Some days passed with Yun and his group staying at the edge of the settlement as they watched how those people lived in their society.
"Dian Wei," says Yun looking at his partner.
"My Lord?" asks Dian Wei thinking that Yun wanted something from him.
"When did I grow this cautious that I went to my enemy to forge an alliance to defeat another enemy?" asks Yun seriously as he turns to Zhang He.
"There is always a first time, my Lord," says Dian Wei as he also looks at Zhang He when Yun's eyes traveled to his son and grandchildren.
"I should have trusted the new generation to carry my dreams instead of inviting an enemy at my table," says Yun regretting it now to have come here.
"But this enemy could turn into a future ally now. Maybe our grandchildren and great-grandchildren won't need to fight this enemy in the future thanks to this alliance," says Dian Wei feeling old as he turns to Yun who he served for almost an eternity in his eyes.
"Maybe, sometimes I feel too old for this but then I remember for who I am fighting for and I find new strength," says Yun sounding exhausted as he looks at Dian Wei when he turns serious and says, "I will fall in this war, Dian Wei."
This shocked Dian Wei who's eyes opened wide from hearing Yun say that as he says, "Don't say that even as a joke."
"It isn't a joke," says Yun with a smile as he looks at his grandchildren.
"The only thing keeping me here at the moment is my Qi and two stubborn Dragons. But I will need to go all out and when I do my body will turn cold soon after," says Yun with a smile on his face as he had already accepted his fate.
Dian Wei wanted to say something but Yun stopped him when he says, "Fang will need a guide in the future. I want you to help Zhang He in training him since Yang will be occupied with establishing himself in the Murim."
"I might be good in training his body but what about the other areas," says Dian Wei as Yun looks at Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.
"There are four people in my mind. Pang Tong, Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, and Xu Shu," says Yun seriously as he looks at Fang who innocently swung his wooden sword at Yang.
"But why us two and not Lu Bu or Hua?" asks Dian Wei as he feels Yun's hand on his shoulder.
"Because I trust you and Zhang He with every fiber in my body. You both charge into battle right by my side and never hesitated to do so even when it was only us two you never left my side nor did Zhang He after he became my bodyguard.
You learned how to break the enemy line and return from watching me for so long. The only one who could copy that would be Lu Bu but he isn't reckless enough any longer as we still are," says Yun as he looks at Fang when a person comes to the group.
"The Khan wants to talk to you," says the person in almost broken Chinese as Yun stands up and follows the person when Dian Wei wanted to follow but Yun stopped him.
Yun arrived at the tent of Gerel Tuguldur, he enters it finding Gerel with a little girl the same age as his grandson maybe a bit older but not older than two years.
"Is it her?" asks Yun looking at the girl as Gerel sends her over to Yun who puts his hands on her shoulder.
He circulates his Qi through her body seeing that she is a healthy child when Yun looks into her eyes he sees fear which didn't surprise him since he was looking at her seriously when he removed his hands and pet her head reassuring her that everything was alright as she was now seeing a smile on his face.
She smiles back and Yun asks, "What is your name girl?"
She didn't understood him as she only tilted her head when Gerel says, "Her name is Bayarjargal, it means Joyful Freedom in my language."
"A pretty name," says Yun looking at Gerel when he pets Bayarjargal's head again.
"We still need to talk about our alliance just because you like the girl doesn't mean that we have signed our alliance," says Gerel seriously as he looked at Yun.
"You hold your side of the bargain so far. What is it that you want?" asks Yun seriously as he stopped petting the girl.
"We want twenty of your horses," says Gerel as Yun looks at him confused when Gerel says, "Not any horses but those that are as black as the night with a blue edge."
"Two and not more, it is already hard enough to get Thunder to breed with another horse since the horse of my late wife died," says Yun looking seriously at Gerel as it was dangerous to hand over some of Thunder's descendants.
"My Clan will also provide you with supplies for two months every year for twenty years," says Yun adding something else to not talk about the horses any longer since he wasn't going to give them more than two.
Gerel was thinking about it as he says, "I need to discuss this proposal with my people. We will continue talking tomorrow."
"Fine," says Yun as he stands up and leaves the tent.
He returned to his group and waited for three days when he was called back for another round of negotiations were Yun and Gerel settled on two horses and three months of provisions for the next ten years.
