Chapter 90: The Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu (Part 1)

  Lü Bu held the reins in his left hand and grasped the halberd "Sky Piercer" in his right, as he rode out of the city with Zhang Liao and three hundred elite soldiers clad in embroidered uniforms. He gazed at the opposing army and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

  "Wen Yuan, look at those people across from us, don't they seem like a bunch of beggars?"

  Zhang Liao couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, compared to them, Guan Yu and the others on the opposite side looked like beggars. The three hundred imperial guards were the personal bodyguards of Emperor Liu Bian, not only were they all tall and handsome, but their equipment was also good, they were the best equipment that the imperial family could currently offer, with bright helmets and armor, wearing large cloaks, riding **royal horses**, holding long spears with red handles, and wearing black scabbards with war swords at their waists, each one exuding spirit.

  Looking at the people opposite, they didn't even have a uniform, their clothes were all over the place, and the weapons in their hands were also varied. Although most of them were cavalry, some horses were so thin that they looked like donkeys, it was really pitiful. What's more ridiculous is that there were actually bald-headed foreigners in the team.

  Lü Bu rode forward with a proud smile, pointing his halberd and saying: "Are you Cao Cao, Cao Mengde, and Liu Bei, Liu Xuande?"

  Cao Cao and Liu Bei were both in the array, they also saw the difference in momentum between the two sides, and could not help but feel a little discouraged. Liu Bei was really poor, he had no way out. He said that Gongsun Zan sent him to assist in the battle, but in fact he was just using his brother Gongsun Zan's name. He came by himself, all his capital was these thousands of people around him, among whom more than half were miscellaneous Hu soldiers, they were real beggars. He wanted to compare with the emperor, the problem was that he didn't have that strength. Looking at those three hundred neatly equipped cavalrymen, his eyes turned green.

  Cao Cao is not much better off. His strength is several times stronger than Liu Bei's, but he can't afford to equip such a cavalry either. Money is one aspect, the biggest problem is that there are no horses. When pacifying the Yellow Turbans, he once served as the Cavalry General, commanding 5,000 cavalrymen, fighting alongside Huangfu Song and deeply understanding the lethality of cavalry. However, Shandong has few horses, and after scrambling to gather them, he managed to assemble over a hundred cavalrymen, currently led by his younger brothers Cao Ren and Cao Chun.

  He wanted to win over Liu Bei, first because he valued Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and secondly because he valued the miscellaneous Hu cavalry under Liu Bei's command.

  Two men were self-abased and ashamed, hearing Lü Bu's shout, couldn't help but feel some surprise. The two looked at each other, urged their horses out of the formation. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Cao Ren, and Xiahou Yuan didn't dare to slack off, closely followed after him, preventing Lü Bu from making a sudden attack.

  Lü Bu laid his halberd across the saddle and said loudly, "Cao Mengde, His Majesty has spoken. You are different from Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao is full of schemes and excuses, but in reality he wants to follow Wang Mang's example and usurp the Han throne. If you die for him, at most you will be made a general or enfeoffed as a marquis, but it's also possible that your achievements will be so great that they will threaten the emperor himself, leading to your death by execution. Why not serve the imperial court instead? That way, you can avoid implicating your family members." He licked his lips and continued loudly, "Don't forget, your beautiful concubine and young son are all in Luoyang! Can you bear to see them die with the crime of rebellion on their heads?"

  Cao Cao's face twitched for a moment, then returned to calm. He was silent for a while, waved his hand, smiled lightly, and turned his horse back to the formation, completely ignoring Lü Bu's advice to surrender.

  Lü Bu didn't care, this was Liu Bei's task. Liu Bei said it, regardless of whether they listened or not, as long as he said it. He continued to say to Liu Bei: "Liu Xuande, you are a member of the Han imperial family, why would you serve a rebel and traitor? Do you want to follow in the footsteps of Liu Xiang's father and son? You are a person from the border regions, someone like Yuan Shao wouldn't look down on you. Why not surrender to the court? His Majesty has said that at this time when the court is facing many difficulties, as long as you abandon darkness and turn to brightness, your clan's status can be restored, and in the future, you can be enfeoffed as a king or marquis, isn't it better than following Yuan Shao?"

