The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Xu Huang was taken aback, immediately realizing something was wrong. He was filled with remorse and wished he could slap himself.

If given another chance, Xu Huang would never analyze the battle situation so bluntly. Although his words made sense, they hit Xiahou Yuan where it hurt.

Since facing Liu Bei, Xiahou Yuan has suffered repeated defeats:
First, when pursuing Liu Bei in Hedong, he was almost surrounded and killed by Liu Bei and was ridiculed as the "General of the White Land"; when pursuing Yuan Shang and the families of officials in Yecheng in the north of Wei Commandery, he was almost surrounded and killed by Guan Yu again, and only managed to escape by abandoning his horse and climbing the mountain; when attacking Xu Shu in Chengping, he was tricked and fought a chaotic battle with Cao Chun, which not only resulted in the loss of soldiers but also damaged the morale of the army.

Liu Bei seemed to be Xiahou Yuan's nemesis, and every time they met, Xiahou Yuan suffered greatly.

To make matters worse, Xu Huang added, "Liu Bei's reinforcements arrived at Lecheng first, which should mean that the weak are being dealt with first and the strong are being dealt with later." How could Xiahou Yuan not be furious?
Am I, Xiahou Yuan, the weakest?
Is Cao Chun really better than me?

They were both commanders and members of the Xiahou and Cao families, so how could Xiahou Yuan admit to being weaker than Cao Chun?

If not for the series of defeats, Xiahou Yuan would not have minded joining forces with Cao Chun to attack Liu Bei; but now that he has suffered a series of defeats, Xiahou Yuan urgently needs to defeat Liu Bei alone to establish his prestige, so how could he be willing to let others share the credit?

Judging from Liu Bei's banners, he probably only had about three thousand men. Even though he had lost many soldiers in the past few days, Xiahou Yuan's forces were still far superior to Liu Bei's.

Even with superior numbers, Xiahou Yuan lacked the confidence to defeat Liu Bei. He should perhaps stop commanding troops and focus solely on raising horses.

Li Dian rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Just now, Li Dian had also wanted to persuade Xiahou Yuan to inform Cao Chun to join forces against Liu Bei. Seeing that Xu Huang had displeased Xiahou Yuan, Li Dian wanted to agree with Xu Huang but did not want to further upset Xiahou Yuan. So he carefully chose his words and said, "General, you are a man of great martial prowess. Capturing Liu Bei alive is not difficult for you. However, now that Liu Bei has arrived, how can we know that Zhuge Liang has not arrived? Perhaps Zhuge Liang has also led his troops to Nanpi at this moment. I think we should send an envoy to contact Nanpi and also investigate the situation to prevent any unforeseen events."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yuan's displeasure indeed diminished considerably.

"Mancheng's words are not without reason." After saving face, Xiahou Yuan no longer objected to sending envoys.

Sending an envoy to inform the troops at Nanpi of their joint attack on Liu Bei, and sending an envoy to inquire about the military situation at Nanpi, both imply that the troops at Nanpi might enter Lecheng to join forces against Liu Bei, were perceived very differently by Xiahou Yuan.

Seeing that Xiahou Yuan agreed to send an envoy, Xu Huang and Li Dian both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Admittedly, Liu Bei's reinforcements numbered only three thousand, while there were still garrison troops inside Lecheng City.

If Liu Bei camps outside the city and forms a pincer movement with the city's defenders, then Xiahou Yuan will face a two-pronged attack whether he attacks Liu Bei or the city.

Without drawing Nanpi's troops into Lecheng, Xiahou Yuan had virtually no chance of victory other than confronting Liu Bei in Lecheng.

If Xiahou Yuan falls into Liu Bei's trap again, he may be defeated. If Xiahou Yuan is defeated, Cao Chun of Nanpi will also be unable to conquer Nanpi.

Originally, the other three routes of Cao Cao's troops were meant to contain the elite troops of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun. If the two eastern routes also only formed a stalemate, Cao Cao's five armies would eventually run out of supplies and have to retreat.

In retrospect, Xiahou Yuan bore the primary responsibility for the entire incident, which was not the outcome that Li Dian and Xu Huang wanted to see.

Just as the messenger left, a junior officer came to report: "Reporting to the general, Liu Bei is challenging us to battle."

The junior officer glanced at Xiahou Yuan furtively, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Xiahou Yuan's expression darkened: "Speak plainly if you have something to say, why are you dawdling?"

The junior officer, steeling himself, gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Bei also said that his younger brother Zhang Fei is engaged to your niece, General, and asked when you would send your niece to Zhuo County to marry Zhang Fei." Xiahou Yuan's face instantly filled with rage: "Liu Bei is an old soldier, he has insulted me too much!"

