♂?，，

  That fleeting figure, clad in a cyan robe, appeared to be a scholar, but his physique was unusually tall and muscular. His face, with its sharp features, had a subtle charm that exuded a sense of rugged masculinity. However, at this moment, his eyes betrayed a hint of disorientation, and his two swords-like eyebrows were knotted in distress.

  It is Xu Shu.

  "It's Mr. Xul" Liu Feng's eyesight was extraordinary, and with the last ray of sunset, he caught a glimpse of that face.

  Zhao Yun suddenly pulled the reins, his starry eyes piercing through the cold space. A few seconds later, he also recognized Xu Shu's face. The old lady behind him heard her son's name and her weak body was instantly electrified, trembling with excitement, but because of excessive excitement, her throat was blocked by tears, and she couldn't speak for a moment.

  "Mr. Xü, how come you're alone here? Where are your father and the others?" Liu Feng asked loudly before anyone else could speak up.

  Xu Shu also recognized the two of them, but the dim light and Zhao Yun's robust physique blocked the old lady behind him.

  Liu Feng's identity has undergone some subtle changes due to the birth of Adou, but in terms of status, he is still the eldest son of the Liu family. In ordinary times, except for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, Liu Bei's other subordinates still dare not neglect their courtesy towards him.

  But now, Xu Shu saw him and didn't even call out "Young Master", just perfunctorily cupped his hands: "The masters are safe and sound, they have already crossed Yangping Bridge, Young Master and Zi Long should hurry to meet up with them, if you're late, I'm afraid the Cao army will catch up again."

  Xu Shou spoke with a heavy heart throughout, and as soon as he finished speaking, he urged his horse to head north.

  "General Yuan, the north is filled with Cao's army and won't let us reunite with our father, so why do you want to go north alone?" Liu Feng had already guessed a bit but didn't reveal it for now.

  Xu Shu sighed and said, "To be honest, I heard that my mother has been taken away by Cao Cao. As a filial son, I must prioritize her safety, so I can only go to Cao's camp."

  Zhao Yun's expression changed, and he temporarily did not see through it. He asked: "Mr. Yuan Zhi, are you going to abandon our lord and surrender to Cao Ze?"

  Xu Shou sighed weakly: "My lord, you have treated me with kindness and understanding, but for the sake of my elderly mother, I must do this. My lord is benevolent and has already understood my difficulties. The two of you, my heart is in turmoil, so I won't say more, take care."

  Xu Shu's urgent appearance was as if he didn't want to stay for a moment, and just as he was about to whip his horse into a gallop, Liu Feng grabbed the reins of his horse first, laughing: "People say that Xu Yuanzhi is the most filial son in the world. Now that I've seen him, it's indeed true. However, Mr. Yuanzhi, if you go to Cao's camp today, I'm afraid your reputation as a filial son will be ruined from now on."

  "Da Gong Zi......" Xu Shu did not understand its meaning.

  "Sir, look at this person."

  Liu Feng pointed behind Zhao Yun, and Xu Shu's dazed eyes followed the direction of Liu Feng's finger. When he saw the old woman standing behind Zhao Yun with tears streaming down her face, he felt as if he had suddenly climbed from the icy depths to the scorching summit, and his eyes welled up with tears instantly.

  "Mother!"

  Xu Shu dismounted his horse and rushed to his mother, who was being helped down from her horse by Liu Feng. The mother and son, who had been separated for so long, were finally reunited, and all the emotions they had accumulated over the years flowed out in tears.

  Witnessing this scene of maternal love, Liu Feng suddenly thought of his relatives who were separated from him by different worlds, and a sense of melancholy arose in his heart.

  After the mother and son hugged each other and cried for a while, their excited emotions finally calmed down. Xu Shu collected his tears and asked his mother why she was with Da Gongzi and Zhao Zilong. The old lady then told her son how she was captured by Cao's army and how she was rescued by the two men, telling him about her narrow escape from death.

  Xu Shu listened, immediately composed his expression, and deeply bowed to Liu and Zhao: "The kindness of the Grand Duke and General Zi Long, Xu Shu has no way to repay, please accept my bow."

  Zhao Yun quickly helped Xu Shu up: "It was just a small effort, Mr. Xu saw it from the outside. Moreover, this matter still owes to the young master's good eyesight, recognizing the old lady in time, otherwise, I almost made a big mistake."

