Yet Yuan Shao did not expose him immediately. He merely said coolly, "With Gongsun Zan to the north, Cao Cao to the west, and Yuan Shu to the south, I may wish to lend you troops, but I simply do not have enough men to spare. I cannot lend you an army to campaign against Lü Bu and retake Pei County."
"Besides-"
Yuan Shao paused briefly and looked at Liu Bei. "You had over ten thousand troops defending Pei County, yet Lü Bu still took it from you."
"Why should I believe that lending you troops would enable you to defeat Lü Bu and reclaim Pei County? You might lose the battle and squander my men for nothing."
This was another reason Yuan Shao refused to lend him troops.
Lü Bu might have been a scoundrel, but his martial prowess truly was unmatched in their age. Even if Yuan Shao lent Liu Bei an army, whether Liu Bei could retake Pei County remained another matter entirely.
It was not a worthwhile bargain.
Liu Bei answered solemnly, "Grand General, Lü Bu may be brave, but he has courage without strategy. If you are willing to lend me troops, I can guarantee that I will retake Pei County!"
"Ridiculous!"
No sooner had Liu Bei finished than Feng Ji sneered, "You guarantee you can capture Pei County? Do you think war is child's play? You are simply spouting nonsense!"
"My lord, do not listen to his ravings. I think we should hurry and..."
Before he could finish, Zhang Fei cut him off. "Shut your mouth! Since when was it your place to interrupt my elder brother? Believe me, I'll tear that mouth of yours apart!"
Zhang Fei roared, his eyes blazing and his beard and hair bristling, looking as though he would skin Feng Ji alive and swallow him whole.
A single look turned Feng Ji's face deathly pale. He stumbled backward and hid behind a pillar in the hall, trembling.
"Insolence! How dare you behave so rudely before our lord!"
The two great generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, were furious as well. At a wave of their hands, the dozens of armored soldiers standing along either side of the hall drew their blades and advanced, surrounding Liu Bei and his brothers.
One command was all it would take for those soldiers to rush forward and hack Liu, Guan, and Zhang to death in a storm of blades!
Not to mention the hundreds of armored soldiers concealed in the side hall!
"Who dares come forward!"
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei each stepped forward, shielding Liu Bei behind them. Even unarmed and vastly outnumbered, they showed not a trace of fear!
At that moment, swords were drawn and bows bent throughout the hall.
The tension had reached its breaking point!
But Liu Bei paid no attention to the blades leveled before him. He merely looked at Yuan Shao and said in a low voice, "Give me another five thousand troops, and I will capture Pei County within fifteen days!"
"Once I do, Grand General, you may send your troops to garrison it!"
Those words brought Yuan Shao's idle toying with his wine cup to a halt. His expression grew grave as he narrowed his eyes at Liu Bei.
"There is no room for idle talk in the army."
Liu Bei met Yuan Shao's gaze without yielding and declared with iron resolve, "Ten days! I will capture Pei County in ten days!"
Boom-!
A sudden thunderclap erupted overhead. A fleeting flash of lightning illuminated everything in the hall, casting the silhouettes of the soldiers concealed in the side hall onto the walls, their swords and sabers stark and menacing.
Then the rain came down, and all other sounds fell silent.
Only the sound of pouring rain remained between heaven and earth.
Everyone stared at Liu Bei in shock, including Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
"Elder brother!"
Guan Yu could not help speaking up. Taking Pei County in ten days was a fantasy beyond belief!
And after taking it, they would allow Yuan Shao's troops to move in.
That was no different from handing Pei County to Yuan Shao on a platter!
"Good!"
Before Guan Yu or Zhang Fei could say anything more, Yuan Shao slammed his wine cup onto the table, rose to his feet, and fixed his eyes on Liu Bei.
"I will give you five thousand troops. Attack Pei County after the New Year, and I will send my main army to support you. Take Pei County for me within ten days!"
"But if you fail-"
"Then punish me under military law. I will willingly accept death!"
Liu Bei showed no fear and left himself no path of retreat.
At that moment, he had no retreat to speak of anyway.
"My lord, you must not!"
Tian Feng could no longer hold back and tried to dissuade Yuan Shao.
How could he fail to see that Liu Bei was deliberately buying time?
If they did not kill Liu Bei today, they would never have such a fine opportunity again!
Shen Pei sighed without saying a word.
