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

Chapter 371 Guan Xing, I Just Want to Beat You Up

Guan Xing pursued alone and soon saw Liu Zan's back. Unfortunately, he didn't have a bow and arrows and couldn't attack from a distance, so he could only continue chasing.

At the same time, Liu Zan also turned around after hearing the footsteps and saw Guan Xing chasing after him alone, and couldn't help but secretly lament his misfortune.

Although Guan Xing was alone, he was not easy to deal with. First of all, he was not agile enough to outrun Guan Xing. Secondly, Guan Xing was Guan Yu's second son and had been instructed by the Five Tiger Generals in martial arts, so he might not be able to defeat him. Therefore, this was still an unsolvable dead end for Guan Xing.

Liu Zan was pondering whether to go back and fight Guan Xing to the death. He figured it wouldn't be too much of a loss to risk his life to break Guan Xing's arm. But he was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't pay attention to his footing and fell into a pit.

To be precise, it wasn't a pit but another piece of fertile land. There was a half-meter drop between the previous paddy field and the fertile land that had fallen in, and the fertile land below was a paddy field. The water had flooded the ground and soaked the land into an extremely muddy swamp.

Liu Zan choked on a mouthful of muddy water and struggled to his feet, running forward. He was still at the boundary between two rice paddies. If he was caught, Guan Xing would have the geographical advantage of being on higher ground, so he had to create distance and lure Guan Xing into the paddy field as well.

More importantly, the paddy fields were muddy, and Guan Xing would not be able to run fast if he fell into the fields. This would greatly reduce the negative impact of his lameness on him, so Liu Zan moved forward as fast as he could, preparing to run to the middle of the paddy fields first.

Guan Xing also arrived at the edge of the paddy field. Seeing that he was less than 30 meters away from Liu Zan, he jumped into the paddy field without thinking and chased after him with all his might through the mud.

Although he wanted to teleport directly to Liu Zan's side and grab him, the reality was quite different. The paddy field was too muddy; the water could reach his knees when he stepped in, and it would take him a long time to pull himself out. His speed was slower than a snail's pace. At this rate, he probably wouldn't catch up even in the 21st century.

Fortunately, Liu Zan was in the same situation. The two of them chased each other through the paddy fields, their slow pace enough to drive an impatient person crazy.

Grabbing his trouser leg again to pull his right leg out of the mud, Guan Xing grimaced and shouted helplessly, "Lieutenant Liu, don't run away, you can't escape."

Liu Zan, maintaining the same posture as him, said without turning his head, "Let's talk about that when you catch up. But then again, if you really have the ability to catch up, would you still be wasting your breath on me? Guan Anguo, you may be exceptionally intelligent, but don't treat me like a fool."

Guan Xing continued to roar, "So what if you run away? Pan Zhang is dead, and his tens of thousands of Wu soldiers have all defected. Add to that the Han army and Peng Qi's 20,000 bandit troops, and I will have nearly 40,000 troops. 40,000 men are enough to attack Yu Han, let alone Nanchang. Do you think Yu Han, which is guarded by Zhuge Jin, can withstand the fierce attack of my 40,000 troops?"

Liu Zan was startled by the number and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn it, Guan Xing has only been in Yuzhang for a few days and he's already gathered 30,000 to 40,000 men. How can this thief's ability to amass troops be so terrifying?"

Keep in mind that this is Yuzhang, a remote and sparsely populated area, not the densely populated Central Plains. Gathering 30,000 to 40,000 people here in an instant is more difficult than gathering 300,000 to 400,000 people in the Central Plains.

Guan Xing continued, “Yuhan is the gateway to the Zhejiang-Jiangxi corridor. As long as I break through Yuhan, Lu Xun will be trapped in the corridor and become a sitting duck. If Lu Xun’s troops are lost again, what will Sun Quan have left? So I’m keeping you here, Colonel. You are a smart man, why don’t you abandon the darkness and embrace the light, instead of following Sun Quan down this dark path?”

"Surrender. If you surrender, I will definitely give you the treatment you deserve. Besides, you know the King of Hanzhong. You know what kind of person he is."

As Liu Zan trudged along, he said, “Guan Anguo, I admit that what you said is true, but so what? Don’t forget that we have personal grudges as well as public ones. You stole my family’s fertile land, wiped out my entire Changshan Liu clan, and you still want me to submit to you? Keep dreaming.”

