Chương 337: The Warlords Campaign Against Dong Zhuo

Lu Zhi was their teacher. He was dismissed from his post for contradicting Dong Zhuo and was brought to Zhuo County by Liu Ce to recuperate.

When Liu Bei met Lu Zhi, he respectfully performed the disciple's salute. Lu Zhi looked at him and nodded with satisfaction, saying:

"Xuande, you've been holed up in Anxi County all these years. I thought you'd just sink into oblivion. But the Prince of Yan has given you an opportunity. Make the most of it."

Liu Bei's eyes reddened, and he solemnly said, "Teacher, rest assured, your disciple will certainly live up to the King of Yan's trust and your teachings!"

A few days later, Liu Bei and his two brothers bid farewell to Zhuo County and returned to Anxi County to gather their troops and prepare to march south to Suanzao.

...

In the first month of 190 AD, sour jujubes.

As various warlords arrived one after another, the once quiet and deserted town suddenly became lively.

The area outside the city was filled with military camps, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Various flags fluttered in the cold wind, bearing the characters "Yuan", "Sun", "Kong", "Liu"... a dazzling array that made one's eyes spin.

The camp stretched for more than ten miles, with banners obscuring the sun and tents reaching the clouds.

New teams arrive every day, and new flags are raised every day.

The various warlords arrived one after another.

The first to arrive was Yuan Shao, who was in Chenliu, a convenient location.

He led 30, 000 troops and set up the largest tent.

Then there was Cao Cao, whose five thousand righteous soldiers were stationed nearby, just a short walk away.

Then came Yuan Shu, who brought over 20, 000 troops and countless supplies of grain and provisions.

When he entered the camp, there was a great commotion of gongs and drums, and banners were waving, as if he wanted the whole world to know that he had arrived.

When Sun Jian arrived with 10, 000 elite troops from Jiangdong, his aura was completely different.

Although there were few of them, each one was highly skilled and exuded a murderous aura.

Wherever they passed, the soldiers of the other feudal lords unconsciously shrank back.

Kong Rong also arrived, bringing with him several hundred students and former officials, all of whom were scholars.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were here for an academic conference.

Of course, he also brought more than 10, 000 soldiers with him.

Liu Dai, Qiao Mao, Zhang Miao, Zhang Chao, Yuan Yi, Wang Kuang, Bao Xin... one after another, they all arrived.

There was another one, the newly appointed Colonel Liu Bei.

Ma Teng and Han Sui did not come; they were tied down in Liangzhou, preventing Dong Zhuo from leaving.

King Liu Chong of Chen also did not come. He was in Chen, overseeing the supply of provisions, which was one of the main rear bases of the allied forces.

However, on paper, nineteen routes were still managed to be assembled.

Cao Cao was overjoyed to see this spectacle.

His forged imperial edict truly brought together heroes from all over the land!

"Mengde!" Yuan Shao called out to him from afar, "Come, come, let's discuss how to choose the leader of the alliance!"

Cao Cao knew that with Liu Ce absent, the position of alliance leader would undoubtedly belong to Yuan Shao.

But he still nodded in a perfunctory manner and said, "Alright, let's go to the main tent to discuss this."

...

Inside the central command tent of the Suanzao camp, the wind whipped up snowflakes, making the tent flaps flap loudly.

The feudal lords sat in a large group in the room, and the wine and meat on the table were almost cold, but no one touched their chopsticks.

These were all members of prestigious families, their airs higher than the sky. Their eyes darted around in the crowd, and everyone knew perfectly well that this gathering was not for idle drinking, but to elect a leader to lead everyone into Luoyang and beat up Dong Zhuo, who was wreaking havoc on the court.

Cao Cao was the first to break the silence.

