Chapter 68

In front of Guangzong City, Guangping was not far from Guangzong. Under Liu Yao's rapid march, it only took a little over two hours to reach the destination.

And it seemed that Lu Zhi had already learned of Liu Yao's movements, as he and Cao Cao, who had arrived earlier, were personally waiting at the city gate.

"Your Excellency, this humble servant Lu Zhi (Cao Cao) pays respects to Your Highness." Lu Zhi and Cao Cao bowed respectfully.

"There's no need for such formalities." Liu Yao helped them up. "Both of you are great contributors to our Han Dynasty. It should be me bowing to you."

The two quickly waved their hands in protest. "We dare not, we dare not."

Then, as if remembering something, Lu Zhi asked with concern, "I wonder if Your Highness passed through Guangping on the way from Yingchuan to Guangzong?"

Liu Yao, understanding Lu Zhi's worry about Gongsun Zan, forced out a few tears and grabbed Lu Zhi's hands. "Lord Lu, I have wronged you. I have come too late."

For a moment, Lu Zhi was stunned by Liu Yao's actions and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, you must not do this. What has happened?"

Liu Yao wiped away his tears and waved his hand backward. The vanguard troops parted to the sides, revealing a small path. At the end of the path, several soldiers of the White Horse Volunteers slowly walked over.

Sharp-eyed Lu Zhi immediately saw Gongsun Zan lying motionless on the horse. He knew his disciple had fallen in battle.

"Bo Gui!" Lu Zhi shouted and rushed to Gongsun Zan. Seeing his disciple's body, he was overwhelmed with sorrow. Gongsun Zan was his most outstanding disciple, brave and strategic, who had defended Youzhou against foreign tribes for years, making significant contributions to the Han Dynasty. All of this made Lu Zhi extremely proud.

However, Gongsun Zan also had many flaws: he was bloodthirsty, cruel, and had a short temper. This time, he could not tolerate Zhang Bao's provocation and launched an attack without informing Lu Zhi, leading to his death. Lu Zhi could not send a large army to rescue Gongsun Zan for personal reasons, so he had been anxious for the past two days. Seeing Gongsun Zan's body now, he felt the pain of a father losing a son, tears streaming down his face.

Liu Yao slowly walked to Lu Zhi's side and comforted him, "General Lu, the dead are gone. Don't be too sad. Take care of your health."

Then Liu Yao sighed and blamed himself, "This is all my fault. If I had arrived a little earlier, General Gongsun would not have died."

"No, Your Highness, this is not your fault. Bo Gui violated military orders by launching an attack without permission. Even if he had survived, I would have punished him. Now, dying on the battlefield is a fitting end for him." Lu Zhi said firmly, but the sadness in his eyes could not be hidden.

Then Liu Yao took a cloth bag from the side of the White Horse Volunteers' horse and handed it to Lu Zhi, saying, "Although General Gongsun has died, he killed the Yellow Turban general He Man before his death. He is a hero of our Han Dynasty, and I will report his achievements. Moreover, I have already avenged him by eliminating the Yellow Turbans who killed him."

Lu Zhi took the bag and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Cao Cao, standing nearby, was shocked to see Gongsun Zan dead. He knew Gongsun Zan's martial skills and the strength of his troops. Although he only had three thousand cavalry, they were as formidable as ten thousand soldiers. Now, he was dead.

Moreover, Liu Yao had easily defeated these Yellow Turbans, and earlier in Yingchuan, he had easily defeated Bo Cai's hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans. Cao Cao was deeply impressed by Liu Yao's strength.

Looking at the more than ten thousand soldiers Liu Yao brought, all clad in iron armor, well-equipped, and wielding sharp weapons, Cao Cao envied them and thought, "If only I could have such a cavalry. In the future, I will also form an invincible cavalry, yes, I will call it the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry."

Cao Cao imagined himself forming an invincible cavalry, dominating the Han Dynasty, and being revered by all. If Liu Yao knew that Cao Cao's creation of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was inspired by him, he would be surprised.

In the end, at Liu Yao's suggestion and under Lu Zhi's supervision, Gongsun Zan's body was cremated. Initially, Lu Zhi and Cao Cao opposed the cremation, as it was believed that the body was given by one's parents and should not be altered, even by cutting hair. Liu Yao still kept his long hair for this reason. Moreover, people believed that the soul should return to its homeland and be buried properly.

However, after Liu Yao's explanation, they agreed. In the battlefield, a funeral was impossible, as it would demoralize the troops. But burying him randomly would be disrespectful to Gongsun Zan. If they kept the body, the hot weather in August would cause it to decay quickly. Reluctantly, Lu Zhi agreed to cremate Gongsun Zan, though it was disrespectful.

Liu Yao watched the raging fire and sneered. He sighed inwardly at the fixed nature of history. Originally, Gongsun Zan was defeated by Yuan Shao and died at Jieqiao. Now, he died at Liu Yao's hands and was also reduced to ashes in the fire.

Finally, Lu Zhi placed Gongsun Zan's ashes in a box, and Liu Yao offered to take them back to Youzhou to let his soul return home. The dead were gone, and past grudges were forgotten. Liu Yao's actions were a sign of respect for an opponent.

After settling Gongsun Zan's affairs, Liu Yao and his men followed Lu Zhi into the Han army camp. Zhao Yun and Gao Shun led the vanguard and the assault troops to their encampment.

As soon as Liu Yao and his men entered the main tent, they saw two people waiting there.

Seeing the two, Liu Yao's pupils constricted, and he thought, "I didn't expect these two to come."

One of them was nine feet tall, with a two-foot-long beard; his face was like a ripe jujube, his lips as red as lipstick; he had phoenix eyes and silkworm eyebrows, a dignified and imposing figure. Who else could it be but Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang? However, at this moment, Guan Yu held his head high, looking arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

The other person was undoubtedly Liu Bei. Liu Yao sized up Liu Bei for a while and couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

His impression of Liu Bei was based on historical records. But now, seeing him in person, he realized that the records were not only accurate but even understated.

Liu Bei looked dignified, but strangely, his earlobes almost touched his shoulders. His eyes were widely spaced, almost visible to his ears. His lips were like he had applied lipstick. Most peculiarly, his hands, when hanging down, could reach past his knees, making him look like a gorilla.

It was hard to understand the ancient people's aesthetic standards, as they considered Liu Bei a dignified and fortunate person. In modern times, he would likely be gawked at, ostracized, or even dissected.

Then Liu Yao glanced at Guan Yu and sighed inwardly, "Guan Yu, Guan Yu, since we are enemies, don't blame me for being unfriendly." Although Liu Yao disliked Guan Yu's arrogance, he admired his martial skills and loyalty. However, it was precisely this loyalty that made it impossible for Liu Yao to recruit him.