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

At this moment, Wang Tao was absolutely expressing his true feelings; there was not a single falsehood in his words.

It was Guan Xing who cleared away the gloom in his heart and made him realize that it was possible to resist injustice. This was an absolute blessing for him, and no amount of repayment was too much.

The five men who were beaten, however, had a different feeling. Their eyes were filled with hatred, but even more so with fear, as they looked at Guan Xing.

Even the way they looked at Wang Tao was filled with fear. These kinds of people only dared to bully those who dared not fight back; they would cower at the slightest resistance from others.

Guan Xing helped Wang Tao up, patted him on the shoulder to comfort him, and then looked at the five people and said, "Those who kill will be killed in return. You like to bully the weak, but you don't realize that in the eyes of the stronger, you are also weak. More importantly, what makes you think that the weak people you have bullied will not become strong people who can bully you at will in the future?"

"Take Wang Tao for example. Even if he had killed you all just now, I wouldn't have blamed him. Do you understand what I mean?"

The five of them said in unison, "We were wrong, we will never do it again, we apologize to Brother Tao, we really won't do it again."

Guan Xing said, "Someone, take them down and send them to their rooms to rest. Then find Doctor Cheng to treat their injuries, so they don't get infected or suffer any long-term effects."

What? The general actually found a doctor to treat our injuries? Did we hear that right?

While the five were stunned, a hint of gratitude appeared in their eyes as they looked at Guan Xing.

That’s right, just gratitude.

They suddenly realized that General Guan was actually quite nice.

The five men were quickly carried away. Guan Xing looked at the other surrendered soldiers and asked, "Anyone else who has suffered bullying from their comrades, or has any other grievances, step forward and I will stand up for you."

Upon hearing this, the surrendered soldiers' expressions changed drastically; some were overjoyed, some were terrified, and some quickly raised their hands to plead, "General, I have been wronged..."

The Han army was not like the soldiers of later generations. Although bullying in the army was not as serious as in South Korea, it still occurred from time to time.

Which of those who were bullied didn't harbor resentment? They were powerless before, but now that Guan Xing is standing up for them and there's Wang Tao's successful case, they naturally won't swallow their anger anymore and are all standing up to report it.

Seeing this, Guan Xing simply turned the drill ground into a public court and began to publicly try cases of bullying in the army. He gave each bully with conclusive evidence thirty lashes, which were then carried out by the victims.

As for those cases where both sides are at fault, they should each be punished equally and the matter should be resolved peacefully.

Seeing that he could not resist, the bully resigned himself to his fate. However, before the execution, he made a special request: that the victim be beaten with his eyes open, not blindfolded, because it was too creepy.

The victim, however, showed no mercy, striking with tremendous force, breaking several leather whips in just half a day.

Then Dr. Cheng Li had a problem: the number of injured people was increasing exponentially, and he couldn't treat them all.

That damn Guan Xing, he's deliberately trying to break this old man's bones.

The executions lasted until the hour of Chou (1-3 AM) in the afternoon. Even the garrison commanders and officers in the army were beaten. The principle was to treat everyone equally, regardless of rank.

After the incident, the surrendered soldiers spontaneously split into several groups, one of which, like Wang Tao, completely sided with Guan Xing.

One group remained neutral, neither liking nor disliking Guan Xing, and as time went on, their feelings towards Guan Xing gradually shifted.

The last group consisted of the bullies who were beaten. This group was also divided into two groups: one group hated Guan Xing to the bone, while the other group not only did not hate him but was also grateful. After all, Guan Xing had a legitimate reason for beating them up, unlike how they bullied the victims, regardless of the location or reason, only based on their mood.

Guan Xing did not discriminate based on this, but treated them all equally. He not only had Doctor Cheng treat their injuries, but also personally cooked nutritious meals for them. He then patiently inquired about their reasons for bullying others, trying to resolve their inner conflicts.

Those who are born bad are a minority; most people have compassion and know how to reason.

