Chapter 10: Ma Teng's Surprise

In a huff, Li Yuanba shook off his hand and urged his horse forward. Before long, he arrived in front of Lü Bu. Suddenly, amidst the gaze of thousands of troops, a loud shout erupted, "The three families' servant shall not escape; do you dare to fight me?"

Xuan De's words are incorrect! I actually believe that Ding Yuan's death is truly a result of his own actions!" Li You pointed to the well-ordered camp across the way and said, "There are three reasons for this. I observe that this camp is heavily guarded, with no aspect that contradicts military strategy! From this, it can be seen that Lü Bu is indeed a talented general. However, Ding Jianyang previously assigned Lü Bu to be the chief clerk, failing to utilize his talents, which inevitably led to Lü Bu's dissatisfaction. This is the first reason!

The cavalry of Bingzhou truly lives up to its reputation as elite troops! With Dong Zhuo having gained Lü Bu along with the Bingzhou cavalry, it is indeed like adding wings to a tiger! Cao Cao and Li You stood side by side on a small hill, gazing from a distance at Lü Bu's camp in front of Guan, while Liu Bei and the duo of Guan and Zhang were slightly behind.

As a feudal lord, it is one thing to be unable to win the loyalty of subordinates; it is another to have no defenses against them at all, allowing Lü Bu to enter the tent alone and slay him, which is truly unwise, and this is the third point! If Lü Fengxian were to submit to Meng De, he would certainly not dare to rebel easily! This is a time of chaos, where a lord chooses his ministers and ministers also choose their lords. Unfortunately, Lü Bu lacks the wisdom to choose a wise lord and the spirit to serve his master! The outcome in the future will surely be dire!

Oh no, I've embarrassed myself! Li You covered her face in shame

Heavenly King Wang Kuang of Hanoi was the first to charge, leading his troops towards Lü Bu's camp. Lü Bu, with three thousand iron cavalry, rushed to meet them; one could see Lü Bu wearing a purple gold crown with a three-pronged hairstyle, adorned in a red brocade robe of the Western Sichuan style, clad in a beast-faced, head-swallowing chainmail, with a finely crafted lion belt at his waist, carrying a bow and arrows, wielding a painted halberd, and riding the red hare. He truly exuded an imposing presence and remarkable grace

"Oh, this fellow is quite capable!" Li Yuanba exclaimed as he saw Lü Bu moving through the midst of thousands of troops with ease. He couldn't help but be impressed and rode his horse to Li You's side to request a duel

Under the command of Wang Kuang, the renowned general Fang Yue from Hanoi rode out to meet the battle, but within less than five rounds, he was pierced by Lü Bu's spear and fell from his horse. Lü Bu then led his troops straight towards Wang Kuang, charging east and west as if entering a no-man's land. Fortunately, the combined forces of Qiao Zhao and Yuan Yi emerged together, managing to repel Lü Bu and rescue Wang Kuang

No, no! Ma Teng repeatedly waved his hands, saying, "I, Ma, only felt a surge of emotions upon seeing the ancestral weapon. This item can only be of use in the hands of the young general! I have no reason to reclaim it!"

We will see if you will still say the same when it comes to the matter of the White Gate Tower. Li You smiled without speaking. After a moment, Yuan Shao summoned the eighteen warlords to confront Lü Bu at Hulao Pass, and the three of them each led their trusted followers to Yuan Shao to watch the battle together

Liu Bei opened his mouth, feeling that Li You's words were somewhat incorrect, yet he could not pinpoint what exactly was wrong. Cao Cao, on the other hand, was quite in agreement; he laughed heartily and said, "If Lü Fengxian is willing to come and join me, I will surely be able to make use of him!"

"It's not even enjoyable to have a fight!" Li Yuanba muttered, but still nodded in agreement, "Alright, just keep an eye on it!" As he spoke, he was about to urge the Wanli Wind beneath him to move forward and engage in battle.

Gongsun Zan and Liu Bei once studied under Lu Zhi together. If something were to happen to him, it would be Liu, Guan, and Zhang, the three heroes, battling Lü Bu! No, we cannot wait any longer! Li You quickly called over Li Yuanba, "Yuanba, go and capture that general in the red robe wielding the Fangtianhua halberd for me! Remember, do not kill him; we need him alive!"

