The same night the meeting took place Yang was sitting across from Guan Feng. She seemed worried compared to Yang who seemed adamant about something.
"Are you sure? Your father has laid a foundation for you since you were little," says Guan Feng, worried that Yang was making a mistake.
"I am someone my father tried to form but just like him I am a warrior who seeks the thrill of battle and this war might be the first to prove to my father that I can be something greater than he imagined I could be," says Yang as he looks at his soon-to-be bride in excitement of the upcoming battle.
"What will your father do when he finds out that you went behind his back?" asks Feng worried about Yang being punished by her father.
"He won't since he will be worried about his enemies' moves while I help him take them out," says Yang as he already has an armor ready which he asked his mother to prepare for him some months ago behind his father's back.
Zhen Luo understood that Yang had those cravings like his father for a good fight just from seeing him be trained by Yun and Gan Ning.
If Yang was going to participate in this war he wouldn't hold him back since Yang was trained like a madman by Yun alone. Yang had better odds than any of his brothers and sisters.
"Should I join as well?" asks Guan Feng as Yang shakes his head.
"No, I need someone to look over my mother and sisters while I am away. Fang and Lin will be protected by Huixiu since she was raised as a warrior by her father," says Yang as he puts his armor on.
Guan Feng is now flustered from seeing Yang's muscles when he says, "Woman, it isn't your first time seeing my muscles."
"Yes, but this time it is different," says Guan Feng, blushing a bit as she sees something hanging beside his legs.
She points at it, and Yang looks down, seeing that his robes must have loosened themselves, making him blush as well, since it was embarrassing to him.
He pulls his robes up and fixes them before putting the rest of his armor on as Guan Feng kisses him and says, "Just make sure to return to me,"
"I will don't worry about me," says Yang as he puts his chain around his body while putting his sword at his hips.
Then he puts his gauntlets on and adjusts them so they won't slip from punching his first victim. He knew that his father had other plans for him but he wouldn't let his father die while he stayed back watching this war unfold.
The army marched a week after the assembly and Yun was leading five thousand men to Xiaopei while the rest divided and went into hiding in the wilderness near their target.
The first city Cao Cao needed to take from Yun was Xiaopei which is why he chose it as the holding ground. Xiaopei had suffered a lot over the years of Liu Bei's and Lu Bu's rule as it was always the first city to be attacked to get to Xiapi and the rest of the Xu Province.
Yun wasn't a fool he knew that his son was following him even against his will to do so. He rode on Thunder as they reached Xiaopei after a two-week march.
"It will be here where we will write history," says Yun to his right finding Pang Tong there.
"Will we?" asks Pang Tong sarcastically as they had already edged their names into history with this either being the end of their history or just the peak of it.
They know that Cao Cao was marching with at least four million men to Xiaopei while another two million were split to defend Castle Wan and Chang'an.
Not mentioning the soldiers that stayed behind to keep order in the cities under Cao Cao's control.
"So we are riding to our death this time. Well, at least I will die by your side," says Tang Shi from Yun's left side.
"Will you? Then I must find another Administrator and Vice-General," says Yun jokingly as they look west waiting for the enemy to arrive on the horizon.
"How long do you think Cao Cao will let us wait?" asks Tang Shi looking toward Pang Tong.
"A month maybe less," says Pang Tong as Yun looks at the horizon when Shadow lands on his shoulder.
Yun pets her by passing his index finger over her feathers near her belly when he asks, "What do you think, girl?"
Shadow taps with her left leg twice on Yun's shoulder when Yun asks, "Two weeks?"
Shadow gives a cry from herself telling Yun that he is right when he turns to Pang Tong and Tang Shi before saying, "They will arrive in two weeks. Prepare the men as they will see quite the number of enemies compared to our five thousand men."
"I will take care of that," says Huang Zhong as he joins them.
Huang Zhong was in full armor, ready to fight one last battle for Yun, as he had his bow resting on his back and his glaive in his hands.
"Good, we don't want them to panic since that would make the people of Xiaopei nervous as well," says Yun seriously as he looks now into the city seeing that Xiaopei has recovered from all those wars years ago.
