“Turmoil”: Battle for the Han Empire sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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“Ah, yes, but do I have a man like Chen Gong on my side?” Liu Bei retorted. “I have no proper
advisers, gentlemen. I have no professional schemer that can anticipate the actions of men like Chen Gong. I have
politicians like you and Chen Yuanfang; I have warriors, like Yunchang, and Yide; but where are my proper advisers? I
must ingratiate myself with Bu and hope that Chen Gong has no plan like the one he used against Cao Cao… because
if those two men intend to steal my province… there is very little that I can do about it.”
“There is,” Guan Yu said plainly. “You can order me to fight them. I’m not afraid of Lü Bu.
Get Yide here, and put the Danyang Brigades and Chen Dao’s unit on your front lines. Only Zhang Liao and Gao Shun
concern me: the rest are scruffy bandits.”
“A reckless plan!” Liu Bei cried. “Lü Bu is unmatched in single combat, and his men are every bit
the equal of my Danyang men, who are more likely to defect to him than his to me! No… if I antagonise him, he will
definitely defeat me and seize Xu… and I cannot inflict that on the people.”
Guan Yu sighed sadly and replied, “I think that you are wrong, but… I concede. But I shall watch the man
and his allies nonetheless, and act of my own free will if I see no choice.”
Liu Bei endured the banquet despite Lü Bu repeatedly calling him ‘Younger Brother’ and treating him in a patronising manner once the alcohol removed his ability to feign good nature. Chen Gong, Wang Kai and Xu Si observed Liu Bei with disdain, since the timid countenance of the man did not reflect the power that Bei held as a provincial governor; Chen Gong’s greatest disdain was reserved for Lü Bu, however, who undid all of his previous attempts at civility with his drunken behaviour.
The next day, everyone began preparations for the long journey east to the Xu Provincial capital, Xiapi: however, Lü Bu agreed to remain in Xiaopei with his followers when he saw the reactions of Liu Bei’s vassals to his behaviour at the banquet. Chen Gong was quietly disappointed, but their being in Xu Province at all would suffice for what he had planned.
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