dognovel Chapter 9 Liu Bei flees in disarray, Hua Xiong to take the initiative?
Chapter 9 Liu Bei flees in disarray, Hua Xiong to take the initiative?
Cao Cao had a warm smile on his face.
But those who know him well understand that beneath that seemingly warm smile lies a hint of hostility.
Both being rare warlords in the chaotic late Han Dynasty, Cao Cao seemed to have an innate radar connection with Liu Bei.
Cao Cao could not possibly guess Liu Bei's intentions completely, but he could certainly guess most of them.
"Brother Mengde, Brother Bogui has important matters to discuss with me urgently, so it's not convenient for him to stay any longer today."
"I will prepare a generous gift and visit Brother Mengde another day."
Liu Bei cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and then fled in disarray.
The so-called Gongsun Zan having something important to discuss with him is like later generations making excuses such as their mothers calling them home for dinner.
Cao Cao gave Liu Bei a meaningful look.
This Liu Bei was far more capable than many of the incompetent and incompetent warlords in the allied forces camp.
After Liu Bei left, Su Yu told Cao Cao what had just happened.
After hearing this, Cao Cao laughed loudly:
"Ziyi, how could you be so mean?"
Su Yu sighed:
"My lord, your smile is practically reaching your ears, and you still have the nerve to call me bad?"
Cao Cao was not annoyed by this.
On the contrary, a warm feeling welled up inside him.
Su Yu did not hide anything from him, but told him the truth.
This alone was enough to make Cao Cao trust Su Yu even more.
Moreover, since Cao Cao raised his army, he has relied on Su Yu's planning for many things.
Cao Cao truly regarded Su Yu as a trusted confidant.
It can be said that Su Yu's position in his heart is no less than that of his clan brothers such as Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun.
This is not only due to the role Su Yu played in Cao Cao's camp, but more importantly, it reflects the tacit understanding and mutual trust between Su Yu and Cao Cao.
Liu Bei jumped into the pit himself, which was naturally welcomed by Cao Cao and Su Yu, who were both ruler and minister and friends.
……
汜水关
Hua Xiong, who was over eight feet tall and dressed in bright silver armor, sat in the main seat with an air of grandeur.
He slightly raised his arm, and his muscular body looked particularly robust in the sunlight not far away.
These are the brave warriors of Xiliang!
As one of Dong Zhuo's top generals, Hua Xiong enjoyed Dong Zhuo's deep trust.
Sishui Pass was the first line of defense against the Guandong Coalition. Dong Zhuo's deployment of Hua Xiong there shows his high expectations for him.
If Hua Xiong could directly defeat all the warlords, it would be a great achievement.
Hua Xiong's gruff voice rang out in the council hall inside Sishui Pass as he glanced at his other colleagues.
"Gentlemen, I have heard that Yuan Shao has sent Sun Jian as his vanguard, and he is advancing towards my Sishui Pass."
"Hehehe, this guy really never learns his lesson!"
"His fourth uncle Yuan Wei, his elder brother Yuan Ji, and others have all been beheaded on the orders of the Prime Minister, yet he still dares to provoke the Prime Minister!"
"This general believes that we should take the initiative to fight and annihilate that Sun Jian, so that Yuan Shao will be terrified and even kneel down begging for mercy!"
What do you think?
Having said that, Hua Xiong's gaze carried an undeniable air of intimidation.
The three people sitting below Hua Xiong were Li Su, Zhao Cen, and Hu Zhen.
Upon hearing that Hua Xiong was going to take the initiative to fight, Zhao Cen immediately stepped forward to dissuade him:
"General, you must not underestimate the enemy."
"Sun Jian was known as the Tiger of Jiangdong, and during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he was granted the title of Marquis of Wucheng for his military achievements."
"Such a person is probably not easy to deal with."
Hua Xiong, his veins bulging, shouted:
"Why did Military Advisor Zhao boost Sun Jian's morale and crush our army's spirits?"
"Sun Jian was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wucheng, while I, Hua Xiong, am still the Marquis of Anping!"
