novelden Chapter 325 Weird thoughts
Chapter 325 Weird thoughts
Chapter 325: A Tricky Mind
"Exactly!"
Liu Bei raised his hand, politely and loudly said: "General Hou and General Yangwei are old acquaintances of mine. Please inform them."
The soldiers listened, and although they were hesitant, they still said, "Please wait a moment, General Liu. I will go and inform you right away."
Liu Bei put down his hand and waited quietly.
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stepped forward. They were not surprised by their brother's humble and polite attitude.
It didn't take long for Yuan Shao and Cao Cao to rush over. When Yuan Shao came out of the gate and saw Liu Bei, he kicked the messenger beside him to the ground and cursed loudly: "Envoy Liu is here, and you are so negligent!"
"I admit my guilt! I admit my guilt!" The soldier knelt on the ground and apologized repeatedly.
Yuan Shao ignored him and strode towards Liu Bei. He raised his hand and said with a loud smile: "Envoy Liu, how are you? I apologize if I have been negligent..."
After all, Liu Bei held the title of Mu of Xuzhou, so his status was quite high.
Liu Bei saw through Yuan Shao's pretense and smiled, raising his hand and saying, "I hope you won't be offended by Liu Bei's sudden visit, General Hou..."
"Where are you talking?"
Yuan Shao pulled Liu Bei over and said, "Let's go to the big tent and talk. With Envoy Liu here in person, the fight against Dong will be almost certain!"
Liu Bei was neither arrogant nor impatient. He kept a calm smile and made a few polite remarks. When he saw Cao Cao, who was silent, he raised his hand and said, "General Yangwei, polite."
Cao Cao raised his hand in return and said with a smile, "Envoy Liu is still as elegant as ever. Congratulations."
Xu You was standing on the periphery, and seeing the three people being so hypocritical and polite, he shook his head in his heart.
Yuan Shao did not give Liu Bei and Cao Cao a chance to talk. He pulled Liu Bei inside and asked, "General Liu, how many soldiers and grain did you bring?"
Liu Bei looked ashamed and said, "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by the general. I only have less than 20,000 soldiers and half a month's worth of food and fodder. I hope the general can raise some for me."
"Of course there is no problem."
Yuan Shao agreed without hesitation, saying, "I have discussed this with Meng De before. The number of troops in each army is different, and food and grass are in short supply. So we decided to unite the troops and food together, and work together to defeat the enemy without distinction, so as not to let down the court!"
Liu Bei listened, thought for a moment, and seeing that Cao Cao had acquiesced without saying anything, he said, "Then I will boldly agree. Thank you, General!"
Yuan Shao did not expect Liu Bei to agree so readily. He was still hesitant, but he smiled and said, "There is no need for us to be polite. How about I call you Xuande and you call me by my courtesy name?"
Liu Bei hesitated for a moment and said, "That would be what I want."
Yuan Shao laughed, gave Director Zhang a look, then took Cao Cao by his left hand and Liu Bei by his right hand and returned to the tent.
As soon as he entered the tent, a soldier came hurriedly to report, "General, Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian, Marquis of Wucheng, wants to see you."
Yuan Shao paused, turned around, glanced at Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and said with a smile, "Please come in!"
As he spoke, he continued to pull Cao Cao and Liu Bei inside and said, "Meng De, Xuan De, I believe that Sun Bofu also received my letter and brought his troops to help."
Liu Bei and Cao Cao didn't know much about Sun Ce, so they just nodded when they heard this.
After they sat down, Yuan Shao smiled and said to the two of them: "In the next few days, I believe more and more people will come. When the time comes, we will unite our forces, leave Zhongli, take the road to Ruyin, use Qiao County as a base, and send troops to Pei State and Xiang County!"
Liu Bei was startled and asked, "General Hou, why don't you go directly north from Zhongli County?"
From Zhongli County to Ruyin, and then to Qiao County, it can be said that it has formed a huge arc.
