New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Liu Bei composed himself and asked Yuan Shu how they had found their way here. Yuan Shu wiped the sweat from his brow and recounted the whole story in detail.

The journey was largely the same as what he had seen in the illusion. After receiving Liu Bei's plea for help, he immediately mustered his troops and rushed over.

Upon arriving outside the general's mansion, they could hear Zhang Fei's gruff voice as he and Cao Ren played drinking games and drank heavily. The two were so drunk that their faces were red and their necks were thick, completely unaware that they had fallen into a trap to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Shu was filled with rage. He strode forward and slapped Zhang Fei and Guan Yu hard across the face.

The two men, their drunkenness mostly dissipated by the beating, stood frozen, clutching their burning cheeks. Yuan Shu pointed at Cao Ren and launched into a tirade of abuse, accusing Cao Cao of luring Cao Cao away from his mountain stronghold.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei then seemed to wake from their daze. Enraged, Zhang Fei smashed the wine bowl to pieces and raised his eighteen-foot spear to stab Cao Ren in the heart.

Yuan Shu quickly grabbed the spear shaft and shouted to stop him:

"Killing him is easy, but your elder brother is still in their hands! Keeping him as a hostage might be a way to save Xuande's life!"

Several men hurriedly escorted Cao Ren, who was bound hand and foot, to the outside of the thatched hut.

Zhang Fei was extremely anxious. He kicked the wooden door so hard that it collapsed. Peeking out through the dust, he saw Liu Bei standing alone inside the room, with no one else around.

Liu Bei calmly pocketed Gongsun Zan's eyeball. The illusion he had just witnessed had given him too much information, a mixture of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. He needed time to piece together these fragments.

Yuan Shu ordered his men to bring in Cao Ren, who was bound hand and foot, and asked Liu Bei what to do with him. Liu Bei simply waved his hand, signaling to untie him and release him. Zhang Fei, who was standing nearby, immediately erupted in anger.

"Brother! Cao Cao wants you dead!" Zhang Fei, his face flushed with anxiety, pointed at Cao Ren's nose and cursed, "If we hadn't arrived in time, you'd be dead! Damn it, I'm furious! We must chop this Cao Ren up and make soup with him!"

Zhang Fei's anger this time was genuine. The souls of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were linked; if Liu Bei died, neither he nor Guan Yu could survive.

The thought that he had almost caused his elder brother's death due to his excessive drinking, and that his second brother and he himself would be buried with him, sent chills down Zhang Fei's spine.

If he really kept this resentment inside, he might turn himself into a vengeful ghost.

Liu Bei remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he sneered.

If those two brainless brutes hadn't been so drunk and made a mistake, falling for the trap of luring the tiger away from the mountain, he wouldn't have had to face Cao Cao alone and almost perish in that illusion.

He could only swallow his anger. In reality, he had to maintain his image as a kind and generous older brother.

He suppressed his resentment and maintained a calm demeanor as he explained to Zhang Fei.

"Third brother, don't be hasty. There will be plenty of opportunities to retaliate against Cao Cao later. Killing Cao Ren now means completely breaking ties with Cao Cao. If he unites with other warlords and launches a large-scale attack, our resources won't be enough to withstand it."

Upon hearing the words "mobilize a large army to suppress" and "cannot withstand the attack," Zhang Fei's surging killing intent was instantly extinguished. He shrank back, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he obediently shut his mouth.

After calming Zhang Fei down, Liu Bei turned to Yuan Shu and solemnly clasped his hands in a salute. This time, the gratitude in his voice was genuine.

"Many thanks to Brother Gonglu for his timely assistance. Without your strong support, I would probably be a dead man under Cao Cao's blade by now."

Yuan Shu quickly reached out to support Liu Bei's arms, his expression solemn, and returned the salute with clasped hands.

"Xuande, there's no need for such formalities. In this chaotic world, we are meant to share weal and woe, and live and die together."

The crisis was temporarily averted. Yuan Shu ordered General Ji Ling to lead the main army back to the camp first, while he stayed behind to discuss the events that had just occurred with Liu Bei.

Meanwhile, Cao Ren was stumbling and fleeing in a sorry state.

His clothes were disheveled, his hair was unkempt, and there were several bloody scratches on his face from the pebbles. When he saw Cao Cao standing with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the thatched hut in the distance, his eyes welled up with tears, and he scrambled towards him.

"Big brother, I'm back! I'm back alive!"

Cao Ren's legs went weak, and he almost knelt before Cao Cao, his voice trembling with the sobs of someone who had just escaped death. Cao Cao looked down at his pathetic state, his brows furrowing tightly, and reprimanded him sternly.

"What's the panic!" Cao Cao's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Cao Ren like a cold iron hammer. "All of this is under my control."

