Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 285 The Battle of Generals is Full of Deception
Bianshui Bridge is one of the twelve bridges in the capital region, and it was considered a fairly large bridge in those days.

Moreover, the Bian River Bridge is built on a straight section of the river, unlike the area around Xu Huang's place which has bends and valleys. There are no obstructions near the bridge, and you can see for miles around.

Cao Cao led his army to a stop at the east end of the bridge.

Liu Bei's troops stopped at the west end of the bridge.

Looking at Liu Bei's banners from afar, Cao Cao subconsciously turned around and glanced at Xiahou Dun behind him.

This scene seems so familiar...

He got beaten up in a one-on-one duel with Liu Bei, and he also got beaten up in a group fight with Guan Yu...

So, this battle right now...

The banner of "General Liu of the Right" was right across from them, and the tall, strong man with a long beard standing at the very front was Guan Yu, whom both Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun saw.

Moreover, it was quite obvious that Guan Yu had also seen Xiahou Dun, and even raised his long sword to greet him.

Xiahou Dun swallowed hard: "Mengde..."

Cao Cao swallowed hard: "Yuan Rang..."

The two spoke at the same time, looked at each other, and then closed their mouths at the same time.

Xiahou Yuan looked at the two men, somewhat puzzled: "Brothers, aren't you going to advance?"

"Miaocai, Zhang Yide, who rescued you from prison, is right across the street..."

Cao Cao pointed to the banner of 'Commander Zhang' opposite him.

"...I should go and thank you."

Xiahou Yuan rode out alone, intending to walk onto the bridge.

Cao Cao also spurred his horse forward: "Miao Cai, I'll go with you..."

Xiahou Dun did not go; he did not want to face Guan Yu directly and instead ordered his men to guard the bridgehead.

……

"Brother, that's Xiahou Miaocai... He seems to want to speak to me?"

When Zhang Fei saw Xiahou Yuan waving at him after crossing the bridge, he understood what he meant.

"It's probably a matter of trying diplomacy first, then resorting to force..."

When Liu Bei saw Cao Cao also come onto the bridge, he understood that Cao Cao wanted to say something, so he and Zhang Fei came to the middle of the bridge.

Xiahou Yuan remained silent, only bowing respectfully to Zhang Fei.

"I've come specifically to thank Yide for rescuing Miaocai..."

When Cao Cao saw Liu Bei approaching, he spoke to Zhang Fei first: "Miao Cai once said that Yi De has the courage of ten thousand men, but I regret that I have not been able to see it with my own eyes."

Zhang Fei remained silent. He didn't know how to respond to Cao Cao in this situation. After all, according to the rules of the martial arts world, subordinates shouldn't speak when their leaders are talking.

"Brother Mengde, if you truly wish to witness Yide's prowess, you will have your wish fulfilled immediately..."

Liu Bei shook his head: "Yuan Shao is a traitor, killing Shi Hou and throwing the world into chaos. He is ruthless and cunning... Why did Mengde help him plot rebellion?"

“Benchu ​​is my friend. He wants to avenge the deaths of seven hundred of his relatives. How can I not help him?”

Cao Cao retorted to Liu Bei: "I heard from Li Qian of the Cheng clan that Xuande once burned down Wangdu to avenge a friend... How come you, Liu Xuande, can avenge a friend, but Yuan Shao cannot avenge your own family?"

"...Avenging his family? Ha...He drove his family to their deaths himself! If he hadn't rebelled and wreaked havoc in Luoyang, how could Yuan Wei's family have died?"

Liu Bei sighed: "Yuan Shao abandoned the remains of the Yuan clan members on the way, and I had them buried. You say he did it for revenge? If it were for revenge, he wouldn't have raised an army in rebellion, let alone fled Luoyang... Brother Mengde, you've probably been deceived."

"In any case, the Primal people were indeed killed, right?"

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Xuande, then why did you send troops here? Is it to exterminate Yuan Shao?"

"Yuan Shao killed my master, I will surely kill him! My master was also the emperor's teacher, the emperor will surely kill him too!"

Liu Bei attempted to explain the events of Luoyang to Cao Cao: "Brother Mengde, Yuan Shao attempted to assassinate the Emperor, resulting in the death of my master. He also instigated He Jin and He Miao to fight each other, and held Shi Hou hostage..." Cao Cao impatiently interrupted Liu Bei: "Xuande, there's no need for further explanation... I only ask you, is it true that the young Emperor was enthroned, the Empress Dowager ruled as regent, the officials were persecuted, dissidents were eliminated, and the imperial relatives held power? Do you dare to withdraw your troops and allow us to enter Luoyang to see for ourselves?"

