Three Kingdoms: Zhang Fei was sent flying by a single spear thrust, leaving Liu Bei stunned.

The atmosphere inside Cao Cao's command tent was somewhat heavy.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat, tapping his fingers absently on the table, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were pondering some thorny problem.

Below, Xi Zhicai, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and other trusted civil and military officials stood on either side, each with a serious expression.

"My lord, what are your plans regarding Lü Bu?"

In the end, it was the chief strategist, Xi Zhicai, who broke the silence first.

This is a question that everyone is concerned about right now.

Lu Bu, this incomparably sharp double-edged sword, is now stationed right beside them. Zhang Ziqian's outburst yesterday has directly turned what could have been a "cooperative" relationship into an extremely awkward situation.

If you call him an enemy, he has been defeated and is currently unable to cause any trouble.

If you call him a friend, he was humiliated beyond recognition by Zhang Ziqian, and the resentment in his eyes was obvious to everyone.

Not to mention that Zhang Ziqian unilaterally announced that he had taken Lü Bu as his "little brother".

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Cao Cao stopped tapping his fingers on the table, glanced at everyone, and asked in a deep voice, "What are your thoughts? Speak up."

"My lord!" Xiahou Dun, the most impatient of them all, was the first to step forward. "In my opinion, there's nothing to discuss! Lü Bu is a traitor, fickle and unreliable! Now that Ziqian has dampened his spirits, it's the perfect opportunity to eliminate him! Let's send troops directly and wipe him out along with his several thousand Bingzhou wolf cavalry! To prevent future troubles!"

Xiahou Dun's proposal was simple and direct, and it represented the thoughts of many generals in the army.

Lü Bu's reputation was truly terrible.

Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo serve as cautionary tales. Who would dare keep such an ungrateful wretch by their side?

"Yuan Rang is mistaken."

Xi Zhicai shook his head and retorted, "Although Lü Bu's character is flawed, his bravery is universally acknowledged. His Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry is the elite of the land. Although our army has a peerless general like General Ziqian, our foundation is still shallow and our forces are insufficient. If we could subdue Lü Bu, even if it's just to make him work for us temporarily, it would greatly enhance our army's strength."

"Furthermore, if we were to take action against him now, and word got out, wouldn't we be branded as 'intolerant' and 'taking advantage of others'? This would be extremely detrimental to our lord's grand plan of recruiting talented individuals from all over the world."

Xi Zhicai's analysis was mature, prudent, and showed a longer-term perspective.

Cao Cao nodded, clearly agreeing with Xi Zhicai's opinion.

Cao Mengde (Cao Cao) wanted the world, not just momentary pleasure. Killing Lü Bu would be satisfying, but the negative consequences would have to be considered.

"Mr. Ke Zhicai, look at Lü Bu. Does he look like someone we can subdue?" Cao Ren questioned from the side. "Yesterday, even when you personally tried to recruit him, he didn't give you a second glance. Now that Ziqian has caused such a scene, it's no wonder he hates us to death!"

"That's exactly the key point I wanted to make." Xi Zhi-cai's gaze turned to Cao Cao, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "The key to the problem is not Lü Bu, but... General Ziqian."

"Oh?" Cao Cao gestured for him to continue.

"Lü Bu is an extremely arrogant man. Ordinary courteous treatment of scholars, money, and beautiful women might work on him, but they can never truly make him submit. Only one thing can make him bow his head—power greater than his own!"

Xi Zhicai said, word by word, "And General Ziqian possesses precisely this power! In yesterday's battle, General Ziqian shattered all of Lü Bu's pride. In Lü Bu's heart, an indelible shadow has probably been cast."

"Therefore, the only person who can suppress Lü Bu and even inspire awe in him is General Ziqian. If we want to subdue Lü Bu, we must go through General Ziqian."

Upon hearing this, everyone inside the tent fell silent.

That's the logic.

but……

Cao Cao's expression turned somewhat strange. He rubbed his temples, feeling the pain returning.

"Zhicai, your analysis makes a lot of sense," Cao Cao sighed, his tone filled with helplessness. "But the problem is, how am I supposed to tell Ziqian this?"