Cao Cao drank his tea expressionlessly and watched coldly.
At this time, Xu You stepped forward with a smile, raised his hand and said: "Envoy Liu, it is like this. Going north from Zhongli County, there are many mountains and rivers along the way, and the road is difficult to travel, which is not conducive to the army's march. Moreover, General Hou and General Yangwei have made a plan to fight and cannot delay until winter. Therefore, we choose to go east from Qiao County and fight a decisive battle with Dong Zhuo's main force!"
Liu Bei felt something was wrong, and seeing Cao Cao remained silent, he said, "Since the plan has been decided, Xuande will not hesitate to act as the vanguard!"
Seeing Liu Bei's aggressiveness, Xu You immediately gave him a way out and raised his hand to Yuan Shao, saying, "General, Liu is a relative of the Han Dynasty and is well-known for his benevolence. If Liu is the vanguard, it will surely boost the morale of the coalition forces against Dong!"
Yuan Shao smiled with satisfaction and said, "Since Xuande has this intention, I will not refuse. After all the troops have gathered and the oath-taking ceremony has been held, Xuande will lead the army first to defeat Dong Zhuo and show the power of our army!"
Liu Bei had never thought that he would get the vanguard position so easily. He was overjoyed, but he didn't show it on his face. He raised his hand and said, "Thank you, General."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Ce strode in.
With two people, he was wearing heavy armor, with a resolute face and bright eyes. He glanced at everyone and saluted Yuan Shao, saying, "I greet General Hou. Thank you for lending me the troops! Today I will lead 8,000 troops to help General Hou fight against Dong Zhuo!"
Yuan Shao looked at the young man and saw that he was quite handsome. He said with admiration, "No need to be polite. Sit down."
"Thank you, General!" Sun Ce took the opportunity to change his address, not forgetting to greet Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and said, "I greet General Liu and General Cao."
Cao Cao responded calmly, but Liu Bei smiled and nodded.
Yuan Shao waited for Sun Ce to sit down, and asked with a little curiosity: "I heard that you, Bofu, defeated Lu Bu in Guangling County?"
Sun Ce did not show any arrogance, and said respectfully: "I dare not, it was just an ambush, and I killed more than 2,000 people."
Cao Cao narrowed his narrow eyes and looked at Sun Ce.
Lu Bu's reputation has been quite loud in recent years. He fought in the south and the north, forced Liu Bei to flee from Xuzhou, and forced Sun Jian to hide in Wujun. Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shu and others did not dare to provoke him.
How could Sun Ce, who was so young, behead 2,000 people? He almost beheaded Lu Bu!
Liu Bei was the most touched and hesitated to speak.
“Young and promising!”
Yuan Shao said approvingly: "Bofu, you stay in the camp for now, and wait for all the troops to gather together to attack Dong!"
"I obey your command!" Sun Ce raised his hand and said.
He didn't say much, but sat upright with two followers standing behind him. He was very conspicuous in the big tent.
Yuan Shao was greatly encouraged to see Sun Ce obeying him. He glanced at Cao Cao and Liu Bei, and with a surge of heroic spirit, he laughed loudly and said, "Then let's set a date in three days, offer sacrifices to heaven and swear an oath to march north to attack Dong Zhuo!"
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce raised their hands in response, and the matter was settled.
Yuan Shao was very happy about the arrival of Liu Bei and Sun Ce and held another grand banquet.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone was drunk. Yuan Shao held on and said to Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce: "Everyone, today, today, let's stop here. I, I really can't do it anymore..."
Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce were also drunk and staggering. Most of the wine spilled, and their words were intermittent and it was impossible to hear what they said.
Xu You, Ju Shou, Zhang Dao and others stepped forward to persuade Yuan Shao to take him away.
Xiahou Dun carried Cao Cao away, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei supported Liu Bei, and Sun Ce was dragged away by two followers.
The big tent was filled with the aroma of wine, but it was empty in the blink of an eye.