“You are probably misled by Yuan Shao… Brother Mengde, all these things are caused by Yuan Shao, not as you have heard.”

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao and patiently advised, "The Han Dynasty is currently beset by internal and external troubles, and the people are suffering. We need capable ministers like Brother Mengde. Why should Brother Mengde implicate his own family for Yuan Shao? It's not too late to switch sides and quell the rebellion. There are many details to this matter, and it involves Yuan..."

"...Changing the flag? Suppressing the rebellion? Who are the rebels? Liu Xuande, I don't know who the rebels are...and I don't care about the inside story."

Cao Cao interrupted Liu Bei again, shaking his head and saying bluntly, "Yuan Shao is my old friend, Wei Zixu is my relative, Zhang Mengzhuo is my close friend, Qiao Yuanwei is the cousin of my benefactor (referring to Qiao Xuan)... Many famous scholars have formed an alliance and joined forces. Tell me, who should I help?"

Liu Bei understood that Cao Cao hadn't been completely deceived; his choice was more a matter of principle. He then said no more, "Since that's the case, then I won't say anything more… My final advice is to withdraw your troops, don't risk your life…"

"Hmph... Liu Xuande, if you want me to retreat, fine. How about we duel as generals to avoid our troops fighting each other and weakening each other..."

Cao Cao's eyes narrowed to slits: "Would you be willing to gamble with me for three rounds?"

"what?"

Xiahou Yuan glanced at Zhang Fei, then at Cao Cao, his expression clearly pessimistic.

"A duel? Brother Mengde, are you serious?"

Liu Bei thought he was hallucinating: "How do we wager?"

“You and I will each send three men to fight each other. The loser will retreat thirty miles... This is a gentleman's battle. Do you dare to agree?”

Cao Cao's face remained expressionless.

These days, there are indeed duels between generals to decide the winner, but these are usually between clans fighting for territory or gangs fighting over mountain strongholds. It is extremely rare to see them in direct combat between two armies.

It was even rarer for rebels to attack the imperial court...

But Liu Bei was not intimidated by the duel, and immediately extended his hand: "It's a deal!"

Cao Cao clapped his hands and turned his horse back.

……

When Cao Cao returned to the front lines and told Xiahou Dun about the duel, Xiahou Dun's face fell: "Mengde, Guan Yu is incredibly brave; we are probably no match for him. Why did you have to duel him?"

(Note: Xiahou Dun was one year older than Cao Cao.)
Xiahou Yuan also came over, glanced at the soldiers behind him, and said in a low voice, "Brother, Zhang Yide is fierce and strong; I am no match for him..."

Xiahou Dun's expression worsened.

"It's alright. If we lose, we'll retreat thirty miles. Liu Bei has already agreed. He's a man of his word and won't kill anyone in a duel."

Cao Cao said in a low voice, "We will keep our promise and retreat if we are defeated. There is no need for us to fight fiercely. Let Liu Bei win and cross the bridge. Wei Zixu's troops are behind us. We just need to lure Liu Bei into the encirclement, and then we can attack together with Wei Zixu... Zilian, quickly send someone to Wei Zixu to tell him to set up an ambush at the old market..."

Cao Hong, who had been silent, nodded and rode off quickly.

……

In fact, Liu Bei knew that Cao Cao would likely use tricks in his gangster-style duels, because Cao Cao had witnessed Guan Yu's fighting prowess.

In a one-on-one fight, Guan Yu alone could defeat all of Cao Cao's brothers... or in a group fight, the effect would be the same.

Cao Cao knew he couldn't win, yet he still engaged in a duel with his generals. There must have been some kind of scheme involved. This gentleman's agreement was not Cao Cao's style.

Liu Bei certainly didn't know what the trick was, but he also had his own schemes...

"A swift victory is essential in a battle of generals. If Cao Cao truly retreats, we should immediately head north to besiege Bao Xin without pursuing Cao Cao... Send a fast message to Lü Bu, instructing him to flank Cao Cao from behind and attack him from the north via the old city."

Liu Bei was also giving instructions to his brothers: "We should first join forces with Xu Huang to defeat Bao Xin, and then join forces with Xu Rong to take Ao Cang directly. Cao Cao's troops are well-equipped and quite strong. We should first defeat the weaker rebel forces and cut off their supply lines. If we attack the strong enemy first, we will not have the strength to defeat the main force of the rebel army."

"What if Cao Cao sees that we are not pursuing and takes the opportunity to send a large army to attack Hulao Pass?"

Guan Yu asked.

"Let him attack Hulao Pass. With Zilong guarding the pass, it won't collapse quickly."

Liu Bei wasn't worried: "Besides, Lü Bu isn't someone you can easily deal with..."

(End of this chapter)