“Men! Come and shout with me! General Huang! Quickly come and help us!” Liu Mang told his subordinates.
“What? Milord! What are you doing?” Guan Hai and Zhou Cang could not understand why Liu Mang would tell a sworn enemy to hurry up and come over. It was like asking your enemy to come and kill you.
While Guan Hai and Zhou Cang were stunned, the remaining four soldiers by Liu Mang’s side started to shout together with Liu Mang without even bothering to think.
“Come and shout with us! I will explain it to you later!” Liu Mang told them. Right now, he had no time to give them an explanation.
Guan Hai and Zhou Cang nodded and then started to shout as well. However, the one with the most powerful voice was Jia Xu Jia Wenhe. The man was so afraid of death that he had really put in his full effort into shouting. His voice was so loud that it eclipsed Guan Hai and Zhou Cang’s voice. Even the other men felt amazed.
“What’s wrong with this Liu Mang?” Zhang Fei was also confused. Huang She was here to kill them, not save them. In the end, Zhang Fei stopped thinking. After all, Liu Mang was certainly going to die. There was no point in thinking about this. He thought about how his brother would be happy for removing an obstacle and for taking revenge for Shuzhi. He then daydreamed about how many jars of wine his brother would bestow upon him as a reward while laughing to himself.
As the ship slowly approached, Liu Mang sighed with relief. These were the warships from Jingzhou and they were equipped with ballista. If Liu Mang had encountered Huang She first, they would already be dead. On top of that, Liu Mang would become a huge joke in history for being killed by his own creation. Liu Mang’s hatred for the Huang She deepened due to this.
Meanwhile, a young man looked at the situation at the river from Huang She’s ship. This person was Huang Ri, a man from one of the distant branches of the Huang Family. Although he was also part of the Huang Family, he could only get jobs like being a gatekeeper or a military officer. Right now, he was simply a military officer with his own fleet. The reason he managed this was because of his identity and that he was good at boot licking. He had buttered up to Huang She by losing on purpose when gambling and also by treating the younger Huang She like an elder.
After making Huang She feel happy, he was suddenly able to experience success in his career. Huang Zu may be afraid of Huang She to the extent that he suggested to Liu Biao for Huang She to become a civil officer. However, he still had to give face to his son’s recommendation for a promotion which was how Huang Ri ended up as a military officer of the navy.
This time, Huang Ri brought to warships out without notifying his superiors. These warships were supposed to be used for transporting food but Huang Ri had immediately brought them out at Huang She’s request.
“General. Is it alright to be absent without leave?” The deputy was worried. If they were caught doing this, both we and the general would receive punishment. It is even possible for them to be executed for disobeying military orders.
“Huang Hua. What is there to be worried about with Uncle Huang She’s backing?” Huang Ri did not care at all about the punishment as he would be protected as long as Huang She was around. Setting out this time was also for merits. As long as Huang She is pleased, the worst that could happen was being sent to Changsha. However, Changsha was a place where the Huang Family could obtain even more influence.
“General. It looks like there was a battle here!” Huang Hua looked at the warship on the river. The ship already sunk halfway into the water while the top of the ship looked burnt. Corpses could also be seen drifting along the Yangtze River.
“N!” Huang Ri nodded. Huang She had already told him to join up with Zhang Fei and intercept Liu Mang. This scene was Zhang Fei’s handiwork.
“Men! Remove that iron chain!” The iron chain was thick enough to damage ships but could easily be dealt with if noticed. The chains were quickly removed and the two ships continued to approach.
Zhang Fei’s troops did not go up to greet their reinforcements. Instead, Liu Mang and his troops were the one to step forward.
“This Liu Mang is seeking death!” Zhang Fei sneered as he watched Liu Mang step forward. He initially thought that Liu Mang was trying to break out of the encirclement but the moment he heard the following words, he became unsure of his victory.
“General Huang She! Quickly come over here and help us and General Zhang Fei to annihilate the King of Shu’s men!” One subordinate shouted according to Liu Mang’s instruction.
“Yes! General Huang She! Come and help us kill the King of Shu, Liu Mang!”
“Huang She!” Liu Mang and Jia Xu gambled that Huang She were not accompanying them. Naturally, Liu Mang knew of Huang She’s current position. Huang She was now working together with Pang Shanmin to write orders for Liu Biao. On top of that, his position was actually lower so his orders could be overwritten by Pang Shanmin. Unlike the ones leading the troops, this job could only be done by those who can read. It was an extremely boring job.
Huang Zu did this in hopes that Huang She would calm down and to learn how to properly command the troops and form strategies. Although Huang She would not have any power, he would be around Liu Biao, Kuai Yue and the others when they discuss about policies, strategies and other issues. This way, Huang She could learn from them.
Unfortunately, Huang She still wanted military power. Huang Zu who wanted his son to stay away from the military had given an order, banning Huang She from going to the barracks. Anyone that allowed Huang She to enter the barracks would be severely punished.
As a result, Huang Ri also did not dare to bring Huang She on board the ship. On top of that, Huang She himself was not an idiot. If Zhang Fei attacked alone and killed Liu Mang, Liu Biao would only be angry at Pang Tong. If Zhang Fei failed, Huang She could simply finish Liu Mang off and then frame Zhang Fei. Huang She would not personally make his appearance. If he did, he would need to take responsibility.
If Huang She were on board, Liu Mang would definitely die as Huang She recognized Liu Mang’s face. How could a person forget the face of his sworn enemy? Liu Mang simply gambled that Huang She himself was not on board this ship and that they were simply men following orders. If that is the case, Liu Mang may be able to take advantage of this crisis.
When Liu Mang had mentioned the chaos at Wuwei to Jia Xu, he was talking about the time Jia Xu pretended to be the grandson of an influential person to survive.
