The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

What? Guan Yu raided our base again?

The people at the scene were struck dumb, stunned and frozen in place, not even hearing the screams of the young men carrying the coffin.

They never dreamed that Guan Yu would attack their stronghold again while they were away attending a funeral. That damned Guan Yu was so utterly unethical.

Zhu Rong, the elder of the Zhu clan, was the first to come to his senses and angrily cursed, "Guan Yu, you red-faced thief, you son of a bitch!"

Their Zhu family manor had more than 200,000 shi of grain and as many as 100,000 arrows. This was wealth accumulated over several generations, and now it had all been robbed.

Thinking of the empty manor, Zhu Rong felt as if his heart had been ripped out, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Zhang Wen was awakened by his cursing, but instead of cursing back, he rushed to Zhang Zhao's side, grabbed his sleeve, and asked urgently, "Strategist, we must stop him! We can't let Guan Yu run rampant like this. If he steals all the grain, what will the Grand Commander eat when he returns?"

Didn't the messenger say that Guan Yu had already looted the Zhu family manor and was heading towards their Zhang family manor?

The Zhang family manor also has a considerable amount of grain stored up. If Guan Yu were to plunder it, the family's years of hard work would be in vain.

The others shouted, "Strategist, think of something quick! What should we do?"

Although Guan Yu has not yet visited their manor, that's only for now. If they don't intervene, he will definitely rob theirs after he has robbed the Zhang family.

The situation was too critical, and no one knew what to do, so they all looked at Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao was equally anxious, pacing around in circles. He also had a manor outside the city, but that wasn't the point.

The key point is what Zhang Wen said: if Guan Yu seizes all the grain, what will Lü Meng eat when he returns?

We can't possibly transport grain from Jingzhou to support Jiangdong, could we? That would be turning against Jingzhou, which is the one that needs support right now.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhao immediately said, "Quickly send people to notify all the manors, instructing the guards to defend them at all costs and delay Guan Yu's attack on the manors as much as possible."

"At the same time, we must immediately deploy troops to stop Guan Yu and not allow him to continue his rampage outside the city."

Upon hearing this, everyone shuddered.

Should troops be sent to stop Guan Yu?

Do you want to listen to what you're saying? That's Guan Yu, the Guan Yu that even if the Wei and Wu armies sent out an all-star lineup, they still had to rely on Mi Fang's betrayal to take down. Now Jiangdong has no soldiers and no generals, what can they use to stop him?

Although these guys were all talk and no action, not one of them dared to lead troops to fight against Guan Yu.

Respectable people believe in using courtesy before resorting to force. Guan Yu had already shown them respect by politely driving them out of the city last time. If Guan Yu were to capture them alive again, they would likely face the executioner's blade.

Didn't you see that Gu Mu has already been hacked to death?

Zhang Zhao was furious at their cowardly behavior and said helplessly, "Transporting grain is hard work. Guan Yu has limited manpower and time, so he can't transport much. What I'm afraid of is that he might not transport the grain but burn it instead. If he burns down the manor, you'll have nowhere to cry."

Transporting grain might require tens of thousands of people, but burning grain only requires a single fire.

If Guan Yu really did what Zhang Zhao said—attack the manor, set it on fire, and run away—they would have no chance against him.

Zhang Wen said anxiously, "I agree to send troops to block them, but we can't get many troops in a short time. Even if we do get troops, who will lead them?"

This is the core issue: who among those present dared to lead troops to fight Guan Yu?

Zhang Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "If we can't deal with Guan Yu, can't we at least deal with the grain transport team? Zhuge Ke, Zhou Xun, you two immediately lead troops to intercept the grain transport team. Remember, just harass them. Run away as soon as you see Guan Yu. Don't engage Guan Yu in direct combat. You two can't beat him."

Zhuge Ke and Zhou Xun: "..."

You old codger, you know we can't beat each other?

But what makes you think we can escape just because we can't win? Guan Yu was riding Red Hare.

