My Three Kingdoms is not right

Lu Bu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "I feel honored that Cao Cao treats me like a tiger."

Cao Cao remained calm and asked, "Lü Bu, do you know your crime?"

Lü Bu laughed and said, "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Since I lost, of course I am guilty."

"However, since Lord Cao is here to see me, he probably doesn't care about this."

"Oh?" Cao Cao raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lu Bu took a half step forward, the ropes digging into her flesh, but she didn't care at all, only puffing out her chest even higher: "What Cao Cao is worried about is nothing more than Lu Bu. And now I am willing to submit to Cao Cao."

"From this day forward, I, Lü Bu, am willing to serve Cao Cao and help him pacify the four directions. With Lü Bu by his side, Cao Cao is like a tiger with wings, a dragon with water! How can he not worry about the stability of the world or the success of his great undertaking?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Cao Cao's face. He shifted his gaze from Lü Bu's expression to Liu Bei beside him: "What does Xuande think?"

Liu Bei slowly raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over Lü Bu's expectant face. He clasped his hands together, his voice as gentle as ever: "My lord, have you not witnessed the events of Ding Jianyang and Dong Zhuo?"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Lü Bu's face instantly froze.

Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, the two adoptive mothers who once trusted her but ultimately died under her halberd, now transformed into two invisible boulders, crashing down on Lü Bu's shoulders.

When Liu Bei mentioned the two men, he was reminding Cao Cao that Lü Bu was fickle and unreliable, and no matter how capable he was, he should never be used.

"Liu Bei!" Lü Bu roared like a wild beast, "You big-eared scoundrel! You are the most untrustworthy! I have treated you well! I have treated your family kindly! How dare you be so ungrateful!"

She struggled frantically, the ropes digging deep into her flesh. The armored soldiers swarmed her, pinning her shoulders down, but she glared venomously at Liu Bei: "I even saved your siege by shooting an arrow at the gate! You'll die a horrible death!"

Liu Bei did not argue, but simply lowered his head and looked down quietly, as if the words that had just struck him like a blow had come from someone else.

Lu Bu suddenly turned to Liu Xun, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "These past few days I have treated Your Highness as an honored guest. Your Highness has also said that you know of my loyalty to the court."

"Now that someone wants to kill me, Your Highness, would you be willing to plead for my life?"

Liu Xun fell silent.

Reason told him that Lü Bu was fickle and cruel, and deserved to die; but images of her drawing her bow on the city wall, her boldness at the banquet, and that passionate kiss filled with the smell of wine...

He was overwhelmed with mixed feelings and could only turn his face away to avoid her gaze.

"Fine, fine..." Lu Bu shook his head, his long, disheveled hair fluttering in the morning breeze. "You all want me dead, you're all afraid of me."

"Indeed, I, Lü Bu, am unparalleled in the world; who wouldn't be afraid of me?"

She straightened her back, and her beautiful face had a touch of tragic beauty in the morning light.

"But my life, Lü Bu, has been worthwhile."

Her voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost manic pride:

"The all-powerful Chancellor Dong Zhuo died at my hands!"

"Red Hare, the steed that can travel a thousand miles a day, is my mount!"

Even if it is...

Her gaze fell on Liu Xun, and the light in her eyes softened for a moment.

"Even the most beautiful princess of all time—"

Before she could finish speaking, a long sword pierced her from behind, its gleaming tip protruding from her chest, stained with drops of crimson blood.

Lu Bu's body suddenly stiffened.

She lowered her head, looking at the blood-stained sword blade on her chest, unable to utter another word.

Cao Cao drew his long sword without hesitation.

Watching the blood gush out, splattering on the blue bricks of the city wall, gleaming with a dark red light in the morning sun.

Lu Bu swayed, staggered forward a step, and then slowly knelt down.

She braced herself on the ground with one hand and clutched her chest with the other, blood gushing from between her fingers, staining the blue bricks beneath her.

