Three Kingdoms: Mistakenly Becoming Liu Bei's Adoptive Father at the Start

Liu Liang whispered to Liu Bei, "We can agree to one-fifth first to temporarily silence everyone, and then we can devise another plan later."

Liu Bei nodded.

He then bowed to Yuan Shao and the others, saying, "I will obey the leader's orders and will soon count the grain and supplies. As is customary, one-fifth will be handed over first."

Although Yuan Shu was dissatisfied, seeing that Yuan Shao had already made a decision, Cao Cao did not insist any further, and the other warlords did not strongly object, he could only snort coldly and remain silent.

Just as the matter was settled and everyone was preparing to leave, an urgent report suddenly came from outside the gate.

"Report! Hua Xiong, the garrison commander of Sishui Pass, has led about 10,000 Xiliang cavalry, arrayed in the open field in front of the pass, beating drums and challenging us to battle! He's spouting wild words, saying he'll... he'll slaughter all the rats from Guandong!"

Everyone was shocked to hear this.

If Liu Liang had mentioned a few days ago that Dong Zhuo's generals Lü Bu and Hua Xiong were both incredibly brave, some people might have disagreed.

However, after news of Bao Zhong's execution, Sun Jian's crushing defeat, and Zu Mao's near-death experience spread, all the warlords regarded Hua Xiong as a formidable foe, and none of them were willing to let their beloved generals take such a risk and lose strength.

Yuan Shao surveyed his troops: "Hua Xiong is arrogant and reckless; who dares to fight him?"

There was still no response from inside the tent.

Just then, another junior officer came to report: "That Hua Xiong is arrogant, tell me, tell me..."

"What did you say?!" Yuan Shao stood up angrily, "Speak!"

The junior officer said in a trembling voice, "That Hua Xiong boasted that all eighteen warlords were cowards who feared death, and he specifically named... specifically named only that young general Zhao Yun on the white horse to fight and settle the score!"

These words stirred up the emotions of the feudal lords.

If it's just a matter of calling them cowards and afraid of death, that would be acceptable.

After all, for the eighteen warlords, cursing everyone was the same as not cursing at all.

But Hua Xiong was challenging a mere Zhao Yun, which was tantamount to slapping them all in the face in public.

It turned out that Hua Xiong had fought Zhao Yun that day, and although it was only a brief exchange of ten or so, he deeply felt that the young general in white robes had exquisite spear skills and was not someone to be trifled with.

He had previously killed Bao Zhong and defeated Sun Jian, and was at the height of his arrogance when Zhao Yun ruined his plans, preventing him from killing Sun Jian's general. He felt that his reputation had been damaged.

Upon inquiring, he learned that the man was an unknown figure under Liu Bei's command, which only fueled his anger.

The reason for leading this large army here is to avenge the previous "humiliation," to kill generals on the battlefield to establish authority, to severely damage the morale of the allied forces, and to personally kill that young general on the white horse to vent my anger.

Hua Xiong specifically challenged Zhao Yun to a duel!

All eyes involuntarily turned once again to Liu Bei and his entourage at the end of the table.

Zhao Yun was just about to be provoked by Hua Xiong's arrogance and was about to charge out with his spear to fight that fellow for three hundred rounds.

He subconsciously glanced at his sworn brother Liu Liang, only to see that his sworn brother's expression was normal, and he only shook his head slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Zhao Yun immediately understood. The breath he had just taken subsided, and his grip on the spear loosened slightly. He simply stood quietly in place, showing no further intention to fight.

When Yuan Shu saw that Hua Xiong had specifically requested to fight Zhao Yun, he was filled with jealousy and resentment.

He both resented Liu Bei for secretly aiding Sun Jian and was jealous that Liu Bei had such a fierce general under his command.

Yuan Shu's mind raced. If he could kill Hua Xiong first, he would not only gain great fame and overshadow Liu Bei, but also dampen Hua Xiong's spirit.

Even if they lose, the casualties will be minor generals, which will make Liu Bei's side appear hesitant to fight.

With this in mind, Yuan Shu immediately stepped forward and said to Yuan Shao, "Alliance Leader, what is there to mention of Hua Xiong? My valiant general Yu She is exceptionally brave and strong; he can slay this scoundrel!"

After saying that, he turned around and gestured to Yu She.

Yu She was a young general, fearless and arrogant, who, upon hearing this, clasped his hands and shouted, "This humble general is willing to go and bring Hua Xiong's head to your command!"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed: "Good! Go quickly!"

Yu She drew his sword, mounted his horse, and left the camp.