Yuan Shao was carried to the bedroom, and instantly sobered up. He pushed Xu You and the others aside, sat down at the small table, poured a cup of tea, and said with a red face, "Have you noticed that things are going too smoothly?"
Xu You glanced at Ju Su, Zhang Dao and others, and said quickly: "General, it is possible that Cao Cao discussed it with Liu Bei in advance, and Sun Ce probably didn't dare to say anything. I will follow your wishes."
Ju Shou and Director Zhang didn't say anything. They were also very confused at this time, but they couldn't figure it out.
Cao Cao was too easy to talk to. He handed over the military power and food without saying a word, without any struggle!
Liu Bei was just as happy and agreed after just a moment of hesitation.
Too weird.
There must be a conspiracy behind the weirdness!
Yuan Shao drank some tea and sobered up a little. He looked at Xu You and asked, "What good plan does Ziyuan have?"
Xu You sneered and said, "General, no matter what Cao A Man and Liu Bei are up to, if we control their food and grass, we will be curbing their lifeline, and they will not easily act recklessly! After the alliance, they will be the vanguard to attack Dong Zhuo, and you will follow up. With two-pronged approach, no matter how powerful Cao A Man is, he will not be able to make any waves!"
Yuan Shao agreed with Xu You's words, but he was still worried, so he turned to Ju Shou and Zhang Dao and asked, "What do you think?"
"Divide and conquer!"
Ju Su's face was cold, and he said, "General, separate Cao Cao, Liu Bei and the others, and have people keep a close eye on them. If there is any unusual movement, take the initiative!"
Yuan Shao was relieved after hearing this and said, "Okay. I'll leave this matter to you. Don't be careless."
Ju Su agreed, and suddenly stepped forward and whispered, "General, after the meeting, there will inevitably be confusion, so we must be on guard."
Although it was spoken in a low voice, Xu You still heard it clearly, especially Ju Shou's 'unintentional' glance that made him furious!
Yuan Shao didn't notice it and said casually: "Okay. You make the arrangements. If there is any disturbance, report it to me immediately!"
"Yes." Ju Su said.
Thinking about the grand event in a few days, Yuan Shao was filled with lofty sentiments, his eyes were burning, and he yawned after a while, saying sleepily: "I have drunk too much these days, I need to have a good sleep."
Ju Su, Zhang Dao, and Xu You understood and raised their hands in unison, saying, "I'll take my leave."
As soon as they left, Yuan Shao's sleepiness disappeared, and he said to his soldiers, "Go, call Gao Gan and Zhang He to see me."
Obviously, Yuan Shao did not fully trust Ju Shou, Zhang Dao, Xu You and others.
On the other side, Cao Cao returned to the big tent, also sobered up, lay on the bed, and talked in a low voice with Xiahou Dun.
Cao Cao handed over a letter and said, "In the next few days, there will probably be a lot of people coming. Yuan Shao won't be able to control them even if he wants to. When the time comes, find a way to contact Feng Xiao."
Xiahou Dun put it in his arms and said, "If there are too many people coming, I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous to the general. Do you want Le Jin to lead the troops over?"
Since Cao Cao entered the officialdom, he has offended too many people. Among those who came to the alliance, perhaps many people wanted to kill Cao Cao.
"It doesn't matter,"
Cao Cao's face turned green, and he spoke calmly, "Liu Bei is a relative of the Han Dynasty, so we should be able to form an alliance secretly. With him around, there won't be any problems, and we can't arouse Yuan Shao's suspicion for the time being."
Xiahou Dun responded, but suddenly heard footsteps and turned to look at the tent door.
"General Cao, can you sleep well? Liu Xuande is here to visit you?" The footsteps outside the door stopped and Liu Bei's voice was heard.
Xiahou Dun was startled and turned to look at Cao Cao.
Cao Cao pondered for a moment, sat up, and said loudly with a smile: "Envoy Liu, please come in. Yuan Rang, make some tea!"
