Chương 349: Super Sign-in

Yuan Shao nodded and said, "Mengde is right. Issue the order to advance on Sishui Pass immediately!"

Yuan Shu snorted, flicked his sleeves, and left.

Seeing this, Liu Bei understood.

These nineteen warlords, how could they be brothers who share life and death? They are clearly a group of gamblers, each with their own ulterior motives.

They address each other affectionately on the surface, but in their hearts, neither of them is willing to submit to the other.

......

Cao Cao walked up to Liu Bei, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Xuande, congratulations! After this battle, the names of you three brothers will surely spread throughout the world."

Liu Bei cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks to Brother Mengde for saving my life a few days ago. If it weren't for Brother Mengde's righteous words, I would have been beheaded long ago."

Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. Take care, Xuande. There's plenty of time in the future."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liu Bei stood there, watching the departing figures of the feudal lords, lost in thought.

Wang Shuang leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, why don't these people seem happy? We killed Hua Xiong, shouldn't we be celebrating?"

Liu Bei sighed and said, "Because they don't want to fight."

"Don't want to fight? Then what are you doing here?"

"They're here to join the fun, to gain fame, to seize territory." Liu Bei looked into the distance.

"There aren't many who truly want to fight Dong Zhuo."

Fang Yue said in a muffled voice, "Then what do we do?"

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Wait. Wait for an opportunity."

..

When news of Hua Xiong's death reached Luoyang, Dong Zhuo was furious.

He was drinking at the Prime Minister's residence when he heard the report. He smashed the wine cup in his hand on the ground with a "bang," splashing wine all over the floor.

"What? Hua Xiong is dead!"

The messenger knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, and said, "Yes... yes, Your Majesty, General Hua Xiong was killed on the battlefield..."

"Who killed him?"

The messenger stammered, "It's... it's the three Liu brothers... Liu Bei... Fang Yue... Wang Shuang."

"Liu Bei!" Dong Zhuo exclaimed, stunned.

"Who is Liu Bei?"

Li Ru reminded him from the side, "My lord, have you forgotten? It's that guy who claims to be a descendant of Prince Jing of Zhongshan, who used to weave mats and sell shoes, and who volunteered to be your vanguard when Guangzong attacked the Yellow Turbans..."

"Oh, so it's that scapegoat."

Then, Dong Zhuo angrily cursed: "That mat weaver and sandal seller killed Hua Xiong! My fierce general from Xiliang was killed by a mere mat weaver and sandal seller!"

Then he slammed his hand on the table, cracking it.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! Hua Xiong, that piece of trash!"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, his footsteps making a thumping sound on the floor.

"These traitors really dare to push their luck! With Hua Xiong gone, who can stop them now!"

Li Ru, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and said:

"My lord, please calm your anger. Hua Xiong is gone, but we still have Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, Fan Chou... each and every one of them is a formidable fighter!"

He leaned forward and lowered his voice:

"My lord, that brat Yuan Shao has led the rebellion against you, and his uncle Yuan Kui is still an official in Luoyang. Let's kill his whole family first, eliminating any internal threats! Then we can send Li Jue and Guo Si to guard Hulao Pass. That place is impregnable; one man can hold off ten thousand. I guarantee those rebels won't be able to get in!"

Dong Zhuo's eyes lit up, and he laughed:

"Great idea! Let's do it!"

That very day, he sent men to slaughter Yuan Wei's entire family, beheading the men and confiscating the women; not a single one was spared.

Then, Guo Si and Zhang Ji were first sent to lead troops to guard Hulao Pass.

A few days later, he led his army straight to Hulao Pass.

Hulao Pass is the gateway to Luoyang, only fifty li away.

If it falls, Luoyang will be completely exposed and vulnerable.

......

The two sides fought fiercely at Hulao Pass, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage.

Although Guo Si and Zhang Ji were not as brave as Hua Xiong, they had the advantage of having more men and more power, and Hulao Pass was a strategically important and easily defended location.

The allied forces' several attacks were repelled, and they could only maintain a temporary stalemate.

...

Meanwhile, in Zhuo County, Youzhou, at the Prince of Yan's residence.

Liu Ce received another intelligence report.

After reading it, he handed it to Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and others, and said with a smile:

"Three against one Hua Xiong, interesting. But are they still the Three Heroes?"

After reading the intelligence, everyone laughed.

Guo Jia said, "My lord, Liu Bei is quite lucky. He killed Hua Xiong with a single sword strike. Now he should have some fame in the allied forces."

Du Ruhui continued, "Dong Zhuo has already killed Yuan Wei's entire family and led his troops to Hulao Pass. The allied forces and Dong Zhuo are now at odds."

Guo Jia said lazily, "Let them fight, the harder the better. We'll make our move when they're both exhausted."

Xun Yu nodded and said, "Fengxiao is right. It's too early to make a move now."

Xi Zhicai said softly, "However, if we wait until they are both exhausted, it will take too long. If Dong Zhuo wins, or the allied forces win, we will miss a golden opportunity."

As they were talking, a voice suddenly rang out:

"My lord, I have a plan."

Everyone looked and saw that it was Jia Xu.

This shrewd individual has always kept a low profile and rarely speaks out.

Everyone was intrigued when he suddenly spoke up today.

Liu Ce raised his hand and said, "Wenhe, please speak."

Jia Xu walked to the map and pointed to the location of Hulao Pass, saying:

"My lord, please take a look. Dong Zhuo has led his main force to Hulao Pass, leaving his rear vulnerable. We can send the Second Army south from Bingzhou to take Luoyang directly. Once Luoyang falls, Dong Zhuo will be attacked from both sides and will undoubtedly be defeated."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

This is an attack on Dong Zhuo's stronghold!

Guo Jia laughed and said, "Wenhe, this plan is brilliant! While Dong Zhuo is fighting desperately against the warlords on the front lines, we'll raid his homes from behind. By the time he realizes what's happening, his homes will be gone!"

Fang Xuanling shook his head and said, "That's not advisable. If we act now, it's like taking the fall for those feudal lords. Let them continue fighting until they're both severely injured, then it'll be more worthwhile for us to intervene."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Xuanling is right. It's too early to make a move now."

Xun Yu pondered for a moment and said, "My lord, we must be cautious about this matter. Our goal is not to help one side fight another, but to reap the benefits."

Jia Xu stopped speaking and stepped aside.

Liu Ce rested his chin on his hand, listening to the crowd's argument, and fell into deep thought.

His mind raced with various thoughts: Should he make a move? When should he make a move? How should he make a move?

Just then...

"Ding!"

A familiar voice echoed in my mind.

Liu Ce was stunned for a moment: System? It's been a long time since I've heard this voice.

Liu Ce blinked, thinking to himself: System? You're still alive?

system:"......"

System: "Congratulations, host, on possessing the land of three states. This system rewards you with a super sign-in."

To be honest, whether or not he has a system is no longer important to him.

With three provinces under our control, hundreds of thousands of elite troops, and mountains of grain... we have everything we need.

But since they've already given it to me, I might as well sign it.

Liu Ce muttered to himself: Super Sign-in? What's that?

He silently signed in his mind.