The Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Tan, intercepted Guo Jia's...

Chapter 86 Zhang Fei vs. Zhang Xiu

Meanwhile, on the official road to the southwest.

A well-trained cavalry force of about five hundred men is patrolling along the border.

The leading general, with a leopard's head and bulging eyes, a swallow's jaw and a tiger's beard, holding an eighteen-foot-long spear, was none other than Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, who was ordered by Liu Bei to inspect the northern border of Shouchun and guard against the infiltration of Lü Bu's army!

"what?"

Zhang Fei spurred his horse, his eyes wide open, staring at the thick smoke rising from the distant village and the faint sounds of cries drifting in.

"Who dares to cause trouble on my brother's turf? Men, come with me, Old Zhang, to see what's going on!"

"General, should we inform the lord first?"

The lieutenant offered a cautious reminder.

"What's the point of reporting! By the time you finish reporting, the whole village will be burned down! Follow me!"

Zhang Fei, with a fiery temper, spurred his horse, and the black steed Wuzhui darted out like a black lightning bolt, followed by five hundred elite cavalry.

A moment later, Zhang Fei led his troops to the village entrance.

The horrific scene before him made his eyes widen in horror: the village had been looted, and Xiliang soldiers were dragging grain sacks, grabbing chickens and ducks, and even abducting women, behaving like bandits!

"Damn it! Where did these defeated soldiers come from, daring to commit such atrocities here!"

Zhang Fei's voice was like thunder, so loud it made people's eardrums go numb.

"Zhang Yide of Yan is here! Prepare to die!"

The Xiliang soldiers who were looting were shocked by the sound. They saw a fierce general, as black as a tower, leading elite cavalry to kill them like a whirlwind. They were instantly terrified, let out a shout, and abandoned their valuables to flee in all directions.

The chaos here immediately alerted Zhang Xiu and Jia Xu, who were resting on a high place outside the village.

"What's going on?!" Zhang Xiu suddenly stood up.

"Reporting to the General! Something terrible has happened! A cavalry force has attacked, they're... they're carrying a banner with the character 'Zhang' on it, and the leader is a ruthless black-haired man who's killing indiscriminately!"

"open?"

Zhang Xiu felt a chill run down his spine.

"Could it be Zhang Liao under Lü Bu? Or Zhang He under Yuan Tan? No, they should be to the east... Could it be... Zhang Fei?!"

He had no time to think; the enemy had already closed in, and he had to fight them!

"All troops assemble! Prepare for battle!"

However, how could the hungry and exhausted routs be a match for Zhang Fei's well-rested and rested elite cavalry from Qingzhou?

Moreover, Zhang Fei was unstoppable. With his spear in hand, he was like a tiger among sheep, and those who stood in his way were swept away!

Zhang Xiu gritted his teeth and charged forward with his spear. However, he was already no match for Zhang Fei in martial arts, and coupled with hunger and exhaustion, he was struck by Zhang Fei's spear after only ten exchanges, causing his arm to go numb and his spear to almost slip from his grasp!

Knowing he was no match for them, he turned his horse and fled.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Zhang Fei spurred his horse and gave chase.

Seeing that Zhang Xiu was about to be caught up, Jia Xu hurriedly shouted to his valiant general Hu Che'er:

"General Hu! Quickly save our lord!"

Hu Che'er was fierce and brave, wielding his broadsword as he stepped forward to block Zhang Fei:

"Stop your arrogance, you black bastard! Hu Che'er is here!"

"A nobody like you dares to block my way!"

Zhang Fei roared, and his spear flew out like a venomous dragon. Within three exchanges, he knocked Hu Che'er's broadsword away and pierced his chest and abdomen with the spear!

Hu Che'er screamed and fell off his horse, where he was bound like a dumpling by Zhang Fei's soldiers.

When Zhang Fei tried to give chase again, Zhang Xiu had already escaped into the nearby mountains and forests under the desperate cover of his personal guards, and his whereabouts were unknown.

When the remaining soldiers saw that their commander had been captured and their leader had fled, they all knelt down and surrendered.

The battle ended quickly.

Zhang Fei ordered his men to survey the battlefield, reassure the villagers, and bring the prisoners before him.

He glared at Hu Che'er, who was tightly bound, and demanded:

"Who are you? Why are you plundering the people?"

