New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Gongsun Zan's general's mansion was turned into a sea of ​​fire.

The flames, like roaring beasts, surged out from every door and window, and billowing black smoke blotted out the sky.

When Gongsun Zan arrived on horseback, all that remained before him was a ruin engulfed in flames. The scorching heat hit him in the face, making his cheeks sting.

He jerked on the reins, dismounted, and could only watch helplessly as his mansion crumbled inch by inch in the flames. He was frantic with worry, yet utterly powerless to do anything about it.

The fire was burning too fiercely; even if all the soldiers in the army were mobilized to fight it, it would take at least fifteen minutes to extinguish it.

Unless the heavens open their eyes and send down a torrential downpour, no one can do anything about this fire.

"My lord!" Gongsun Zan's trusted aide stumbled towards him, his face blackened by smoke, his voice hoarse and urgent. "The house is covered in kerosene! Someone deliberately set it on fire! The fire is burning fiercely, and the brothers have done their best!"

Gongsun Zan grabbed his confidant's shoulder, his knuckles turning white from the force. Veins bulged on his usually composed face, and his eyes practically spitting fire: "Who did this? Have you found the culprit yet?!"

The confidant didn't speak, but instead tremblingly took a letter from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

Gongsun Zan glared at him suspiciously, snatched the letter, tore off the sealing wax, and unfolded the letter paper.

With just one glance, his face went from ashen to flushed, and then turned deathly pale.

He gritted his teeth, crumpled the letter into a ball in his palm, and tore it to shreds. The scraps of paper fluttered down from between his fingers.

"Yuan Shu! You bastard!" His roar drowned out the crackling sound of the burning fire. "Taking my provisions back wasn't enough, you even burned down my house! Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, those two cousins, are truly a pair of smiling tigers, two black sharks!"

He clenched his fists, his chest heaving violently, and gasped for breath, trying to calm himself down.

After a moment, he managed to squeeze out the second half of the sentence through gritted teeth: "But Yuan Shu said in his letter that he had a reason for doing this, and asked me to go to his general's mansion to give him an explanation in person."

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

When he opened his eyes again, they no longer held simple rage, but a calmness that suppressed murderous intent.

He turned his head to look at his personal guards, his voice low and cold: "Summon Yan Gang and Zhao Yun to see me immediately. Have Yan Gang bring his White Horse Cavalry. If Yuan Shu cannot give me a satisfactory explanation," he paused, his tone as sharp as a blade, "we will raze his general's mansion to the ground today!"

Cao Ren lay in hiding, listening to every word Gongsun Zan said.

Yuan Shu's letter, the burned-down general's mansion, the mobilization of the White Horse Cavalry, Gongsun Zan's anger and murderous intent—he memorized them all. Only after Gongsun Zan led his men away on horseback did he quietly retreat into the shadows and hurry towards Cao Cao's direction.

Not long after, Gongsun Zan led his White Horse Cavalry to the gate of Yuan Shu's general's mansion.

The two vermilion gates were tightly closed, and the surrounding wall was more than ten feet high, blocking the view from the outside but not the noise coming from inside.

The sounds of drinking games, laughter, and clattering dishes created a lively atmosphere, resembling a grand banquet.

Gongsun Zan frowned deeply. While Lü Bu was challenging them outside the city, it felt like a New Year's celebration inside.

He ordered his men to lift him up, and he gripped the top of the wall with both hands to look inside. He saw several wooden tables set up in the courtyard, where Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were sitting together drinking and boasting.

Zhang Fei's dark face was flushed red, and he was waving his arms and spitting as he spoke. Liu Bei listened expressionlessly, holding a wine bowl, while Guan Yu stroked his long beard and nodded slightly.

The three were completely unaware that someone was watching them from outside the wall, acting as if no one else was around.

Gongsun Zan snorted coldly, cursing inwardly. Dong Zhuo has already come knocking on their door, and they're still here eating, drinking, and having fun. This Liu Bei is truly a hypocrite to the extreme, almost like Yuan Shu.

But then I thought about it again. This was originally Yuan Shu's general's mansion, and the relationship between Yuan Shu and Liu Bei was no secret.