He knew his lord had already made up his mind.
The terms Liu Bei had offered were simply too tempting.
Pei County might not have been large, but its geographical position was exceptionally advantageous. Once captured, it could serve as a major garrison stronghold and the ideal springboard for a future invasion of Xu Province.
Most importantly, Liu Bei wanted a mere five thousand troops and promised to take Pei County within ten days, accepting death if he failed.
In Yuan Shao's place, Shen Pei would have been willing to take that gamble too.
After all, success would put Pei County in their hands!
"Say no more."
Yuan Shao stopped Tian Feng's remonstrance and waved the soldiers back. Then he said to Liu Bei, "It is getting late. Xuande, return and rest."
Liu Bei said nothing more either. He cupped his hands in salute, then turned and left with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, walking into the sweeping curtain of rain.
His steps were utterly resolute.
Chapter 39: Benchu, You Are a Great Man
In the end, Yuan Shao did not order his men to strike.
For one thing, he feared that word of Liu Bei's murder would spread and damage his reputation.
For another, he was interested in Pei County.
Pei County was a crucial strategic point for Xu Province. If he wished to invade Xu Province in the future, he could not bypass it.
Holding Pei County would be like pressing a knife against Xu Province's throat.
"My lord, you truly should not have shown such softhearted mercy."
Tian Feng spoke with bitter anguish, his face filled with regret. "Pei County may be important, but Liu Bei poses an even greater threat."
"If you do not kill him now, he will surely become a scourge at your very heart!"
He sensed a profound danger in Liu Bei.
That danger lay not in his martial strength, but in his potential.
From the campaign against Dong Zhuo until now, Tian Feng had noticed how remarkably well the man could endure and bide his time. He had all the makings of a ruthless conqueror.
"What do you know? Our lord's decision was the truly wise one!"
As soon as Tian Feng finished, Guo Tu stepped forward to contradict him. Then he looked at Yuan Shao with admiration. "Liu Bei deserves death, but killing him outright would bring us little benefit. Instead, we would earn the infamy of murdering a Han House clansman."
"Spare his life and have him attack Pei County. If he succeeds, we gain that vital choke point. If he fails, we lose a mere five thousand troops, and our main army can continue attacking Pei County in the name of assisting Liu Bei. Besides, with his military pledge in hand, we can still kill him without bearing any infamy!"
"However you look at it, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose! Our lord is truly brilliant!"
Guo Tu showered Yuan Shao with lavish praise.
"So that was it! Now I understand too!"
Xu You slapped his forehead in sudden realization. "Exactly! If we had lent Liu Bei troops before, even his capture of Pei County would have brought us no benefit. But today, our lord devised a trap that made Liu Bei willingly serve as our vanguard. If he succeeds, Pei County will still belong to our lord. Fame and profit, both in one stroke!"
"I deeply admire the depth of your planning, my lord!"
Xu You's praise came from the heart. For the first time, he realized that his lord possessed such wisdom.
Their words left Yuan Shao thoroughly bewildered.
He had devised today's test of Liu Bei merely to test him. As for the schemes Guo Tu and Xu You described, they had never even crossed his mind.
How had all that become my plan?
"Ahem..."
Yuan Shao cleared his throat lightly and said with an air of composure, "Indeed. That was precisely my intention."
"Thus far, everything has proceeded according to my plan."
"Our lord is wise! (x3)"
Guo Tu, Feng Ji, and Xu You were unstinting in their praise.
Yuan Shao tried hard to appear unconcerned, but this was the first time his advisers had praised him so highly-and for his strategic brilliance, no less. He could not suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Tian Feng: "..."
Shen Pei: "..."
Ju Shou: "..."
Unlike the three flatterers over there, they could naturally see that their lord had agreed to lend troops solely because he coveted Pei County. He had not thought any further than that.
Such bootlicking was truly shameless.
"The man who destroys the Yuan clan will surely be Liu Bei!"
Anxious and furious, Tian Feng blurted out those words in anger.
The instant he finished, everyone's expression changed, and the atmosphere in the hall plunged to the freezing point.
The smile vanished from Yuan Shao's face, leaving an ugly expression. He stared at Tian Feng and sneered, "Then serving under me must be quite the indignity for you. Why not seek a better position elsewhere, Yuanhao?"
"That way, you will not have to die beneath Liu Bei's blade alongside me!"
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