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

Chapter 82 Capturing Yan Liang and Wen Chou, Liu Bei Pleasantly Falls for the Divide and Conquer Plot (4 Updates)
As the gong sounded, Cao Cao's army surged in like a tide, and then receded just as quickly.

Cao Cao adopted Xun You's strategy, secretly spreading rumors of a conspiracy with Liu Bei, and deliberately releasing prisoners in order to intensify the conflict between Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Liu Bei.

The effect is also very obvious.

None of the generals and officers under Yan Liang and Wen Chou were willing to take responsibility for the defeat.

Therefore, when the rumors appeared, almost no one cared whether they were true or false; they only cared whether the rumors could shift all the blame for the defeat onto Liu Bei.

Cao Cao effortlessly spread rumors among Yan Liang and Wen Chou's routed troops.

"Snapped!"

Wen Chou lashed his whip at a stone by the roadside.

"That brat Liu Bei dares to collude with the traitor Cao Cao to harm me! No wonder he refuses to cross the river with us!"

Yan Liang was also indignant.

"That big-eared traitor conspired with Cao Cao first, and when he saw that we two were still alive, he pretended to send troops to help us. He is truly hateful!"

The two men were not without doubts about the truth and origin of the rumors, but Yan Liang had been defeated at Baima and then Wen Chou had been defeated at Yanjin. If they could not find a scapegoat, how would they explain to Yuan Shao when they returned?

Just when things were getting drowsy, Cao Cao delivered a pillow to Liu Bei's head. If they didn't use the rumors as an excuse to kill Liu Bei and leave no evidence, then Yan Liang and Wen Chou would be the ones to take the blame.

After two defeats, even if the two men were still favored by Yuan Shao, they had to be punished, otherwise Yuan Shao would not be able to win over the people in the future.

Therefore, even though Yan Liang and Wen Chou knew that the rumors were most likely Cao Cao's trick, they still pretended to be stupid and fell into the trap.

This was Cao Cao's strategy to sow discord, and it was also a calculated move by Cao Cao!
After his tirade, Wen Chou's tone turned cold: "Chunyu Qiong is here today. I suspect that Liu Bei is colluding with Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong in private. If they want to kill Liu Bei, they must act quickly!"

Yan Liang's killing intent was also palpable: "We can lie and say we want to thank Liu Bei for his help today, then send someone to invite Liu Bei to a banquet in our camp, and then kill him there! Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong will certainly not dare to say anything after seeing Liu Bei dead!"

Wen Chou shook his head, then devised an even more wicked plan: "If Liu Bei doesn't come, we will miss the opportunity to kill him. We should pretend to go to Liu Bei's army to apologize with thorns on our backs, and then each of us should hide a sharp blade on our bodies and assassinate him when he is not paying attention. Liu Bei's cavalry battalion was originally my old subordinate. As long as Liu Bei is dead, no one will dare to make a move."

Yan Liang clapped his hands: "This plan is brilliant!"

After discussing the details, the two men led two hundred soldiers, carrying sheep and wine, and each of them carried thorny branches with hidden sharp blades on their backs. They came to Liu Bei's camp together and shouted, "Please forgive us!"

"Yan Liang and Wen Chou, carrying thorns to apologize?" Liu Bei's expression was quite strange upon receiving the news.

Xu Shu also found it strange and reminded him, "There must be a reason for anything unusual. There are also rumors in the army that the general is conspiring with Cao Cao. We must be wary."

Liu Bei's eyes narrowed slightly as he devised a plan: "First, summon Commandant Xin to see me, then send someone to invite Mr. Guo and General Chunyu, tell them the truth, and ask them to come quickly."

After Xu Shu left, Liu Bei put on heavy armor underneath and a green robe on top, and carried a precious sword for protection. He also instructed Huang Zhong and Chen Dao to each lead armored soldiers to hide behind the tent.

Although we do not know the purpose of Yan Liang and Wen Chou's visit, we should be prepared.

Xin Zhe arrived first and was also puzzled by Yan Liang and Wen Chou's act of carrying thorns to apologize. He wondered, "Yan Liang and Wen Chou have always been very proud of themselves. Even if they were defeated, they would never bow down to the Left General. There must be a trick involved!"

Liu Bei instructed Xin Zhe to wear heavy armor for self-defense, and smiled calmly: "If there is any trickery involved, I will let Commandant Xin watch a good show today."

Subsequently.

Liu Bei deliberately delayed, figuring that Xu Shu's men had met with Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong before arriving at the front of the army.

