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

Chapter 76 Self-proof is impossible; Liu Bei inherited the spirit of Emperor Gaozu.
The Chinese military tent.

Yuan Shao sat in the main seat, his face filled with worry.

Inside the tent.

The civil and military officials argued incessantly.

Early this morning.

The spies then sent back intelligence, saying that "Cao Cao burned down Baima City and forcibly relocated the people in the Baima area, and is now retreating westward along the Yellow River."

Yuan Shao then gathered his troops to discuss the plan to lead the entire army from Liyang across the Yellow River to pursue Cao Cao.

However, it would have been better not to discuss it.

Arguments arise as soon as discussions begin.

Yan Liang, wanting revenge for the failed attack on Baima, rallied his generals Wen Chou, Meng Dai, Jiang Qi, and others, echoing Yuan Shao's decision.

However, Yan Liang's failed attack on Baima had already displeased Ju Shou, and today he was talking big in front of Ju Shou, saying that "after crossing the river, we will definitely capture Cao Cao alive and avenge our previous humiliation." Ju Shou was immediately angered and directly accused Yan Liang and others of being greedy for merit and profit.

Yan Liang and the others were naturally unconvinced, and each of them, relying on their loud voices, directly confronted Ju Shou.

Subsequently.

Tian Feng, Xun Chen, Xu You, Shen Pei, Zhang He, Gao Lan and other civil and military officials also joined the argument. Some helped Yan Liang to confront Ju Shou, some helped Ju Shou to confront Yan Liang, and some directly confronted both Ju Shou and Yan Liang.

It is quite normal for the civil and military officers under their command to have disagreements and quarrels when discussing military affairs.

What's abnormal is that the quarrels among Yuan Shao's civil and military officials often involve personal grudges, and there are even more instances of stirring up trouble, sowing discord, and spreading rumors, as if they wish all dissenting voices would disappear from now on.

Cao Cao's assessment of Yuan Shao as "outwardly lenient but inwardly suspicious, fond of scheming but indecisive" was actually giving Yuan Shao face. If he really didn't give Yuan Shao face, he would have to say that Yuan Shao was "lax in managing his subordinates and ineffective in governing them."

The argument in the tent only gradually subsided after someone announced that "General Zuo has arrived."

It wasn't that Liu Bei's prestige could silence the civil and military officials in his tent, but rather that Liu Bei was currently an "outsider," and arguing in front of an "outsider" would only make him a laughingstock.

Finally, some peace and quiet!

Yuan Shao secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the argument inside the tent was so loud that Yuan Shao felt like his head was about to explode.

"Quickly, invite Xuande!"

Not long after.

Liu Bei strode inside.

After glancing at the civil and military officials in the tent, and recalling that he could hear arguing in the main tent from afar, Liu Bei had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

"Meet the General!"

Liu Bei remained calm and bowed to Yuan Shao.

"Xuande, there's no need for such formalities."

Yuan Shao rose from his seat and invited Liu Bei to sit beside him, where he explained all the matters.

Upon learning that Yuan Shao intended to lead his entire army across the Yellow River to pursue Cao Cao, Liu Bei immediately exclaimed, "General, you are wise! With 100,000 infantry and cavalry crossing the Yellow River, how can Cao Cao possibly resist?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ju Shou's shout rang out: "Liu Bei, how dare you deceive the General into crossing the river? What are your intentions?"

It's that same Ju Shou again!
Liu Bei frowned.

Did I demolish your house when it was cold, or did I steal your rice during a famine?

Why should they be hostile towards me at every turn?
Seeing Ju Shou's hostile expression, Liu Bei was not going to tolerate it, and his aura changed: "Supervisor Ju, I am the Left General, Marquis of Yicheng, and Governor of Yuzhou appointed by the Emperor. It is extremely impolite of you to address me by my given name."

Ju Shou sneered: "Cao Cao holds the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, and nothing is decided by the emperor. Your titles of Left General, Marquis of Yicheng, and Governor of Yuzhou are definitely not bestowed by the emperor, but by Cao Cao forging an edict. Since it is Cao Cao forging an edict, it is not disrespectful for him to call you by your name."

Liu Bei chuckled: "According to Supervisor Ju, the Grand General was not appointed by the Emperor but by Cao Cao using a forged edict. All those present here hold forged seals. We are all traitors and rebels."

