New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Zhang Fei was so pleased with the flattery that he couldn't stop smiling, completely forgetting his earlier words about "staying away from Cao Cao." He clapped his hands and grinned at Cao Cao.

"Hehehe, Cao Cao, you've spoken so well! I was just cursing you from behind..."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, he took a step closer with interest and asked with a grin.

"Oh? May I ask, Brother Yide, what did you just say about me?"

"Hehe..." Zhang Fei scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly, "I was very offended when I scolded you for being hypocritical."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

"Well said! Brother Yide, you're absolutely right! I, Cao Cao, would rather listen to your insults than hear the sweet talk of those mediocre people and sycophants."

"Well said, well said! These words really hit the nail on the head, it feels so good!"

Zhang Fei was so excited that he clenched his fists and pounded his chest twice.

Cao Cao chuckled, seeing that the time was right, he turned to the side and pointed to the wagons behind him that were full of supplies, and said loudly.

"Look, gentlemen! On this cart are ten thousand catties of grain, a thousand catties of cooked meat, and a hundred jars of fine wine!"

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat. He knew the plot well; according to the original story, Cao Cao should have brought a thousand catties of grain, a hundred catties of cooked meat, and ten jars of fine wine. How come the amount here was ten times greater?

"This, this..."

Even a rough and uncouth man like Zhang Fei was stunned by this extravagant display. However, his eyes darted around, and he fixed his gaze on the hundred jars of fine wine. As for the ten thousand catties of grain and the thousand catties of cooked meat, he didn't care at all.

Cao Ren watched coldly from the sidelines, a contemptuous sneer creeping onto his lips. These three bumpkins really have never seen anything like this. He cleared his throat and explained from the side.

"Three heroes, my elder brother heard that Yuan Shu gifted you some troops and was worried that you might run out of supplies. He specifically ordered me to allocate some grain from our own reserves to help you!"

Liu Bei remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was deeply moved. It would be a lie to say he wasn't touched by this gesture; he almost blurted out, "General Cao is truly a kind and honest man."

But the thought had barely crossed his mind when he suddenly shuddered. This was a world of supernatural tales where rules were so ruthless they devoured people without spitting out the bones. He secretly pinched himself. Be careful, be very careful.

Liu Bei silently focused his mind, maintaining his expressionless demeanor, and calmly bowed to Cao Cao. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu beside him, however, were already bowing deeply with sincere expressions, almost kneeling before Cao Cao on the spot.

"Thank you, General Cao!" the three said in unison.

Cao Cao chuckled and personally helped the three men up one by one. When his gaze swept over Zhang Fei, he deliberately lingered on his face for a moment and emphasized his tone.

"These are just a few small tokens to express my sincere gratitude. But I, Cao, am not boasting, these hundred jars of fine wine are all century-old vintages from Pei State, each worth a hundred gold pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei's eyes immediately lit up with golden light, and he almost drooled.

"Really? That's great! Hahahaha..."

Cao Cao took in Zhang Fei's greedy expression and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He was indeed a reckless man who loved wine more than anything; he lost his mind at the sight of it.

This is a weakness; I'll write it down, it might come in handy later.

While he was making plans in his mind, his mouth never stopped, and he continued to praise Zhang Fei with a smile.

"Fine wine is blessed to be drunk by heroes!"

"Cao Renna."

"exist!"

Cao Cao turned around, his back to Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, a strange smile flickering across his face, barely perceptible to others. He whispered an instruction to Cao Ren.

"You first keep Guan Yu and Zhang Fei company with drinks, while I chat with General Liu for a while."

"Yes, sir!"

Cao Ren responded and gestured for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to move aside. Tang Xiaohu, standing in the corner, didn't even lift an eyelid. In his eyes, that was nothing more than a lowly gatekeeper, not worth mentioning.

"Alright! Hahahaha..."

"Come on, come on, get the wine!"

Upon hearing there was wine, Zhang Fei's eyes lit up, completely forgetting about Liu Bei's safety. He grabbed Guan Yu's arm and dragged him after Cao Ren.

"General Cao Ren, I, Guan Yu, will avenge yesterday's humiliation today! I'll drink you under the table!"

Guan Yu was completely oblivious, preoccupied with competing with Cao Ren, his red face radiating heroic spirit.

