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

Guan Ping had also returned from the three eastern commanderies. When he passed through Xiangyang with his 20,000 cavalry, he casually left them with his father-in-law, Zhao Yun, so he only brought 500 light cavalry with him.

Upon seeing Guan Ping appear, Liu Shan and Guan Xing exchanged a glance and quickly went to greet him.

Guan Ping ordered his personal guards to wait where they were, then pulled on the reins, jumped off his horse, grabbed an eight- or nine-year-old boy from the horse, and led the boy by the hand to hurry over and bow, saying, "Your subject Guan Ping greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Liu Shan quickly reached out to help him up and said with a smile, "Brother Tanzhi, it's been years since we last met, why are we still so distant? It's so good that you're back. My father has been talking about you a lot lately."

Guan Ping said with slight excitement, "Your Majesty, I also miss you."

After they finished exchanging pleasantries, Guan Xing clasped his hands in a fist and said with a smile, "Brother, it's been a year since we last met, and you seem even more imposing and resolute. Is the soil and water of the Northwest so nourishing?"

Unlike the Jiangnan region, the Northwest is arid and windy with large temperature differences between day and night. Spending time there will naturally cultivate a rugged and resolute temperament, giving people a sense of security and stability.

Guan Ping patted his shoulder and laughed excitedly, "I can't compare to you. I really admire the brilliant battles you fought in Jiangdong. Well done!"

That's true. After they parted ways at Maicheng, he was worried that Guan Yu and Guan Xing wouldn't be able to handle the complex situation in Jiangdong. But Guan Xing made great strides and fought brilliantly.

"It's all basic stuff, nothing to brag about!" Guan Xing chuckled, then reached out and pinched the little boy's cheek, saying with a smile, "Little Guan Yue, did you miss your second uncle?"

The little boy was none other than Guan Yue, the son of Guan Ping, who had been living among the common people during the Battle of Xiangfan. When Liu Bei stationed his troops in Yiling, he and his mother rushed to Yiling to meet Liu Bei, and then went to Longxi with Guan Ping.

Guan Yue broke free from his hand and bowed very politely, saying, "Guan Yue greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Second Uncle."

Liu Shan pulled him up and laughed, "Why are you being so polite among family? Don't follow your father's example."

Guan Xing chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Boys should be more carefree, not like your dad who always has a sullen face. Come on, let's go home and see your third uncle. He can already walk."

Unlike Liu Shan and Guan Xing, who were two lively characters, Guan Ping was calm and serious, making him intimidating and impossible to get along with. Guan Yue, having spent a lot of time with his father, seemed to have picked up this bad habit, and as his second uncle, he had to correct it.

Seeing his son being dragged away by Liu Chan and Guan Xing, Guan Ping showed some worry. He had long heard of the glorious deeds of Liu Chan and Guan Xing digging up their own ancestral graves together, and he was afraid that his son would not learn anything good by following these two rascals.

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the city and headed straight for the palace. When they arrived at the imperial study, they found Liu Bei discussing the allocation of grain supplies with Zhang Zhao.

This battle was of great importance, so he planned to take Zhuge Liang to the front lines to assist in military affairs. However, the rear also needed a chief steward to oversee the overall situation, and with Zhuge Liang gone, this responsibility would fall on Zhang Zhao's shoulders.

Their conversation was interrupted when Liu Shan, Guan Ping, and Guan Xing arrived.

After entering the hall, Liu Shan and Guan Xing tactfully stepped aside, while Guan Ping, with his son, quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject Guan Ping greets Your Majesty and pays respects to Chancellor Zhang!"

Zhang Zhao was appointed as the Grand Secretary, which was equivalent to a prime minister, so everyone called him Prime Minister Zhang.

Liu Bei grabbed Guan Ping's shoulder and looked him over carefully, saying, "Tanzhi, get up quickly and let your uncle take a good look at you. You are more composed than during the Northern Expedition, and you are becoming more and more like a great general. With you in the Han Dynasty, I can rest assured."

Guan Ping was the leader among the second generation of the Han Dynasty. Liu Bei was not only at ease but also reassured by his growth.

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he looked at Guan Yue and forcibly picked him up before Guan Yue could bow. He laughed and said, "You've grown taller in a year. Your great-grandfather can hardly carry you anymore."

