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“Ayah… yes, eventually,” Dong Gongren said wearily. “But do we
truly know that he did it for the right reasons…?”
“Any reason will do when the outcome is the death of an evil man,” Zhang Yang replied.
“Fengxian is swayed by his emotions, but I genuinely believe that he will one day become the
hero that a man with his talent demands to be.”
“…Enough about Lü Bu, Lord Zhang,” Dong Gongren pleaded. “Yuan Shao plots
our destruction, and Yufuluo is retreating from Yan and coming this way; he is poised to do something,
though I know not what. He may, I hope, just be content with fleeing to Bing Province… but he
may also attack Henei.”
“And gain what…? …A fine view of the ruins of Luoyang that lay across the Yellow
River…?” Zhang Yang chortled. “He’ll cause trouble in Bing, Yu and Yan, most
probably just Bing for now, if Cao Cao’s beaten him again. As for Yuan Shao… the regents
have forbidden him to take action against recognised Han officials or Gongsun Zan. He has been ordered
to focus on defeating the Black Mountain Bandits… and Cao Cao will have far, far too much to do
to attack us on his behalf…”
*************
Word of Lü Bu and Liu Bei’s alliance of convenience in Xu Province finally started to reach their closest neighbours at around the time that Cao Cao completed his return march to Xuchang: the reactions were understandably emotional.
“Liu Bei…!” Cao Cao growled as he read the written report.
“My lord, we must discuss this with everyone,” Xun Gongda pleaded as he dismissed the
messenger from Cao Cao’s near-empty audience hall with a benign wave of his hand.
“…I… I know,” Cao Cao replied as he clutched the side of his head. “Oh,
Gongda, these men aim to kill me with headaches born of anger and worry! But I swear that I’ll
tear out their hearts with my teeth first!”
“My uncle is hurrying here, and Mister Cheng as well,” Xun Gongda continued.
“Liu Bei…! Liu Bei…!” Cao Cao said with growing anger. “First you
save the father-killers of Xu from my righteous wrath, and now you harbour that treacherous animal,
that killer of fathers and sovereigns! It is your name that will be forever synonymous
with ‘crafty villainy’, Liu Bei, and not mine! I am as I am by circumstance,
Liu Bei, but you are wicked by choice!”
“Hating Liu Bei solves nothing, Lord Cao,” Xun Gongda suggested.