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

When Cao Cao launched his surprise attack on Hangu Pass, the seventeen warlords were all fleeing in different directions.

Some have already traveled four or five hundred miles, some are still lingering halfway, and some have just returned to their hometown and haven't even had a chance to sit down yet.

The news was like a bucket of cold water poured into a hot oil pan; it exploded.

Yuan Shu had just arrived in Liang County, less than two hundred li from Luoyang.

Upon hearing the report, he stood there stunned for a moment on horseback, then suddenly turned his horse around.

"go back!"

Ji Ling spurred his horse to catch up: "My lord, where are we going?"

Yuan Shu's eyes were bloodshot: "Go to Chang'an! Cao Cao has occupied Hangu Pass, and his next step is Chang'an. If he takes Chang'an, the emperor will fall into his hands! At that time, Cao Cao will hold the emperor's power and command the world. What are we then? His subjects?"

Ji Ling said, "But what about our supplies..."

"Grain supplies, my foot!" Yuan Shu sneered. "When Cao Cao entered Hangu Pass, how much grain was inside? Enough to feed him for a year! If he can plunder, why can't I?"

Ji Ling dared not persuade him any further, and issued an order for the army to turn around, bypass Luoyang, and head straight for Hangu Pass.

Yuan Shu was not the only one who shared this idea.

Gongsun Zan had already reached Hanoi, but upon hearing the news, he immediately changed his route, crossed the river from Hanoi, and headed straight for the northern route of Hangu Pass.

After killing Qiao Mao, Liu Dai was leading his recruited troops towards Yanzhou when he heard the news and turned back west.

Kong Zhou, Wang Kuang, Yuan Yi... one after another, the previously scattered feudal lords, like wolves smelling blood, gathered again and headed west to kill.

While the various warlords were flocking to Chang'an from all directions, Yuan Shao alone remained unmoved.

He stationed his troops in Hanoi, which is only two hundred li from Luoyang.

At this moment, Yuan Shao was discussing matters with Ju Shou, Feng Ji, and Guo Tu in his tent.

But the discussion wasn't about Hangu Pass; it was about something else entirely.

Yuan Shao held a stack of silk scrolls and bamboo slips in his hand, which were secret reports sent back by several groups of people he had sent out a few days ago.

Yuan Shao flipped through two pages, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, before finally slamming the stack of papers onto the table.

"After two months of investigation, this is all they found?"

Ju Shou picked it up and read it page by page.

Feng Ji and Guo Tu also came over.

The secret report was sent in three directions:

They traveled all the way to Zhuojun to visit former officials of various branches of the Liu family.

Result: There were many people with the surname Liu in Zhuojun, but most were from distant branches, and no one could clearly explain the specific lineage of Liu Bei. Liu Xiong, whom Liu Bei claimed to be his grandfather, did indeed serve as the magistrate of Fan County in Dongjun, but the archives of Fan County had long been burned by the Yellow Turbans, making it impossible to verify.

They traveled all the way to Dai County to search for the branch that Liu Liang claimed to belong to.

Result: There were indeed a few families surnamed Liu in Dai County, but they had all moved there later, and no one had heard of any descendants of Prince Jing of Zhongshan fleeing to this place during the Yongyuan era. That area had indeed suffered from the Qiang rebellion back then, and the household registration records were completely destroyed, making it impossible to trace.

They traveled all the way to Dongjun to visit Liu Hong's old friends.

As a result, Liu Hong's former colleagues were either dead or scattered. Two were found; one said, "I remember Liu Hong, he was very amiable," and the other said, "His son was named Liu Bei? Never heard of him." As for whether Liu Hong had a sworn brother named Liu Liang, no one knows.

After reading it, Ju Shou said, "My lord, we can't find any evidence to prove they're fake, but we also can't find any evidence to prove they're real."

Feng Ji said, "Then it's fake. The real thing isn't afraid of being investigated."

Ju Shou said, "Yuan Tu is mistaken. In times of chaos, how many household registration records were destroyed? Let alone a poor family like Liu Bei, how many aristocratic families could preserve their genealogy intact? Just because it cannot be found does not mean it is fake."

Guo Tu asked, "Does Lord Ju mean to just let this matter drop?"

Ju Shou said, "It's not that we've given up, it's that we can't investigate. If we really want to determine the truth, there's only one way: bring Liu Bei and Liu Liang here and have the Grand Master of Ceremonies, who is in charge of the imperial clan's genealogy, verify the lineage with them in person and question them about the details. If their account is flawless, then it's true. If it's full of loopholes, then it's false."

Yuan Shao said, "Grand Master of Ceremonies? The Grand Master of Ceremonies is currently with the Emperor in Chang'an."