Seeing the two generals dressed in thin clothes and carrying thorny branches, and with his soldiers leading sheep and offering wine, Liu Bei pretended to be enthusiastic: "Generals, what is the reason for this?" Yan Liang and Wen Chou had been waiting for a long time without seeing Liu Bei come out, and they were already full of anger; seeing that Liu Bei was only superficially enthusiastic but refused to come close to "help" them, they were even more annoyed.

In order not to arouse Liu Bei's suspicion, Yan Liang and Wen Chou suppressed their anger and lowered their posture.

"We two failed to heed General Zuo's wise advice, which led to our defeat today. Fortunately, General Zuo disregarded past grievances and led troops to our rescue, for which we are deeply grateful. We now wish to emulate the ancient hero Lian Po, who carried thorns on his back to apologize, and beg General Zuo's forgiveness!"

Liu Bei glanced at the two hundred soldiers Yan Liang had brought and saw that they were all wearing only thin clothes and none of them were armored. He then laughed loudly and said, "Generals, you are too kind! We all serve the Great General, so why should we distinguish between ourselves? Please come into my tent with me. I have prepared some wine to help you two calm your nerves!"

Seeing that Liu Bei was unprepared, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were secretly delighted, thinking they had succeeded in their plan, and followed Liu Bei into the tent.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou pretended to offer wine again, and Liu Bei also pretended to laugh loudly: "I should drink with the two generals!"

After the two generals finished drinking, Liu Bei took out a letter from his bosom and said, "There is a secret letter from the General here. I need to discuss it with the two generals. All bystanders, please leave."

Yan Liang and Wen Chou were taken aback, unsure whether the letter in Liu Bei's possession was genuine or not. However, they were also worried that Liu Bei might become suspicious, so they could only watch helplessly as Liu Bei drove all two hundred men he had brought out of the central army.

Just as Yan Liang and Wen Chou were about to question Yuan Shao about his secret letter, they suddenly heard Liu Bei draw his sword and shout, "Guards, seize these two traitors!"

Huang Zhong and Chen Dao emerged from behind the tent in response.

The turn of events was too sudden. Before Yan Liang and Wen Chou could react, Huang Zhong and Chen Dao led their armored soldiers to capture them.

In a normal fight, Yan Liang and Wen Chou would not have been easily captured alive, given their martial prowess.

However, Yan Liang and Wen Chou were already exhausted from fighting, and they came in wearing only thin clothes. Facing Huang Zhong, Chen Dao, and several armored soldiers, they had no chance to resist!
"General Zuo, why is this?"

Yan Liang struggled several times, but felt as if the armored soldiers behind him had the strength to fight a tiger.

Wen Chou was also unable to break free.

Liu Bei sneered: "Yesterday I advised you two not to cross the river, but you ignored my advice and insisted on crossing, which led to today's defeat. Since you two have come to apologize with thorns on your backs, how can I convince the people if I do not punish you severely?"

Yan Liang was shocked: "General Zuo, that's not what you said just now!"

Just moments ago they were "not distinguishing between us" and "taking drinks to calm their nerves," and now they're going to be severely punished?
Wen Chou immediately realized that Liu Bei had tricked him, and his face turned cold: "General Zuo, I am the commander-in-chief! Even if someone is to be punished, it should be the Grand General who punishes me! What right do you, an outsider, have to punish me?"

"That makes sense!" Liu Bei leaned back against the table and said, "Then let's wait a little longer!"

Wait?
Who are you waiting for?

Seeing that Liu Bei was indeed sitting there waiting, Yan Liang and Wen Chou felt uneasy.

Not long after, Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong rushed over. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Liu Bei was safe and sound.

Upon learning that Yan Liang and Wen Chou had led two hundred soldiers to Liu Bei's army to apologize with thorns on their backs, Guo Tu sensed something was amiss: would those two arrogant and conceited scoundrels, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, actually go to Liu Bei's army to apologize with thorns on their backs?
Upon learning of rumors circulating in the army that Liu Bei was conspiring with Cao Cao, Guo Tu immediately asserted that Yan Liang and Wen Chou intended to harm Liu Bei. He then grabbed Chunyu Qiong and rode swiftly towards Liu Bei's camp.

Just after Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong entered the tent, Huang Zhong and Chen Dao tacitly searched Yan Liang and Wen Chou's bodies and found sharp weapons, clearly having already discovered that the two had concealed sharp weapons.

Huang Zhong, channeling his inner actor, roared in fury, "How dare this scoundrel carry a sharp weapon, intending to assassinate me?"

　I was at the hospital this morning and only have four chapters saved up. I'll release them all once I recover. Please vote with your monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)