Chapter 43

The morning before the troops departed from Xuzhou, Liu Bei specially bade farewell to Gan Mei of Xiaopei; Gan Mei was reluctant, but she also understood that a man's career and fame come first.

On the day Liu Bei led his troops out of the city, Mi Zhen came to see him off in an elegant long dress, and handed him a sachet she had personally sewn. Looking at the sachet in his hand and Mi Zhen's fading silhouette, Liu Bei suddenly realized it was time for him to start a family.

In the late Han, Qingzhou administered six commanderies: Donglai, Beihai, Qi, Le'an, Jinan, and Pingyuan. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Qingzhou could be said to suffer the worst banditry; Cao Cao's surge in power after taking office as Inspector of Yanzhou is inseparable from his having cleared Qingzhou, the biggest dungeon of the late Han.

Cao Mengde obtained a million populace and over three hundred thousand surrendered troops from the Qingzhou Yellow Turban forces; he picked the elite and organized them into a Qingzhou army.

Liu Bei launched his forces from the border between Xuzhou and Qingzhou, directly entering Beihai Commandery; within just a few days, Lü Bu, with the force of wind and thunder, leveled all the mountain strongholds of Qingzhou, both large and small Yellow Turban rebel bands—none could match his troops.

Liu Bei affirmed and praised Lü Bu's work, and promised that if Lü Bu could seize all of Xuzhou within two months, he would let him administer Jinan and Le'an commanderies in the future.

Hearing this, Lü Bu's zeal redoubled; he ordered Zang Ba, Hao Meng, Cheng Lian, and Wei Xu, each leading two thousand troops, to sweep the bandits and rebels in Qi and Le'an commanderies. Wherever they went, Liu Bei would issue proclamations to pacify the populace, effectively treating Qingzhou as his own estate.

Half a month later, the Commander of the Anti-bandit Vanguard, Lü Bu, planned to regroup his forces and advance into Le'an Commandery, but he saw Hao Meng, face bruised and swollen, crawling into the main tent; upon seeing his elder brother Lü Bu, he immediately fell to his knees with a thud.

Seeing this pig‑headed figure, Lü Bu took a good while to recognize it as his beloved general Hao Meng, and he struggled to keep from laughing.

"Hao Meng, what happened to you? Were you stung by wasps?"

Hao Meng crawled forward a few steps on the ground and bowed deeply before Lü Bu, saying:

"My lord, when I led troops to suppress the bandits of Changguo County, the county office had been seized by a fierce bandit; my subordinates and brothers fought desperately, and only a thousand managed to escape. That bandit's martial skill is exceedingly high; I beg my lord to grant justice for us and our brothers."

Upon hearing that he had lost over a thousand troops, Lü Bu flew into a rage, thinking that he would need to greatly expand his forces to garrison the two commanderies; these veteran soldiers were the backbone he had retained, yet they were all wiped out in an instant?

Lü Bu kicked Hao Meng hard, then bellowed:

"You good‑for‑nothings, Hou Cheng, muster the troops—I'll personally take down that bandit."

Hou Cheng received the order and departed; thereafter Lü Bu donned his armor, led ten thousand troops in a mighty march, and soon arrived beneath the walls of Changguo County.

Lü Bu's array was strict and orderly, spears and halberds glinting coldly, the large flag bearing the character "Lu" fluttering in the wind. He raised his halberd with a casual gesture, and several loud‑voiced men shouted together:

"General Lü Bu, the Marquis of Wen, personally leads the expedition—rebels, come out and die quickly!"

Upon hearing the shout, the troops on the wall hurried to find the county magistrate; when the subordinate officers reported back, the man in black armor turned around—and it was none other than Zhang Tou, the Spear King who had fled Chang'an that day.

Zhang Tou glanced at a rough map and said to his several lieutenant commanders:

"Right now that Lü Bu fellow comes with a mighty aura; we also have fifteen thousand elite troops and fear him not, but these walls are low and easy to attack yet hard to defend—probably not a place to linger. Our lord is far away in Xuzhou, and we have wasted too much time—alas!"

One lieutenant commander said:

"General, we have merely been staying here temporarily after many days of winding mountain roads; now that we have rested, we can abandon the city and leave."

Another stepped forward and said:

"Does Lü Bu think we're afraid of him? The insults they shout from below are truly unpleasant. Humph, back in Chang'an we chased them until they abandoned helmets and armor."

Zhang Tou waved his hand and sighed:

"Who under heaven does not know the great name of Lü Bu? Back when I guarded Hangu Pass with my uncle, I hardly ever saw him; today is also a chance—muster the troops, I will go meet this famed Marquis of Wen."

The gate of Changguo County swung open; a contingent of Western Liang cavalry poured out, forming two rows at the foot of the wall, and Zhang Tou, clad entirely in black armor and robes, wielded an iron spear as he stepped forward.

"Where is the Marquis of Wen? Here stands Zhang Tou of Western Liang."

Upon hearing that the force was from the Western Liang faction, Lü Bu recalled the embarrassing episode of being chased by Li Jue and Guo Si, and his anger flared.

"A Western Liang stray dog dares to wound my beloved lieutenant? Come, take a blow from my halberd!"

Zhang Tou flew into a rage, spurred his horse forward.

"You three‑surnamed slave, stop your insolence—do you really think you're invincible under heaven?"

Clang!

Zhang Tou thrust his Sky‑Piercing Halberd, and the halberd, as if imbued with spirit, sliced down along the spear shaft.

Zhang Tou, indeed highly skilled, released his spear with his right hand, drew his sword, retracted the spear with his left, and then struck fiercely at Lü Bu with his blade.

Lü Bu roared, the crescent blade of his halberd heavily deflecting Zhang Tou's sword, then in a flash he swung the halberd toward Zhang Tou's head; Zhang Tou hastily ducked, but the halberd sheared off the tassel on his helmet.

Under the tremendous force of Lü Bu's Sky‑Piercing Halberd, which weighs several dozen catties, Zhang Tou was forced to parry left and right; with a martial power of 100, Lü Bu truly is the foremost warrior under heaven, and within fewer than thirty exchanges he had Zhang Tou hesitating, unable to hold his ground.

Zhang Tou realized they were on completely different levels; he feinted with his spear and withdrew his horse. Seeing this, Hou Cheng and the others ordered the Bingzhou troops to press the attack; the Western Liang Army's morale collapsed, they could not resist, and suffered a crushing defeat, fleeing back.

Zhang Tou led the defeated troops fleeing to the gate; behind him, Hou Cheng and Hao Meng continued to lead several thousand troops in relentless pursuit. Seeing this, the officers on the wall commanded the archers and crossbowmen to fire, a hail of arrows driving back the pursuing Bingzhou troops, allowing Zhang Tou and his remnants to enter Changguo County.

"Zhang Tou, you lad, are still nowhere near my match—dismount and surrender at once!"

Lü Bu burst into loud laughter; at that moment he finally swept away his previous gloom, and his spirits rose high with pride.