For the princes, pursuing Dong is just a name, and seeking profit is the reality.
It is not easy to encounter troubled times, it is not easy to reach a high position, it is not easy to recruit troops, and it is not easy to be in power. Is it wrong for us to strive for more benefits for ourselves?
We have worked hard to save this bureau, and we have worked hard to raise the soldiers and horses under our command. Why should we waste it for the sake of the emperor and the promotion of the common people in Luoyang City.
If I kill all my troops, who will look at me seriously in the future?
No, no, absolutely not!
Seeing that Cao Cao and Liu Bei proposed to raise troops, all the princes turned around and spoke against him.
Some people say that Dong's thieves are powerful and should be taken care of slowly.
It is said that the Xiliang army is elite and should not be underestimated.
Some people say that Luoyang is easy to defend but difficult to attack, so long-term planning is needed.
What's more, they directly used the fact that Yuan Shao hadn't arrived yet as an excuse to wait for their leader, Yuan Da, to arrive before making any plans.
Since everyone has elected you to be the leader of the alliance, when you enjoy great fame, you must rush to the front and set an example.
The princes discussed for a while, but in the end they only wanted to express one thing - it's so fun to chat, drink and brag here, who wants to really fight with Dong Zhuo!
The same goes for you, Cao Cao and Liu Bei. They are almost at the level of princes. Why are you still acting like little babies? It's childish!
Of course, it’s not that no one is willing to send troops.
After Liu Bei and Cao Cao, two people also stood up and asked for troops to attack Dong. One is Zang Hong and the other is Bao Xin.
Zang Hong was one of the few loyal to the Han Dynasty among the princes. As for Bao Xin, he simply supported Cao Cao.
It's a pity that the voices of the four people were still too low, and they were quickly drowned in the prevarication of the princes.
After a meeting, no consensus could be reached and the meeting ended on bad terms.
Compared with Liu Bei's loss, Cao Cao was particularly angry. After he pulled Liu Bei out of the meeting hall, he couldn't help but cursed inside.
"A bunch of mediocre people are not enough to achieve great things!"
Liu Bei nodded silently, his face not looking good.
"Now the coalition forces are gathering jujubes, Yuan Gongzhu is in Luyang, and Benchu is in Hanoi. If the three armies attack together, taking Dong's head will be like trying to retrieve something from a bag!
Such a great opportunity, but we are afraid to move forward. If this continues, the big thing will come to an end! "
Cao Cao's face turned red with anger, spittle flew everywhere, and his words were full of anger that hated iron.
Cao Mengde, who has determined since childhood to be a general of the Han Dynasty in conquering the West, and has never been stabbed in the back, now still has a passion for serving the country, but he just hates that he has nowhere to show it.
Seeing that Cao Cao was getting more and more excited as he spoke, and he seemed to be tending to greet the women with the same household registration among the princes, Bao Xin behind him quickly stretched out his hand to pull her.
"Mengde, be careful what you say..."
"Be careful what you say, be careful what you say!"
Cao Cao was furious, but in the end he did not continue to scold him.
Next to him, Liu Bei remained silent, and the coldness in his eyes became more and more obvious.
Obviously, after this incident, he had completely seen the faces of the princes.
After Cao Cao scolded for a while, maybe he was tired of scolding or maybe he was relieved, his excitement finally calmed down a little, and he turned to Liu Bei with a red face: "What are Xuande's plans next?"
Liu Bei shook his head.
"The princes fear Dong like a tiger. Although I have the desire to serve the country, I have a small army and few generals, so I have no choice but to do anything."
Although he and Cao Cao admired each other, they were not close friends yet, so they naturally would not tell Cao Cao about Zhang Heng's plan.
Cao Cao immediately said angrily: "Cao Cao disagrees with Xuande's words. We have spent all our wealth to raise soldiers and horses, how can we return without success? Even if all the princes in the world are unwilling to march, I, Cao Mengde, will march against Dong." , uphold justice! Xuande, are you willing to go with me?"
To be honest, Liu Bei really wanted to agree. The purpose of his trip was to march into Luoyang.