"With a marquis by your side, what's there to be afraid of?"
Hua Xiong had a very loud voice, and Zhao Cen's head was buzzing from his shouting.
Zhao Cen raised his eyes slightly, then lowered his head and remained silent.
But in his heart, he secretly cursed Hua Xiong for being shameless!
Sun Jian was granted the title of Marquis of Wucheng based on his military achievements. At the time of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the stingy Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, was still alive!
The fact that Sun Jian obtained the title of Marquis of Wucheng from the stingy Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, shows how much he had done.
And what about Hua Xiong?
His title was conferred only a few days ago.
Firstly, Hua Xiong was a close associate of Dong Zhuo.
When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs rise to prominence. Dong Zhuo would definitely have to promote him.
Furthermore, Dong Zhuo's decision to send Hua Xiong to deal with the vanguard of the allied forces served as a form of commendation.
Giving someone a title is also a form of encouragement.
Zhao Cen and the others weren't fools either.
Although both Hua Xiong and Sun Jian were marquises, the prestige of their titles differed greatly.
One could even say that one was a true marquis and the other a false marquis.
But clearly, Hua Xiong himself didn't think so.
In his view, both men were marquises, and Hua Xiong was Dong Zhuo's top general. How could he be afraid of Sun Jian?
We must take the initiative and show the might of the Xiliang army!
Hu Zhen and Li Su exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads and remained silent.
Hu Zhen came from the Luoyang Imperial Guard, an army that was essentially picked up from the trash can and no one wanted it.
What were the Imperial Guards of Luoyang?
It was an army recruited from the border regions during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong.
"Luoyang Imperial Guards"—these four characters sound quite elegant.
However, their treatment was far inferior to that of the Luoyang Xiyuan Army at the same time.
You could even say that one was raised by her biological mother, and the other by her stepmother.
After the deaths of Liu Hong, He Jin, the Ten Attendants, and others, Dong Zhuo occupied Luoyang.
The imperial guards of Luoyang, led by Xu Rong and Hu Zhen, defected to Dong Zhuo.
However, Dong Zhuo naturally valued the Xiliang clique the most, not the Luoyang Imperial Guards who joined later.
Li Su's situation was not much different from Hu Zhen's.
However, he belongs to the Bingzhou faction.
Aside from his merit in persuading Lü Bu, Li Su had no other commendable qualities.
Compared to the later-joined Bingzhou faction and Luoyang Imperial Guard faction.
Generals like Hua Xiong, Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, and Zhang Ji, who were loyal to the Western Liang regime, naturally became extremely arrogant.
Zhao Cen was also a direct descendant of Xiliang, but his status was not as high as Hua Xiong's.
Even Zhao Cen, who was also a direct descendant of Xiliang, was angrily rebuked by Hua Xiong, so Hu Zhen and Li Su naturally dared not speak out against Hua Xiong.
Seeing that the three had stopped objecting, Hua Xiong stroked his beard and smiled, believing that his imposing presence had intimidated them.
in fact.
Hua Xiong had his own ulterior motives for insisting on taking the initiative.
It should be noted that Hua Xiong commanded 20,000 Xiliang cavalry.
If they take the initiative and defeat Sun Jian, all the credit will naturally go to Hua Xiong and the Xiliang cavalry.
However, if the defense of Sishui Pass is relied upon, the credit will be shared with Zhao Cen, Hu Zhen, Li Su, and others.
Who says a burly man who is eight feet tall can't have ulterior motives?
Hua Xiong not only wanted military achievements, but also wanted to take on all the credit and pocket all of them.
But Hua Xiong was completely unaware of this at the moment.
His death was drawing ever closer.
If Yuan Shu hadn't cut off Sun Jian's supplies, Sun Jian could have dealt with Hua Xiong.
Even with the food shortage, how many more days can he gloat?
Guan Yu could also kill Hua Xiong.
(Let's compare the two and explain that both can kill, but in the end, who kills Hua Xiong? Readers can guess, but please don't spoil it by looking at the table of contents.)
……