Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 148 Liu Bei Displays His Power, Yuan Shu Cuts Off His Beard and Discards His Robe (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
However, this curse was weak and feeble.

Yuan Shu had been cursing Liu Bei and Sun Jian every day for the past few days. He was exhausted and hungry, and his energy had long since dissipated.

Regardless of whether there was honey water or not, Yuan Shu hastily ate some food at Wuguan Pass and was about to rest when he saw the banner of "Liu, the Imperial Uncle and Governor of Yongzhou" in the distance.

"That big-eared thief is actually going to chase us!"

Yuan Shu was terrified and, disregarding his exhaustion, changed into a warhorse from Wuguan Pass and hurriedly left the pass towards Wancheng.

Once they reach Wancheng, Yuan Shu will be able to recall the troops from Luyang to defend the city.

In order to bluff and mislead Huang Wan, Yuan Shu still had more than 10,000 men in Luyang, which was also Yuan Shu's source of confidence.

At that time, the offensive and defensive positions will be reversed, and with the advantage of the city's terrain, there will be no need to fear Liu Bei's attack.

The remaining remnants of the army and the thousand or so men on Wuguan Pass, seeing that Yuan Shu had fled, dared not linger at Wuguan Pass. They abandoned their armor and fled lightly equipped.

When you're escaping for your life, the faster you run, the better your chances of survival.

However, it was not easy for Yuan Shu to escape back to Wancheng. Not long after leaving Wuguan Pass, Liu Bei also led his elite cavalry out of the pass.

Once outside Wuguan Pass, the terrain gradually becomes more open and advantageous for cavalry operations.

"My lord, Yuan Shu fled towards Wancheng."

After interrogating several fleeing soldiers, Chen Dao confirmed the direction Yuan Shu had fled in.

"Shuzhi, send some cavalry to spread the news of Yuan Shu's defeat in the counties of Nanyang. I want to make sure that Yuan Shu has no place to stand in Nanyang."

Liu Bei stared coldly in the direction of Wancheng. If he wanted to intimidate Yuan Shu, he had to intimidate him to the extreme.

"drive!"

With a slight tug on the reins, Liu Bei led his cavalry in a rapid pursuit along the direction of Wancheng.

On the banks of the Jun River, Yuan Shu released his horse to drink water and leaned on his sword, panting.

Having fled from Wuguan, Yuan Shu had been on the run for most of the day. Even though he had changed horses, the horses were still strong, but his manpower was almost exhausted.

Yuan Shu no longer had the strength to curse the big-eared traitor. If he had a beautiful woman by his side, he would just want to lie still.

Yang Hong, Huang Yi, and others also looked exhausted.

Fifty thousand men marched to attack Chang'an, but only a few hundred cavalrymen accompanied Yuan Shu, and it was unknown how many of the remaining troops would return.

Such a crushing defeat instilled fear in Yang Hong towards Liu Bei.

Previously in Runan, although Yang Hong was defeated, he did not think Liu Bei was that great. He firmly believed that victory and defeat were common in war, which allowed Liu Bei to win by chance.

Now, as Yang Hong marched to Chang'an, he felt a deep sense of frustration: the 50,000 troops personally led by Yuan Shu, a nobleman of the Yuan family who had served as high-ranking officials for four generations, had suffered a crushing defeat in Guanzhong.
If he hadn't been chased for hundreds of miles, Yang Hong would have doubted whether he was dreaming.

Yang Hong seemed to see his boastful words in Luyang, Wuguan, Yaoguan, Lantian, and during the retreat, one by one appearing before his eyes, and then turning into slaps that fiercely beat down on his face.

"After this defeat, I'm afraid our lord will find it difficult to maintain his foothold in Nanyang," Yang Hong muttered to himself, his heart filled with worry.

They had barely rested when they noticed unusual activity behind them.

The banner proclaiming "Liu Huangshu, Governor of Yongzhou" fluttering in the wind startled Yuan Shu, causing his expression to change drastically.

Before he could even feel resentful, Yuan Shu hurriedly turned and left.

Yang Hong, Huang Yi, and other riders were also in a state of panic.

