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

While Xun Yu focused his attention on Cao Cao, Xun Hao continued to wander among the various camps with Guo Jia in tow.

"Let's go see Gongsun Zan," Xun Hao suggested. "I've heard his White Horse Cavalry is famous throughout the land; let's go and broaden our horizons."

Guo Jia yawned and replied lazily, "Fine, I'm just killing time anyway."

The two walked side by side and arrived at Gongsun Zan's camp.

In stark contrast to the extravagance of Yuan Shao's camp and the pragmatism of Cao Cao's, this place was filled with the ruggedness unique to the northern nobles. The air was thick with the pungent smell of horses and strong liquor. The soldiers in the camp were mostly tall knights, each one spirited, yet their brows carried a hint of arrogance and fierceness characteristic of frontier troops.

Xun Hao and Guo Jia, one dressed in pristine white with a cool and aloof air, the other in flowing black robes with a free and unrestrained air, walked among this group of rugged men like two white cranes among wolves, standing out from the crowd and attracting many curious and scrutinizing glances.

Just then, in a corner of the camp, a figure who was repairing armor around a campfire suddenly stopped what he was doing.

"Brother, look at those two." A man with a leopard-like head and piercing eyes, and a booming voice, nudged the person next to him with his elbow.

The leader looked up, following his sworn brother's gaze. He saw two refined young men walking slowly past. The two seemed to belong to a different world from this chaotic camp.

Since raising his army, Liu Bei had always longed for strategists to assist him. Seeing that these two men possessed extraordinary bearing and were no ordinary people, his desire ignited instantly, like dry tinder thrown into a spark.

He immediately put down his work, stood up, and said to his two sworn brothers beside him, "You wait here, I'll go take a look."

After saying this, he quickly stepped forward and stopped a few steps away from Xun Hao and Guo Jia, and respectfully bowed.

"My name is Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande. Seeing that you two gentlemen have extraordinary bearing and are not from the army, I have taken the liberty of stepping forward to ask your esteemed names?" He adopted a humble posture and spoke earnestly, which made him very likable.

Before Guo Jia could speak, Xun Hao returned the greeting politely: "My name is Xun Hao, courtesy name Yanruo. This is my friend, Guo Jia. We have only come to observe the Allied forces' military bearing and have no intention of disturbing you."

"Xun Hao?" Liu Bei murmured, then his eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is he from the Xun family of Yingchuan?"

"It's right at my doorstep."

Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Liu Bei's expression instantly shifted from respect to near-devout reverence. He bowed deeply again, his voice tinged with excitement.

"So you are from the prestigious Xun family! Xuande, I have been disrespectful! I have long heard of the Xun family of Yingchuan, whose members are all extraordinary talents. To meet you today is truly an honor!"

His commotion caused the two men by the fire not far away to stand up as well. The man with a face as red as a jujube simply nodded slightly, while the one with a leopard-like head and piercing eyes glared at him, strode over, and asked in a gruff voice, "Brother, why are you arguing with these two pretty boys? They don't look like they can take a beating."

"Yide, don't be rude! Step back immediately!" Liu Bei quickly whispered, a hint of apology on his face. "This is my third brother, Zhang Fei. He is rather rough, so I hope you gentlemen won't take offense."

He warmly invited Xun Hao and Guo Jia to sit down by the fire, his longing for talented people almost overflowing from his eyes.

During their conversation, Xun Hao discovered that the future Emperor Zhaolie of Han was extremely sincere. He spoke mostly of the suffering of the people he had witnessed along the way. When talking about the displaced and starving commoners, he often sighed with regret. His benevolence was ingrained in his very being, not a pretense.

While Guan Yu was as steady as a mountain and as fierce as fire, the way they looked at Liu Bei was filled with unconditional trust and respect. Such a bond of camaraderie, where they would entrust their lives to each other, was especially precious among the allied forces of the warlords.

After several verbal probing attempts, Liu Bei finally couldn't suppress his desire. He straightened his already simple clothes and solemnly bowed to Xun Hao.

"I deeply admire Mr. Yanruo's talent! Although I come from humble origins, with no more than a hundred soldiers and two generals, I still aspire to restore the Han Dynasty and save the people! If you do not despise my ignorance, I am willing to treat you with the respect due to a teacher and seek your guidance day and night!"

Faced with such a solemn offer from the future Emperor Zhaolie of Han, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted. Xun Hao felt a slight ripple in his heart, but he knew that Liu Bei was definitely not the best choice.

He stood up, helped Liu Bei to his feet, and smiled gently and apologetically: "Lord Xuande is benevolent, and I admire him greatly. However, I am but a commoner, without any official rank, and bound by my clan's orders, so I dare not act on my own. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly discuss the world with Lord Xuande again."

After being rejected, Liu Bei could not hide his disappointment. "Since that's the case, I dare not insist." He personally saw Xun Hao and Guo Jia off at the camp gate, repeatedly expressing his regret and expectations. "I only hope that if you have time in the future, you will definitely come to my place again, and we can drink and chat happily."

After leaving Liu Bei's camp and walking quite a distance, Guo Jia glanced sideways at Xun Hao and spoke with a half-smile.

"I have a feeling that your visit to Gongsun Zan's camp today wasn't just to see the White Horse Cavalry?" He leaned closer to Xun Hao, lowered his voice, and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Moreover, your attitude towards Liu Bei is somewhat... unusual."

Xun Hao looked at him, puzzled: "What's the difference?"

"Oh?" Guo Jia raised an eyebrow, took a step back, and stood with his arms crossed. "You're being a bit too polite. If you hadn't mentioned that your clan had given the order, I would have really thought that you were considering joining them."

He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "That Liu Bei is quite interesting. He has no more than a hundred soldiers and no more than two generals, yet his ambitions are sky-high. He says he has the ambition to restore the Han Dynasty, but from what I hear, it's clear that he's unwilling to be subordinate to anyone. I'm afraid Gongsun Zan won't be able to keep him."

Xun Hao paused, then turned to look at him.

Guo Jia stopped and looked at him, his peach blossom eyes filled with a hint of inquiry: "What? Did I say something wrong? Or do you really want to join him?"

Xun Hao shook his head, sighing inwardly: Yes, Liu Bei at this time was still just a hidden dragon. And he had no time to accompany another dragon, starting from scratch, swaying in the wind and rain.

Despite rejecting Liu Bei, Xun Hao did not stop there.

He pretended not to hear Guo Jia's ambiguous teasing. His next target was another hidden gem under Gongsun Zan's command.

"Let's go see the real White Horse Cavalry." Xun Hao's tone was calm, as if his encounter with the future Emperor Zhaolie of Han was just an insignificant interlude.

He specifically inquired about the area where Gongsun Zan's most elite "White Horse Cavalry" were stationed, and then, pulling Guo Jia, who was still pondering Liu Bei's words, he went there.