Ju Shou said, "Therefore, we cannot investigate at the moment."

Feng Ji said, "If my lord really can't let it go, it's better to remember this matter for now. We can discuss it again when the emperor returns to the capital."

Yuan Shao leaned against the table, his face dark, and said, "Remember? How can I remember? Cao Cao is in Luoyang now, and Liu Bei has broken through Hulao Pass; their achievements come one after another. Once they truly gain power, even if it's discovered that their feigned merits are false, who will dare to say anything?"

Guo Tu said, "My lord, actually... even if it's fake, so what?"

Yuan Shao looked over.

Guo Tu said, "Did anyone believe Liu Bei's claim of being a descendant of the Prince of Zhongshan? Yes. Did Gongsun Zan believe it at first? Yes. Did Cao Cao believe it? Even if he didn't, he pretended to. Did Sun Quan believe it? Yes, and even sent troops to help him attack Hulao Pass. In the end, it's just a title. If someone believes it, it's real. If no one believes it, even the most authentic genealogy is fake."

Feng Ji nodded: "Yuan Tu's words make sense. Why should our lord be so concerned about truth and falsehood? What if it's true? What if it's false? If Liu Bei succeeds, even falsehood becomes truth. If Liu Bei fails, even truth becomes falsehood."

At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, and a personal guard reported, "My lord! Urgent report from Hangu Pass! Cao Cao used a surprise attack and broke through Hangu Pass, killing the defending general Zhao Cen!"

"What?!"

Yuan Shao abruptly stood up, then slowly sat down again.

Then he glanced at the stack of secret reports on the table, his voice dropping to its lowest point.

"Cao Cao breached Hangu Pass. Liu Bei occupied Luoyang, providing relief to disaster victims and winning over the hearts of the people. Next, these two will hold Chang'an and Luoyang respectively, supporting each other from the east and west. Will the world have to defer to them when it comes to the Han Dynasty?!"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Ju Shou was the first to speak, “My lord, it’s still not too late to advance westward. Although Cao Cao has breached Hangu Pass, his forces are limited. If you lead a large army to press on the border and join forces with Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, and others, we might be able to advance on Chang’an before Cao Cao.”

Feng Ji shook his head: "Join forces? How can we join forces? Will Yuan Shu listen to our lord? Will Gongsun Zan listen to our lord? Have you forgotten how they fought at the gates of Luoyang last time? Liu Dai even killed Qiao Mao. Can we trust these kinds of 'allies'?"

Guo Tu said, "Yuan Tu is absolutely right. If we advance westward now, our lord will not only be facing Cao Cao alone, but also a pack of hungry wolves including Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, and Liu Dai. They are rushing westward to seize the spoils. If our lord also rushes in, we will be fighting them for the spoils. In the end, if we don't even get the spoils, and instead end up fighting them first, is that worthwhile?"

Ju Shou asked, "Then, in your opinion, what should we do?"

Guo Tu said, "My lord, I have a plan that will make Liu Bei unable to attend to both ends."

Yuan Shao raised his eyes: "Speak freely."

Guo Tu said, "Liu Bei is currently enjoying great success in Luoyang. He's doing a fantastic job of disaster relief, distributing porridge, and winning over the hearts of the people. But he's forgotten one thing: where is his base of operations?"

Yuan Shao's eyes flickered slightly.

Guo Tu said, "Anxi County. That's where Liu Bei started his career. His granaries, family, and old camp are there. He took 10,000 troops with him, leaving only 2,000 old and weak men, including Jian Yong and Pei Yuanshao, to guard it. If a surprise force were to take advantage of the situation and wipe out his stronghold..."

Feng Ji said, "Brilliant plan! Liu Bei has lost his foundation, becoming a tree without roots. Even if he gains popular support in Luoyang, without supplies and a way to retreat, he will eventually fall apart."

Ju Shou said, "This plan is good, but there's one problem. Anxi County is in Zhongshan State, which is the territory of Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan. If our army attacks Anxi, will these two interfere?"

Guo Tu laughed and said, "Lord Ju is overthinking it. Liu Yu is cowardly; he has a title but no real power. His troops are all in Gongsun Zan's hands, and Gongsun Zan is currently only thinking about seizing the spoils in the west. He doesn't care about Anxi at all. By the time he comes back, Anxi will already be our lord's. Even if he wants to intervene then, it will be too late. What can he do?"

Yuan Shao said, "It's settled then. Issue the order: the army will turn around and head north to Zhongshan. No disturbances are permitted in the counties along the way. Upon reaching Anxi, we will fight a swift and decisive battle!"

Each person in the tent had their own thoughts, but no one dared to offer any further advice.