Chapter 86: Return Laden with Riches

Emperor Xian looked at Lü Bu with a意味-filled gaze.

Chen Gong, too, quietly studied the two of them.

He understood perfectly what the emperor meant.

It was obvious.

Emperor Xian was also wary that Lü Bu might still be worth relying on.

“Your Majesty overpraises me,” Lü Bu said with great deference. “Your humble general will do everything in his power to repay Your Majesty for saving his life.”

Before long, Liu Xun arrived with the old Master Qiao and the two Qiao sisters in tow.

“All right. This is no place to linger,” Emperor Xian said. “We should withdraw as quickly as possible.”

“Back to Jing Province.”

Everything had been settled.

Emperor Xian began leading the others toward Jing Province.

In truth, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

When they had come, Lujiang Commandery had already fallen into the hands of Jiangdong.

Now that they were returning, they would inevitably have to pass through Lujiang again.

By then, Sun Ce of Jiangdong would surely send troops against them.

That meant another great battle awaited them.

Yet Emperor Xian was not as worried about that anymore.

For now, many capable men stood at his side.

First among them were the five thousand Xiliang troops under Lü Bu.

Their ferocity was acknowledged by the entire realm.

Especially the seven hundred members of the Trap-Breaking Battalion led by Gao Shun.

Their strength was terrifyingly formidable.

With Emperor Xian’s Eighteen Wolf Shadow Guards added into the mix, he believed that with Jiangdong’s meager strength, they would never be able to hold them back.

Still, trouble along the way was inevitable.

Besides that, Lü Bu still had several powerful generals under his command.

Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, Zang Ba, Cheng Lian, Cao Xing.

All of them were formidable men.

With them present, Emperor Xian felt far more at ease.

Just as they had expected, after marching through the lands of Yang Province for several days and drawing near Lujiang Commandery, trouble arrived.

“Quick, stop them!”

“Archers, prepare!”

“Do not let a single one escape!”

A thunderous shout rang out.

Tens of thousands of troops surged in from all directions.

In the end, they encircled Lü Bu and the others tightly in the center.

The archers had already drawn their bows and were ready.

At a single command, they could release their arrows.

At their head stood none other than Sun Ce.

“Liu Xian!”

“Hand over Liu Xun to me!”

“And I may spare your life!”

Standing before his army, Sun Ce shouted loudly.

At that, Emperor Xian sneered and rode forward a few steps to look at him.

“Sun Ce, don’t you think that is ridiculous?”

“Even if I really handed Liu Xun over to you, would you let me go?”

“Now Jing Province is in my hands.”

“Kill me, and you can seize Jing Province while the chance is there.”

“What a perfect opportunity.”

“How could you possibly let it pass?”

That was right.

Emperor Xian had already understood his meaning in essence.

It was not merely about asking for Liu Xun.

In truth, this time Emperor Xian himself had also become a target for Jiangdong.

Just as he had said, Jing Province was now under his control.

As long as Emperor Xian was killed, Jiangdong could seize the chance to march on Jing Province.

And this was still happening on Jiangdong’s own ground.

With an opportunity this good, who would let it go?

Sun Ce fell silent.

That was indeed exactly what he had in mind.

“All right, since you already know,” he said coldly, “then I, Sun Ce, will not hide it any longer!”

“If you surrender Jing Province on your own,”

“I might consider letting you leave alive!”

“Your Majesty, please stand aside and watch me go cut him down!” Lü Bu said at once, seizing the chance to show his worth.

Emperor Xian had no intention of refusing.

“General Lü, be careful.”

After that, Lü Bu said nothing more.

He led the Xiliang cavalry straight toward the Jiangdong soldiers.

“Hmph, so you remain this stubborn!”

“Do not blame me, Sun Ce, then!”

“Loose the arrows!”

Sun Ce roared.

In the next instant, a great rain of arrows shot up into the sky.

But the Xiliang cavalry showed no fear at all.

They charged through the falling arrows straight toward Sun Ce at full speed.

Seeing this, Sun Ce finally lost his composure.

The ferocity of the Xiliang cavalry was something everyone knew all too well.

They drew nearer and nearer.

And the arrows could no longer break the momentum of the Xiliang forces.

“Quick, stop them!” Sun Ce shouted.

“You insolent boy, Sun Ce!”

“Come and take your death!”

Lü Bu charged at the front.

With the Sky-Piercer Halberd in hand and Red Hare beneath him, he thundered straight toward Sun Ce.

Even though many Jiangdong soldiers tried to block his path, it did nothing to slow him down.

Seeing such a terrifying Lü Bu, Sun Ce hastily turned and fled.

“Retreat! Retreat at once!”

Sun Ce knew full well that once the distance closed, they would no longer be Lü Bu’s match.

The only choice was to withdraw.

But Lü Bu did not care about any of that.

Now that he had finally been given a chance to prove himself, how could he let it slip away?

He kept pressing forward on horseback.

The Xiliang troops had already crashed into the Jiangdong formation.

Facing the fierce Xiliang heavy cavalry, the Jiangdong soldiers were immediately thrown into disarray.

“General Lü, do not pursue any farther.”

“Withdraw at once!”

Emperor Xian shouted.

He hurriedly called Lü Bu and the Xiliang troops back.

They did not know this terrain.

If Sun Ce had an ambush ahead, Lü Bu might be finished.

Thus, they had to stop while they were ahead.

Though Lü Bu felt unwilling, he still obeyed and led the Xiliang troops back.

