Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 44 Assisting the Supreme Emperor to Revive the Han Dynasty

"Hey! Who's your virtuous brother?"

My elder brother is a member of the Han imperial family and a descendant of emperors. He also studied abroad in his youth, became a student of Lu Zhi, and befriended many great scholars in the country. He was renowned in his time!

You? What kind of person are you? How dare you call yourself a brother?
You traitor! Cease your insolence! Fight me three hundred rounds now!

After Zhang Fei finished speaking, Lü Bu smiled broadly and dispersed immediately.

It is said that true friends are hard to find, but it turns out I was just being too sentimental!

Just as he turned to leave, two more people came out of the mansion to greet him.

One person had earlobes that reached his shoulders and hands that reached his knees; the other had a face like a red date, phoenix eyes, and silkworm eyebrows.

It was Liu Bei and Guan Yu!
"Third brother, you've had too much to drink again!"

"Brother, I didn't drink!"

"Don't talk nonsense. Every time you're drunk, you say you haven't drunk anything."

"Brother, I really didn't drink this time! If you don't believe me, you can ask everyone in the manor to testify for me."

"That traitor, how dare he insult you? I'll fight him to the death this time!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei frowned slightly and gestured to the crowd, saying:
"Did you see? My third brother drank alcohol today."

Everyone said, "We all witnessed it with our own eyes. The three generals started drinking at dawn and didn't stop until noon. We can all testify to that."

Zhang Fei was shocked!

His eyes widened in fury, and his voice boomed like thunder!
"How dare you do this? I said I didn't drink, and that's final! How dare you deceive me like this?"

He tried to argue, but Guan Yu had already restrained him and dragged him away. Guan Yu's phoenix eyes narrowed sharply. "Third brother, don't embarrass yourself! This is not the place for you to act recklessly while drunk in front of General Lü."

"Second brother, how could you be included too?"

Lu Bu watched this farce unfold, still somewhat bewildered, awkwardly unsure whether to leave or not.
At this moment, Liu Bei rushed forward, tightly grasping his sleeves with both hands, his eyes brimming with tears of emotion.

"Brother!"

"I have long admired my elder brother's unparalleled heroism. To be called a worthy brother today is the greatest comfort of my life, and I can die without regret."

"Eh? This... Xian."

Upon hearing the word "brother," Lü Bu's expression shifted from dark to joy, but he still suppressed his smile and maintained a stern face.

"Don't do that."

"Bu, you despicable man, do not deserve to be called 'elder brother' by a nobleman of the Han dynasty. Lord Xuande, you should not address me like that, otherwise your third brother will come and fight me for three hundred rounds."

"What are you saying, brother?"

As Liu Bei spoke, he pulled Lü Bu into the mansion.

"Don't you know what kind of person my third brother is? He's just talking nonsense while drunk. Brother, you are a man of outstanding talent, recognized by all. Why bother arguing with a drunkard?"

"Hmm~

What you say is very true. Our brotherly bond is very strong; how could we be misled by a drunkard?

Lu Bu made a couple of reluctant attempts to refuse, but before he could even properly welcome him, he was already being ushered into the mansion.

“My brother is a kind man, but your third brother is too fond of wine. Who drinks so much early in the morning?”
I fear that he might cause trouble after drinking in the future; my dear brother, you should keep a close eye on him.

"My brother's reminder has made me more careful."

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Bei brought up the important matter at the right time.

"I have summoned my elder brother here today because I have important matters to discuss."

The world is in chaos, the emperor is out of power, the Han dynasty is declining, and the state is crumbling.

As the saying goes, "Times create heroes," and heroes are also created by the times! When it is time to use one's skills, loyal and righteous people will worry about their country and forget their families, while wise and resourceful people will have the intention to save the world.

You and I, brothers, are content to sit idly in Xuzhou, seeking land and houses. Time flies by, and before we know it, old age is approaching. Yet, we have not accomplished anything of great importance.
Having received the Emperor's decree, I am deeply grateful for His grace and to the people. I intend to lead my army north to welcome Your Majesty.

To assist the emperor in reviving the Han dynasty, to restore order to the state and subdue the feudal lords!

"I am not afraid of losing my reputation, but I fear that my strength is insufficient." He stood up, holding the imperial edict in his hands, and bowed deeply to Lü Bu.

"I only wish that my elder brother could lend a helping hand, go north to defeat Cao Cao, and rescue the emperor, so that the world may be at peace and the Han dynasty may be restored."