They stayed for the celebration of this alliance between them before it was time for Yun to teavel with his people as they had one more destination to go to before returning home.
They traveled for a week when they reached their destination seeing already his flag hissed on the wall which confused him when beside his flag was that of Gan Ning and Gongsun Kang.
"I think Gan Ning was faster than us," says Dian Wei with a smile on his face remembering how Yun recruited the overconfidental rascal by suplexing him to the ground.
"It seems that this is Fengxiao's work not Xingba's," says Yun using their courtesy names instead of their normal names.
They approach Ji finding two of Gan Ning's ships in the river just outside of the city when a man on a horse approaches the carriage seeing a girl sitting on Yun's lap leading the horses.
"My Lord," says the man recognizing him immediately since he served under Gan Ning even before he became one of Yun's soldiers.
"Gan Ning send you to collect us?" asks Yun as he nods riding beside the carriage not to the city but the ships instead.
There they find Guo Jia and Gan Ning looking at a map when they hear, "With Gongsun Kang now on our side we won't have to fear an ambush from the north but we are still in the minority when it comes to troops with Cao Cao holding at least ten times more men than us."
"I think Yun had already thought about this and prepared for it beforehand since he knew that Cao Cao wouldn't let his betrayal slide," says Gan Ning as they looked at the map which showed the Bing, You, Ji, Xu, Yan, Yu, and Qiao Province.
You and Xu provinces has little back flag on them while the rest has little blue flags showing their affiliations when they hear noises coming from outside.
"It seems our guests have arrived," says Guo Jia as he looked at the door seeing Yun enter with Dian Wei, Zhang He, and Yang.
"Should Yang be here?" asks Gan Ning seriously as Yun nods.
"He can listen to what we say but I have told him not to meddle in this affair since his future is in the Murim and not the Military," says Yun informing them.
"Well," says Gan Ning finding it a waste that Yang wouldn't participate in this war since they needed every hand they could get.
Yun looked at the map making him think hard when he smiles and he places the figure normally used to represent him over Xiaopei when he says, "This will be the place I will decimated Cao Cao's army."
"What did you say?" asks Gan Ning confused since normally Yun would say hold or stall.
"You heard me. It is time to show the world my real strength," says Yun seriously as he places himself now outside of Xiaopei surrounding himself by Cao Cao's army when he moves his army past it toward Xuchang.
"I will be the bait with just five thousand men. We won't need more men," says Yun to them as they looked all shocked by Yun assumption while Dian Wei and Zhang He already knee what was going to happen soon.
"The army will go to Xuchang and Pingyuan to take those two key cities which will make Cao Cao retreat further North behind the Yellow River where they will be awaited by Gongsun Kang and the Xiongnu," says Yun seriously placing two more pieces on the map.
"What if he retreats further west to the Yong or Liang Province?" asks Guo Jia seriously as Cao Cao could flee there.
"If that is to happen than he might have lost everything except for his life," says Yun seriously as he places Cao Cao from the Ji Province to the west near the border of the Liang and Yong Province.
"What if you fail?" asks Guo Jia as everyone now looked at him in disbelief.
"You know who you are talking to, right?" asks Gan Ning making sure that Guo Jia hadn't forgotten who Yun was after not serving under him for such a long time.
"Still it is risky," says Guo Jia as they would be cut off if Yun didn't deliver.
"Don't worry, Guo Jia, once I am done with Cao Cao's army I will be riding to Xuchang myself since I have to do something there before facing the ground," says Yun ominously as they all looked at him knowing what he wanted to do.
"You want to kill the Emperor to place Sun Quan on that throne, am I right?" asks Guo Jia as Yun nods.
"That was always the plan from the very beginning," says Yun as he sighs loudly feeling old when he asks, "Did Huang Zhong feel like this back then when we were still young?"
"Most likely, he most have had quite a headache because of a rascal who didn't like to follow his orders," says Dian Wei looking at Gan Ning with a smirk on his face.
"Anyway, we should prepare to leave tomorrow for Xiapi since this is only the thing I have roughly in mind. Pang Tong would be better at this since he would have at least five failsaves in this plan," says Yun trusting his head strategist to have a better plan in mind than himself as the group nods before leaving Gan Ning and Guo Jia back to planing.