"Should I go and tell him, 'Ziqian, stop calling Lü Bu 'Little Bu' and stop letting him serve you tea and water. Help me persuade him to sincerely pledge allegiance to me?'"

Cao Cao mimicked Zhang Ziqian's tone and shook his head: "Believe it or not, after he hears this, he'll ask me again: 'Boss, are you crazy? Why should I give up the little brother I finally managed to subdue?'"

"puff……"

Xiahou Dun couldn't help but laugh, but when he saw Cao Cao's glare, he quickly suppressed his laughter, his face turning bright red.

The atmosphere inside the tent suddenly shifted from serious to somewhat comical.

Everyone thought of Zhang Ziqian's peculiar thought process and for a moment they didn't know what to say.

Yeah, that guy is completely stubborn.

Try to reason with him? Talk about the big picture?

It's like casting pearls before swine.

In his world, there are only a few things: "eating," "fighting," and "being a salted fish."

"My lord, this matter... is indeed difficult to handle." Xi Zhicai also gave a wry smile. "General Ziqian's thoughts are different from ordinary people, and they really cannot be guessed by common sense."

"This is more than just being different from ordinary people, this is simply not human!" Cao Cao retorted irritably.

He now feels like an old father who has finally found a gifted but mentally challenged genius son.

They can't be hit or scolded; they have to be fed and cared for.

Getting him to do things his way is harder than climbing to heaven.

"My lord, perhaps... we could try a different approach," Xi Zhicai said after a moment's thought.

"explain."

"Since we can't control General Ziqian's thoughts, why don't we... go along with him?"

"Go along with his idea?" Cao Cao raised an eyebrow.

"That's right!" Xi Zhicai's eyes lit up. "Didn't General Ziqian want Lü Bu to be his subordinate? Then let him be! Not only will we not stop him, we'll also encourage him!"

"What do you mean?" Xiahou Dun didn't understand.

"Think about it," Xi Zhicai explained, "Who is Lü Bu? The proud and arrogant Flying General! Making him a subordinate is worse than killing him. The reason he hasn't left yet is twofold: first, he's been terrified of General Ziqian, and second, he's resentful and wants to get his revenge."

"As long as Lü Bu remains here, as long as he still thinks about challenging General Ziqian, then he is essentially tied to us. His men, his Bingzhou wolf cavalry, are also essentially in our army, aren't they?"

"We can provide Lü Bu with provisions and treat him with the best possible care. In name, he's our 'guest general,' but in reality, he's General Ziqian's 'little brother.' As long as General Ziqian is around, Lü Bu won't dare to harbor any disloyal thoughts!"

"In the future, with time and influence, and with your combined kindness and power, my lord, there may be a day when you can truly influence him and bring him under your command! Even if he never truly submits, as long as we can get him to fight a few battles for us, it will be a great gain!"

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly brightening Cao Cao's eyes.

Yup!

How could I not have thought of that!

Why should I get so hung up on a "status"?

Whether Lü Bu is genuinely surrendering or feigning submission, as long as his men are here and can be used by me, isn't that enough?

Zhang Ziqian's unreliable "recruiting followers" plan, though seemingly ridiculous, actually achieved his desired result in the most outrageous way!

They forcibly kept Lu Bu, this fierce tiger, alive!

"Brilliant! Zhicai! This plan is brilliant!" Cao Cao slapped his thigh, the worry on his face vanished, replaced by uncontrollable excitement.

"Let's do it this way!" Cao Cao decided immediately. "Issue my order: from this day forward, treat General Lü Bu and his troops with utmost hospitality. Ensure they are provided with sufficient provisions and weapons, and do not neglect them in the slightest! Furthermore, tell everyone that General Lü Bu is a distinguished guest of our army, and no one is to be disrespectful!"

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, Ziqian is an exception."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly.

Cao Cao looked out of the tent and seemed to see in the near future the scene of Zhang Ziqian and Lü Bu, two peerless fierce gods, sweeping across the world for him, one in front and one behind.

His mood instantly became incredibly pleasant.

Although the process was tortuous, bizarre, and even a little embarrassing, the result was good!

However, he did not know.

His unconventional "genius son" has gotten him into new trouble once again.