Farce

  "All dismissed. Gao Fei, you're not supposed to be stationed in Shanggui, how did you end up here? Do you know what kind of crime it is to abandon your post?" Huangfu Song felt curious from the moment the guard reported, so he asked directly.

  Gao Fei bowed and said: "I beg the general to forgive me, I did not receive an order from my superior this time, but came here in person, which is indeed inappropriate. However, I have come for another reason, as the weather is getting colder day by day, and the snowy road is difficult to travel, it's extremely inconvenient for the army to transport grain and supplies. So I've come to see if there's anything you need, and I can also help out in some way."

  Huang Fu smiled and said: "What you said is reasonable, since you are kind-hearted, let's just forget about it this time. Sun Wentai, what do you want to say?"

  Sun Jian immediately bowed and said: "Reporting to the general, our army has already surrounded the rebel army, and the rebel army's repeated attempts to break through have been unsuccessful. I am worried that if this continues, once the grain and grass in Jizhou are exhausted, the rebel army will definitely launch a desperate attack on our army in order to survive, and at that time, our army will inevitably suffer heavy losses. Why not surround three sides and leave one side open, giving the rebel army a glimmer of hope for breaking through? The rebel army will definitely only be concerned with escaping and will not fight to the death. In this way, as long as our army sets up ambushes along the route they take, we can launch surprise attacks on them, even if we don't completely annihilate the rebel army, we can still inflict heavy casualties on them. At that time, General, you can lead the victorious troops in pursuit of the rebel army, and they will definitely be intimidated by the wind."

  "Hearing General Sun speak like this, it seems that he is blaming my siege plan for harming our army?" Huangfu Song asked in a cold voice.

  Sun Jian immediately defended himself: "I dare not, I just think that if we continue like this, it will be very unfavorable to our army. It can still work for a short time, but if it goes on for a long time..."

  "If General Huangfu's plan has problems, it should be corrected. I agree with General Sun's strategy of surrounding three and lacking one." Yuan Pu wore a steel helmet and white silver armor, stroked his chin whiskers, and said loudly, without putting Huangfu Song in his eyes at all.

  Sun Jian heard this and glanced at Yuan Shu with a hint of emotion, not expecting that the noble Yuan family would speak up for him.

  "General Yuan, the one who has set up camp here is the General of Chariots and Cavalry, not your Tiger Guard Lieutenant General's camp. Your position is lower than that of General Huangfu, you should show respect to your superiors, but instead you're acting without any regard for seniority, isn't it obvious that you're looking down on General Huangfu? And where do you plan to put us other generals?" Liu Biao, dressed in a long robe, didn't even glance at Yuan Shu, his eyes narrowed as he spoke coldly.

  Yuan Shu's gaze had a somewhat condescending tone, as if anyone in his eyes was just an ordinary commoner. However, there was one person he looked up to, and that was Sun Jian, who he was currently staring at. At this moment, when he heard Liu Biao's words, not only did he not get angry, but he burst out laughing instead, saying loudly: "I didn't mean it that way, I'm just discussing the matter at hand, without any hidden meaning or innuendo, unlike some people who make a big fuss over nothing, turning a trivial matter into a huge storm."

  Liu Biao caught the implication, but he was a man of breeding and didn't get angry. Instead, he retorted with a cold smile: "I wonder who it was that got attacked by the rebels last night? If someone hadn't run fast enough, I'm afraid their life wouldn't have been spared."

  "Shut up, all of you! If you want to quarrel, go outside and do it. This is the main tent of our commander-in-chief, not a marketplace for you!" Huangfu Song frowned, having heard Liu Biao and Yuan Shu's sharp exchanges for more than one or two days. He didn't bother with the contradictions between the two men, nor did he care about their opinions of him, and immediately shouted out loudly.

  Yuan Shu and Liu Biao both fell silent, exchanging a cold glance with each other. Yuan Shu then bowed to Huangfu Song and turned to leave the tent. As he passed by Sun Jian, he smiled and said: "Brother Wentai's plan is correct, I support you. However, I've caught a chill and my body doesn't feel well, so I'll return to my camp first. Brother Wentai, if you have time tonight, come visit me in my camp for a chat."

  As soon as the words fell, before everyone could react, Yuan Shu strode out of the camp in big strides, not putting Huangfu Song in his eyes at all. In that instant, it seemed as if there were only two people in the world, him and Sun Jian.

  Gao Fei stood there, looking very carefully. Dong Zhuo's arrogance and overbearingness could not compare to Yuan Shu. Perhaps it was because of the difference in status and position. In this era that emphasized family background and origin, the fate of a warrior had already been determined. Even if Huangfu Song became a high-ranking official like the Cavalry General, in the eyes of someone from a noble birth like Yuan Shu, he was still just a warrior.

  Liu Biao was not as arrogant as Yuan Shu, and after seeing Yuan Shu leave, he stood there without saying a word, his body motionless, like a wooden stake. Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and Bao Hong seemed to have seen it all before, and the three of them had a faint, enigmatic smile on their faces, as if they were watching a joke.