After being harshly reprimanded by Cao Cao, Cao Ren barely managed to compose himself. He swallowed hard, suppressing his lingering fear, and cautiously approached, asking in a low voice.

"Brother, could it be... that you've already won over Liu Bei? He didn't kill me!"

Cao Cao sighed softly, not directly answering Cao Ren's question. He turned around, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the setting sun in the sky, subtly changing the subject.

"Tell me first, how did your drinking with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei go?"

The mere mention of drinking instantly erased the lingering fear from Cao Ren's face. "Who in the new Three Kingdoms isn't a drunkard?" he thought, his eyes gleaming as he excitedly gestured.

"Excellent, the drink is wonderful! Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are truly loyal, courageous, and heroic! They are rare heroes in this world!"

Cao Cao's lips twitched slightly, revealing a bitter smile of dissatisfaction. He shook his head gently and sighed deeply.

"Such a hero, yet he cannot be of service to me, but instead falls into the hands of Liu Bei." He paused for a moment, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "What a pity, what a lament, what a hateful thing!"

Hearing Cao Cao's series of sighs, Cao Ren suddenly realized what was happening. He cautiously observed Cao Cao's expression and tentatively asked.

"Could it be... that Liu Bei refuses to submit to my elder brother?"

Cao Cao nodded slightly, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if piercing through the scenery before him and landing on some distant place. His evaluation of Liu Bei was even more solemn than when he had praised Guan Yu and Zhang Fei earlier.

"This man is neither easily captured nor easily subservient." There was a hint of barely perceptible apprehension in his tone. "He harbors great ambitions and will never be content to be subservient to me or be used by me. I hope he will not become my greatest enemy in the future."

After speaking, Cao Cao turned and left. Cao Ren watched the receding figure, seemingly understanding something.

At the same time, Sun Jian's main camp was also brightly lit and bustling with activity. It was easy to guess that Sun Jian was holding a grand celebration banquet to commemorate the capture of Baima Fortress.

Sun Ce downed the wine in his cup in one gulp. A faint blush rose to the young man's face, but it couldn't conceal the burning sharpness in his eyes. He turned to Sun Jian, who sat in the main seat, and spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Father, our army captured Baima Fortress in one battle, proving that the Xiliang troops are nothing but empty boasts! Why not press our advantage, seize Hulao Pass, and be the first to enter the capital, Luoyang? If our army is the first to enter the city, the credit will belong to you, Father!"

Sun Jian slowly picked up some food, not directly responding to his son's boast, but simply put down his chopsticks and praised him with a smile.

"My son has admirable ambition."

After saying that, he fell silent and continued eating. Sun Ce, having been rebuffed, silently sat back down, twirled his wine cup between his fingers, and sighed inwardly.

I urged my father to seize the opportunity and take Luoyang directly, but my father refused!

A slight pause occurred in the tent. Although the pro-war and conservative factions hadn't explicitly stated their positions, they were already subtly vying for power. Han Dang looked around, stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke loudly.

"General, our army is now hundreds of miles deep in enemy territory, far from the allied camp. The supplies and reinforcements promised by Yuan Shao have yet to arrive. I suggest that our army rest for now and wait for the arrival of the alliance leader's army before joining forces to take Hulao Pass."

Although his words were addressed to Sun Jian, they were actually meant for everyone present. While the two factions held differing opinions, they would ultimately unite against a common enemy if faced with real trouble.

Sun Jian put down his wine cup, nodded slightly, and calmly swept his gaze over the generals in the tent.

"General Han is right." He paused, then changed the subject, "However, even if Yuan Shao's reinforcements arrive, the heavy responsibility of leading the vanguard will still fall to our army. In this campaign against the bandits, the eighteen or nineteen warlords are vying for supremacy, and none of them are willing to lag behind."

He slowly stood up, took a couple of steps with his hands behind his back, and his voice gradually grew louder.

"Who among them doesn't want to achieve great deeds? Who doesn't want to be the first to capture Luoyang and win a reward from the emperor?"

He turned around abruptly, lightly tapped his fist on the table, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

"Therefore, we, the sons of Jiangdong, must be the first in the world! We must take advantage of this campaign to suppress Dong Zhuo to strengthen our power, seize cities, and lay the foundation for future expansion."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent.

"Report!"

A messenger stumbled into the tent, knelt on one knee, and his voice was filled with panic.

"Reporting to our lord, Dong Zhuo has sent an envoy requesting an audience!"

An envoy from Dong Zhuo? Sun Jian was taken aback at first, then a playful smile appeared on his lips. They had just captured Baima, and Dong Zhuo had sent an envoy right after. That was quick enough.

He waved his hand, sat back down in the main seat, his tone relaxed, but a sharp glint was hidden in his eyes.

"Very well. Send him in and let's hear what that traitor Dong has to say."