The imperial cause at the end of the Han Dynasty was not one of partial peace.

Liu Bei ordered his army to set up camp on a high hill five miles outside the city, erecting palisades and fortifications.

He, along with Tian Yu, Nan Lou, and others, will climb to a high place to enjoy the view.

Below the city, there were about five or six bandit camps, each gathered separately, mostly nestled in woods and abandoned villages, without deep moats or strong fences, and without any order or structure.

The camp was bustling with people and occasional commotion, but few were seen patrolling or on guard.

The bandits were dressed in a motley crew, mostly wearing yellow turbans, and their total number was probably over a thousand. Among them, about a hundred carried knives and spears, while the rest carried clubs and farm tools.

After observing for a moment, Liu Bei asserted, "This rabble is disorganized, lacks discipline, and cannot be defeated in a single battle!"

The young and spirited Tian Yu, with his hand on his sword, laughed and said, "My lord, just watch. I request to lead fifty elite cavalry to first blunt their advance, followed by my infantry. The enemy will surely collapse!"

Liu Bei nodded: "The rebels have no commander and each camp operates on its own. This is precisely the reason why we can divide and conquer them."

"I observed that their central army battalion was standing beside the abandoned shrine, and their flags were relatively neat. This must be where the rebel leader was located."

"Guorang, you may lead fifty elite cavalry and select two hundred valiant soldiers to launch a fierce attack on their weak left flank camp. Advance with great fanfare, striving for speed and decisive victory."

"I personally led the cavalry and the Nanlou chieftain's troops, lying in ambush in the woods by the roadside. When their central army came out, we attacked them from the waist, beheaded their leader, and the rest of the troops collapsed on their own."

Tian Yu accepted the order and immediately selected fifty elite cavalry and two hundred daredevils, most of whom were veterans from the Battle of Taoshui, and were well-equipped with armor and weapons.

Half an hour later, Tian Yu led his troops out from behind the high hill and attacked the most scattered camp on the left flank of the enemy army.

The drums roared and arrows flew first, catching the bandits off guard and causing them to scatter in cries.

As expected, a commotion arose in the central army camp near the ruined shrine. A burly man with a yellow turban on his head and wearing plundered leather armor, carrying a long sword, led more than three hundred relatively well-organized bandits out of the camp, intending to reinforce the left flank.

Just as their procession was halfway through, passing through a sparse forest, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out from within the woods!

The thunderous hooves roared as they sprang forth from the forest!

Liu Bei took the lead, with Nan Lou leading more than thirty Wuhuan cavalrymen closely following on either side. More than a hundred Han cavalrymen swept out like the wind, crashing straight into the weak center of the enemy's marching formation!

"Release the arrows!"

As they galloped, the Wuhuan riders displayed their unparalleled archery skills, drawing their bows like full moons and sending arrows flying like shooting stars from the swaying backs of their horses, targeting only those dressed as leaders in the enemy ranks. The Han cavalry also unleashed a barrage of crossbow bolts.

The bandit army was suddenly attacked from the side during their march, and a section of the army was thrown into chaos, with dozens killed or wounded. The bandit leader was both shocked and furious. He brandished his sword and shouted, trying to regroup his troops to fight back.

At that moment, Liu Bei took the horn bow that had been with him for many days from the side of the saddle, drew a birch arrow, and amidst the rise and fall of the galloping horse, drew the bow as if embracing the moon, his eyes like those of a hawk, firmly locking onto the bandit leader wielding a long sword.

The bowstring twanged, and the arrow flew without a trace!

The bandit leader was pointing his knife at Liu Bei, his cursing still unfinished, when a trembling arrow lodged in his throat.

He stared in astonishment, the long knife in his hand clattered to the ground, his hands futilely grasping at his neck, before he fell backward, dead.

"The bandit leader is dead! Those who surrender will not be killed!" Liu Bei's voice resounded throughout the land. He put away his horn bow, drew his ring-pommel sword, and pointed it directly at the routing bandits.

With their commander dead and the central army cut in half, the already undisciplined bandits immediately collapsed.

The front team wanted to advance but couldn't, and the rear team wanted to retreat but couldn't, so they trampled each other.

Seeing that the central army was in disarray, Tian Yu also led his troops in a fierce attack, joining forces with Liu Bei's cavalry to launch a pincer attack.

Seeing the central army flag fall and the commander killed, the remaining rebel camps lost all will to fight. With a shout, they abandoned their camps and fled in all directions.