He slammed his wine glass down on the table with a bang, stood up abruptly, and shouted:

"Gentlemen! We've come from all corners of the country, not to sit here in obscurity and suffer indifference! That old villain Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor... burned palaces, looted imperial tombs, robbed the people, turning Luoyang into a scene of utter chaos. Everyone in the world wants to skin him alive! Today we've gathered here to unite as one, to eliminate the traitor and bring peace to the Han!"

He looked around and said in a louder voice, "But a snake can't function without a head, and a bird can't fly without wings! We need to choose a leader first, set rules, and unify commands! Otherwise, if we all go our own way, we'll be in chaos before Dong Zhuo even attacks!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Kuang immediately stood up, his voice even louder than Cao Cao's:

"Mengde is absolutely right! When it comes to the position of leader of the alliance, none other than General Yuan Shao is more suitable!"

He pointed at Yuan Shao, his face beaming with excitement, and said, "The Yuan family has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, and their disciples and former officials are all over the world. They are the most famous and prestigious family in our Han Dynasty!"

"Furthermore, back when Dong Zhuo wanted to depose the emperor in Luoyang, all the officials were terrified and cowered like turtles. Only Yuan Shao dared to draw his sword and shout at Dong Zhuo, 'My sword is no less sharp!' Who in the world wouldn't admire such courage? This leader must be Yuan Shao!"

These words immediately stirred up a hornet's nest.

The crowd erupted instantly, with Kong Zhou, Zhang Miao, Qiao Mao, and their group rising to their feet and shouting in unison, each louder than the last:

"It has to be the Primordial One!"

"We are completely convinced that Ben Chu is the leader!"

"The Yuan family has produced four generations of high-ranking officials; who else but Yuan Benchu could have achieved this?"

Yuan Shu, sitting to the side of the head seat, instantly turned as long as a donkey's face.

He slammed the wine cup in his hand onto the table with a loud "bang," splashing wine all over the table. The noise in the tent instantly stopped, and everyone's eyes were on him.

Yuan Shu jumped to his feet, pointed at everyone in the tent, and began to berate them, spitting as he spoke:

"Wait! Shut up, all of you!"

He took two steps forward, his belly protruding, his chin held almost to the sky, and glanced sideways at Yuan Shao beside him, speaking in a sarcastic tone:

"When you elect a leader, do you even know the rules? Do you even understand reason?"

"Our Yuan family has produced four generations of high-ranking officials, that's true. But there's a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and an order of seniority! I, Yuan Gonglu, am the legitimate son of the Yuan family, born to the principal wife! He, Yuan Benchu, was merely born to one of my father's maids, and later adopted by my uncle. To put it bluntly, he's an illegitimate child!"

He pointed at Yuan Shao's nose and said in a shrill voice:

"In terms of lineage, I'm far more legitimate than him! Why didn't you choose me, the rightful heir of the Yuan family, and instead chose someone born out of wedlock? Are you blind, or have you lost your minds?"

The tent fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Everyone knew that the two brothers of the Yuan family didn't get along, but no one expected that Yuan Shu would dare to tear down this facade so blatantly in front of the other warlords, even revealing that the other brother was born out of wedlock.

Yuan Shao, who had been putting on airs and preparing to decline with a humble expression, turned as black as the bottom of a pot upon hearing this, and the veins on his hand gripping the sword hilt bulged.

He suddenly stood up, took a step forward, stared at Yuan Shu, and said in a cold voice:

"Gonglu! How dare you bring up the issue of legitimate and illegitimate children here?"

He sneered and pointed to the large flag outside the tent:

"We've gathered here today to elect a leader to oppose Dong Zhuo, not to elect the head of the Yuan family! You keep claiming to be the eldest son, but let me ask you, when Dong Zhuo threatened to depose the emperor in the Luoyang palace, none of the officials dared to utter a sound. Who dared to draw their sword and confront Dong Zhuo in person? It was me, Yuan Benchu!"

He took a step forward and said, "Where were you back then? You ran faster than a rabbit, packed your bedding and fled back to Nanyang in the dead of night! Now you have the nerve to act like the eldest son of the family?"