New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

The following morning, in Chenliu City, on the command platform where the feudal lords held their alliance meeting.

Yuan Shao paced anxiously back and forth in front of the main seat, his brows furrowed, muttering something under his breath.

He was all alone on the huge command platform, and the sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty hall, sounding particularly jarring.

A series of hurried footsteps approached from afar, and a messenger stumbled into the command platform, knelt on one knee, and held a scroll of bamboo slips aloft with both hands.

"Report! Lord Alliance Leader, Vanguard General Sun Jian has sent a third urgent dispatch, urgently requesting provisions and reinforcements!"

Yuan Shao snatched the bamboo slips, unfolded them with a whoosh, glanced at them, and then angrily slammed them shut. He slammed the bamboo slips back onto the desk, the bamboo hitting the wooden table with a dull thud.

"Understood!" he snorted coldly, his voice filled with suppressed anger and helplessness. "Go, summon Yuan Shu to see me immediately!"

As soon as the messenger left, another person rushed in, stumbling and crawling, and shouted urgently before even finishing kneeling down.

"Report! Lord Alliance Leader, General Sun has dispatched a general to visit our camp!"

Yuan Shao suddenly turned around, his eyes bloodshot.

"Who comes here?"

"General Huang Gai!"

Before the words were finished, a general clad in silver armor strode onto the command platform.

His armor was splattered with dark red bloodstains, and his face had several bloodstains that he hadn't had time to wipe away; it was unclear whether they were his own blood or that of the enemy.

He strode up to Yuan Shao, clasped his hands in a salute, his movements swift and decisive, exuding a chilling killing intent that seemed to have emerged from a sea of ​​blood.

Yuan Shao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the inexplicable irritation in his heart, and forced a friendly smile onto his face, trying to change the subject.

"General Huang? Why have you come in person?"

Huang Gai completely ignored him. The old general suddenly drew his sword from his waist; the blade was broken and full of nicks.

He raised his sword high and plunged it fiercely into the command desk in front of Yuan Shao. The blade pierced through the bamboo slips and was deeply embedded in the wooden desk, making a dull cracking sound.

"Alliance Leader, please look!" Huang Gai pointed to the broken sword nailed to the table, his voice hoarse and his eyes red.

"This sword of mine has already slain twenty-four Xiliang bandits! The blade is broken, the edge chipped! At this very moment, tens of thousands of my Jiangdong men, like this sword, are fighting a bloody battle against the isolated Xiliang army at Hulao Pass!"

He paused, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at Yuan Shao, and asked, word by word.

"And where are the provisions, warhorses, and weapons you promised, Alliance Leader?"

Huang Gai's blunt questioning was an open offense. If it were the old Yuan Shao, with his magnanimous nature, he might have tolerated such frank advice.

But at that moment, the face that was being eroded by the eerie sight twitched suddenly, its expression darkening abruptly, and its tone turning cold.

"General Huang!" Yuan Shao slammed his hand on the command desk, making the broken sword vibrate. "What do you mean by that? Do you suspect that we embezzled these supplies?"

Huang Gai didn't tolerate him. He snorted coldly and met Yuan Shao's gloomy face with a loud retort.

"Hmph, someone did embezzle it! But I'm not talking about Alliance Leader Yuan." He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the command platform like a knife, "but rather Alliance Leader Yuan's younger brother, Vice Alliance Leader Yuan Shu!"

Yuan Shu held the position of deputy leader of the alliance, and he was in charge of allocating and distributing the provisions, warhorses, and weapons of the nineteen warlords.

"I've already sent someone to summon Yuan Shu; he'll be here soon." Yuan Shao snorted coldly, turned away, and slumped back into his seat. His gloomy face was hidden in the shadows of the command platform, his expression unreadable. "Later, I will confront him with you."

Seeing Yuan Shao's stance, Huang Gai knew better than to retaliate. He grunted, found a seat at the lower end of the table, and stared intently at the door, waiting for Yuan Shu to appear.

