Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Yuan Shu was so angry that he rolled his eyes, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Cao Cao and Sun Jian exchanged a glance, and could only put down their weapons and follow him out.

Cao Cao walked up to Liu Ce, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

"King Yan, Cao Cao... has surrendered."

Liu Ce looked at him and said with a smile:

"Mengde, you should have surrendered long ago. Serving with me is better than serving these good-for-nothings."

Cao Cao smiled wryly and remained silent.

Sun Jian walked up to Liu Ce, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "King of Yan, I admit defeat. Kill me or torture me, give me a quick death."

Liu Ce laughed heartily:

"Wentai! What are you saying? We're old friends, how can you talk about killing me?"

Sun Jian nodded emphatically:

"Thank you, Prince Yan!"

In less than five days, the once invincible allied forces were completely worn down by Liu Ce's "psychological warfare and food depletion strategy".

The entire battalion surrendered; not a single person escaped.

As for why they didn't break through and fight their way out when Liu Ce just arrived near Suanzao and surrounded them?

It's not that the feudal lords were stupid.

Rather, they knew exactly who Liu Ce was.

That was the man who destroyed the Wuhuan, flattened the Xianbei royal court, and annihilated the Goguryeo kingdom.

Which battle wasn't a matter of cutting melons and vegetables?

That's a ruthless man who single-handedly swept through the Northern Territory!

Fight him head-on? That's just suicide.

Moreover, as they stood atop the wall watching Liu Ce's army, almost all of them were clad in armor, well-equipped, wielding broadswords, long-handled swords, composite bows, and champion repeating crossbows! Their gleaming armor was blinding in the sunlight.

Then look at your own subordinates...

Breakout?

How can we break through?

Using your mouth?

Although they had hundreds of thousands of troops, they were just hundreds of thousands of starving rabble.

Fighting Liu Ce's 50,000 elite troops head-on? The outcome is obvious.

The feudal lords knew perfectly well: charging out? That would be suicide.

It's better to stay put; at least we can live a few more days.

As a result, they held out until they surrendered.

...

Night, at the central military camp.

Liu Ce specially arranged a small banquet and invited only three people: Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei.

Why invite these three?

Liu Ce knew perfectly well that these three were the most capable among the warlords. The others, like Kong Rong and Kong Zhou, were just there to make up the numbers; Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were useless; and the rest were either mediocre or cunning, not worth getting close to.

But these three are different.

Cao Cao possessed great talent and ambition; Sun Jian was both brave and resourceful; Liu Bei had a benevolent heart, and besides, Liu Bei... well... was already one of his men.

They will be needed to govern the world in the future.

Other feudal lords? Those that should be closed, are closed; those that should be left to rot, are left to rot.

Let those two brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, go hungry for a couple of days first.

The banquet was held in Liu Ce's central command tent; it wasn't luxurious, but it was very cozy.

Wine and meat were laid out on the table, the candlelight flickered, and the atmosphere was relaxed.

The four sat around a table, and Liu Ce raised his wine cup, saying:

"Mengde, Wentai, Xuande, we're old acquaintances. Come, let's have a drink. It's fate that we can sit together today."

Cao Cao raised his cup and laughed, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is already an act of mercy from Your Majesty that I am still alive and sitting here."

Sun Jian raised his cup and said in a muffled voice, "Thank you, Prince of Yan, for sparing my life."

Liu Bei raised his cup, somewhat reservedly saying, "Your Highness... I toast you."

The four of them drank it all in one gulp.

After setting down his wine cup, Cao Cao stroked his beard and sighed, "It's been almost six years."

Sun Jian slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! In the first year of Zhongping, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, at that time..."

Liu Bei continued, his eyes reddening slightly, "Back then, I was still weaving mats and selling shoes in Zhuojun. I was fortunate enough to have Your Highness patronize my business and buy several pairs of straw sandals from me. Later..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce nearly spat out his drink.

"Cough cough cough... Xuande, I still have those straw sandals!"

He certainly didn't keep it, but after he said that, Liu Bei's eyes reddened even more.

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Back then, Your Highness defeated 100,000 Yellow Turbans with 800 Xuanjia Iron Cavalry in Zhuojun. When I heard about that battle in Luoyang, I could hardly believe it. Later, after seeing Your Highness with my own eyes, I realized what it means to be a genius."

Sun Jian nodded and said, "I was in Changsha at that time... I also heard about Your Highness's achievements, and I had only one thought in my mind: This person is really amazing, and he will surely become a great man in the future."

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, if you keep praising me, I'll get cocky."

He filled the three men's glasses, his tone becoming serious:

"To be honest, six years ago, I never imagined things would turn out this way. Back then, I was just thinking that if I could quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion and reduce the suffering of the people, I would be content."

He looked at Liu Bei and said, "Xuande, back then you led several hundred men and fought quite a few battles, didn't you?"

Liu Bei nodded, his expression complex, and said, "Yes. Although I am not talented, I also followed Your Highness in the campaign against the Yellow Turbans. At that time, under Your Highness's command, I personally witnessed Your Highness's brilliant military strategy, and I admired you immensely..."

Cao Cao sighed, "Life is unpredictable. Who could have imagined that six years later, we would meet again here in this sour jujube, in this way?"

Sun Jian took a swig of wine and sighed, "To be honest, I was unwilling to surrender today. I, Sun Jian, have fought for half my life and have never felt so humiliated. I didn't even fire an arrow or strike a blow, and I was surrounded and forced to surrender."

He looked at Liu Ce with a complicated expression and said, "But after thinking about it carefully, I'm convinced. Your Highness's move of subduing the enemy without fighting is far superior to a direct confrontation."

Liu Ce smiled but didn't reply.

He can't exactly say, "I call this the 'dumpling-making tactic,' first surround them, then cut off their food supply, then attack their hearts and minds, and slowly wear them down."

......

Liu Ce looked at Cao Cao and said with a smile:

"You said that the problem of eunuchs could be solved by killing the ringleaders, which could be done by a prison guard. Why make a big fuss? When I heard that, I knew you had insight."

Cao Cao was silent for a moment, then sighed and said:

"Unfortunately, General He Jin did not listen. What was the result? Dong Zhuo entered the capital, and the world fell into chaos."

Liu Ce nodded and said:

"He Jin was a fool, but he's dead, so let's not talk about him. Let's talk about you, Mengde. I truly admire your courage when you tried to assassinate Dong Zhuo in Luoyang."

Cao Cao smiled wryly:

"Admire what? He failed to stab her and almost lost his life. If I hadn't run fast, the grass on his grave would be three feet high by now."

Liu Ce smiled and said:

"It takes guts to not succeed in stabbing him. Most people would be too scared to even draw their swords, let alone see Dong Zhuo."

The two smiled at each other.

Sun Jian listened from the side and a rare smile appeared on his face.

Liu Ce turned to him:

"Wentai, I've heard about what happened to you. You were going to win the battle against Hua Xiong at Sishui Pass, but that brat Yuan Shu cut off your supplies and caused Zu Mao to be killed. What a pity."

Sun Jian's face darkened, and he said in a muffled voice:

"Zumao has served me for many years, and now he's gone... Prince Yan, in my life, the people I hate most are bastards who stab me in the back!"

Liu Ce patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Don't worry, from now on, if you follow me, no one will dare to stab you in the back. I'll take care of that Yuan Shu brat for you."

Sun Jian's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded emphatically.