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

Zhang Fei's hundred-man force was dwindling in number. Despite Zhang Fei's unparalleled bravery and fierceness, Budugen still commanded tens of thousands of men.

His men surrounded Zhang Fei from all sides, relentlessly pressing towards him. Zhang Fei faced increasing resistance, but he remained fearless, charging forward like a madman, his eighteen-foot spear flashing. He seemed tireless and incapable of retreating.

Zhao Yun did not participate in the battle. Zhang Fei's actions made Zhao Yun extremely anxious. Although he knew that Zhang Fei was very brave, the emperor had repeatedly warned him not to act rashly. With such a large disparity in troop strength, Zhang Fei had recklessly charged forward.

While his courage is commendable, disobeying the emperor's orders is a grave offense.

The Xianbei army surged in like a tide, surrounding Zhang Fei completely. But Zhang Fei showed no fear, and his roar resounded through the sky: "You barbarians, don't even think about trapping me, Zhang Fei!"

He brandished his eighteen-foot spear like a dragon emerging from the sea, each swing bringing with it a storm of blood and gore. The Xianbei soldiers charged forward wave after wave, only to fall one after another under Zhang Fei's relentless assault. However, the enemy was simply too numerous; the encirclement grew ever tighter, like an invisible cage, firmly trapping this fierce tiger.

Before long, Zhang Fei's armor was stained red with blood, and his face and body were covered with the enemy's blood and his own sweat.

But his gaze remained firm, fixed on the Xianbei camp. He knew that the only way to break this deadlock was to kill the enemy leader, Budugen.

"kill!"

Zhang Fei roared again and spurred his horse towards the heart of the Xianbei forces. His spear darted left and right through the crowd, carving a bloody path through them. The Xianbei soldiers watched in terror as this incredibly brave general fought, yet they had no choice but to obey orders and desperately try to stop him.

Budugen's expression was much more relaxed than before, and he looked smugly at Zhang Fei, who was trapped in the encirclement. He thought Zhang Fei was already a sitting duck, with no way to escape.

Zhang Fei charged forward with all his might, and the Han soldiers around him fell one by one. Despite the increasing resistance to his advance, Zhang Fei did not give up.

He's not one to give up easily!
"Budugen, prepare to die!"

Zhang Fei's voice was like thunder, resounding throughout the entire battlefield.

Zhang Fei closed in again, and Budugen hurriedly ordered the guards beside him to meet the enemy. In an instant, the pressure around Zhang Fei increased sharply, and countless weapons attacked him.

Zhang Fei roared, his spear whirling like the wind, deflecting all the incoming weapons. His warhorse neighed, struggling forward. However, the enemy was simply too numerous; they swarmed in like ants, making Zhang Fei's advance increasingly difficult.

But Zhang Fei's fighting spirit grew even stronger. He knew that today's battle was a matter of life and death. If he couldn't kill Budugen, he would die on the battlefield. But even if he died, he would take the enemy leader with him!

At this critical moment, Zhang Fei unleashed unprecedented power, wielding his spear to sweep away a group of enemies, and charged towards Budugen once again.

Zhao Yun kept sending messengers to urge others to come and provide support. After a while, Guan Yu and Lü Bu also arrived with their men.

Despite still being outnumbered, Guan Yu couldn't help but intervene when he saw Zhang Fei's precarious situation. Lü Bu and Zhao Yun exchanged glances and had no choice but to join the battle as well.

With Zhang Fei and Guan Yu both involved in the battle, it wouldn't be right for everyone to continue observing.

On the battlefield, the shouts of battle were deafening. Budugen's tens of thousands of Xianbei troops covered the entire plain in a dark mass, but their fighting strength was not invincible.

While they could leverage their numerical advantage against Zhang Fei, the situation is different now; there's more than just one Zhang Fei.

Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun also joined in, and their bravery was no less than that of Zhang Fei.

Guan Yu, wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, rode his warhorse at breakneck speed. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a chilling killing intent emanated from him. Inspired by his presence, the soldiers behind him roared with high morale, their shouts echoing through the sky.

Guan Yu charged into the enemy ranks like lightning, his eyebrows raised in anger, and instantly plunged into the Xianbei army.

Guan Yu brandished his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, its blade flashing and radiating a chilling light. Each strike brought a storm of blood and gore, as enemy heads and limbs flew through the air. His roar echoed through the heavens: "Traitors, prepare to die!"

The Xianbei soldiers looked at this incomparably mighty general in terror and tried to resist, but Guan Yu's strength was like an overwhelming force, and no one could contend with him.

