With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Guan Tong continued, "You have been protecting this man all along, saying that you want to influence him and make him abandon darkness and turn to the light. In the end, we have all been deceived by you. Even you yourself have probably been deceived by Guan Cheng. He has now become the chief villain of Donglai County, running rampant in the area behind your back and doing a lot of illegal things."

He Kui was completely kept in the dark about what Guan Cheng was doing behind the scenes; he had no idea what was going on.

"Open the city gates immediately! If the news leaks out because of your delay, causing the arrest operation to fail, can you bear the consequences?" Guan Tong urged again, extremely anxious.

He Kui seemed very hesitant; everything that had happened tonight was too unexpected, and he was having a hard time processing it.

However, Guan Tong was, after all, the Prefect of Donglai, and we couldn't very well keep him outside the city.

He Kui thought for a moment and asked, "Since you say you are acting on the emperor's orders, may I ask where the imperial edict is? May I take a look?"

Guan Tong's face immediately darkened. "He Kui, do you know what you're doing? You're stalling for time. It's very likely that Guan Cheng has already received the news. The situation is urgent. Tonight, I'm acting on His Majesty's imperial decree. If you don't open the city gates immediately, I'll attack the city right now. In that case, you'll be protecting the bandits, and you'll be punished the same as Guan Cheng."

He Kui was a rather rigid man, which greatly angered Guan Tong. Seeing that he was still dawdling, Guan Tong immediately ordered, "Come on, prepare to attack the city!"

Seeing that Guan Tong was not just talking and was serious, He Kui was startled. His advisors quickly tried to persuade him, and He Kui finally had no choice but to order the city gates to be opened.

After Guan Tong led his troops into the city, he glared at He Kui fiercely, too lazy to waste any more words with him, and rushed to Guan Cheng's residence as quickly as possible.

Guan Cheng owns a large estate in the west of the city, which houses two to three thousand people. He has already been informed of the commotion tonight.

As soon as Guan Tong arrived at the manor, countless torches suddenly lit up the surrounding area, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.

Guan Cheng burst into laughter, brandishing his broadsword, and blocked Guan Tong's path.

Guan Cheng had a fierce-looking face with a menacing appearance and a murderous aura in his eyes. He also had two deep scars on his face, which made him look even more ferocious.

Guan Cheng had a cold smile on his lips, making it clear at a glance that he was not someone to be trifled with.

"Manager Guan, we've always kept to ourselves, but you'd better get out of my way tonight, or I won't be polite."

Guan Tong, however, showed no fear and sneered, "I am here on the Emperor's orders to arrest you. If you know what's good for you, quickly lay down your weapons and surrender."

He Kui also arrived with his men. Seeing the two groups on the verge of fighting, He Kui hurriedly shouted, "Guan Cheng, do you want to rebel?"

Guan Chengchao glanced at He Kui, then laughed loudly, "Prefect He, I'm so grateful for your care over the years. I must say, you often come over to talk to me about the past and present, and teach me the principles of being a good person. Although I find you long-winded, I've lived a very peaceful life these past years thanks to you."

Guan Cheng clasped his hands in a fist salute and said to He Kui, "I appreciate your kindness and thank you for taking care of me all these years."

He Kui was both angry and furious. He pointed at Guan Cheng, his words trembling and he could barely speak, "Guan Cheng...you...you actually don't repent. You are truly incorrigible and hopeless."

Guan Cheng laughed smugly, "Hahaha, blame yourself for being wishful thinking. From the very beginning, I never intended to listen to you. However, I had nowhere else to go for the time being, so I played along with your act."

"you you…"

Enraged, He Kui rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground, unable to stand steadily.

Guan Tong did not back down because Guan Cheng had more men. He immediately ordered, "Grab him! Charge!"

Guan Cheng laughed dismissively, "Do you think you can stop me with just this many people?"

Guan Cheng sneered and led his men to charge forward. He had no intention of engaging Guan Tong in a prolonged battle and had hoped that Guan Tong would make way for him. However, Guan Cheng underestimated Guan Tong's determination.

Despite having fewer troops and being unable to stop Guan Cheng, Guan Tong still gritted his teeth and fought on without backing down.

Guan Cheng fought him for more than ten rounds, and with one slash, he struck Guan Tong, who fell from his horse in pain.

Guan Cheng snorted and shouted, "This place is no place to stay any longer. You will all leave the city with me immediately."

Guan Cheng led his men to flee out of the city. When they passed He Kui, Guan Cheng thanked him again, which made He Kui, who had just woken up, faint again from anger.

Guan Tong, despite his injuries, stood up again and staggered as he tried to mount his horse. Someone advised him, "Prefect, the bandits are numerous and powerful. You are already injured. We are no match for them. Is it still necessary to pursue them?"

Guan Tong flew into a rage, "Stop arguing! This is an order from His Majesty, and I must capture Guan Cheng."

Guan Tong gritted his teeth, mounted his horse, and continued the pursuit.

Guan Cheng left the city without any obstacles. Someone told him that Guan Tong had caught up with him again, but Guan Cheng didn't take it to heart.

After leaving the city, Guan Cheng fled eastward, thinking that his only opponent was Guan Tong. But then, the sound of horses' hooves thundered ahead, and a troop of cavalry suddenly appeared.

These people were all dressed in the same style, fully armored, with red plumes on their helmets and spears, and even their uniforms were red.

