"You have already committed an unforgivable sin by letting Liu Dai go, and now you dare to clash with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You are truly audacious. If I, your King, were to forgive you easily, how could I rule Liangzhou in the future? Guards, come forth!" Ye Feng announced loudly.
"My Lord, your younger brother is young and ignorant. In a moment of foolishness, he committed this great mistake. As his elder brother, I am willing to accept punishment in his stead. I beg my Lord to spare my younger brother!" the elder guard hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, admitting his fault.
"Brotherly affection runs deep, truly admirable!" Ye Feng snorted coldly and asked Lu Bu, "Feng Xian, now that this incident has occurred, how should it be dealt with according to military law?"
"Reporting to my Lord, they should be beheaded and displayed. However..." Lu Bu hesitated slightly. Seeing that Ye Feng made no other move, he boldly spoke up, "The two of them do possess some skill. Why not enlist them into the army? It would be a way for them to contribute to the nation!"
"Audacious! Well said, Lu Bu! Are you trying to hide your personal feelings, or is it for their sake? I will absolutely not let you off! If this continues, who will take me seriously in the future?" Ye Feng roared in anger.
"This matter has nothing to do with the General. I am willing to bear all responsibility." The elder guard rushed forward and hastily said, "I beg my Lord to impose your punishment!"
"Very good, very good," Ye Feng suddenly shifted from anger to joy. "You show responsibility. However, while the death penalty may be waived, a lesser sentence is unavoidable. You shall undergo various punishments!"
Ye Feng feigned ignorance and deliberately asked a question. The elder guard became extremely conflicted. If he spoke too seriously, it would be bad, but if he spoke too lightly, it would also be problematic. While contemplating, he saw Lu Bu's expression and then spoke with composure, "My brother and I are willing to follow the General on campaigns, serving as his foot soldiers!"
"That will not do," Ye Feng replied calmly, abruptly rejecting the request. "Feng Xian is already a dragon among men. This matter is the negligence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I shall have the two of you join the Embroidered Uniform Guard and assist Yu Huatian with various trivial matters. How about it?"
From a mere gate soldier to the Embroidered Uniform Guard was akin to ascending to heaven in a single step. The two hurriedly kowtowed to express their gratitude. Yu Huatian also thanked him profusely. Just as Ye Feng was about to leave, he suddenly saw two Embroidered Uniform Guards carrying a stretcher approaching in haste.
Yu Huatian stood up and cursed, "Hurry and take them away! Be careful not to obstruct my Lord's view. What will we do then!"
"Yes!"
"Wait. You two remain. Tell me clearly, one by one, exactly what happened. Who dared to attack the Embroidered Uniform Guard with such audacity!" Ye Feng pointed at two individuals. Immediately, two people hurried to carry the stretcher away.
"What exactly happened? Explain it clearly to me!" Ye Feng's brows furrowed.
This was a direct slap in his face. The dignified Embroidered Uniform Guard had been beaten to such an extent. Did they have any regard for him, the King of Chu, at all!
"My Lord, my Lord, this is..." Seeing the two Embroidered Uniform Guards stammering and unable to explain for a long time, Yu Huatian became furious and said coldly, "What is there to be unclear about? Speak up quickly, are you waiting for my Lord to punish you!"
"Yes, yes, my Lord." The Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke as fast as pouring beans, "Originally, nothing had happened. We were ordered to arrest Liu Dai. But on the road, we encountered a group of people who actually took Liu Dai into their tent. We went to negotiate, but the travelers were extremely arrogant, and a conflict arose, leading to this incident!"
"Such audacity!" Ye Feng clenched his fists, enraged. Who in this territory did not show him some respect? Even the Yuan family, with their four generations of high officials, would not dare to openly humiliate him. His face instantly turned grim!
Yu Huatian slapped one of the Embroidered Uniform Guards. "Who exactly dared to attack you? Have you investigated clearly? So that my Lord can exact revenge!"
"It should be some Prefect. They had more people, and we weren't paying attention for a moment, which is why we suffered a setback!" The Embroidered Uniform Guard's face turned red. "Even two of our brothers were captured by them!"
"Did you not state my name?" Ye Feng suppressed his anger and asked. It was soldier against soldier, general against general. Besides the fiercest man of the Three Kingdoms, Lu Bu, who would dare to surround and attack? This would put them in a position of injustice. Moreover, he, Ye Feng, normally did not use such heavy-handed tactics!
"We did, but they made it very clear that they had come to seek revenge against my Lord, and that's why..." The Embroidered Uniform Guard stammered, barely managing to utter the sentence.
"They are truly fast. But I am not to be trifled with!" Ye Feng clenched his fists and ordered, "Lu Bu, assemble the troops, and follow me to meet whoever it is. We must also rescue the two brothers!"
"Yes!" Lu Bu agreed, already looking troubled. Regardless of who it was, if they could withstand his Fangtian Huaji, he would surely make them perish without a trace!
Ye Feng whistled, and Wuzhui, the horse, galloped over from a distance, armored. Yu Huatian hurriedly followed behind Ye Feng. Ye Feng turned and instructed, "You will remain here today to guard Liangzhou and reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I will need them soon. As for the vanguard, let Lu Bu and I go!"
"Yes!" Yu Huatian left with two guards in haste. In a moment, Lu Bu had assembled the troops and ordered the scout, "Go and see whose subordinates they are and in which direction!"
