Chapter 63

Chapter 697: One General's Success, Ten Thousand Bones Wither (一將功成萬骨枯) One Battle's Victory, a Hundred Vessels Empty (一戰功勝百空罐) (1)

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Dongguan's garrison commander, Sdong, personally came out to greet Sajian. Only a dozen or so Red Robe Knights guarded Sajian and Xue Miao. Of course, among them were Lü Bu, Guo Jia, and the generals.

"Commander Sdong of Jiangyiduan greets Sir Sa."

Although Sdong was one of the five commanders of Jiangyiduan, he was not in a higher position than Sajian. Therefore, as a subordinate, he was doing what he should.

Of course, he was not well-versed in etiquette, nor did he have any goodwill towards Sajian. He just didn't want to be picked on by the Red Robe Knights.

"Where is the Lord? I must see the Lord!"

"The Lord is currently attacking Hanguan."

"Then I must go to Hanguan. Lü Bu... Lü Bu is coming! He's coming to capture me!"

As Sajian struggled again, Xue Miao held him from behind and said to Sdong.

"General, I am Xue Miao, a captain under General Cao Qinglong. Sir Sa is not in good condition right now."

"I can see that. How did he end up like this?"

"He was captured by Lü Bu at Yangshan and endured severe torture."

"I've already heard that Sir Sa was taken prisoner by Lü Bu. But how did you manage to bring him here? Did Lü Bu let you go?"

At Sdong's words, Xue Miao had to swallow hard, worried that Sdong might have seen through Lü Bu's strategy.

However, Xue Miao pretended to be calm and replied.

"General, with the help of Lady Zhang Meiren in Zhongtian, we managed to escape with Sir Sa. On the way, we met the Red Robe Knights and are now heading to the Lord."

Sdong looked at Xue Miao with a suspicious gaze. Then Xue Miao took out a letter from his robe and respectfully handed it to Sdong.

"What is this?"

"This is a letter from Lady Zhang Meiren to the Lord. Knowing that we would be suspected on the way, Lady Zhang Meiren wrote this letter for us."

Xue Miao used the letter written by Zhang Xi. Sdong took the letter and unfolded it.

"Hmm...!"

As he read the letter, Sdong let out a continuous hum.

The more he read, the more anxious Xue Miao became. Although he didn't show it outwardly, he was burning inside.

'Zhang Xi wouldn't have written something useless. There must have been a prearranged agreement. Otherwise, how could Zhang Xi have returned to Zhongtian?'

Zhang Xi must have made an agreement with Huang Boshun and Si Yuan after using the beauty trap on Lü Bu. The agreement was obvious: it was about returning.

Moreover, to verify the authenticity of any information sent, they likely set a code word. Xue Miao had this in mind.

Fortunately, Sdong nodded in agreement.

"It matches what the military advisor told me. This letter must have been written by Lady Zhang Meiren."

He looked at Xue Miao with admiration.

"How did you manage to escape from Lü Bu's camp unscathed? You must be a skilled warrior."

"To rescue Sir Sa, we made many sacrifices. The greatest sacrifice was leaving behind my master, General Cao Qinglong."

"You left General Cao Qinglong to rescue Sir Sa?"

"Abandoning my master, I deserve to be criticized. However, General Cao Qinglong said that Sir Sa should be saved, as he could not escape with him. He said that this was the way to repay the Lord's kindness and gave a strict order, which I followed."

Sdong didn't know what to say.

Leaving his master to rescue someone else was indeed a betrayal of loyalty. He could criticize Xue Miao for it, but since it was an order from his master, it was hard to blame him for following it.

"I don't know what to say to comfort you."

"I only hope to bring Sir Sa safely to the Lord. That is the only way to fulfill my master's order."

* * *

In Sdong's eyes, Xue Miao was a loyal man who made a decisive decision to achieve his master's will. However, Sdong had other plans.

"Who is leading the Red Robe Knights now? Is it Che Zongwang? Or one of the five commanders of the Red Robe Knights?"

The reason Sdong asked this was obvious.

