Chapter 281: Dust Settles

Drip! Drip!

Blood kept dripping onto the ground from the cracked armor.

"Second Brother!"

"Third Brother!"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei looked at each other, their eyes already revealing a resolute expression.

"It's a pity we can't see Eldest Brother one last time."

"To be able to die on the battlefield with Second Brother today is also a blessing for this younger brother. Second Brother, let's be brothers again in the next life."

With a pale face and covered in wounds, Zhang Fei did not show the slightest fear.

"Haha!"

Guan Yu also laughed heroically.

"General Guan, General Zhang, we respect you two as heroes. My Lord is a wise master of the world, with great talent and strategy. Why not put down your weapons, defect to my Lord, and build a career?"

Zhao Yun had had friendships with Zhang Fei and Guan Yu before; under Gongsun Zan's command, both sides had often sparred, only later serving different masters.

Now, looking at the two, Zhao Yun felt pity in his heart and wanted to persuade them to surrender.

"Zilong, you don't need to persuade us. We will not betray Eldest Brother."

Zhang Fei shook his head, his face full of firmness.

"Lord Xuande, I admire him very much. He is a benevolent and virtuous person, but my Lord's benevolence and virtue are not the least bit inferior to Lord Xuande's. And since my Lord entered Xuzhou, in the land of Xuzhou, there have been almost no people who starved to death."

"Two Generals, since you have come to Xuzhou, you should be able to see that the places my Lord governs are all peaceful and tranquil. Such a wise master—why must you be enemies with him?"

"Lord Xuande wants to restore the Divine Han, but now it is nothing more than scooping the moon from the water. Today, in the world, there is no one who can block my Lord's army."

Zhao Yun still wanted to persuade them, but Guan Yu said coldly: "Zilong, you don't need to say anymore."

"Sigh!"

Zhao Yun, seeing this, could only take two steps back. He did not want his hands to be stained with the blood of the two.

"Zilong, why bother talking nonsense with such foolishly loyal people? That Liu Bei is said to be a benevolent and virtuous person, but I see him as nothing more than a person who fishes for fame and a hypocrite."

"If Liu Bei were truly a great and good person, he should understand that Jingzhou simply cannot block my Lord; it would be better to lay down his weapons early to reduce some slaughter."

Zhao Yun might have had scruples about their previous friendship, but the other generals had no such scruples. The number of deputy generals and officers who had died at the hands of Guan and Zhang was not small.

"Besides, if Liu Bei were truly a benevolent and virtuous person, how could he let these two come to ambush my Lord? Is this how a benevolent ruler should behave?"

Taishi Ci and the others' words made Guan and Zhang furious, but the last sentence also made the two's anger stop abruptly.

Regardless, this matter was a stain on their eldest brother. Their eldest brother had always promoted benevolence and virtue, but this kind of thing had nothing to do with benevolence and virtue.

"Stop the nonsense, let's fight again."

Guan Yu still stood there arrogantly, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand slightly raised.

Although at this moment, on this battlefield, only a few of them remained, Guan Yu was still as arrogant as ever, refusing to bow his head.

Under the setting sun, the rune array slowly dissipated.

The Four Symbols Sealing Origin Array, after the few clan elders brought by Yuan Shao sacrificed their lives, was finally broken.

So Yuan Shao was able to escape, and Lv Bu also used his lifespan as the price to cast a secret technique, forcing Huang Zhong back, and finally rode the Red Hare horse to escape.

The others were not so lucky.

Of the fifty people Yuan Shao brought, no more than three or five escaped.

The rest either died in battle or were severely wounded and fell to the ground.

Only Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Wen Chou were still barely standing.

Of course, on Su Fan's side, several died as well; Li Le, Le Jin, and the Lv Xiang brothers all died in battle.

Others, such as Sun Ce, Taishi Ci, and the others, were also quite heavily injured.

Especially Sun Ce, who was heavily struck by Yan Liang at the cost of Yan Liang and Wen Chou fighting to the death.

Of course, compared to Yuan Shao's side, it was naturally much better.

And after this battle, there were no more difficulties in the world. The great generals under the command of several warlords could be considered to have suffered heavy casualties, and Yuan Shao's foundation was finally gone.

Although Lv Bu had escaped, he was no longer a threat.

This battle saw Sun Ce break through; by then, he would have two peerless fierce generals at the half-step Dharma Image stage under his command, and Lv Bu would be completely unable to block them.

"General Guan, General Zhang, I respect the brotherhood and righteousness of the three of you in the Peach Garden. However, in today's world, you two should be able to see."

"There is no one in the world who can block my spearhead. Even if Jingzhou, Ji Province, the Imperial Court, and Yi Province join forces, they cannot block it."

"The aristocratic families in Jingzhou are originally grass on the wall. As long as the news of today's battle spreads, the aristocratic families there will inevitably surrender. How many means do Lord Xuande and Liu Jingsheng have to block my million-strong army under these circumstances of internal and external trouble?"

"I originally did not want too much slaughter, especially heroes like you all; to die like this, is it not a pity?"

"Why not lay down your weapons? I don't need you to serve me now; you only need to observe well how I govern this world and how the people live under other warlords in the world."

"And two Generals, you don't need to worry. I promise that once I take Jingzhou, I will not take action against Lord Xuande. If he is willing to surrender, I will even reuse him."

Su Fan said to Guan and Zhang with a smile.

For Guan and Zhang, Su Fan still admired them very much. Regardless of what shortcomings the two had, their brotherhood and loyalty were rare through the ages.

As for Liu Bei, some said he was hypocritical, and some said he was a hypocrite.

But in Su Fan's view, he had been able to do this for decades without changing; even if he were a hypocritical gentleman, he likely had become a true gentleman.

Liu Bei's ability might be much worse than Old Cao's and Sun Jian's, but he had one ability that was absolutely not bad, and that was his personal charisma.

If he were not a monarch, but a diplomat, he would definitely be a top-tier talent.

Historically, look at how many masters he changed—first Gongsun Zan, then Tao Qian, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and finally Liu Biao.

He changed masters much more diligently than Lv Bu, yet no one said anything about him in this regard.

Every time he defected to others, those warlords would instead place him in a high position; even if he had no power, there would be no slighting of him.

Su Fan's words caused everyone's expressions to change.

"My Lord..."

"No need to say anymore, I have made up my mind."

"What do the two Generals think?"

"Even if you two fight to the death, it won't help Lord Xuande. It would be better to keep your remaining bodies and watch well how I govern this world."

"Will you really let my Eldest Brother go?"

"And reuse my Eldest Brother?" Zhang Fei was full of suspicion. Letting his Eldest Brother go, he could believe a little, but reusing him—was his brain broken?

If it were him, he would absolutely never do such a thing.

Wouldn't this be asking for trouble?

"Haha! Why not? Does General Zhang think I would fear Lord Xuande?"

Su Fan's counter-question left Zhang Fei not knowing what to say.

And Zhang Fei's words also let Su Fan know that the two had already been moved. No one wanted to die; they were not afraid of death, but not wanting to die was a different matter. ===== CHAPTER 282 =====