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

Five days later, late one night, the scout returned, bringing with him three scrolls of bamboo slips.

Liu Liang took it and read it from beginning to end.

I flipped through Feng Ji's page the fastest.

During the alliance meeting at Suanzao, this person was extremely wary of Liu Liang and privately said, "If this person stays by Liu Bei's side, he will eventually become a problem."

Guo Tu reads that scroll slowly.

"He was greedy for money and fond of antiques, especially pre-Qin bronzes and Han jade. He had a whole room full of them in his old house in Runan, and he would go back to admire them every month on the 15th of the lunar calendar. He was once impeached by Ju Shou for accepting bribes from powerful families, and Yuan Shao fined him half a year's salary. He still holds a grudge to this day."

Liu Liang rolled up the scroll and threw it into the brazier.

Zhou Cang, standing nearby, asked, "Brother, can Guo Tu help us?"

Liu Liang said, "Yes, but we'll have to do it differently."

Three days later, Guo Tu received an uninvited guest at his private residence in Hanoi County.

The visitor identified himself as Liu Yan, a native of Runan, who said he had inherited several antiques from his ancestors and wanted Guo to take a look at them.

Guo Tu was initially reluctant to see them, but upon hearing that there were antiques, he reluctantly allowed them to enter.

Liu Yan opened the wooden box and took out a bronze jue (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel).

The vessel is decorated with taotie patterns on its body, and has a six-character inscription inside the handle. The bronze is mottled, indicating that it is an old artifact from the late Shang and early Zhou dynasties.

Guo Tu's eyes widened.

He picked it up and examined it from all angles, tracing the patterns with his fingers, muttering, "Good stuff...good stuff..."

Liu Yan then took out a second item.

A Han Dynasty jade seal with a dragon-tiger knob, inscribed with the four characters "Military Appointed Sima".

The jade is warm and lustrous, with natural coloring, and the carving technique is simple and unadorned.

Guo Tu took it, looked at it for a while, then looked up and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

Liu Yan smiled and said, "Officer Guo has a good eye. My name is Liu Liang."

Guo Tu's hand trembled, and the jade seal almost fell to the ground.

He had previously advised Yuan Shao to send Yan Liang disguised as Liu Bei's soldier to launch a night raid on Anxi.

That battle was fought brilliantly; they killed the garrison commander Pei Yuanshao and captured Jian Yong alive.

But now, Liu Liang was standing right in front of him.

Alone.

Guo Tu's mind raced: That's it! Yan Liang was wearing Liu Bei's army armor that night, and the prisoners he let go probably didn't know their background.

Liu Liang is probably still unaware of the fall of Anxi.

Even if they found out, they might not know that it was them who did it.

Guo Tu steadied himself, looked up at Liu Liang, put on a smile, but was secretly on guard.

Liu Liang said, "Officer Guo, there's no need to panic. I've come here not to ask for your help, but to ask you to point me in the right direction."

Guo Tu put the jade seal back into the box, pushed it back, and leaned back with his plump body.

"Liu Zishan, how dare you! This is Hanoi, Yuan Gong's territory. Do you believe that if I shout right now, the armored soldiers outside will come in and your head will roll?"

Liu Liang chuckled, but didn't reply, only looking at the wooden box that had been pushed back.

Guo Tu waited a few moments, and seeing that he didn't speak, he added, "What are you doing here?"

Liu Liang said, "I would like to ask Guo Congshi to help persuade Lord Yuan to cross the Yellow River to the south and fight Lü Bu."

Guo Tu smiled.

The laughter was awful.

"Liu Zishan, you're one of Liu Bei's men, and you've come to me asking for help? Are you out of your mind or am I deaf?"

Liu Liang said, "Guo, you can laugh after you've heard this. With Lü Bu's 200,000 troops pressing in, once Luoyang falls, who's next? Yan Province has Cao Cao blocking the way, Xu Province has Tao Qian, and Jing Province has Liu Biao. If Lü Bu wants to expand, where can he only attack?"

Guo Tu's smile became somewhat subdued.

Liu Liang continued, "To the north lies Hanoi. Once the Yellow River is crossed, Yuan Shu will be the first to suffer the consequences. Rather than waiting for Lü Bu to come knocking, it's better to strike first. By attacking from both the north and south together with Yuan Shu, Lü Bu can be defeated."

"Yuan Shu?" Guo Tu became wary.

Liu Liang said, "Yuan Shu has agreed that as long as your lord sends troops, he will launch a simultaneous attack. He will send at least 30,000 troops."

Guo Tu frowned, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Don't try to fool me. Yuan Shu and his half-brother have never gotten along; how could they possibly join forces to send troops?"