Guan Yue grinned foolishly and said, "Grandpa, how come you're getting younger and younger? Your hair is all black."

Liu Bei has indeed seemed to have rejuvenated in recent years; his formerly white hair has now turned black.

Liu Bei laughed and said, "Of course I'm happy to see you. People are in high spirits when they have good news."

After chatting idly with his grand-nephew for a while, and seeing that Guan Ping and Zhang Zhao had finished their conversation, Liu Bei put Guan Yue down and let him play by himself. Then he grabbed Guan Ping's hand and asked, "Tanzhi, you said in your letter that you brought a full 20,000 cavalry this time. How come there are so many?"

Cavalry had always been Liu Bei's obsession. He missed it when he didn't have it, but now that he did, he felt uneasy, since Guan Ping had brought back so many cavalry that it felt unreal to him.

Guan Ping explained, "It's not a lot. The Shandan military horse farm has maintained around 15,000 horses all year round. Governor Huang also gathered all the cavalry from other counties and spent a lot of money to buy some from the Qiang and Hu people, so he made up 20,000 cavalry."

Longxi is a horse-producing region, and Liu Bei attached great importance to it. Therefore, after recovering Longxi, he did not collect taxes from Longxi, but instead handed over all the taxes from Longxi for the past two years to Governor Huang Quan, so that he could use them to stabilize the situation in Longxi.

Not only that, Liu Bei also specially allocated 300,000 strings of cash from the national treasury to Huang Quan, so that he could purchase warhorses to prepare for the Northern Expedition.

The local taxes of Longxi, plus the 300,000 strings of cash allocated by the imperial court, were like a breath of fresh air injected into the impoverished Longxi. Coupled with Huang Quan's effective governance, the various prefectures of Longxi have now become a stable rear area for the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei said with great enthusiasm, "That's wonderful! With these 20,000 cavalry, who in the world can stop me?"

"Alright, Tanzhi, you must be tired from your journey. It's been almost two years since you last saw your father. Go back and see him, and get some rest. Once the war starts again, you won't have time to rest."

Guan Ping took his leave, and Guan Xing followed suit. The two brothers led Guan Yue home happily.

On the way, Guan Ping asked, "Second brother, how is Father doing lately? Is he in good health?"

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "Everything else is fine, but my right arm feels like it's about to be ruined. You know that my father was hit by Pang De's poisoned arrow in his right arm. Before the injury had fully healed, he swam in the moat of Jianye, which was like adding insult to injury. I haven't been able to muster any energy lately and can no longer lift the Green Dragon Crescent Blade."

Guan Ping's expression changed slightly, and he quickly asked, "Didn't you see a doctor?"

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "How could there not be? Both the two divine doctors, Cheng Li and Dong Feng, examined him, but it was no use. Not only was it no use, but the injury to his right arm may spread throughout his body in the future. So I suggested that he simply amputate his right arm, and then I got a good scolding."

“Uh…” Guan Ping was stunned for a moment and couldn’t help but curse, “Serves you right. Our father is such a proud man. You made him become a one-armed man. It’s good that he didn’t beat you.”

While they were talking, the two brothers returned to the General's Mansion. Guan Yu was still dealing with official business and didn't have time to pay attention to them, so Guan Xing could only take them to the backyard to arrange rooms.

Upon entering the backyard, they found Xiao Qiao and Sun Luyu chatting with their child in the pavilion. They were so excited about their conversation that they forgot about the child.

As a result, Guan Suo and Guan Tong, the two little guys, somehow climbed out of their stroller, stumbled into the middle of the yard, and started fighting...

A fight broke out...

When Guan Ping and Guan Xing arrived at the courtyard, the uncle and nephew were fighting in the middle of the yard. The two little kids could barely stand, yet they were wildly swinging their little hands at each other's faces. And as if they were afraid of disturbing the adults, neither of them cried out in pain, which is why Xiao Qiao and Sun Luyu did not notice for a long time.

As for the maids who were serving by his side, none of them had been seen.

Guan Ping, Guan Xing, and Guan Yue, uncle and nephew, looked at the two fighting kids and stared at each other for a moment. Guan Xing quickly stepped forward and lifted them up one by one to stop the fight.

Guan Yue ran over, looking at one and then the other, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Which one of them is my uncle, and which one is my brother?"