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

Time was of the essence, and Guan Xing dared not delay.

After conspiring with Wang Tao in the study for more than half an hour, they set off, riding fast horses to the Wushang Steel Plant.

On the way, he continued to instill in Wang Tao the self-cultivation of an undercover agent, teaching him how to be an excellent undercover agent who knows how to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens.

Although Guan Xing had never been an undercover agent, he had read countless novels and watched numerous films and television dramas about undercover work, which was more than enough to teach Wang Tao.

Arriving at Wushang Steel Plant smoothly in the evening, I found the plant manager, Feng Tiezhu, and asked, "Have the samples been made?"

Feng Tiezhu said excitedly, as if presenting a treasure: "Of course, General, this way please, I'll take you to see it."

Following Feng Tiezhu into the warehouse, they found many farm tools on the shelves, including shovels, hoes, and mattocks. The shovels were divided into round-headed and square-headed types, the kind commonly seen in rural areas in later generations.

The hoe is wide and short, with a semi-circle above the blade, making it excellent for weeding.

The hoe has a long and narrow blade, and it can dig half a foot deep with one stroke. If you have this thing in hand, you don't even need oxen to plow the land. You can just turn it over by yourself with the hoe.

Although these farming tools cannot compare with the mechanization of later generations, if every Han Dynasty citizen had one, the efficiency of farming would definitely be several times higher than it is now.

There were also several saw blades next to it, all of which were custom-made to my specifications. There were hand saws, bow saws, and even a double saw specifically for sawing large timbers. Using these to cut down trees is incredibly efficient.

There were three curved plows in the corner, and they looked exactly the same as the ones Guan Xing had seen when he was a child. It was obvious how powerful they would be once they were put into use.

These things would be ordinary items worth no more than four figures in later generations, but in the Han Dynasty they were national treasures.

Guan Xing pointed to the shelves and said, "Wang Tao, feel free to look at and take anything here. You'll have to bring some gifts when you go back to see your father, right? If he asks about where these things came from, do you know what to say?"

Wang Tao nodded emphatically and said, "General, rest assured, I will definitely fool Pan Lin so much that he will lose his bearings."

Guan Xing patted his shoulder and laughed, "You can rest here. We'll set off early tomorrow morning. I'm going back to Wushang to discuss something with Ji Jie."

The Han army currently controls four cities: Zhuji, Shanxian, Wushang, and Damu. Zhuji is garrisoned by Gan Xun, Shanxian by Meng Jun, Wushang by Ji Jie, and Damu by Shen Yi.

Guan Xing rushed to Wushang City with his personal guards without even eating. Ji Jie, upon hearing the news, immediately went out of the city to greet him, saying warmly, "General, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have come to meet you."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "What's there to pick up? I know the way. Is Xie Chong back yet?"

Ji Jie shook his head and said, "No, after the land in Wushang was divided, we went to Damo to divide the land."

Guan Xing said, "Then let's talk about the assault battalion. You can't hold back in this assault battalion selection competition; you must send your most elite soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Ji Jie felt a pang of heartache. What general would be willing to give away his elite troops to someone else? But military orders could not be disobeyed, so he could only pat his chest and say with a forced smile, "General, rest assured, it is my honor that my soldiers have been selected for the assault battalion."

Guan Xing temporarily settled in Wushang, and at the same time, he ordered Meng Jun from Shan County to bring his troops to begin the first round of selection for the assault battalion.

Meanwhile, Wang Tao also embarked on his journey.

After resting overnight at the steel plant, Wang Tao carried a round-headed iron shovel and a hoe on his shoulder, and a light double carpenter's saw in his left hand as he went home.

His father Pan Lin's lair was not far from here, in the nearby Kuaiji Mountains. Wang Tao knew the way well and arrived at Heilong Ridge in the middle of the mountains in just two days.

Heilongling is similar to Yan Zhen's Jitouling, with only one path leading up the mountain, making it a typical place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

As soon as Wang Tao approached Black Dragon Ridge, several bandits dressed in tattered clothes and armed with meager weapons jumped out from behind a tree and surrounded him, glaring at him and shouting, "Who are you? What are you doing in my Black Dragon Ridge? Are you perhaps a spy sent by Wu Gou?"

Wang Tao's gaze swept over the group one by one, finally settling on the youngest bandit, and he excitedly exclaimed, "It's me, Stone! I'm Pan Tao!"

The bandits' expressions changed simultaneously. After staring at him for a moment, they finally recognized him. They threw down their weapons and surrounded him excitedly, saying, "It really is Seventh Young Master! Weren't you captured? We thought you were dead after two years. How did you get back?"

Wang Tao said, "This is a long story, we'll talk about it later. Where is my father? I need to see him right away."

