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

There's only one family in Jiangdong with the surname Zhuge, and it's obvious who it is.

Guan Yu sneered, "How dare a mere Zhuge Ke be so presumptuous in front of me? Come, come with me to meet him."

After saying this, he spurred his horse and led two thousand men to attack Zhuge Ke.

On the other side, Zhuge Ke led his army very slowly, showing no urgency to rescue the people.

It wasn't that he wasn't anxious, but rather that he dared not be. He was leading a private army of aristocratic families, which was at a disadvantage in terms of both manpower and equipment. Moreover, he was facing a formidable opponent like Guan Yu. If he recklessly charged forward, Guan Yu would probably take his head by himself without the Han army even lifting a finger.

Despite walking slowly, Zhuge Ke still felt uneasy, constantly looking ahead and asking, "Why haven't the scouts returned yet? Have they been dealt with by Guan Yu?"

People can't stand being nagged. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a scout rode up on horseback and rushed to greet them, bowing and saying, "My lords, we have spotted Guan Yu's grain transport team ahead. Guan Yu himself is leading the team to guard it."

Zhuge Ke's expression changed slightly, and he quickly asked, "Are you sure it's Guan Yu leading the team personally?"

The scout replied, "I am absolutely certain. Red-faced, with a beautiful beard, riding the Red Hare, and wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, I cannot mistake him."

Guan Yu's physical characteristics are so distinctive that anyone who has heard of him can recognize him instantly, without even needing to look at a portrait.

Zhuge Ke turned his head and sighed, "Shu Wang (Zhou Xun's courtesy name) is being escorted by Guan Yu himself. I'm afraid we have no chance. Why don't we retreat to other manors, defend them to the death, and prevent Guan Yu from burning our grain?"

Retreat is shameful, but it's better than death, isn't it? Zhuge Ke may not have many other skills, but he certainly cherishes his own life.

Before Zhou Xun could reply, the scout spoke up first: "Young Master Zhuge, if you want to retreat, you'd better hurry, because Guan Yu is attacking this way."

"Damn it..." Zhuge Ke's face changed drastically, and he said angrily, "Can you finish what you said at once? Everyone turn around and retreat to the southeast."

Although Zhou Xun did not express his opinion, he was the first to turn his horse around and rush out at a faster speed than Zhuge Ke.

Zhuge Ke was speechless. He quickly spurred his horse and chased after them, while cursing in his heart, "Damn Zhou Xun, you're really righteous."

Zhuge Ke and Zhou Xun arrived leisurely, but left full of energy, and by the time Guan Yu arrived, they had long since disappeared.

Guan Yu placed his right foot on the horse's back and his left foot on its head, holding the reins as he stood on the horse's back. He stared at Zhuge Ke's disappearing figure and said speechlessly, "That kid from the Zhuge family runs pretty fast. Go back and continue protecting the grain convoy. Also, send someone to inform Lei Chuan of Zhuge Ke's existence and tell him to be careful."

Zhuge Ke and Zhou Xun ran for more than ten miles before stopping. Looking back, they said, "Guan Yu shouldn't be chasing us anymore. His current goal is to transport grain, not us."

Zhou Xun said, "The Zhu family manor is in the north, and Guan Yu is in the south. This means that the grain transport team that intercepts the Zhu family manor will also have to pass through Guan Yu's hurdle. There is no point in saving the Zhu and Zhang families' manors. Let's defend the other manors instead."

Zhuge Ke nodded and said, "Agreed. As long as the other manors are not burned down, we will have completed our mission. The rest is up to the Grand Commander. Let's go."

Since Guan Yu personally protected the grain transport team, he had to send someone else to attack other manors.

If they dare not confront Guan Yu directly, wouldn't they dare to deal with the other underlings?

It should be noted that Guan Yu was in the same predicament as the Jiangdong gentry, with no great generals under his command and facing the predicament of having no one to rely on.

After discussing it for a while, the two avoided Guan Yu and hurried to other manors. Before they even reached their destination, they saw a raging fire burning ahead.

"Damn it, the strategist was right. Guan Yu really did set fire to the grain."

Zhuge Ke dared not delay and quickly charged toward the burning area.

The fire ahead was set by Lei Chuan. After setting it off, he immediately rushed to the next house, but unexpectedly ran into Zhuge Ke on the way.

