Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 341 I've long wanted to slay Lü Bu and seize the Red Rabbit Horse as my own mount!
Such a leisurely atmosphere is invaluable in war. However, as the smoke from the distant rebel camp gradually dissipated and the faint sound of drums and gongs could be heard, the smiles on everyone's faces froze instantly, replaced by an extremely solemn atmosphere. Even the air seemed to tighten with each distant sound.

The rebels... are assembling!
Inside the rebel army's central command tent, Guan Hai stretched his arms out to the sides.

Two beautiful women who had been abducted reached out their slender, white hands and carefully helped him put on his inner garments, then laboriously draped the heavy armor over his robust body.

The two beautiful women bit their lips slightly, beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads, and a hint of fatigue showed in their eyes, but they dared not utter a single complaint.

Guan Hai glanced sideways at the two beautiful women's slightly distorted expressions from exertion, and casually urged them on, but a playful smile appeared on his face, showing no sign of urgency.

He knew perfectly well that putting on armor was something his personal guards should do, but he insisted that these once high-ranking noblewomen serve him personally.

Seeing their humility and submission, how they had to force smiles and flatter him even though he had killed their husbands, how they had to submit to him even to the death in bed, how they had to try so hard yet still dared not complain about their suffering, this sense of control and conquest that completely crushed the dignity of others made him extremely satisfied.

It's a pity, if the timing hadn't been so inconvenient, he would have definitely fought those two young women again!
Completely clad in armor, Guan Hai twisted his neck and stretched his arms and wrists. His bulging muscles swelled slightly, and his joints cracked crisply. He pinched the two beautiful women's ample breasts hard and even smelled the lingering milky scent on his fingertips.

Then, under the feigned admiration of the two beautiful women, he strode to the weapon rack, neatly tied two short axes to his waist, then picked up the heavy long-handled axe, raised his head and laughed loudly as he left.

The sunlight streamed in through the tent, and Guan Hai immediately spotted his cousin Guan Cheng waiting outside. He asked, "Have the scouts and the wandering warriors returned with their reports?"

Although he was a cousin, Guan Cheng was not as destitute as him, but a proper powerful figure.

Before the Taiping Dao uprising, Guan Hai led about a hundred desperate men to join the Yellow Turbans, while Guan Cheng was able to gather more than three thousand followers, making his influence quite formidable.

Even after the Yellow Turbans' main force was defeated, and the generals Tian Gong, Di Gong, and Ren Gong all died, and Jiao He, the leader of Qingzhou, was beheaded by Cao Cao, he was still able to calmly lead his people out to sea in the face of the court's encirclement and suppression, occupy the islands and become king, and occasionally take his ships ashore to plunder.

However, Guan Cheng was really unlucky.

Last year, the imperial court decided to expand the sea routes and naturally could not tolerate any unofficial forces remaining in the coastal areas. Therefore, it appointed Wang Rui, a native of Xuzhou, as the governor of Qingzhou.

Wang Rui came from the Langya Wang clan. His father, Wang Ren, had also served as the governor of Qingzhou and was highly respected in Qingzhou.

Therefore, as Cao Cao's successor, he immediately and swiftly launched the campaign to eliminate pirates upon taking office.

Therefore, at the meeting to promote the normalization of the campaign against bandits and evil forces, Wang Rui, the governor of Qingzhou, emphasized that it is necessary to thoroughly implement the important instructions of the emperor and the decisions and plans of the Ministry of Personnel, to promote the normalization of the campaign against bandits and evil forces in a deeper and more practical way, to maintain zero tolerance for bandits and evil forces, to never give bandits a chance to breathe, to adhere to both addressing the symptoms and the root causes, to strengthen systemic governance and source governance, and to resolutely eradicate the breeding ground for bandits!
In less than three months, the pirates under Guan Cheng's command who went ashore to plunder were ambushed and killed one after another. The government troops deliberately let a group of pirates go and followed them in small boats. They determined the locations of several island hideouts where Guan Cheng and many other pirates were hiding along the pirates' escape route.

With the cooperation of powerful families, fishermen, and merchants in Qingzhou, officials and civilians joined hands to quickly wipe out the pirate forces on the coastal islands of Qingzhou. Only the leader Guan Cheng and a dozen or so of his confidants escaped and were wanted by the imperial court.

