New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

The next morning, in Changle Palace, Luoyang, Li Ru stood respectfully below the hall, reporting the military situation at the front to Dong Zhuo.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister," Li Ru bowed slightly, his tone unhurried, "General Hua Xiong was killed by a bandit general named Guan Yu. My 30,000 vanguard troops were completely routed. The nineteen allied lords have joined forces, with an army of no less than 500,000, a formidable force."

"Their vanguard general is Sun Jian, the governor of Changsha. He personally led 20,000 elite troops, marching day and night, and broke through the Baima stronghold at dawn this morning."

Li Ru glanced at Dong Zhuo's expression before lowering his voice and adding a sentence.

"Furthermore, I have just received news that Hulao Pass is also in dire need of assistance."

Dong Zhuo's fleshy face immediately clouded with worry. He abruptly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth in the hall, each step making the floorboards creak.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at a dignified general below the steps, holding a halberd. His voice was like muffled thunder.

"Lü Bu! Immediately gather all troops from Xiliang; I will personally lead the army into battle!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lu Bu clasped his hands in a salute, his armor clanging, and turned to retreat with great strides.

After Lü Bu had gone some distance, Li Ru stepped forward again, cupped his hands, and smiled.

"With the Prime Minister personally leading the army into battle, victory is assured."

"However, I am worried that if the Prime Minister mobilizes the entire city's troops this time, there may be unforeseen circumstances in the city..." Li Ru changed the subject, lowering his voice even further, leaving only half of his words hanging in the air.

His hesitant, stammering manner caused Dong Zhuo's face to flush red. He slammed his hand on the table and pressed for an answer.

"Explain yourself clearly! What exactly do you mean?"

Li Ru let out a long sigh before slowly unpacking the bundle.

"You know, Prime Minister, most of the ministers in the court today are former officials from the previous dynasty. They are always hypocritical and obsequious to you, but their hearts are treacherous."

While saying these words, Li Ru sometimes frowned and sometimes spread his hands. When he said the words "his heart is unfathomable", he shook his head repeatedly, his face full of heartache.

Compared to Liu Bei, who was expressionless all day long, he was like two extremes, ice and fire.

Li Ru paused, took half a step forward, and lowered his voice to a level that only Dong Zhuo could hear.

"For example, Yuan Shao's uncle, the Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, upon hearing of Hua Xiong's defeat, was so overjoyed that he danced with glee in his residence!"

"Prime Minister, you might want to consider this." He held up two fingers and lightly pinched them together in the air. "If you send the entire city's troops, those old foxes might take the opportunity to coordinate with Yuan Shao outside the city..."

He deliberately paused, letting the second half of his sentence ferment in silence for a moment, before letting out a long, worried sigh.

"That would be quite inconvenient."

Dong Zhuo's face darkened, and he remained silent for a moment. The murderous glint in his murky eyes grew stronger. He slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair, the mahogany armrest making a dull thud.

"Guo Si!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

A general with disheveled hair and a wild appearance strode out from the ranks, clasped his hands in a salute, and spoke in a voice like that of a wild beast.

"Capture Yuan Wei's entire family immediately! When the army sets out tomorrow, behead them all outside the city gates and use their blood to consecrate the flag!"

"I will make those former officials open their eyes wide and see clearly. This is the consequence of secretly opposing me, Dong Zhuo!"

"Yes, sir!"

Guo Si readily accepted the order, his long, flowing hair whipping through the air in an arc as he strode away. Dong Zhuo then swept his gaze across the remaining generals in the hall and roared angrily.

"Order the entire army! After I set out on this campaign, I will surely take Sun Jian's head within five days! And Yuan Shao's head within ten days!"

"Yes, sir!"

After all the generals had left, leaving only the two of them in the hall, Li Rucai put on a smiling face again, stepped forward, and bowed obsequiously.

"Your Excellency, I have another suggestion."

"Prime Minister, this campaign against the bandits may not necessarily require a full-scale battle."

After saying that, he habitually stopped talking.

Enraged by the repeated suspense, Dong Zhuo suddenly stood up, rushed to him in three strides, grabbed his shoulder, and shook him violently.

"Hey Li Ru! Can't you just explain yourself clearly?"

Li Ru was shaken so badly he swayed from side to side, but he remained completely calm. He stroked his beard, smiled slightly, and then slowly revealed the answer.

"Those eighteen warlords, who have been scheming against each other in the past, how can they possibly be truly of one mind and one heart today?"

He extended his index finger and gently tapped his temple. "Why doesn't the Prime Minister employ a strategy of sowing discord, causing their alliance to crumble at its very foundation?"

Oh?

Upon hearing Li Ru's words, Dong Zhuo seemed to be deep in thought.

