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

Cao Ren shouted loudly towards the cloud of smoke, "Generals, you have come from afar and have endured hardship. Dong Zhuo has looted Luoyang, burned down palaces, and displaced the people. My lord is currently in the city clearing the fires and collecting the remains. Fearing that the rebel army might enter the city and disturb the people, causing further trouble, he has temporarily closed the city gates. Once the city is stable, he will welcome you all in."

Yuan Shu squeezed in from behind, brandishing his riding whip and roaring, "Bullshit! Do you think no one can see what Cao Cao is up to? He's occupied Luoyang all by himself and wants to keep us all out. What kind of logic is that?"

Cao Ren laughed and said, "General Yuan, you flatter me. I simply cannot bear to see Luoyang plundered again."

"Plunder?" Yuan Shu roared. "Are you saying we're here to plunder?"

Cao Ren did not respond.

Yuan Shu glanced back at his troops.

Three thousand cavalrymen, each with two horses, had only enough dry rations for three days.

Siege ladders? No.

A wooden impact? No.

There weren't even many decent ropes.

Looking at the other people, they are all the same.

In order to get to Luoyang before others, they threw away everything they could.

Yuan Shu flew into a rage, slammed his riding whip to the ground, and roared at his generals, "Go! Get the rear guard's supplies up here! Once the supplies arrive, I'll tear down this wretched city!"

Ji Ling urged his horse forward and whispered in his ear, "My lord, the rear guard... the rear guard has been left behind at the ferry crossing. It will take at least five days."

Yuan Shu's face turned a deep purplish-red.

Chaos reigned outside the city.

Some people cursed Cao Cao, some cursed Yuan Shu, some cursed Liu Liang, and some cursed God.

As they continued arguing, they became increasingly angry.

Liu Dai's soldiers and Qiao Mao's soldiers somehow collided. First, they pushed and shoved, then they drew their swords and drew blood.

Liu Dai personally went over, pushed aside his own men, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qiao Mao: "Lord Qiao, our troops have fallen behind in terms of provisions, and the army has been without food for two days. Could you lend us three hundred shi of grain to alleviate our urgent crisis?"

Qiao Mao waved his hands repeatedly: "Lord Liu is joking. My men are traveling light, where would we get extra provisions?"

Liu Dai stared at him for a moment, nodded, and turned to leave.

That night, chaos suddenly broke out in Qiao Mao's camp.

Liu Dai's soldiers sneaked into the camp at night, killing anyone they saw and looting any grain they could find.

Qiao Mao was startled awake from his sleep. He put on his clothes and went out of the tent, only to bump into Liu Dai standing at the door with a sword in his hand.

"Liu Dai! You!"

Liu Dai stabbed him in the stomach and twisted the knife halfway.

"I'm borrowing grain, not my life." Liu Dai drew his knife and wiped the blood off Qiao Mao's robe. "If you insist on giving me your life, then I'll have no choice but to accept it!"

Qiao Mao's body lay at the tent entrance, blood pooling on the ground.

By daybreak, Liu Dai had already incorporated all of Qiao Mao's men into his forces.

He no longer needs to borrow those three hundred bushels of grain.

……

Meanwhile, Yuan Shao led his troops westward instead of following the other warlords, but instead detoured northward, passing through Henan and crossing the river at Mengjin.

This was the idea he made after listening to Ju Shou's words.

After you've fought yourselves to the death outside the city, I'll enter through the north gate and clean up the mess.

But when the army crossed the Yellow River and arrived north of Luoyang, they found the city gates tightly closed and banners waving on the city walls, clearly Cao Cao's men.

Cao Ren guarded the west gate, Cao Hong guarded the east gate, Li Dian guarded the south gate, and Yue Jin guarded the north gate.

The four gates were sealed off, not even a fly could get in.

Ju Shou rode forward, looked around for a moment, and then turned to Yuan Shao and said, "My lord, since Cao Cao has entered the city first, he will not open the gates easily."

Yuan Shao's face darkened: "So what now?"

Ju Shou said, "Wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"Wait for the feudal lords to attack the city."

Yuan Shao sneered, "Can they take it?"

Ju Shou did not reply.

One day.

two days.

Scouts kept reporting back.

—Report! Liu Dai of Yanzhou borrowed grain from Qiao Mao of Dongjun, but Qiao Mao refused. Liu Dai then launched a night attack on Qiao Mao's camp, killed Qiao Mao, and incorporated his troops into his army.

—Report! Wang Kuang and Kong Zhou are confronting Cao Ren outside the city. Cao Ren refuses to let them pass, and the two armies exchange insults, nearly coming to blows.