His swordsmanship was swift and precise, each strike aimed directly at the enemy's vitals. Those Xianbei soldiers who attempted to surround him instantly turned to dust under his blade. He galloped through the crowd on horseback, and wherever he went, enemies fell. Guan Yu was like a war god descending, unstoppable.

On the other side of the battlefield, Lü Bu, clad in beast-faced chainmail armor and wielding a halberd, rode a majestic Red Hare.

Lu Bu's handsome and domineering face was full of coldness and determination, and his eyes flashed with a wild light.

Lü Bu roared, his voice booming like thunder, and launched a swift charge. With a single swing of his halberd, he swept down a swarm of Xianbei soldiers. His strength was astonishing; each strike contained the force of a thousand pounds. Enemy weapons were like fragile tree branches before him, snapping in all directions.

The Xianbei soldiers attempted to form a defensive line with spears and shields to block Lü Bu's attack. But Lü Bu spurred his horse forward, his halberd thrusting out and instantly piercing the enemy's line. His figure weaved through the enemy ranks, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. His ferocity terrified the Xianbei soldiers, who scattered and fled in all directions.

"I am Lü Bu, the Flying General! Who dares to fight me!" Lü Bu's voice echoed in the air, filled with an invincible and domineering aura.

Zhao Yun, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear, was a dashing and heroic figure. His eyes were firm and clear, revealing fearless courage.

Zhao Yun led his troops like a sharp arrow, piercing deep into Budugen's camp.

His spear danced like pear blossoms, and wherever its tip pointed, enemies fell. His movements were agile and unpredictable, charging left and right through the enemy ranks as if they were nothing.

The Xianbei soldiers attempted to surround Zhao Yun, but he broke through their encirclement time and time again with his superb martial arts and agile skills.

His white horse galloped across the battlefield, kicking up clouds of dust. Zhao Yun's roar mingled with the screams of the enemy, creating a heroic battle song.

Zhao Yun's spear skills were exquisite, sometimes as swift and relentless as a storm, sometimes as elusive and unpredictable as a snake emerging from its hole. The Xianbei soldiers were powerless against his spear, and could only watch helplessly as he charged toward Budugen's location.

Guan Yu's bravery and fearlessness, Lü Bu's unparalleled domineering presence, and Zhao Yun's agility and grace plunged the Xianbei camp into chaos.

Their troops, like three sharp knives, plunged fiercely into Budugen's army from different directions, quickly throwing the Xianbei forces into disarray.

Budugen looked at the situation on the battlefield with a gloomy expression. He originally thought that he could easily kill Zhang Fei with tens of thousands of troops, but he did not expect that the newly joined people were so brave and completely disrupted his plans.

"Stop them!" Budugen roared angrily.

However, the resistance of the Xianbei soldiers seemed so powerless in the face of Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun.

Guan Yu wielded his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and wherever he went, enemies fell, as if the blade in his hand were the scythe of death. His face was flushed red from the intensity of the battle, yet this only added to his imposing presence. Lü Bu galloped across the battlefield, his halberd flashing up and down, each strike carrying earth-shattering power. His laughter echoed in the wind, striking fear into the hearts of his enemies.

Zhao Yun's white horse and silver spear moved like a white lightning bolt, darting freely through the enemy ranks. His eyes were filled with unwavering conviction; for victory, for glory, he would not back down.

Under the leadership of the three, the morale of the Han army soared, and everyone fought bravely and vied for the lead. The Xianbei people's defenses were thrown into increasing chaos by their onslaught.

Looking at the chaotic situation before him, Budugen's expression grew increasingly anxious and panicked. But he was unwilling to give up and tried to reorganize the team, trapping these people inside.

Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun gave Budugen no chance, continuing their charge and advancing towards Budugen's central army.

Finally, Guan Yu broke through all the obstacles and reached Budugen.

Guan Yu raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade high, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then, with a flash of cold light, Guan Yu mercilessly slashed at Budugen. A scream rang out, and Budugen, the leader who had barely settled in, died instantly.

The death of Budugen caused the Xianbei army to collapse completely. With reinforcements arriving continuously, the Xianbei were simply unable to resist. Some died, and others surrendered. The great victory of the Han army was clearly destined.

Zhang Fei, naturally, was also out of danger and rescued. He was still somewhat displeased, feeling that he had almost had the chance to kill Budugen.

As the smoke of battle gradually dissipated, Zhang Fei's brave and fearless figure left a deep impression on everyone. However, the fact that he disobeyed military orders could not be ignored.

