Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The next day, Cai Zhong and Cai He, the brothers who had been ordered to pursue Zhao Yun, returned with a disheartened report. Cai Zhong, looking disheartened, knelt on one knee and said, "My lord, Zhao Yun was truly too brave. We let him escape amidst the chaos."

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao's face darkened, and he felt a surge of anger and annoyance. Cai Mao frowned, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Since Zhao Yun managed to escape, Liu Bei will undoubtedly disobey us once he learns of this. He's determined to help the late emperor's orphan ascend to the throne. Now that the child has been taken by Zhao Yun, I'm afraid Liu Bei will not only disobey us, but might even turn against us."

Zhang Yun echoed, "Yes, my lord. Liu Bei has always had great ambitions, but he's only been living in Jingzhou temporarily, keeping his composure. Now that this has happened, he's very likely to use this as an excuse to turn against us."

Liu Biao paced back and forth, his expression grave, pondering his response. After a while, he paused and said, "Our plan now is to strengthen Jingzhou's defenses. On the one hand, we must closely monitor Liu Bei's movements to see what he will do. On the other hand, we must strengthen our military preparations in case Liu Bei actually launches an attack."

Kuai Yue said solemnly, "My lord, the most urgent task is to notify General Wen Pin immediately and have him be on high alert against Liu Bei's forces. The situation on Liu Bei's side is unclear, so we must be on guard. Furthermore, Liu Bei's sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, are both incredibly brave generals. We must dispatch a commander who can rival them to take charge. The first priority is to establish defenses in Nanyang County."

Everyone looked solemn upon hearing this. Liu Bian showed a look of worry. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "But where can we find a general who can rival Guan and Zhang brothers?"

Kuai Yue smiled faintly and said confidently, "Has the lord forgotten Huang Zhong, who once injured Sun Ce on the battlefield? He is a skilled warrior. If we can send him to Nanyang, he will surely have a deterrent effect."

Liu Biao frowned slightly and said hesitantly, "Although Huang Zhong is indeed brave, it has been a few years now and he is a few years older. I wonder if he can still resist Guan and Zhang as effectively as he did back then?"

Cai Mao quickly stepped forward and said, "My lord, I met Huang Zhong only once a year ago. Although his hair and beard were gray, he was still as powerful as a tiger and his courage and strength were astonishing. With Huang Zhong's abilities, he can definitely hold his own against the Guan and Zhang brothers."

Liu Biao thought for a moment and felt that Cai Mao's words made sense. He nodded and said, "Since that's the case, then send Huang Zhong to Nanyang County. We must make proper arrangements for the follow-up. We must keep Liu Bei and others out of Nanyang County and never let them easily set foot in Jingzhou."

Cai Mao accepted the order and said, "Don't worry, my lord. I will make the arrangements right away. In addition to Huang Zhong, I will also assign some elite troops to him to command to strengthen Nanyang County's defenses. At the same time, I will also have General Wen Pin and Huang Zhong coordinate to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Liu Biao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Well, this matter is of great importance. You must proceed with caution. If you can successfully resist Liu Bei, it will be a great achievement."

So Cai Mao immediately began to prepare. He sent people to invite Huang Zhong at full speed, while deploying troops and arranging various defense matters.

Zhao Yun endured the rigors of the journey, sleeping in the open air, traveling day and night, galloping at full speed. His only concern was getting the late emperor's orphan safely to Liu Bei as quickly as possible, completely ignoring the fatigue of the long journey. Finally, after four or five days, he arrived outside Xudu and could see Liu Bei's camp from afar.

At this time, Liu Bei and his brothers had just returned from a fierce battle with Lü Bu. Zhang Fei, his face flushed, waved his powerful arms, loudly venting his anger at being defeated by Lü Bu: "That little Lü Bu, relying on his swift Red Hare and the prowess of his Fang Tian Hua Ji, is so arrogant! When has I, Zhang Fei, ever suffered such humiliation?" Liu Bei gently comforted Zhang Fei, "Don't worry, third brother. Lü Bu's bravery is world-renowned. Victory and defeat are commonplace in war. Don't let this distract you."

At this moment, a soldier hurried into the tent and reported: "My lord, General Zhao Yun is here!" When Liu Bei heard this, his heart suddenly tightened, and an ominous premonition came to his mind. He hurriedly stepped out of the tent to greet him.

Zhao Yun was seen, covered in dust, his armor torn and bloodstained, clutching the late emperor's orphan. Shocked and worried, Liu Bei stepped forward, "Zilong, is...is the child alright?" Zhao Yun knelt on one knee and carefully handed the orphan to Liu Bei, his voice slightly hoarse, "My lord, I've fulfilled my mission, but the child has been poisoned and is in critical condition!"

Liu Bei carefully took the child. Seeing the child's once rosy face now as pale as paper and his breath so weak it was almost inaudible, his eyes welled with heartache. He hurriedly called for a military doctor and tightly grasped Zhao Yun's hand, his eyes filled with concern and anxiety. "Zilong, you've worked so hard. What happened? Why was the child poisoned? And why did you rush here in such a state of distress?"

Zhao Yun slowly stood up with a serious expression and recounted to Liu Bei everything that had happened in Xiangyang City, from the initial discovery of the late emperor's orphan's mental depression, to the discovery of clues, to the determination that the child had been poisoned by a chronic drug, and how he and Wang Yue dealt with it afterwards, to the discovery that it was a maid who poisoned him, until Liu Biao led a large army to encircle him and they were forced to break out. He recounted it in detail to Liu Bei.

