The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 343 Ma Zhong: I actually captured Zhou Cang?

When Ma Zhong saw Guan Xing, he also saw Zhou Cang following behind Guan Xing. Although he was curious about why there was a burly man covered in dirt who looked like a refugee next to Guan Xing, he did not ask.

Whom General Guan Xing takes is his own business and has nothing to do with me. As a surrendered general, I must always be aware of my place and not have too much curiosity.

So Ma Zhong chose to ignore Zhou Cang and greeted Guan Xing with a smile. But before he even got close to Guan Xing, the burly man, who looked like a refugee, drew his sword and charged at him. It was Guan Xing's sword.

Ma Zhong was stunned on the spot, his smile froze, and a big question mark appeared in his mind.

Who the hell are you? Do I know you? What grudge do we have? Why are you attacking me the moment we meet?

Guan Xing was also bewildered by Zhou Cang's sudden action. What was going on? Why did he suddenly make a move?

Seeing that Zhou Cang's sword was about to strike Ma Zhong's head, Ma Zhong froze on the spot as if he had been hit by a brick. Guan Xing didn't have time to think and rushed forward to hug Zhou Cang's lower back, pulling him back while trying to persuade him: "Uncle Zhou, calm down, what's wrong?"

Zhou Cang, who was being held, instinctively struggled, trying to break free from Guan Xing's grasp and continue charging. However, Guan Xing was no less strong than him and he could not break free. He could only continue to struggle and shout, "He is under Pan Zhang's command. That day, it was this bastard who led his troops to rob our caravan and threw me into prison. Second Young Master, let me go, I will fight him to the death."

He was imprisoned for several months. Normally, that would be one thing, but the key issue is that he was on a mission. If this delayed Liu Bei and Guan Yu's important matter, he would be guilty of a hundred deaths.

So during this time he couldn't eat or sleep well, and was so anxious he was almost going crazy. Now that he saw his enemy who had imprisoned him, how could he not be envious?

Zhou Cang struggled desperately, but the more he struggled, the further away he was pulled from Ma Zhong by Guan Xing. He could only swing his sword wildly, kick his legs wildly, and shout angrily, "Second Young Master, let me go! I'm going to kill this bastard!"

Guan Xing was stunned by his words. Zhou Cang was actually sent to prison by Ma Zhong. What a coincidence!

Ma Zhong managed to capture Guan Yu's bodyguard without anyone noticing; his reputation as a "god-catcher" is well-deserved.

But what do we do now?

Guan Xing didn't have time to think and quickly advised, "Uncle Zhou, calm down. He has already surrendered and is one of us now. Please don't act impulsively."

After saying that, he scolded Ma Zhong, "What are you standing there for? Run! Deng Hong, take him away quickly!"

Ma Zhong snapped to his senses and, without thinking, turned and ran, with Deng Hong quickly following.

After the two had walked away, Guan Xing said, "Uncle Zhou, calm down. I'll let you go if you promise not to chase after me."

Zhou Cang had vented his emotions and understood what had happened. He threw down his sword and said dejectedly, "Second Young Master, please let go."

Guan Xing let go and stepped back to inquire about the situation. Zhou Cang replied, "We were traveling on the official road that day and were about to enter Linru County when that man led over a thousand bandits dressed as Wu soldiers to attack and surround us. The caravan only had a few dozen people and was no match for them. I had no choice but to surrender with the other caravan members, planning to find a way to escape later. Who would have thought that this bastard would rob us and then throw us into jail without even asking us anything?"

Guan Xing sighed for a moment, then patted his shoulder to comfort him, saying, "It's alright, it's all over now. Take a shower first, then eat. After you've eaten and drunk your fill, I'll let you two have a fight to cool off. Let's go."

After saying that, she took Zhou Cang to take a bath. She also prepared to take a bath herself. The grime that Zhou Cang had accumulated over the past few months, as well as the tears and snot that he shed from being overjoyed to see her, all smeared on her body. She really couldn't stand not washing herself.

The two walked arm in arm to the bedroom to take a shower. At the same time, Ma Zhong finally ran into the neighboring yard. Seeing that Zhou Cang was not chasing after him, he turned around and asked Deng Hong, "Who is General Deng? Why did he attack me as soon as he saw me? I don't know him."