—Report! Yuan Shu has been shouting and cursing at the South Gate for three days, but Li Dian has ignored him. Yuan Shu's army is running out of food and has begun to slaughter horses.

—Report! The feudal lords have dispersed. Wang Kuang has left, Kong Zhou has left, Yuan Yi has left, and Liu Dai left after killing someone.

After hearing the last scout report, Yuan Shao remained silent for a long time.

gone.

They're all gone.

He was left alone, and after waiting for two days outside the North Gate, he was met with a dead city and a mess.

Ju Shou said, "My lord, there is another way."

Yuan Shao was extremely impatient and only said one word: "Speak!"

Ju Shou said, "Dong Zhuo has burned Luoyang, and the palaces have been reduced to ashes. The young Emperor Liu Bian was killed by Dong Zhuo, and Prince Liu Xie of Chenliu was taken hostage and forced to flee west. They should be heading to Chang'an now. If my lord intends to advance westward, traveling day and night, there may be a glimmer of hope to welcome the Emperor before Dong Zhuo stabilizes Guanzhong!"

Yuan Shao's eyes flickered slightly.

Heading west? To welcome the emperor?

Just as Yuan Shao hesitated, another person in the tent suddenly spoke up: "Absolutely not!"

It was Feng Ji who spoke.

Feng Ji glanced at Ju Shou and stepped forward, saying, "My lord, Ju Shou's words are gambling with our army. Advancing west to Chang'an is a thousand miles, passing through treacherous passes like Hangu Pass and Tong Pass. Although Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang, the main force of the Xiliang army remains intact. If our army rashly advances westward, our battle lines will be stretched thin, and our supply lines will be difficult to maintain—a cardinal sin in military strategy!"

Ju Shou said, "It is precisely because Dong Zhuo has just suffered a defeat and his morale is low that we have an opportunity to take advantage of him. If we wait until he stabilizes Guanzhong before trying to welcome him, it will be nothing but a pipe dream!"

Feng Ji sneered, "Low morale? Although Lü Bu was defeated at Hulao Pass, his 30,000 iron cavalry still remain. Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou—which of them are children? If our army is trapped in Guanzhong, the warlords in the rear are eyeing us covetously. Especially Yuan Shu—when has he ever shown any respect to our lord? If he takes advantage of our westward advance and stabs us in the back, surrounding us from all sides, our army will have no way out!"

Ju Shou said, "Opportunities in battle are fleeting; how can we let fear and hesitation cause us to miss them?"

Feng Ji said, "Opportunity? What opportunity? Cao Cao occupied Luoyang and gained fame. Liu Bei broke through Hulao Pass and obtained supplies. What do we have? We haven't even touched the gates of Luoyang yet. If we continue to pursue westward now, if we catch up, we'll be taking someone else's bullet; if we fail, we'll be walking into a trap."

Ju Shou was about to speak again when Yuan Shao raised his hand to stop him.

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

Yuan Shao's gaze fell on another person.

Guo Tu.

The old man who had followed him since Runan was not a man of many words, but every time he spoke, he always touched the heart.

Guo Tu noticed Yuan Shao's gaze and cupped his hands, saying, "My lord, I have something to say."

Yuan Shao nodded: "Speak."

Guo Tu said, "Welcoming the Emperor is a good thing. Whoever welcomes the Emperor will have a righteous cause. But this good thing requires a certain lifespan. Chang'an is a thousand miles away, separated by Hangu Pass and Tong Pass. If Dong Zhuo sends a detachment to guard the strategic points, our army will be tied up there. A year, two years? What about Ji Province in the rear? Although Han Fu has relinquished the governorship, are his men truly loyal to our lord? Gongsun Zan is eyeing us covetously in Beiping, and Yuan Shu is never at peace in Nanyang. Which of these men is easier to deal with than Dong Zhuo?"

Yuan Shao remained silent.

Guo Tu concluded, "Why don't we return to Ji Province?"

"Back to Ji Province?" Yuan Shao took a deep breath and stood up from the rattan chair.

"Yes," Guo Tu replied. "Ji Province is a battleground on all sides, and also the foundation for a hegemon. After you return, my lord, secure the rear, stockpile provisions, recruit talented individuals, and strengthen the army. Once Cao Cao and Liu Bei have exhausted their forces against Dong Zhuo, then we can act accordingly. At that time, whether we advance westward to Chang'an or southward to the Central Plains, the initiative will be in your hands."

Feng Ji nodded repeatedly: "Yuan Tu's words are indeed those of a wise and experienced strategist."

Ju Shou frowned, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Yuan Shao sat there, gazing at the sky outside the tent.

After a long silence, he stood up and shouted, "Send down the order: break camp! Return to Ji Province!"