Meanwhile, on the road leading to the command platform, Yuan Shu and Liu Bei walked side by side, their pace neither hurried nor slow. Behind them followed Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Tang Xiaohu.

Tang Xiaohu was the last to arrive, his gaze fixed on the backs of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei from beginning to end, his hand always on the hilt of his sword at his waist, never moving away for a moment.

"Brother Gonglu," Liu Bei suddenly turned his head and asked in a low voice, "have you transferred all the supplies Sun Jian needed to the front lines as I instructed?"

Yuan Shu nodded repeatedly, his tone resolute. "Rest assured, Xuande, how could I dare disobey you? I've already been transferred. Judging by the days, it should be time by now."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, but a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

He had already laid out the plan for today's events. The night before last, he had Yuan Shu send his trusted men to escort reinforcements and supplies to Sun Jian's camp overnight.

If nothing had gone wrong, this batch of supplies should have already arrived at Baima Fortress. But he had clearly changed the course of events, so why did Yuan Shao still insist on following the original script and summon Yuan Shu to the command platform for questioning?

This is not right. He couldn't figure out the reason for it, so he decided to go with Yuan Shu in case something happened to him.

As for Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Tang Xiaohu, he brought them along as well. If anything happened, these few people could at least hold their own.

On the way, he whispered a few more details to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. The group dawdled and finally stepped into the gate of the command platform.

As soon as Yuan Shu stepped onto the command platform, Huang Gai abruptly stood up. His eyes widened in anger, and he slammed his palm heavily on the command table, causing the bamboo slips on it to jump and the broken sword to hum on the table.

"Yuan Shu! Do you know that my Jiangdong men are fighting valiantly on the front lines? Why have you embezzled my troops' provisions and weapons?!"

Yuan Shu was stunned. He subconsciously glanced at Yuan Shao in the main seat, then turned his head and looked at Liu Bei beside him.

Seeing Liu Bei nod slightly at him, indicating that he should answer truthfully, Yuan Shu finally composed himself and hurriedly began to defend himself.

"General Huang Gai, don't make false accusations!" His voice was shrill with anxiety. "I have already transferred all the provisions, supplies, and weapons your troops needed to the front lines! If you don't believe me, you can check with the army yourself!"

This time it was Huang Gai's turn to be stunned. He stared at Yuan Shu's flushed face, and seeing that his tone was urgent and his expression didn't seem to be faking it, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

What's going on? Is Yuan Shu lying, or was this batch of supplies intercepted by someone else on the way?

Huang Gai's gaze involuntarily turned to Yuan Shao, who was in the main seat.

Yuan Shao trembled slightly under his gaze, as if pricked by something. He quickly forced a smile, but it looked unnatural on his face.

"General Huang," Yuan Shao cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calmer, "the five lords have led their troops out of the city and will soon be able to join General Sun. Here's what we'll do: you step back and rest while I make some arrangements."

Huang Gai sensed the evasiveness in his words and flew into a rage. He stomped his foot on the steps in front of the commander's desk, making the ground tremble.

"No!" His voice was resolute, echoing across the command platform. "Reporting to the Alliance Leader! My lord has ordered that I will not leave your side until I see provisions and weapons!"

A fleeting look of disgust flashed in Yuan Shao's eyes, but the emotion was quickly suppressed.

He raised his head, squinting at the sun outside the hall, as if estimating the time, or perhaps avoiding Huang Gai's piercing gaze. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and spoke sharply.

"General Huang! I will deliver the provisions and weapons to you in full before sunset!"

"Very well!" Huang Gai responded loudly, "Alliance Leader Yuan, it's a deal, and I won't go back on my word!"

"It's a deal." Yuan Shao reached out and grasped the hilt of the broken sword on the table, then yanked it out.

The sword blade, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the palace gates, flashed a blindingly cold light across the command platform. He reversed the sword, hilt facing forward, and threw it in front of Huang Gai.

"Such a sword exists!"

Huang Gai caught the sword steadily and sheathed it. His mind was momentarily blank, but he felt Yuan Shao's words were forceful and well-chosen. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow, then strode away, satisfied.