The crowd surrounded Wang Tao excitedly, saying, "Come on, come on! The commander is having a drink at the mountain stronghold. He'll be very happy to know you're back."

Wang Tao curled his lip. It was uncertain whether that old man even remembered having a son like him. How could he possibly be happy?

Nevertheless, he followed the group to the mountain village with a smile on his face, as if he was about to see his family.

Unlike Yan Zhen, who set up his lair halfway up the mountain, Pan Lin built a fake lair halfway up the mountain, while he himself lived in a stockade at the foot of the mountain, ready to escape at any time.

However, with nothing to do lately, Pan Lin was happy to have some free time, living a carefree and decadent life in the mountain stronghold.

At this moment, Pan Lin, who was over fifty years old and looked like he had collapsed, leaned on the tiger-skin chair, embracing two girls he had just kidnapped. He was enjoying himself with the underage girls. As soon as he turned his head and opened his mouth, the girls tactfully fed him wine and fruit.

If the girl moved even slightly slower, he would glare at her, making her tremble all over, but it made Pan Lin laugh heartily with a look of enjoyment on his face.

Sitting below Pan Lin was another man who was also embracing a young girl and behaving recklessly. The man looked to be in his thirties and had a resemblance to Pan Lin in his features. He was Pan Lin's eldest son, Pan Ren.

The eldest son is not a disposable commodity like Wang Tao, but a carefully cultivated heir to the family. However, as a son, it is really inappropriate for him to hug and kiss women in front of his father.

This shows that Pan Ren was no good either; like father, like son.

Pan Ren took a sip of wine, then pinched the girl in his arms hard before saying, "Father, the Han and Wu armies are fighting fiercely in Wushang recently. Should we take this opportunity to go out and make some money? We can't just sit around and do nothing."

Mountain bandits also have their own intelligence system. What's the point of bandits if they don't know what's happening in their own backyard?

Therefore, while enjoying themselves, the father and son did not neglect their concern about the war between the Han and Wu armies.

Upon hearing this, Pan Lin immediately retorted, "Shut up! What are we? Mountain bandits! Getting involved in the battle between the Han and Wu armies is just courting death!"

"Both the Han and Wu armies are Han armies. Instead of staying away from their internal strife, you want to get involved? Aren't you afraid that the fire at the city gate will affect the fish in the moat? Have you forgotten how badly Lu Xun beat us back then?"

In the eighth year of Jian'an, that bastard Lu Xun, in order to gain military merit, led a large army over mountains and valleys, almost chasing him to death.

Pan Lin thought he had run fast enough, but that damned Lu Xun was still chasing after him, hacking and slashing all the way down his three or four thousand soldiers to only thirty or forty men. He still felt a chill when he thought about that scene.

From then on, Pan Lin secretly vowed that if he saw soldiers again, he would immediately take a detour and never confront them head-on. But this unfilial son actually thought of getting involved in the infighting among the soldiers. Wasn't this like an old man hanging himself, courting death?

Pan Ren, however, said dismissively, "How can I secure my position as commander without fighting the government troops? Father, why are you getting bolder as you get older?"

They, the Yue people, are the experience points of the officers and soldiers, but conversely, aren't the officers and soldiers also the experience points of the Yue people?

The Yue people in the mountains have never cared about winning or losing when fighting against government troops; as long as they are not killed by government troops, they consider it a victory.

For the Yue people, losing to government troops was not a disgrace but an honor. Even if they were defeated, they could stand tall in front of other chieftains and proudly say, "I fought government troops for three hundred rounds and wasn't killed. Isn't that amazing?"

The other village chiefs would immediately fawn over him with admiration, saying, "Big brother is awesome! I'll follow you from now on."

Otherwise, how could Pan Lin have risen so quickly after being reduced to a mere shell of his former self by Lu Xun?

Although Pan Lin was utterly defeated by Lu Xun back then, he also gained immense prestige from fighting Lu Xun, attracting many nearby mountain strongholds to join him.

But his father seemed to have been traumatized by Lu Xun, and became more and more cowardly as he got older.

Now that Pan Lin is old and doesn't have many days left to live, Pan Ren, as his heir, naturally wants to follow in his father's footsteps and build up his reputation among the Han and Wu armies.

Enraged, Pan Lin swung his wine cup and smashed it mercilessly, cursing, "Unless I'm dead, you're absolutely not allowed to provoke the soldiers, do you hear me?"

Pan Ren stepped aside and was about to explain when a sentry came in and bowed, saying, "Commander, Young Commander, Young Master Tao has returned and says he has important military intelligence to report to the Commander."

The father and son were both stunned. After a moment of astonishment, Pan Lin asked, "Young Master Tao? Which Young Master Tao? Do I have a son named Pan Tao?"