Meanwhile, on the dirt road leading to the General's Mansion of the Nineteenth Garrison, a dozen or so horse-drawn carts laden with grain and fine wine were hurrying forward. The horses' hooves kicked up a thin layer of dust as they trod across the dry road.

At the very front of the procession, Cao Cao, the owner of these carriages, walked leisurely with his hands behind his back. Cao Ren, half a step behind him, turned his head slightly, listening intently to something.

"Brother, I know why you went to visit Liu Bei and the other two in person."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's lips curled slightly, and he turned his head to look at Cao Ren with great interest.

"Oh? Then tell me, why?"

Cao Ren puffed out his chest, his face full of confidence, and clasped his hands in analysis.

"Brother wants to recruit those three into his ranks! As long as they are willing to serve you, the thousand elite soldiers that Yuan Shu gave them will naturally become part of our army. This is killing two birds with one stone, gaining both men and soldiers."

Cao Cao chuckled, neither nodding nor shaking his head, but simply raised a finger and slowly shook it in the air.

"You're half right." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable certainty. "In chaotic times, some seize imperial power, some plunder cities, and some fight for troops and supplies. But you must remember, these are not the fundamentals. The foundation of a great undertaking lies first and foremost in talented individuals."

"Talent is more precious than anything else." He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "Don't mention those thousand elite soldiers, even five thousand or ten thousand, I could do without them, I only need these three. Do you know why?"

Without waiting for Cao Ren's reply, he asked and answered himself, his tone suddenly rising several notches.

"Because these three people are heroes!"

"And what's even more remarkable is that they are currently at the end of their lives." Cao Cao's tone turned serious, and a shrewd glint flashed in his eyes. "When people are at their lowest point, a small favor you do for them is worth ten times more than a favor you do for them in ordinary times. Offering help in times of need is always more valuable than adding to someone's success."

Cao Ren nodded as if he understood, but then a hint of confusion appeared between his brows. He hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't help but speak.

"Brother, that may be true, but these three are more than loyal and brave, but they are outnumbered and outmatched."

"If you want to recruit, all you need to do is write a letter in your own hand and include a hundred taels of gold. That would be an immense favor. Why bother to go to such lengths and make a personal visit?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao abruptly stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around, stared at Cao Ren, and let out a cold laugh.

"ignorance."

Cao Ren blushed crimson at the coldness of those two words, and lowered his head in shame, not daring to meet those piercing eyes.

"I already received a secret report." Cao Cao lowered his voice, his tone suddenly turning cold. "Yuan Shu and Liu Bei have long been secretly colluding. He gave Liu Bei a large amount of supplies, and even those thousand elite soldiers were drawn from Yuan Shu's private army."

Cao Ren suddenly raised his head, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit a fist, his face filled with sudden realization.

"Liu Bei of today is no longer that commoner who weaves mats and sells shoes." Cao Cao said, putting his hands behind his back and taking another step.

"With Yuan Shu as his backer, he can already be considered a true warlord. If I only send a letter, he will think that I, Cao Mengde, am not sincere and will definitely not come to surrender."

"Only by personally visiting him and bowing respectfully can we show him our sincerity."

"Besides," Cao Cao suddenly turned around and gave Cao Ren a meaningful look, "do you really think these three people aren't worth my personal trip? Didn't you see how they looked on the command platform?"

As he walked, he gestured with his hands to indicate the name, as if the command platform was right in front of him.

"Liu Bei, though seated at the end of the table, stood ramrod straight and exuded an air of superiority, as if he were the rightful leader of the alliance. His two brothers, one holding a sword and glaring arrogantly, and the other sweeping his gaze with fury, did not regard the assembled lords at all."

Cao Cao stopped in his tracks, his gaze suddenly becoming profound, as if he had pierced through time and returned to that command tent.

"Do you know what surprised me most when Guan Yu threw that bloody head onto the main hall?"

At this moment, Cao Ren looked like a curious child, his eyes wide open, eagerly pressing for answers.

"What is it?"

"It was Liu Bei's eyes," Cao Cao said slowly, each word as if he were savoring the moment. "When Guan Yu threw Hua Xiong's head in front of everyone, he didn't even blink. He just watched calmly, as if it were nothing more than a matter of course for his second brother to kill Hua Xiong."

"This kind of person..." Cao Cao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the general's mansion that was faintly visible in the distance, "He would not change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, and his heart was as deep as the sea, simply unfathomable."

Cao Ren nodded thoughtfully, as if recalling that scene, and murmured to himself.

"Yes, I remember now. I thought it was strange at the time, but now that I think about it, it's true."

However, the worry did not completely disappear from his face. He hesitated for a moment, then whispered his last concern.

"Brother, what if... what if they refuse to come?"

"You mean, I can't recruit those three?" Cao Cao didn't stop walking, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

"Then I'll have those three come to me on their own initiative."