New Three Kingdoms Tales: Starting as the expressionless Liu Bei

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The assembled lords turned to look at the source of the voice. The speaker was none other than the green-robed, red-faced general behind Liu Bei.

"Guan Yu, the mounted archer, requests to fight Hua Xiong!"

???

Yuan Shao was slightly taken aback. When Liu Bei introduced Guan Yu earlier, didn't he say Guan Yu was a gatekeeper? How did he suddenly become a mounted archer?

Before he could think it through, Yuan Shu beside him frowned and said sternly.

"What? You, a mere archer, dare to spout such nonsense? Do you think that we, the lords, have no great generals left?"

"Get him out!"

After saying this, he subconsciously glanced at Liu Bei beside him. Seeing Liu Bei nod slightly to show that he had performed well, Yuan Shu finally felt relieved.

"Brother Highway, please calm down."

Cao Cao walked up to Yuan Shu with his hands behind his back, smiled slightly, and strongly recommended Guan Yu.

"Brother Gonglu, look at this man. Since he dares to volunteer, he must have both courage and strategy. Why not let him give it a try?"

Yuan Shu, however, remained unmoved. His brows furrowed, his face ashen, as he continued his charade.

"Sending a mere archer into battle would only invite ridicule from Hua Xiong."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's expression changed drastically, his brows furrowing with anger. Clearly, Yuan Shu had precisely struck a nerve with Cao Cao—specifically, the third rule in the strange tales of Chenliu City.

[Rule 3: The condition for Cao Cao to become enigmatic is that his authority is trampled upon and questioned.]

Cao Cao's aura began to stir subtly, as if it were about to turn eerie. However, all of this was exactly what Liu Bei had planned.

To put it bluntly, this is a form of reverse psychology.

As expected, spurred on by Yuan Shu's words, Cao Cao's desire to send Guan Yu into battle grew even stronger. He turned to the assembled lords and declared loudly.

"Gentlemen, look at this man. He has archer eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and exudes the air of a hero. How could Hua Xiong possibly know he's an archer?"

Yuan Shu glanced at Guan Yu. He saw that this man was exactly like Liu Bei, expressionless, and looked like he hadn't woken up yet from the moment he appeared, always squinting his phoenix eyes.

He couldn't understand where Cao Cao's evaluation came from. It was probably just a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

Zhang Fei, however, cast an approving glance at Cao Cao. "This Cao fellow certainly knows his stuff," he thought, and then he loudly praised him.

"That man surnamed Cao is right!"

"My second brother is a better archer than all of you generals and lords!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu slightly closed his eyes and stroked his long beard, clearly pleased with the assessment. His voice booming, he publicly pledged his military commitment.

"If I cannot slay Hua Xiong, I, Guan, will offer up my head!"

Liu Bei's heart tightened, immediately recalling the soul chains. If Guan Yu died, Zhang Fei would surely perish. The two were his right-hand men; without them, how could he survive in this chaotic world?

He immediately pulled Zhang Fei forward and, risking Zhang Fei's life, earnestly recommended him.

"My second brother is invincible. If he is defeated, I am willing to offer up my third brother's head!"

Just as Yuan Shao was about to speak, Cao Cao preemptively clapped his hands and laughed.

"Excellent! Liu Bei truly lives up to his reputation as a member of the imperial family; his heroic spirit is truly boundless!"

"Come on, get the wine! I want to personally offer this brave warrior a toast to send him off!"

Liu Bei smiled slightly and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Lord Cao, my second brother has a famous saying: 'Don't drink wine while riding a horse, and don't ride a horse while drinking wine.'"

"Pour the wine first. We can drink after my second brother has beheaded that scoundrel Hua Xiong and returned in triumph."

After saying this, Liu Bei was about to signal Guan Yu to leave the tent, but Cao Cao raised his hand to stop him.

"Ah, Xuande, you are unaware of this."

Cao Cao revealed a mysterious smile.

"This wine is like an old hero; the more you drink, the more vigorous you become!"

"Look at Pan Feng, it was precisely because he didn't drink a drop of alcohol before the battle and lost the old hero's help that he was no match for Hua Xiong."

"If Yun Chang drinks this cup to the brim, and with the old hero's help, taking Hua Xiong's head would be a piece of cake!"

"Gentlemen, what do you say, is it or isn't it?"

He glanced around, his smile vanishing instantly, replaced by a pair of cold, ruthless eyes.

The feudal lords understood immediately and nodded in agreement.

"Indeed! How can we not drink to rouse ourselves before a battle?"

"Lord Cao, don't take it to heart. Guan Yu is just a gatekeeper; he doesn't know anything about rules."

Liu Bei remained silent, his face as still as a stagnant pool, utterly expressionless.

The two sides remained deadlocked. The atmosphere inside the tent was extremely strange; one side had a half-smile, while the other was as still as water, neither willing to give in.

