Chapter 142: Meeting Liu Bei Again

Three days later, the ninety thousand troops under Liu Yao's command split into four routes, heading towards their respective destinations. Meanwhile, Liu Yao, accompanied by major generals such as Huang Zhong and Zhao Zilong, led thirty thousand elite cavalry toward Luoyang.

In January of the year 190 AD, Cao Cao issued a call to arms to denounce the traitor. Lords from all across the realm raised banners of righteousness in response: the first, General of the Rear and Administrator of Nanyang, Yuan Shu; the second, Inspector of Jizhou, Han Fu; the third, Inspector of Yuzhou, Kong Zhou; the fourth, Inspector of Yanzhou, Liu Dai; the fifth, Administrator of Henei, Wang Kuang; the sixth, Administrator of Chenliu, Zhang Miao; seventh, Administrator of Dongjun, Qiao Mao; eighth, Administrator of Shanyang, Yuan Yi; ninth, Chancellor of Jibei, Bao Xin; tenth, Administrator of Beihai, Kong Rong; eleventh, Administrator of Guangling, Zhang Chao; twelfth, Inspector of Xuzhou, Tao Qian; thirteenth, Administrator of Shangdang, Zhang Yang; fourteenth, Marquis of Wucheng and Administrator of Changsha, Sun Jian; fifteenth, Marquis of Qixiang and Administrator of Bohai, Yuan Shao. Together with Cao Cao's own forces, they formed a total of sixteen allied warlords. These armies varied in size—some numbering thirty thousand, others twenty or ten thousand, with Cao Cao commanding the smallest force of merely five thousand men. Each brought their civil and military officials to gather at Luoyang for the grand alliance.

Among the original eighteen lords, Gongsun Zan was already dead, and Ma Teng was currently engaged in a campaign in Liangzhou. As for Liu Yao, he was still on the road and had not arrived in time.

Such an alliance of various lords naturally required the election of an alliance leader. However, Cao Cao, the initiator of the alliance, originally intended to wait for Liu Yao's arrival before holding the election, as in Cao Cao's eyes, only Liu Yao possessed the status and prestige worthy of the position.

Upon learning that Cao Cao had also notified Liu Yao, Yuan Shao immediately leveraged his prestigious lineage spanning four generations and three ducal offices to push forward the election of the leader ahead of schedule. Cao Cao was weak in influence and could only acquiesce. Ultimately, Yuan Shao was elected as the leader of the alliance, while Yuan Shu was tasked with overseeing the coalition's provisions and grain supply.

Five days later, having been somewhat delayed along the way, Liu Yao finally arrived outside Luoyang—the gathering place of the allied lords—at the head of ten thousand vanguard troops and ten thousand iron cavalry of Youzhou. Hearing the news of Liu Yao's arrival, the lords hurried out to welcome him. Even the two brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were forced to put on stiff expressions and go out to greet him.

"Greetings, Great General. I never expected that you would actually come as well. It is only a pity that we have already formed the alliance, and the position of leader has been assumed by myself. How about we pay respects to heaven and earth once more and elect the Great General as our leader instead?" Yuan Shao said with a mocking, sarcastic tone. Knowing full well that such a ritual could not be taken lightly, he deliberately used it to disgust Liu Yao.

"Hmph! Do you think I care for some alliance leader? My sole purpose on this expedition is to execute the wicked traitor Dong Dongzhuo. As for this alliance of yours, I have no interest in it. Besides, are you unaware that our Great Han strictly prohibits the formation of factions and cliques? I suggest you disband this little league of yours," Liu Yao replied coldly. He held the position of alliance leader in utter contempt; such a thankless task that offered nothing but superficial vanity was better left to Yuan Shao as a headache.

Upon hearing these words, the expressions of those present darkened significantly. Yet, since such prohibitions indeed existed under the laws of the Han dynasty, they found it difficult to refute him. Furthermore, apart from a handful of individuals, the rest of the lords had come to the alliance with their own selfish motives.

"The Great General is mistaken. A snake cannot walk without a head. If we lack an alliance leader to guide everyone, how can we possibly resist Dong Zhuo's massive army? Besides, since the Great General refuses to participate in the alliance, it would be best if you refrained from meddling in the affairs of the coalition," chimed in the simple-minded Yuan Shu, stepping forward. His implication was clearly that Liu Yao was poking his nose into business that didn't concern him.

Liu Yao glanced at Yuan Shu with utter disdain and remarked, "I heard that you, Yuan Gonglu, are the one overseeing the grain and provisions for this coalition. You had all better be careful, lest there be no food left to eat when the time comes."

