I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 160, let's go with Gao Shun!

When the other generals under Lü Bu heard that Lu Su had brought gifts of gold and silver, they all indulged in unrestrained behavior. Only Gao Shun did not touch a drop of wine. At the end of the banquet, when there was still singing and dancing, he asked Lü Bu for leave, saying that he wanted to return to the military camp.

"What a disappointment!"

Lu Bu didn't have much affection for Gao Shun, who was a man of few words, so when Gao Shun was about to leave, he didn't try to stop him.

Lu Su kept urging Lü Bu to make a decision as soon as possible during the banquet, but Lü Bu said indifferently, "What's the rush? Let Liu Bei stay in Haixi for a while longer!"

Lü Bu was indeed full of energy. The banquet lasted for several hours, and he drank countless dou of wine before going to rest, letting Lu Su stay next to him.

Lu Su thought of the generals he had seen at the banquet today and felt a little regretful: "Those people are just some crude and uncouth military officers, and cannot be won over to help me. I wonder why Chen Gong did not come to the banquet today."

If Chen Gong, Lü Bu's strategist, were also present, Lu Su could have clearly explained the advantages and disadvantages, and asked Chen Gong to help persuade Lü Bu to accept Liu Bei and settle him in Pei County to resist Cao Cao.

Unfortunately, even with his sharp tongue, he had little opportunity to use it against a group of military generals.

Lu Su lay on his bed, feigning sleep, pondering how he could persuade Lü Bu...

"Kill Lü Bu! Don't let him escape!"

"Take Lü Bu's head! The Emperor will grant you the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

"..."

Lu Su suddenly woke up, but thought he was having a nightmare, so he turned over and continued to rest.

"kill!"

Bang!
Lu Su suddenly sat up and looked outside in horror!

"Enemy attack!"

Lu Su immediately got up and ran outside, pounding on Lü Bu's door: "General! General! There has been a sudden enemy rebellion in the city!"

The lights in Lü Bu's room came on, followed by a series of clattering sounds.

The gate burst open, and Lü Bu emerged, sword in hand. Upon seeing Lu Su, he immediately launched into a tirade: "Where did these enemy troops come from? Could it be that you, Lu Su, led them in?"

"General, how could I, Lu Su, possess such ability? Please listen carefully!"

Lü Bu pricked up his ears, just as a loud shout came from outside, spoken in Hanoi dialect: "Whoever obtains Lü Bu's head will be enfeoffed as Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

Dazhong?

Yuan Shu's men?

Yuan Shu has attacked?

Lu Bu panicked, but Lu Su calmly said, "Yuan Shu's army is blocked to the south by Zhou Yu and Sun Ce. How could they possibly reach Xiapi so easily?"

"Could it be that Yuan Shu lured one of your generals into killing you in order to seize Xuzhou?"

Lu Su also recognized the voice, so he quickly asked, "General, do you have any generals from Hanoi under your command?"

"It's Hao Meng!"

Lu Bu's eyes were bloodshot: "That Hao Meng! How dare you betray me! You wait! I will tear you to pieces!"

"General, now is not the time for harsh words."

Lu Su looked around and asked, "The enemy troops are heading this way! General, are there any other roads leading out of here?"

Lu Bu glanced around and then led his wife and daughter directly to the outhouse in the backyard.

Lu Bu strode forward, placed his hands on the wall, and with a roar, he pushed down the rammed earth wall!
"The general is mighty!"

"Humph!"

Lu Bu exerted force again, and with a loud bang, the wall crashed to the ground, revealing a passage for escape.

Lu Su quickly asked, "Which general do you trust the most, and who would never betray you?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lü Bu declared, "Gao Shun!"

"Then let's head towards Gao Shun's camp!"

Lu Bu, along with his wife and daughters and Lu Su, did not dare to stop for a moment and went straight to the barracks where Gao Shun was located in the city.

