The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

Gao Shun's words were like a sudden awakening.

Yes, Lu Bu was invincible, but his subordinates, aside from those who could fight, were also capable fighters.

He gets a headache whenever he needs to use his brain.

That old man Wang Yun has been increasingly distrustful of him lately, constantly hindering him and causing him endless annoyance.

He needs his own team, and he needs smart people who can advise him.

"You mean..." Lu Bu looked at Gao Shun, his eyes sharpening.

"My lord should treat the virtuous and talented with respect and recruit them," Gao Shun said slowly, but each word was clear.

A glint of light flashed in Lü Bu's eyes. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"That's right! Why should I, Lü Bu, submit to anyone! I want these two!"

The mornings at the inn were always a bit noisy.

Before dawn, Sun Ce practiced his spear in the courtyard, the wind whistling through the air as he released all the pent-up frustration of the night.

Zhou Yu sat under the eaves, holding a bowl of congee, watching his close friend's figure, but there was no sign of relaxation in his expression.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves and armor clashing came from outside the post station. The noise was so loud that it alerted Sun Ce and Zhou Yu in the courtyard.

Dian Wei's towering figure appeared in front of Guo Jia and Xun Hao's room immediately, his double halberds held in front of his chest, his tiger-like eyes warily staring at the direction of the courtyard gate.

The innkeeper came to announce, "Distinguished guests, Lord Wen...Lord Wen has arrived in person!"

Before the words were even finished, a tall and imposing figure, surrounded by a group of generals, strode into the courtyard.

Today, Lü Bu was dressed in a black outfit that made him look even more imposing. He spotted Sun Ce in the courtyard at a glance, then glanced at Dian Wei blocking the door, and finally fixed his gaze on the closed door. He said loudly, "Fengxian has come to pay his respects to Mr. Guo and Mr. Xun. Please grant me an audience."

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

So Lu Bu has also taken a liking to those two? He even went to their door to recruit them in person?

Lu Bu cut to the chase, making no attempt to conceal his intentions: "My troops have no shortage of fierce warriors charging into battle, but what they lack are strategists like you two. If you were to join my ranks, I would treat you with the utmost respect, unlike that old man Wang Yun, who is all talk and no action, always on guard!"

Gao Shun, who was following behind him, also bowed respectfully to Guo Jia and Xun Hao, his eyes full of sincerity.

Upon hearing this, Xun Hao feigned serious consideration: "Lord Wen's words have somewhat tempted Jia. To be honest, if we had to choose between Lord Wen and Minister Wang, we would naturally lean more towards Lord Wen."

Lü Bu was overjoyed.

"But..." Guo Jia continued, looking troubled. "As you know, Marquis Wen, we have come here on the orders of our lord to seek a formal appointment as Governor of Yan Province for him. We cannot leave until this matter is settled. For now, we must continue to feign compliance with Minister Wang."

"What's so difficult about that!" Lü Bu waved his hand, appearing exceptionally magnanimous. "As long as you follow me, what does Cao Mengde's appointment matter?"

Just as Guo Jia was about to speak, Xun Hao's cold voice rang out.

"Lord Wen has shown us undeserved favor, which we, Fengxiao, understand. However, since we have been entrusted with this task by Lord Cao and receive his salary, we should be loyal to him. To turn to another before the mission is complete would be untrustworthy and disloyal to our lord. Such a treacherous act is not the behavior of a gentleman. The foundation of our Xun clan is loyalty and trustworthiness. If I, Hao, betray our lord for my own future, how can Lord Wen trust me in the future?"

Lu Bu's smile froze, and an unnamed anger rose in his chest. He slammed his fist on the table!

"How ungrateful!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to completely collapse, Gao Shun quickly stepped forward and bowed to Lü Bu.

"My lord, please calm your anger."

He turned to Xun Hao and Guo Jia, his eyes filled with admiration. "My lord, I believe that what Mr. Xun said is absolutely right. Such a person who keeps his word and upholds righteousness is truly a pillar of society worthy of trust."

"If they can easily betray Cao Cao today, who knows if they won't betray their lord in the future? Only people of such upright character can be entrusted with important responsibilities without worrying about them harboring rebellious intentions."

Gao Shun's original intention was to analyze the pros and cons for Lü Bu, and to advise him to cherish talent and be patient.

But these words took on a different meaning when they reached Lü Bu's ears.

To betray so easily?

Keep your word?

Throughout his journey, Lü Bu first killed Ding Yuan and then murdered Dong Zhuo. Wasn't he "easily betrayed" each time?

Was Gao Shun praising Xun Hao, or was he subtly mocking Lü Bu as a faithless and treacherous villain?

Lu Bu's handsome face turned from red to green, and then from green to white.

He stared intently at Gao Shun, and in the end, without saying a word, he flicked his sleeves heavily, turned around and left, his back view filled with undisguised anger and murderous intent.

Gao Shun bowed apologetically to Guo Jia and Xun Hao, then quickly followed. Only after Lü Bu and his entourage had completely disappeared outside the inn's gate did Sun Ce, who had watched the entire process from across the courtyard wall, stride over.

Dian Wei's towering figure stood motionless in front of the door.

Sun Ce didn't seem to care. He looked at the two composed men inside the door through Dian Wei, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Have you truly pledged allegiance to him?"

These words sounded perfectly reasonable, and a strange feeling rose in Xun Hao's heart.

Is this person born in the Year of the Goldfish? Do they only have a six-second memory?

Yesterday at the Situ residence, they were pointing fingers at each other and cursing each other's short lives. Today, they're acting like nothing happened, coming over to discuss life choices?

Seeing that they did not answer, Sun Ce assumed they were still hesitating and continued to persuade them: "Although I respect Lü Bu's martial prowess, his temperament is unstable, and he has changed allegiances many times. He is not a wise ruler. Although I have not been close to Cao Mengde, judging from his actions, he is a hundred times better than Lü Bu."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two men, and there was a genuine hint of serious recruitment in his eyes.

"Of course, if you two are not happy in Cao Cao's camp and have been ostracized, you may consider following me. Although I, Sun Bofu, am not talented, I will never mistreat truly capable people."

Guo Jia already held a grudge against him for cursing Xun Hao yesterday, and now, hearing him shamelessly trying to poach Xun Hao's talent, he couldn't help but laugh in anger.

He strolled out lazily from behind Xun Hao, his peach blossom eyes glancing sideways at Sun Ce, his tone full of sarcasm.

"We dare not presume to be worthy of General Sun. What if we offend him one day and he hurls a spear at us and pierces us with it? Yanruo and I are no match for the General, so we dare not take the risk."

These words were a reference to his attempted assassination in the street.

Sun Ce's face flushed slightly, a rare occurrence for him. He wasn't an unreasonable person, but rather impatient and prone to losing his temper.

Now that I've calmed down, I realize that I acted rashly that day and said some inappropriate things yesterday.