic. Who could ever be content with that?

Lei Bu would have to spend the rest of his life in humiliation, bitterness, and resentment. In reality, it wasn't like in martial arts novels where one could lose an arm and still become the greatest fighter in the world. Besides, losing a limb meant losing one's edge on the battlefield, not to mention the loss of balance and coordination. Which general didn't spend decades honing their skills?

"Sigh!" Chen Lan looked at Lei Bu’s pale face and the blood still seeping from his shoulder, feeling a pang of pity. He waved over Lei Bu’s personal guards.

"How has the Second Chieftain treated you?"

"The Second Chieftain is like a second father to us!" The guards knew Lei Bu had a bad temper and had often been on the receiving end of his beatings, but they knew he did it for their own good. Without his harsh training, they would have been killed on the battlefield long ago. He had given them the status they held, and they had gained respect among the common soldiers because of him.

"Good. Listen, Mount Tianzhu is in trouble, and we must retreat there immediately! The Second Chieftain is too severely injured to travel with us. You must stay behind to look after him. Are you willing?"

Seeing Lei Bu’s condition, Chen Lan felt a rare softness in his heart. Usually, this would be an order, but he chose to ask them.

"The Great Chieftain says Mount Tianzhu is in trouble?" The soldiers were shocked by the weight of this information. If the situation was so dire that it required a forced march, it was no wonder Lei Bu couldn't join them. What kind of trouble could it be to make Chen Lan so desperate?

"That is none of your concern. I only ask if you are willing to stay here and care for my brother," Chen Lan said, his gaze hardening with the authority of a leader.

"We will gladly die to serve the Second Chieftain!" Hearing this, the men knelt, not daring to defy Chen Lan’s wishes.

"Good. I leave him in your care. Protect him well. If he recovers and wants to return to Mount Tianzhu, I will wait for him." Chen Lan suddenly thought of the battle ahead. Could he survive against Xiahou Dun and Xu Huang? What if he died? He shook his head to clear the thought. "If he does not wish to return, then take this money and find a quiet place to live out your lives in peace."

Chen Lan handed over enough gold and silver for Lei Bu to live comfortably for several lifetimes. In his heart, he didn't really want Lei Bu to return, for even if he did, he would likely face ridicule from others. Chen Lan knew his men; even if he could silence them to their faces, he couldn't stop them from whispering behind Lei Bu’s back. Lei Bu would never be able to bear that.

Without looking back, Chen Lan turned and walked toward the drill ground to muster his remaining seven thousand troops and head straight for Mount Tianzhu.

The four guards knelt on the ground, tears in their eyes, as they watched Chen Lan depart. They heard the gongs sounding for assembly, watched the tents being struck, and listened to the thunder of hooves and marching feet fade into the distance. They remained kneeling for a long time. They realized that the Great Chieftain’s affection for the Second Chieftain was genuine.

"We must take good care of the Second Chieftain!" they vowed, their eyes welling with tears.

***

In the city of Jiangting, outside Li Miao’s room.

"How is His Majesty?"

Li Yin and Yang Hong paced outside, their faces etched with worry. Since his battle with Lei Bu on the drill ground, Li Miao had stunned everyone in Jiangting. But during the pursuit, he had inexplicably fallen from his horse.

Li Yin and Yang Hong had been so concerned that they hadn't even had time to count their spoils of war. They had been guarding the door since Li Miao fell unconscious. Seeing the physician emerge, they swarmed him like sparrows.

"Yes, how is His Majesty? Is he alright?"

Zhang Xun, Chen Dao, Qin Huai, and the others had reached a state of blind devotion toward Li Miao. He had truly gone from silence to a thunderous roar. His exquisite sword technique and the breathtaking moment he severed Lei Bu's arm had left everyone in Jiangting stunned and exhilarated. They were all but ready to call their friends and family to join the cause.

"He is fine, he is fine!" The physician shook his head, his face beaming. "Prince Fu, Minister Yang, His Majesty is simply suffering from exhaustion. It is nothing serious; a night’s rest will suffice."

The physician handed a prescription to Li Yin. "Prince Fu, this is for a tonic. Though His Majesty is not in danger, his body is still weak. Have the servants brew this for him. After two days, he will be even more energetic than before!"

"Excellent! Ha ha!" Li Yin stroked his beard and laughed, a great weight lifting from his heart now that he knew it was only fatigue and not some mysterious illness. "It is only natural. My nephew doesn't usually fight on the front lines. To go out and sever the arm of that bandit Lei Bu—it’s only natural he’d be tired!"

Li Yin laughed heartily. He had previously been unconvinced by Li Miao, but it turned out the young man was a master at proving people wrong. Li Yin had expected Li Miao to go off and join Li Shao, but instead, the moment he pointed out the grain shortage, the granaries were suddenly filled.

Tens of thousands of bandits had come to attack Jiangting, only to be held off by a "child army" Li Miao had cobbled together, which had ultimately saved the city during Mei Gan’s assault.

