New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Hearing Liu Bei's heartfelt praise, Cao Cao's ashen face finally softened a bit.

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, as if expelling the remaining anger in his chest inch by inch.

Then, he suddenly turned his head and grinned at Yuan Shao. The laugh wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable sense of pride, as if he were showing off or demonstrating.

"Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, Alliance Leader Yuan. It seems I can't kill you today. But remember this: it's not that I can't kill you, it's fate that prevents me from doing so."

After he finished speaking, the giant eyeballs that surrounded him like planets slowly shrank back into the crack, and the hellish eye-like rift slowly closed, eventually disappearing from his back.

Yuan Shao's face turned ashen. Although he was extremely resentful, he knew that he was outnumbered and outmatched. If the fight continued, once his strange power was exhausted, he would not even have a chance to escape.

He snorted coldly, slowly retracting the shark fin that had gathered on his arm and the strange tiger stripe on his face into his body. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned away and stopped looking at Cao Cao.

The atmosphere eased temporarily. Cao Cao picked up a half-empty bowl of wine from the low table, which someone had apparently left unfinished, tilted his head back, took a gulp, and snorted coldly:

"Yuan Shao, if I can still have tens of thousands of elite cavalry to continue pursuing Dong Zhuo after being ambushed, I will surely be able to cut that old thief down and rescue Your Majesty."

"Because once there's been an ambush, there will never be a second one! You let such a golden opportunity slip by; you're utterly foolish!"

He paused, slammed his wine bowl heavily on the table, and his tone grew increasingly impassioned: "After Dong Zhuo ambushed us, he will surely be complacent and become an arrogant army, and an arrogant army is bound to be defeated!"

Liu Bei had now reverted to his perpetually expressionless face. He had only dared to laugh loudly and shower Liu Bei with praise because Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were locked in a fierce battle and had no time to spare for him.

Now that the two sides have temporarily ceased hostilities, if he were to show even the slightest expression, he would likely become the target of public criticism immediately.

He stood there expressionless, but secretly chuckled to himself: Mengde was right. I'll reward you for your defeat at Huarong Road, so you can experience firsthand just how many ambushes there really are.

Sun Jian nodded and sincerely praised, "Mengde's words have captured the essence of military strategy."

Hearing others agree, Cao Cao became even more enthusiastic and said with righteous indignation:

"Unfortunately, after my defeat, I was too weak to continue the pursuit. But when I dragged myself back here, covered in blood, I found all sorts of warlords here, slaughtering sheep and cattle, drinking and making merry!"

"Having suffered this crushing defeat, I, Cao, have seen through your true intentions. You claim to be supporting the Han and suppressing the rebels, but in reality, each of you is pursuing your own selfish interests. I, Cao, am deeply ashamed and disgraced to be associated with you. I hereby take my leave!"

Yuan Shao waved his hand, not even bothering to look at him again, and said impatiently:

"Cao Cao, if you want to leave, then leave. There's no need for further discussion. You still call us all traitors? You pursued Dong Zhuo with your own army, but in the end, it was all for that Imperial Seal of the State. Why do you speak so confidently here?"

Cao Cao snorted coldly and turned to walk towards the palace gate. He had only taken two steps when Liu Bei's voice came from behind him: "General, wait!"

Yuan Shao frowned, turned to look at Liu Bei, who had just been mocking him, and said irritably:

"Liu Bei, why haven't you left yet? Didn't you criticize us eighteen warlords for only knowing how to drink and celebrate our victories? Now you still have the nerve to step into Luoyang?"

Liu Bei slowly shifted his gaze to Yuan Shao, his face still expressionless, but his voice was steady and powerful:

"Actually, I should have left long ago. But I still have the ambition to serve my country, so I have been hesitating here. Since Alliance Leader Yuan has asked, I will be bold and tell you the truth."

He paused slightly, his tone unchanged, but every word was as precise as a blade.