“Since you call me elder brother, how could I not do my utmost to uphold our brotherly bond?”

Lü Bu quickly helped him up and also took out an imperial edict.

“My virtuous brother has treated Bu with sincerity. Now I will not hide it from you. The emperor has also issued an edict to me.”

Li Jue and Guo Si? They were my defeated foe in the past, remnants of the traitor Dong Zhuo!
All of this was due to Wang Yun's mistake, which led to his escape to Chang'an and the rise of this villain.

Cao Cao was just a defeated general of mine!
That day, I was slaughtered in Yanzhou, leaving only three cities standing. Outside Puyang, I fled for my life. If I hadn't been tricked into believing the man riding the yellow horse was Cao Cao, I would have been a dead man long ago.

He proudly raised his head, looking down at the heroes, just as he had done at Hulao Pass, regarding the eighteen warlords outside the pass as nothing more than weeds.

"Now we are heading north to welcome the Emperor, and to punish the disloyal one in accordance with the Emperor's decree. How is this different from when I was ordered to kill the traitor Dong Zhuo?"

"Brother, do not worry. I have extensive experience in such matters. Now that you have shown me such kindness, I will go through fire and water to assist you and together we will achieve great things!"

"With my elder brother protecting me, I can rest easy."

The two laughed together, and Liu Bei then took out a letter from Yuan Shu.

"This is a decree issued by Yuan Gonglu, falsely claiming to be an imperial edict, and a general's order. We can use this as a pretext to raise an army, form an alliance with the feudal lords of the world, and march north to attack Cao Cao."

I hope that my brother will humbly obey my orders, join forces, and march together from Langya to attack the State of Lu.

If we can seize the opportunity to conquer Yanzhou, we should plot to become emperor ourselves, welcome the king, save the country, and restore the Han dynasty.

"This"

Just as Lü Bu was about to agree, he suddenly remembered Chen Gong's instructions before he left.

There is only one thing the general must not agree to: join forces with him. Otherwise, regardless of success or failure, you can secure your own future.

For a moment, he hesitated.

"Brother, is there something troubling you? Please speak frankly."

Lu Bu regretted that he had spoken too confidently in a moment of excitement. Now that Liu Bei had treated him as a brother and was so close to him, how could he refuse?

“What you said is inappropriate, my dear brother.”

Yuan Gonglu was a man of high rank and prestige, with four generations of high-ranking officials in his family. His students and former officials were all over the country, and half of the world's talented people came from his school. How could he possibly be willing to do something like this, which was supposedly a false imperial edict?

Brother, please keep these words to your elder brother and don't spread them around, lest you incur resentment.

Lu Bu spoke with righteous indignation, appearing to be considering Liu Bei's best interests, and also took out a letter from his bosom.

"Now I have also received the order to deploy troops out of Pei State to attack Jiyin. The Grand General commands all the troops in the world and no one dares to disobey. It is truly difficult to disobey the order."

He looked troubled, then gently patted Liu Bei's shoulder to comfort him.

"When I attack Cao Cao at Jiyin, I can also cooperate with my virtuous brother, and launch a two-pronged attack, which will surely prevent Cao Cao's army from being able to attend to both ends."

"Once we've conquered Yanzhou, we can join forces and welcome the Emperor together."

Liu Bei: "."

Even though Liu Bei wanted to join forces with Lü Bu to take advantage of his strength, Chen Gong offered him the promise of establishing his own foundation and wealth, so Lü Bu used the false order of the Grand General to refuse.

Between the two, as they shirked their responsibilities, the proclamation finally arrived. The elder brother and younger brother bid each other a reluctant farewell. One of them set out from Xiaopei to attack Jiyin, while the other set out from Langya to attack Lu. The two routes went out simultaneously to support Yuan Shu.

"Take care, General. If you encounter any difficulties on this journey, this approach will ensure your safety."

"Gongtai, there is no need for further words. Bu has led troops in battle for many years and has his own judgment."

Before his departure, Chen Gong racked his brains, giving Lü Bu countless instructions on everything, but Lü Bu didn't take them seriously and just gave perfunctory replies.

At this moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of conquering cities and territories, with unstoppable momentum, and he was determined to recreate the heroic spirit he had shown in the past when he seized Yanzhou and forced Cao Cao to leave him with only three cities.

Completely unaware, Chen Gong's eyes held an unreadable expression.

(End of this chapter)