Cao Cao's voice was icy: "Such disloyal and unjust people should be executed without mercy!"

The entire White Gate Tower fell into a deathly silence; no one expected that Cao Cao would personally execute Lü Bu in this way.

When Cao Cao turned to look at Liu Xun, his gaze softened: "Lü Bu offended Your Highness and deserves to die. I only regret that I failed to protect Your Highness that day, but today I will finally avenge Your Highness."

Liu Xun stared at her, somewhat dumbfounded.

Why are you so excited?

Lu Bu hadn't finished speaking yet!

She didn't do anything to me.

Now that you've suddenly exposed it, it's as if you're trying to cover something up for me.

Judging from Cao Cao's "I've avenged you" expression, if he dared to say "Actually, she's been alright to me," I wonder if he would have charged at me with a knife.

So Liu Xun could only swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue and force out a sincere smile:

"Thank you, Minister Cao."

Cao Cao nodded in satisfaction, turned to face his generals, and said in his usual calm voice, "Bring Zhang Liao up."

"Yes, sir!" The armored soldier accepted the order and left.

Liu Xun sat on the mat, his gaze passing over Cao Cao's back and looking at the body on the ground that was gradually losing its warmth.

The morning light shone on her face, and that once stunningly beautiful face was now devoid of any life.

His eyes were still open, gazing at the sky, as if he were somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Liu Xun looked away.

He didn't know how he felt.

……

When Zhang Liao was brought up to the White Gate Tower, although his hands were bound, he held his head high and showed no fear.

Cao Cao had known her since she served under He Jin and knew of her exceptional courage and strategy, so he gently persuaded her to surrender.

Zhang Liao didn't hesitate and immediately surrendered. Cao Cao was overjoyed and personally went forward to untie him.

Liu Xun nodded to himself. Zhang Liao had been dutiful and loyal under Lü Bu, and had quickly surrendered to Cao Cao after Lü Bu's defeat. He was a shrewd man who was both principled and knew how to assess situations.

But Gao Shun, who was brought up next, was not so sensible.

Her condition was far worse than Zhang Liao's. Her prison clothes were tattered, and there were still scars on her ankles from blisters in prison. Her wrists were torn and bleeding from being bound by thick hemp rope.

"Gao Shun," Cao Cao's voice turned cold, "you have repeatedly opposed our army, killing countless soldiers. Do you know your crime?"

Gao Shun raised his head and calmly met Cao Cao's gaze: "Each serves their own master; what crime have they committed?"

Upon hearing this, the generals below all showed expressions of resentment, and no one uttered a sound.

Xiahou Dun had been defeated by Gao Shun not long ago and lost an eye, becoming one-eyed. She was the second most important figure in Cao Cao's army, and for that reason alone, no one in Cao Cao's army could tolerate her.

The three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei had also been annihilated and fled in disarray by Gao Shun in Xiaopei, so naturally they wouldn't speak up for her.

Cao Cao coldly said, "Gao Shun, what else do you have to say?"

Gao Shun's gaze fell on the already cold corpse in the corner of the city wall.

Lu Bu's body was covered with a straw mat, and dried bloodstains were still visible on his exposed ankles.

"I have nothing to say." She withdrew her gaze, her voice calm: "I only wish for a swift death."

"Wait a minute."

Liu Xun spoke.

His voice was hoarse from a low-grade fever, but on this white gate tower, no one dared to ignore his importance at this moment.

With a weaker force, they resisted Lü Bu's main force and thwarted his plan of setting up camp outside the city and supporting each other from all sides.

He was able to operate alone in enemy territory, maneuvering among them, and even persuade the enemy general to surrender.

In the eyes of the generals, no one could compare with Liu Xun in terms of the merit of defeating Lü Bu and taking Xuzhou in one fell swoop.

If the generals in the army respected him before, it was mostly because of his status and position.

By this time, everyone regarded him as a hero of the age.