Chapter 6: Unyielding Through Every Trial, Never Yielding to Others (Please Keep Reading!)

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Cao Bao harbored resentment toward Liu Bei, yet Liu Bei still held illusions about Cao Bao. Liu Bei, a chivalrous wanderer at heart, valued loyalty and righteousness above all else. By this time, Cao Bao and Liu Bei had fought side by side on the battlefield, so Liu Bei still felt some affection for him.

After Liu Bei became the Governor of Xuzhou, he relocated the administrative seat to Xiapi and appointed Cao Bao as the Magistrate of Xiapi—a position equivalent to a prefectural governor. It was clear that Liu Bei had genuinely cared for Cao Bao, hoping that as a loyal minister of Tao Qian, Cao Bao would cooperate with him, the new leader, to manage Xuzhou well.

Unfortunately, Liu Bei’s sincere heart was met with betrayal. Cao Bao despised Zhang Fei, and Zhang Fei reciprocated the disdain. Caught in the middle, Liu Bei was deeply troubled and failed to manage the tensions between old and new factions.

So when Liu Bei embarked on his campaign against Yuan Shu, disaster struck Xuzhou. Cao Bao colluded with Lü Bu to rebel, launching a surprise attack on Xuzhou. After years of hardship and wandering, Liu Bei—who had finally secured a place at the table with Yuan and Cao—found himself homeless once more. This was the darkest moment in Liu Bei’s life.

Losing Xuzhou meant losing vital supplies, forcing his army into a retreat where they had no choice but to “live off each other” to survive. Had it not been for the wealthy Mi Zhu of Xuzhou pouring his fortune into aiding him, Liu Bei would not have merely suffered defeat—he might have been forced to vanish from the historical stage forever.

Yet he never gave up. No matter the setbacks, he refused to yield. Regardless of how one views Liu Bei, it must be acknowledged that his life was truly inspiring.

Liu Bei was the future top leader of Xuzhou, a provincial-level official. Li Yi, now allied with Liu Bei, could not allow such a betrayal to occur. Therefore, the first decisive strike upon landing was to eliminate Cao Bao.

After Tao Qian’s death, Cao Bao had become the absolute leader of the Danyang faction. Liu Bei’s attempt to win him over was an effort to unite the Danyang faction. But the facts had proven Cao Bao’s outright defiance of Liu Bei.

This was understandable—after all, if Liu Bei, an outsider, could govern Xuzhou, why couldn’t Cao Bao, Tao Qian’s trusted aide with command over the military, do the same? Especially since Liu Bei held the Danyang troops, who should have been under Cao Bao’s command.

Cao Bao’s jealousy and grievance toward Liu Bei were only natural. Taking this opportunity to weaken Cao Bao’s power meant the Danyang faction would no longer be a threat.

Li Yi had a long-term vision. He knew Tao Qian’s days were numbered and understood that the old man’s “handover of Xuzhou” was not sincere. But Li Yi would help Liu Bei consolidate the entire Xuzhou because this was Liu Bei’s long-term ticket to survival, and such a plan had to be made.

Liu Bei hesitated somewhat, saying, “Cao Bao and I once stood shoulder to shoulder against Cao Cao. Now to use a stratagem to harm him is not the conduct of a true man.”

Li Yi waved his hand with a smile and replied:

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“Not so. War is the art of deception. We merely let it be known that Cao Cao’s forces are retreating. Whether Cao Bao chooses to pursue or not is his own decision; we cannot force it.”

Ah! What a clever argument.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun and Guan Yu were both deeply impressed. Li Yi’s reasoning was impeccable: “We only inform you that Cao Cao’s army is withdrawing. Whether you chase or not is up to you. We don’t have a sword to your throat. How could we compel you to pursue?”

Li Yi continued, “If Cao Bao pursues and is defeated by Cao Cao, and our forces then counterattack, we will surely achieve complete victory.”

“Firstly, this will weaken Cao Bao’s strength, increasing the commander’s influence in Xuzhou.”

“Secondly, if Cao Bao is defeated and the commander rescues him, the Danyang troops will be indebted and loyal.”

