Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The following day, a truce was declared. Li Ru arranged for Li Su to travel to Ding Bingzhou's camp, carrying gold, silver, jewelry, and his Red Hare horse, in an attempt to persuade Lü Bu to surrender. Li Su, on horseback, with a sly smile on his face, deliberately lingered in front of the camp and made a loud noise, hoping to let Ding Yuan know someone was visiting Lü Bu, thus further promoting his strategy of alienating him. He even loudly announced that a fellow townsman had come to see him, his voice particularly loud.

Lü Bu, exhausted from the previous day's battle, was resting in his tent. Before word of Li Su's actions reached Lü Bu, Ding Yuan had already noticed. He frowned, puzzled, and unsure of this man's intentions.

Lü Bu was surprised to hear the military report about a fellow countryman visiting. A puzzled expression crossed his young face as he secretly speculated about the purpose of his fellow countryman's visit. Soon, he had Li Su brought in.

Li Su entered the tent with a smile on his face and said, "General Lu, long time no see. I hope you are doing well."

Lu Bu frowned, looked at him blankly, and said, "I don't know you. Who are you?"

Li Su smiled and said, "General Lu, you are so forgetful. We are from the same hometown and played together when we were young. Do you still remember the little river and the little mountain in your hometown?"

Lü Bu, slightly puzzled, pondered the scenery of his hometown carefully, and found that it matched Li Su's description. So he said, "Oh, I seem to have some impression of it."

Li Su finally felt relieved and started to greet Lü Bu: "Ah, General Lü is truly majestic now. He is truly the pride of our fellow townsman!"

Lu Bu declined repeatedly and said to Li Su, "I'm sorry, I am only the chief clerk in the Bingzhou army now, not the general you mentioned." At this time, Lu Bu couldn't help feeling helpless and self-mockery. He had all the skills but could only hold such a position.

Lu Su pretended to be puzzled and spoke up for Lu Bu, saying, "Everyone knows how brave Fengxian is. What's more, everyone saw the battle yesterday. How could he be just a chief clerk?" Li Su was secretly happy that the fish had taken the bait, but on the surface he pretended to be indignant.

Lu Bu looked depressed and confirmed with him, "Indeed, I am the chief clerk in the account." Lu Bu was depressed that his talent was buried like this.

Lu Su immediately spoke up for Lu Bu and said, "Fengxian is so talented, how can he be a chief clerk? Ding Yuan is somewhat bad at judging people. A person with low skills like me can be a general under Dong Gong, let alone Lu Bu." At this time, Li Su was thinking that he must make Lu Bu feel dissatisfied with Ding Yuan so that he could better implement the plan.

Lu Bu was startled when he heard this, and his heart was immediately filled with doubts and vigilance. He said, "Brother, are you here to persuade me to surrender?" Then he became suspicious of Li Su and did not give Lu Su a good look.

But Li Su calmly denied that he was not there to persuade him to surrender. He simply said that Lord Dong appreciated talent and treated Ma Chao with all kinds of courtesy. He felt that Lü Bu, who could fight Ma Chao to a draw, was definitely not an ordinary person. He also saw that Lü Bu had not had a good warhorse in several battles, so out of his love for his talent, he gave Lü Bu a warhorse. Li Su secretly thought that he must dispel Lü Bu's doubts and convince him of his sincerity. Lü Bu was skeptical, so Li Su took Lü Bu to see the Red Hare.

Li Su pulled Lü Bu out, only to see the Red Hare before him, a tall and mighty horse, its fur as bright as flames, gleaming in the sun. Its body was strong and upright, its lines smooth and graceful, and every muscle contained infinite power. The long mane fluttered in the wind like a burning flame. Its eyes were bright and revealed a proud aura. The moment Lü Bu saw the Red Hare, he was completely captivated. His eyes flashed with a fiery light, and his heart was filled with love and longing for this divine horse. He couldn't help but walk forward and gently stroked the Red Hare's back, feeling its warmth and strength. Lü Bu thought to himself, this is truly a peerless horse. How wonderful it would be if I could own it.

Seeing this, Li Su knew that the plan had been accomplished, so he smiled triumphantly and thought to himself that the plan was finally going to succeed.

