Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

After all the princes had finished introducing themselves, Emperor Liu Bian said slowly with a gentle smile on his face, kindness and wisdom in his eyes: "Come, come, let me introduce a few people to you." Although his voice was not loud, it was clearly heard by everyone, with a hint of seriousness.

Then, he turned to Liu Bei with a gentle gaze and some admiration, and said slowly: "This is Liu Bei, a descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan. He is a kind and benevolent person with the world in his heart. He had made outstanding military achievements in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion." While saying these words, Liu Bian always kept a faint smile on his face, and his eyes revealed his recognition and expectations of Liu Bei.

Then the emperor's gaze shifted to the two people beside Liu Bei, his expression still cordial, and continued: "And the two people beside him, one of them is Guan Yu, with the courtesy name Yunchang. He is nine feet tall, with a beard two feet long, a face like a red date, phoenix eyes, and long eyebrows. He has a dignified appearance, is awe-inspiring, extremely brave, and has great martial arts skills. And what about this one?" At this time, Liu Bian's expression was full of curiosity and interest, as if he was showing a new treasure to everyone.

"The other one is Zhang Fei, also known by his courtesy name Yide. He has a leopard head, round eyes, a swallow chin and a tiger beard. His voice is like thunder, his momentum is like a galloping horse, his virtue is like a raging fire, and he hates evil as much as he hates enemies. He is also a fierce general." When saying this, a bright light flashed in Liu Bian's eyes, and he admired Zhang Fei's bravery.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei advanced steadily forward, all three of them looking solemn and humble. Dressed in a long robe, Liu Bei stood tall and proud, with a gentle yet sincere smile on his face. He clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and addressed the crowd, "Dear heroes, Liu Bei greets you."

Guan Yu held his head high and chest out, his eyes slightly narrowed, his hand stroking his long beard, and bowed in salute, his aura of majesty emanating naturally without anger.

Zhang Fei's eyes widened, his gleaming eyes gleaming with energy, and he shouted in a resounding voice, "Everyone, I, Zhang Fei, am here!" His heroic demeanor was truly impressive. The three men stood there, each with their own distinct postures, each revealing an extraordinary presence that drew glances of admiration and scrutiny.

Emperor Liu Bian wore a genial smile and spoke slowly to the crowd again: "My dear ministers, I have already discussed the family tree with Liu Bei in detail." As he spoke, his eyes were full of meaning and were cast on Liu Bei with extraordinary tenderness. Then he continued slowly: "Uncle Liu Bei is a loyal and courageous man with great ambitions. He is truly a rare pillar of the Han Dynasty!" His words were full of praise and praise for Liu Bei. When everyone heard this, they all understood that Emperor Liu Bian was trying to win over Liu Bei. After all, the current situation was turbulent, and having one more helper would mean a greater chance of winning. Upon hearing the emperor's words, Liu Bei hurriedly knelt down in fear and trepidation to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I will devote all my energy and soul to your Majesty and to the Han Dynasty, and do my best to be loyal!" For a moment, the atmosphere on the scene became somewhat subtle and intriguing.

Emperor Liu Bian said solemnly, "I don't have much knowledge of military matters. The specific details of this discussion still require the close cooperation and careful communication of your noble families. So, please nominate who will serve as the leader of the alliance, issuing orders and unifying all matters."

Han Fu stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I dare to speak up. In my opinion, Yuan Shao is the perfect choice to lead the alliance. He is both wise and courageous, and will surely lead us to properly handle the current situation."

Cao Cao followed suit, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Han Fu is quite right. Yuan Shao is indeed capable. I agree with nominating Yuan Shao as the leader of the alliance."

Zhang Yang then stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I also agree with nominating Yuan Shao as the leader of the alliance. I also believe that he is capable of this important task."

However, Yuan Shu was now thinking to himself: He and Yuan Shao had always been at odds. If Yuan Shao were to become the leader of the alliance, wouldn't he be constantly oppressed by him? He absolutely couldn't let Yuan Shao succeed. So Yuan Shu quickly stepped forward and said urgently, "Your Majesty, this must not happen! Gongsun Zan has the merit of saving you. In my opinion, he is more suitable for the position of leader."