Seeing this, the defenders on the walls of Fanyang City mustered their remaining courage, opened the city gates, and shouted. Although they did not dare to go out of the city to pursue the enemy, they still added to the momentum.

In this battle, the Han army killed or captured more than two hundred people, and the rest scattered.

They captured over ten mixed-race horses, hundreds of swords, spears, and arrows, as well as some looted grain and silk. Liu Bei himself suffered only a dozen or so casualties.

Upon hearing the report, the magistrate of Fanyang dared to open the city gates and led the county's elders and officials, along with food and drink, out of the city to greet the "Supervisor," moved to tears with gratitude.

Liu Bei comforted them gently, instructing them to properly settle the elderly and weak among the prisoners, to organize the able-bodied men who were willing to join the army into another unit, and to send the rest back to farming.

They also opened the granaries and took some of the seized grain to provide relief to the disaster-stricken people in the suburbs.

The name "Liu Du Cao Renyong" spread throughout Fanyang in a single day.

Liu Bei rested in Fanyang for two days, gathered his surrendered soldiers, and reorganized his troops.

During this period, many young men from Fanyang and neighboring counties, who admired his reputation or sought revenge for the destruction of their homes, came to join him.

While Liu Bei was pacifying the people and providing relief in Fanyang, and gathering his troops, Guan Yu had already arrived at the border of Gu'an County.

Upon entering the county, one sees desolate villages, barren fields, and corpses of starving people lying by the roadside, a scene even more tragic than that of Zhuo County and Fanyang.

According to the villagers' tearful account, the corrupt and cruel magistrate of Gu'an has caused repeated hail and locust plagues in the Youji region since last year, and this spring an epidemic has spread, leaving the people in dire straits.

Instead of providing relief and compensation, the governor of An and his subordinates intensified their efforts, demanding taxes and imposing heavy corvée labor. The officials were like tigers, and the people were filled with resentment.

The rumor that "Heaven is dead" spread like wildfire in this place, like dry tinder meeting a spark.

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out, the leader of the rebels rose to a high place and gave a shout, attracting a large following. Seeing that the situation was dire, the county magistrate and his officials fled the city with their families and valuables.

The Yellow Turbans then occupied the county town without a fight, opened the granaries, distributed their accumulated wealth, and burned official documents.

Hungry people from all directions, bandits, and commoners who hated the government to the core flocked to him at the mere mention of his name.

Several local powerful families, either intimidated by its power or having prior connections with it, also led their guests to join in.

In a short time, Yellow Turban flags were planted all over the walls of Gu'an City, and the number of followers reached three or four thousand, of whom more than a thousand were brave young men.

Because the county officials fled, this intelligence was not transmitted to the prefectural government.

Therefore, the intelligence provided by the prefectural government differed greatly from the reality here, and the number of bandits was probably ten times greater than estimated.

Upon hearing this news, Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes and became quite solemn.

He ordered his army to temporarily camp at an abandoned pavilion ten miles outside the city, and he, along with Jian Yong, Nan Lou, and others, climbed to a high place to observe the situation.

Although the city walls of Gu'an County were not very high, the city gates were tightly closed, and there were many figures on the city walls, interspersed with yellow banners fluttering in the wind.

Outside the city, in the countryside, small groups of people wearing yellow turbans would occasionally drive away the people and carry grain and fodder, shouting and yelling as if they had already regarded the area around the county town as their own territory.

Jian Yong's expression was solemn, and he said in a low voice, "Yun Chang, judging from the situation, the rebels have already occupied the city and have gained the support of many ignorant people."

"Our force of infantry and cavalry numbers only three hundred, making a siege extremely difficult. Perhaps we should retreat temporarily, rejoin our lord, and then plan our next move?"

Li Zheng also patted his chest and said, "General Guan, the situation of the enemy in the city is unclear. Our cavalry is better suited for open field battles than for siege warfare. If we force an attack on the city, we may damage our morale."

Several military officers and squad leaders around also looked worried.

They had just won consecutive victories at Taoshui and Fanyang, and their morale was high. However, their forces were limited, and they inevitably hesitated when facing an enemy occupying the city.

Guan Yu pressed his hand on his sword and remained silent for a moment. Then he snorted coldly and said with a sigh, "Gentlemen, your words are wrong! Have you not heard that 'speed is of the essence in war, not protracted battle'? Now that the enemy has just occupied the city, their hearts are not yet won over, and their defenses are not yet complete, it is the perfect time to strike quickly and follow Han Xin's example in taking Jingxing Pass."