Liu Bei had no intention of proving himself.

Since Ju Shou defined Liu Bei's titles of "Left General, Marquis of Yicheng, and Governor of Yuzhou" as forged by Cao Cao, then Yuan Shao's title of Grand General must also be defined as forged by Cao Cao. Every single civil and military official present was a traitor who had forged the imperial seals.

In general terms, Ju Shou's talent and knowledge are beyond doubt.

However, when it comes to escalating conflicts, muddying the waters, fighting poison with poison, and feigning ignorance, Ju Shou is no match for Liu Bei, who rose from humble beginnings.

Moreover, with the rogue emperor Liu Bang as a precedent, who would still sit down and discuss matters with you in a proper manner?
All of a sudden.

Ju Shou then became the target of public criticism.

Yan Liang and the others, who had initially argued with Ju Shou, no longer cared that Liu Bei was an "outsider" and argued with Ju Shou again.

"You're spouting complete nonsense! Ju Shou, what do you know?!"

"The title of Grand General was bestowed by the Emperor; what does it have to do with Cao Cao?"

"Bullshit! Stop getting in my way and delaying my beheading of Cao Cao!"

"You worthless bastard, all you do is spout nonsense, you're just wasting your time!"

"If you keep yelling, I'll stab you!"

"."

The more the crowd argued, the more vulgar and crude they became, which angered Ju Shou to the point that his neck turned red.

Looking at Liu Bei again, he was not only calm and composed, but also glanced sideways at Ju Shou.

"enough!"

Yuan Shao could no longer stand it and slammed his fist on the table, shouting.

Yuan Shao could tolerate it when Liu Bei wasn't around, but they still argued endlessly after Liu Bei arrived. Didn't Yuan Shao have any pride?
When everyone saw that Yuan Shao was angry, they stopped arguing.

However, this is only on the surface. In secret, they are still nitpicking and always trying to find fault with each other.

"My mind is made up!" Yuan Shao drew his sword and stood up, slashing off a corner of the table with one stroke: "Anyone who tries to stop me from crossing the river will suffer the same fate as this table!"

Yuan Shao didn't want to listen to everyone's arguments anymore, and he didn't want Liu Bei to look down on him and think that a great general like him was not strict with his subordinates. So he directly showed the "domineering spirit" that a "king" should have.

And the effect was equally obvious.

Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and others hesitated to speak, then stamped their feet and sighed; Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and others shouted "The Great General is wise!" and cheered with joy.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou volunteered to be the vanguard, vowing to capture Cao Cao alive.

Yuan Shao, wanting to show Liu Bei the strength of the Hebei army, looked at Liu Bei and said, "Xuande, would you be willing to cross the river with Yan Liang and Wen Chou to avenge Cao Cao's oppression?"

Without hesitation, Liu Bei replied, "I am irreconcilably opposed to Cao Cao, and I cannot sleep at night. Now that I have received such a generous offer from the General, how could I not do my utmost? I am willing to cross the Yellow River with the two generals, slay Cao Cao's general on the battlefield, and present his head to the General!"

"Excellent!" Yuan Shao clapped his hands and laughed, "With Xuande's help, we can definitely capture Cao Cao alive!"

He then summoned Yan Liang and Wen Chou to his side, took out military orders, and gave them to the two men: "Cao Cao burned and abandoned his white horse to flee, which shows his cowardice. Now, Wen Chou is appointed as the commander-in-chief, and Yan Liang as the deputy commander. Lead 5,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry to the north bank of Yan Jin to join forces with Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong, cross the river, and intercept them. There must be no mistakes!"

Both of them excitedly accepted the order.

Yan Liang, in particular, had the opportunity to avenge his previous humiliation and was eager to cross the Yellow River and capture Cao Cao alive.

Yuan Shao then gave Liu Bei a separate military order, saying, "Xuande, you may lead your cavalry to travel with the two generals. As the Left General, you must not be subordinate to the two generals. Although you travel with the two generals, you are not bound by their orders."

Yuan Shao was also a shrewd man.

If Wen Chou were to control Liu Bei, Liu Bei might not exert himself due to being subordinate to someone else.

If Liu Bei were given freedom, would he dare not do his best?

Liu Bei also knew Yuan Shao's intentions, and once again vowed to kill Cao's general to repay Yuan Shao's great kindness.

　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)