Three Kingdoms: Fusion of Entries, Change of Destiny

Chapter 208 Brother Xuande, why don't you become the Governor of Qingzhou?
Cao Cao dismounted and quickly walked to Liu Bei.

The two once drank together, discussing the state of the world and sharing their ambitions.

The lofty ambitions of that time still seem to echo in my ears.

But looking at it now,
One had already risen to prominence and held a high position of power, establishing himself firmly in the chaotic world, and his influence was at its zenith.

The other was down on his luck, suffering setbacks one after another, even losing his foundation and family, and was in a miserable state.

Such a stark difference in circumstances is truly lamentable.

Cao Cao reached out and supported Liu Bei, who was swaying slightly, his eyes filled with regret and emotion.

Liu Bei looked up and met Cao Cao's gaze. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, and a wave of bitterness washed over him. His eyes welled up, and tears involuntarily streamed down his face. "Brother Mengde, I..."

Liu Bei opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but didn't know where to begin.

Cao Cao gently patted Liu Bei's arm and softly comforted him, "You've suffered, Brother Xuande. That Lü Bu is a real scoundrel; I'll deal with him for you sooner or later!"

While Cao Cao was busy appeasing Liu Bei and his two brothers, Cao Yan was secretly plotting something.

These three characters have the best gold-level attributes; I absolutely must get my hands on them.

Currently, Cao Yan has two ways to obtain entries from other people.

One method is to raise the favorability rating to 90% or higher and then copy the entry.

One method is to lower the favorability rating to -100% and forcibly steal the attribute.

"Without a doubt, it's much easier to lower the favorability rating to -100%."

However, doing so would inevitably lead to doing things that would damage one's reputation, making it a losing proposition.

Furthermore, the looting of affixes is completely random, with only a 25% chance of obtaining the desired gold affix.

The risk is too great; this method is not advisable.

"Liu Bei's entry has the phrase 'unwilling to be subordinate to others (ash),' which may explain why he joined many warlords, but eventually betrayed them all and established his own independent forces."

"What if I replaced Liu Bei's 'unwilling to be subordinate to others (gray)' with something like 'loyal and righteous to protect his lord'..."

"hey-hey……"

Thinking of this, Cao Yan's lips unconsciously curled up.

Xiahou Lan, standing next to Cao Yan, noticed Cao Yan's expression.

He couldn't help but lean close to Zhao Yun's ear and whisper, "Zilong, look, the Lord is plotting against someone again!"

Zhao Yun glared at Xiahou Lan and replied in a low voice, "What do you mean by scheming against others? Lord, you are thinking of others!"

“Ah, right, right! It’s called being considerate of others…” Xiahou Lan nodded in agreement, but with a teasing smile on her face.

Cao Cao was also conflicted.

Cao Yan's earlier statement, "Who among the heroes of the world can rival Cao Cao and Liu Bei!" had deeply shocked him.

Was Liu Bei really capable?
This issue has been torn apart by countless historians in later generations.

Should Liu Bei kill him or not?

If we don't kill him, Liu Bei has always been ambitious. Wouldn't this be like planting a time bomb for ourselves, needlessly creating a powerful opponent who will only cause us trouble?
But if we kill him, Liu Bei will be seen as someone who is punishing a disloyal person on behalf of the emperor, which is why he has ended up in this state.

Moreover, their identity is still that of a "descendant of the Han Dynasty," and they keep saying they want to support the Han Dynasty.

Cao Cao killed him; wasn't that clearly going against the emperor and the court?

After that, who would dare to come and join Cao Cao?
This is a classic case of killing one person and losing the world.

So Lao Cao was also worried.

But no matter how conflicted he felt, the most important thing right now was to appease Liu Bei's defeated and remnant army.

After Cao Cao's army set up camp, they provided Liu Bei's soldiers with ample food and medical supplies.

When Zhang Fei saw that the strong liquor, which exuded a rich aroma, was being used to wash his wounds, he cried out in distress, wishing he could catch the "wasteful" liquor with his mouth.

After Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei had treated their wounds, washed themselves, changed into clean clothes, and entered the main tent.

In a daze, Cao Cao seemed to see again the three heroes in front of Hulao Pass, who, though simply dressed, exuded a calm and heroic spirit.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat, and Cao Yan sat beside him.

Liu Bei entered the main tent and first bowed respectfully to Cao Cao: "Greetings, Minister of Works!"

After the ceremony, his gaze turned to Cao Yan.

Since he did not know Cao Yan, Liu Bei was unsure how to address him or how to greet him.

Upon seeing this, Cao Cao introduced, "This is my younger brother, General of the Later Han Dynasty, Cao Yan, Cao Zi'an."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei and his two brothers were all startled, secretly thinking, "So he is Cao Yan?!"

"How can he be so young?!"

"With those skinny arms and legs, he can defeat Lü Bu??"

Liu Bei, being a man of great composure, quickly suppressed his surprise and bowed to Cao Yan, saying, "Liu Bei greets General Liu."

To Liu Bei's surprise, Cao Yan stood up, solemnly returned the greeting, and said, "I have long heard of Brother Xuande's benevolence and love for the people. Meeting you today is a great comfort to me."

After saying this, Cao Yan turned to Guan Yu, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "General Guan is loyal, brave, and renowned. I have long admired him."

Although Guan Yu was arrogant, Cao Yan was a man who made great achievements in both military and political affairs.

Seeing that Cao Yan had taken the initiative to bow to him, Guan Yu was both surprised and touched. He quickly returned the bow and said, "General, you flatter me! Guan Yu greets General!"

Finally, Cao Yan's gaze fell on Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei had been staring intently at Cao Yan with wide eyes, eager to see what kind of nice things he would say.

Cao Yan suddenly smiled and said, "I've already had the liquor prepared. I'll have Dian Wei accompany the Third General for a good drink later, until we're all drunk!"

"Hahaha!!" Zhang Fei burst into laughter upon hearing this: "General Hou is truly a straightforward man, I, Old Zhang, like him, I like him so much!!"

[Liu Bei's favorability towards you has changed; current favorability: 28%]

Guan Yu's favorability towards you has changed; current favorability: 30%.

Zhang Fei's favorability towards you has changed; current favorability: 43%.

After Liu Bei and his two brothers were seated in turn, Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and slowly said:
"Brother Xuande is wholeheartedly dedicated to sharing the Emperor's burdens and has led troops to attack the false Emperor Yuan Shu."

Although the army suffered a defeat, the court recognized their sincerity and hard work.

I intend to submit a memorial to the Emperor, recommending you, Xuande, for the position of Governor of Qingzhou…

"The Governor of Qingzhou?" Liu Bei and the others were taken aback upon hearing this.

Zhang Fei, being outspoken, couldn't help but "kindly" remind him: "Minister Cao, my elder brother is the governor of Xuzhou, yet you recommended him to be the governor of Qingzhou. Isn't that a mistake?"

Liu Bei and Guan Yu certainly wouldn't think it was Cao Cao's oversight or mistake, so the only explanation is: "Cao Cao is being wary of us!"

Zhang Fei wanted to say something more, but Liu Bei glared at him and shut him up.

Seeing his elder brother's gaze, Zhang Fei reluctantly sat down and stopped talking.

Cao Cao ignored Zhang Fei's rudeness and continued to say to Liu Bei, "The court has already appointed a new governor of Xu Province, so we can only ask Brother Xuande to take up the post in Qing Province."

(End of this chapter)