Liu Bei opened the tent and walked in. Seeing Cao Cao coming to meet him, he quickly raised his hand and said, "General Cao."
"Envoy Liu, please."
Cao Cao raised his hand seriously, and then motioned Liu Bei to sit at the small table.
After a few steps, the two sat opposite each other.
Liu Bei watched Cao Cao brew tea, a trace of hesitation appeared on his gentle face, and he said, "General Cao, do you really want to hand over the food and troops to the rear general?"
Cao Cao looked up and asked in confusion, "Envoy Liu, do you have any concerns? Why didn't you say anything in the big tent?"
Liu Bei shook his head, and said bitterly: "I am a defeated general, my position is low and my words are not taken seriously, how dare I say more?"
Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and asked in confusion, "You are a relative of the Han Dynasty and a governor of a state. Why are you so modest in declining the offer?"
Seeing that Cao Cao was unwilling to respond, Liu Bei simply said straight to the point: "General Cao, you and I are both under the Emperor's orders, unlike others. Although destroying Dong Zhuo is the top priority at the moment, we must think twice and be cautious."
Cao Cao poured a cup of tea for Liu Bei and said, "General Liu, do you have any ideas?"
"General Cao,"
Liu Bei stopped pretending, raised his hand, and said solemnly: "The matter of defeating Dong Zhuo is related to the safety of the country and society, and it cannot be taken lightly. Please, I will obey your words!"
Cao Cao did not expect Liu Bei to be so "frank". He put down the teacup he had picked up, sat up straight, and said solemnly, "Since Liu Bei is so frank, it makes Cao Cao look petty."
Cao Cao and Liu Bei sat opposite each other, looked into each other's eyes, and said in a deep voice: "I want to use Yuan Benchu's army to force Dong Zhuo to fight. Yuzhou has many mountains and rivers, and we can't delay for long. Now it's September, and we must not delay until winter! As long as the general situation is established, you and I will have 50,000 troops together, plus Huang Zhong's 30,000 in Yanzhou, a total of 80,000 troops, enough to sweep Yuzhou! At that time, Yuan Shao and his ilk will be nothing more than insects on the knife, not to worry about!"
Liu Bei waited for Cao Cao to finish speaking, and after analyzing it in his mind for a moment, he realized that Cao Cao was still talking nonsense and was not telling him the truth at all!
Knowing that Cao Cao did not trust him, Liu Bei pondered for a while and said, "I will be the vanguard and take the lead in defeating the enemy. If I can gain the trust of General Cao, I hope you will not abandon me and join forces to defeat the bandits and protect the country!"
Cao Cao narrowed his narrow eyes and looked at Liu Bei calmly.
This person seems sincere, and every word he says is honest, but he doesn't tell the truth and doesn't reveal any real thoughts.
"Will he really hand over his food, fodder, and troops?"
"A word is settled!"
Although Cao Cao did not trust Liu Bei, he still picked up the teacup and said, "Let's use tea instead of wine. I will never give up!"
"I will never abandon you!" Liu Bei picked up the teacup and took a sip with Cao Cao.
Both of them were people who said one thing and meant another, and their thoughts were unpredictable. After a few words, Liu Bei left Cao Cao's tent.
Soon after he walked out, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei came up to him. Zhang Fei couldn't wait to ask, "Brother, what did Cao Cao say?"
Liu Bei sighed, looking dejected, and said, "I thought that Cao Mengde was deeply favored by the emperor and would definitely work hard to defeat Dong Zhuo. He would be of the same mind as me. Just now I said frankly that I was willing to join forces with him, but he avoided talking about other things and didn't tell the truth. I couldn't guess what he was thinking."
Guan Yu said calmly, "It's not strange. No matter how strong the emperor's favor is, what does it matter? The Yuan family has three dukes in four generations. I wonder how much stronger their favor is than Cao Cao's?"
Liu Bei was startled, and looked around to make sure that no one was around. Then he heaved a sigh of relief and said to Guan Yu, "Second brother, don't say any more of this here."