  The most complex expression was that of Huangfu Song. He faced open resistance from his subordinates, and he was uncomfortable in his heart, but he had no choice. After all, the Yuan family was not easy to provoke, and their super-high reputation accumulated over four generations made it difficult for him to offend them. For him, the joint military expedition of Yuan Shu and Liu Biao was a test. One was a spoiled son from a noble family who was arrogant and disobedient, while the other was a member of the imperial clan with royal blood. Neither of them could be offended, and all he could do was to let things take their course. However, the more they didn't help each other, the more they incurred the common resentment of Yuan Shu and Liu Biao.

  "Sun Wentai, you've made your point clear, but don't overstep the bounds of freedom. Let's just leave it at that, all of you can go now, let me be alone for a while." Huang Fu seemed unwilling to say anything more, casually uttering a sentence before dismissing everyone.

  "The Emperor shall retire!" Gao Feng, Sun Jian, Liu Biao, Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao and Bao Hong chorused in unison as they bowed.

  Many people came out of the camp one after another. Gao Fei saw Sun Jian sighing incessantly, so he said: "General Sun, I think General Huangfu will understand your meaning, it's just..."

  "Brother Wentai!" Yuan Shu appeared out of nowhere, interrupting Gao Fei's words, and cupped his hands in greeting to Sun Jian, saying, "I've been waiting for Brother Wentai here for a long time. I've already had someone set up a banquet in the camp, please do me the honor of attending."

  Sun Jian saw Yuan Shu's sincere invitation, and since he had just spoken for himself in the camp, he cupped his hands and said: "Since it is General Yuan's good intention, Sun Mou will not decline. But I don't know if General Cao can come together..."

  "General Gao? Which General Gao?" Yuan Shu pretended to be confused, looking around in all directions before finally fixing his gaze on Gao Fei. He let out a cold laugh and said, "Oh, I see that Brother Wentai was referring to the Marquis of Douchang. I had only prepared wine and dishes for Brother Wentai... Since he is a friend of Brother Wentai's, then please, come join us! I also want to get acquainted with General Gao, who shook off the rebel army and ran so quickly that he didn't even want the city of Jizhou!"

  Gao Feng heard Yuan Shu's tone and felt very displeased, so he immediately said: "Since General Yuan has only invited General Sun alone, then I won't go to join in the fun either. Farewell, General Yuan, General Sun!"

  After finishing this sentence, Gao Fei turned around and left without looking back. Just after passing by a camp, he heard someone shouting from behind: "Why is Brother Zi Yu in such a hurry?"

  Looking back, Cao Pi saw Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo walking one in front of the other, but he was still angry and said coldly: "Brother Mengde, what do you want me for?"

  Cao Cao walked to Gao Fei's side, chuckled and said: "Young Master Gao doesn't need to worry about what happened earlier. Yuan Shao is that kind of person. Since you've come here, I should do my best as the host. I'm preparing a banquet..."

  "Cao Mengde, I heard that your camp was raided by the rebels last night and there are still some wounded soldiers who have not received treatment. The camp is also damaged in many places. You don't strengthen your defenses, but instead you have the heart to idle chat here?" Dong Zhuo followed up from behind, and after hearing Cao Cao's words, he coldly laughed and interrupted him.

  Cao Cao didn't get angry either, he turned around and cupped his hands saying: "So it's Lord Dong, I don't know what teachings you have to offer?"

  Dong Zhuo walked up to Gao Shun's side, put his arm around Gao Shun's shoulder, and smiled at Cao Cao: "Cao Mengde, General Gao and I are fellow countrymen, it has been a long time since we last met. This meeting should be celebrated with a drink, you go back to repair the camp, after repairing the camp, invite General Gao for a banquet, it's not late, what do you say?"

  Cao Cao smiled and bowed: "Lord Dong is absolutely right, I'll go and repair the camp. Lord Dong and General Gao can chat slowly."

  Cao Cao appeared calm and composed, entering this small group of intrigue. He had to be cautious in his actions. However, he couldn't understand why Dong Zhuo wanted to host a banquet for him. In his opinion, there was no particular relationship between him and Dong Zhuo. During their time in Chenliu, he also avoided meeting with Dong Zhuo because this person always gave him an inexplicable sense of fear, making him feel uneasy when they were together.

  Dong Zhuo saw Cao Cao walking away, so he let go of Gao Shun. Unlike his usual arrogant and domineering demeanor, he was surprisingly polite to Gao Shun, bowing his hands and smiling: "General Gao has come from afar, I'm afraid I didn't welcome you properly. It's been a long time since we parted ways at Chen Cang, now that we have nothing better to do, why don't you come to my camp and have a cup of wine with me?"

  The world is really wonderful, and the fox actually paid New Year's greetings to the chicken.

  "What a sinister mind!" Gao Feng could only use these four words to describe Dong Zhuo, and he also wanted to figure out what Dong Zhuo was thinking, and why he was invited to the banquet. The huge contrast made him feel very suspicious.

  So Gao Fei smiled and cupped his hands, saying: "Since it's an invitation from Mr. Dong, I'll just have to obey humbly."

  Dong Zhuo suddenly burst out laughing and grabbed Gao Fei's hand, striding out of the camp.