If you can't beat them when there are more of them, you'll be even less likely to beat them when there are fewer of them.

At this moment, Yuan Shu and his men had no other thought but to flee for their lives.

Seeing Yuan Shu fleeing in panic ahead, Liu Bei merely sneered and ordered, "Pass on my order: the one in the red robe is Yuan Shu!"

Soon, shouts of "The one in the red robe is Yuan Shu!" rang out behind Yuan Shu.

Without even looking behind him, Yuan Shu decisively tore off the red robe: "A mere red robe is nothing to me, Yuan Shu."

However, not long after the red robe was thrown away, a louder shout came from behind: "The one with the long beard is Yuan Shu."

Yuan Shu's expression changed drastically. Looking around at the short-bearded men on either side, he was both angry and annoyed. "What did I do to deserve this long beard?"
Just then, another arrow flew past Yuan Shu's side. If it had been slightly off, it would have hit Yuan Shu, which terrified him.

As he heard the voice behind him getting closer and closer saying, "The long-bearded man is Yuan Shu," Yuan Shu's expression changed constantly.

A moment later, Yuan Shu hardened his heart and actually drew his sword and cut off his long beard.

Looking at the severed beard in his palm, a surge of resentment welled up inside him, and the pain made Yuan Shu want to curse.

My beautiful beard!

I've had this beautiful beard for decades!
That hateful big-eared thief!

People from aristocratic families like Yuan Shu often considered it beautiful to have long beards, which also served to highlight their status and distinguish them from others.

On ordinary days, Yuan Shu also took great care of his long-grown beard, employing several dedicated teams.

Now, in order to escape, Yuan Shu had no choice but to painfully cut off and discard his long beard; one can imagine the sorrow in his heart.

Before Yuan Shu could recover from the grief of losing his long beard, he suddenly heard from behind, "The one with the short beard is Yuan Shu," and Yuan Shu's hand holding the reins stiffened involuntarily.

That damned woman!

On purpose?

Yuan Shu felt his blood boil and could no longer contain his surging anger, so he spat out a mouthful of blood.

You big-eared scoundrel, I will never let you get away with this!

After Yuan Shu crossed the Junshui Bridge, Liu Bei did not continue the pursuit, but instead sent Chen Dao to send cavalry to spread the news.

The message was simple and direct: Yuan Shu cut off his beard and abandoned his robe, fleeing in panic.

For aristocratic families like Yuan Shu, face is sometimes more important than victory or defeat.

Even if they were to lose, the Yuan family could easily muster tens of thousands of troops with their resources.

But if he lost face, even if he could still gather troops and supplies in Nanyang, Yuan Shu would have no face to stay in Nanyang any longer.

As long as Yuan Shu stayed in Nanyang, Liu Bei in Chang'an and Liu Biao in Xiangyang would send people from time to time to inquire whether Yuan Shu was comparable to Yuan Shao of Hebei, who had cut off his beard and abandoned his robe.

This time, Liu Bei intends to ensure that Yuan Shu has no foothold in Nanyang.

After fleeing for more than ten miles, seeing that Liu Bei was no longer pursuing him, Yuan Shu sat dejectedly on his horse, his right hand trembling as he stroked his severed beard.

A constant wailing and rage welled up within him: My beautiful beard! You big-eared thief! I will surely kill you one day! "With Liu Bei's strength, he had many opportunities to catch up with our lord, yet each time he only managed to touch him and then stop. I'm afraid he did it on purpose."

Huang Yi carefully observed Yuan Shu's expression.

Huang Yi sensed something was wrong when they were traveling from Yaoguan to Wuguan.

Today, when Liu Bei was chasing Yuan Shu, the arrow shot at Yuan Shu made Huang Yi even more convinced of his suspicions.

At that distance, even Huang Yi, who was not good at archery, could have hit Yuan Shu, but he just happened to pass by Yuan Shu.

And the cavalrymen at the forefront seemed to be specifically targeting Yuan Shu.

As soon as Yuan Shu took off his red robe, people said he had a long beard. But as soon as he cut off his long beard, people said he had a short beard.

After crossing the Junshui wooden bridge, they stopped chasing altogether.