When Liu Xie arrived, Zhang Fei excitedly told Guan Yu and Liu Bei about his heroic deeds, unaware that a crisis was about to befall him.

"Big brother, second brother, I was just a hair's breadth away from killing Budugen, but I didn't expect that second brother would steal the credit."

Zhang Fei spoke and gestured, becoming more and more excited as he talked. As Liu Bei listened, he suddenly felt the atmosphere around him change. It was very quiet all around. Liu Bei looked up and found that the emperor was looking in his direction. The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere froze instantly.

I'm not afraid of anything, except for the atmosphere suddenly freezing.

Liu Bei seemed to realize something, looked away in shame, and then glared at Zhang Fei with feigned sternness.

Third brother, please stop talking, His Majesty is already angry.

Sure enough, Liu Xie spoke up, "Zhang Fei."

Zhang Fei looked at the emperor with a somewhat blank expression, "Your Majesty."

Liu Xie coldly questioned, "I have repeatedly warned you not to act rashly, yet you have disregarded my orders. Do you know your crime?"

Zhang Fei retorted, "But we won! Budugen was also killed by my second brother. Although I was a bit impulsive, we still won. It was a great victory!"

Zhang Fei was somewhat dismissive. Over the years, Liu Bei had always doted on him and indulged him. He had never been by Liu Xie's side and had never taken it seriously.

So what if I disobeyed orders? It's nothing.

"A country has its laws, and an army has its discipline. Merit should be rewarded and wrongdoing should be punished. If rewards and punishments are not clearly distinguished, who will listen to my orders in the future?"

Liu Xie looked at Liu Bei and said, "Liu Bei, I'm entrusting this matter to you. What do you think should be done with Zhang Fei?"

Liu Bei's expression was solemn, his heart filled with turmoil and contradiction. On one hand, Zhang Fei was his sworn brother, with whom he had shared life and death for many years, their bond as strong as that of brothers.

Liu Bei was well aware of Zhang Fei's bravery and loyalty. On the other hand, military law was absolute and could not be disobeyed. With the emperor himself present, it was clear that he intended to punish Zhang Fei severely. Under such circumstances, how could Liu Bei possibly show favoritism towards Zhang Fei?

All eyes turned to Liu Bei: Fa Zheng, Sima Yi, Zhang Song, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun… With so many eyes on him, Liu Bei felt as if he had suddenly been placed on a hot stove.

"In my opinion, Zhang Fei violated military orders and should be severely punished!"

Liu Xie nodded. "Then how should we handle this?"

Liu Bei glanced at Zhang Fei, intending to say fifty strokes of the military rod, but after thinking it over, he gritted his teeth and replied with difficulty, "He should be punished with one hundred strokes of the military rod!"

"Big brother?" Zhang Fei's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in disbelief.

Guan Yu was at a loss and sighed helplessly.

"Alright, Liu Bei, you shall supervise the execution."

As emperor, Liu Xie was dedicated to restoring order and the dignity of the Han dynasty. He showed zero tolerance for violations of military orders. In his view, only by strictly enforcing the law could the army be strong and the country stable.

He would not allow anyone to challenge the emperor's authority, not even Liu Bei's brothers.

Zhang Fei led the way in disobeying orders, and no matter how great his achievements were, they could not offset the mistakes he made.

Having Liu Bei oversee the execution was also a reminder to him that here, everything is decided by the Emperor, and no one can show favoritism.

However, Liu Bei couldn't bring himself to harm Zhang Fei. He looked up at Liu Xie, his eyes filled with helplessness and pain.

Liu Bei's heart was like a lone boat in a storm, tossed about in turmoil. Torn between brotherhood and the law of the land, he struggled with this difficult choice.

"Brother, are you really going to give me a hundred lashes?" Zhang Fei asked, somewhat indignant. "Back then, you entrusted me with guarding Xuzhou, and I got drunk and messed things up, losing the city and my sister-in-law. You didn't blame me then, but..."

"Shut up, don't say any more."

Liu Bei's eyes welled up with tears. He quickly stopped Zhang Fei, then his face darkened. "Military law is merciless, and imperial orders cannot be disobeyed. Come here, give Zhang Fei one hundred strokes of the cane on the spot, and carry it out immediately!"

When Zhang Fei lost Xuzhou, he was Liu Bei's brother. Even if he lost the Han Dynasty, let alone Xuzhou, Liu Bei would not punish him.

But now, everything here is in Liu Xie's hands, and Liu Bei can no longer show favoritism towards Zhang Fei. (End of Chapter)