Chapter 1 The Crown Prince

  Liu Feng, with his own intention, brought an extremely fierce determination, directly targeting Cao Cao and Liu Bei. He wanted to escape from Cao Cao's clutches, get rid of Liu Bei, and recruit Liu Bei's Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

  It is absolutely correct.

  But for Liu Bei, it was clearly a disaster.

  Outside the city, Liu Feng's tyranny finally led to an unbearable outcome for Liu Bei. In Xudu, Liu Bei began to lose favor with Cao Cao and also lost support from the pro-Han faction.

  It's all because Liu Bei chose to keep Zhang Fei safe, and refused the request of Crown Prince Liu Feng.

  The crown prince, just because Liu Feng was the crown prince. He was a distant relative of the Han house, so he could forcibly take away his great general, and if he couldn't, he would be killed with swords drawn, cutting him down in a pool of blood.

  Liu Bei was a seller of straw sandals. Because his surname was Liu, he claimed to be a descendant of the Han Dynasty's Zhongshan Jing Wang, but in fact, Liu Bei himself did not know whether he really had any relationship with the House of Han.

  Because the genealogy was destroyed during the Wang Mang rebellion, which was between the Western Han and Eastern Han periods. Liu Bei only claimed to be a member of the imperial family based on some information from his ancestors. As for whether it's true or not, even he didn't know. He just wanted to rely on this to climb up the social ladder. And then through his own efforts, he managed to establish his current status as the publicly recognized Imperial Uncle and Left General. But still can't compare to a natural-born fool.

  That's right, in Liu Bei's eyes, Liu Feng was a born fool, a madman, a mad dog.

  Isn't it foolish to contend with Cao Cao for a little money? Isn't it mad to stab the young prince Shao Fu to death? Isn't it like a mad dog biting people at sight?

  No one knew Liu Bei's mood when he returned to the mansion from outside the city, but everyone could see that Liu Bei's face was as dark as a cloudy sky.

  Apart from these, an astonishing sense of resentment can be seen. Resentment towards one's own identity.

  Due to Liu Bei's relationship, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei did not dare to remain silent. Guan Yu was thinking about the current situation and felt that it was very unfavorable to them.

  Zhang Fei thought he had made another mistake and felt guilty towards Liu Bei. He looked at Liu Bei's face again and became especially obedient.

  Soon, the group returned to General Zuo's mansion. When Liu Bei first defected to Cao Cao, he was appointed as the Governor of Yu Province and General of the Left Army. Due to his relatively high official rank, he received fairly good treatment.

  The entire Left General's Mansion was very large. However, Liu Bei had no interest in indulging in pleasures, so the whole mansion was quite simple and unadorned. There was even a small plot of land in the backyard where Liu Bei grew his own vegetables.

  The only thing that caught one's eye was the guards inside the mansion, who were all elite troops left behind after Liu Bei's southern and northern expeditions.

  Liu Bei and his men had just arrived when a general came out. The general was in his mid-twenties to early thirties, with an extremely heroic appearance.

  He was from Ru'nan, Chen arrived.

  This man may be unknown to some people, but in history he is the only one who is second to Zhao Yun in loyalty and is more trusted by Liu Bei. He was granted the elite Western cavalry, the White Ears.

  They were Liu Bei's personal bodyguards, able to hold off a hundred with just one.

  He finally held the position of Yong'an Metropolitan Governor and General of Conquering the West. He is a great figure in Shu Han history who cannot be erased. Of course, Chen Dao is now also like Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei, still in a humble position and has not yet made a name for himself.

  "My lord."

  When he saw Liu Bei, Chen Dao immediately knelt down and said.

  "No need for more courtesy. Uncle, please hurry up and gather Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and Mi Zhu to come and discuss important matters with me." Liu Bei's mood was not good, but he still smiled and said to Chen Dao.

  "Alright." Chen Daoren responded with a single word and immediately went down.

  Liu Bei turned his head and glanced at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei nodded. The three of them entered the main hall together. After sitting down for a while, Sun Qian, Jian Yong, and Mi Zhu all arrived.

  Sun Qian, Jian Yong and Mi Zhu were all handsome men with elegant demeanor, all in their thirties. They also had some talent, but none of them were talented enough to govern the world.

  Therefore, Liu Bei repeatedly failed to defeat Cao Cao, and even Lü Bu was able to seize Xuzhou and drive him out.

  Among the three, Sun Qian and Mi Zhu were Liu Bei's advisors when he was in Xuzhou. Jian Yong was a fellow townsman of Liu Bei. After Liu Bei fled to Xuchang, they followed him and lived together with him in the same mansion, the Left General's Mansion, due to the danger of Xuchang.

  "My lord." The three men came in and bowed together to Liu Bei.

  "We're all our own people, no need for formalities." Liu Bei waved his hand and said. Then, he pointed to the empty seat beside him and said: "Sit."

  "Yes." The three of them responded in unison and sat down separately.

  "Something happened today that made our situation very precarious." Liu Bei said as soon as the three of them sat down.

  The situation is critical, no more unnecessary words. After finishing speaking, Liu Bei immediately recounted the events of today without missing a single word. Finally, he sighed: "I was not tolerated by Cao Cao, and now I am also disliked by the Emperor. Xudu has become a precarious place where it is difficult to advance or retreat."

  Neither advance nor retreat is feasible.

  "Looking at what the Crown Prince has done today, he is also a wise ruler. Why does he spoil the prince so much?" The three of them were shocked and solemn after hearing this. Finally, Mei Zhu spoke up.

  "Favoritism towards one's children is perhaps unreasonable. I've heard that Yuan Benchu of Hebei also favored his youngest son." Liu Bei shook his head and said.

  "This is not the time to discuss these matters. The Crown Prince may be ignorant, and the Emperor may be overly indulgent. But after all, we have already provoked discord with the Emperor. Now that things have come to this pass, it would be best to plan a retreat as soon as possible." Sun Qian said on the side.

  Among the three, Jian Yong was good at speaking and humor. Mi Zhu was good at business and could manage finances. The only one who could be considered a relatively orthodox strategist was Sun Qian.

  He is currently Liu Bei's strategist.

  "What Gong Yu said makes sense." Liu Bei nodded and said, he also thought so. The atmosphere today, and before leaving, Cao Cao's profound gaze towards him.

  Even now, Liu Bei still felt his heart racing with fear.

  The son of a wealthy family does not stand in danger. But now, Xudou is really in danger to the point that if he doesn't leave soon, he may lose his life at any moment.

  "But the question is, will Cao Cao let us leave? The whole world knows that our lord is benevolent and righteous, and he is what the world hopes for. Cao Cao won't easily give up." Jian Yong sighed.

  It describes the current situation of Liu Bei. However, Liu Bei's success and failure are both due to his benevolence. Because his prestige is too high, he stands out. He is always being watched by Cao Cao at all times.

  "Alas." Liu Bei felt his blood run cold and was filled with despair. He often compared himself to a dragon, but now the dragon was trapped in shallow waters.

  They were all very small, but couldn't be turned over.