Chapter 109 Bringing Back Guan and Zhang

At this moment, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had both prepared themselves for death.

They were completely exhausted, possessing no strength left to continue the fight. To engage any further would lead them down a path of no return.

"Hmph, enough talk! Kill them, charge!" Xiahou Dun roared, rushing forward with his brother, Xiahou Yuan.

Even though they lacked the strength and fighting spirit, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei struggled to parry the onslaught. However, after just one exchange against the enemy's overwhelming power, the two began to falter. They retreated step by step, until eventually, they could no longer even lift their weapons.

Just then, Xiahou Dun bellowed and thrust his long spear toward them. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei widened their eyes; they had no way to block this strike. They were going to die.

But at this critical, life-or-death moment—

*Whoosh!*

An arrow flew rapidly from the distance, heading straight for Xiahou Dun. Sensing the sudden danger, Xiahou Dun instinctively dodged. The appearance of this arrow momentarily resolved the crisis for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

The sudden turn of events caught both Zhang Fei and Guan Yu off guard. When they looked back, they saw over a dozen figures in black rushing toward them. Each wore a scimitar on their left hip and held a single-handed crossbow in their right hand, moving with incredible speed. In just a moment, they reached the front.

Standing before Guan Yu and his companion, the figures spoke without looking back: "Generals, the Emperor has commanded it—you may return now."

"Go, quickly!" one of them shouted.

Hearing this, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei said no more. They immediately turned, mounted their horses, and headed toward the camp. Seeing them flee, Xiahou Dun and his brother attempted to pursue, but they were intercepted by the men in black. They had underestimated the strength of these warriors; within two moves of engaging them, they were defeated.

"Everyone, retreat at once!" The men in black did not linger, choosing to withdraw immediately.

Had they chosen to fight, the likes of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan would have been no match for them. They could have killed their opponents if they wished, but they did not, for that was not their mission. Their only task was to bring Guan Yu and Zhang Fei back; nothing else concerned them. This was the formidable nature of the Wolf Shadow Guards—their focus on the mission was unmatched by any other unit.

Watching the rapid disappearance of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and the Wolf Shadow Guards, the Xiahou brothers were stunned.

"These people... they must be the ones who rescued Zhang Xiu and Lu Bu earlier," Xiahou Dun muttered, unable to suppress his shock. "They are truly, truly formidable."

Elsewhere, under the escort of the Wolf Shadow Guards, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei returned to the main camp. They went straight to the central tent to face Emperor Liu Xie. Their expressions were grim, for their defeat had been humiliating.

"Generals, how did your battles go over these past few days?" Liu Xie asked, his face devoid of emotion.

The two men were ashen-faced, not knowing how to respond.

"Your Majesty, we were no match. We lost," Zhang Fei said, clearly filled with frustration.

"Third Brother, what kind of attitude is that!" Liu Bei stood up to rebuke him.

"Sigh, Imperial Uncle Liu, it is fine," Liu Xie interjected. "Those with fiery tempers and poor attitudes are usually those with great capability. Since General Guan and General Zhang have such tempers, I assume their abilities must be equally great. Yet, if you believe your abilities are so vast, why did you lose? Before you went out, didn't you, Zhang Fei, claim you could kill all the enemies by yourself? And you, General Guan, didn't you think the same? Now, I gave you the chance to fight them one-on-one. And what is the result? You tell me you failed? If that is the case, am I to believe you were deceiving me, treating me like a fool?"

By the end, Liu Xie’s expression had turned icy. Hearing this, Liu Bei lost his composure once more. Without a word, he knelt to the ground with a thud.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! My two brothers had no intention of deceiving the throne. I beg you to investigate!"

"Oh? No intention?" Liu Xie countered. "If not, why did they claim they could fight four at once? But look at them now—they lost. You tell me, Liu Bei, what is this? You think you are powerful, you think everyone else in this world is trash except for you—so how did you lose? Can you tell me why?"

Liu Xie’s words left everyone silent. His purpose was singular: to teach them a lesson. He wanted them to understand the consequences of being loose-lipped. If you brag yourself up to the heavens, thinking you are invincible—

Very well, then I will show you that there is always someone better.

"Listen to me, both of you," Liu Xie continued. "What I require are generals who can see themselves clearly. Otherwise, how can you command an army of over a hundred thousand? Do you intend to march a hundred thousand soldiers to their deaths along with you? You dying is one thing, but what of the others? Do they deserve to be buried with you?"

Liu Xie’s expression was stern as he delivered a thorough reprimand. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei remained silent, well aware in their hearts that they had acted wrongly this time. Furthermore, Liu Xie’s words caught them off guard; they had not expected that he was already considering them to lead an army of such magnitude.

"Pass the order: from this day forward, if anyone dares to speak recklessly or ignore military discipline, I will not give them another chance. If such a thing happens again, there will be no mercy—I will have your heads!"

Liu Xie issued a death warrant, for he took this matter very seriously. He knew full well that a general without the right mindset would squander countless lives, which was a grave sin. He had to keep this strictly under control.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei said nothing; only now did they realize where they had gone wrong. They had been too arrogant, and they lacked the capital to sustain that arrogance.

"Very well, what is done is done. Remember what I said: if there is a next time, there will be no mercy. Now, we must prepare to mobilize the troops," Liu Xie said, drawing a deep breath.

"This subordinate understands. I will go and organize the forces," Zhuge Liang said, grasping Liu Xie’s meaning. He turned to carry out the arrangements.

"Wait," Liu Xie stopped him. "Who said I want to arrange it now? There is no rush. We will do it later."

Zhuge Liang was taken aback. "Your Majesty, what do you mean? You want to surprise not only Cao Cao, but even our own people?"

Zhuge Liang looked at Liu Xie, bewildered. Liu Xie simply smiled and nodded.