Zhang Fei, who was standing by, flew into a rage after hearing this. His eyes widened and he glared at him, shouting, "Old Liu Biao, how dare you be so despicable! My brothers and I fought desperately outside to support the Han Dynasty, but he did this to kill this kid behind his back. This is simply outrageous! Big brother, we can't just let it go like this. He must pay the price!" As he said that, he stabbed the Zhangba Snake Spear in his hand hard into the ground, splashing a cloud of dust.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard with his hand, frowning.

Liu Bei nodded gently, a flicker of determination and anger in his eyes. "Liu Biao and I have always treated each other with courtesy and sincerity, yet he has done such a cruel and insane thing. How despicable! Zilong, where is brother Wang Yue now?"

Zhao Yun's face showed worry as he replied, "Brother Wang Yue risked his life to help me break through the siege. He was seriously injured and his whereabouts are unknown. I rushed all the way here, so anxious that I really had no time to care."

Liu Bei sighed deeply, "Wang Yue is a loyal and righteous man. This time, for the sake of our child, his life or death is uncertain. I am deeply troubled."

Zhang Fei paced back and forth in anger, shouting, "Brother, don't hesitate any longer! We will march back to Xiangyang immediately and tear that old villain Liu Biao into pieces to avenge our children and Brother Wang Yue!"

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Don't worry, Third Brother. The child's life is at stake, and the military doctor is still treating him. The outcome is uncertain. Furthermore, our army has just fought Lü Bu, and our men and horses are exhausted. If we rashly attack Xiangyang now, we'll likely play into Liu Biao's hands."

Guan Yu nodded slightly and said, "Brother, you are absolutely right. We must first stabilize the morale of the troops and wait until the child's condition becomes clear before making any plans. However, Liu Biao's actions have put us at odds with him. He will definitely pay a heavy price in the future."

Just as everyone was discussing countermeasures, the military doctor hurried in with a panicked look on his face, his voice filled with helplessness and anxiety: "My lord, this poison is too strange, we are completely powerless. The famous doctors in Xiangyang City have been unable to cure it before, and it is impossible to rely on us, the doctors accompanying the army, to cure it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes suddenly swelled with blood, and a surge of rage shot through his forehead. He stared at the child, whose life hung by a thread, his teeth chattering as he uttered a few words: "I, Liu Bei, will not be a man if I don't avenge this! Second and third brothers, mobilize the troops immediately. Let's return to Yingchuan and prepare to attack Nanyang County to settle the score with that old scoundrel Liu Biao!"

Pang Tong, standing by, hurried forward to stop them, his expression grave, "My lord, please don't worry. Now that General Zhao has arrived from Xiangyang, General Wen Pin must be on the opposite side of us and an enemy. I'm sure General Wen Pin will get the news soon, so we'd better be on guard."

When Zhang Fei heard this, he glared, waved his fist, and said menacingly: "Brother, why don't we strike first!" As he spoke, he made a fierce gesture, as if he was about to rush out.

Guan Yu looked unhappy, and after hesitating for a moment, he slowly said: "General Wen Pin and I have been getting along well with each other throughout our campaigns. If that's the case..." At this point, he hesitated and did not finish his words.

Liu Bei looked at Zhang Fei with a determined gaze, saying, "Third brother, don't talk nonsense. General Wen Pin is a loyal and righteous man. This time, it was old Liu Biao who framed us. We will go and attack Liu Biao. You just keep a close watch. If General Wen Pin doesn't make any moves, we won't take the initiative. Don't tarnish our army's reputation and make the world laugh at you."

Although Zhang Fei was reluctant, seeing that Liu Bei had made up his mind, he could only hum and say nothing. Guan Yu nodded slightly, agreeing with Liu Bei's decision.

Liu Bei turned to look at the child, his eyes filled with heartache and determination. He whispered, "Don't worry, child. I will definitely avenge you." Then, he shouted an order, "All troops, listen up! Immediately reorganize your armaments and strengthen your vigilance. At the same time, send spies to closely monitor the movements of Nanyang County and General Wen Pin. There must be no mistakes!"

Liu Bei's army was preparing its weapons, so how could Wen Pin not notice such a big commotion? Soon, Wen Pin sent a trusted general to Liu Bei's camp at full speed to inquire about the situation.

The general entered Liu Bei's tent, clasped his fists in salute, and said with a respectful yet cautious expression, "Uncle Liu, my general Wen Pin has heard that your army has made some unusual movements recently, and has sent me here to inquire about what's going on here, Uncle Liu."

Liu Bei's heart tightened, but he remained composed, feigning composure as he said, "Recently, our army has detected a small group of bandits lurking nearby. To prevent them from harassing the civilians, we have reorganized our military and stepped up our defenses. I'm sorry to trouble you, General Wen."

After hearing this, the general frowned slightly, as if he had some doubts, but he could not ask any more questions. He could only clasp his fists again and said, "In this case, I will go back and report the truth to my general. I hope that the emperor's uncle will be careful." After that, he said goodbye and left.

Liu Bei watched his general walk away and breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Fei, standing beside him, muttered, "Brother, why are we hiding this from him? Why not just tell him straight out? Damn it!"

Liu Bei glared at Zhang Fei and said, "Third brother, this matter is not that simple. Wen Pin is loyal and righteous, but he is only being manipulated by Liu Biao. It would be best if we could avoid engaging him in battle."

Meanwhile, Wen Pin, upon hearing his general's report, felt a lingering sense of a suspicious situation. However, upon hearing Liu Bei's explanation, he dismissed it for a moment, thinking that perhaps, as Liu Bei had said, it was merely a precaution against bandits. He instructed his men to heighten their vigilance, dismissing the matter as a matter of course, and continued to attend to military affairs.