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

As a local strongman, Xin Fei knew the situation of the bandits in the mountains like the back of his hand. Without thinking, he replied, "There are currently thirty-six strongholds in the mountains. The largest stronghold has more than a thousand people, and the smallest has less than a hundred. I dare not say how many there are in total, but there are definitely more than twenty thousand people."

Banditry is a long-standing profession that has never ceased for thousands of years. Even during prosperous times like the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, there were still people who went into the mountains to become bandits, let alone in the current chaotic world.

In addition, this place is located on the border between the states of Wei and Wu, and it occupies a strategic geographical position with special conditions suitable for bandits to survive. It is not surprising that tens of thousands of bandits were hidden here.

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Then I'll trouble General Xin to contact other mountain strongholds and gather as many people as possible. But it must be kept secret and cannot be leaked. And we need to be quick, as we have limited time."

The moment Xin Fei was addressed as General Xin, his bones softened, and he excitedly replied, "This humble servant will go immediately. With your name on my side, I believe it will be no problem to gather five or six thousand men within three days."

Xin Fei was a decisive man. He immediately got up and left, bringing the three bandit leaders he was on good terms with to Guan Yu before nightfall.

The three are Xu Zui, the leader of Black Wind Village; Lei Chuan, the leader of Yellow Dragon Village; and Luo Shen, the leader of Green Creek Village.

After exchanging introductions and pleasantries, Luo Shen, the over-forty-year-old chieftain of Qingxi Village, patted his chest and said, "General Guan, you may not know this, but I am from Lujiang. In the fifth year of Jian'an, Sun Quan massacred Lujiang City, and my parents and my five-year-old son all perished under the Wu army's swords. I have a blood feud with that green-eyed thief, so please give your orders, General. I will not hesitate to go through fire and water."

In chaotic times, human life is cheaper than grass, and it is common for warlords to massacre cities. Cao Cao massacred cities as easily as drinking water, and Sun Quan also massacred cities several times. As a victim of a massacre, Luo Shen naturally hated Sun Quan to the bone.

Xu Zui and Lei Chuan quickly bowed and said, "Me too."

Although they had no enmity with Sun Quan, since they chose to join Guan Yu's team, they naturally had to show their loyalty.

Guan Yu said with satisfaction, "That's great. I assure you that after the successful surprise attack on Jianye, I will report your achievements to the King of Hanzhong and reward you accordingly. Now tell me, how many elite troops can you gather in three days?"

Luo Shen spoke first: "I can gather seven hundred men, all under forty years old, strong men who have killed and seen blood, and whose hands and feet are intact."

Xu Zui bowed and said, "I have five hundred men."

Lei Chuan replied, "I have three hundred men."

Guan Yu's eyes lit up. The three chieftains could gather 1,500 able-bodied men, and Xin Fei's Qingfeng Village had 800 or 900 men. After some selection, gathering 500 elites would be no problem.

In this way, he would have two thousand elite troops, enough for a surprise attack on Jianye.

Guan Yu said excitedly, "Then bring Qingfeng Village immediately to assemble. Remember to bring plenty of provisions, as it is several days' journey from here to Jianye, and we will need them on the way."

"Yes!" The three men clasped their hands in a bow, turned and left, quickly returning to their mountain stronghold to gather troops and prepare to follow Guan Yu in achieving great deeds.

As soon as the three of them left, Xin Fei led several other chieftains into Guan Yu's room.

In the following days, with Xin Fei's introduction, bandits from various villages continued to gather at Qingfeng Village. In just two days, more than 10,000 people had gathered in the village.

In addition, each mountain stronghold also provided its own food supplies. The food supplies accumulated little by little and soon piled up into a mountain, roughly estimated to be no less than 30,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

Guan Xing, who was in charge of registration and reception, was stunned by the ever-increasing crowd and the rapidly growing grain mountain. He couldn't help but say to Sima Wangfu beside him, "These bandits are providing both manpower and grain. Aren't they a bit too enthusiastic? Is Old Guan's appeal really that terrifying?"

