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

Liu Bei's army returned in triumph.

The camp gates were wide open, soldiers stood in formation, and banners stood solemnly.

No one greeted them at the gate.

No feudal lords came out of their camps to reward the troops, and no alliance leader sent envoys to offer gifts and greetings.

Only a few junior officers on duty caught a glimpse of the large "Liu" banner from afar, whispered among themselves, and then dispersed.

Zhang Fei spurred his horse, hoisted his spear onto his shoulder, and boomed, "Heh, that saves me the trouble of returning the courtesy."

After settling into the camp.

An hour later, someone came to the leader's tent.

He was a young clerk, bowing and holding two jars of turbid wine, saying that the leader of the alliance had heard of Lord Xuande's triumphant return and had specially bestowed them upon him to keep warm.

The man placed the wine jar at the entrance of the tent, and without even taking a sip of water, hurriedly took his leave.

Zhang Fei grabbed the jar of wine, shook it, and slammed it to the ground.

"A triumphant return? And all you give him are two jars of wine? The grain we dragged back from the front lines is enough to fill this shabby tent! Is Yuan Shao treating us like beggars?"

Guan Yu said in a deep voice, "Third brother, watch your words!"

Zhang Fei was about to shout again, but Liu Bei looked over and swallowed his words.

Suddenly, three drumbeats sounded.

Yuan Shao entered the military tent, sat in the main seat, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Lord Xuande is back. I heard that in the Battle of Hulao Pass, Lord Xuande had many fierce generals under his command, and even that scoundrel Lü Bu suffered a crushing defeat. Congratulations!"

Yuan Shu, standing nearby, chimed in, "That's right, five thousand men, or rather, I heard it was eight thousand. Fighting Lü Bu, fighting 150,000 Xiliang troops, the losses... how many were they again? Oh, over a hundred. Alliance Leader, if everyone in our allied forces were this capable, Dong Zhuo would have hanged himself long ago."

Yuan Shu picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.

Gongsun Zan, seated below Yuan Shu, spoke up: "General Zhao Yun under Lord Xuande's command. This man is an excellent horseman, especially adept at raids. Lord Xuande's acquisition of such a fine general is truly like adding wings to a tiger."

Liu Bei cupped his hands in apology: "I dare not accept such praise. The victory at Hulao Pass was due to the bravery of our soldiers and the righteous assistance of Sun Wentai and Cao Mengde."

Yuan Shu put down his teacup with a loud thud.

"A chivalrous act of helping someone? I heard that Sun Wentai blocked a blow from Lü Bu for Liu Bei? Tsk, after suffering heavy losses at Sishui Pass, he's still so kind-hearted. Truly a hero of Jiangdong, with unparalleled righteousness."

After saying that, Yuan Shu turned to Cao Cao and said, "Mengde, you're really something. Your troops were almost wiped out in the Battle of Xingyang, and you still had to give some to Liu Bei. Tsk, you've worked so hard."

Cao Cao still wore that enigmatic smile, chuckled softly, and remained silent.

Yuan Shao cleared his throat and said, "Lord Xuande's victory at Hulao Pass this time has dampened the morale of the traitor Dong Zhuo, truly setting an example for the allied forces. I should join the other gentlemen in submitting a memorial to commend Lord Xuande and his generals for their achievements."

His words were tactful and gentle, leaving no room for error.

Liu Bei stood up and thanked him.

Yuan Shao waved his hand and continued, "However, these imperial edicts need to be passed through the prefectures and counties. Currently, Luoyang is occupied by the traitor Dong Zhuo, the emperor is under control, and the passes along the way are blocked, making the exchange of official documents quite troublesome. I will do my best in this matter, but it is difficult to predict when we will receive a reply. Xuande, please be patient. The court will not forget those who have rendered meritorious service..."

Liu Bei was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, Alliance Leader. It is my duty to serve the court and punish the traitor Dong Zhuo; I dare not have any unrealistic ambitions."

Yuan Shao chuckled, then lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Liu Liang saw everything.

Liu Bei bowed respectfully to express his gratitude, his words were sincere, and his manners were impeccable. Anyone who saw this would praise him, saying, "Magistrate Liu is indeed a loyal and righteous man."

But those eyes couldn't hide anything.