“Thirdly, the people of Xuzhou deeply resent Cao Cao’s forces. If the commander defeats them, he will win the hearts of the populace.”

“This is truly a plan to kill three birds with one stone. If we hesitate now, we will miss a golden opportunity!”

With such reasoning, how could Liu Bei hesitate any longer?

Historically, Liu Bei was known for his fiery temper; otherwise, he would not have been posthumously titled “Zhaolie,” meaning “Manifest Brilliance.” He was a heroic leader. When his subordinates laid out a plan before him, it was impossible for him to waver.

“Good,” Liu Bei said, furrowing his brows with a solemn expression.

“Zilong, you will command the cavalry, leading Chen Dao and Tian Yu as the vanguard. Follow my orders.”

“Yunchang, you will lead a force to Cheng County to join with Yide’s troops, supporting Zilong’s vanguard.”

“I will lead the main army and arrive shortly after.”

At thirty-four years old, Liu Bei had already matured into the image of a ruler after years of trials.

Following these decisive orders, Zhao Yun and Guan Yu saluted in unison: “Understood!”

Now, this was the mark of a true leader.

Li Yi nodded silently by the side, acknowledging Liu Bei’s continual growth. Though he seemed to suffer repeated defeats, a careful look at his life revealed many brilliant victories.

For example, the Battle of Bowang was won by Liu Bei himself, defeating a larger force with a smaller one. Later, in the Battle of Hanzhong, he scored his first decisive victory over Cao Cao, solidifying his rule in Shu.

This is a common historical misconception: people see Liu Bei as always wandering, always defeated, and then focus on disasters like the Battle of Yiling after he declared himself emperor, leading to the false notion that he was a poor general.

Similarly, many think Liu Bang was just a ruffian with no talent compared to Han Xin.

Yet few realize that Liu Bang was ranked third among key figures at the end of the Qin dynasty, only behind Xiang Yu and Han Xin.

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Apart from Xiang Yu, Liu Bang defeated nearly everyone he faced at the end of the Qin dynasty.

His later defeat by Modu Chanyu of the Xiongnu was no shame, as Modu was one of the greatest rulers in Xiongnu history.

Liu Bei had not yet reached his peak. He still had much to learn and many ways to grow, and Li Yi would help him avoid the mistakes he once made. To help Liu Bei was, in essence, to help himself.

Now, only Liu Bei and Li Yi remained in the room.

Liu Bei bowed respectfully to Li Yi and said, “Sir, your strategy is excellent. I humbly accept your guidance.”

He spoke sincerely, deeply grateful to Li Yi. After nearly being driven to despair by Cao Cao in Xuzhou, he was desperate for a victory to boost morale.

“Just a casual remark. You flatter me, commander,” Li Yi smiled self-deprecatingly, then quickly reminded him, “I expect that once Cao Bao learns of this, he will depart immediately. We must act swiftly.”

Yet Liu Bei did not appear overly anxious.

In his heart, there was something even more important than defeating Cao Cao’s army.

He sat upright, his face earnest as he cupped his hands toward Li Yi.

“These past days with you, I have recognized your talent for aiding the ruler and saving the realm.”

“I earnestly request you to come out of retirement and teach me sound strategies.”

“I vow to honor you as my lifelong teacher and heed your wise counsel at all times!”

Li Yi was momentarily taken aback, thinking to himself: Is this the true value of a Three Kingdoms strategist?

Liu Bei was older and held a far higher rank than Li Yi, yet he could sincerely say, “I will honor you as my teacher for life.”

Do you know what it means in modern terms when a provincial leader says, “I will be your lifelong disciple”?

Facing Liu Bei’s request, Li Yi smiled and said, “As long as Commander Liu provides the meals, I have no objection to accompanying you on this journey.”

Liu Bei was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing.

“Meals? Of course, meals! No matter how hard times get, I would never let you go hungry!”

The great hall echoed with long-lost laughter and joy.

On this day, Liu Bei felt true happiness from the bottom of his heart—deep and profound...