Chapter 865: Xiahou Juan

"Xiahou Juan greets General Zhang~" The young lady slightly bowed.

Zhang Fei felt a bit stifled. He hadn't raised any flags, yet the girl knew who he was. He was surprised, but even more so at how calmly she greeted him after he had just saved her, especially considering she was traveling alone in a carriage.

"General, you needn’t overthink it. My servants and attendants were traveling with me earlier, but we were ambushed by a large group of bandits. My guards held them off, and five of them escorted me to safety. Unfortunately, we ran into another group of bandits here. Luckily, you arrived," Xiahou Juan explained upon seeing the confusion in Zhang Fei’s expression, half-explaining her situation.

While she spoke, a large group of privately armed soldiers wearing leather armor approached. Many of them exuded a strong killing intent, suggesting they were seasoned officers and fierce soldiers from the military.

"Greetings, General Zhang!" one of the soldiers, recognizing Zhang Fei, was initially startled before bracing himself and saluting Zhang Fei.

"Well, it looks like they know you!" Fazheng, riding up on horseback, chuckled. He hadn’t expected the group to recognize Zhang Fei either.

"I don’t remember these people at all," Zhang Fei replied irritably, then thought for a moment and asked, "You said your name is Xiahou Juan. What is your relation to Xiahou Yuanrang and Xiahou Miaocai?"

"They are both my uncles," Xiahou Juan replied after a brief hesitation, realizing that honesty was the best course of action in this situation.

"Aha, we’ve caught a big fish!" Fazheng said with a sly smile.

"Surely Lord Xuande’s army is not here to harm civilians, nor would you target a defenseless woman like me?" Xiahou Juan furrowed her brow slightly and calmly curtsied toward Fazheng as she spoke.

"That might apply to others, but as a key figure in the enemy’s high command, you’re a different case," Fazheng said sharply.

"How can you call me part of an enemy force? We are all Han officers, are we not? Do you mean political adversaries? But Lord Xuande’s righteousness is known throughout the land. Even if we were political enemies, would he lower himself to ‘invite’ a mere family member like me? I am but a woman. Surely treating me this way would only invite ridicule," Xiahou Juan fearlessly stared Fazheng down.

From the moment Xiahou Juan saw Fazheng, she had speculated about his identity. Among the few who could ascend to such high status at a young age, Chen Xi was reserved, Zhou Yu was strikingly handsome, Zhuge Liang was distinguished, and Pang Tong was ugly. Only one person matched this confident, even arrogant demeanor—Fazheng.

However, since Fazheng hadn’t revealed his identity, Xiahou Juan refrained from calling him out, guessing that he wasn’t bothered with her, a mere woman, just as she had said. Fazheng was simply passing the time out of boredom.

"Other women might be different, but not you, Xiahou Juan. If you hadn’t mentioned your name, I wouldn’t have remembered you. You are Xiahou Yuan’s adopted daughter, someone extremely important to him, though you were originally his younger brother’s child," Fazheng nonchalantly revealed a fact that sent a cold shiver through Xiahou Juan.

Her heart sank, but she still managed to maintain her composure. "I see. What does Chancellor Fa plan to do with me?"

"Take her away and keep her under close watch," Fazheng ordered without hesitation. The intelligence on the Xiahou family that Jia Xu had shown him had been memorized easily thanks to Fazheng’s near-photographic memory. Xiahou Juan was indeed a valuable figure.

With Zhang Fei keeping an eye on things and their large army behind them, Xiahou Juan’s guards were subdued without resistance. After she was taken away, Zhang Fei turned to Fazheng, grabbing him by the collar.

"You’re not seriously planning to harm her, are you?"

"Of course I am. I’ve been capturing everyone we encounter along the way. You think I operate as carelessly as you?" Fazheng replied, clearly annoyed.

"I mean, are you really going to tarnish my elder brother’s reputation? We are an army of righteousness, not one that resorts to threatening others!" Zhang Fei, surprisingly sharp, even employed a bit of moral pressure.

"If we do it discreetly, no one will ever know," Fazheng said calmly. "Besides, war isn’t about honor or trust. The one who can break boundaries and create miracles will be the one to write history."

"I completely disagree! If you want to keep something secret, you shouldn't do it in the first place!" Zhang Fei's intelligence had apparently risen to the point of using proverbs.

"That’s something we can discuss later. Right now, it’s impossible to avoid this course of action," Fazheng shrugged nonchalantly. He wasn’t actually planning to do anything terrible; he was just toying with Zhang Fei, finding amusement in his reactions.

After saying this, Fazheng turned his horse and began to ride back. As for Zhang Fei, Fazheng didn’t find his concern over the girl surprising. After all, for a man of Zhang Fei’s status, acquiring beauties wasn’t an issue—there were surely enough to line the streets from the southern gate to the northern gate of a city. Was he really going to be so concerned about one?

Zhang Fei scratched his head, watching Fazheng ride off. Feeling somewhat confused, he decided to send someone to keep an eye on Xiahou Juan, just in case something unexpected happened. Even Zhang Fei wasn’t sure why he felt this way.

As they continued their journey, similar encounters occurred several more times. Fazheng, maintaining his usual practice, captured everyone they encountered, as secrecy was paramount in their attempt to attack Ye City.

Throughout the journey, Xiahou Juan had tried to send a letter to her foster father, Xiahou Yuan, but Fazheng intercepted it. She hadn’t made any further attempts afterward. The letter, of course, never reached its destination, as Fazheng had carefully guarded against any leaks.

Thanks to Zhang Fei’s presence, Xiahou Juan wasn’t punished harshly for her actions. However, Zhang Fei assigned a vigilant soldier to keep an eye on her daily, ensuring she didn’t do anything that might provoke Fazheng again. Her previous attempt had almost endangered thousands of lives.

Eventually, Fazheng and Zhang Fei quietly traversed Cao Cao’s territory and arrived at the southwestern corner of Wei County, reaching Jizhou without anyone expecting it.

By this point, even Xiahou Juan, a woman, realized that Fazheng’s plan was to launch a surprise attack on Ye City.

"Let’s go. First, let’s grab some provisions. We’ll take Yuan Shao’s grain supply," Fazheng said casually. After traveling for days, their initial supplies were running low, and just as he predicted, Yuan Shao’s grain supply was now within reach.

"Hahaha! I’ve heard that the Xuanyuan Cauldron is housed in Ye City. Once we take it, my elder brother’s plans to unify the land will make their greatest stride. At the same time, Zichuan’s goal of using the north’s might to subdue the world will also be achieved!" Zhang Fei laughed as soon as they stepped onto the Jizhou plains.

"Hmph, with just your little band, you think you can take Ye City?" Xiahou Juan scoffed. Though Zhang Fei had been keeping a close watch on her recently, preventing any escape attempts, she knew well enough that, amidst the chaos of war, escape was not an easy feat for a lone woman. Moreover, Zhang Fei had treated her with some respect, so she hadn’t suffered.

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