Just when Liu Bei was about to reply, a clear voice came from not far away.
"Mr. Cao has such a great ambition, I admire him!"
The three of them turned around and saw Zhang Heng slowly walking out with a faint smile on his face.
Cao Cao did not comment on the compliment and just hummed.
He remembered clearly that during the argument just now, Zhang Heng said nothing and seemed to be watching a play, which left a very bad impression on him.
"Xuande, are you going or not?" Cao Cao asked again.
Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said: "Brother Meng De kindly invites you. Bei shouldn't refuse, but no matter what..."
"Okay, okay, since I'm not going, there's no need to say anything. I'll just go and beg Dong."
Before he could finish his words, Cao Cao interrupted him with a wave of his hand, and looked at Liu Bei with a hint of disappointment.
Why are the people with lofty ideals that I admire so timid?
No matter what, I just thought I was mistaken.
Next to him, Bao Xin saw that Cao Cao was not joking, so he quickly tried to dissuade him: "Meng De, do you really want to go alone to challenge Dong?"
"Once a man has made his word, it is hard to follow him!"
Cao Cao used his body like Wu Dalang to say these powerful words.
"No, Meng De!" Bao Xin quickly stopped Cao Cao, "Dong's thieves are so powerful that if you go alone, it's like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth. This matter must be considered in the long run. Besides, the princes have not said not to send troops, so you are Why rush."
"If you don't hurry, the traitor Dong will usurp the throne!" Cao Cao said with anger on his face, "Yuncheng, I don't ask you to go with me, but if you still consider me, Cao Mengde, as a friend, don't stop me. I will die in battle if I go. The battlefield is better than being with these mediocre people!"
"this……"
Bao Xin was speechless for a moment and looked a little embarrassed.
Emotionally, he wanted to follow Cao Cao, but the actual situation did not allow it. He was He Jin's subordinate back then, and now he recognized Yuan Shao as the alliance leader, so he naturally had to wait for Yuan Benchu's orders.
After frowning and thinking for a moment, Bao Xin said with a guilty look on his face: "Mengde, if you insist on going, I will send my brother-in-law with three thousand troops to help you, how about that?"
In this situation, it is not easy for Bao Xin to do this.
Cao Cao was still angry, but he was not carried away. Hearing this, he cupped his hands at Bao Xin and said, "In that case, thank you Yuncheng."
"You and I are brothers, so why should we be so indifferent? Let's go and let me choose my troops."
As he spoke, Bao Xin bowed his hands to Liu Bei and Zhang Heng, then took Cao Cao away, leaving Liu Bei alone with a wry smile.
At this time, Zhang Heng slowly walked over.
"After this incident, I'm afraid Mengde will misunderstand me more in the future." Liu Bei shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Is Mr. Xuande afraid of misunderstanding?"
"Of course I'm afraid."
"Oh, why is this?" Zhang Heng asked with curiosity on his face. This was not in line with the answer he expected, nor in line with Liu Bei's personality.
"Rumors can kill people invisible, so how can we not be afraid of them?"
Hearing this, Zhang Heng was slightly startled, then nodded.
"That's true. The Duke of Zhou was afraid of rumors. When Wang Mang was courteous and did not usurp it, Xiangshi died that year. Who knows whether it is true or not?"
If a person is always misunderstood and cannot prove his innocence until the day he dies, then he becomes a real villain.
"Zi Yi's words are thought-provoking." Liu Bei said with deep emotion.
"But don't worry, Mr. Xuande. It won't take long before we can prove it with actual actions." Zhang Heng smiled and said, "Now the princes are unwilling to challenge Dong, but we can't delay here any longer. Please also Xuande The Duke comes forward to bid farewell to Liu Gongshan."
"Farewell?" Liu Bei asked doubtfully.
"Yes, it's just a farewell, but we have to say something in name." Zhang Heng explained, "We can use the name of gathering information for the coalition forces to lead the army westward and go to the Yin territory of Henan to recruit troops."
"Henan Yin Boundary!?"
Liu Bei exclaimed, unable to believe his ears.