What else is there to say? Let's fight!

After a fierce battle, both sides suffered losses and had no choice but to retreat.

After getting rid of Zhuge Ke, Lei Chuan wanted to continue carrying out the mission of setting fire to the grain, but Zhuge Ke was like a leech, always sticking to him for about ten miles. Moreover, Zhuge Ke was far more familiar with the terrain than he was, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of him.

Fearing that Zhuge Ke might suddenly appear and cut off his retreat while attacking the manor, Lei Chuan weighed the pros and cons and decisively returned to Jianye.

Zhuge Ke did not pursue him, but continued to keep him at a distance until he entered Jianye City before turning and leaving.

Lei Chuan immediately went to report to Guan Yu upon entering the city. Upon seeing Guan Yu, he clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "General, I am incompetent and have failed to complete the task you assigned me."

Guan Yu laughed and said, "It doesn't matter. Anyway, we made a profit. Wang Sima has already tallied up the results. This time, we seized 360,000 shi of grain, 180,000 arrows, tens of thousands of swords, bows and crossbows, and thousands of suits of armor from the two manors. This much grain is enough to feed the entire city for one or two months."

This grain, combined with the official grain stored in the government granaries, amounted to a sum that would make Guan Yu laugh in his dreams.

Although his troops are not elite, his food supplies are plentiful, and the confidence that comes with the food makes him fearless.

Lei Chuan exclaimed in shock, "So many?"

Seeing Guan Yu nod, he couldn't help but sigh sourly, "Robbing the gentry is still the fastest way to make money. Unlike before in the Dabie Mountains, when we didn't make any business for three months, and when we did, we could eat for three days straight."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and laughed, "Go and rest. From now on, we'll defend this city to the death. I'd rather die than leave Jianye City."

Let the winds and waves rage, I will remain steadfast and unmoved.

Guan Yu made up his mind not to attack again, but to defend Jianye City and wear down Lü Meng.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a messenger rushed in anxiously and said, "General, something terrible has happened! General Xin Fei has run into Lü Meng on his way to Jianye across the Yangtze River. He requests reinforcements."

"What the hell?" Guan Yu asked anxiously, "What's wrong with Xin Fei? How did he manage to run into Lü Meng's arms? Lei Chuan, immediately gather troops and come with me out of the city to rescue him."

The day after capturing Jianye, he ordered Xin Fei to return to the Dabie Mountains and bring all the local bandits and heroes to be incorporated into the Han army.

I originally thought that Dabie Mountain was closer than Jiangling, and that Xin Fei would definitely be able to return before the Wu army arrived. Now it seems that my attack on Jianye has pushed Lü Meng to the brink. Lü Meng returned without even bringing any supplies. Xin Fei is different. With his family in tow, he certainly can't move fast. It's understandable that he was blocked by Lü Meng.

Guan Yu was still counting on the bandits under Xin Fei's command to increase his strength, so he dared not stand idly by and watch them die. He immediately led 20,000 troops out of the city and rushed towards Xin Fei's location.

Two days later, they successfully arrived in Wanling, the capital of Danyang County, and found Xin Fei's trail on a treacherous mountain.

At this moment, Xin Fei was leading his bandit army to defend the mountain to the death, while Lü Meng led 30,000 Wu troops to surround the hill.

When Guan Yu saw Lü Meng, he was filled with intense hatred, and without thinking, he personally led his troops to attack.

At the same time, seeing that reinforcements had arrived, Xin Fei decisively led his elite troops down the mountain. With the two sides working together from the inside and outside, they quickly tore a gap in Lü Meng's defenses and successfully joined forces.

Guan Yu did not linger in battle, leading his army in a retreating advance, neither engaging Lü Meng in close combat nor giving Lü Meng the opportunity to encircle him.

Lu Meng only brought 30,000 troops, which was not advantageous in terms of manpower. He was unable to stop Guan Yu and could only watch helplessly as Guan Yu retreated back to Jianye City.

Upon returning to the city, Guan Yu sealed all the city gates, determined to defend it to the death.

Lu Meng also feared Guan Yu and dared not act rashly. Instead, he summoned Zhang Zhao, Sun Shao and others to discuss countermeasures.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Zhaosun, Shao and others were overjoyed and wept bitterly. After hiding for so many days, they had finally waited for their beloved Grand Commander.