Liu Liang responded with a smile, saying, "Does Guo know that my lord, Xuande, has given the Imperial Seal of the State to Yuan Shu?"

Guo Tu said, "I know a little bit about it."

Liu Liang smiled and said nothing more.

Guo Tu carefully considered the details, staring at Liu Liang for a long time: "So Liu Bei traded the imperial seal for Yuan Shu's reinforcements?"

Liu Liang clapped his hands lightly: "As expected of Yuan Shao's top strategist."

Guo Tu was quite smug, but his face darkened: "Go talk to Ju Shou and Tian Feng about these principles. Why are you coming to me?"

Liu Liang pushed the wooden box forward: "Ju Shou and Tian Feng are stubborn and will not listen to me. But Guo Congshi will."

Guo Tu was delighted to hear this: "What you say is true. These two are indeed stubborn and self-willed, and Shen Pei and Feng Ji are also arrogant and inflexible."

"The item is valuable, but this matter cannot be accomplished. I cannot persuade my lord." Guo Tu couldn't help but glance down at the box again, his fat hand moving forward slightly.

Liu Liang had a plan in mind, saying, "There's no need for Guo to persuade me. Guo only needs to tell me who can be persuaded."

Guo Tu pondered for a moment, then suddenly the sow rolled her eyes and said, "Madam Liu."

Liu Liang's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Guo Tu said, "My lord's second wife, Lady Liu, is from the Liu clan of Zhongshan, and you are actually from the same clan. Her son, Yuan Shang, is my lord's favorite, and he often thinks about deposing the eldest son and establishing the younger one in favor. I shouldn't be saying this, but since you asked... Lady Liu wants her son to achieve merit so that he can surpass her eldest son, Yuan Tan. If someone suggests that Yuan Shang lead troops to fight Lü Bu, she will definitely agree. With Lady Liu's advice, my lord will surely comply!"

Liu Liang understood what he meant.

But Guo Tu was one of Yuan Tan's men.

He sent Yuan Shang to gain merit.

Should we send Yuan Shang to fight Lü Bu?

Lu Bu, that scoundrel, even five generals couldn't surround him at Hulao Pass. How could Yuan Shang, a young master who had never been on the battlefield, possibly come back alive?

Looking at Guo Tu's face, Liu Liang suddenly understood what the old man was planning.

He wasn't recommending talented people; he wanted Yuan Shang to go and die.

With Yuan Shang dead, Yuan Tan's position was secure.

Even if he doesn't die, returning from a defeated battle will show Yuan Shao who his capable son is.

Liu Liang almost burst out laughing.

It is said that Yuan Shao had many strategists under his command, but a strategist like Guo Tu, who is a "pig teammate," is better off being one less.

Liu Liang suppressed a smile and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "Thank you for your guidance, Officer Guo."

Guo Tu fiddled with the bronze jue (a type of ancient Chinese wine vessel) without looking up: "I didn't say anything."

Liu Liang withdrew and disappeared into the night.

A few days later,

A generous gift was delivered to Madam Liu's courtyard.

Leading the group were six servants carrying three wooden boxes.

The first box contained twenty bolts of Shu brocade, in shades of red, green, purple, and gold, shimmering with iridescent colors.

The second box, when opened, contained fifty ingots of gold, each weighing ten taels, neatly stacked and gleaming in the sunlight.

The third box was the smallest, yet the heaviest. Inside were ten pieces of gold jewelry: a gold hairpin, a gold bracelet, a gold hair ornament, and a palm-sized gold Buddha with a friendly smile.

Madam Liu looked at these things, unable to hide her smile.

The person giving the gift then took out a brocade box from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

"This was specially prepared by Mr. Liu for his wife, as a token of his respect."

Madam Liu opened the brocade box, inside which was a bronze mirror.

The back of the mirror is gilded and decorated with intricate patterns. Most notably, the mirror surface is polished to an extremely high shine, several times brighter than ordinary bronze mirrors.

She picked it up and held it up to the light, revealing her makeup flawlessly, even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were clearly visible.

"This mirror..."

The gift-giver said, "This is a secret technique from overseas that can make a bronze mirror as clear as crystal. It is the only one of its kind in the world."

Madam Liu asked who had delivered the mirror.

The man said, "Liu Liang of Dai Commandery asked me to convey this to your wife. He said that since we are of the same clan, it is only right that I show her filial piety."

Madam Liu turned the mirror over, and four characters were engraved on the back of the mirror: "Reflecting the human heart".

Where is Liu Liang now?

"Wait at the post station."

"Please have him come to see me immediately."

"Yes."