It would determine whether the Red Robe Knights could be tricked based on whether Che Zongwang or the five commanders of the Red Robe Knights were here.

At that moment, Guo Jia stepped forward.

"Why do you want to know? Do you think you can do anything to us without them?"

Che Zongwang, Juying, Tao Ziliang, and Zhang Shi had long been killed by Lü Bu's forces. But since Lü Bu's forces were disguised as the Red Robe Knights, it was natural to show respect to them.

"Hmph! Without those six, who among you can dare to face my sword?"

Guo Jia provoked him properly.

"Hehehe!"

His laughter, as if he was choking, successfully hurt the other's pride. But Guo Jia's provocation was just beginning.

"How dare a barbarian from the frontier claim victory over our great Red Robe Knights' experts? It's ridiculous!"

"What? A barbarian from the frontier? I, Sdong, am one of the five commanders of Jiangyiduan. Only the five commanders of the Red Robe Knights or their leader, Che Zongwang, can face me. Don't you know that?"

"Oh! So you're the 'Sdong' who offered his wife to become the last of the five commanders of Jiangyiduan! Hahaha!"

Of course, there was no such rumor. Guo Jia made it up.

He fabricated a story to provoke Sdong, and it worked.

"You're asking for death! You're boasting about your mediocre archery skills. Your head will roll before you can even draw your bow!"

"I don't need to use my archery skills on someone like you. I can handle you with my sword. Draw your sword quickly!"

Guo Jia seemed eager for a fight. In fact, he was. After beheading Che Zongwang, his confidence was sky-high.

But that was as far as it went.

"Both of you, calm down. Showing such behavior in front of Sir Sa is inappropriate. If Sir Sa, who is not in his right mind, remembers this and reports it to the Lord... "

At Xue Miao's words, Sdong bared his teeth.

"Tsk! You should consider yourself lucky. If Sir Sa weren't here, your head would have been on the ground."

"Hahaha! What a pity. It was a good opportunity to confirm that the Red Robe Knights are the strongest in Guanxi, not just in archery but also in swordsmanship... "

"That mouth of yours... You'll regret it one day."

"You'll regret it first. We'll see."

Guo Jia's retort made Sdong so angry that he was about to explode. But with Sajian present, he couldn't draw his sword.

Even if he couldn't act immediately, the grudge wouldn't be easily resolved.

'Red Robe Knights, how can I make you suffer?'

He wanted to draw his sword right away. But with limited options, he had a good plan.

"Have the supply convoy pass through Dongguan and set up camp to the east for the night. The Red Robe Knights should set up camp to the west of Dongguan!"

"Who are you to tell us what to do, you Jiang barbarian?"

"I am the garrison commander of Dongguan! If you don't follow my orders, the Red Robe Knights will never pass through Dongguan."

It was clear that Huang Boshun's main force was eagerly awaiting supplies. But Sdong prioritized making the Red Robe Knights suffer.

"We'll see! I will definitely report this to the Lord."

Guo Jia glared at Sdong and threatened him. Sdong responded with a sneer.

"I'm just doing my job."

* * *

Lü Bu watched the supply carts enter Dongguan's gate with concern. Guo Jia asked beside him.

"Are you worried?"

"About what?"

"About losing all the supplies?"

Lü Bu's lips curved into a smile.

"If we lose them, we can take them back, can't we?"

"Indeed, a true general's answer. But don't worry. This is also part of my strategy."

"Will you tell me even if I ask?"

This time, Guo Jia's lips curved into a smile.

While Lü Bu and Guo Jia were talking outside Dongguan, inside, Sdong and Luobei were having a serious conversation.

"General, what are you planning to do?"

"What else? I want to make the Red Robe Knights suffer."

"The Lord will certainly hold you responsible for the delay in supplies."

Luobei said worriedly, but Sdong sneered.

"The Lord won't be angry just because it's delayed by a day or two."

"Do you really think so? Don't you know what kind of person the Lord is?"

"Are you trying to teach me? Do you want me to beat you to a pulp?"

Lu