Chapter 53: The Hero's Meeting

  This is Long Fei's third time coming to Hu Lao Pass. Unlike the first two times, the first time he was a white body and borrowed; The second time he was a school lieutenant and came secretly; The third time he has become a general of the Great Han Dynasty, leading a team to come in a mighty manner. Lv Bu is the first, Long Fei is the second, and Li Ru is the third. Zhang Ji is waiting at the city gate, and when he sees Long Fei, he feels very uncomfortable in his heart. But Long Fei is very happy, now he is also a general like Zhang Ji. He remembers that the first time was Zhang Ji's proud and arrogant appearance, and looking at it now, he feels much more comfortable.

  That day in the imperial court, Dong Zhuo surprisingly agreed with Liu Xie's words and even said that Liu Xie had grown up and his decision to depose Emperor Shao of Han was correct. Otherwise, how could the great Han dynasty have an emperor like him who monopolizes power? He immediately ordered people to draft a decree, appointing Lü Bu as General Who Pacifies the Army, Long Feng as General Yang Wei, and Li Ru as Supervisor of the Army, leading 30,000 troops to garrison at Tiger Trap Pass.

  Three thousand more elite soldiers were added, and the morale of the Tiger Trap Pass was greatly boosted. Outside the Tiger Trap Pass, the allied army's camp was also filled with music and dance, a scene of jubilation. Yuan Shao smiled, stroking his short beard, looking very pleased with himself. After Cao Cao's fake imperial edict was issued, various lords responded one after another. In total, eighteen routes came, with tens of thousands of soldiers, thousands of generals, and all kinds of equipment. With such an array, how could Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance, not be delighted?

  Xingyang was conquered by Sun Jian, so the hero of tonight naturally became Sun Jian. The various lords and nobles urged him to drink, while Sun Jian laughed loudly and refused no one: "It's not that I, Sun Jian, am boasting, but if I had 30,000 soldiers, I could kill my way into Luoyang and behead Dong Zhuo!"

  Everyone echoed in agreement. Cao Cao raised his wine cup: "General Sun is indeed bold and daring, truly worthy of being the vanguard of our army! Come, let's toast!"

  Yuan Shu, as Sun Jian's direct superior, was somewhat unhappy. Sun Jian came from Changsha and first surrendered to him, he had recommended Sun Jian, and Sun Jian had achieved such great merit, at least he should have some share of it. But today's situation, didn't concern himself at all, in his heart he felt a bit resentful, alone drinking wine to drown his sorrows.

  Yuzhou Governor Liu Dai and Yuzhou Governor Kong Yan raised their wine cups, bypassing the crowd, and slipped to Yuan Shu's side. The three men drank a cup, and Kong Yan sighed: "Ah! The world is not fair! Sun Jian attacked Xiangyang, if it wasn't for General Hou's help with grain and grass, how could he have succeeded so smoothly? Now all the credit goes to him! Ah!"

  "Isn't it?" Liu Dai said: "Everyone is looking at the heroes in front of the array, who knows us behind the scenes!"

  "Hmph!" Yuan Shu let out a cold snort and glanced at the two of them: "You two have something to say, just speak directly, no need to sigh and lament here!"

  "General! We are being treated unfairly!" Liu Dai said: "Think about it, Sun Jian came from Changsha and actually surrendered to the general. The general helped him take down Hwangyang, but now he's taking all the credit for himself. This is really chilling. And the alliance leader doesn't seem to care, we're even more resentful. If things go on like this until we reach Luoyang, what will we get?"

  "Yes!" Kong Xuan hastily picked up: "Originally, we didn't expect any returns either. Everyone is a minister of the great Han, and it's only right to do their best for Your Majesty and make an effort for the great Han. But I just can't stand these kinds of people who take credit for themselves. A small longsha governor like him is already so arrogant, if he captures Luoyang, won't he be above the sky?"

  Yuan Shu's eyes rolled around for half a day, and he glanced at Liu Dai and Kong Xiu on either side: "So what do you two have in mind?"

