Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei was sent flying by a single spear thrust, leaving Liu Bei stunned.

Zhang Ziqian's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar within the tent.

"presumptuous!"

Yuan Shu was the first to jump up, pointing at Zhang Ziqian's nose and cursing, "Who do you think you are! A mere warrior, how dare you covet the alliance leader's banner! This is the soul of the allied forces, how dare you touch it? Guards, throw him out!"

"That's right! Absolutely utterly disrespectful and arrogant!"

"If this person is not severely punished, what will become of the prestige of our Allied forces!"

The other lords echoed their sentiments, each filled with righteous indignation. In their eyes, Zhang Ziqian's behavior was not merely rudeness, but a provocation against their entire social class. The commander's banner was the symbol of the alliance leader, the embodiment of power. For a general appointed by Cao Cao to dare to ask to borrow it was utterly absurd.

Yuan Shao's face darkened considerably. He felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped in public. He stared coldly at Zhang Ziqian and said, word by word, "Brave Warrior Zhang, please retract your words. The commander's flag must not be moved lightly!"

Despite being condemned by everyone, Zhang Ziqian didn't even flinch.

He just thought these people were noisy and had something wrong with their brains.

"What's going on..." he muttered to himself. "It's just a tattered flag. What's so special about it? If I carry it out and win, won't that make you guys look good? All of you are whining like old ladies at the market."

He was too lazy to waste words with these people, so he simply shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Fine, don't lend it to me then. You can send your own men to fight them. It's not my soldiers who will die anyway."

After saying that, he shouldered the Yu King's Spear and turned to leave.

"I'm going back to sleep. Remember to call me when dinner is ready."

"Wait a moment!"

Cao Cao hurriedly called out to him.

He strode to the center of the main tent, first bowing to Yuan Shao and the other warlords, then said loudly, "Alliance Leader, gentlemen, please hear me out!"

"Although Ziqian is rude, his heart is commendable! Now that Lü Bu is so brave, our soldiers' morale is low, and we need a great victory to boost their spirits! If Ziqian can carry our allied army's banner and kill Lü Bu in front of ten thousand troops, what a boost that would be to our army's morale!"

He looked at Yuan Shao with sincere eyes: "Alliance Leader, this is an extraordinary time, and extraordinary measures must be taken! Compared to the prestige of a commander's banner, which is more important, the lives and morale of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in our allied army? I urge you to reconsider!"

Cao Cao's words were reasonable, well-founded, and resounding.

The noise inside the tent gradually subsided.

Yes, that makes sense. Let Zhang Ziqian lead the charge against Lü Bu. If they win, it'll be the glory of the entire allied forces; everyone will feel proud. If they lose... well, they're still Cao Cao's men anyway, so it won't affect them much. They can even use the opportunity to dampen Cao Cao's arrogance.

Many feudal lords began to make their own calculations.

Yuan Shao's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. He understood the reasoning, of course, but he simply couldn't swallow this insult. He, the legitimate son of the prestigious Yuan family, a family that had held high office for four generations, and the leader of the eighteen warlords, was he to rely on a mere brute under Cao Cao to save face for him?

Just as he was hesitating, Liu Bei suddenly spoke up.

"Alliance Leader, what Cao Cao said makes sense. Lü Bu's bravery is beyond the reach of any single person. If Zhang Zhuangshi is truly confident, we might as well let him give it a try."

When he said this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and even Cao Cao looked at him with some surprise.

Liu Bei sneered inwardly. He couldn't wait for Zhang Ziqian to die! He knew better than anyone how powerful Lü Bu was. Although Zhang Ziqian possessed incredible strength, he was arrogant and conceited. Facing Lü Bu, he was doomed! Letting him carry the commander's flag and die under Lü Bu's halberd would be a disgrace to the entire allied army, especially to their leader, Yuan Shao! Then, let's see how Cao Cao handles the situation!

With Liu Bei as a stepping stone, Yuan Shao's mind finally turned in his favor.

He took a deep breath, as if making a great decision, and said in a deep voice, "Very well! Since that's the case, I, the alliance leader, grant your request! Men, bring the commander's flag!"

He stared intently at Zhang Ziqian, his tone icy: "Zhang, remember this: what you carried out was the very spirit of our eighteen allied forces! If we win, this leader will credit you with the greatest merit! If we lose… then come and offer your head!"

"I know, I know, you're so long-winded," Zhang Ziqian waved his hand impatiently.

Soon, two soldiers worked together to lift the huge banner over. The banner was as thick as a child's arm, with a large "Commander" character on it, fluttering in the wind.

Zhang Ziqian stepped forward, picked up the heavy banner with one hand, casually tucked it onto his back, and secured it simply with his belt. His relaxed and carefree manner made it seem as if he were carrying not a large banner, but a straw.

"I'm gone."

He uttered two words, shouldered his Yuwang Spear, carried the conspicuous commander's flag, and strode out of the central command tent amidst the complex gazes of everyone.

……

At Hulao Pass, the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

Lu Bu, riding his Red Hare and wielding his halberd, was swaggering across the battlefield. Several allied generals lay dead at his feet. The Xiliang soldiers erupted in deafening cheers, while the allied forces, demoralized, fell silent.

"Hahaha! The eighteen warlords are nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs! Who else dares to come and die!" Lü Bu stood on his horse with his halberd held high, full of vigor and looking down on the world.

Just then, he suddenly saw a person slowly walk out from the Allied ranks.

The man was tall and carried a huge, oddly shaped weapon. What was most eye-catching was the enormous banner fluttering in the wind behind him!

"handsome"?

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes.

That's the Allied commander's flag!

Who is this man? How dare he carry the Allied commander's flag and come out alone? Is he here to surrender, or to die?

Not only Lü Bu, but all the soldiers of both armies noticed this strange appearance. The noisy battlefield suddenly became much quieter.

Ignoring tens of thousands of gazes, Zhang Ziqian walked step by step to the center of the two armies' positions.

He stopped and planted the 180-pound Yuwang Spear into the ground.

"Thump!"

The earth trembled once more.

He looked up at the flamboyant man on the red horse and shouted, "Hey! You dressed like a peacock! You're Lü Bu?"

Lu Bu had never been spoken to like this before, and he was instantly enraged. However, upon seeing the commander's banner behind the enemy, he suppressed his anger and coldly demanded, "Who goes there? Have you come to surrender and present this banner, seeing that my allied forces are doomed?"

"Surrender?" Zhang Ziqian seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "You're overthinking it. My boss said your head is worth a lot of money, and he sent me to collect it."

He pointed to the flag behind him: "This is borrowed to hold your head, in case your head is too big for other pockets."