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

Guan Xing did not go far away, but stood at the door as a gatekeeper, and only pushed the door open and went in after the three idiots finished their conversation.

The three idiots all looked over when they heard the door open. When they saw it was Guan Xing, their faces immediately turned ashen, as if they had swallowed a live fly.

This is the last thing they want to see right now; just looking at him makes them want to vomit.

Guan Xing, seemingly unaware that he was offending people, grinned and said, "I heard your conversation and I understand your concerns. Let's have an open and honest chat. How would you three like me to settle you down?"

Guan Xing was also having a headache over how to deal with the three of them, as it seemed that no matter how he handled it, it was wrong.

The best solution would naturally be to pack it up and send it to Guan Yu or Liu Bei, without having to worry about it yourself, but that's clearly unrealistic.

First, let's talk about Guan Yu. He's currently trapped in Jianye, surrounded by countless Wu soldiers. How can you possibly send him in?

Even if we could send them in, we wouldn't dare. These three are local strongmen in Jianye. Who knows how many subordinates they have in the city, or how many people they can gather in an instant? If they cause trouble in the city, wouldn't that be creating trouble for Guan Yu?

Sending the three of them into Jianye City was just as bad as handing over Wu prisoners to Zhang Cheng; it was simply asking for trouble.

Why did Guan Yu clear Zhang Zhao, Sun Shao, and others out of the city that day? Wasn't it because he was afraid they would cause trouble inside the city?

Now they're willingly sending themselves in, are they crazy?

If we can't give it to Guan Yu, we can only give it to Liu Bei. If Liu Bei knew, he would definitely accept it gladly. Besides, Bashu is his own territory, and they can't cause any trouble there.

In particular, if Zhuge Ke could be delivered to Liu Bei, Liu Bei would have leverage to win over Zhuge Jin, and even use Zhuge Ke to sow discord between Zhuge Jin and Sun Quan. The benefits would far outweigh the risks.

The unfortunate thing is that Liu Bei was in Yiling, while this place was in Jiangdong, making it impossible for him to cross.

With both paths blocked, it seems the only option is to keep them by my side, but keeping them by my side is definitely not feasible.

Zhang Cheng's prestige in the army was too high. If he were kept by his side, the newly surrendered 5,000 elite Wu soldiers might rebel at any time, posing a great threat.

So how to deal with these three is a real headache.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ke sneered, "You can settle us however you want. Why are you asking us? Would you agree if I said we should be released?"

In Zhuge Ke's view, this bastard did not come to discuss things with them, but rather used the guise of discussion to insult them.

Where in the world do victors ask losers for their opinions? Losers have no human rights, right?

Unexpectedly, Guan Xing laughed and said, "Of course I agree, why would I disagree?"

"Uh..." The three idiots were stunned at the same time, looking at each other for a long time. Zhang Cheng stopped Zhuge Ke, who was about to speak, and asked, "Guan Xing, you don't look like you're criticizing us. So I'd like to know the reason. Can I ask why?"

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Let me tell you a story first. When two armies were facing off, there was an archer who would hide in the shadows and shoot arrows at the enemy camp all day long. One day, the enemy general came down to inspect the camp. When he passed the archer's ambush position, the soldiers reminded the general to be careful, saying that there was an archer over there, but his arrows were not very accurate."

The general was furious upon hearing this and questioned the soldier, "Since you knew the archer's location, why didn't you eliminate him?" The soldier replied matter-of-factly, "General, are you stupid? If you eliminate him, will the enemy find someone with a more accurate arrow?"

The three idiots understood, and their faces darkened simultaneously.

Guan Xing continued as if he hadn't seen it, "Our army has won a great victory in this battle. Your Grand Commander Lü will definitely not let this go and will surely send troops to attack me again. Rather than sending the Twelve Tiger Generals, it seems more advantageous for me to have the three of you lead the troops again."

What do you mean? Are the three of us the archers with poor archery skills?

Are we inferior to the Twelve Tiger Generals?