"If the delay continues, the repair of the battlements will lead to alliances with powerful and cunning individuals, which will inevitably become a festering sore. At that time, it will be impossible to take it down without dispatching cavalry from the prefectures and kingdoms and transferring five schools of the Northern Army."

"Our lord has entrusted Yu with the task of leading the campaign; how can we hesitate, fear the enemy, and sit idly by while the enemy's power grows stronger?"

He surveyed his generals, his spirits soaring: "In the past, when Emperor Guangwu campaigned in Hebei, he often used several thousand elite cavalry from Youzhou to defeat tens of thousands of Wang Mang's troops. In the Battle of Kunyang, the Han army numbered only nine thousand, yet they, together with their generals, decisively defeated an army of forty-two hundred thousand, leading to the downfall of Wang Mang's dynasty. These are all clear examples of defeating a large enemy with a small force and achieving victory through unconventional tactics!"

"Moreover, our lord, Lord Xuande, is a descendant of the Han dynasty, destined by Heaven. With eight hundred men in crimson robes, he defeated Cheng Yuanzhi's six thousand at Taoshui, his name resounding throughout Youyan. Now, under my command, there are also three hundred brave warriors, skilled in riding and archery, and armed with sharp armor. How can we alone not follow in their footsteps, defeat the many with the few, recapture the famous city, serve the country above, and bring peace to the people below?"

"If you gentlemen are afraid," Guan Yu suddenly pulled on the reins, and his yellow horse reared up, neighing loudly, "you may stay here to cover my retreat. I, Guan Yu, shall emulate the heroes of old, single-handedly storm the pass, take the bandit leader's head, and hang it at the gate to demonstrate the might of the Han dynasty!"

These words were passionate and inspiring, drawing on classical allusions and drawing inspiration from the illustrious military achievements of Emperor Guangwu and Liu Bei. Furthermore, they stirred the entire army with the courage and boldness of the speaker.

Upon hearing this, the hot-blooded soldiers blushed with shame, their pride rekindled, and they clenched their fists, slamming their halberds together, and roared in unison:

"I am willing to fight to the death with the general! How could I possibly lag behind!"

The sound reverberated across the wilderness, and the morale soared like a rainbow.

Guan Yu nodded slightly when he saw that the morale of the soldiers had been restored.

However, he also knew that a direct attack was not advisable, so he said to the crowd, "The enemy has just captured the city and is a mixed bag. Their leader must be complacent, arrogant and underestimating the enemy. We can learn from Sun Bin's strategy of reducing the number of cooking fires and Bai Qi's strategy of feigning weakness and use a plan to lure them in."

After a moment's thought, he said to Jian Yong, "Xianhe is quick-witted and eloquent. He can immediately write a letter to provoke the enemy into battle."

Jian Yong accepted the order, and in the pavilion he ground ink and laid out bamboo slips, completing the work in one stroke.

"Guan Yu, the Commandant of the Great Han Dynasty who was in charge of suppressing the rebellion, addressed the people of Gu'an City: You were originally commoners, but due to hunger and cold or misled by seditious words, you joined the rebellion and tore your hats and ceremonial robes."

"Now the royal army has arrived, and on the banks of the Tao River, Cheng Yuanzhi has been beheaded; beneath the walls of Fanyang, the remaining rebels have been pacified. Wherever the heavenly army points, the rebellious enemy is crushed. This is not due to human power, but truly because the virtue of the Han Dynasty has not declined and the Mandate of Heaven has not been altered."

"Considering that most of you were coerced into following the emperor, and that the emperor is virtuous in his love of life, and that the governor Liu is benevolent in his pacification of distant lands, if you can repent and surrender yourselves, bind your leaders, open the city gates, and submit, you can be spared the death penalty, return to your hometowns, and become good citizens again."

"If they remain obstinate and resist stubbornly, when the heavenly army breaks through the city, the leaders and their accomplices will be executed in accordance with the law against thieves, and their wives and children will be confiscated by the Xi officials."

"Fortune and misfortune, honor and disgrace, all depend on your own thought. As clear as the sun and moon, do not say you were not warned!"

The letter of challenge was written in a condescending tone, treating the thousands of people in the city as nothing, and referring to all the leaders as prisoners to be bound and offered up, showing the utmost contempt and humiliation.

Guan Yu ordered the best archers in his army to wrap the silk scroll with hemp thread around the arrow shaft, ride their horses to a point one arrow's width below the city, draw their powerful bows, and the arrows, like shooting stars, flew straight up the city wall with the silk scroll and nailed it to the lintel!

