Chapter 27

Liu Bei led his subordinates Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and Xu Huang, together with five thousand Snow Dragon cavalry and thirty thousand Guiyi troops, in a rapid march toward Xuzhou.

Cao Cao, learning that Liu Bei's troops were making a forced march through Yanzhou without any obstruction, was pleased to see Liu Bei and Lu Bu battle each other to the death, and after hearing about the situation in Chang'an he conceived a devious scheme in his mind—of course, that is a later tale.

Outside Xuzhou, a force under Lu Bu had already taken up position, and the armies coming and going bore a solemn bearing, with foot soldiers and cavalry continuously patrolling.

In Xuzhou the city was already prepared for Lu Bu's assault; Tao Qian was gravely ill and could not rise from his bed, and all matters in the city were being discussed and handled by Mi Zhu and Chen Deng. The two were unanimous that Liu Bei should return quickly to claim Xuzhou, and for now they could only hope that Guan Yu at Xiaopei would lead his troops to hold back Lu Bu, the raging tiger.

Er Ye's expression changed dramatically after receiving Mi Zhu's message; if Lu Bu were to seize Xuzhou, that would be disastrous—his elder brother had tasked him with guarding the crystal, and he could not guard it for a month only to lose it.

Thus Er Ye mobilized the Jing'an Army of Xiaopei, leaving Jian Yong to command ten thousand troops to guard the city, while Er Ye himself and Mi Fang rode through the night with over twenty thousand soldiers toward Xuzhou's outskirts.

At sunrise, Lu Bu's scouts spotted another force outside Xuzhou whose numbers were not less than his own.

In Lu Bu's main camp, supplies of food and medicine were already scarce; inside the big tent Lu Bu sat at the command table, his hair bound in a crown, clad in a hundred‑flower battle robe, wearing Tang‑Ni armor, a barbarian treasure belt, his whole bearing dignified and imposing.

On either side sat his eight elite generals and the strategist Chen Gong. On the left, the upright, stern Chen Gong, wearing a square hat, presided; on the right, the purple‑jade‑faced, imposing Zhang Liao led, with the tall, muscular Gao Shun behind him.

"Sir Gong Tai, what should we do now? The people of Xuzhou don't seem very welcoming."

Chen Gong brushed his modest goatee and answered Lu Bu:

"General, do not worry. Xuzhou lacks troops and commanders; Liu Bei is not in Xuzhou, and we have heard that Tao Qian is already powerless to handle Xuzhou's affairs. Seizing Xuzhou as our foundation is a great opportunity!"

Song Xian, Lu Bu's subordinate, thought Xuzhou had no great generals, so if he went up it would be a piece of cake. He then stood up and offered his service to Lu Bu.

"Yes! Lord Wen, I am willing to be the vanguard and take down those Mi brothers!"

Zhang Liao and Gao Shun both wore looks of disdain, but neither said a word.

Lu Bu pondered for a moment, then, as if making up his mind, said to Song Xian:

"Very well, Song Xian, I'll give you two thousand elite soldiers; go and probe Xuzhou's city defenses first."

Song Xian was elated, feeling his opportunity had arrived, and cheerfully set off after receiving the order.

Song Xian, with two thousand troops, formed a formation beneath Xuzhou's walls; the Lu and Song banners flapped fiercely in the wind. He spurred his horse forward into the fight, his words far from courteous.

At that moment, Guan Yu was discussing city defenses with Chen Deng and Mi Zhu, and upon hearing Song Xian's shouts below the city, Er Ye slowly furrowed his brows.

Mi Fang, hearing this, became enraged and offered his service to Guan Yu for battle.

Guan Yu thought for a moment and finally consented; Mi Fang then ordered the suspension bridge lowered and led over a hundred cavalry to charge out of the city gate.

Mi Fang, seeing that Song Xian was hideously ugly, deliberately began to insult him with words.

"Lu Bu's ugly thief, come here and take a slash from grandpa!"

Song Xian, already broad‑shouldered and massive, his great beard covering half his face from years of neglect in the Western Liang Army, heard Mi Zhu call him an ugly thief and instantly flew into a rage.