"Guan Anguo, you son of a bitch, I have a terrible temper..."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Ke flew into a rage and rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge forward and duel Guan Xing. Zhou Xun quickly grabbed him from behind and advised, "Yuan Xun, calm down."

Although Guan Xing's words were somewhat insulting, what did it matter if he was allowed to go back?

Losers should be prepared to be humiliated.

Zhuge Ke, however, thought differently. He kicked his legs wildly in the air and struggled violently, saying, "Guan Anguo, I want to duel with you, the kind where we sign a death pact."

Zhou Xun was startled by this and quickly winked at Zhang Cheng. Zhang Cheng grabbed a towel and stuffed it into Zhuge Ke's mouth, then frowned and said, "General Guan, please continue."

He also wanted to lead troops to attack Guan Xing again, after all, this defeat was too frustrating, and if he could do it again, he would never make the same mistake again.

Guan Xing spread his hands and smiled, "Letting you go back is no problem, but we can't let you go for nothing. Grand Commander Lü will have to pay some ransom, won't he? I'm here to ask you each to write a letter to Grand Commander Lü, explaining the situation here, and to try to facilitate subsequent negotiations."

Three Idiots: "..."

Are you treating us like hostages?

Although Zhang Cheng was angry, he knew that Guan Xing wouldn't let them go back for nothing, so he nodded and said, "I'll write it."

Guan Xing spread his hands and smiled, "Thank you for your cooperation. The three of you, please begin writing."

After the three finished writing, Guan Xing glanced at it briefly and smiled, "You three should rest well. I'll send someone to take you back to Wushang tomorrow."

He dared not leave the three men and the five thousand surrendered soldiers in the same city; they had to be separated.

Guan Xing left with satisfaction. The three men watched his retreating figure with great resentment. As the eldest sons of their respective clans, they had never suffered such an insult.

Zhou Xun gritted his teeth and said, "That damned Guan Anguo is too arrogant. This time when we go back, we must obtain the right to lead troops, attack again and capture Guan Xing alive, and repay him for the humiliation he brought us tenfold."

It's very difficult for a defeated general to lead troops again, even if he has powerful backers. After all, the Grand Commander is Lü Meng, and they would have to pay a heavy price to lead troops again to launch a punitive expedition. But...

Zhang Cheng said angrily, "You're right. No matter the cost, I will fight Guan Xing again. I won't be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of my life until I capture this bastard with my own hands."

As the three men gritted their teeth, Guan Xing threw the three letters, along with his own letter to Lü Meng and Zhang Zhao, at Zhang Ming, saying arrogantly, "Pack your things and get out of here. Go back and tell your Grand Commander that you can bring grain over for direct trade or send an envoy to renegotiate. I have plenty of time."

He set the ransom for the three fools at 200,000 shi of grain per person. The three were worth that price in Eastern Wu, so he didn't ask for more.

Zhang Ming had no right to refuse. He put away the letter, took ten personal guards, and left Zhuji City under the escort of hundreds of Han soldiers, heading on foot to Jianye.

They didn't ride horses. Warhorses are so precious, how could Guan Xing bear to give them to him?

Not long after seeing Zhang Ming off, Ning Huan rode back to Jianye and reported: "General, a grain transport team with about two or three thousand men carrying Chunyu's banner has been spotted fifty miles ahead. Guan Yan is keeping watch ahead. What should we do?"

This grain transport team was clearly the one that Zhang Cheng had transferred from Shanyin.

Without a second thought, Guan Xing said directly, "Have Meng Jun lead the troops out and bring the grain back to me."

This is a small matter; I can just let my subordinates handle it. There's no need to do it personally. After all, I should give my generals some opportunities to grow, right?

This was Meng Jun's first solo mission. He dared not delay upon receiving the order and quickly mustered his troops to charge out of the city.

Guan Xing then approached Xie Chong and said, "Old Xie, now that Zhang Cheng has been captured, we should be able to have some peace and quiet for a long time. We should start preparing for the next phase of work, such as allocating land and spring plowing."