Moments later, a scout galloped into the tent, urgently reporting: "General Yu She fought Hua Xiong for less than three rounds, and was... was slain by Hua Xiong!"

A series of low gasps rose from inside the tent.

Yuan Shu's face immediately turned extremely ugly.

At this moment, Han Fu, the governor of Ji Province, spoke up: "I have a general named Pan Feng, who wields a great axe and is as brave as ten thousand men. He can slay Hua Xiong."

Yuan Shao urgently ordered, "Quickly order Pan Feng to engage in battle!"

Pan Feng accepted the order, picked up a large axe, and went out of the tent to mount his horse.

Everyone waited with bated breath.

This trip took a little longer, but soon, a messenger reported again: "General Pan Feng fought Hua Xiong for ten rounds and was also killed by Hua Xiong!"

A sudden "hum" came from inside the tent, and all the feudal lords showed expressions of fear on their faces.

Having slain two generals in succession, Hua Xiong was truly ferocious!

Yuan Shao couldn't help but sigh in regret: "What a pity! What a pity that my generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou are not here! If even one of them were here, how could Hua Xiong have acted so recklessly!"

Behind Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun stared wide-eyed, his hand on his sword, ready to rise.

Cao Cao, however, quietly reached out and tugged at Xiahou Dun's sleeve under the table.

Xiahou Dun was taken aback, but forced himself to remain calm.

At this moment, Cao Cao turned to Liu Bei, who was seated at the end of the table, and deliberately raised his voice, saying, "Hua Xiong has killed two generals in succession, and his arrogance is rampant. Lord Xuande, now that Hua Xiong has specifically challenged your subordinate Zhao Yun to a duel, why not ask General Zilong to go out and kill this madman, so as to relieve the siege of the allied forces and also boost our army's morale?"

His words, though seemingly complimentary, actually put Liu Bei in a very difficult position.

If Zhao Yun wins, that would be the best outcome, further enhancing the merit of his invitation.

If he is defeated or killed, he will lose an arm to Liu Bei, and since it is Liu Bei's own man who is "named" and killed by Hua Xiong, no one else can say anything.

Upon hearing this, Liu Liang quickly whispered two words in Liu Bei's ear, and then said to Yuan Shao and the other lords: "Alliance Leader, esteemed gentlemen, Hua Xiong has already slain two generals, and his strength is at its peak. We cannot allow him to continue challenging us, lest we dampen the morale of the allied forces."

Yuan Shu, already frustrated by his losses, scoffed upon hearing this, "Easy for you to say! Who will go to fight? Are you going to push out your Zhao Yun again? Hua Xiong specifically requested him; I doubt he'd dare to accept!"

Ignoring Yuan Shu's sarcasm, Liu Liang continued, "I will recommend another person who can kill Hua Xiong."

Yuan Shao hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"

Liu Liang stepped aside and gestured behind him: "This is my lord's sworn brother, Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang."

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu clasped his hands in a fist and remained silent, exuding a calm and composed aura.

All eyes turned to the burly man with the red face and long beard.

The man was nine feet tall, with a two-foot-long beard, phoenix eyes, silkworm eyebrows, and a face like a red date. He stood behind Liu Bei.

Upon seeing that this was another of Liu Bei's men, and one without any official rank, Yuan Shu burst out laughing: "Does Mr. Liu have no one else to recommend? You've actually chosen a mere archer as your general? Even we, the generals of the various lords, cannot defeat him. This nameless fellow is simply sending him to his death, only to be ridiculed by Hua Xiong!"

Cao Cao's gaze shifted between Liu Liang and Guan Yu, then he suddenly spoke, "Oh? This valiant man possesses extraordinary bearing; could he be up to the task?"

Guan Yu proudly declared, "I am willing to go. If I fail to obtain Hua Xiong's head, I am willing to offer it to you."

Yuan Shao hesitated and said, "This man is of low status and may be looked down upon by the enemy."

Cao Cao said, "Guan Yu is a man of extraordinary bearing. How could Hua Xiong know his position? Since he has spoken so boldly, he must possess both courage and strategy. Let's give him a try."

Seeing this, Liu Liang nodded slightly to Cao Cao and then said, "Let me give you a cup of wine to boost your morale. General Guan, you should finish this quickly."

Cao Cao then instructed someone to pour a cup of hot wine and hand it to Guan Yu.

Guan Yu took the wine, but did not drink it. He placed it on the table and said, "Pour the wine, I will be right back."

Having said that, he picked up the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, turned around, and left the tent.