“Your Majesty, I could surely have cut him down,” he said. “Why did Your Majesty call me back?”

As expected, Lü Bu was a very impetuous man.

He only knew slaughter and battle.

He simply did not think that far ahead.

“Fengxian, we are not familiar with this place,” Chen Gong said at his side. “This is Sun Ce’s territory. If we blunder into an ambush, that will be troublesome. We should hasten back to Jing Province with His Majesty instead.”

At that, Lü Bu nodded slightly.

“All right. Let us return to Jing Province first.”

“General Lü, I hope you understand,” Emperor Xian said. “Battlefields change in an instant. War requires flexibility. It is not enough merely to be strong.”

Along the road, Emperor Xian deliberately gave him another subtle reminder.

Indeed, Lü Bu was far too solitary.

His crushing defeat in Xu Province had been caused by precisely this.

In the past, he had not followed Emperor Xian.

Now that he stood at Emperor Xian’s side, he would have to be properly managed.

The reason Emperor Xian had saved him was that he truly believed Lü Bu had some ability.

He could be used.

But at the very least, he would need to change.

And in that regard, Emperor Xian would have to put some thought into it.

After that, with Lü Bu and his five thousand Xiliang troops holding the line, their journey was peaceful.

No one dared step forward to obstruct them again.

As for Sun Ce, he had been beaten into submission.

After more than ten days on the road, they finally returned to Jing Province.

They returned to Wan City.

When Emperor Xian came back, Zhang Xiu, Yuan Shu, and the others in Wan City immediately led their men out to greet him.

“My lord, my lord, we have heard about what happened in Xu Province,” Zhang Xiu said anxiously. “It was truly too dangerous. If we had known, we should have brought more troops.”

When Zhang Xiu and the others learned what had happened in Xu Province, they had nearly been frightened to death.

Just twenty men.

And yet they had thrown Cao Cao’s tens of thousands of troops into utter chaos.

And when they saw that Lü Bu had actually returned with them, everyone felt an indescribable sense of disbelief.

They had never imagined that Emperor Xian had truly brought Lü Bu back with him.

“Lord Zhang worries too much,” Emperor Xian said. “I am fine.”

“All right, let me make the introductions.”

“I believe everyone should know this one, yes?”

He gestured toward Lü Bu beside him.

“Lü Bu among men, Red Hare among horses,” Yuan Shu said first, stepping forward with courtesy. “How could we possibly not know such a famous name?”

“Brother Gonglu, you flatter me,” Lü Bu replied. “I once spoiled Brother Gonglu’s plans by shooting the halberd at the gate. I hope Brother Gonglu will be magnanimous.”

It could be said that among everyone present, there had been some degree of old enmity between them.

But now that they were under Emperor Xian’s command, everything had to begin anew.

“General Lü, those are matters of the past,” Yuan Shu said. “Now, we all serve under His Majesty. For the restoration of the Han house, we shall all obey the emperor’s orders.”

Yuan Shu was extremely sincere, and he gave Emperor Xian considerable face.

“Yes, from now on, I hope everyone will live in harmony,” Emperor Xian said. “When the Han house rises again, all of you will be counted as foremost merit-bearers. Of course, before that day comes, I will have to rely on you all.”

He spoke very courteously to the assembled men.

“We obey Your Majesty’s commands,” they all answered in unison.

While speaking, Emperor Xian and the others had already arrived at the prefectural residence in Wan City.

There, they discussed and arranged the matters to come.

“Gentlemen, regarding General Lü’s arrival,” Emperor Xian said, “I would like to expand his forces as well.”

“Right now, within Jing Province, we have more than a million troops.”

“The majority of them are infantry.”

“General Lü hails from Xiliang, and he is exceptionally skilled in cavalry warfare.”

“So I am thinking... should we establish a dedicated cavalry force?”

This was the idea Emperor Xian put forward.

Upon hearing it, Lü Bu grew excited.

He had not expected that as soon as he arrived in Jing Province, Emperor Xian would already be assigning him troops.

And what shocked Lü Bu and his men even more was Emperor Xian’s casual mention of Jing Province’s troop numbers.

More than a million.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

They could scarcely believe it.

Had Emperor Xian’s power already grown to this extent?

More than a million troops.

That was something they had never even dared to imagine.

“Your Majesty, I believe it is feasible,” Zhang Xiu said as he stood. “The old General Huang and the others may continue guarding their respective regions, while General Lü can take command of the cavalry.”

“If necessary,”

“General Lü could provide the swiftest support in any direction.”

The other veterans of Wan City also voiced their agreement.

In this way, Lü Bu and the great generals under him all felt that these people were warmhearted and easy to get along with.

“Very good. Since that is settled,” Emperor Xian said, “Lord Zhang, please draw ten thousand cavalrymen from all over the realm as quickly as possible.”

“They will all be trained and led by General Lü.”

“General Lü, from this day forth, I entrust them all to you.”

With that, Emperor Xian looked solemnly at Lü Bu.

Lü Bu was filled with gratitude.

He hurriedly rose, clasped his fists, and knelt.

“Such great kindness from Your Majesty, Lü Bu can scarcely repay even with death at a later day!”

“Your Majesty may rest assured. Lü Bu will do everything in his power!”

“I shall not fail Your Majesty’s expectations!”

Lü Bu pledged this with righteous resolve and overflowing confidence.

Emperor Xian nodded with a smile.

He said nothing more.