Sure enough, in less than half a day, the gates of Gu'an City were suddenly flung open!

As the drawbridge was lowered, amidst the sounds of drums and shouts, a large number of followers with yellow turbans on their heads poured out of the city, forming a chaotic procession in the open space outside the city, raising clouds of dust.

The vanguard consisted of about three hundred men, dressed in relatively neat armor. Most of them were former guests of powerful families, carrying spears, halberds, and shields.

The leader of the riders was as burly as a bear, with a face as black as iron. His head was wrapped in a yellow turban with gold trim, and he wore an old iron armor that had been found somewhere. He held an extended halberd in his hand. He was none other than Du Jing, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Gu'an.

This man was originally a dog butcher in the marketplace, but he possessed extraordinary strength, capable of lifting a cauldron. He was fierce and ruthless, and was recruited by the Taiping Dao to serve as a "strongman." Now, he has seized control of a county and is at the height of his pride and arrogance.

"Men! There are only a few hundred Han dogs outside the city, yet they dare to spout such arrogant words and treat us as nothing!" Du Jing roared, brandishing his halberd. His voice was like a broken gong.

"Follow me out and slaughter that red-faced Han general, seize their fine horses and iron armor, and tonight we'll celebrate our victory in the county temple hall with those corrupt officials' wine cups!"

"Kill the Han general! Seize his armor!" Behind him, more than three thousand followers, including many women, children, the elderly and weak who had been incited to leave the city and were carrying plows and kitchen knives, roared in a chaotic manner, like a turbid torrent bursting through a dam, and surged toward the small mound where Guan Yu's army was stationed.

They had no formation and relied solely on their numerical superiority.

However, seeing the bandits swarming across the fields, their yellow dust obscuring the sky, and their imposing presence terrifying, many newly recruited soldiers in the Han army still showed fear on their faces, and their formation began to waver slightly.

Guan Yu sneered, glancing around with a spirited air: "The enemy has fallen into our trap, abandoning our fortified city for the vast, desolate plains. The *Wu Zi* says, 'If you see an enemy as soon as you step out the door, then that enemy is vulnerable.' Now their formation is incomplete, their ranks chaotic; we can crush them like dry leaves! Gentlemen, you should all be brave and follow me to defeat the enemy. Today is the day to achieve fame and fortune!"

Having said that, without waiting for the enemy army to complete its formation, he suddenly spurred his magnificent yellow horse and charged out of the crowd, heading straight for the densest part of the enemy army and the place where the banners were most conspicuous!

It moved with lightning speed, and the soldiers behind it didn't even have time to react.

The thousands of Yellow Turban followers watching from outside the city were all astonished to see a Han general in green robes and black armor, with a red face and a long beard, charging into their ranks alone. They then burst into loud laughter and shouts.

"Has this red-faced general lost his mind?"

"One man on horseback, daring to come and die? Commander Du will pierce ten holes in him with a single halberd strike!"

Seeing this, Du Jing became even more enraged, laughing instead, and brandishing his halberd, he roared, "My men, fight me..."

Before he finished speaking, Guan Yu's horse was already within thirty paces! As he galloped, he drew his powerful bow. The bowstring was drawn like the autumn moon in the sky, and the arrow flew like a shooting star falling to the ground. With a sharp "whoosh," a bandit who was waving a flag and shouting in front of Du Jing fell to the ground, his throat pierced!

Before the bandits could even cry out in alarm, Guan Yu had already thrown his bow to the ground, and with a backhand, he drew his heavy spear. His horse's speed was not diminished at all, and he pierced straight into the heart of the enemy formation!

"Those who block my way shall die!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, actually drowned out the clamor of thousands of people.

The next moment, the spear flashed, and wherever it passed, men and horses fell, and blood rained down.

Before the Yellow Turban soldiers wielding spears could even draw their weapons, they were struck by the immense force of the spear shafts, their bones broken and tendons snapped, sending them flying backward.

Guan Yu's horse was fast, and in an instant he had already rushed dozens of paces away, his target clear, pointing directly at the chieftain Du Jing who was shouting and giving orders!

Du Jing was utterly horrified. He never imagined that there was such a fierce general in the world who could charge into enemy lines single-handedly as if he were in an empty field, treating thousands of soldiers as nothing.

In a panic, he raised his halberd to block, and a deafening clang of metal rang out, sparks flew everywhere, Du Jing's tiger's mouth split open, and the halberd flew out of his hand.

