New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Liu Bei's heart sank. What was bound to happen had finally arrived.

His face remained expressionless; he merely nodded slightly and said to Cao Cao, "Alright, Brother Mengde, I'll go with you."

Inside Chang Le Palace, the dilapidated palace beams were charred and on the verge of collapse, and the burned beams and pillars leaned precariously against the broken walls. A pungent smell of burning still lingered in the air.

Yet amidst these ruins, there stood a hastily cobbled-together low table, upon which lay a feast of delicacies and fine wines.

Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Sun Jian sat around a table, exchanging toasts, as if the scorched capital beneath their feet was nothing more than a remnant scene in an ordinary courtyard.

Apart from the three of them, the other feudal lords were nowhere to be found and surprisingly did not appear at the victory celebration banquet.

Outside the palace walls, armored soldiers gripped their long swords at their waists, moving silently in the dim light, a turbulent undercurrent running through them.

Sun Jian downed the wine in one gulp. The warm liquid slid down his throat, and the image of the warm, lustrous Imperial Seal in his arms floated into his mind. He immediately felt a sense of comfort throughout his body.

Just then, Liu Bei helped the swaying Cao Cao to the palace gate.

Cao Cao's battle robe was still stained with blood, and the strip of cloth wrapped around his left arm was still seeping blood. He leaned on Liu Bei's shoulder, his steps unsteady.

Two guards stepped forward, stopped the two men, and said expressionlessly, "General Cao, General Liu, please remove the swords from your waists."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two men reached out to unfasten the sword buckle at Cao Cao's waist.

Cao Cao abruptly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes flashing with ferocity. He gripped the hilt of his sword, his roar echoing through the ruins: "Insolence! You dare to disarm me? I'll cut off your head!"

Liu Bei, without changing his expression, took a half step back, blocking Cao Cao in front of him, and added coldly:

"General Cao just led his troops in pursuit of the traitor Dong Zhuo, risking his life for the allied forces, narrowly escaping death countless times. Now you want to remove his sword? Are you afraid that General Cao will kill those incompetent fools in the palace who only know how to drink victory wine? This is blatant discarding of a useful tool after it has served its purpose!"

Cao Cao, panting heavily, listened to Liu Bei's words, and his anger subsided slightly. He turned his head, patted Liu Bei's shoulder heavily, and his eyes were full of gratitude.

The two guards were so frightened by Liu Bei's barbed questioning that they froze on the spot, their outstretched hands hanging in mid-air, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Yuan Shao was holding a wine bowl when he heard this, and his face suddenly darkened.

He put down his wine bowl, his brow furrowed. Who exactly was Liu Bei insulting with those words?

The more he listened, the more it sounded like a veiled attack, using the two guards as a pretext to criticize Yuan Benchu ​​for only sitting here drinking celebratory wine.

He placed the wine bowl on the table, looked up at the palace gate, and his lips twitched slightly.

Yuan Shao looked Cao Cao, who was being supported by Liu Bei and covered in blood, up and down, and suddenly laughed in a sarcastic tone:

"Hey, isn't this Brother Mengde? You've returned in triumph! Hahaha! We've been waiting for you with bated breath! How was it? A great victory, huh? Did you manage to bring the Emperor back?"

Cao Cao remained silent. Supported by Liu Bei, he struggled to the commander's desk, grabbed a wine cup from the desk, and downed it in one gulp.

Wine mixed with blood trickled down his face. He gasped for breath, his bloodshot eyes slowly sweeping over the assembled heroes. From between his teeth, he forced out a hoarse roar:

"I did not win! I suffered a crushing defeat! I led my troops in pursuit of Dong Zhuo under cover of darkness, but unexpectedly, I was ambushed by Lü Bu at Xingyang. More than half of my cavalry were killed or wounded, and I nearly lost my life under Lü Bu's halberd!"

Yuan Shu's hand holding the wine bowl trembled slightly, his expression was somewhat subtle, and the corners of his mouth twitched unnaturally, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

Yuan Shao was overjoyed: Good riddance! Good riddance indeed!