  Kong Xiu smiled and whispered in Yuan Shu's ear for a while. The more Yuan Shu listened, the more frightened he became. Before Kong Xiu finished speaking, Yuan Shu repeatedly waved his hand: "If we do this, if things are exposed, I will have no place to stand!"

  Liu Dai smiled and said, "If things are exposed, General, you can just shift the blame to Ji Zhou Governor Han Fu. The alliance leader is worried that he won't have a chance to deal with Han Fu. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will not be missed. Besides, General and the alliance leader are like brothers, how could one family member harm another?"

  "What's in it for me?" Yuan Shu shook his head again.

  Liu Dai immediately said: "Even if we don't have any benefits, we can't let Sun Jian steal the show. If this continues, I think Sun Jian's tail will be raised to the sky. In the future, he won't put General in his eyes. We two are nothing, but General's Nanyang is not far from Changsha, and we must be very careful."

  Although Yuan Shu didn't say anything more, his facial expression had already betrayed him. Liu Dai and Kong Yu exchanged a glance, silently leaving Yuan Shu's side. The movements of these people just now were clearly seen by Bao Xin, who was sitting at the lower seat of Ji Bei. He slightly shook his head, drinking alone. Bao Xin is considered one of the most understanding among these people. In those years when he was still a cavalry captain in Luoyang, He Jin wanted to let Dong Zhuo enter the capital, and Bao Xin repeatedly advised against it, but unfortunately Yuan Shao didn't listen, and later there was the chaos caused by Dong Zhuo's policies.

  Now that the vassals are gathering for an alliance, Bao Xin's response to Cao Cao's call was to lead a large army of 10,000 men. As soon as he entered the camp, he began to regret it and became less enthusiastic. At tonight's banquet, Bao Xin just sat on the sidelines observing the changes, while Liu Dai and Kong Yu stirred up Yuan Shu's affairs. Bao Xin could tell with his toes what would happen next. Even before arriving in Luoyang, they had already begun to plot against each other, and it was not worth thinking about what would come next.

  Bao Xin was not interested in the wine party and the secret struggle between the nobles, but he was very curious about the three people behind the Northern Ping Prefect Gong Sun Zan. The three men looked strange, with a middle-aged man of over 40 years old wearing a gray cloth shirt, not tall, with a straight nose and square mouth, having some elder demeanor; what was most striking were his two ears, which were huge, almost as big as his face, and would flash back and forth slightly when he moved; also, his two arms were very long, although he was not tall, and he had some bowed legs, so that when standing with both hands down, they could almost reach his knees.

  On either side of him stood a sturdy man, both were robust and not very old. On the left was a red-faced big-bearded man, with his eyes narrowed to the point where you couldn't see his eyeballs, it's unclear whether he was asleep or awake. This person had a small pouch hanging from his chest, specially used to hold his beard, showing that he had some strange habits. The one on the right was as black as coal, even charcoal was whiter than him, with two big eyes that seemed to be staring out of their sockets, and steel needle-like whiskers standing upright and stretching outward, as if they could poke a hole in something with just a touch.

  A middle-aged man saw Bao Xin looking at them, nodded slightly and smiled, and Bao Xin also nodded slightly. The Governor of Beihai, Kong Rong, asked: "Mr. Bao, who are the three people behind Gongsun Zan?"

  Bao Xin smiled slightly: "The middle-aged man surnamed Liu, named Bei, self-proclaimed descendant of Zhongshan Jingwang. He used to be a weaver and shoe seller, a rascal. The two men beside him are his sworn brothers. The red-faced one on the left is Guan Yu, a fugitive killer. The one on the right is Zhang Fei, a butcher who kills pigs and dogs. These three joined the army since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, followed Lu Zhi to earn the title of Anxi County Magistrate, but were dismissed due to enmity with eunuchs. Later, they followed Tao Qian to recruit soldiers in Xiapi, served as High Tang County Magistrate, but were attacked by mountain bandits and lost the county city. Now they are staying with Gongsun Zan, unknown what official position they hold."

  "Oh! So that's it!" Kong Rong nodded: "So to speak, he is indeed a descendant of the imperial family?"