  Lü Bu was persuading Cao Cao to surrender, and Liu Bei already knew what Lü Bu wanted to say. The reason he didn't speak up was that he wanted to hear what conditions the Emperor would offer. At this moment, the Emperor promised him a king's position, which involuntarily moved his heart.

  He was very clear, just as Lü Bu said, from the attitude of Yuan Shao yesterday, Yuan Shao didn't think much of him at all. If Yuan Shao knew his true identity, it would be even more impossible for him to reuse him. Following Yuan Shao to death is not as good as surrendering to the imperial court. But... how long can the Great Han last? Once Yuan Shao attacks Luoyang, the world will be surnamed Yuan, won't it?

  Liu Bei hummed, glanced at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei beside him. Before Guan Yu could speak, Zhang Fei was already furious, holding up the 18-foot snake spear in his hand, urging on his Black Whirlwind horse, charging towards Lü Bu.

  "Traitorous white-eyed wolf, stop your nonsense! I am Zhang Fei of Yan, come and taste my spear!"

  Lü Bu was enraged. He killed Ding Yuan on the orders of the Emperor, but the Yuan family disregarded the facts and kept slandering him for killing Ding Yuan to gain favor with his lord. Now hearing that Zhang Fei, a man from Youzhou, also spoke ill of him, it was clear that Yuan Shao's rumor-mongering had reached an unprecedented level. He gave Zhang Fei a cold glance, knowing that this man, although also a rare and fierce general, still did not understand his own destiny and was fundamentally no match for himself. With one kick of his horse, he charged forward with his halberd in hand.

  "Whoosh!" A tearing sound filled the air as Fang Tian's spear ripped through the atmosphere, arriving before it was even seen, and stabbed towards Zhang Fei's face.

  Zhang Fei was greatly shocked and, without noticing his injury, held up his spear horizontally. Lü Bu was annoyed by his nonsense, let out a low growl, and poured his true energy into the Halberd of Heaven's Pride. The halberd's double blades hummed loudly, illuminating Zhang Fei's eyes.

  Zhang Fei managed to hold off the halberd of Fa Zheng, but he couldn't withstand the attack of Lü Bu. The halberd pushed against the spear handle of the snake spear, stabbing towards Zhang Fei's chest. The killing intent emanating from the halberd head came rushing forward, blowing so hard that Zhang Fei couldn't open his eyes, and his face felt numb with pain.

  Zhang Fei was greatly shocked and mustered his remaining courage. With a loud roar, he exerted all his strength to push the halberd aside.

  Two horses crossed paths, Zhang Fei's face turned pale and he swayed as if about to fall.

  Lü Bu sneered and galloped towards Guan Yu: "Guan Yu, come and fight!"

  As soon as Lü Bu made his move, Guan Yu knew that Zhang Fei was no match for him. At most, Zhang Fei was on par with yesterday's Zhang Xiu, but Lü Bu's martial arts were absolutely not inferior to his own. Without saying another word, he urged Absolute Shadow forward, charging ahead. Upon hearing Lü Bu's challenge, he couldn't help but feel a surge of battle intent, and coldly snorted: "Despicable little man, take my sword!"

  Lü Bu loosened the reins, holding his halberd in both hands, and charged towards Guan Yu. Although he was enraged, he did not lose his composure, knowing that Guan Yu was not Zhang Fei, and any carelessness could cost him his reputation.

  Red Hare and Black Whirlwind were both rare fine horses, extremely fast. Before the spectators could understand what was happening, Lü Bu and Guan Yu had already engaged in combat. The halberd danced like a dragon, thrusting forward to meet him, with a fierce gust of wind blowing against his face. Guan Yu secretly cried out that things were not going well, for the first time in his life he couldn't help but hurt someone, holding his sword horizontally across his chest, gathering all his inner energy, and bursting outward.

  A loud "ding" sound, swords and spears clashed, sparks flew everywhere.

  Guan Yu's chest felt a sudden tightness, his breathing somewhat labored, his face flushed as if blood was about to drip from it. He flipped his wrist, parrying Lü Bu's halberd, and slashed at Lü Bu's back with one swift stroke. Lü Bu saw this and let out a loud cry: "Well met!" The halberd reversed its direction, like a giant python turning its body, and was placed on his back, just in time to block Guan Yu's inevitable strike.

  The two of them touched and immediately separated, each launching a single attack.

  First update, seeking recommendations, seeking collections!