The wooden bridge isn't broken, so why would we be afraid it will suddenly break?
Huang Yi would never believe it unless it was done intentionally.

As soon as Huang Yi spoke, Yang Hong shared the same feeling and echoed with a snort, "Liu Bei is probably deliberately mocking our lord, trying to ruin our reputation in Nanyang. How malicious!"

Yuan Shu was irritated and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't want to hear this. Is there a good plan to prevent Liu Bei from pursuing us?"

Huang Yi kept his head down and remained silent; if he had a good plan, he would have spoken up long ago.

Yang Hong thought for a moment and said, "My lord, why don't you send scouts to Luyang to lure Qiao Rui? Liu Bei has been chasing us for a long time, and even if he has plenty of manpower, he should be exhausted. If he sees Qiao Rui leading troops to reinforce us, he will surely not dare to pursue us any further!"

Yuan Shu turned to Huang Yi and said, "You, go to Luyang immediately."

Huang Yi was also exhausted. He wanted to refuse but was stopped by Yuan Shu's cold gaze. He could only reply, "Don't worry, my lord, I will bring reinforcements."

After enduring a difficult night, the next morning, fearing that Liu Bei would pursue them again, Yuan Shu decided to split his forces into two groups.

Yang Hong led a hundred riders directly to Wancheng.

Yuan Shu then led a dozen or so riders south to Rangcheng, and then back to Wancheng via Rangcheng.

The fewer people around Yuan Shu had, the smaller his target became.

With Yang Hong acting as bait, Yuan Shu was indeed no longer caught up by Liu Bei's cavalry and successfully arrived outside Rangcheng.

Just when Yuan Shu thought he could enter Rangcheng to rest and recuperate, the "Liu" banner suddenly appeared on the city wall.

Upon hearing the news of Yuan Shu's defeat, Xu You set off from Yin County and, overnight, led Zhang Zi and Huang Zhong to seize Rang City.

Xu You had planned to attack Wancheng again, but unexpectedly, Yuan Shu called for help at the city gates.

"Oh, isn't this Yuan Gonglu from Runan? Do you still recognize Xu Ziyuan from Nanyang?" Xu You looked down at the disheveled Yuan Shu, his tone full of mockery.

Upon seeing that it was Xu You, Yuan Shu breathed a slight sigh of relief. He forced a smile and said, "Xu You, you also have quite a history with my Yuan family. If you are willing to help me, I will surely let you enjoy wealth and honor."

"Hahaha—" Xu You laughed loudly: "Yuan Shu, you are nothing but a rebel, and now that you have been defeated, what wealth and honor do you still have to give me?"

Yuan Shu was furious and wanted to reprimand Xu You, but he was constrained by the situation and could only force a smile again: "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Yuan Shu's disciples and former officials are all over the world. If I want to grant you wealth and honor, what difficulty is there? Open the city gates quickly and I will talk to you in detail after we enter the city."

Xu You's tone was even more mocking: "Yuan Shu, I forgot to tell you, my current identity is the Military Advisor of Yongzhou. I dare to open the city gates, but do you dare to enter the city?"

Yuan Shu's expression changed drastically: "Weren't you working for Yuan Shao? When did you become a military advisor in Yongzhou?"

“This is a long story, and you certainly don’t have the time to listen.” Xu You glanced at Yuan Shu and the dozen or so men and their mounts behind him, and said, “Now I’ll give you two choices. First, I’ll send troops to capture you alive; second, leave your warhorse behind, and you can leave.”

Yuan Shu squinted: "Since you serve Liu Bei, why don't you just capture me alive and ask Liu Bei for credit? Could it be that you are deliberately serving Liu Bei, but in reality you are pretending to serve Liu Bei on Yuan Shao's orders?"

“Yuan Shu, you really know how to guess. Don’t use such a clumsy divisive tactic.” Xu You laughed: “Initially, I planned to capture you. I had already chosen the soldiers and generals. The men behind me can draw a bow with a draw weight of two stones and hit the target every time. Whether it’s capturing you or killing you, it will be as easy as turning my hand.”

“But then I received news that Yuan Shu cut off his beard and abandoned his robe, fleeing in panic. Upon hearing this news, I understood my uncle’s intention. Since my uncle did not intend to capture or kill you, I would not gain any merit if I did.”