"There will be a panic once they see the giant army compared to our five thousand men," says Pang Tong seriously, as he knows that the citizens will be out of themselves, as it almost resembles the situation Liu Bei was in the past when they attacked Xiaopei.
"But what do we do about Yang?" asks Huang Zhong as he looks down toward the soldiers already seeing him stick out between all of them.
"He will be fighting. I tried to force him to enter the Murim it seems. Maybe the next generation might enter it," says Yun, looking down the wall, seeing Yang enjoying his time with the soldiers.
He tried his best, but if Yang felt forced by him to enter the Murim instead of becoming a soldier, then he would give way to his son so he could be happy.
Two weeks passed, and Yun saw the army almost before him when he saw the worried faces of his strategist and Vice-General, seeing that Cao Cao went all out.
"He must have gone crazy," says Pang Tong, holding his forehead, seeing and not believing that Cao Cao was crazy enough to summon five million soldiers for this campaign against Yun.
"This means that Liu Bei will be having an easier time in taking the west, while we have to suffer through this nightmare," says Tang Shi, feeling a bit nervous now.
"Sun Quan will also have an easier time taking Shouchun from Cao Cao, who has turned completely mad. He must have lost his reason or h-" says Huang Zhong, seeing the army, when Yun interrupts him.
"He is sick. Maybe he won't be able to reach the next winter which is why he is trying to defeat me to strengthen the position of his successor. I am the biggest threat of them all so he needs to crush our army.
Cao Ren and the others must have tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to reason, knowing that he would die most likely this year," says Yun as he pops his shoulders, followed by his fingers.
"We will have a lot of work to do," says Tang Shi as he sighs when he turns to Yun who sighs as well.
"This will be a tough war to win since we will advance until Fan Castle," says Yun surprising them all.
"Didn't we agree to let Liu Bei take Fan Castle?" asks Pang Tong wanting to make sure he heard right.
"We will defeat Cao Cao and weaken Liu Bei in this war. We can't have Guan Yu roam freely since he is the strongest warrior Liu Bei has. If he falls, Sun Quan will have it easier to conquer the rest of the Empire and unite everyone under Wu," says Yun as he throws something at Huang Zhong, who caught it.
"You really want me to use it to get Cao Cao?" asks Huang Zhong knowing what is hidden underneath the cloth.
"You are our best marksman since Taishi Ci isn't around to take your spot at the moment," says Yun jokingly as he smirks at Huang Zhong.
He takes the musket out revealing it to Pang Tong and Tang Shi when Pang Tong says, "Is that the famous weapon Yueying made for you?"
"Yes, I have already calibrated it and Huang Zhong shot it already to practice his aim with it," says Yun as Huang Zhong sighs making sure everything is working as it should.
"He will try to run, and this time we can't allow that," says Yun to Huang Zhong, who only nods.
"At least he will die painlessly," says Huang Zhong taking aim to see how far he could when he says, "You will need to get him at least out of the forest so I can get him."
"That shouldn't be a problem. I will be the main dish after all," says Yun making Huang Zhong lower the musket before a smirk appears on his wrinkly old face.
"You wouldn't have it any other way," says Huang Zhong jokingly.
"I need to lead by example. If I throw myself at the enemy, my soldiers know that I wouldn't give them orders I wouldn't do myself," says Yun, smiling at him.
"How long do you think this battle will take place?" asks Huang Zhong now looking at Yun and Pang Tong.
"A month, give or take," says Pang Tong taking everything into account that could happen.
"Two days," says Yun surprising them all.
"You can't be serious," says Pang Tong as Yun suddenly creates a spear made out of Qi which floats in the air.
This surprises everyone when Yun says, "Now imagine I attack with thousands of those spears which I control with my Qi. I want Huang Zhong to use the weapon if I fail to get Cao Cao with them after all."
"You are also hoping to take some of the people as prisoners since it would be a massacre if we killed five million soldiers," says Pang Tong, knowing Yun too well.
"I can't end that many households in one day. Neither the Gods nor their families would forgive me for that," says Yun as he closes his eyes for a moment.
He takes a deep breath before opening his eyes again, and his eyes are now clear again as if they belong to his younger self.
"Let Cao Cao attack the city, I will await him at the gate," says Yun, full of confidence, as he walks away.