He finally understood why both the righteous and the underworld worshipped Guan Yu in later generations; the root of the problem lay here.

Wang Fu laughed excitedly, "General Guan's name is known throughout the world and his might shakes China. Who doesn't admire him?"

"Besides, even bandits have ambition. Opportunities to serve the court and shed their bandit status are rare. Who wouldn't be eager to seize such an opportunity?"

"By the way, from now on we're all comrades, so stop calling us bandits and robbers, or they'll get angry with you."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Don't worry, Commander Wang, I won't hurt my comrade's self-esteem for no reason."

"You've used the word 'self-esteem' well," Wang Fu laughed. "I'll go help General Guan reorganize the troops. I'll leave Governor Zhao's affairs to you. Good, good."

The former governor Zhao Lei was in charge of provisions, similar to the quartermaster of the army in later times. Now that he has gone to Jingnan with Guan Ping, the work he left behind needs to be done. There are few literate people in the army, so Guan Xing reluctantly took on the task.

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Don't worry, I can handle this little thing."

After seeing Wang Fu off, Guan Xing threw himself into his work. Looking at the ever-growing list of personnel and supplies, he couldn't help but marvel at his own genius.

If he hadn't held onto Guan Yu's horse reins so tightly that day, there wouldn't be such a grand spectacle today.

Not only him, but Guan Yu was also utterly astonished by the magnificent scene before him. After seeing off the mountain stronghold leader who had come to join him, he sat down at his desk and couldn't help but mutter to himself in astonishment.

"I never imagined that I, Guan, would have such a strong appeal. If I had known, I should have come earlier. If I had such a reserve army during the Battle of Xiangfan, I might have been able to take Fancheng and capture Cao Ren."

Thinking that the great achievement of capturing Cao Ren alive had slipped through his fingers, Guan Yu couldn't help but let out a regretful sigh.

Sigh, I don't have a clear understanding of my own abilities.

While feeling regretful, Guan Yu's face revealed an unprecedented excitement.

Now he has gathered tens of thousands of troops. With so many soldiers at his disposal, not to mention a surprise attack, even a full-scale assault on Jianye would not be a problem, since Jianye is currently too vulnerable.

Not only that, but after taking it, they can also hold it. As long as they can withstand the first wave of Wu's counterattack, Sun Quan will be finished.

Damn you green-eyed thief! You stole my Jiangling, so I'll attack your Jianye. This is called tit for tat.

The key to a surprise attack is speed. Guan Yu dared not delay. Seeing that almost all the men had arrived, he quickly began preparations and soon selected six thousand men from the bandits who had come to join him.

On the evening of the third day, Guan Yu led 6,000 bandits away from the mountain stronghold and headed towards the Yangtze River to launch a surprise attack.

This time, they again hid during the day and moved at night. Under the leadership of the local strongman Xin Fei, the army reached the riverbank in just two nights.

Xin Fei pointed to the rolling Yangtze River and said, "General Guan, there are no Wu troops patrolling this area. Usually, unscrupulous merchants on both sides of the river smuggle across from here. We can cross quietly without any problem."

Guan Yu nodded and said, "Find a place to hide, cut down trees and build a raft, and cross the river tomorrow night."

After a day of rest, it was soon night. Around midnight, Guan Yu led his army back to the riverbank and ordered them to divide into several groups and cross the river in formation.

Three hours later, the army appeared on the south bank. Xin Fei once again acted as a guide, leading the army to advance via a side path.

Guan Yu knew that he only had one chance, so he dared not slack off on the way and walked extremely carefully. Being careful meant being slow, and it took the army a full eight days to reach Zijin Mountain outside Jianye City.

After concealing his army, Guan Yu led Guan Xing, Wang Fuxin, Fei, and others to the mountaintop. Looking down at Jianye City below, he asked, "Jianye is right in front of us. Tell me, how do we take Jianye City quickly? Should we launch a night raid or a full-scale assault?"