New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

Not long after, Sun Jian arrived at Sanjin Ferry with his five hundred old, weak, and disabled soldiers. From afar, they could see a line of strong and capable soldiers standing at the ferry, and as they drew closer, the face of the man at the head became clear.

It was Liu Biao, Liu Jingsheng.

Sun Jian reined in his horse and, from a hundred meters away, coldly shouted, "Liu Biao, do you want to take my head? Hahahahahaha..."

He suddenly threw his head back and burst into wild laughter, the sound echoing across the empty ferry crossing several times, and no one knew what he was laughing at.

Hearing this from afar, Liu Biao burst into laughter. The soldiers on both sides looked at each other, none of them understanding what had gotten into their commander.

Sun Jian casually handed his spear to a soldier beside him, dismounted, and walked towards Liu Biao. Liu Biao also dismounted and walked towards Sun Jian.

The two walked to the open space in the middle, only a few steps apart.

Sun Jian had a small knife hidden in his sleeve, the tip of which was already pressed against his wrist, ready to strike Liu Biao at the slightest opening.

Liu Biao, however, preemptively clasped his hands in greeting and spoke with a broad smile: "Brother Wentai, how have you been?"

Sun Jian looked at him suspiciously, wondering what Liu Biao was up to, but he remained calm and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Brother Liu, what brings you here?"

Liu Biao chuckled, "I've come to deliver a small gift to Brother Wentai." He took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Sun Jian with both hands, "This is a secret letter from Yuan Shao to me."

Sun Jian took the letter and unfolded it; the contents were almost identical to what Yuan Shu had written in his letter.

He already knew about this, but still pretended to be seeing it for the first time, raising his head with eyes full of doubt: "Yuan Shao sent you to intercept and kill me?"

Liu Biao nodded, then shook his head.

"Brother Wentai, we have known each other for many years, and you know me best. I, Liu Biao, am over fifty years old, frail and sickly, with no great ambitions and no special skills. I only wish to guard the nine counties of Jingzhou, to live up to the emperor's favor above and the common people below."

"But Yuan Shao ordered me to set up an ambush here to kill you. This really puts me in a dilemma."

Sun Jian stared intently at Liu Biao: "May I ask, Brother Liu, what is your decision?"

He had already planned it out in his mind. As soon as Liu Biao uttered half a word of "kill," he would immediately activate his supernatural transformation and take the old thief's life first.

If Liu Biao hadn't killed him, there would still be room for negotiation, and Sun Jian didn't want to start a massacre here.

Liu Biao retrieved the secret letter from Yuan Shao from Sun Jian, and in front of him, tore the letter in half, then in half again, scattering the scraps of paper all over the muddy ground at his feet.

He raised his head and looked sincerely at Sun Jian: "After much thought, I have decided that the only way is to lead the army here to set up a battle formation, pretend to intercept, deceive others, and appease Yuan Shao."

He pointed to the five hundred old, weak, and disabled soldiers behind Sun Jian, "Now, Brother Wentai, you can lead your army through my battle formation and head straight for the ferry."

"Please rest assured, as soon as your troops sound the bugle, my Jingzhou army will immediately retreat and will never engage in battle."

"Afterwards, I will report to Yuan Shao that I, Liu Biao, was incompetent, failed to intercept, and that the Jingzhou troops suffered losses instead."

"In this way, I will neither offend Yuan Shao nor you, Sun Wentai. This is my solution that satisfies both sides. What do you think, Brother Wentai?"

Sun Jian listened to his sincere expression and earnest tone; he didn't seem to be lying. If that were truly the case, that would be wonderful. "Is this really true?"

Liu Biao held up three fingers and said, slowly and deliberately, "If I utter even half a lie, may Liu Biao die a horrible death."

Seeing that Liu Biao dared to make such a solemn oath, Sun Jian, who was not a cunning person, immediately believed him.

Liu Biao then changed the subject and sighed, "However, I do have one more request."

Sun Jian's face immediately tightened, and his tone turned cold: "Speak."

Liu Biao smiled kindly and said gently, "From now on, our two families will live in peace. Your Jiangdong troops must never again invade the territory of my Jingzhou."

Sun Jian was stunned. He had thought Liu Biao would take the opportunity to make some harsh demands, but he hadn't expected this.

He suddenly thought of Liu Bei. Back then, at the alliance meeting, he had mocked that mat weaver and sandal seller, but later Liu Bei proved with his benevolence and actions that Sun Jian had misunderstood him.

Now, he views Liu Biao with the same eyes he would a villain, even secretly plotting to take his life and seize Jingzhou through treacherous schemes. Sun Wentai has once again misunderstood a good person.

He raised his head, his eyes filled with gratitude, and solemnly said, "From this day forward, my Jiangdong troops will never set foot in Jingzhou territory again."

Liu Biao's lips curled up slightly, and a barely concealed glint flashed in his eyes, but he suppressed it in an instant.

He took two steps back, clasped his hands in a salute to Sun Jian, and said, "Thank you very much. Brother Wentai, go back and tell your soldiers."

Sun Jian solemnly clasped his hands in return and bowed deeply. Liu Biao also bowed in return, and the two turned and walked towards their respective army formations.

Sun Jian strode back to his army formation, where Sun Quan was already waiting beside his mount. Before Sun Jian could speak, Sun Quan looked up at him with a concerned voice and asked, "Father, why didn't you make a move?"

Sun Jian sighed and briefly relayed what Liu Biao had said.

Sun Quan's face grew paler with each word he heard. By the time Sun Jian finished speaking, he was stamping his feet in frustration: "Father, this must be Liu Biao's scheme! You've fallen for his trap! You should have killed him right then and there!"

Sun Jian frowned slightly and lowered his voice: "What makes you say that?"

Sun Quan took a deep breath and analyzed the situation for Sun Jian point by point, saying, "Liu Biao's plan to achieve both goals is completely untenable."

"First, in front of so many people, his feigned retreat could not possibly have escaped Yuan Shao's notice. It won't be long before Yuan Shao finds out about this, and he will surely punish Liu Biao. Liu Biao has many strategists under his command; there's no way he wouldn't have thought of this."

"Secondly, feigning defeat is the most difficult tactic to implement, requiring a high degree of unified execution from the entire army. Once the order is given and morale is high, a feigned defeat could very well turn into a real defeat."

"Given Liu Biao's cautious nature, he would never take such a risk. Therefore, this must be a trap he has set to lure us into and devour us all."

After listening, Sun Jian frowned and remained silent for a moment, finally sighing:

"Quan'er, you have too much of a malicious view of people's hearts. Just as your brother Bofu said, Liu Biao is old and senile, how could he possibly think of the things you're talking about?"

"Before Liu Bei became one of the nineteen warlords, I ridiculed him. Later, he proved his ability with his actions, and I realized that I had wronged a good man."

"Later in Luoyang, it was Liu Bei's benevolence that not only prevented him from taking my imperial seal, but also released you and your brother unharmed. Quan'er, don't think too badly of people; there are still good people in this world."

Sun Quan's youthful face scrunched up with anxiety. Seeing that Sun Jian had turned to give orders to the soldiers, he rushed forward and grabbed Sun Jian's sleeve, his voice trembling: "Father, please listen to Quan'er this once! If you don't, we'll be in big trouble!"

Sun Jian stopped in his tracks without turning around. He remained silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice turning cold: "Quan'er, who truly rules Jiangdong—you or I?"

Sun Quan's hand froze in mid-air, and his face turned completely pale.