Hu Che'er was covered in blood, barely breathing, but still defiant, and said with his neck stiff:

"Kill me if you want! I am Hu Che'er, a subordinate of General Zhang Xiu!"

"Zhang Xiu?"

Zhang Fei glared at him.

"But what about Zhang Xiu of Wancheng? Didn't you all surrender to Cao Cao? How did you end up here?"

At this moment, the deputy general brought over a group of prisoners. Among them was a scholar dressed in disheveled clothes, but his expression remained relatively calm. This was Jia Xu.

He did not attempt to escape, seemingly intending to be captured.

Zhang Fei's gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over Jia Xu:

"Who are you, you pedantic scholar?"

Jia Xu bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant:

"My name is Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, a strategist under General Zhang. Are you General Zhang Yide under Liu Bei?"

"It is indeed your Grandpa Zhang!"

Zhang Fei sized him up.

"So you're Jia Xu, the one who advised Zhang Xiu to kill Cao Cao's son, the general? You're quite the big fish! Men, tie you up along with this Hu Che'er and take him back to Shouchun to be dealt with by our elder brother!"

"General Zhang,"

Jia Xu suddenly spoke, his tone calm.

"I have a past relationship with Yuan Qingzhou and wish to see him. I have important matters to discuss with him."

Did he have a past relationship with Yuan Tan?

Zhang Fei scratched his head. Since Jia Xu knew that kid Yuan Tan, he couldn't afford to offend him too much.

Yuan Tan has treated me well. If I were to harm his old friend, wouldn't I be ridiculed by the world?

"Treat this person well and do not neglect him!"

Zhang Fei preferred to believe it was true rather than not, and snorted:

"If you have anything to say, say it when you see my brother! Take him away!"

……

Shouchun, Liu Bei's military camp.

Zhang Fei, escorting Jia Xu, Hu Che'er, and other prisoners, returned in a great hurry to Liu Bei's camp outside Shouchun City.

Upon entering the military tent, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Big brother! Big brother! Look who I've caught!"

Liu Bei was discussing matters with Guan Yu, Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and others when he heard the noise and looked up. He saw Zhang Fei looking excited, with a bound scholar following behind him. Although the scholar looked a little disheveled, his expression was unusually calm.

"Third brother, what's all this commotion? And who is this...?"

Liu Bei stood up and his gaze fell on the scholar.

"Haha! Big brother, guess who this is?"

Zhang Fei pointed with his big hand.

"This is Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, from Wancheng! And this one is Hu Che'er, a subordinate of Zhang Xiu! I was patrolling the border when I ran into Zhang Xiu's defeated soldiers looting grain, so I dealt with them on the spot!"

Zhang Xiu, that rascal, slipped away quickly, disappeared into the woods, and instead of catching them, he brought back these two big fish!

"Jia Wenhe?!"

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Sun Qian, and the others were all taken aback upon hearing this.

Jia Xu's reputation as a "poisonous strategist" is known throughout the land, and the changes in Wancheng are his recent "masterpiece".

Jia Xu stepped forward at the opportune moment, bowed slightly to Liu Bei, and said in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant:

"Jia Xu, a prisoner of the defeated army, has met with Liu Bei, the Governor of Yu Province. I have long admired your benevolence and virtue, and I am fortunate to meet you today."

Liu Bei quickly ordered his men to untie him, offered him a seat, and said gently:

"I have long admired Mr. Wenhe's name. May I ask how you came to be here? And what about General Zhang Xiu...?"

Jia Xu sighed and briefly recounted Zhang Xiu's refusal to heed his advice, his insistence on surrendering to the east, his running out of supplies and looting along the way, and his encounter with Zhang Fei. He concluded by saying:

"General Zhang Xiu has been defeated and has likely gone to Lujiang to join Liu Xun. Xu's unfortunate capture is fate."

He paused, looked up at Liu Bei, and added as if casually:

"It's quite a coincidence that Xu has met Yuan, the Prefect of Qingzhou, several times, and we have long admired each other."

He sighed inwardly as he said this.

At the time, I had quite a bit of disdain for Yuan Tan, but I never expected that I would have to resort to his name to save my life now.

As for joining Liu Bei, he never even considered it.

Since there are more capable warlords to choose from, why support Liu Bei, who started from scratch?

My old bones are almost halfway to the ground, I don't want to shine anymore.