"Since our alliance began, my two brothers and I have repeatedly distinguished ourselves in battle, yet we have received no reward whatsoever, and have instead faced constant harassment. Today, with Lord Cao present, I dare to ask Lord Yuan: Do you truly wish to eliminate the traitors and restore the Han dynasty, or do you intend to seize the world as an opportunity?"

Yuan Shao was so enraged by these words that he trembled all over. He suddenly raised his finger and pointed it at Liu Bei's nose, cursing:

"Liu Bei, have you no shame? Don't you know who's making things difficult for whom? Beating up the gatekeeper, insulting the alliance leader, colluding with Lü Bu—which of these things is unjust? I've already shown you more than enough mercy by not beheading you on the spot!"

That's all I have to say.

Cao Cao turned and left, Liu Bei and Yuan Shu turned around side by side, with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei protecting them from behind, and Tang Xiaohu holding a spear to cover their rear. The group walked through the ruins and headed towards the palace gate.

Only Sun Jian, along with Sun Ce and Sun Quan, stood alone in place, facing Yuan Shao in bewilderment.

Yuan Shao slowly picked up his wine cup and took a sip. The wine rolled on his tongue, but his gaze went beyond the rim of the cup, coldly scrutinizing the father and son opposite him.

Just now, Sun Jian missed the best opportunity to surround and kill Liu Bei because of his two sons, which forced Liu Bei to fight alone and almost lost to Cao Cao.

He placed the wine glass on the table, his tone full of coldness and undisguised sarcasm:

"Oh, isn't this General Sun? You just offended me quite badly. Because of those two brats, you missed the best opportunity to kill Liu Bei, leaving me to fight alone. Now, instead of going with them, what are you doing here?"

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes, which had been strangely corrupted and glowed with an eerie green, staring straight at Sun Jian, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Do you know why I fought with them? It was all to protect the Imperial Seal of the State for you. I never expected you to stab me in the back."

Before he finished speaking, he slammed the wine cup in his hand to the ground. A sharp crack echoed as shards of porcelain shattered and wine spilled everywhere. He abruptly stood up and shouted fiercely, "Where are the executioners! Seize Sun Jian and his son!"

From the shadows, countless cold glints suddenly appeared. Armored soldiers surged out from behind the broken walls and ruins, their swords all pointing at Sun Jian, and a chilling killing intent pressed down like a tidal wave.

Sun Ce instinctively stepped in front of his father, his hand already on the hilt of his sword. Sun Quan pursed his lips, his face ashen, but he refused to take a single step back.

Sun Jian, however, remained calm and composed. He simply raised his hand and gently moved his two sons behind him. He straightened his armor, clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Yuan Shao, and said in a steady, neither servile nor arrogant, "Alliance Leader Yuan, may I say a word?"

Yuan Shao frowned slightly and raised his hand to signal the executioners to stop. He wanted to hear what else this fierce tiger from Jiangdong had to say.

Sun Jian straightened up, his gaze calm, and said, word by word:

"Since joining the alliance, I, Sun Jian, have always shouldered the great responsibility of being the vanguard. I was the one who led the charge in the Battle of Baima; I was the one who charged ahead in the Battle of Hulao Pass. My fellow Jiangdong men have earned merit, if not great achievements, but they have certainly worked hard."

"But from beginning to end, I never received a single bit of support from the main camp. As a result, more than half of my Jiangdong men were killed or wounded, and those were young men I had watched grow up."

His voice suddenly lowered, and his Adam's apple bobbed, as if he were swallowing some unspeakable grief and indignation.

"How can I, Sun Jian, explain this to their parents?"

Yuan Shao frowned slightly, sneering inwardly: Isn't this obvious? After you were ambushed by Li Jue and Guo Si's 80,000 elite Xiliang cavalry, your fates are unknown. We can't even find you. How can I provide support?

He picked up his wine bowl, took a sip, and without beating around the bush, directly pointed out Sun Jian's intention: "Oh? From what General Sun is saying, you also want to leave?"

He placed the wine bowl on the table, leaned back in his chair, and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, as if discussing a routine transaction: "Going is certainly possible. However, you must leave the Imperial Seal of the State behind."