Chapter 5

Seeing the words "First of the Five Tiger Generals of Liangshan, Great Saber Guan Sheng" boldly written on the panel, he thought, "So Hua Xiong is destined to die at the hands of a Guan family member!" He hurriedly continued, "I have a general, Guan Sheng, who can slay Hua Xiong!"

"Hmm? I have only heard of General Ju Yi and Upper General Pan Feng under Wen Jie, never of Guan Sheng. What kind of person is he?" Yuan Shao asked in confusion, and even Pan Feng, who stood behind Li You, was puzzled. When did the lord recruit a general named Guan Sheng?

"This person is a new recruit to my army!" Li You bluffed, "Therefore, the leader has not heard of him. Although his name is not well-known, he has the ability to take the head of an upper general from among a thousand soldiers as easily as taking something from a pocket!"

"Please let him come to the tent!" Yuan Shao became interested. Soon, a man with a height of about eight feet, a fine beard, eyebrows that reached his temples, phoenix eyes, a ruddy complexion, and lips as red as cinnabar entered the tent.

"Hey!" As Guan Sheng entered, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were the first to widen their eyes. Zhang Fei couldn't help but ask, "Where are you from, and why do you look so much like my brother?"

Cao Cao and others also kept their eyes moving back and forth between Guan Sheng and Guan Yu, causing some chaos in the tent. Guan Sheng, however, remained unmoved and stood steadily.

Yuan Shu, born into a prestigious family, was very particular about hierarchy. Seeing the chaos, he became displeased and looked at Guan Sheng with disapproval, saying lightly, "Now, with eighteen warlords united against Dong Zhuo, there are countless famous generals under our command. Why send a newly recruited person? Isn't it showing that we have no capable men?"

Can't you stop being a show-off? Li You was so angry with Yuan Shu that he gritted his teeth. Your brother has famous generals like Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Zhang He, but you only have Yu She, who was just chopped by Hua Xiong. Now I've found someone to avenge you, and you're not happy! I say, Gonglu, your name is not in vain; you really can't stand it if you're not recognized!

"Gonglu, calm down. Guan Sheng has an extraordinary appearance. How could Hua Xiong know he is a new recruit? Let's test him. If he fails, we can punish him later!" Li You bowed again.

Han Fu, as the Governor of Ji Province, was a significant figure among the warlords. Yuan Shao couldn't refuse his request and nodded in agreement.

Li You was delighted and immediately poured a cup of hot wine, handing it to Guan Sheng, "General Guan, please drink this cup before you go out to fight!"

Guan Sheng glanced at Guan Yu, saying, "Put the wine down. I will drink it after I slay Hua Xiong!" He then left the tent, picked up his saber, and mounted his horse.

Li You couldn't wait to go out and watch. He still remembered his other task to capture the Sishui Pass. He immediately pulled Pan Feng aside, "Go quickly. Once Guan Sheng slays Hua Xiong, lead the troops to charge and capture the Sishui Pass!"

"Lord, don't worry, I will do it right away!" Pan Feng, seeing his lord willing to let an unknown Guan Sheng fight Hua Xiong instead of himself, felt a bit disappointed. But now that his lord had given him a more important task, he was overjoyed and quickly left the tent to gather his troops.

Just as Li You was about to suggest everyone go out to watch the fight, he suddenly heard a loud shout outside, followed by the sound of galloping horses. Soon, Guan Sheng entered with a head in hand, bowing to Li You, "Lord, here is Hua Xiong's head!"

Everyone in the tent was shocked. Cao Cao took two steps to Li You's table, touched the wine cup with two fingers, and clapped, "The wine is still warm, General Guan is truly a mighty warrior!" His gaze on Guan Sheng became even more eager!

Before the astonishment had subsided, a scout reported from outside, "Report! General Pan Feng under the Governor of Ji Province has led the troops to pursue the victory and captured the Sishui Pass!"

Phew, this pass is finally over! Li You let out a long sigh of relief.

Han Fu, the Governor of Ji Province, was not outstanding among the eighteen warlords united against Dong Zhuo. He did not have the illustrious background of the Yuan brothers, the sharpness of Sun Jian, the Governor of Changsha, and Cao Cao, the Commander of the Cavalry, nor the literary fame of Kong Rong, the Governor of Beihai, or the military prowess of Ma Teng, the Governor of Xiliang, and Gongsun Zan, the Governor of Liaodong. He was even less impressive than Tao Qian, the Governor of Xuzhou.

But what no one expected was that after the highly anticipated Sun Jian was defeated by Hua Xiong, it was this seemingly mediocre man who achieved the first victory. First, his unknown general Guan Sheng slew Hua Xiong, and then Upper General Pan Feng seized the Sishui Pass. This made Yuan Shao and others feel somewhat embarrassed, and they didn't know what to say to the scout reporting the good news.

"Haha, you not only look like my second brother, but your martial arts are also impressive! Let's drink together with me, Zhang Fei of Yan!" Zhang Fei looked at Guan Sheng with increasing affection.

Yuan Shu, who was looking for an outlet for his anger, became furious, "Before the ministers have spoken, how dare a minor officer under a county magistrate show off here! Drive him out of the tent!"

"The leader's command is well-organized, which is why we have this great victory! Now that the Sishui Pass has been captured, the leader needs to go and take charge!" Li You changed the subject, and Yuan Shao's mood improved with the flattery. He laughed and led everyone out of the tent to the pass, followed by Sun Jian, Kong Rong, and others. Only Cao Cao and the Liu brothers lagged behind.

"Yi De, don't be angry. I have several jars of fine wine in my tent. If Lord Xuan De, Yun Chang, and Yi De don't mind, why don't you come back to my tent for a drink?" Seeing his childhood idol, Li You couldn't resist inviting them. It would have been even more enjoyable if Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong were here to complete the Five Tiger Generals!

"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Wen Jie!" Liu Bei, who was just a county magistrate, was looking for opportunities. Seeing the Governor of Ji Province, Han Fu, inviting him, he couldn't help but be excited. They were about to leave the tent.

"Lord Wen Jie, are you refusing Cao Cao, thinking that Cao Cao is not worthy to drink with you?" Cao Cao, not wanting to be left out, interjected. Today's performance of Han Fu had surprised him greatly! This was completely different from the mediocre image in the legends!

"Of course not, I would be honored!" Li You laughed, pulling Cao Cao with his left hand and Liu Bei with his right, heading to his tent. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Guan Sheng followed closely behind, their eyes full of curiosity.

Guan Yu was puzzled, why did he feel so close to this person at first sight?

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Guan Yu wondered, why did he feel so close to this person at first sight?