Liu Bei's heart sank. Cao Cao was using a diversionary tactic. With Guan Yu and Zhang Fei leaving, it was as if he had directly transferred away 20,000 of Liu Bei's troops.

[Rule 3: Becoming unpredictable isn't necessarily a bad thing. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in their unpredictable states can single-handedly defeat an army of ten thousand. Used properly, they are invincible.]

Oh well. These two idiots were unreliable to begin with, and he never expected them to protect him. He secretly glanced behind him; Tang Xiaohu was still standing there. Luckily, he was there, so he wasn't completely alone.

Liu Bei quickly recalled the plot. Next was the prelude to "Discussing Heroes Over Wine," a discussion of the feudal lords over wine. One man and one strategist, discussing the state of the world in this thatched hut.

According to the original plot, Cao Cao would occasionally utter a traitorous remark, so he had to be mentally prepared in advance to avoid losing his composure later.

Hmm, but according to the plot, Liu Bei should also say a few traitorous things. Should he join in? He thought about it and decided to wait until he found more slips of paper before making a decision.

While welcoming Cao Cao into the house, Liu Bei slowed his pace slightly and turned his head to whisper instructions to Tang Xiaohu behind him.

"Find a trustworthy soldier and have him go to Yuan Shu immediately. Tell General Lu Gong everything about the situation here and have him bring his men over right away."

After saying this, Liu Bei suddenly clutched his stomach, looked apologetic, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Cao Cao.

"Please forgive me, Lord Cao. I need to relieve myself. I'll be back in a moment."

Cao Cao didn't suspect anything, simply smiling and waving his hand, indicating that he should do as he pleased. Liu Bei left the house and quickly walked to the outhouse in the corner of the courtyard. Tang Xiaohu was already waiting there.

However, Liu Bei did not go in immediately because Tang Xiaohu was not riding a horse and was in a normal human state. Talking to Tang Xiaohu would trigger the rule of their conspiracy and refresh the eavesdropping character.

He pulled over a regular soldier from his own unit and they went into the latrine together.

"Have you explained everything?" Liu Bei asked in a low voice.

"Don't worry, Master, the men have already been sent," Tang Xiaohu replied in a low voice.

Liu Bei nodded, took a deep breath, and then led Tang Xiaohu out of the latrine and into the house.

As soon as Liu Bei stepped inside, he keenly sensed something was amiss. It was still his thatched hut, yet there were many pieces of furniture and decorations that didn't belong to him, exuding an unfamiliar sophistication.

Cao Cao, on the other hand, was quite familiar with the place. He walked straight to the main seat, sat down casually, and raised his hand with a smile.

"Xuande, come, come, sit down, sit down. Make yourself at home here."

Liu Bei's heart sank again. He had never been to Cao Cao's residence, but judging from the familiar tone, Cao Cao must have frequented this place. This was a trap. But even knowing it was a trap, he had no choice but to fall into it.

He suddenly remembered Yuan Shao's words.

"Xuande, Gonglu, remember, don't easily believe everything you see."

Perhaps everything in this room was just an illusion, and Cao Cao was deliberately trying to scare him.

Oh no, Tang Xiaohu!

He subconsciously turned his head, glancing at Tang Xiaohu behind him out of the corner of his eye. He was still there. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Bei calmly sat down opposite Cao Cao. He secretly steadied himself, mentally encouraging himself: as long as he didn't break the rules, he would be fine!

As he pondered, he subtly surveyed his surroundings. His gaze swept over the table leg and suddenly stopped. On the floor lay a note. Liu Bei's heart leaped with joy. The note meant there was a solution.

He suppressed his joy, kept a straight face, and simply raised his hand towards Cao Cao.

"Lord Cao, please wait a moment. I need to tie my shoelaces."

In the world of the new Three Kingdoms, shoelaces are perfectly normal. Cao Cao tied Cao Chong's shoelaces, Xu Chu's shoelaces, and even Guan Yu's shoelaces. In Cao Cao's own words, "That's not surprising, that's not surprising."

Cao Cao smiled and nodded, picked up his teacup and took a sip, seemingly unconcerned.

The note was a creation from beyond this world. No one but him could see the words on it.

Taking advantage of his bent-over posture, Liu Bei discreetly tucked the note into his palm, unfolded it, and read: It read…