Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

Cao Cao gave Liu Bei a wink.

Liu Bei understood immediately and quickly led his two brothers to bow and say, "Thank you, Alliance Leader, for sparing our lives! Thank you, General Cao, for saving our lives!"

Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "Go down, go down."

The three of them left the main tent, and as soon as they came out, Fang Yue and Wang Shuang's legs went weak.

Wang Shuang knelt down with a thud, her eyes red and swollen, and said, "Brother, it's my fault! It was my fault for being so talkative..."

Fang Yue also knelt down and said, "Big brother, it's all our fault for being useless..."

Liu Bei helped them up, shook his head, and said, "It's not your fault. This world is just too treacherous."

He looked out of the tent, his gaze complex.

...

A few days later, in the council hall of the Prince of Yan's residence in Zhuo County, Youzhou.

Liu Ce sat in the council hall, holding the intelligence that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had just delivered from Suanzao.

He watched and laughed.

"So close...so close..." he muttered. "Yuan Shu was about to behead them, but Cao Cao jumped in to save them..."

He handed the intelligence to Fang Xuanling.

After reading it, Fang Xuanling frowned slightly and said, "My lord, is there anything special about Liu Bei? You seem... quite interested in him?"

Du Ruhui also came over to take a look, and after reading it, he shook his head and said, "They fought Hua Xiong, two against one, and were no match for him, almost getting their heads chopped off... This record is really not impressive."

Xun Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Does our lord perhaps intend to use someone else to do his dirty work? To have the other lords eliminate Liu Bei?"

Guo Jia laughed and said, "If we wanted to use someone else to do the dirty work, we would have succeeded just now. But Cao Cao jumped in and interfered, so the killing didn't happen."

Liu Ce smiled but didn't say anything.

Xun Yu couldn't help but ask, "My lord, since you want Liu Bei dead, why don't you do it yourself? He was just a county magistrate before. On our territory, killing him would be as easy as turning your hand."

Liu Ce shook his head, his tone somewhat meaningful:

"You don't understand."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the sky outside.

"Some people's lives are not so easy to take. Taking them too early will only cause problems."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, not quite understanding what their lord was saying.

Liu Ce didn't explain, and turned to leave the council hall.

He waved his hand and said, "Keep an eye on things. Report to me immediately if anything happens."

The room was left with a group of strategists, who looked at each other, their minds full of questions.

...

On this day, Hua Xiong came yet again.

It's the same old routine: hurl insults, take a break when you're tired, and then continue hurling insults.

Inside the allied camp, the messenger rushed into the central command tent again, saying:

"Reporting to the Alliance Leader! Hua Xiong is here again!"

Everyone turned to look at Liu Bei and his two brothers.

Yuan Shu said sarcastically, "Liu Xuande, don't try to run away this time. All three of you come at me together. If you still can't win, don't blame me for being impolite."

Liu Bei took a deep breath and nodded to Fang Yue and Wang Shuang, saying:

"Walk."

The three men donned their armor, mounted their horses, and left the camp.

On the wooden wall, the feudal lords gathered once again, watching the decisive battle.

Outside the camp gate, Hua Xiong was cursing vehemently when he suddenly saw three riders rushing out. He chuckled and said:

"Oh ho, two last time, three this time? Are you guys coming here to die as a group?"

Fang Yue and Wang Shuang spurred their horses and charged forward!

"Again?" Hua Xiong laughed loudly. "You couldn't beat them both last time, are you coming to die again?"

The three of them instantly engaged in battle.

This time they really went all out.

Fang Yue's knife and Wang Shuang's gun were both aimed at vital points.

Although Hua Xiong was brave, he couldn't gain much advantage at the beginning when the two of them joined forces.

After fifty rounds, neither side could gain the upper hand.

After a hundred rounds, the score remained tied.

On the wooden wall, everyone watched intently.

Cao Cao nodded and said, "This time it's much better than last time. The two of them are cooperating much better, and Hua Xiong is not having an easy time anymore."

Yuan Shao also said, "It seems we underestimated them last time; this time they're really going all out."

"These three are coordinating quite well," Sun Jian commented. "Fang Yue and Wang Shuang are going head-to-head, while Liu Bei is looking for opportunities from behind. Interesting."

Yuan Shu snorted coldly and said, "Even if we win a three-on-one fight, it won't be honorable."

No one cares about him.

Off the field, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

After 150 rounds, Fang Yue and Wang Shuang started to struggle again.

Hua Xiong's stamina was simply too good; even the two of them working together couldn't subdue him.

Seeing this, Liu Bei gritted his teeth, spurred his horse, and charged forward!

Yuan Shu's eyes widened as he said, "This Liu Bei is shameless! Two against one is already incredible, and he's going up there? Three against one? What's there to say if they win? If they lose, where will our allied forces put their faces?"

Cao Cao didn't speak, he just stared at the battlefield.

After Liu Bei joined, the situation instantly reversed.

The three of them worked together surprisingly well.

Fang Yue engaged in direct confrontation, Wang Shuang flanked and restrained, while Liu Bei roamed and harassed.

Although Hua Xiong was brave, he began to panic when faced with simultaneous attacks from three directions.

Another few dozen rounds passed.

Hua Xiong gradually revealed his weaknesses.

Liu Bei seized the opportunity and knocked off Hua Xiong's helmet with a single sword strike!

Hua Xiong was shocked. Fang Yue and Wang Shuang seized the opportunity to attack, unleashing a barrage of swords and spears, forcing Hua Xiong to desperately defend himself.

Just then, Liu Bei circled around behind Hua Xiong and thrust out with his sword!

"puff......"

The sword tip pierced Hua Xiong's back and emerged through his chest.

Hua Xiong's eyes widened as he looked down at the sword tip protruding from his chest. Blood gushed from his mouth as he mumbled something incoherently.

Then, he fell off his horse with a "thud" and landed on the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

died.

"The general is dead! The general is dead!"

When Hua Xiong's Xiliang soldiers saw that their commander was dead, they immediately panicked and ran away!

Fang Yue and Wang Shuang paused for a second, then simultaneously burst into cheers:

"We won! We won! We killed Hua Xiong!"

Liu Bei drew his sword, looked at Hua Xiong lying on the ground, and let out a long breath.

finally......

Then he looked up at the dumbfounded lords on the wooden wall, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

...

The three brothers rode their horses slowly back.

In front of the camp gate, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, Sun Jian and others stood in a row, their expressions varied.

Wang Shuang was so excited that he shouted at the top of his lungs from a distance:

"Let's kill Hua Xiong! Then we can take advantage of the situation to storm into the pass, and then go to Luoyang to drag that old traitor Dong Zhuo out and chop him up! What are we still standing here for?!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu's face instantly darkened.

He was already seething with anger. His family had been high-ranking officials for four generations, and his general had been killed by Hua Xiong. But Hua Xiong was killed by these three in a joint attack. Where could he put his face?

Now this guy still dares to boss him around?

Yuan Shu stepped forward, spitting as he spoke:

"Who do you think you are! We, the nineteen warlords, are all officials appointed by the imperial court! You, a mere military commander, dare to boss us around like this! Guards! Throw him out!"

Several soldiers rushed forward, ready to attack.

Cao Cao quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying:

"Gonglu, calm down! Gonglu, calm down! He has rendered a great service, and we deserve a reward! Besides, he's right. Hua Xiong is dead, and Sishui Pass is vulnerable. We should indeed take advantage of this opportunity to advance!"