Cao Cao sighed softly, "The stronger Lu Li becomes, the greater the threat he poses."
Xun Yu remained silent for a long time before finally saying softly, "My lord, what should we do?"
He knew very well that since Lu Li had already set up the trap, he was just waiting for everyone to fall into it.
Therefore, Xun Yu must be careful, otherwise he could easily fall into Lu Li's trap!
Cao Cao snorted coldly, his gaze turning icy. "Then naturally we must go to Luoyang and give it a try. For both public and private reasons, we cannot sit idly by and wait to die."
"My lord, knowing it's a trap, why do you still wade into this mess?" Xun Yu asked, puzzled.
Cao Cao smiled and said, "As the saying goes, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."
"Who is the snipe, who is the clam, and who is the fisherman? It's still too early to tell!"
Xun Yu immediately understood and smiled, "My lord is wise, I admire you!"
Cao Cao glanced at Xun Yu and said, "Actually, you know everything, but you've just kept it to yourself. I'm not a jealous person, so you don't need to be like this."
Xun Yu's brilliance lay in the fact that he always knew what to say and what not to say.
Even though Cao Cao trusted him greatly, Xun Yu tried his best not to show that he was smarter than his lord in front of Cao Cao. This was Xun Yu's way of being an official.
Guo Jia, on the other hand, was different. He had no secrets and would speak frankly once he understood Cao Cao's thoughts.
It's impossible to say which one is better or worse, as it all depends on Cao Cao's attitude.
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, the Yellow Turban army had completely withdrawn from Luoyang.
Lu Li, mounted on his horse, looked at Liu Bei beside him and asked curiously, "What do you think of this matter?"
When Liu Bei saw Lu Li suddenly ask him a question, he quickly replied, "Are you referring to the matter of the Imperial Seal, sir?"
Lu Li nodded and continued, "As a descendant of the Han dynasty, why didn't you stop me?"
Why try to stop it?
"The emperor is currently in Chang'an. Even if one of these feudal lords seizes the imperial seal, whoever dares to declare himself emperor will surely be attacked by the other feudal lords."
"To put it bluntly, the Imperial Seal of the State is nothing more than a stone."
Lu Li's eyes lit up immediately. He never expected that Liu Bei was truly extraordinary.
It seems that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is unreliable, and the Records of the Three Kingdoms cannot be entirely trusted either.
In his belief, he already harbored deep prejudice against Liu Bei.
Because he preferred true heroes like Cao Cao and disliked hypocrites like Liu Bei.
But after spending time with him, he realized that Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness were indeed from the bottom of his heart.
He simply concealed his ambitions; he was by no means a hypocrite.
"So, according to you, those feudal lords won't fall for it?" Lu Li asked again.
Liu Bei shook his head and said casually, "Yes! People's hearts are hard to fathom. Even if they know that daring to declare themselves emperor will lead to their conquest, these lords will not be able to resist the temptation of the imperial seal and will definitely come to fight for it."
What an unpredictable person! No wonder Liu Bei established the Shu Han state, dividing the world into three kingdoms with Cao Cao and Sun Quan.
"Little did they know that the hearts of the people are the most important thing; he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world!"
When Liu Bei uttered these words, his sharp and shrewd demeanor was revealed, and Lu Li was immediately taken aback!
"Xuande, this doesn't sound like something you would say," Lu Li asked Liu Bei with a smile.
Liu Bei immediately realized what was happening and regained his composure, saying somewhat awkwardly, "What I said is true. The Han Dynasty is not dead, and the people's hearts are still with us. If the warlords want to fight for it, they will surely suffer heavy casualties and end up with nothing. Wouldn't that be extremely foolish?"
Lu Li smiled but remained silent; what Liu Bei said made a lot of sense.
"In your opinion, who in this world can be called a hero?" Lu Li asked Liu Bei with great interest.
Liu Bei pondered for a moment and said, "My knowledge is limited; how could I possibly recognize who is a hero?"
"Xuande, don't be so modest. It's alright to talk about it."
After a moment of contemplation, Liu Bei slowly said, "Yuan Shu of Huainan has ample troops and provisions. Can he be called a hero?"
"Ha, Yuan Shu is a man who is ambitious but lacks strategy and decisiveness; he is nothing but a rat."
“Yuan Shao of Hebei has had four generations of his family holding the position of one of the Three Dukes, and many of his former subordinates are officials in his household. Now he occupies the land of Ji Province and has many capable men under his command. Can he be called a hero?” Liu Bei asked cautiously again.
"Yuan Shao is all bark and no bite. He's good at scheming but lacks decisiveness. He's afraid to risk his life for great things, but he'll forget his life for small gains. He's no hero," Lu Li commented mercilessly.
"There is another hot-blooded man, known as Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong. Is Sun Wentai a hero?" Liu Bei asked again.
Lu Li smiled and replied, "Sun Jian is brave but lacks strategy; he's just a reckless brute. What kind of hero is he?"
"Can Kong Rong of Qingzhou be called a hero?" Liu Bei continued to ask.
Lu Li replied, "Although Kong Rong was a descendant of Confucius, he was nothing more than a parasite guarding the family fortune. How could he be called a hero?"
"And what about Han Fu, Ma Teng, Han Sui, and the others?"
"These mediocre people are not worth mentioning!" Lu Li said with a disdainful look.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's face twitched. He had mentioned several people, but Lu Li had utterly humiliated them all.
He said with a bitter expression, "Then, sir, who do you consider to be the true hero?"
"A person who can be called a hero should be someone with lofty ambitions, brilliant strategies, the ability to encompass the universe, and the will to swallow the heavens and earth." Lu Li said, looking into the distance, as if searching for that feeling of heroism.
“But I have never heard of such a person. Perhaps it is just a rumor,” Liu Bei said with a wry smile.
Lu Li laughed loudly and said, "The only heroes in the world today are Xuande and Mengde!"
Lu Li's words immediately sent a chill down Liu Bei's spine.
"Sir, I am but a commoner, with no fame or fortune to my name, and no troops or provisions to my name. How can I compare to Lord Cao?" Liu Bei said hastily, waving his hand.
“Although you are just a commoner, you possess great strategic acumen and are adept at forbearance. How can you not be called a hero?” Lu Li said, completely unconcerned.
Liu Bei swallowed hard and continued, "Sir, please don't flatter me to death. I am truly unworthy of such praise!"
Lu Li smiled but didn't say anything, leaving Liu Bei looking uneasy.
"And what about you, sir? Can you call yourself a hero?" Liu Bei asked, as if gathering his courage.
Lu Li was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "Me? Haha... I'm certainly not a hero."
"Sir, you are too modest. If you are not a hero, then there are probably very few people in the whole world who can be called heroes!" Liu Bei flattered.
Lu Li smiled without saying a word.
Liu Bei then tentatively asked, "Since you are unwilling to admit that you are a hero, then what are you?"
Lu Li raised his eyes and stared at Liu Bei, his gaze as deep as the sea, and said indifferently, "Just a chess player!"
"A chess player?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled.
"Heaven and earth are the chessboard, and I am but a chess piece for life. I am the one who wields the pieces!"
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