“Brother! Brother!” Zhang Fei and Liao Hua did not enter the forest. Using the time Chen Dao had given them, Zhang Fei and Liao Hua continued on their path. Along the way, they found Liu Bei. Zhang Fei finally felt calmer and could also speak all of his thoughts.
“Milord!” Along with Zhang Fei, Liao Hua also called out to Liu Bei. They had finally escaped. They did not die in the confusion.
“Third Brother!” Liu Bei quickly rushed up. He was shocked when he saw Zhang Fei and Liao Hua as they looked miserable. Zhang Fei’s body was completely covered in blood. His face was also pale because he lost a lot of blood. Liao Hua was not faring any better. Although the one he fought was Zang Ba, his injuries could clearly be seen. Fortunately, it was not his arteries that had been cut. Behind Zhang Fei and Liao Hua were hundreds of wounded soldiers that have lost their armors. The most important point was that none of them were the White Eared Soldiers that Liu Bei were most concerned of. As a result, Liu Bei’s expression turned dark and he became restless.
“Where is General Chen Dao? Where are the White Eared Soldiers?” Pang Tong quickly asked. There are some things that would be inconvenient for Liu Bei to say especially since Liu Bei had to show concern for the ones that live. As the advisor, the job of saying what his Lord could not falls to him.
“Shuzhi is…” Zhang Fei wanted to speak but he was still feeling very upset. He was badly injured and any big movements would aggravate his injury. What Zhang Fei wanted to say was that Chen Dao sacrificed himself to save them. Zhang Fei was afraid of owing debts to people but this debt could no longer be repaid.
“Men. Give these generals medical treatment!” If blood continues to flow out, they would die. The medics then came out to give them treatment.
Although Zhang Fei could not say it, Liao Hua could. “Milord. In order for me and Third General to retreat, General Chen Dao took the White Eared soldiers and is possibly…”
“It is possible that they were completely wiped out.” Liao Hua carefully looked at Liu Bei’s expression.
“What?” Liu Bei grabbed Liao Hua’s shoulders and glared with his eyes wide. He could not believe Liao Hua’s words. “What did you say? Say it again!” Although Liu Bei did not join the battle, he was still a military commander. He had once killed on the battlefield during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Liu Bei had also fought in the coalition against Dong Zhuo, at that time he started taking less personal actions. After such a long time, Liu Bei used his strength. Liao Hua was unable to endure it and cold sweat started to form.
“Milord. Milord!” Pang Tong called out. He became certain of this information when he saw that the other soldiers were also nodding in response. Liu Bei finally let go. If he had continued, Liao Hua could have died. After all, Liao Hua was injured and even then, he did not dare to struggle against his Lord.
“Brother! When he saved Zhang Xiu, we fell into Lu Bu’s trap. The Formation Breaker, the Wolf Cavalry and the Taishan Army had not been targeting Zhang Xiu but us!” Zhang Fei finally realized that Zhang Xiu was bait. Lu Bu had used Zhang Xiu to surround and wipe out the White Eared Soldiers. “Shuzhi held them off to ensure that we could retreat safely.”
“Shuzhi! Shuzhi!” Liu Bei threw himself to the ground in grief and wept. He saved Zhang Xiu and not even a thousand of the Xiliang Cavalry but he lost Chen Dao and five thousand White Eared Soldiers.
Liu Bei have been defeated many times before. At the start, he had contributed a lot when fighting the Yellow Turbans and also when fighting against Dong Zhuo. Yet, he did not receive a lot of merits. His luck turned around when he obtained Xuzhou but it was taken by Lu Bu and Cao Cao. He was chased all the way to Yangzhou but he was still not discouraged. However, Liu Bei was now dispirited. This is because the weapon he relied on to survive, the key to making his comeback, is gone.
The five thousand White Eared Soldiers had been Liu Bei’s trump card but he had lost them. Zhang Fei and Liao Hua were also in terrible condition, it was unlikely that Chen Dao fared any better. Besides that, Chen Dao had stayed behind to ensure their escape. Losing his excellent general and his White Eared Soldiers had been a very huge blow. Liu Bei was also about forty years old already. He had spent many years to form the White Eared Soldiers and he no longer had enough time to do it again before losing the capability to rule the world.
Liu Bei had wailed sorrowfully. His mouth called out Chen Dao’s name but in his heart, he was mourning his many years of failure. Failing to capture Yangzhou was not too bad but losing his White Eared Soldiers truly made him grieve. The more Liu Bei thought about it, the more heartbroken he felt and at the same time, the more loyal the soldiers became to him as they felt touched that their Lord would cry so sorrowfully for the death of his own subordinates.
“Milord. Restrain your grief!” Pang Tong could only try to console Liu Bei. However, Pang Tong’s words betrayed him as someone would naturally start pointing his fingers at Pang Tong.
“It’s you!” Zhang Fei turned around to point at Pang Tong. You are the one that made my brother attack Yangzhou! You are the one that made him save Zhang Xiu! Now, we did not capture Yangzhou and we lost Shuzhi! This is your fault! If it was not for you, Brother would safely be at Yuzhou! Shuzhi would also still be alive!” Zhang Fei started making trouble without reason. Pang Tong could not actually be blamed as he was scheming for Liu Bei, to make Liu Bei more powerful. Pang Tong was the first class advisor that the Liu Bei’s Army needed. Without him, Liu Bei would have still been entertaining the fantasy of attacking Cao Cao again. If it was not because of the sudden changes in situation, Yangzhou would have already belonged to Liu Bei.