As she stood up, a fleeting sadness flashed in her eyes, like a candle flame flickering slightly in the wind before quickly regaining its balance.

Others might have thought it was just the reflection of the lamplight, but Liu Liang could see it clearly.

It wasn't that I was disappointed that the court gave me too little, but that I was disappointed that I was still the one who "needed the court to give me a title."

When Liu Bei was weaving mats and selling shoes, he didn't care about such things.

With over ten thousand soldiers under his command and fierce generals like Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, why should Liu Bei wait for the court to posthumously recognize him?

Liu Liang picked up his teacup, concealing a slight smile from the corner of his mouth.

This adopted son has finally started to complain that his title is too low.

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

Yuan Shao looked around at everyone: "Lu Bu has just suffered a defeat, and his morale is low. This is an excellent opportunity to break through the pass. Who is willing to lead the troops to attack the city?"

No one answered.

Yuan Shao added, "If Hulao Pass is breached, the gates of Luoyang will be wide open, and Dong Zhuo will surely flee. This would be an unparalleled achievement."

No one responded.

Kong Zhou, the governor of Yuzhou, said: "Attack a city is not the same as fighting in the field. Hulao Pass has high walls and deep moats. Although the Xiliang army was defeated, there are still hundreds of thousands of troops defending the pass. If we attack the city by force, I am afraid that we will suffer too heavy losses."

Prefect Wang Kuang of Hanoi nodded: "What Lord Kong said is absolutely right. Our army has fought many battles, our supplies are depleted, and our soldiers are exhausted. We should rest and regroup first before making any further advances."

Qiao Mao, the governor of Dongjun, said, "Although our army won the battle at Hulao Pass the other day, we failed to break through the pass. Lü Bu retreated into the pass, and with the gates closed, it remains a natural fortress."

The group passed the money to each other, their conversations clearly indicating their reluctance to go.

Liu Liang stood beside Liu Bei and listened to these words.

He knew it in his heart.

The 150,000 Xiliang troops inside Hulao Pass were no longer 150,000.

Lu Bu was defeated and retreated, and Dong Zhuo's courage was shattered.

Last night, Dong Zhuo, along with Li Ru and Lü Bu, retreated to Luoyang.

At this moment, there were only a little over a thousand old and weak soldiers guarding Hulao Pass. They were just making a show of force and could be easily pushed open.

Whoever gets the credit should take it.

Unfortunately, these feudal lords were unaware of this.

Liu Liang glanced at Cao Cao from the side.

Cao Cao sat to the left of Yuan Shao, his face still bearing that inscrutable expression, his hands tucked into his sleeves, lost in thought.

Liu Liang glanced at Cao Cao and coughed.

Cao Cao lowered his eyes and did not react.

Liu Liang coughed again.

Cao Cao looked up and saw Liu Liang looking over, so he nodded slightly in greeting, then lowered his head and continued drinking his tea.

Liu Liang: "..."

Why is Cao Cao not clever when he should be?

They discussed it for a long time in the tent, but the matter remained deadlocked.

No one wanted to go, and no one dared to say no.

At this moment, Liu Liang spoke up: "After Lü Bu's defeat, Dong Zhuo is terrified and has no will to fight. Hulao Pass will not be difficult to break now. We only need one army, not many."

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Shu burst out laughing.

"Mr. Liu is quite cunning. You've just won a battle, so naturally you don't want to lose any more men. That's why you're encouraging us to attack the city? Attacking a city is not like open field battles; the losses there are far greater than a hundred or two hundred men."

Gongsun Zan also said, "Although Dong Zhuo has been defeated, he still has 150,000 troops guarding the pass. Mr. Liu, you seem to think we're three-year-olds. If you want to attack the city, we can all advance and retreat together. Why should you rest while we go to our deaths?"

When Liu Bei saw the crowd mocking his adoptive father, he was about to defend himself when someone gently tugged at the corner of his robe.

Looking back, it was my godfather.

Liu Liang didn't speak, he just shook his head.

Liu Bei swallowed his words.

Silence fell again in the tent.

Yuan Shao said, "Lord Xuande, you just said that your troops suffered only minor losses in the Battle of Hulao Pass?"

Liu Bei replied solemnly, "Yes."

Yuan Shao chuckled and said, "In that case, why don't you trouble yourself to make another trip, Lord Xuande?"