Li Dian and Xu Huang were also taken aback by Liu Bei's challenge. They had already become enemies and were locked in a life-or-death struggle, yet Liu Bei still wanted to arrange a marriage between Zhang Fei and Xiahou Yuan's niece.

It would be better to just kidnap Xiahou Yuan's niece and marry her off!
Before the two could react, Xiahou Yuan had already stormed out of the tent with his sword drawn. Fearing for Xiahou Yuan's safety, Xu Huang and Li Dian hurriedly followed him out of the tent.

At the camp gate, Liu Bei, clad in armor, stood on horseback before the battle formation, flanked by Chen Dao on his left and Yang Qun on his right, exuding an imposing aura.

Seeing Xiahou Yuan lead his infantry and cavalry out of the camp, Liu Bei laughed loudly: "Brother Miaocai, how have you been?"

The single word "brother" instantly shattered Xiahou Yuan's aggressive momentum.

Xiahou Yuan felt a tightness in his chest, his blood surging, and he roared in fury: "You big-eared scoundrel, stop talking nonsense! I am a descendant of the Xiahou clan of Qiao County, and I do not recognize you, a country bumpkin who weaves mats and sells shoes."

Liu Bei was not angry and laughed loudly, "Brother, don't be angry. Brother Mengde once said, 'The only heroes in the world are you and I.' Therefore, we often address each other as brothers in private. And you are Brother Mengde's closest confidant, so what's wrong with calling you brother?"

"Furthermore, Brother Mengde has already betrothed your niece to my sworn brother Zhang Fei! As the old saying goes, the eldest brother is like a father. My relationship with Zhang Fei is like that of brothers, and our bond is like that of father and son. Brother Mengde is also like that of a brother to you. Your niece is also my niece, so naturally we can address each other as brothers."

Before Xiahou Yuan could catch his breath, Liu Bei changed the subject, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Four hundred years ago, even my ancestor, Emperor Gaozu, needed my ancestor Xiahou Ying to drive and serve him when he rode in his carriage. Today, I call you 'my worthy brother,' which is already an act of respect for your ancestors, considering that we are both ministers in the same court!"

In terms of eloquence, ten Xiahou Yuans couldn't match half of Liu Bei.

Furthermore, Liu Bei spoke clearly and fluently, using standard Han Dynasty Mandarin. His clear words resounded across the battlefield, making it seem as if he and Xiahou Yuan were long-lost brothers.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiahou Yuan's face turned purple, and his eyes blazed with fury: "You big-eared scoundrel, you have insulted me too much! Do you dare to fight me to the death!"

"What is there to be afraid of!" Liu Bei laughed and drew his sword. Two specially made, heavy longswords were in his hands, as if they were extensions of his arms.

Seeing Liu Bei accept the challenge, Xiahou Yuan was secretly delighted and spurred his horse, sword in hand, straight at Liu Bei.

Although Xiahou Yuan was quite skilled in martial arts, Liu Bei was equally formidable, and for a time, the two were evenly matched.

Most people's arm span is usually the same as their height, but Liu Bei was born with unusual features, his hands reaching past his knees.

With a height of seven feet five inches, Liu Bei's arm span was at least nine feet six inches. With such a terrifying physique, it would not be difficult for him to kill enemies even when using a double-edged sword, which is not advantageous in terms of length.

Furthermore, those who can wield weapons with both hands are far superior horsemen.

Imagine this: an ordinary person must hold the reins with one hand and control the horse with both feet, while using a weapon in one hand to fight. Liu Bei, on the other hand, controls the horse with both feet and uses a weapon in both hands to fight. Anyone with poor martial arts skills would not last more than a few rounds against Liu Bei.

This is also why Chen Dao and Yang Qun did not dissuade Liu Bei. Only with absolute faith in Liu Bei's martial prowess would they do so. The two of them stood guard around Liu Bei only to guard against Xiahou Yuan or someone from Xiahou Yuan's rear who might launch a sneak attack.

After exchanging blows several times, Liu Bei laughed and left, saying, "Xiahou Yuan, you are no match for me. Fighting one-on-one doesn't show your true heroism. I'll give you a day to prepare. Tomorrow, we'll line up and fight to the death, and then we'll see who is superior."

Seeing Liu Bei arrive with such nonchalance and then retreat with such ease, Xiahou Yuan gritted his teeth even more: "You big-eared scoundrel, I swear to kill you!" (End of this chapter)