  Bao Xin shook his head: "There are many descendants of Zhongshan Jingwang, and it's impossible to investigate such people. If you believe they exist, then they do; if you don't believe, then they don't!"

  The banquet slowly entered. Everyone drank almost the same. Sun Jian was extremely happy, and the first battle of the alliance was a great achievement for himself. He was somewhat arrogant, and his eyes couldn't put down others. When he spoke, he didn't care about the governor, prefect, and other officials present: "Dong's villainy has many aspects, but the people of Luoyang still can't bear it. As soon as our army arrives, the people will naturally rise up to respond, and in a moment, we can take down Luoyang. Tomorrow I am willing to lead the army to attack first, break through the Tiger Trap Pass, and rush to Luoyang!"

  Cao Cao said, "Lord Sun, you must be careful. Scouts have reported that the Tiger Trap Pass has recently increased its troops and now has 70,000 soldiers, and Lv Bu is also coming, don't underestimate them!"

  "Lü Bu, a slave of the three families, is an unscrupulous and cunning little man. He has bravery but no strategy, and is not worth worrying about!" Sun Jian stood up and pushed several high-ranking generals in front of him: "These several generals under my command are all brave warriors who can withstand ten thousand enemies. Lü Bu may be formidable, but he is only one person. Two fists cannot contend with four hands, I am confident!"

  "Good!" Yuan Shao burst out laughing: "General Sun is brave and fierce, as long as General Sun takes down Luoyang, I will personally recommend General Sun to the Emperor as the General of Conquering the South!"

  The more they talked, the more lively it became. Suddenly everyone was stirred up, as if they were about to enter Luoyang and Dong Zhuo had already died under their swords. Someone suddenly burst out laughing loudly, and the laughter echoed in the big tent. After searching for half a day, they finally found that it was Zhang Fei behind Gongsun Zan. Zhang Fei's laughter almost overturned the entire big tent, and everyone looked at him. Zhang Fei said: "Lü Bu is the number one brave general under heaven, you don't know shame, actually wanting to use many to bully few, such a despicable trick can only be thought of by you!"

  Yuan Shao looked at Zhang Fei and Liu Bei and Guan Yu, his face sank: "Who are you, dare to shout loudly here?"

  "After the death of Zhongshan Jingwang, the Taizu Emperor's remaining vital energy was left in Liu Bei of Zhuo County! These two are my sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!" Liu Bei hastily grabbed hold of Zhang Fei and bowed to Yuan Shao: "My younger brother has just committed an offense, I hope the esteemed gentlemen will forgive him!"

  "Liu Bei?" Yuan Shao looked around, and everyone slightly shook their heads, indicating that they did not recognize him. Yuan Shao asked again: "Are you also here for the alliance meeting? What are your official positions?"

  "Hmm..." Liu Bei hesitated for a long time before saying: "I used to be the county magistrate of Anxi, and also the county governor of Gaotang. Now I have no official position and am living with my host, Gongsun Zan's younger brother, in Beiping."

  "Hum!" Yuan Shao, upon hearing that they were eunuchs, immediately became enraged and shouted: "This tent is where we discuss the great affairs of state, how dare you minor officials be present? Guards, throw these three out!"

  Hula hula, more than a dozen guards rushed in with weapons in hand. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu hastily stepped forward, shielding Liu Bei behind them. Kong Rong hurriedly stopped the crowd and bowed to Yuan Shao, saying: "Yuan sir, now that we have a great enemy before us, one more person means one more share of strength. These few men are extraordinary in appearance and must also be brave and wise strategists. They are all here to overthrow Dong Zhuo's regime. How about sparing them this once, considering Liu brother is also a descendant of the great ancestor?"

  Cao Cao also said: "Yes! Since they are descendants of Taizu, they naturally come to avenge Dong. Why did Benchu let them off?"

  Yuan Shao said: "Descendants of Taizu? What real evidence is there? Such impostors claiming to be royalty should be beheaded, what are you waiting for? Throw these three guys out!"