Now, Chen Lan and Lei Bu had brought over ten thousand men to attack Jiangting, only to suffer repeated defeats. First, Zhang Xun had used a strategy of "fatiguing the enemy" to defeat Lei Bu’s vanguard. According to Zhang Xun, he had learned this strategy from a conversation with His Majesty. It seemed simple enough to Zhang Xun—who, despite being a general, was no strategist like Zhou Yu—but to Li Yin, it was a revelation.

In Li Yin’s memory, Li Miao had been a good-for-nothing. If not for his royal blood, Li Yin would never have given him the time of day. Yet, Li Miao had shocked him time and again. While the "fatigue strategy" was not exactly groundbreaking, it was incredibly practical—not to mention Li Miao’s superb martial display before ten thousand men.

Li Yin suddenly realized he had become numb to the stream of surprises Li Miao provided. He was truly convinced.

No one wants to serve a mediocre master—like Han Fu of Jizhou, who had vast lands and many troops but was so cowardly that he eventually handed Jizhou to Li Shao and died hiding in a latrine, leaving behind a legacy of laughter.

But Li Miao was both wise and brave, possessed the grace of a scholar-general, and even in this desperate situation, showed no signs of despair. How could Li Yin not be impressed? He had truly accepted Li Miao as his master. He no longer felt the need for petty schemes; it was better to simply serve well.

With this in mind, Li Yin ordered the servants to prepare the medicine and waited by the door for Li Miao to wake up.

The atmosphere grew much lighter. Just then, a minor officer rushed in to report.

"General, Chen Lan and Lei Bu have retreated!"

"What?" Zhang Xun was startled. He wondered if this was a feint, and said sternly, "Tell the troops to stay alert tonight. Everyone, be ready for battle!"

"Good," Yang Hong nodded, smiling at Zhang Xun’s caution. Even though Chen Lan and Lei Bu had suffered several defeats, their strength was still superior. Who knew if they were going mad and preparing to storm the city because Lei Bu was injured or dead? It was always better to be prepared.

The night deepened, and Jiangting fell into a profound silence.

***

Lujiang, Wancheng.

The envoy sent by Li Miao arrived in Wancheng that afternoon, requesting an audience with Liu Xun. To his surprise, Liu Xun had him shown to a guest house and claimed to be ill, saying that all business would be discussed the following day.

Jiangting had few men and even fewer advisors. The man sent by Li Yin was Yan Xiang.

Yan Xiang waited in the guest house, burning with anxiety. He was a veteran of the Jiangting administration, and as the former Registrar for Li Shu, he believed he could speak to his old friend Liu Xun. He had not expected such a brush-off.

He did not know the current state of Jiangting, but with only two thousand troops—over a thousand of whom were surrendered soldiers—defending against Chen Lan’s ten-thousand-strong army was a joke. How could they hold out?

Yan Xiang had come to borrow troops. If he could get soldiers, what did it matter if they had to pay some wealth? This was Li Yin’s order: money could be given, but troops must be secured.

Yet Liu Xun had no intention of seeing him.

Looking at the moonlight outside his window, Yan Xiang paced back and forth. He could have persuaded Liu Xun with his silver tongue, but if the man wouldn't even see him, what could he do?

What Yan Xiang did not know was that while he was pacing in the guest house, Lu Su, with three thousand gold pieces in hand, was knocking on the gate of Liu Xun’s residence in Wancheng.

Lu Su—there was no need to introduce him; he was a titan! When Sun Ce was under Li Shu, the likes of Zhou Yu and Lu Su were also in Li Shu’s service. Later, when Sun Ce marched to Jiangdong, Zhou Yu went along and brought Lu Su with him.

Zhou Yu had the highest regard for Lu Su’s talent. In history, after Zhou Yu died, he recommended Lu Su to Sun Quan. This time, sending Lu Su as an envoy to persuade Liu Xun to send troops to Jiangting was also Zhou Yu's way of giving Lu Su a chance to distinguish himself.

Zhou Yu was a man who remembered favors; Lu Su had once helped him with grain. He knew Lu Su’s talent. When Lu Su was under Li Shu, he was merely a county magistrate. Zhou Yu had hoped he would shine after following Sun Ce to Jiangdong, but Sun Ce had seen Zhou Yu’s potential without noticing Lu Su’s. Zhou Yu had recommended him several times, but Sun Ce hadn't taken it to heart. This was the perfect opportunity for Lu Su to prove his worth.

"My Lord, a man named Lu Su claims to be an envoy from Sun Ce of Jiangdong and has urgent business to discuss with you," a minor officer reported.

"Sun Ce of Jiangdong?" Liu Xun mused, stunned. He calculated in his heart: Sun Ce was a tiger. He had borrowed three thousand troops, crossed the river, killed Yan Baihu, driven away Liu Yao, and berated Wang Lang... he had conquered the Wu Commandery by sheer force. Liu Xun had to admit Sun Ce was a man of great ambition, just like his father, Sun Jian. But Liu Xun was also confused. He had no relationship with Sun Ce. "Why would Sun Ce send an envoy to my Lujiang?"