"Yes!"
"Brothers, prepare yourselves. Follow my Lord and depart. We will surely be victorious!" Lu Bu roared, and Wuzhui galloped out first, followed by Red Hare. A troop pushing siege crossbows followed. Several troops marched out of Liangzhou in a grand procession.
"Reporting to the General, my Lord, enemy presence has been detected thirty miles northeast of this location. Approximately tens of thousands. We will surely be victorious!" the scout hurriedly reported.
"Good, scout again!"
Lu Bu looked up at Ye Feng and cupped his fist, requesting, "My Lord, why don't you leave this to Lu Bu? Feng Xian will surely achieve victory in the first battle and perhaps rescue our brothers!"
"Feng Xian, if it were any other time, it would be fine. But this is truly an extraordinary situation. Wait a moment, and follow me to investigate!" Ye Feng opened his eyes slightly and said slowly, "However, no matter who it is, if they dare to attack Liangzhou, I will surely make them regret ever being born!"
Lu Bu stared at the faint killing intent in Ye Feng's eyes and silently followed behind him. Before long, they saw a young general in red, riding a red horse, blocking the road. Seeing Ye Feng, he slightly opened his eyes and arrogantly said, "King of Chu, if you dismount and surrender now, I might spare your life. Otherwise, you will surely perish without a burial ground."
"Shameless brat, dismount and surrender quickly!" The red general glared fiercely at Ye Feng. "Once I charge out, I will surely make you die without a burial place!"
"Let your Grandpa Lu Bu see what skills you possess!" Lu Bu pulled on the reins, and Red Hare neighed, eager to charge out. Unexpectedly, Ye Feng reached out and stopped him. Wuzhui leisurely approached the red general.
"It is not impossible for me to surrender, but I must know who sent you to provoke me here!" Ye Feng said coldly.
The red general's eyes widened in anger. "King of Chu, there is no harm in telling you. I am Hua Xiong, a retainer of Wang Kuang. Today, I have come to take your dog's life!"
Drinking wine and beheading Hua Xiong. Since he was no match for Guan Yu, facing Lu Bu was like sending him to his doom. Nevertheless, Ye Feng slowly asked, "With such skill, you still dare to capture our soldiers? What kind of bravery is that? Release them, and I will fight you to the death!"
"Good lad, so that's your plan. But I will tell you, if you want to find them, go to the underworld!" Hua Xiong sneered a few times. "They have already been killed by my lord to offer a sacrifice to the flag. Today is your death day."
"You, Hua Xiong! If you leave quickly, I might spare your life. Otherwise, you will die here!" Ye Feng waved his hand.
Using a cannon to swat a fly. Anyone could make Hua Xiong perish without a burial place. Was there a need for this? It was better to let him return to report, which would at least provide some challenge!
"Waaah, here I come, General!" Hua Xiong suddenly felt greatly humiliated and charged out. Ye Feng chuckled, "Lu Bu, how does this man compare to you? Why don't you go and capture him alive!"
"Killing him would diminish my prestige!" Lu Bu sneered and charged out directly. His Fangtian Huaji shook violently, and the next moment it swung towards Hua Xiong. Hua Xiong's face changed, and he hurriedly blocked, but the Fangtian Huaji suddenly turned downwards and struck the horse.
The horse, startled, suddenly reared up on its hind legs. Hua Xiong, unprepared, suddenly fell. However, he still stubbornly shouted, "Lu Bu, if you dare to kill me, my friend will not let you off!"
"I, Lu Bu, am not afraid of fighting ten of you. Let your friend come together!" Lu Bu said coldly. Hua Xiong's face changed, but he remained defiant, "Lu Bu, if you have the guts, release me, and I will surely kill you!"
"Lu Bu, you are merely borrowing the prestige of Red Hare. I, Hua Xiong, may not be your match on horseback, but on the ground, I am more than capable of defeating you."
"Lu Bu, if you dare, dismount and fight! I will surely chop you to death!"
An ordinary person would be enraged by such taunts, let alone an unparalleled general. Lu Bu dismounted, glaring fiercely at Hua Xiong, "Come, fight me!"
"Prepare to die!" Hua Xiong raised his great saber high, but Lu Bu saw through his weakness with a glance. The Fangtian Huaji trembled slightly, and the great saber suddenly fell to the ground.
Seeing that things were not going well, Hua Xiong mounted his horse and hastily tried to flee. Lu Bu got on Red Hare and was about to pursue when he heard Ye Feng chuckle and say slowly, "Do not chase a cornered enemy, especially since we still need him to lead us to the mastermind!"
"Yes!"
Seeing that Lu Bu had disappeared, Hua Xiong shook off his dejected demeanor and arrogantly entered the encampment. Wang Kuang hurriedly greeted him with a fawning smile, "General, did you go to test Ye Feng and see his strength?"
"He's just a commoner, not worth mentioning. I believe if our army presses on, they will surrender without a fight!" Hua Xiong put on a superior air, saying calmly with half-closed eyes.
"Excellent! With you, General, I, Wang Kuang, am like a tiger with wings. Now, I will assemble the troops and fight Ye Feng to the death. That will show him our capabilities!" Wang Kuang said with a smile, excitedly leaving the tent.
"At that time, I will ask the General to serve as the vanguard!"