After a series of actions, most of the bullies lost their hostility towards Guan Xing, and as for the remaining die-hards, they were too few in number to cause any trouble.

Guan Xing continued to hold grievance meetings, eating and sleeping with the surrendered soldiers. This method was very effective, and it was estimated that in a few days, these people would no longer listen to Zhou Xun and Zhuge Ke's commands.

……

Fifty li outside Shexian County.

Zhang Cheng exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the arriving soldiers and the magistrate of Shexian County, "What? The Han army didn't come to Shexian? Then who have I been chasing for so long?"

After crossing the valley, he clung tightly to the Han army, determined to catch up with them and annihilate them on the spot, so that the tragedy of Da Mo would not be repeated in Shexian.

So you're telling me the Han army didn't come? Then who was I chasing, thin air?

You Yong said bitterly, "The force that led us to Shexian was not the main force of the Han army led by Guan Xing, but a detachment. Last night, they arrived in Shexian and made a token feint attack. At dawn, they turned east. A hunter on the road saw them and said that the Han army only numbered four or five hundred."

"I didn't quite believe it, so I asked Magistrate Zhao to send people to find hunters or farmers along the way to confirm. They all said that the Han army only had four or five hundred men."

Guan Xing led a Han army of two or three thousand men, but only four or five hundred have arrived. Where are the others?

"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap."

A chill ran through Zhang Cheng's feet like never before, and he nearly fainted. He managed to stand by leaning on You Yong's shoulder, and then shouted impatiently, "Scouts, immediately return the way you came and see where Zhuge Ke is. Remind him to be careful."

Although Zhang Cheng was unwilling to admit it, he knew that Zhuge Ke was probably in grave danger.

If the Han army didn't come to Shexian, they must still be lurking near the Gu River. Do I even need to say who they're targeting?

You Yong also realized the seriousness of the situation and said in alarm, "General Zhuge also thinks that the Han army has come to Shexian, and with you at the front holding off the enemy, he probably won't be too prepared. What if we encounter a sudden attack from the Han army..."

"And Da Mo, the Han army will definitely return to Da Mo after attacking General Zhuge. General, we must hurry back to rescue it."

Zhang Cheng felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this. He turned to look at the exhausted army and said with a bitter smile, "It's more than two hundred li from Wushang to Damo, and three or four hundred li from Damo to Shexian. After so many days, the soldiers are exhausted. How can they have the strength to fight their way back to Damo?"

"Moreover, the provisions are still in Zhuge Ke's hands, and the soldiers only brought a few days' worth of dry rations, which are now used up."

Mentioning this made Zhang Cheng even more miserable. He had fought half his life and always considered himself a renowned general of his time, no less than the Twelve Tiger Generals. In the end, he was tricked by Guan Xing, a greenhorn, into running hundreds of miles on a pointless journey. What a disgrace!

You Yong said urgently, "But we can't not go back. Da Mo has already been robbed by Guan Xing. Even if he takes it back, he won't stay long. If we attack Wu Shang again, General Zhou Xun will be caught off guard..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng's eyes widened in shock. He exclaimed, "Damn it, how could I forget about Zhou Xun? Everyone, go back immediately..."

He froze before he could finish speaking. The Wu army was already exhausted, and if they returned the way they came, they would probably fall apart before the Han army could even attack them.

We can't run anymore; the army needs to rest.

Besides, we've run out of food supplies. What's the point of fighting if we have no food?

Zhang Cheng said weakly, "Magistrate Zhao, please help me gather provisions immediately. I will rest for two days and then set off."

"Magistrate You, immediately send someone back to Wushang to remind Zhou Xun to strengthen defenses and not give the Han army any opportunity to take advantage."

The two county magistrates bowed simultaneously and said, "Yes..."

Zhang Cheng turned around, looked in the direction of Wushang and muttered to himself, "Zhou Xun, you must hold on and wait until I come back."