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

The importance of the escape route is self-evident. Guan Xing was eager to know what was inside the route, so he jumped down without even taking off his armor.

As a result, the opening was too narrow and the armor was too bulky, so it unfortunately got stuck.

The hole was too tight, and Guan Xing tried several times but couldn't break free. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn Yan Zhen, you made the entrance so narrow. Aren't you afraid that I'll get stuck in the middle at the crucial moment and won't be able to get up or down? What are you looking at, Lao Meng? Pull me out!"

"Oh, oh, oh..." Meng Jun belatedly reached out and pulled Guan Xing out forcefully like pulling up a radish.

Guan Xing quickly took off his armor and jumped down again. This time he didn't get stuck and went in smoothly.

Once inside, we discovered that the cave entrance was a full five meters deep, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom like a chimney, with a width of over three meters at the bottom, enough for four or five people to stand comfortably. Directly in front of the entrance was another huge karst cave, so dark that the end was nowhere in sight.

If a construction team from later generations were to discover this natural cave, it's estimated that no amount of concrete could fill it.

While Guan Xing was sighing, Meng Jun also jumped down, and the two joined the three soldiers to enter the cave and begin their exploration.

They followed the soldiers along the cave for nearly 45 minutes before reaching the exit. To their dismay, the exit was a narrow hole, barely a foot wide. As they crawled out and looked up, they found themselves in a dense pine forest.

After surveying the pine forest and taking in the surrounding terrain, Guan Xing exclaimed with delight, "I thought the exit would be hanging halfway up the mountain like a makeshift cave, but it turns out it's at the bottom of the mountain! This is wonderful!"

"Let's go back the way we came and see how far we are from here to the narrow path that led us up the mountain."

The detour was naturally longer than the way they came, and it took them nearly two hours to reach the place where they had previously ambushed Yan Qing.

Instead of being annoyed, Guan Xing laughed excitedly, "Great! This means that if we escape through the passage, it will take Wu's army at least an hour to circle around to the exit and intercept us. In that long, I'll have already run far away."

"Old Meng, you go up the mountain immediately, leave a garrison of soldiers to defend the stronghold, and take the others to escort the group of girls, blacksmith Feng, and doctor Cheng back to the county town. Report the situation here to Old Xie."

"Remember, keep a close eye on Blacksmith Feng and Doctor Cheng. Don't interfere with their lives, but don't let them out of your sight either. These two are very important to us."

Meng Jun nodded emphatically and said, "Understood. And what about you?"

Guan Xing said, "I'll survey the surrounding terrain again to see if I can use this place to teach Wu Jun a lesson. After that, I'll go back myself. You don't need to worry about it."

“Look…” Meng Jun turned and went up the mountain.

Guan Xing led three soldiers on their way, crawling on the ground and kneeling for a full three hours, memorizing all the terrain undulations and river flow within a ten-mile radius before returning to the county town to convene a meeting of the generals.

Inside the county government hall, the generals gathered again. This time, there was one more person in the group: Qian Yun, the wealthy man whose family had been ruined and destroyed by Zhu Hong.

Guan Xing first asked Meng Jun to describe the situation in the cave, and then said, "In addition to the situation in the cave, I also found Yan Zhen's and other leaders' private treasuries, and made a great haul."

He wandered around the mountains for so long, exploring the terrain and casually searching for these treasure locations. I must say, the feeling of treasure hunting was quite exciting.

Upon hearing this, all the generals burst into laughter. After all, making money is always a happy thing.

Guan Xing continued, "Now I'll assign the tasks for the near future. Xie Chong and Qian Yun, the three of us will be responsible for distributing the land. We need to distribute the land to those who need it as soon as possible. Meng Jun, you lead a battalion back to the mountain stronghold to defend it. Don't let anyone take it away. If Wu's army attacks, we need to retreat back to the stronghold to defend it."

"In addition, we captured over a thousand bandits in the battle against Yan Zhen. Besides filling the vacancies in each battalion, we can also form another battalion. Ji Jie will temporarily serve as the battalion commander of the newly formed fourth battalion."

"Temporary" means acting battalion commander. If you want to get rid of that annoying "temporary," you have to work hard.

Despite the awkwardness of the word "代" (dai, meaning "substitute"), Ji Jie still bowed excitedly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Captain. I will never let you down."

Guan Xing continued, "Gan Xun will stay in the county town, and Shen Yi will lead men to scout towards Damo, find a place to transport and hide the grain and supplies in the city, and after shaking off the Wu army, we will definitely move towards Damo."

"Remember to look for multiple locations, don't put all your eggs in one basket, lest Wu Jun wipe them all out."