“But since I’m here, I can’t leave empty-handed. Leave your warhorse and you can go; if you refuse to listen to my reasoning, then I’ll have no choice but to take it by force.”

Yuan Shu was so angry that his hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Xu You!"

"Yes, I'm listening."

"."

Watching the city gate slowly open, and Huang Zhong, whom Xu You called "able to draw a bow of two stones and hit the target every time," riding out of the city with his bow in hand, looking like he would forcibly take it if not given to him.

Yuan Shu chose to back down.

A true man can bend and stretch; as long as he can save his life, what does it matter if he suffers a little grievance?
As Yuan Shu and his men abandoned their horses and fled, laughter rose again from the city walls.

"Military Advisor Xu, are you really going to let Yuan Shu go?" Zhang Zi found it hard to understand. Why keep Yuan Shu alive when you should eliminate evil completely?

Xu You composed himself and said, "It would be easy for Liu Bei to capture Yuan Shu. However, the Yuan family has a deep foundation and will not collapse just because Yuan Shu lost a battle. On the contrary, Yuan Shu's death will cause the Yuan family's century-long accumulation to fall into Yuan Shao's hands."

"If Yuan Shu is spared, the former officials and followers of the Yuan family in Jing, Yu, Yang and Xu provinces will be under his command, instead of Yuan Shao becoming the only one in power. As the art of war says, divide their forces and then attack them. That is the principle."

"When I gathered troops in Nanyang, I only intended to drive Yuan Shu away rather than capture and kill him. I didn't expect that before I could even make a move, Liu Bei had already killed Yuan Shu, leaving him with only a dozen or so riders who fled in panic."

Xu You's tone was tinged with pride as he extended a recruitment invitation to Zhang Zi: "Uncle Liu values ​​talent the most. If you are interested, you can come with me to Guanzhong."

Zhang Zixin had a longing in his heart, but quickly shook his head: "I am now an official in Jingzhou. Since Liu Jingzhou has not betrayed me, how can I abandon him? If I do, even if I go to Guanzhong, I will be looked down upon."

Seeing that Zhang Zi was unwilling, Xu You continued, "Everyone has their own ambitions, and I will not persuade you further. Now, Liu Huangshu and Liu Jingzhou have a blood oath alliance, and I hope that we can have frequent contact in the future."

"I had the same thought," Zhang Zi hurriedly replied. When it comes to social etiquette, one must be mindful of social interactions and not truly shut people out.

As Xu You said, Liu Bei and Liu Biao had a blood oath and were now allies. Even though they served different masters, they could still interact.

Then, Xu You said to Huang Zhong, who had climbed the city wall, "Colonel Huang, now that Liu Bei has defeated Yuan Shu, I must return to Guanzhong to report back. Can you go with me to Yin County to pick up Huang Xu and Wei Yan first, and then we can go to Wuguan to find Liu Bei together?"

Originally, Huang Zhong intended to send Huang Xu and Wei Yan to Yicheng, but because Liu Biao was busy eliminating the traitors, Huang Zhong was worried that something might happen to the two of them. At Xu You's suggestion, he took the two of them to Yin County instead.

Although he had joined Liu Bei, Huang Zhong had never met Liu Bei and had not yet made any great contributions.

Huang Zhong couldn't help but feel uneasy: "Military Advisor Xu, I haven't accomplished anything yet. Will it be appropriate for me to go see Liu Bei like this?"

Xu You saw Huang Zhong's predicament and smiled to comfort him: "Colonel Huang, there is no need to worry. Liu Huangshu values ​​brave warriors very much, and Colonel Huang is someone Liu Huangshu wanted to recruit in the past. How could Liu Huangshu look down on Colonel Huang just because he has not made any contributions?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After bidding farewell to Zhang Zi, he and Xu You headed to Yin County.

Watching Huang Zhong and Xu You leave, Zhang Zi couldn't help but sigh and lament, "I never imagined that Yuan Shu would suffer such a crushing defeat. Liu Bei's bravery and skill in battle are truly well-deserved!"

(End of this chapter)