The moment Zhang Fei said that, the other soldiers also looked at Pang Tong with animosity. It was because of Pang Tong that they attacked Lu Bu and Liu Mang, losing a lot of their comrades while obtaining nothing in return. Naturally, the soldiers also felt angry.
“Third Brother, shut up!” Liu Bei shouted at his brother after calming himself a little.
“Brother!” Zhang Fei became dissatisfied, still blaming Pang Tong for Chen Dao’s death. “Brother! Was it worth it for the Xiliang Cavalry?” It was the first time Zhang Fei questioned his brother.
Liu Bei himself did not know whether his actions had been worth it. Chen Dao was his most loyal general. He was like another one of Liu Bei’s brother. They had gone through many hardships together and Chen Dao was not placed any lower than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in Liu Bei’s heart. The White Eared Soldiers were also needed for him to make a comeback but Liu Bei had lost both.
On the other hand, Liu Bei had managed to save Zhang Xiu and also his reputation as a benevolent person. He may not know whether this was worth it but he knew that Pang Tong did not betray him. This series of events had made him feel even older.
“Milord! This is my, Pang Tong’s fault. Please execute me to bring justice to the soldiers!” Pang Tong was no longer able to see the future. He wanted to save Zhang Xiu to show Liu Bei’s benevolence and subdue Zhang Xiu. He had expected casualties amongst the White Eared Soldiers but he did not expect them to be completely routed. Lu Bu had planned to take the White Eared Soldiers the entire time. For them to have such a scheme, it must have been made by Chen Gong.
Pang Tong was certain that his talent was no less than others like Chen Gong and Guo Jia. Besides that, he had the advantage as he was younger. Pang Tong would be able to support his Lord for over ten years but Chen Gong and Guo Jia may not be able to do so. Pang Tong believed himself superior, forgetting that younger also meant less experienced.
“How could this be Shiyuan’s fault?” Liu Bei laughed bitterly and shook his head. He looked at the soldiers, knowing that there would be a mutiny if he did not give a good explanation. Liu Bei then knelt down on the floor.
“Milord. What are you…?”
“Brother?”
“Milord!” Liu Bei’s actions had caused everyone to be stunned. They felt as though they had said something wrong.
“Men. If there is anyone to blame, it is me, Liu Bei Liu Xuande. I am incompetent. I am powerless to protect the Han. I am powerless to defeat the Traitor Lu!” Liu Bei spoke as he wept, using his same old tricks. He would have already made a name for himself if he worked under others as he was brimming with talent despite his bad personality. He could have become a commander. Cao Cao asked the Emperor to make him the Left General and also be the Royal Uncle because of his talents but Liu Bei refused to work under others.
Liu Bei wanted to achieve his dreams of sitting in the Imperial Canopy.
“Brother! This is not your fault, why are kneeling on the ground?” Zhang Fei also knelt down. The others also did not dare to continue standing when their Lord was kneeling. “It is that Fatty! It is Pang Tong’s fault!”
“Milord. How could I let you take the blame for me?” Pang Tong felt touched. Even if Liu Bei was acting, the act of kneeling on the ground for him had made him frantic.
“Shiyuan. There is no need for you to say anything.”
“Third Brother. You do not understand. The Military Advisor did all this for me and the Han. The era of the Han is ending and traitors are everywhere. Cao Cao had deceived the Emperor. General Yang Wu protecting us from them is our blessing. That is why, General Yang Wu cannot die. He is also one of the hopes for the Han. I am sure Shuzhi would also sacrifice his life for General Yang Wu if he had the chance!” In order to save Pang Tong, Liu Bei went through a lot of hardships to praise Zhang Xiu. Both Chen Dao and the White Eared Soldiers were already gone. There was no purpose in blaming anyone. If Liu Bei had not turn things around so quickly, he would lose Pang Tong as well. At that time, there really would not be any hope left for him. With Pang Tong around, he would still have some hope.
“If Third Brother needs to blame anyone, blame me. It was my orders that killed Shuzhi and the other soldiers! If the others are still dissatisfied, I am willing to die in the Military Advisor’s place!” Liu Bei then took out his sword but it was definitely impossible to kill himself with Zhang Fei and Liao Hua nearby. He made it look as though they were forcing him to die.
“Third General, let go! Someone needs to be responsible for the lives of those lost!” Liu Bei said without listening to reason.
“Brother… you!” Zhang Fei never cared about saving Zhang Xiu. He knew that all this happened because of Pang Tong. In fact, Zhang Fei did not look at Zhang Xiu kindly ever since Liu Pi was forced to die.
“Milord this is not your fault. This is because of that Slave of Three Surnames! He is the reason Chen Dao and the White Eared Soldiers died!” Liao Hua was the one that knew what to say. He could see that Liu Bei have already set up the stage. He also could not let his patron, Pang Tong, to die.
“Yes! It is that Slave of Three Surnames! He is the one that killed General Chen Dao and all of our comrades!” Liu Bei’s soldiers suddenly started to agree. The hatred had all been transferred to Lu Bu.
“Third Brother. You…” Liu Bei smiled when he saw everyone changing their opinions of Pang Tong. All that is left was Zhang Fei.
“I understand, Brother! Military Advisor, I am sorry for accusing you wrongly!” Zhang Fei was unwilling but he still acted according to his brother’s desires.
“Third General is too polite. You are simply someone who says what he thinks!” Pang Tong would also not pursue the matter after Zhang Fei apologized.
“Milord, we must quickly leave!” Pang Tong suddenly said. They were based near the forest but it was not certain that Lu Bu would not reach here.
“Yes. We must leave!” Liu Bei nodded. The soldiers also scattered. They would leave Yangzhou together with Zhang Xiu and the Xiliang Cavalry.