But his face instantly changed to one of deep sorrow and regret, and he comforted her gently and considerately:

"Mengde pursued the enemy alone, displaying unparalleled bravery. Though defeated, he is still honorable! Come, let's change to larger cups to celebrate General Cao's victory!"

Before he could finish speaking, Cao Cao suddenly looked up and let out a cold laugh.

He abruptly broke free from Liu Bei's support, stepped forward, and shouted, "Is that so? Ah? Hahahaha! I also have something heartfelt to say to you all!"

Yuan Shao frowned slightly, wondering what kind of crazy thing Cao Cao was going to do this time.

But he always remained calm and composed, so he sat up straight and gestured with his hand, saying, "General Cao, please speak. I'm listening."

Cao Cao's smile froze instantly, replaced by an almost ferocious rage.

He suddenly raised his arm and slammed the empty glass to the ground. With a crisp sound, shards of porcelain flew everywhere, and the remaining wine spilled out.

His hoarse roar echoed like thunder among the broken palace beams:

"You worthless scoundrel!!! I will not associate with you!!!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a series of rapid footsteps echoed from the shadows of Chang Le Palace. Countless armored soldiers surged out from behind the ruins, their swords drawn, gleaming coldly, all pointing at Cao Cao.

This is a signal to smash the cup!

Without making a sound, Liu Bei activated the strange power within his body. The strangeness of benevolence and the strangeness of righteousness transformed into two beams of light, silently attaching to the double-edged sword at his waist.

The sword gleamed with a warm white light and a sharp blue gleam as his fingers quietly touched the hilt.

Yuan Shu glanced quickly at Liu Bei. Seeing the other wink at him, indicating everything was proceeding according to plan, he immediately frowned, feigning displeasure as he stood up and sternly questioned:

"Cao Cao, Cao Mengde, what do you mean by that!"

Long before, when the three of them were discussing the state of the world in the thatched hut, Liu Bei had already told Yuan Shu about this whole situation. Now, everything is proceeding according to plan.

Cao Cao glanced at Yuan Shu with disdain in his eyes, then fixed his gaze firmly on Yuan Shao.

He raised his hand, pointed directly at the alliance leader seated behind the command desk, and roared:

"Yuan Shao, Alliance Leader Yuan! Since our alliance began, we have had at least three opportunities to completely eliminate Dong Zhuo! But you have missed them all!"

"Oh?" Yuan Shao sneered and slowly sat back down in his seat as the leader of the alliance.

He raised his hand and waved it lightly, signaling the swordsmen and axemen to step back and not rush into action. He wanted to hear what three opportunities this Cao Mengde, who had ventured deep into enemy territory alone, could name.

"I'd like to hear the details." He picked up his wine bowl, a calm, cold smile playing on his lips.

Cao Cao took two heavy steps forward, the charred wood crunching under his feet.

He raised his hand, extended a finger, and his voice echoed repeatedly in the empty ruins of Chang Le Palace:

"The first time was at the very beginning of our alliance. I suggested taking advantage of Dong Zhuo's unpreparedness and attacking Luoyang in five separate routes! But you all refused!"

Yuan Shao frowned slightly and let out a cold snort from his nose.

He put down his wine bowl and calmly retorted:

"Brother Mengde, are you perhaps drunk? Before you attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo, I had already proclaimed to the world, inviting all the warlords to a meeting. Dong Zhuo commands hundreds of thousands of Xiliang cavalry, ready for battle day and night. How could he possibly be unprepared?"

His tone became increasingly composed, and he looked at Cao Cao as if he were a fool.

"Furthermore, when you arrived for the alliance meeting, Hua Xiong had already led his Xiliang army to the pass to challenge us. How could we possibly divide our forces into five routes at that time? Did you intend for the allied forces to be attacked from both sides by Dong Zhuo and Hua Xiong, resulting in their complete annihilation?"

Cao Cao's face stiffened, his lips moved slightly, but he found himself speechless after being countered by Yuan Shao's methodical rebuttal.

He stood there, stunned, the anger still burning inside him, but he couldn't find an outlet for it.

He subconsciously glanced back at Liu Bei, only to find that Liu Bei seemed to be AFK, staring intently at the floor beneath his feet, as if the charred wooden plank was more worthy of scrutiny than the argument itself.