"You little fat guy, watch whether I'll cut you!"

The two clashed on horseback in the same area, trading blows with great relish. Mi Fang's martial skill was not lacking, but Song Xian, as one of the Eight Elite Generals, truly possessed extraordinary prowess; after thirty or forty exchanges, Mi Fang began to lose his footing.

Mi Zhu saw that Mi Fang was beginning to lose his footing and urgently asked Guan Yu to intervene.

Er Ye also recognized Mi Fang's dilemma, so he ordered a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, mounted the sweat‑blood horse that Liu Bei had gifted him, and rode out of the city to strike.

"Mi Fang, fall back quickly; watch me slash him!"

The little fat guy, already straining to support himself, heard the order and hastily drew his sword to retreat, while Song Xian, seeing Guan Yu's fierce momentum, could not dare to be careless even for a moment.

Song Xian was about to speak when Er Ye's sweat‑blood horse, moving at incredible speed, was at Song Xian's side in an instant. Er Ye raised his hand, brought his blade down, and with a waist‑cut sent Song Xian flying. Poor Song Xian, mid‑air, saw his body split, and his upper half crashed heavily to the ground.

Lu Bu's troops let out a shocked roar, all trembling with fear; after all, Song Xian was the third‑ranked war general under Lu Bu, and he was slain by a single slash!

Er Ye tilted his long sword, stroked his beard, and gave Song Xian's corpse a sideways glance, coldly

"Rat!"

On Xuzhou's walls, war drums boomed, and Guan Yu's Jing'an Army shouted loudly.

The news had already been passed to Lu Bu by a foot soldier, and Lu Bu grew angry upon hearing it.

"Liu Bei's forces are not here; who in Xuzhou now can slay Song Xian?! I'll go confront him myself!"

Lu Bu's generals rode out together with him; Lu Bu mounted the Red Hare, wielding the Fangtian Halberd, and charged out of the battle line.

"Red‑faced thief! Was it you who slew my general Song Xian?"

Guan Yu, brandishing his long sword, stroked his beard proudly and said:

"This man spews filthy words; he has soiled my great sword."

Lu Bu let out a cold laugh, lifted the reins and galloped toward Guan Yu. Er Ye, fully aware of Lu Bu's prowess and unwilling to be careless, also surged forward on his horse toward Lu Bu; soldiers on both sides waved flags and shouted, and in an instant the two's momentum reached a peak.

Er Ye, who always favored the initiative, at this moment facing Lu Bu's peerless general, could not be careless; Er Ye swung a diagonal slash at Lu Bu's shoulder, Lu Bu raised his Fangtian Halberd to block effortlessly, and Er Ye's thunderous strike was easily deflected.

"Ah!"

Er Ye's arm muscles surged suddenly, his already reddish face turning almost purple‑black. Lu Bu sneered, slowly reclaimed Er Ye's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and the two instantly separated.

Then Er Ye thrust another slash toward Lu Bu's waist; Lu Bu forcefully slammed his halberd onto Er Ye's blade, and Er Ye felt his arm go numb, the overwhelming power from the hilt unlike anything he had ever experienced before—no wonder the three‑surname household slaves...

"Red‑faced thief, you've struck me twice; take my halberd and I'll give you one back!"

Lu Bu clenched his legs around the horse's belly, the Red Hare's hooves leapt into the air, and Lu Bu seized the moment to thrust his halberd heavily at Guan Yu, while Er Ye hurriedly raised his sword to block.

"Clang!"

Er Ye's sweat‑blood horse seemed pressed uncomfortably by the force, stepping back two paces. Lu Bu's Red Hare, already a legendary steed, seeing the opponent almost…

Er Ye withdrew his sword, turned back, using the horse's stirrup for leverage to strike Lu Bu again; thus the two fought for over eighty exchanges, Lu Bu still showing no sign of fatigue, while Er Ye began to lose the rhythm.

"Clang clang clang."

At that moment, the sound of gold ringing echoed from Xuzhou's walls, and the two rode their horses back, each retreating.