"You..." Yuan Shu was choked with fury.

"Great General, Gonglu, this is hardly the place for such talk. Why don't we enter the tent and discuss matters further?" Seeing the atmosphere sour between the two sides, Cao Cao hurriedly stepped forward to mediate.

"Very well, out of regard for Mengde," Liu Yao said casually, leading Shi A, Guo Jia, and Zhao Yun toward the main tent. Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, and Zang Ba, meanwhile, went off to settle the troops. Yuan Shu remained behind with a darkened complexion, murmuring something to his subordinate Ji Ling before trailing silently behind the lords. Ji Ling nodded and strode off in the direction of the army encampment.

Inside the coalition's main tent, once everyone had taken their seats, Cao Cao, as the host and initiator, introduced the sixteen lords present to Liu Yao one by one. With each introduction, Liu Yao merely nodded indifferently.

When Cao Cao introduced his old acquaintance Kong Rong, the Administrator of Beihai, Liu Yao suddenly sensed a terrifying wave of murderous intent locking onto himself and Guo Jia standing behind him. Sensing the danger, Shi A and Zhao Yun immediately stepped forward to shield Liu Yao and Guo Jia.

"Oh?!" Liu Yao looked toward the source of the murderous intent, his pupils contracting slightly. Seated right behind Kong Rong were none other than Liu Bei and Guan Yu, accompanied by an unfamiliar young man. *Could these three be the great talents Kong Rong spoke of back then? I never imagined they would go to Qingzhou and end up joining Kong Rong's command. This is truly troublesome.* Given that Liu Yao shared a certain acquaintance with Kong Rong, it would be unseemly to move against Liu Bei right in front of him.

"Outrageous! Administrator Kong of Beihai, is this how your subordinates behave? How dare they display such disrespect toward the Great General in front of us all? Committing insubordination—what crime deserves this?!" Cao Cao, a veteran of countless battlefields, naturally perceived the killing intent and immediately erupted in furious scolding. Disregarding the hostility directed at Liu Yao, for a mere subordinate to act so presumptuously before so many administrators and inspectors was a blatant slap in the face to all the lords present.

Kong Rong was utterly startled. As a scholar who had not been the target of Guan Yu's hostility, he had remained entirely oblivious to the incident. However, seeing the expressions of rage on the faces of the assembled lords, he realized the gravity of the matter and immediately apologized profusely, "Great General, this subordinate failed to exercise proper discipline. I beg the Great General to forgive this transgression."

With that, he tugged at Liu Bei's sleeve from behind, signaling him to make amends.

Liu Bei had not expected Guan Yu to brazenly display such disrespect toward Liu Yao in front of so many people. Although his heart burned with hatred for Liu Yao, the present circumstances left him no choice but to suppress his fury. He glared angrily at Guan Yu and snapped, "Yunchang, still you refuse to offer apologies to the Great General!"

"Big Brother!" Guan Yu protested with profound dissatisfaction. Still brooding over Liu Yao's previous attempt to assassinate him and Liu Bei, he had been unable to contain his murderous impulse and directed it straight at Liu Yao.

"Apologize!" Liu Bei maintained a calm expression as he commanded.

Helpless, Guan Yu cupped his fists toward Liu Yao and said stiffly, "This subordinate spoke out of turn earlier; I ask the Great General not to take offense." His tone was dripping with reluctance, devoid of even a shred of respect.

Seeing this, Kong Rong moved to scold Guan Yu further, but Liu Yao stopped him with a gesture. "Administrator Kong need not trouble himself," Liu Yao said indifferently.

Turning his gaze back to Liu Bei and Guan Yu, Liu Yao smiled and remarked, "Xuande, it has been a long time. I never expected that since our parting at Guangzong, you would have joined the command of Administrator Kong. Truly a most felicitous occasion."

"You flatter me, Great General. Indeed, it has been quite some time," Liu Bei replied calmly.

Liu Yao narrowed his eyes as he observed Liu Bei, inwardly marveling at the man's formidable capacity for restraint. Had he not known Liu Bei's true character, he might genuinely have been deceived by his masterclass in acting.

"I wonder who this gentleman at Xuande's side might be?" Liu Yao asked, shifting his gaze.

"Jian Yong pays his respects to the Great General," Jian Yong said, stepping forward to bow.

Liu Yao felt a slight ripple in his heart. While Jian Yong could hardly be considered a supreme talent, he possessed considerable diplomatic acumen. "So it is Master Jian. I have heard much of your reputation," Liu Yao said perfunctorily. Jian Yong alone was not enough to command his serious attention.