New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Yuan Shao looked up and saw that it was Tao Qian who had volunteered to fight. A rare smile appeared on his gloomy face.

However, there was no kindness in that smile; instead, it revealed a sinister calculation.

His expression was like that of a hunter who had set a trap and was finally waiting for the first prey to step into it.

He had a very shrewd plan in mind. Just as he had told Yuan Shu before, the best strategy was to eliminate Dong Zhuo while taking the opportunity to weaken the power of the various warlords, and ideally, to make them perish together with Dong Zhuo. Then the world would be his Yuan family's possession.

Therefore, he was eager to fight any feudal lord who was willing to volunteer.

Yuan Shu pondered Tao Qian's words several times. "He will surely kill Lü Bu within three strikes?" Tao Qian spoke with such conviction and certainty that he didn't seem to be boasting while drunk.

As he was thinking, his fingers unconsciously tapped the table twice.

Could it be that Liu Sandao was truly influenced by the strange legends of rules and actually possessed some extraordinary abilities?

Last night, when he slept side by side with Liu Bei, Liu Bei told him in detail how the day's events would unfold.

According to Xuande, Liu Sandao will die in the upcoming "Three Wastes Battle Lü Bu", giving Lü Bu a "pride buff" and paving the way for the upcoming "Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu".

However, Tao Qian's confident boast just now made him waver a bit.

If this person truly possesses the power of supernatural tales, it would be a great pity to simply hand him over to Lü Bu for killing.

Although he had generals like Ji Ling, Zhang Xun, and Qiao Rui under his command, they were all normal people who had not yet been corrupted by the strange power.

He secretly weighed the situation and realized that even the strangely transformed Sun Qian guards mentioned by Xuande might be difficult for his generals to defeat.

If we can take this opportunity to bring Liu Sandao under our command, wouldn't we have the real capital to fight against the supernatural?

He subconsciously wanted to turn his head and whisper a few words to Liu Bei beside him, as usual.

His head had only turned halfway when it froze in mid-air.

He forgot that Liu Bei had already left with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and now he was only surrounded by those warlords corrupted by the strange phenomenon.

Yuan Shu paused slightly, looked away, placed his hands on his lap, and remained silent for a moment.

This was a reaction he only had when he was uncertain; he unconsciously pressed his fingertips on his knees again and again, as if trying to find some ideas from them.

After a moment of silence, he sighed softly and turned to look behind him. Tang Xiaohu was holding a spear, standing guard meticulously beside him. Liu Bei had specifically left this man behind before leaving to protect him.

With guards by your side, your life is safe. But if something really happens, you won't even have anyone to talk to.

He picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. The wine was warm, but he felt a little empty inside.

In just a few days, he had already gotten used to relying on the expressionless Liu Bei for everything.

He put down his wine bowl and gave a self-deprecating smirk. The dignified eldest son of the Yuan family, reduced to needing a mat weaver and shoe seller to make decisions—it sounded absurd, even to himself.

The story continues, and as Tao Qian prepares to call Liu Sandao to battle, Han Fu feels a pang of sadness.

He has always cherished his reputation, and he was worried that Tao Qian had taken the lead, so he couldn't sit still now.

He slammed the wine bowl down on the table, abruptly stood up, looked around, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and proclaimed loudly, "I have General Han Yong! He can lead the charge against Lü Bu!"

Yuan Shao's eyes lit up, and his smile grew even wider, he couldn't stop clapping and cheering, "Good!" He was all smiles on the surface, but in his heart he was secretly sneering: Another one to die, not bad.

He knew perfectly well what was going on. Yu She and Pan Feng couldn't even defeat Hua Xiong, who was ranked fourth; how could Liu Sandao and Han Yong possibly be a match for Lü Bu, who was ranked first?

It's utterly ridiculous to send your generals to their deaths for a mere sliver of fame. Yuan Shao felt increasingly pleased with himself, picked up his wine bowl, and took a large gulp, finding the wine even more fragrant and mellow than before.

However, a voice suddenly rang out, shattering his good mood.

"Leader Yuan, Lu Bu is a rare and brave general. Sending only two people to fight him is probably far from enough."

Yuan Shao frowned, put down his wine bowl, and looked in the direction of the voice. The speaker was none other than Gongsun Zan!

Seeing this man challenge his authority time and time again, Yuan Shao finally couldn't hold back and suddenly stood up from his seat.

He stared down at Gongsun Zan, his tone deliberately slow, yet tinged with a sarcastic sarcasm: "Oh? From what General Gongsun is saying, you also intend to send a general up to... to fight?"

Gongsun Zan slowly shook his head, a faint hint of sarcasm playing on his lips.

Meeting Yuan Shao's gaze, he spoke with neither servility nor arrogance: "Alliance Leader Yuan, as the leader, you should set an example for all the generals. Since Generals Tao and Han have both sent men, shouldn't you also send a valiant general to fight Lü Bu for three hundred rounds?"

Yuan Shao's expression stiffened slightly, but only for a moment. He regained his composure, casually spreading his hands as if to say something helpless:

"General Gongsun, what bad luck. My generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou are on their way under the cover of night. If either of them were here, I would send them into battle."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a soldier standing beside him leaned in and whispered in his ear:

"My lord, General Ju Yi was overjoyed to hear that Lü Bu had arrived. He said he had long wanted to kill Lü Bu and seize Red Hare as his own mount. So... he secretly left the city to fight without telling you. Before leaving, he asked me to tell you that this was a wonderful surprise gift for you."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's face drained of all color instantly, and he swayed twice, almost collapsing on the spot.

He whirled around, his eyes wide, and yelled at the soldier in a low voice, "You bastard! Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Before the soldier could even speak, a messenger stumbled in from outside the hall, his face deathly pale, and knelt down with a thud.

"Report! To the Alliance Leader! General Liu Sandao, General Han Yong, and General Ju Yi have left the city without permission and are already engaged in battle with Lü Bu!"

Yuan Shao's mind went blank. He staggered forward two steps, grabbed the messenger by the collar, and lifted him up, his voice trembling with fear: "How is he?!"