Deng Hong said speechlessly, "He is Zhou Cang, the bodyguard of General Guan. Even if you don't know him, you should have heard of him. These days he has been responsible for delivering messages between the King and General Guan. Some time ago, when he was returning to Jiangdong from the King's place, you caught him and threw him into prison. If the young general hadn't been wandering around the prison, he wouldn't have found out. Do you think he should have killed you?"

Ma Zhong was stunned. He had naturally heard of Zhou Cang's name, but given his status, he had no access to Guan Yu's close associates. Upon hearing this, he exclaimed in astonishment, "I actually captured General Guan's bodyguard with his sword. I have such a feat?"

Damn it, if I had known I was arresting Zhou Cang, I would never have left him in jail to rot. If I had just taken him to Jiangling and presented him to Sun Quan, I probably would have been promoted three ranks.

This is the highest-ranking Han general captured by the Wu army since Guan Yu's raid on Jianye. What a pity.

However, if he were really sent to Jiangling, he would have become mortal enemies with Zhou Cang, and if he were to seek refuge with Guan Xing, his life would probably not be easy. So, the current outcome seems to be quite good.

Ma Zhong was filled with both regret and relief, his emotions swinging wildly.

After Guan Xing finished showering and eating, he looked at the refreshed Zhou Cang and laughed, "That's more like it. Let's go. I'll have Ma Zhong fight you at the training ground. After that, we'll call it a day, okay?"

Zhou Cang shook his head and said, "No need. I've already figured it out. Ma Zhong wasn't targeting me. Being captured was my bad luck and I can't blame anyone else. Besides, Ma Zhong didn't torture me or let me go hungry after I was captured. That's enough."

Guan Xing said with relief, "That's why I say you have a high level of awareness. Well then, get some rest. I'll see you off tomorrow morning."

Zhou Cang was carrying Liu Bei's orders to deliver a message to Guan Yu that he could not stay in Linru any longer. Upon hearing this, he said, "Young master, I want to leave now. I don't want to stay in this wretched place of Linru for even a moment longer."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Guan Xing stopped trying to persuade him and ordered people to prepare provisions and travel expenses to personally escort him out of the city.

Not long after Zhou Cang returned to the city, Geng Shang rushed over, panting, and said, "General, great news! Merchants in the military market just sent word that Pan Zhang has sent troops to attack Peng Qi. Currently, there are only two or three thousand men left to guard the Riyue Lake camp. This is a golden opportunity to raid the camp. Should we act immediately and wipe out Pan Zhang's lair?"

Guan Xing's eyes lit up and he sat up abruptly, about to gather his men to discuss countermeasures. But he realized something before he could speak and quickly stopped himself. He slowly sat back down, frowning as he pondered, "We can't go."

Geng Shang asked in surprise, "Why, General? Are you afraid that Pan Zhang will pretend to leave and then secretly return to ambush us in the camp?"

"There's absolutely no need to worry about that. Our people have been keeping an eye on Pan Zhang. It's impossible for Pan Zhang to lead five or six thousand men on an expedition without making a sound. If he turns back, our people will definitely notice immediately."

Guan Xing shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm worried about. I just want to ask you, what would Pan Zhang do if the attack on the camp were successful?"

Geng Shang remained silent.

Guan Xing didn't expect him to answer and instead said to himself, "After learning that the main camp had been attacked and without knowing the strength of our army, Pan Zhang will definitely retreat to Yuhan to join Zhuge Jin, which will put us at a disadvantage."

“We previously analyzed the possibility of Pan Zhang retreating to Yuhan and thought it was unlikely, because Pan Zhang’s retreat to Yuhan would be tantamount to giving up the connection between Nanchang and Yuhan and abandoning his own grain supply route. Pan Zhang would not and dare not do such a thing.”

"But this is only the normal situation. There is also an abnormal situation, which is when Pan Zhang suffers a defeat in battle and has to retreat to Yuhan for temporary refuge."

“Pan Zhang can retreat to Yuhan, but I cannot let him retreat to Yuhan. If he really joins up with Zhuge Jin, it will be difficult to deal with him and Zhuge Jin again.”

"What I want is not Pan Zhang's Riyue Lake camp and the thousands of troops stationed there, but the complete annihilation of Pan Zhang's more than 10,000 troops, including Pan Zhang himself."

"To achieve this goal, we can't beat Pan Zhang too badly. We can attack the Sun and Moon Lake camp, but we can't succeed. If we succeed, Pan Zhang will be scared away. Do you understand?"