"Guan Anguo, I advise you to catch up with me quickly, otherwise if I escape, I will do nothing but take care of you for the rest of my life."

They were also from the Wushang gentry, and not only did Guan Xing seize their family property, but his clansmen were also dragged out for public trial and torture. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly surrender?

Guan Xing was taken aback and said, “I admit to seizing your land and property, and I also admit to publicly trying your family’s local tyrants and gentry, but where does the talk of wiping out your entire family come from? Those who know me know that I, Guan Anguo, dislike solving problems by killing people the most. Although your gentry are parasites, if used properly, they can be the backbone of the Han Dynasty.”

Liu Zan said, "You sold my wife and daughters into a brothel, and you cruelly murdered my eldest son Liu Lue and second son Liu Ping. Isn't that wiping out my entire family?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Xing immediately lost his composure and roared angrily, "Bullshit! Who told you that? I, Guan Anguo, am not a human trafficker. How could I possibly sell other men's wives and daughters into brothels?"

“I only confiscated your family’s land and estate, not your ancestral home. In fact, to ensure your wife could support her family and not starve, I even sold her several looms on installment. Your wife is now the factory manager of the Liu family’s textile workshop, and the loan for the looms is almost paid off. Your second son, Liuping, is only eight years old. Why would I kill him? He’s at home weaving with your wife.”

Liu Zan turned around abruptly, his mouth agape in astonishment, and asked, "Really? You're not lying to me?"

Guan Xing did not answer but continued, "As for your eldest son Liu Lue, that kid not only refused to cooperate with the land reform, but also led his family's private army to try to kill the land reform officials. Do you think I could let him off? After capturing Liu Lue, I threw him into the coal mines in Zhuji to dig coal."

"I must say, your son is quite talented. After undergoing reform, he quickly adapted to his new role and improved the 'Regulations on Safety Production in Mines' that I formulated. He also developed a new coal mine production system based on actual conditions. Now he is the mine manager of Zhuji Coal Mine. I have promised him that I will transfer him after he has served for three years."

Even the most despicable gentry sons are still educated scoundrels. Besides, Liu Lue is Liu Zan's eldest son and the heir of the Liu family. His abilities are undoubtedly excellent. At the very least, he is better than an illiterate soldier.

It's worth noting that Liu Lue served as a military commander in Eastern Wu and rose to the position of governor of Donghai. He participated in the city defense construction during the Battle of Dongxing, so managing a small coal mine would have been a piece of cake for him.

Liu Zan was stunned by this bombshell news. He stood there dumbfounded as if he had been hit with a brick. After a long while, he came to his senses and roared to the sky, "Damn Gu Yong, you fucking lied to me!"

Gu Yong told him that the Liu family of Changshan had been wiped out by Guan Xing for opposing the land reform, and even his eight-year-old son had been killed.

Guan Xing then said he only robbed property and didn't kill anyone. Which of you is lying?

While Liu Zan was stunned, Guan Xing did not. Taking this opportunity, he laboriously walked up to Liu Zan, but instead of immediately attacking, he questioned, "Who told you I wiped out your entire family?"

Liu Zan was clearly deceived. Now that he knows the truth, he is more likely to surrender, so there is no need for me to kill him.

In addition, he also hated that bastard who spread the rumors with a vengeance, wasn't he just ruining his own reputation?

Everyone knows that reputation is of utmost importance in the Han Dynasty officialdom, and this person has ruined his own reputation so badly that he is absolutely irreconcilable with him.

Liu Zan didn't answer, but looked directly into Guan Xing's eyes and asked, "Are you sure you're not lying to me?"

Guan Xing immediately pointed to the sky and swore, "I swear in the name of my father, Guan Yunchang, if I have uttered even the slightest falsehood, may my father beat me to death. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zan breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly said, "I believe in your father."

Guan Xing: "..."

What do you mean? Am I really that untrustworthy?

Liu Zan continued, "I can surrender; I still need to confront the person who lied to me. I don't want to die here, but before I surrender, I still want to beat you up."

After saying that, he swung his arm and threw his sword far away, assuming an offensive stance to challenge Guan Xing to a duel.

Guan Xing was naturally not intimidated by this challenge. He threw his knife out as well, raised his fists and said sarcastically, "Same here. I've been chasing you for a long time and I'm just as resentful. I really want to beat you up."

There's not much to say about that. The two lunged at each other at the same time, engaging in close-quarters combat in the muddy paddy field.