As he spoke, Ma Teng had already turned around to look at Li Yuanba. Upon seeing his sharp features, sickly complexion, and emaciated frame, he couldn't help but curl his lip, intending to reprimand him further. However, his gaze was immediately drawn to the two large hammers in Li Yuanba's hands. "Ah! What you are holding is..." he exclaimed, pointing at the hammers with his right hand, rendered speechless by his astonishment.

Little did he know that Gongsun Zan, the governor of Liaodong, had seized the initiative, engaging in battle with Lü Bu while wielding a horse spear! After just a few exchanges, Gongsun Zan was drenched in sweat and on the verge of being unable to hold on!

While the two were conversing, Lü Bu had already stabbed to death Mu Shun, a general under Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang. He was currently engaged in a fierce battle with Wu Anguo, a general under Kong Rong, the governor of Beihai. After ten exchanges, Wu Anguo had his wrist severed by Lü Bu's spear and abandoned his hammer, fleeing the scene.

Moreover, the credit for leading the troops to attack the Sishuiguan lies with oneself! It seems that in the lord's heart, one is still deeply trusted. With this thought in mind, Pan Feng became even more diligent in his work over the next few days! He commanded the troops to follow Yuan Shao and others all the way to the foot of the Hulaoguan.

At this time, there were 30,000 troops led by Lü Bu in front of Hulao Pass, while Dong Zhuo, along with Li Jue, Guo Si, Li Ru, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji, stationed their forces at the pass, firmly guarding this formidable gateway to Luoyang

Dong Zhuo sent someone to present jewels and the Red Hare to Lü Bu, thereby winning him over. This indicates that although Ding Jianyang took Lü Bu as his adopted son, he seldom taught him, which led to Lü Bu being easily tempted. To raise someone without teaching them right from wrong is a long-term path to failure, and this is the second point!

"Your family's belongings?" Li Yuanba immediately became alert, "They said at the time that if I could carry it, they would give it to me! You cannot take it back!"

"It is truly embarrassing for us to use a hammer!" Perhaps it is also because Wu Anguo uses a hammer that Li Yuanba felt indignant and wanted to step forward to seek battle

Li Yuanba furrowed his brow in distress and scratched his head, seemingly recalling the origins of these two large hammers. After a long pause, he finally said, "It seems that I obtained them from a village with the surname Ma back in the day"

Indeed! Ma Teng slapped his thigh vigorously, saying, "These two hammers are called the Drumbeat Golden Hammers, used by my ancestor, General Ma Yuan of the Fubo lineage. Unfortunately, after him, no clan member could wield them again. Later, during Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han dynasty, our clan members scattered, and these two hammers disappeared without a trace! I never expected they would end up in the hands of a young general!"

And wait! Li You, feeling playful, grabbed hold of Li Yuanba and instructed, "When it is time to make a move, shout 'Three surnames' family slave, do not flee! Are you willing to fight me?"

"What is this, Governor Ma?" Li You couldn't help but ask upon seeing Ma Teng's astonished expression

"Where did you get those two large hammers?" As he spoke, Ma Teng had already dismounted and quickly walked up to Li Yuanba, his eyes fixed intently on the large hammers in his hands, as if he had not heard Li You's words at all

In recent days, the three of them have frequently interacted, and their relationship has improved significantly. Upon seeing this, Liu Bei remarked, "This Lü Bu is fickle, and Ding Jianyang was wronged in his death."

"You speak with such arrogance!" Ma Teng, the governor of Xiliang, could not help but retort upon hearing this, "Lü Bu is a hero of our time, his martial skills are extraordinary! Although Guan Sheng under Wen Jie is brave, he is likely not a match for Lü Bu! Moreover, you are just an unknown nobody!"

After this battle, Pan Feng was completely convinced by Li Yuanba! He couldn't help but mutter to himself, where has the lord been finding such experts lately! First, there was the outstanding swordsman Guan Sheng, and now there is the immensely strong Li Yuanba! Each of them possesses martial skills far superior to his own; however, Pan Feng, with his straightforward character, did not consider the issue of his own status declining, but was simply pleased with the significant enhancement of the lord's strength