Li Su said to Lü Bu, "Are you satisfied, Fengxian?" But Lü Bu suppressed the desire that was surging in his heart, gritted his teeth, and said with a bow, "Mr. Dong, this gift is too precious. Both sides are at war now. How can I neglect public affairs for personal desire? Besides, I have been deeply grateful to my adoptive father Ding Yuan. How can I betray him easily? Please bring the horse back, brother. Thank you, Mr. Dong, for your kindness." Although Lü Bu was extremely eager to get the Red Hare at this time, the majestic appearance of the Red Hare kept circling in his mind, making it difficult for him to calm down for a long time, but reason still made him try to restrain himself, constantly reminding himself not to do anything immoral for a horse.

Lu Su continued his eloquent speech, "Fengxian is wrong. Since ancient times, a good horse has been paired with a hero. Lord Dong has no requirements for Fengxian. He simply admires his martial prowess. Fengxian's bravery is fascinating, and this horse is in line with Fengxian's status and temperament. Think of the extraordinary and majestic horse that Ma Chao rides, which adds a bit of majesty to his appearance. If Fengxian could obtain this horse, he would be even more powerful, and he would surely achieve greater achievements in these troubled times."

Li Su was secretly delighted, sensing that Lü Bu was beginning to waver. He then intensified his efforts to persuade him, attempting to completely break down his defenses. Lü Bu, however, was internally struggling. He considered Ding Yuan's temperament and the potential consequences of accepting the horse. He was torn and conflicted. He frowned and said again, "No, this is inappropriate. I cannot bear the reputation of disloyalty and unrighteousness for my own selfish reasons. I absolutely cannot accept this horse."

Li Su encouraged Lu Bu again: "Fengxian, you can try riding it first and see how it feels." After all, Lu Bu could not contain the love that was surging like a flood in his heart. He gritted his teeth and jumped on the horse.

The moment Lü Bu mounted Red Hare, he felt a surge of overwhelming power coursing through him. Red Hare galloped out like a flash of crimson lightning, its hooves flying as if it were treading on clouds. The wind whistled past his ears, a throbbing melody of stirring energy. Lü Bu felt as if he had become one with the horse, each galloping forward filled with unparalleled exhilaration and pride.

The Red Hare was a majestic beast, its gallop as swift as the wind and as powerful as thunder. Its speed was so rapid that the surroundings were almost invisible, leaving only a blurry shadow. Its powerful muscles bulged as it exerted force, demonstrating immense explosive power. Its hooves slammed into the ground, sending up clouds of dust like a storm. On horseback, Lü Bu felt an unprecedented freedom and passion, his heroic spirit aroused. He reveled in the thrill of the ride, unable to extricate himself for a moment. The Red Hare seemed to carry him into a whole new world, giving him a sense of transcendental exhilaration.

As Lü Bu rode his Red Hare, Li Su quietly signaled to his attendants. The attendants, understanding, hid all their gold, silver, and jewelry in Lü Bu's tent. Meanwhile, Lü Bu, completely absorbed in the excitement and joy of riding Red Hare, was oblivious to the subtle gestures of Li Su and his attendants. He reveled in the thrill of Red Hare's speed, his admiration for this divine steed growing stronger. His mind was preoccupied with the Red Hare's majestic presence and the exhilaration of its gallop, oblivious to the alluring treasures that had been secretly placed in his own tent.

Ding Yuan had already noticed something unusual about this matter when Li Su arrived. Li Su's pretentiousness really made Ding Yuan full of doubts. Ding Yuan was still worried and summoned all the generals to express his concerns. He knew that Lü Bu was from Wuyuan and had no familiar fellow townsmen in the capital. The only possible candidate was in the Xiliang army, as Xiliang was also a frontier fortress. Ding Yuan said that Li Su might be a lobbyist sent by Dong Zhuo and that Lü Bu might be colluding with Dong Zhuo. Although the generals all said that Lü Bu was not such a person and tried their best to defend him, the more they spoke, the more suspicious Ding Yuan became. Finally, he notified someone to bring both Lü Bu and Li Su.

Lü Bu had just finished testing his Red Hare when he spotted a group of soldiers approaching, offering to take them directly to Ding Yuan. Lü Bu said, "Li Su is my fellow townsman and friend. How could you treat him like this? I'll go see my adoptive father." The soldier replied, "Excuse me, General Lü. Please forgive me, my lord, but I request that you two be taken." Without questioning Lü Bu's approval, these personal soldiers, Ding Yuan's personal guards, showed Lü Bu no respect at all, let alone Li Su, an outsider, who was being hustled and pushed into Ding Yuan's presence.