Chương 355: The Allied Warlords' Reaction, Liu Bei and His Two Brothers in Danger

The main camp of the Suanzao Allied Forces, the central command tent.

Yuan Shao was sitting in the main seat, pretending to hold a meeting with the other warlords, discussing how to further attack Hulao Pass.

It was supposed to be a meeting, but it was really just a lot of bickering. Who would lead the charge? Who would provide the supplies? Who would be in charge of logistics? They talked for ages, but didn't get anything out of it.

Yuan Shu sat with his legs crossed, sipping tea and occasionally rolling his eyes.

Sun Jian sat in the corner, his face dark and silent.

Cao Cao held his teacup and sipped his tea slowly, as if these trivial matters had nothing to do with him.

Kong Rong, Kong Zhou, and their group of scholars were quietly discussing poetry and prose, not at all like they were fighting a war.

Sudden......

"Report!!!"

The scout scrambled in, stumbled, and knelt on the ground with a thud, his voice cracking as he spoke:

"Reporting to the Alliance Leader! Something terrible has happened! Prince Liu Ce of Yan has led his army south, accusing us of rebellion and intending to quell it!"

The tent fell silent instantly.

Yuan Shao's teacup clattered to the ground, splashing tea all over his crotch. He stared blankly at the scout, his mouth agape, and said:

"What?"

Yuan Shu nearly choked on his tea, coughing until his face turned red, and stared wide-eyed, saying, "What?"

Cao Cao's teacup stopped in mid-air, and he rarely showed such surprise, saying, "Huh?"

Sun Jian looked up, completely bewildered, and asked, "Huh?"

Everyone was stunned.

silence.

A long silence followed.

Then......

"Clang!"

Yuan Shu was the first to jump up, slamming his hand on the table, causing the teacups on it to jump up and spill tea all over the table.

His face turned red, his neck thickened, and he spat as he spoke:

"That Liu Ce is too arrogant!!! We raised an army to punish the traitor and restore the Han Dynasty! How did that become rebellion! Who does he think he is! How dare he call us rebels!"

Yuan Shao also came to his senses, his face turning ashen, and he sneered:

"I've seen through him! Liu Ce is taking advantage of the chaos, trying to reap the benefits! We've fought Dong Zhuo to the bitter end, and he's here with a large army to steal the spoils! He even accuses us of rebellion—how cunning!"

Wang Kuang slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and shouted:

"We have gathered our righteous army because we are supported by the people of the world! By what right does Liu Ce call us traitors! Dong Zhuo is the real traitor! The whole world knows what Dong Zhuo did in Luoyang! Why doesn't Liu Ce attack Dong Zhuo, but instead attacks us? What kind of logic is that!"

The tent erupted in chaos.

......

"Wasn't Liu Ce supposed to be supplying us with provisions? Why is he suddenly attacking us?"

"What does he mean by that?"

"On what grounds does he accuse us of rebellion?"

"We are acting on the Emperor's secret edict to punish Dong Zhuo! Why does he deny it!"

"Rebellion? Our campaign against Dong Zhuo is a rebellion? Then what is Dong Zhuo? A loyal subject?"

..................

The various warlords all chimed in, criticizing Liu Ce for being unrighteous, domineering, two-faced, and despicable...

After all the cursing, an eerie silence fell over the tent once they were tired of it.

Because everyone suddenly realized a problem...

Liu Ce controlled three provinces...

That wasn't just talk; it was earned through real fighting!

... Destroying the Wuhuan, defeating the Xianbei, pacifying Goguryeo... which battle wasn't a piece of cake?

Now he's coming to hit me...

How do I play?

What can we use to fight?

As he continued his tirade, Yuan Shao slumped into his chair, muttering to himself:

"It's over... it's all over..."

Yuan Shu cursed, "Liu Ce, you two-faced scoundrel! I'm not finished with you!"

Cao Cao lowered his head, holding his teacup, seemingly lost in thought.

Liu Bei and his two brothers stood in the corner, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Fang Yue leaned close to Liu Bei's ear and whispered, "Brother, is the Prince of Yan... going to attack us all at once?"

Wang Shuang whispered, "Have we... chosen the wrong side? If the Prince of Yan considers us enemies, then..."

Liu Bei remained silent for a long time, then sighed and said:

"Stop talking. Just watch."

He knew in his heart that at this point, nothing he said would make a difference.

In the eyes of these people, the three brothers were nothing more than nobodys.

Only after the real big shots have finished arguing do they have a chance to speak.

...

Just as the tent was in complete chaos, Yuan Shu's eyes darted around, and his sinister gaze fell upon Liu Bei, who stood in the corner and hadn't dared to utter a sound the entire time.

His mind raced with calculations: If Liu Ce attacks us, we definitely can't win. But if we can find and kill his "insider" before he attacks, at least we can vent our anger! Besides, Liu Bei is poor and powerless; if we kill him, so be it. Who can do anything to me?

He sneered on the spot, pointed at Liu Bei, and shouted:

"Gentlemen! Stop with the cursing! We have Liu Ce's inside man in our tent!"

All eyes immediately turned to Liu Bei and his two brothers.

Liu Bei's face turned pale on the spot, and his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself: It's over, it's over, it's over, this guy is going to mess with me!

Yuan Shu, hands on his hips, spitting everywhere, said:

"This Liu Bei himself said he came to the alliance on Liu Ce's orders! Now Liu Ce is raising an army to attack us, calling us rebels. How could Liu Bei not know this? He's definitely a spy Liu Ce planted here! Keeping him around will only cause trouble sooner or later! In my opinion, we should drag him out and execute him to prevent future problems!"

Liu Bei panicked instantly, quickly stepped forward, and repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd. His face turned pale with anxiety, and his voice trembled as he said:

"General Gonglu! You're spouting nonsense! I came here on the orders of the Prince of Yan to assist you all in your campaign against Dong Zhuo, and I have absolutely no intention of rebelling! I knew nothing of the Prince of Yan's actions! Like you all, I am wholeheartedly devoted to restoring the Han Dynasty!"

The more he explained, the quieter the tent became.

Most of the feudal lords either bowed their heads to drink tea, pretended to tidy their clothes, or looked up to study the patterns on the top of the tent; not a single one stood up to speak for him.

After all, Liu Bei had no troops or power; he was just a nobody. No one would risk offending Yuan Shu, who was petty, had many soldiers, and plenty of supplies, just for his sake.

Yuan Shao then spoke up, saying in a sarcastic tone:

"Liu Xuande, we only spared you brothers last time after Mengde's persuasion. Now you've become Liu Ce's inside man, that's really good."

He emphasized the words "very good," and his facial expression was incredibly expressive.

Cao Cao stood to the side, holding a teacup, watching this scene without saying a word.

He knew perfectly well that Yuan Shu was looking for a scapegoat to vent his anger on.

But he didn't want to care, and he was too lazy to care anymore.

After all, he saved Liu Bei once, so he can't save him every time.

Liu Bei had no relation to him and it was not worth offending Yuan Shu for his sake.

Seeing that no one objected, Yuan Shu became even more emboldened. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted towards the outside of the tent:

"Guards! Take Liu Bei, this traitorous traitor, out and execute him!"

As soon as Yuan Shu shouted "Take him out and behead him!", two burly bodyguards rushed in with a howl, their iron-like hands aimed straight for Liu Bei's arm.

At this critical moment...