EBE Chapter 7 sets a trap for Liu Bei, letting him jump right in.
Chapter 7 sets a trap for Liu Bei, letting him jump right in.
After bidding farewell to Cao Cao, Su Yu returned to his own camp.
Upon entering, Su Yu was just about to lie down and sleep when he suddenly heard a guard beside him report:
"Sir, Liu Bei, also known as Liu Xuande, who is serving General Gongsun Zan, has come to visit you."
"Hehe, Liu Bei."
A hint of surprise flashed in Su Yu's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
Liu Bei was a man of keen insight, whose judgment was no less than that of Cao Cao.
Everyone knows that Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times to persuade him to join his cause, but few know that many of the talents in the Shu Han camp were actually discovered by Liu Bei himself.
Some of the more famous ones, such as Xu Shu, Huang Zhong, Liu Ba, Xiang Lang, and Ma Liang, all came from Liu Bei's discerning eye.
Su Yu was naturally on high alert for Liu Bei's visit.
Soon, Liu Bei entered the camp under the guidance of his personal guards.
"I am Liu Xuande, and I greet Mr. Ziyi."
Liu Bei looked at Su Yu with a gentle smile and a warm gaze.
Suddenly, Su Yu realized a terrible problem.
Could it be... that Liu Bei is trying to poach our talent?
It's really possible!
Cao Cao lacked strategists in the early stages, and so did Liu Bei.
Moreover, Liu Bei's current status is not even as high as Cao Cao's; he is merely a guest general of Gongsun Zan.
Even Cao Cao looked down on talented people from aristocratic families, let alone Liu Bei.
As for whether Cao Cao would retaliate after recruiting Su Yu, to be honest, Liu Bei wasn't that concerned.
If we can acquire talented individuals, what does it matter if it angers Cao Cao?
Both Liu Bei and Cao Cao were intelligent men.
From their very first meeting, the two knew that neither of them was willing to be subservient to another.
In other words, both sides have implicitly agreed that the other will be an enemy in the future.
But Cao Cao had an old habit: he couldn't move when he saw talented people.
Cao Cao had a mutual respect for both Liu Bei and Guan Yu.
As you know, Cao Cao tried to recruit Liu Bei more than once in history.
But clearly, Liu Bei remained unmoved.
He was a man with great ambitions, just like Cao Cao, and not a lazy bum like Su Yu who hoped to retire peacefully. How could he remain subservient to others for long?
At this moment, Liu Bei risked angering Cao Cao by visiting Su Yu, which can be described as playing with fire.
There was no way around it; Liu Bei was simply too thirsty.
He desperately needs talent!
The fact that Su Yu was able to enter the allied camp with Cao Cao and participate in the talks and alliances among the various warlords is enough to demonstrate Cao Cao's reliance on Su Yu.
Moreover, Liu Bei had already secretly sent people to investigate.
Su Yu joined Cao Cao's forces only a few months ago.
Furthermore, since Su Yu's surname was neither Cao nor Xiahou, he was not necessarily a die-hard loyalist to Cao Cao.
If Liu Bei could bring Su Yu under his command, it would definitely be a great thing for him.
"My name is Su Ziyi. I greet General Xuande."
One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Su Yu returned Liu Bei's greeting.
Then, an awkward silence ensued.
This time, Liu Bei did not bring Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with him; instead, he visited alone.
Although he longed to win over Su Yu, he didn't really know how to bring it up for the time being.
But Liu Bei truly lived up to his name.
Soon, Liu Bei had a good topic in mind.
He then adopted a curious expression and asked Su Yu:
"Mr. Ziyi, I would like to ask if General Wentai is able to defeat Hua Xiong in his campaign at Sishui Pass?"
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Su Yu's eyes.
Liu Bei really went out of his way to find a trap by choosing this topic!
Would Su Yu abandon Cao Cao and join Liu Bei?
Obviously not.
Since they won't side with Liu Bei.
So, what is Liu Bei to Su Yu right now?
They are potential enemies!
Su Yu didn't mind digging a pit for Liu Bei; whether Liu Bei would fall into it was up to Liu Bei's own decision.
Thinking of this, Su Yu smiled and said:
"General Xuande and the Sun family army under General Wentai are all brave and skilled warriors."
"As for Hua Xiong's Xiliang Iron Cavalry, although they are incredibly brave, they are unlikely to play their due role in the upcoming battle."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's eyes gleamed, and he asked in confusion:
"I wonder what brings you to say, Mr. Ziyi?"
"According to what I've heard, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry is the elite force that the old scoundrel Dong Zhuo built with a lot of money."
"Faced with such an opponent, I'm afraid even General Wentai wouldn't have the upper hand, would he?"
Su Yu understood that Liu Bei was the type of person who wouldn't act until he saw a clear benefit.
The reason Liu Bei spoke up for Gongsun Zan to refuse Yuan Shao's request to send troops when they were in the allied forces' command tent was because Liu Bei was worried that the Xiliang cavalry was too fierce and that Gongsun Zan would not be able to defeat them if he went into battle rashly.
For Liu Bei, Gongsun Zan is now his greatest support.
If Gongsun Zan's strength is weakened, how can Liu Bei expect to fare well?
Therefore, Liu Bei, who predicted that the chances of winning this battle were low, ultimately chose to have Gongsun Zan avoid the battle.
Don't assume that Liu Bei was a kind-hearted person.
If he were truly a naive and innocent character, how could he possibly survive to the end in a chaotic world where heroes rose up everywhere?
To put it bluntly, Liu Bei was very good at seizing opportunities and finding the right moment.
Guan Yu's feat of killing Hua Xiong while the wine was still warm may have been orchestrated by Liu Bei.
With several generals of the allied forces being killed in succession, it was the perfect opportunity for the three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang to make a name for themselves!
However, if they requested to fight from the beginning, the other lords would definitely look down on the three brothers, and they would even miss out on the fame and merit gained from killing Hua Xiong!
What Su Yu needs to do now is to make Liu Bei change his mind that "Sun Jian will definitely lose," thus digging a pit for Liu Bei to jump into himself.
Su Yu shook his head, sighing with regret:
"I thought General Xuande was a wise man, but I never expected that he would be blinded by a little common sense."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was immediately shocked!
If he had previously suspected that Su Yu was lying to him...
Now he was absolutely certain that Su Yu knew something he didn't!
Or rather, Su Yu did not believe that Sun Jian would suffer a crushing defeat in his battle against Hua Xiong!
If Sun Jian wins...
Liu Bei's breathing suddenly became rapid.
Compared to Sun Jian, who led the Sun family army in fierce battles during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and earned a great reputation, Liu Bei's reputation at this time was not dazzling.
He longed for the opportunity to make a name for himself and achieve great things.
Watching Sun Jian win battles while Liu Bei couldn't get a single penny out of him was incredibly disheartening for him!
"Please give me some advice, sir!"
Liu Bei clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, eager to hear Su Yu's insights on the battle between Sun Jian and Hua Xiong.
A sly smile appeared on Su Yu's face.
The prelude to the pit has already been laid.
Next, we just have to wait for Liu Bei to jump in himself!
……