Someone witnessed Yuan Shu entering Liu Bei's general's mansion in the afternoon and not coming out until late at night. He was seen leaving early the next morning clutching his waist and looking pained.

Some people even say that the two of them go to the toilet together, and their inseparable relationship is so intense that it's hard to imagine.

The more Gongsun Zan thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, so he decided to banish all these thoughts. He had someone set him down and decided to go in himself to find out what was going on.

Yan Gang and Zhao Yun were about to follow, but he raised his hand to stop them. He glanced at the two of them, his tone calm and firm: "It's enough for me to go in alone."

Yan Gang grew anxious and stepped forward, lowering his voice to advise, "My lord, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are unparalleled warriors! If you go in alone, and they take you hostage, we'll be hesitant to act, what should we do?"

Gongsun Zan shook his head, a confident sneer appearing on his lips: "No need to worry. If they truly harbor disloyal intentions, I have plenty of ways to retaliate."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Yan Gang and Zhao Yun exchanged a glance, realizing they could no longer persuade him, and could only clasp their hands in obedience and accept the order.

Gongsun Zan straightened his armor and strode toward the tightly closed door.

Behind him, Yan Gang gestured to the White Horse Cavalry, and everyone put their hands on their sword hilts, their eyes fixed on the door.

As soon as they hear the slightest sign of trouble inside, they will immediately storm in, raze the general's mansion to the ground, and rescue their lord.

Gongsun Zan raised his hand and knocked twice on the door. Soon, a series of heavy footsteps came from behind the door, followed by Zhang Fei's hoarse voice booming out from behind the door.

"Which blind bastard dares to disturb my brothers and me drinking? Get lost!"

"Third brother, do not be rude." Liu Bei's voice came from afar, indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Gongsun Zan's face immediately darkened. Zhang Fei, who claimed to be a local hero, had a mouth dirtier than a butcher's. He really didn't know how Zhang Fei had lived to this age.

The gate was pulled open from the inside by two soldiers. Gongsun Zan turned around and exchanged a glance with Yan Gang and Zhao Yun, then stepped across the threshold alone.

Just as the two soldiers were about to close the door, Zhao Yun suddenly raised his hand to stop them from closing it. He wanted to see his lord talking to Liu Bei with his own eyes to prevent the latter from making any underhanded moves.

Gongsun Zan frowned. He quickly weighed the options in his mind. If Guan Yu and Zhang Fei really attacked him later, he would definitely unleash his unorthodox counterattack.

But if Zhao Yun and the others saw him in that half-human, half-ghost appearance, wouldn't it damage his image in their eyes? He waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to worry, and told the soldier to close the door.

Yan Gang and Zhao Yun exchanged bewildered glances, but since their lord had spoken, they couldn't say anything more. The two large doors slowly closed with a dull thud.

The door had barely closed when Zhang Fei, his dark face contorted, grinned and exclaimed to Gongsun Zan, "General Gongsun, your wine and human flesh are truly delicious! I've packed them all up and brought them over; come and have a taste!"

Gongsun Zan's expression changed drastically. He never expected Zhang Fei to be so straightforward, admitting it so openly without any attempt at concealment.

He didn't speak, but stared intently at Zhang Fei's smug face.

Seeing his expression, Zhang Fei laughed even harder and continued to mock, "And another thing, those pictures of beautiful women painted with corpse oil in your room really make this old Zhang envious! But, hehehehe..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his wicked grin and the raging fire in Gongsun Zan's mansion said it all.

Gongsun Zan could no longer suppress his anger. He abruptly pointed at Liu Bei, his voice trembling with rage:

"Liu Bei! Are you courting death?! Let me tell you, my White Horse Cavalry is right outside. Taking your three heads is as easy as snapping a finger!"

Liu Bei remained expressionless, merely raising his hand to beckon to Gongsun Zan, his tone as calm as if he were greeting an old friend:

"General Gongsun, are you alright? I know you are, but please don't rush. Come and sit down, I have some good news for you. This news is more valuable than the entire city of Luoyang."