Sun Jian thought to himself that Yuan Shu and he were neighbors, and they had frequent interactions. Yuan Shu was quite powerful, so if he could help him now, it would strengthen their relationship in the future, which would also benefit him. Seeing this, Sun Jian quickly stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Your Majesty, I also think what Yuan Shu said makes sense. Gongsun Zan can be the leader of the alliance. I hope Your Majesty will consider it."

When everyone was deadlocked, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, everyone understood that Yuan Shao indeed possessed a significant advantage over Gongsun Zan in terms of both overall strength and influence. After careful deliberation, Emperor Liu Bian finally spoke slowly, "Then, in accordance with the nobles' proposal, Yuan Shao will serve as the leader of the alliance, responsible for coordinating all matters related to the campaign against Dong Zhuo."

When Gongsun Zan heard this, a strong feeling of unwillingness and anger surged in his heart like a tide. His face turned extremely ugly in an instant. He clenched his teeth tightly, and then said angrily: "This is simply ridiculous! There is obviously great unfairness. How can he blatantly favor Yuan Shao? How am I, Gongsun Zan, inferior to him?" As he said this, he turned around and prepared to leave him angrily.

Seeing this, everyone hurried to persuade them. Lu Zhi also stepped forward at this time. He held Gongsun Zan's arm tightly, leaned close to Gongsun Zan's ear, and whispered in a calm and soothing tone: "Bogui, don't be impulsive. Think about it calmly. Yuan Shao does have a high reputation and influence in some aspects. This is a factor that must be considered. Moreover, the emperor has his own arrangements. There may be other deeper meanings. We will discuss this matter in detail later. Don't lose your composure because of a momentary anger." Although Gongsun Zan was very unwilling in his heart, he had no choice but to accept all these arrangements under Lu Zhi's patient persuasion.

Now that the leader had been chosen, Lu Zhi and Emperor Liu Bian could no longer interfere in military matters. After all, Emperor Liu Bian was now little more than a mascot. Among this room full of soldiers, how many truly loyal to the Han Dynasty could there be? Now that the leader had been chosen, after intense discussion, it was decided that Sun Jian and Sun Wentai would serve as the vanguard, while the supply of food and supplies would be entrusted to Yuan Shu and Yuan Gonglu. This was also to balance the forces on their side. After all, Gongsun Zan had gained nothing, and Yuan Shao, now the leader, not only had to appease Gongsun Zan but also had to be wary of Yuan Shu's backstabbing. If he didn't give up the supply of food and supplies, Yuan Shu would undoubtedly try to win over other princes in private. After all, Yuan Shu, like him, came from a family with three generations of officials, and Yuan Shu had the same advantages. This would not only divide Gongsun Zan's influence, but also temporarily block Yuan Shu. Furthermore, Yuan Shao secretly had a plan: if Yuan Shu's food and fodder distribution was uneven, he could easily instigate a few neutral princes.

Sun Jian openly aligned himself with Yuan Shu, so his role as vanguard officer was clearly not going to be easy. Clearing paths through mountains and building bridges across rivers was essentially physical labor, but he would shoulder all the dirty work. It was even possible that Sun Jian would be the first to encounter an ambush. After all, Dong Zhuo's cavalry was not to be taken lightly. Furthermore, Yuan Shao had personally witnessed the prowess of Marquis Wen Lü Bu and his Bingzhou army.

Thus, the princes, each with their own thoughts, concluded this rather symbolic court meeting. Afterwards, Yuan Shao began to exercise his authority as leader of the alliance, ordering Sun Jian to lead the troops and set out first as the vanguard.

Meanwhile, Emperor Liu Bian and Lu Zhi carefully reviewed their previously discussed plan. After ensuring it was flawless, they headed for Gongsun Zan's camp. Even before the alliance meeting, Lu Zhi and Liu Bian had sensed the conflict between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao. However, Gongsun Zan's prestige undoubtedly lagged behind Yuan Shao's. For the sake of reputation and to ensure the alliance's relatively stable and harmonious development, the two men had already secretly assumed that Yuan Shao should be the leader. However, Gongsun Zan had proven loyal from the moment he rescued the emperor. To win him over, the two men had already devised a plan: marrying Gongsun Zan's daughter. This way, Gongsun Zan could ascend to the throne of the emperor within a month, effectively alleviating any resentment over not being named leader. This would also allow them to further bind Gongsun Zan and his forces to the Emperor's chariot.