Gao Shun was cautious after all. Even though he was in the city, he still wore his armor and was ready to obey orders at any time.

Upon seeing Lü Bu arrive in such a disheveled state, Gao Shun had no other thoughts and immediately asked Lü Bu, "General, do you know who has rebelled?"

"Hao Meng!"

"This humble general will immediately set out to quell the rebellion!"

Gao Shun commanded only about seven hundred men, but their armor and fighting gear were all exquisitely crafted and well-prepared. Furthermore, they didn't use his own general's banner, but instead referred to him by only two characters—

[Into Battle!]
Lu Su also showed an envious expression when he saw the Trapped Camp.

What a powerful army!

Gao Shun led the elite troops to Lü Bu's residence, where they set up Han crossbows and fired at Hao Meng's army, causing them to scatter and flee.

Seeing that he couldn't find Lü Bu and that Gao Shun had brought his elite troops to the camp, Hao Meng quickly rallied his soldiers and returned to his original camp.

When Hao Meng's general Cao Xing saw that Hao Meng had returned empty-handed, he immediately led his troops in rebellion.

How dare you deceive me?

Hao Meng and Cao Xing fought each other. Hao Meng stabbed Cao Xing, and Cao Xing also cut off Hao Meng's arm.

Taking advantage of the situation, Gao Shun rushed forward, slashed off Hao Meng's head with a single stroke, and carried Cao Xing on a stretcher to see Lü Bu.

Lu Bu was already fully dressed, and even his Red Hare horse had been prepared, clearly indicating that he intended to personally lead the expedition!
When Lü Bu saw Cao Xing, he asked, "Why did Hao Meng betray me?"

"Reporting to the general, he has been misled by Yuan Shu."

Did he have any other accomplices?

"Yes, it's Chen Gong." Even Lu Su looked at Chen Gong, who had been missing all night and was now sitting next to Lü Bu.

Chen Gong's face was flushed, but Lü Bu, mindful of Chen Gong's previous contributions in Yanzhou, ultimately did not order an attack.

……

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward...

Lu Su seized the opportunity to say, "General, you should now understand Yuan Shu's covetousness of Xuzhou, shouldn't you?"

"Why don't you let Liu Bei guard Xiaopei in your place? With Liu Bei's reputation for loyalty to the Han Dynasty, he would never collude with Yuan Shu. What do you think?"

Hao Meng's rebellion undoubtedly cast a shadow over Lü Bu.

If even such a loyal subordinate could be bewitched and betray Yuan Shu, what chance would others have?
Considering Liu Bei's clearly impeccable character, Lü Bu finally had to sigh and say, "Is that so!"

“I will return Liu Bei’s family to him and clear the way so that Liu Bei may stay in Xiaopei.”

Lu Bu hesitated for a moment: "Is Liu Bei really willing to protect Xiaopei for me now?"

"Don't worry, General."

Lu Su assured Lü Bu.

"If possible, I will go to Liu Bei now and bring back his reply."

Lu Bu no longer hesitated and immediately ordered Lu Su to take Liu Bei's family back to Haixi.

Upon seeing that his family was still alive, Liu Bei was overjoyed and grasped Lu Su's hand, exclaiming, "Thanks to Zijing!"

"It was all entrusted to me by my lord, and I dare not take credit for it."

Liu Bei was deeply moved: "Zhongshan and I have never met, yet he treats me like a brother. How can I ever repay him?"

Lu Su: "Our lord is willing to help you because he knows you are a virtuous and benevolent gentleman, a lord who can treat the people well. He only hopes that Governor Liu can wholeheartedly serve the people and not forget his original intention, so that our lord can feel at ease."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei became even more choked up!
With Zhongshan in the world, how can we not help restore the Han Dynasty?

"I hope Zijing and Zhongshan will pay their respects and tell them that I, Liu Bei, am willing to repay his kindness with my life!"

"Liu Xuzhou, you flatter me!"