Shen Yi bowed and said, "Yes..."

Guan Xing nodded and said, "That's all for now. Go and prepare."

After the meeting ended and everyone left, Guan Xing did not rest. Instead, he dragged his blistered feet to visit Cheng Li's home.

Cheng Li had already returned to the county town to reunite with his family. Upon learning of Guan Xing's visit, he hurriedly went out to greet him, saying, "General, what brings you here so late?"

"We didn't have anything to eat, so we came over for a meal." Guan Xing smiled and followed Cheng Li into the house. After exchanging a few pleasantries and learning about their family situation, he asked curiously, "Dr. Cheng, how did you come to know Dr. Zhang and become such close friends?"

Cheng Li was just a small pharmacy owner in Wushang County who needed Yan Zhen's help to even build a brick house, while Zhang Zhongjing was the prefect of Changsha Prefecture. The two were not in the same city or in the same social class, so how did they become such good friends?

You should know that the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases was Zhang Zhongjing's life's work, and he wouldn't have given it to anyone but a close friend.

Guan Xing was genuinely curious about this.

Cheng Li laughed and said, "We are colleagues. Moreover, I am sixty-three years old this year. Looking at the whole Jiangnan region, there are not many doctors of this age. Even if we don't know each other, we have heard of each other. After all, we doctors often have to go out to treat people. I met Doctor Zhang when I was making house calls in Yuzhang County."

"I see." Guan Xing said, "Dr. Cheng, the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases is not only the life's work of Dr. Zhang, but also a medical treasure of the Han Dynasty. It is too dangerous to leave only one copy. If something happens and it is lost or damaged, it will be a loss for the entire Han Dynasty and even the entire China. The reason why Dr. Zhang entrusted this book to you is probably because he was afraid that the original copy would be lost and his life's work would be in vain."

"Therefore, Dr. Cheng, I suggest you make another copy and give it to me for safekeeping. What do you think?"

"Uh..." Cheng Li rolled his eyes at him. You're trying to get something for free, aren't you?

Guan Xing understood his look, touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly, "Elder Cheng, you misunderstood me. I was just afraid that the treasure would be lost."

"Furthermore, after defeating Wu's army and recovering Jing and Yang, I plan to build medical clinics in various counties so that most people can afford medical treatment. You will have to do a lot of work in this regard."

A look of shock flashed in Cheng Li's eyes. He hadn't expected Guan Xing's goal to be so ambitious. If it were to be accomplished, it would be a great achievement for generations to come.

If I could participate in such a massive project, I might even make a name for myself in history, but...

Cheng Liren, a seasoned and shrewd man, though tempted, did not show it. Instead, stroking his beard, he reluctantly declined, saying, "General, your ambitions are truly admirable, but I am already over sixty, half-buried in the ground, and I fear I cannot help you. Alas, if only I were twenty years younger..."

Now it was Guan Xing's turn to roll his eyes. You old geezer, your legs are more agile than mine, what are you pretending to be paralyzed for?

Guan Xing continued, "Old Cheng, what are you saying? Sixty is the golden age for doing great things. Look at Cao Mengde, look at the King of Hanzhong, weren't they all over sixty? Old Cheng, an old horse in the stable still has the ambition to gallop a thousand miles."

Cheng Li: "..."

That damned Guan Xing, how dare he compare me to those two beasts! What have I done to deserve this?

Seeing that the old fox remained unmoved, Guan Xing pondered for a moment and gritted his teeth, saying, "How about this, you copy a copy of the Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases for me, and come with me to serve in the army. When we meet the King of Hanzhong, I will guarantee your grandson a place as a candidate for the civil service examination. What do you say?"

Cheng Li's dim old eyes suddenly lit up, and he grabbed Guan Xing's hand excitedly, saying, "General, building medical clinics and promoting medicine is a great event for the entire Han Dynasty and a blessing for all the people. Although I am old, I would like to do my part for the people. I hope you will not find it offensive."

They recommend candidates for official positions based on their filial piety and integrity.

The quota for filial piety and incorruptibility in Jiangdong had long been divided up by the aristocratic families. Even if he knelt on his knees until they were worn out, he would never be able to find a recommender. If Guan Xing could really help his family get a quota for filial piety and incorruptibility, he would be willing to die right now.

Guan Xing grasped Cheng Li's hand in return, and said with tears of gratitude, "Old Cheng is truly a doctor with a benevolent heart. Your spirit of selfless dedication is something that I, as a junior, should learn from for a lifetime."

Acting? Anyone can do that.

Cheng Li: "..."

Am I really that great? How come I didn't know?