Yuan Shao stroked his beard, and seeing the tense atmosphere, he felt that internal strife was about to break out. He pondered for a moment and then spoke up to mediate.

"Pass on my order! Whoever slays Hua Xiong will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a hundred fine horses!"

Upon hearing of such a generous reward, all the feudal lords gasped in surprise, their eyes turning to Liu Bei to see how he would respond.

If Liu Bei still insists on refusing to drink, it would be a public slap in the face to Cao Cao, showing him no respect. In the current situation, although Yuan Shao is the leader of the alliance, Cao Cao is in control. The consequences of disrespecting the person in charge are predictable.

Given Cao Cao's temperament in the new Three Kingdoms, it would be too lenient for him to give you a hard time later. If he really went all out and sent you to be a suicide squad, that would be a living hell.

Liu Bei, however, remained calm, with a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Lord Cao, before I answer you, I also have a question I would like to ask you."

Cao Cao looked Liu Bei suspiciously, knowing that the other was about to start arguing, but in front of everyone, he couldn't just tell him to shut up. He could only force a smile and nod.

"Xuande, please speak freely."

Liu Bei chuckled inwardly. This was a signature, deadly move; he wondered if Cao Mengde could withstand it.

"Just as you said, Guan Yu wanted to kill Hua Xiong, so why didn't he drink your wine, Cao Cao's?"

Yuan Shao was taking a sip of warm wine when he heard this and felt puzzled.

Liu Bei is quite adept at dodging questions. Wasn't this the question Cao Cao asked him? Why did he pass it back verbatim?

After pondering for a moment, Cao Cao nodded slightly, seriously acknowledging the question that had been rejected.

"Brother Xuande, that's a good question!"

Yuan Shao was completely bewildered. What were these two talking about? What baffled him even more was that Cao Cao was actually deep in thought. Brother, this question is flawed; what are you pondering?

Knowing that his plan was half successful, Liu Bei pressed his advantage and clasped his hands in greeting.

"In that case, please, Lord Cao, do not hesitate to offer your guidance."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"I think it's because the wine is poisoned. Xuande probably saw through this, which is why he didn't let Yunchang drink it."

What?

The various lords, who had been watching Liu Bei intently, waiting to see him make a fool of himself, were immediately shocked upon hearing this. They all turned their gazes in horror to Cao Cao.

Yuan Shao, in particular, had just raised his wine cup to his lips when he heard this, and his whole body trembled. The wine cup slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, shattering with a crash.

He initially thought his cup of wine was poisoned, but then he realized that Cao Cao was referring to the cup given to Guan Yu.

Cao Cao publicly revealed that the wine was poisoned, something no one had expected.

Only Liu Bei's lips curled into a strange smile.

As a long-time fan who has watched the new Three Kingdoms at least ten times, he knows every joke in the show by heart.

That move, "playing Tai Chi," just now came from the first episode of the new Three Kingdoms series. In the original version, it was used by Cao Cao to confront Yuan Wei.

He had only acted on a whim, trying it out casually, but unexpectedly, it backfired and forced Cao Cao to reveal the truth.

Liu Bei seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that in this world of strange rules and legends, every character is closely connected to the classic scenes in the new Three Kingdoms.

Cao Cao listened to the whispers around him, but instead of getting angry, he chuckled. He calmly strolled towards the assembled lords.

The crowd reacted as if they had seen a venomous snake, retreating in fear that this capricious and ruthless tyrant might do something even more vicious.

Cao Cao stopped, turned around, and explained with a beaming smile.

"Gentlemen, you have all misunderstood me, Cao Cao!"

"It wasn't me who ruined General Yu She; it was this chaotic world that ruined him!"

"Think about it, everyone must die eventually; some deaths are as light as a feather, while others are as heavy as Mount Tai!"

"General Yu sacrificed his life to obtain crucial intelligence for our army. His death was worthwhile!"

"Death is not scary!"

"Death is like a cool summer night, a time for peaceful sleep."

"Most importantly, Hua Xiong has become arrogant after this battle, and arrogant soldiers are bound to be defeated!"

Upon hearing this, the feudal lords found the words quite reasonable, and instead of feeling ashamed, they began to praise them.

"Mengde, we have wronged you!"

"Cao Cao is truly a man of great righteousness! He has earned our utmost respect!"

"Cao Cao is truly a genius! Such a brilliant plan, none of us could have foreseen it!"

Cao Cao took a sip of the fine wine and sighed deeply.

"Gentlemen, since ancient times, there have been those who are treacherous yet appear loyal, and those who are deceitful yet appear truthful."

"Loyalty and righteousness, and wickedness, can never be discerned from appearances."

As he spoke, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant horizon, his tone revealing a hint of desolation.

"Perhaps you misjudged me, Cao Cao, before."

"I misread it again today."

"Perhaps I will still be wrong tomorrow."

"But I am still me!"

"I'm never afraid of others misjudging me."