Liu Bei's situation was far from good, but the fact that he could withstand the attacks of Yuan Shu and Sun Ce without being utterly crushed was already no small feat.
What sustained him was, of course, his reputation for benevolence and righteousness. Liu Bei had always had that foundation, and he had further studied in Liaodong. Though he had never truly governed for the people, his basic political line still put the people first. As a result, the lives of the soldiers and civilians under his rule were comparatively much better. The way Wang Yan had once attracted common folk was much the same as Liu Bei's approach here.
Although Liu Bei could not reach Wang Yan's level and did not understand how to effectively employ economic measures, as long as life under his rule was visibly better than under others, people would find ways to come seek refuge with him. Or they would lean toward Liu Bei and not resist his rule.
Liu Bei was even forced into a corner and began imitating Wang Yan by personally urging enemy soldiers to surrender before the lines. And surprisingly, it really worked. Thus, although he was taking a beating and stood at a disadvantage, his foundations remained sound. If the war dragged on, then in a purely Liu Bei-versus-Yuan Shu conflict, he still had a chance of victory.
But matters clearly would not be so simple. After all, the war between Liu Bei and Yuan Shu concerned not only themselves, but also the conflict between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
Old Cao had Yuan Shao pinned down and was steadily gnawing away at Yuan Shao's territory. Just when Yuan Shao could no longer hold out, something happened: Liu Xie broke free from the control of Li Jue and Guo Si,