This is typical Han army attire, resembling a red flame!

Guan Cheng hurriedly reined in his horse, his eyes widening in surprise.

The cavalry commander, clad in silver armor and wielding a silver spear, possessed a commanding presence and an air of heroism. Seeing that the opposing force was a well-organized Han army, with imposing armor and formidable aura, Guan Cheng's men began to feel somewhat uneasy.

After all, they were just bandits gathered together by Guan Cheng, and when they suddenly saw so many Han soldiers, they lost their confidence.

Guan Cheng's eyes darted around, looking in front and behind him, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

He mustered his courage and asked, "Who goes there? Why are you blocking my way?"

The silver-armored general coldly replied, "I am Zhao Yun of Changshan. Are you Guan Cheng?"

"What? You're Zhao Yun of Changshan, Zhao Zilong?"

Guan Cheng was genuinely flustered. His men whispered amongst themselves, and the more timid ones began to back away.

Zhao Yun said righteously, "That's right, I am Zhao Yun. And you are Guan Cheng?"

Guan Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "Indeed, I am Guan Cheng."

Zhao Yun said, "I advise you to dismount and surrender immediately to avoid physical suffering."

With ambushes ahead and pursuers behind, Guan Cheng still refused to surrender. He roared, "Don't even think about making me surrender!"

As he spoke, he urged his men, "Men, charge over there!"

"Charge them over there!" and "Follow me and charge them over!" may seem like they're only one word apart, but they're worlds apart.

Guan Cheng was cautious. He ordered his men to charge forward first, which was also a good opportunity to test Zhao Yun's abilities. As for himself, he had several options: if he could fight, he would fight; if he couldn't, he would find an opportunity to avoid Zhao Yun and rush over in the chaos.

Guan Cheng's men mustered their courage and charged forward, brandishing their swords and spears. Zhao Yun remained expressionless, waved his hand, and the cavalry behind him responded.

In an instant, the thunder of hooves rose, and hundreds and thousands of warhorses charged forward at the same time, their riders brandishing gleaming swords and spears, charging like a whirlwind.

Soon, Guan Cheng witnessed the power of the Han cavalry. With thunderous hoofbeats, the Han army charged forward, knocking down and sending bandits flying one after another, emitting shrill screams.

Before their weapons could even land on the Han cavalry, some fell to the ground, while others died instantly.

The Han cavalrymen relentlessly thrust their spears at them, the sounds of their spears piercing the ground echoing continuously. In just one exchange, a large number of them fell to the ground. The timid ones were so frightened that they turned tail and ran, wishing they could leave the battlefield immediately.

Despite Guan Cheng having two or three thousand men while Zhao Yun only had about a thousand cavalry, the well-trained cavalry was simply not on the same level as Guan Cheng's bandits.

The Han army completely suppressed the situation, and their comrades screamed and cried out in agony, some dying and others fleeing.

Guan Cheng's expression shifted between light and dark, unable to withstand the attack. After a while, seeing the situation was dire, he led his men to flee westward.

Before Zhao Yun even made a move, he already had an overwhelming advantage. Guan Cheng was very cunning; he only wanted to escape as soon as possible and there was no need for him to fight Zhao Yun anymore.

When Guan Tong caught up and saw Zhao Yun, he quickly asked what had happened. Zhao Yun pointed to the west, and Guan Tong was about to lead his men to continue the chase.

Zhao Yun shook his head. "Don't worry, Guan Cheng won't run away. You and I can just wait here in peace."

After their recent encounter with Zhao Yun, Guan Cheng's forces suffered a loss of nearly a thousand men, but Zhao Yun did not pursue them.

Guan Cheng, leading a group of remnants of his army, felt secretly fortunate, but he stopped not far westward.

Because another group of people appeared directly in front of him.

The general who blocked the road this time was the one who frightened Guan Cheng even more; he was Zhang He, the current governor of Qingzhou.

Zhang He was not as easy to talk to as Zhao Yun; without saying a word, he charged straight at Zhao Yun.

Guan Cheng was no match for him. After a brief and hasty resistance, he turned and fled back.

Soon, Zhao Yun, Guan Tong, and Zhang He worked together to surround Guan Cheng. Upon learning that Zhang He and Zhao Yun were sent by the emperor, Guan Tong was filled with admiration.

"His Majesty is truly a visionary; he had foreseen all along that Guan Cheng would escape from my grasp."

After a fierce battle, Guan Cheng's men were either fleeing or dead, with more than half of his men lost. Zhao Yun locked his gaze on Guan Cheng and spurred his horse straight towards him.

Surrounded by Han soldiers, Guan Cheng was sweating profusely with anxiety. Suddenly, Zhao Yun rushed over, and in a flash, a silver light locked onto him, aiming straight for his chest. Guan Cheng was taken aback and hurriedly swung his sword to block.

With a loud bang, Guan Cheng's arm went numb, and his body began to shake violently on the horse.

But Zhao Yun gave him no chance to catch his breath. Without stopping for a moment, he launched another attack. His silver spear was as fast as a storm, and Guan Cheng was overwhelmed by the relentless attacks. After only a few rounds, he was in grave danger and fell into a passive position.

Zhao Yun moved with lightning speed and decisiveness, his silver spear flashing up and down like a merciless net, completely trapping Guan Cheng beneath it. (End of Chapter)