Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 107 Looking on the bright side, even a powerful general with connections to the imperial family cannot be fully understood.
"General, please consider this."

Refusing our lord's marriage proposal would bring the general no benefit whatsoever, so who would advise the general to do such a thing?
"It must be someone who benefits from this!"

Yes! So who would benefit from refusing to form a marriage alliance with Yuan Shu?
Following Han Yin's words, Lü Bu quickly pictured his virtuous brother's honest and harmless face in his mind.

"You mean Liu Bei?"

He is the only one who truly desires to prevent my marriage to your lord and is eager to stop it in order to gain my support.

Han Yin nodded slightly. "Then there must be some connection between him and this important minister. If you investigate further, General, you will be able to discern the truth."

Lu Bu's eyes darkened slightly, clearly indicating that he had remembered this matter, but he remained expressionless and spoke of it again.

"That being said, refusing your lord's marriage proposal would indeed bring me no benefit whatsoever."

But what he said makes sense; agreeing to your Lord would be very bad for me.

Your lord Yuan Gonglu has always harbored ambitions to become emperor, a fact known to all.

"If I were to marry him, I would become a relative of a rebel, facing attacks from all the warlords under heaven. My Xuzhou might very well be lost along with him."

"General, you are mistaken! Everything has two sides, good and bad. Why can't you think of the good side?"

Han Yin smiled and looked at Lü Bu, a strange glint in his eyes.

"My lord Yuan Gonglu has only this one legitimate son. If the day the general speaks of truly comes to pass..."

Then he will be the Crown Prince, and the general's daughter will be the Crown Princess. In the future, she may even become the Empress, the mother of the nation. It is still uncertain whether she will become the Crown Prince.

If that is the case, then the general will be a powerful general related to the empress, and the general's grandson will one day become emperor.

The general is young and vigorous. When his grandson ascends the throne, he will hold the position of Grand General, a relative of the emperor, and his power will be known throughout the land. Who in the world will not respect him?

"The merit of founding the nation, the pinnacle of a subject's achievements—is such a future truly something the current emperor can promise the general?"

"That's true, but..."

Seeing that Lü Bu was somewhat interested, Han Yin spoke with such certainty that he preemptively interrupted before Lü Bu could refute him.

"As for what the general is worried about, it is nothing more than the fact that all the lords of the world will attack him together."

Looking at the current warlords, Cao Cao was just defeated by my lord, and Liu Bei is even more fearful, like a stray dog, facing imminent danger of extinction.

Although Yuan Shao in the north is strong, he is my lord's elder brother. General, do you know that brothers quarrel within the walls, while we defend against external humiliation?
Do you think the remaining Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, Ma Teng, Han Sui, Gongsun Zan, and the likes of others are a match for my lord?
Let alone the fact that the various feudal lords of the world each have their own ulterior motives and it is difficult for them to form an alliance and join forces, even if the whole world were to jointly punish them.

My lord is stationed in Henan and Yangzhou, commanding the Jianghuai region. He possesses the natural defenses of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, commands a million armored soldiers, has countless fierce generals and strategists, and half of the world's heroes have come from his ranks. How could he possibly be afraid?

Not to mention that your general's military prowess is unparalleled, and my lord's resources are the best in the world. With such a powerful alliance, our two families could easily conquer the entire Han Dynasty. What is there to fear?

Lu Bu was also moved by what he said. Yuan Shu was rich in money and food and famous throughout the world. Lu Bu was the best in the world in terms of martial arts and strategy.

This powerful alliance is just another example of what my adoptive father, Dong Zhuo, did, treating the northern warlords like dirt. There's no need to fear any disapproval from the world. "What you say is very true, sir. Please go and rest first, and allow me to think about it some more."

Han Yin came here with a string of lies, just as Yuan Shu had instructed him, with the sole purpose of stalling Lü Bu. As for whether the marriage alliance would succeed or not, neither he nor Yuan Shu really cared.

Seeing that Lü Bu was hesitant and would obviously struggle with the decision for a few more days, Han Yin was secretly delighted and naturally agreed.

With a solemn expression, Han Yin bowed respectfully and said, "I hope the general will make a decision soon." He then turned and left.

Lü Bu was left alone, his expression uncertain. After a while, he said to his attendants:
"Quickly invite Mr. Gongtai over for a chat."

Shortly after, Chen Gong entered, his expression solemn as he reported back.

"General, when Liu Bei visited last time, you asked me to investigate that gatekeeper, and we have made some progress."

"Oh? Please speak, sir."

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, paused before he could ask a question, and gestured for Chen Gong to speak.

"This man's surname is Huang and his given name is Beiming. His ancestors were also born into a poor family. Now his family has fallen on hard times and they are indeed a family that sells pancakes in the city."

"In that case, I was the one who was being overly suspicious."

My esteemed brother Xuande has always been approachable and kind. He often interacts with these common people, buying them a few steamed buns, and it's not uncommon for him to bump into old acquaintances.

Lu Bu nodded slightly, about to let the matter drop, but Chen Gong shook his head and smiled.

"not necessarily!
The saying goes that a knight-errant uses martial arts to break the law, and a scholar uses literature to disrupt the law. His ancestors came from a poor family, and now he is down on his luck, but he has read a few books and knows a few words.

People who understand more principles than others develop different thoughts.

The palace has already investigated and found out that this person seems to be grateful for Liu Bei's benevolence and admire his character.

In reality, he had heard a rumor from somewhere that the general had stolen Xuzhou, and secretly gathered a few friends to make connections with the villagers.

They probably had this daydream long ago that Liu Bei would one day return, rise up in Xuzhou, and restore their family's former glory.

As he spoke, his tone turned cold, and he said to Lü Bu:

"General, Huang Beiming's case is not an isolated incident. There's no smoke without fire. The people in Xuzhou are restless and yearning for Liu Bei. I'm afraid there are some troublemakers who are still causing trouble."

However, this person is very well hidden, and uses rumors and other untraceable methods, making it difficult even for me to find him, let alone for the general to find him.”

Are there restless people causing trouble and playing tricks?
The words were like a wake-up call, and Lu Bu couldn't help but recall Han Yin's question from earlier.

[Refusing the marriage alliance would bring no benefit to the general, so who would actually benefit?]

(End of this chapter)