If Guan Cheng hadn't fallen into such a state, he wouldn't have come to the State of Chen to seek refuge with Guan Hai.

Guan Cheng nodded upon hearing this, clasped his hands in a fist and said in a deep voice, "I was just about to report this matter to my brother when the scouts who returned at dawn said that they spotted traces of government scouts fifty li away yesterday evening. I'm afraid the government army is about to arrive, and it will be difficult to take Xu County in a short time. It would be bad if we were to get entangled with the government army."

"Brother, we need to make plans as soon as possible."

However, upon hearing this, Guan Hai glanced at Guan Cheng sideways, his eyes filled with impatience.

Why make any plans beforehand? Isn't it just a matter of slipping away? Guan Cheng has read a lot of books. He usually helps him manage logistics and often offers advice during battles. He is truly his right-hand man.

However, he is always overly cautious and seeks stability, even to the point of being somewhat afraid of battle.

Perhaps they were terrified after being besieged by government troops on the island, so much so that even now, upon hearing that government reinforcements are coming, they still harbor the same mentality of bandits who would hastily flee at the mere mention of government troops' arrival.

But they are no longer bandits; they are now officials!
They were the General Who Conquers the East and the Military Advisor of the State of Chen, eating the royal grain of the King of Chen, and leading soldiers who were all armored and armed with swords, bows and crossbows. How could they be the same as before?
Guan Hai raised his hand and patted Guan Cheng's shoulder heavily, scoffed, and said, "What's there to be afraid of! The imperial army can only travel a few dozen miles a day? The court only set out on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and today is only the thirteenth of the seventh lunar month. It's only been six days at most!"

"The government army has three battalions of heavily armored infantry. How could they dare to remove their armor and march without knowing who is friend or foe? Wearing full heavy armor and maintaining combat readiness at all times, they can only travel a maximum of fifty li a day. Moreover, their good men are accompanied by many cumbersome siege weapons, and they are still at least one hundred and eighty li away from here!"

"The government troops usually rest every six days, so it will take at least five more days to reach Xu County. Once there, they will need to rest for another day before they can fight!"

Guan Cheng was stunned by Guan Hai's words, seemingly never expecting that his cousin, who came from humble origins, could be so sharp-tongued and clear-thinking.

This calculation isn't difficult; Guan Hai could figure it out, and he could understand it after a little thought.

But he always felt that something was wrong with this account.

Although he couldn't figure out what the problem was, Guan Cheng still shook his head and argued, "What about the government army's cavalry? A full six thousand cavalry, and I heard they're led by Lü Bu, the one who trampled the Xiongnu royal court!"

Guan Hai's expression suddenly turned cold, and he glared at him fiercely with an unfriendly look.

While the presence of six thousand cavalrymen was certainly cause for concern, Guan Cheng, no matter how afraid he was, should not boast about the strength and threat of the government troops in front of so many officers and soldiers, thus damaging morale.

Fortunately, after he joined the State of Chen, he did not remain idle. He took the opportunity to read some military books and learned how to deploy scouts and set up camps.

Guan Hai suppressed his anger and snorted coldly, saying, "Military strategy says: 'Scouts and ambushers should be a hundred li away from the camp, and patrols should be fifty li away from the camp, following the net day and night, in a continuous cycle, to prepare for unforeseen events.' Since the government army's scouts were discovered fifty li away, it means that their main cavalry force is at least a hundred li away. Even if the cavalry marched non-stop for a whole day to reach Xu County, they would already be exhausted. How much fighting strength would they have left?"

"If Lu Bu dares to do that, he's just courting death!"

"Besides, what is Lü Bu? He's just a barbarian from Bingzhou who started out raising horses!"

"Just a mere stable boy!"

Guan Hai's voice suddenly rose, full of disdain, and he said, "He was just lucky. He managed to sneak into enemy territory and take advantage of the situation by launching a surprise attack on a poorly defended Xiongnu royal court. Does he dare to call himself brave?"

Guan Hai suddenly raised his large axe and slammed it down on an unused weapon rack by the training ground.

With a loud crack, the wooden frame shattered, sending debris flying everywhere.

Then, Guan Hai laughed heartily, looked around, and said in a booming voice, "I have long wanted to cleave Lü Bu in two and seize the Red Rabbit Horse as my own mount!"

(2267 words)
(End of this chapter)