Before he could even feel the pain, a large hand covered with fine iron wrist guards reached out like an eagle's claw, passing through the shadow of the halberd with unparalleled precision and grabbing the ribbon of the iron armor on his chest.

Come here!

Guan Yu exhaled and spoke, his arm bursting with divine strength, and he actually lifted the burly Du Jing off his horse as if he were a child, and pressed him down in front of his saddle!

The whole process was as swift as a rabbit leaping and a falcon glimpsed through a crack in the wall.

The commander was captured alive by the enemy amidst the masses! This scene completely shocked the thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers who were roaring and charging forward.

The momentum of the charge came to an abrupt halt. Everyone stared in disbelief at the godlike green-robed Han general who, having captured the struggling and cursing Du Jing, turned his horse around and was about to charge back the way he came!

"Let go of Coach Du!"

"Stop this red-faced man!"

Du Jing's close associates and ruthless thugs finally reacted, their eyes bloodshot, and they roared as they pounced, brandishing their knives and spears.

With one hand holding the reins and the other pressing Du Jing across the saddle, Guan Yu wielded his spear with unparalleled speed, thrusting and sweeping with incredible speed.

Wherever the spear tip passed, those who came near were either killed or wounded; no one could stop it for even a moment.

The yellow horse was exceptionally swift and powerful. It kicked over several men and broke through the encirclement in the blink of an eye. Amidst the panicked and bewildered gazes of the enemy soldiers, it galloped back to its own lines and threw the ashen-faced Du Jing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

From the moment they went into battle to the moment they captured the enemy and returned, it took no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

The Han soldiers were filled with fervor, their morale soaring to its peak. They roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens: "General's divine might! The Han army will be victorious!"

The thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers were so terrified by Guan Yu's bravery, which was like a god descending to earth or a reincarnation of a tyrant, that they stood there dumbfounded, and countless of them dropped their weapons.

"The bandit leader has been captured! Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who kneel and abandon their weapons will be spared!" Guan Yu stood on his horse with his spear in hand, his voice shaking the surrounding area.

The drums and horns of the Han army sounded in unison, and the battle cries shook the heavens.

Three hundred infantry and cavalrymen, like tigers released from their cages, launched a general attack on the Yellow Turban rebels who had lost their leader and whose morale had collapsed.

The Yellow Turban army completely collapsed, abandoning their armor and weapons, fleeing for their lives, trampling each other to death and wounding countless others, with the remaining forces scattering.

The Han army seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, killing and capturing many, and pursued them all the way to the city walls.

The remaining elderly, weak, and those who had not yet fought in the city, seeing that the situation was hopeless, all knelt down and surrendered, and the city gates opened on their own.

Guan Yu then withdrew his troops into the city, presented Liu Bei with the official seal of "Supervisor of the Southern Bandits," pacified the people, detained the surrendered chieftains, inventoried the treasury, and issued a proclamation to reassure the people.

He then appointed Jian Yongquan to temporarily manage the county affairs, register the existing households according to the Household Law, and recruit and comfort the refugees. He also selected more than one hundred able-bodied soldiers who were willing to join the army and whose families were clean, and added them to the ranks, giving them strict instruction and discipline; the rest were all allowed to return home and resume their livelihoods, and were given grain and seeds.

In this battle, Guan Yu, with only three hundred men, defeated several thousand enemy soldiers, killed more than ten bandit leaders, captured the bandit leader Du Jing alive, and recaptured Gu'an in one fell swoop, suffering few casualties himself.

His reputation for "single-handedly charging into battle and capturing the chieftain of ten thousand troops" spread far and wide, resounding throughout Youyan.

The good news arrived at Liu Bei's residence in Fanyang by fast horse. After reading it, Liu Bei clapped his hands and laughed heartily, saying to his subordinates with delight, "My acquisition of Yun Chang is like Emperor Gaozu acquiring the Marquis of Huaiyin! My second brother is unparalleled in bravery and strategy, and his loyalty and righteousness are beyond compare. This is Heaven's way of bestowing upon the Han Dynasty and granting me its pillars of support!"

Victories were reported from both the north and south. Liu Bei's reputation for benevolence and Guan Yu's martial prowess complemented each other, and Liu Bei's name in Zhuojun rose to prominence as a result.

The counties and prefectures all praised him as a descendant of the Han dynasty, loyal to the country; treating his soldiers with sincerity and caring for the people with benevolence; and being well-versed in the strategies of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi in battle.