  "Great kindness, I will remember it in my heart." On his broad face, a surge of heartfelt gratitude welled up. Xu Shu turned to Liu Feng and knelt down again.

  Liu Feng hastily reached out to support him, smiling faintly: "Sir, for the sake of his father, you have devoted your heart and soul to planning and scheming. What I've done is just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning. Sir, please don't keep bowing and scraping; if you really want to thank me, just invite me to drink a good wine instead."

  Xu Shu is now serving as a strategist under Liu Bei, but in his early years, he traveled extensively and was known for his chivalrous deeds. Later, seeing the chaos of the world, he realized that relying solely on martial prowess could not solve problems, so he laid down his arms and turned to literature. After all, Xu Shu's blood still flows with a heroic spirit of chivalry.

  Liu Feng's grand and bold demeanor was just to Xu Shu's taste, so he no longer bothered with those formalities and laughed heartily: "Good, young master, you're absolutely right! I'll change it to 'I must drink a thousand cups with the young master'. Zilong, when the time comes, you must come too. We'll drink until we can't get drunk!"

  Zhao Yun smiled faintly and said: "That's not necessary, you all know that I've never drunk alcohol."

  "Uncle Yun, don't be a spoilsport, this wine must be drunk."

  Zhou Yu smiled but did not speak.

  Changshan Slope, also known as the baptism of blood and fire. After experiencing this small warmth of a mother-son reunion in front of me, it seems to have temporarily forgotten the previous thrilling scene. On the desolate wilderness where autumn winds are blowing, cheerful laughter is scattered with the wind.

  Before nightfall, Liu Feng and others successfully crossed the Dangyang Bridge guarded by Zhang Fei, changed direction to head east for five or six miles, and finally caught up with the main force. The so-called "main force" was actually only twenty or thirty people.

  This time, Liu Bei retreated from Fancheng to Xiangyang. After consulting with Zhuge Liang, he decided to divide his troops of over 10,000 into two routes: water and land. The water route was led by Guan Yu with about 5,000 naval soldiers and more than 300 warships, sailing south along the Han River. The land route was led by Liu Bei himself, leading 5,000 soldiers to march towards Jiangling via the Dangyang Road.

  At that time, Cao's army Tiger and Leopard Cavalry arrived in pursuit. Xu Chu led 1,000 soldiers to charge the rear of Liu Feng's 2,000-strong vanguard, while Cao Chun led another 2,000 soldiers to bypass the civilian crowd of 100,000 people from the side and directly attacked the front end of Liu Bei's central army, preparing to behead Liu Bei.

  However, due to the time difference, Xu Chu's troops launched an attack ahead of schedule, causing the large southern escape team to disperse first and the chaotic refugee tide slowed down Cao Chun's attack. Nevertheless, the most elite 3,000 Liu family army was still unable to withstand the reduced offensive of the Hu Bao cavalry. The 3,000 soldiers were either killed or dispersed, and only under Zhang Fei's desperate fight to the death could Liu Bei lead Zhuge Liang and other core troops to narrowly escape across Dangyang Bridge.

  The flickering campfire crackled from time to time, and Liu Bei, dressed in tattered clothes, sat silently beside it, his charred wooden stick randomly stirring the flames.

  His forehead was full of the marks of years of vicissitudes, a thin and long face, eyes slightly apart, and the two small mustaches on his lips still had ash. A plain-looking face seemed to have no majesty or prestige, but it was precisely this plainness that somehow made the silent subordinates around him feel an implicit majesty.

  Under the calm and peaceful expression, there was a heart bleeding with sorrow. The 5,000 soldiers he had painstakingly trained for seven years were lost in just one day. It would be strange if he didn't feel pain. However, what truly made him feel like his heart was being cut by a knife was Xuzhu's departure.

  It is easy to get one thousand soldiers, but it is hard to find a good general!

  In the stillness, a faint sound of horseshoes echoed from afar, everyone's heart tightened at once, followed by the sound of weapons being unsheathed.

  Before long, the lookout sentinel excitedly shouted: "It's the Crown Prince and General Zi Long returning, along with Mr. Xu!"

  "Has Yuan Zhao come back?" Liu Bei, who had been silent, suddenly jumped up, his dull expression instantly filled with surprise.

  ————

  Note: In official history, Xu Shu left Liu Bei because his elderly mother was captured by Cao's army after the defeat at Changban Slope.

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