Despite their complaints, the two dared not disobey, and simultaneously clasped their hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Yes, sir..."

Watching their departing figures, the crowd not only didn't breathe a sigh of relief but became even more anxious. They didn't believe that Zhuge Ke and Zhou Xun could stop that beast Guan Yu and complete the mission of protecting the manor.

Suddenly, Sun Shao thought of something and asked, "Gentlemen, do you think Guan Yu might attack us after being harassed?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and some even trembled with fear.

As I said before, Guan Yu has already treated them with courtesy; if he captures them again, he probably won't be so lenient.

Zhang Wen, no longer concerned about his own estate, hurriedly advised, "Strategist, gentlemen, a wise man avoids dangerous situations. Let's take cover first."

The crowd shouted in unison, "What are you hiding for? Does that guy surnamed Guan dare to kill us all?"

They spoke passionately, but their actions betrayed their words; some left before finishing their sentences.

Although Zhang Zhao did not speak, he chose to follow the crowd and quietly left with them.

Soon the Gu family manor was deserted, with only Gu Mu's coffin lying forlornly at the entrance.

They ran away without even cleaning up the coffin. These bastards are inhuman; how could they treat their so-called hero like this?

They escaped, but Guan Yu had a blast.

Guan Yu led his troops and successfully stormed into Zhang's manor. Riding Red Hare and holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, he stood in the front yard and shouted, "Quickly harness the carts and load them up! Take away everything that can be transported, including grain and arrows!"

The estate contained not only food and weapons, but also cattle, horses, donkeys, and various vehicles, which served as his means of transportation.

The army quickly set out, and Lei Chuan, the chieftain of Huanglong Village who had been appointed as a lieutenant general, said: "General, there are too few vehicles and the transportation is too slow. If Zhang Zhao intercepts us on the road, we will be in a very passive position."

"Moreover, there are dozens of manors around Jianye. With so many manors combined, the grain reserves exceed one million shi, which cannot be transported out in a short period of time."

Guan Yu knew this was a fact, and frowned as he asked, "What's your opinion?"

Lei Chuan replied, "The scouts have reported that Lü Meng has entered Danyang and will arrive in three to five days. However, he is traveling light this time without any provisions. When he returns, he will definitely ask the major clans for provisions. The clans' provisions are all in their estates. If we cannot transport them, Lü Meng will take them."

"Therefore, I suggest we burn it down, so that Lü Meng won't use this grain against us. On the contrary, if we burn the grain, Lü Meng will have to transport grain from a more distant place, which will increase their burden."

Guan Yu frowned, caught in a dilemma. Burning the grain was indeed the fastest and easiest way, but it wouldn't do him any good reputation if word got out.

More importantly, burning the grain would also burn down the manor, which was built by the aristocratic family over several generations. He really couldn't bear to see it burned down.

Guan Yu understood his situation and knew that now was not the time to be indecisive or sentimental. He immediately said, "Burn! You take three thousand men to attack the other manors. Set them on fire and leave. Don't linger. I'll go protect the grain transport team. We can't worry about the other manors, but the supplies from the Zhu and Zhang manors must be transported back to the city."

He risked going out of the city, so he should have brought back something, right? If he can't even bring back a single grain of food, then he's come out for nothing.

“Yes…” Lei Chuan clasped his hands in a bow and turned to leave, but Guan Yu hurriedly stopped him and instructed him, “Remember you only have one day. Stop immediately and return to Jianye City before dark tomorrow. I don’t want you to get yourself into trouble for a few manors.”

Lei Chuan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This subordinate understands."

After seeing Lei Chuan off, Guan Yu immediately threw himself into his work. Under his direction, the Zhang family manor was quickly looted, and a long line of people carrying supplies formed on the way back to Jianye.

Guan Yu personally led his troops to patrol around the ranks to protect their safety. After traveling less than ten miles, a scout quickly arrived and reported: "General, there is a force of two or three thousand men from the south, carrying the banner of Zhuge Liang, heading towards us. They are less than twenty miles away."