Lu Su then recounted his experiences in Xuzhou.

When Liu Bei heard that Hao Meng, one of Lü Bu's generals, had rebelled, he was overjoyed: "Could it be that Lü Bu is dead? Can Xu Province be recovered?"

"That's not the case. Lü Bu has already quelled the rebellion..."

Liu Bei immediately became depressed.

Cao Cao could quell rebellions, Liu Miao could quell rebellions, even Lü Bu could quell rebellions! But he couldn't...

Lu Su could only advise, "As long as one has a place to stand, everything is still uncertain."

"I hope that Governor Liu will not blame our lord for not sending troops to help us... It is truly because Yuan Shu is cunning and treacherous, and we must be careful to guard against him."

Liu Bei had not known how terrifying Yuan Shu was before, but now he felt a chill run down his spine.

It is truly terrifying that he could easily incite Sun Ben and Sun Fu, who were under Liu Miao's command, to rebel, and also that he could make Hao Meng, a veteran under Lü Bu, rebel!
When facing such an insidious enemy, what's wrong with being extra careful?
"I am so grateful to Zhongshan, how could I possibly blame him?"

“Yuan Shu comes from a prominent family, and his disciples are all over the world. Zhongshan should be careful when dealing with Yuan Shu.”

Liu Bei then tacitly accepted his fate of going to Xiaopei: "In that case, I ask Zijing to mediate between us."

"nature!"

Lu Su brought Liu Bei's reply back to Lü Bu, who was also extremely satisfied.

"With Liu Bei as a shield in the west, I shouldn't have much to worry about, right?"

Lu Su replied, "If Liu Bei can help you defend against Cao Cao in Yanzhou, then who can help you defend against Yuan Shu in Huainan?"

"Yuan Shu can also attack Xuzhou from the direction of Guangling. Have you forgotten, General?"

Lu Bu asked in confusion, "Isn't there Liu Miao's army in Guangling?"

"But Guangling is, after all, part of Xuzhou. As the governor of Yangzhou, how can our lord keep his troops stationed in Xuzhou indefinitely?"

Lu Su suggested, "Why don't you send another general to Guangling to guard the south for you? With troops stationed in both the west and south, you can surely rest easy!"

south?

After Hao Meng's provocation, Lü Bu felt that everyone he met had some rebellious intentions, so he dared not easily let them go out to command troops.
Therefore, Lü Bu decisively sought help from Lu Su: "Zijing, who do you think can station troops in Guangling to guard against Yuan Shu?"

Lu Su respectfully replied, "General Gao Shun is acceptable."

"Gao Shun?"

Lü Bu nodded.

If we were to ask who among Lü Bu's men could resist Yuan Shu's seduction and not betray him, it would probably only be Gao Shun!

However, Lü Bu was reluctant to part with Gao Shun's elite Trapped Camp, so he summoned Gao Shun directly: "I want you to go to Guangling to defend against Yuan Shu, but I want you to hand over the Trapped Camp to Wei Xu. Are you willing?"

Directly stripping them of their military power is ruthless!
Throughout the entire ordeal, Gao Shun's eyes showed not a trace of anger or hatred; he simply bowed respectfully to Lü Bu.

"Here!"

------

Note 1:

From the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Book of Wei, Volume 7: Bu asked Xing, who said, "Meng accepted Yuan Shu's plot." "Who were the plotters?" Xing replied, "Chen Gong conspired with him." At that time, Gong was present, his face turned red, and everyone around noticed. Bu, considering Gong a high-ranking general, did not question him further.

Note 2:

From *The Records of Heroes*: After Hao Meng rebelled, Bu became even more distant from Shun. Because Wei Xu was a relative of both the inner and outer courts, Bu seized all the troops under Shun's command and gave them to Xu. When it came time for battle, Bu ordered Shun to take over the troops previously led by Xu, and Shun ultimately harbored no resentment.

(End of this chapter)