Your Majesty, please spare Diao Chan; your yang energy is too strong.

“You…” Pei Yuanshao was furious.

"Brother, please calm down. I think Chief Zhou came here with sincerity. We must not hurt the harmony. If there is anything amiss, we can discuss it slowly."

Fortunately, at the crucial moment, Guo Chang quickly pulled Pei Yuanshao back.

"What's there to discuss? He brought his troops here with the intention of..."

"Brother." Seeing that Pei Yuanshao was speaking without thinking, Guo Chang quickly gave him a wink and whispered in Pei Yuanshao's ear, "Brother, the situation is currently more difficult than we are. The enemy's forces far outnumber ours, so it is really not advisable to confront them head-on. Moreover, Zhou Cang is standing in front of them right now, so the situation is very unfavorable for us. Let's talk about it later."

Pei Yuanshao's expression changed several times.

I was just in a fit of anger when I said those thoughtless things.

Now that I've calmed down, I'm suddenly terrified and my back is covered in cold sweat.

The enemy's forces are far more elite than ours.

If a bloody battle breaks out, I fear things will not end well today.

He wasn't a fool either.

They immediately took advantage of the situation and got off the donkey.

"I was too harsh with my words just now. Please don't take it to heart, Chief Zhou."

Zhou Heng remained silent, his face still bearing a smile, as he looked at Zhou Cang beside him.

"My lord, this matter cannot be rushed. Why don't we discuss it with my elder brothers tonight and then make a decision?"

Zhou Cang hesitated for a moment before speaking.

They're brothers after all, and he didn't want to make things look bad unless absolutely necessary.

“You are the host, and I am the guest. I will listen to what my brother says.” Zhou Heng nodded slightly.

Having just subdued Zhou Cang, Zhou Heng naturally couldn't afford to be disrespectful to him.

"Thank you, my lord."

Zhou Cang was deeply moved.

Such consideration for his own face truly befits the lord he has chosen.

Oh, benevolent Lord!

"In that case, why don't Chief Zhou and all the brothers rest at the stronghold first, and we can have a proper discussion tonight? What do you say?"

Guo Changshun said.

"Then I'll have to trouble Chief Guo."

"Alright, since that's the case, then brothers, listen to my command: prepare a banquet. I want to welcome Chief Zhou back and wash away the dust of his journey."

Soon, the banquet began.

On the surface, it seemed that the guests and hosts were having a good time, but in reality, undercurrents were swirling.

A secluded place.

Pei Yuanshao and Guo Chang secretly discussed: "Brother, do you really want to pledge allegiance to Zhou Heng?"

"Brother, what are you saying? Seeking refuge with others is nothing compared to the freedom and joy of us brothers, roaming the mountains and forests, eating meat and drinking wine to our hearts' content, living a carefree and unrestrained life!"

"What you just said, brother..."

"It's just a delaying tactic. Zhou Heng's army is strong and well-equipped. Our old, weak, and disabled soldiers in the stronghold are simply no match for them. If a conflict breaks out here, we'll probably be the ones who suffer the losses. And Zhou Cang..."

“That’s right, Zhou Cang is really despicable. He disregards our brotherhood of so many years and actually sides with an outsider.”

The two said bitterly.

The more they talked, the greater their resentment towards Zhou Cang became.

"We treated him like a brother, but we never expected this..."

Pei Yuanshao grew angrier as he spoke, and in one swift motion, he kicked the table over.

"Sigh, I never imagined that our years of friendship would be no match for Zhou Heng, whom I just met. If I had known it would end like this, I would never have let him go down to pick someone up."

Guo Chang also sighed, his face grim.

"Forget about him, brother. What do we do now? The other side is far stronger than us. Are we really going to compromise and submit to his command?"

"I don't think so."

"Oh, does Second Brother perhaps have some brilliant plan?"

"This man is skilled in the art of managing people. With just a few words, he tricked Zhou Cang into becoming his subordinate, and his troops are now strong and well-equipped. If we oppose him directly, he will definitely not give up easily. With his strength, we will surely die."

"good."

"In that case, why don't we wait until late at night and, with the help of our trusted confidants, secretly carry out this operation?"

Pei Yuanshao was greatly surprised: "You mean?"

A ruthless glint flashed in Guo Chang's eyes: "Exactly. Since he won't give us a way out, then he can't blame us."

Pei Yuanshao hesitated: "But the enemy has a strong and well-equipped army, almost everyone under their command is armored, and they even have a fierce general like Liao Hua, and Zhou Cang..."

Guo Chang: "Don't mention Zhou Cang. Since he doesn't treat us as brothers, he can't blame me."

Pei Yuanshao: "Not bad."

Guo Chang sneered: "As for the others, they all come from the Yellow Turban Army. We can have our trusted men take turns toasting them. Since they all come from the Yellow Turban Army, they will definitely have a lot to talk about. After taking turns pouring drinks for them... by then, the soldiers around Zhou Heng will all be drunk. Wouldn't it be easy for us to control him?"

Pei Yuanshao was overjoyed: "Brother, what a brilliant plan! I bet Zhou Heng thinks he has Zhou Cang in his hands and is so powerful that he can crush us. He will definitely not be careful. We will take this opportunity to strike. He will never expect that... At that time, we will not only solve this crisis, but we will also be able to obtain Zhou Heng's troops, provisions, armor, warhorses and other items, which will surely greatly increase our strength."

“But Zhou Cang is still our brother, and now he has recognized Zhou Heng as his master. If we kill his lord, I’m afraid Zhou Cang will not let it go.”

"Then kill him too." A ruthless glint flashed in Guo Chang's eyes.

"Kill him too?" Pei Yuanshao was shocked.

“That’s right. All our years of friendship can’t compare to his first meeting with Zhou Heng. This man is cold-hearted by nature, and keeping him around will only bring trouble sooner or later,” Guo Chang said coldly.

“Yes, he wronged us first, so we can’t blame ourselves.” Pei Yuanshao nodded in agreement.

"Alright, the banquet is about to begin. Zhou Heng is no ordinary man. Brother, you must not reveal any flaws. Otherwise, Zhou Heng will definitely see through you. I think it would be better to pretend to surrender first and lower his guard."

"Alright."

.............

Zhou Heng was naturally unaware of what was happening here.

At this moment, he was drinking with Zhou Cang.

"Rest assured, my lord, I will do my best to persuade my two brothers and will not let them resist stubbornly," Zhou Cang said earnestly.

"Mm." Zhou Heng nodded.

However, he didn't think so. If the other side wanted to surrender, they would have already done so.

There's no need to say anything more; we can talk about it tomorrow.

The reason for saying this is merely to buy time.

I'm sure they'll make a move tonight.

However, he didn't intend to say it aloud. After all, if he revealed his guess now, Zhou Cang wouldn't believe him, and it might even alert the enemy.