Chapter 24: Helping Old Liu Bridge the Gap! We Must Not Let Such Talent Go to Waste!

In Xiao Fang’s view, the benevolence and leniency of Old Liu were, in truth, a double-edged sword.

This sword had enabled Liu Bei, despite his humble grassroots origins, to attract many heroes and gallants who remained loyal to him even through life-and-death trials. Yet, not everyone was like Lord Guan, whose loyalty was unparalleled—a man who would forsake wealth and status, seal away his gold and hang up his official seals, only to pursue Old Liu across thousands of miles. Most people were merely ordinary mortals whose convictions were far from being as firm as iron.

This meant that at the slightest hint of a crisis, they would easily abandon resistance and choose to surrender to the enemy. Examples of this were everywhere. Mi Fang was the most classic case. Huang Quan’s surrender to Wei during the Battle of Yiling was another.

Why? It was simply because these individuals understood Old Liu’s character well. They knew that because of his benevolence, even if they betrayed him, he would never harm their families. They knew that if they found an opportunity in the future to return to his embrace, they would still be trusted and treated with courtesy, with their ranks and titles restored.

Therefore, when Sun Quan first moved against Jing Province, the two commanderies of Xiangdong surrendered with little resistance. When he launched his second surprise attack on Jing Province, the various cities of Nan Commandery, including Jiangling, surrendered one after another without putting up a decent fight.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of his subordinates, Old Liu possessed excessive benevolence but lacked sufficient majesty. If the lord had been Cao Cao, would they have dared to open the city gates so easily? Why was it that whether at Fancheng or Hefei, the generals of Cao Wei were often able to fight to the death? It was simple: Cao Cao was ruthless enough. If your entire family was held hostage in Xuchang, and you dared to surrender, he would not hesitate to slaughter them all.

Of course, Xiao Fang’s goal was not to make Old Liu emulate the ruthless, iron-fisted nature of Cao Cao. If he did that, Liu Bei would no longer be Liu Bei. Xiao Fang’s modest objective was merely to help Old Liu mend the shortcoming of misusing his benevolence. Benevolence could not be discarded, but an iron fist was also necessary. Only by practicing the Way of the King while incorporating the Way of the Hegemon could one mend such flaws and have a chance to become the second Emperor Guangwu. And this mending process would begin with the execution of Cao Bao.

Liu Bei was not a pedantic man. Xiao Fang’s words struck a chord, leaving him deeply shaken and lost in thought.

"Brother, Strategist Xiao’s words make sense," Guan Yu said, stepping forward with a stern and righteous plea. "If you do not distinguish right from wrong and persist in blind benevolence, how can you maintain any majesty? If this continues, your subordinates will respect you but not fear you, and how can there be any talk of loyalty? Eventually, everyone will emulate this Cao Bao—if they harbor the slightest dissatisfaction with you, they will rebel at will. They know that with Cao Bao as a precedent, you will not hold them accountable. Even if they fall into your hands in the future, they need only weep and beg for mercy for you to let bygones be bygones. If everyone lacks the resolve to fight to the death, and your ranks are filled with such fickle, opportunistic men, how can you sweep away the traitors of the Han and restore the Han dynasty?"

"Brother, I think the same," Zhang Fei shouted excitedly, fearing Liu Bei might soften his heart. "The strategist is right. This dog Cao Bao does not deserve your mercy. If you truly intend to spare him, I will be the first to object—you might as well behead me instead!"

Xiao Fang’s words rang in Liu Bei’s ears like thunder. The hesitation in his eyes gradually transformed into the clarity of sudden enlightenment. After a long period of contemplation, Liu Bei exhaled deeply and bowed to Xiao Fang.

"I thank the strategist for enlightening me. Only now do I realize that I have indeed been unable to distinguish right from wrong and have abused my sense of benevolence."

Having said this, Liu Bei turned slowly. When he looked at Cao Bao again, his gaze was as cold as a blade. Cao Bao, however, was flustered and at a loss. He had thought he understood Liu Bei’s character—that by humbling himself and begging for mercy, Liu Bei’s concern for his own reputation for benevolence would surely lead him to show restraint. Even if he were not put to major use, his life would be secure. He had planned to wait for a chance to escape back to Xuzhou and rejoin his good son-in-law, Lu Bu. Who would have guessed that a strategist would appear out of nowhere to brainwash Liu Bei and convince him to change his stance?

"You brat, who are you?" Cao Bao, burning with shame and anger, lashed out at Xiao Fang. "I have no grievances against you; why must you provoke Lord Xuande and insist on driving me to my death?"

Zhang Fei cast a look of reverence toward Xiao Fang and sneered proudly, "You dog, you never imagined that Heaven would watch over my eldest brother and lead him to this extraordinary man, did you? This is Xiao Jinglue, the new strategist my brother has recruited. It was his ambush that defeated you and that Li Feng!"

Cao Bao froze, his angry gaze turning to one of bewilderment. Xiao Jinglue? Liu Bei’s new strategist? He had never heard of such a person in the world! How could such an unknown youth devise such a scheme and help Liu Bei easily wipe out their six-thousand-strong army?

Liu Bei had no desire to waste further words. He waved his hand and commanded, "This scoundrel Cao Bao deserves death. Drag him away and behead him!"

At these words, the confusion in Cao Bao’s eyes instantly turned to sheer terror. "Lord Xuande, have mercy! Please give me a chance to redeem myself through service! I will surely repent and repay your kindness for sparing me with my life! Lord Xuande, you are known to all as a benevolent lord—now that I have confessed my guilt, how can you bear to kill me?"

Cao Bao knelt on the ground, weeping and pleading. Liu Bei remained unmoved and ordered his personal guards to drag him away.

"Move aside, I will slaughter this wretch myself!" Zhang Fei shoved the guards away, grabbed Cao Bao, and dragged him off rudely.

"Liu Bei, if you kill me, my son-in-law will never let you go!" Cao Bao shouted, his pleas turning into hysterical, bitter curses. "Fengxian will kill you sooner or later to avenge me! Liu Bei, you big-eared thief—"

Zhang Fei pinned him to the ground, raised his ring-pommel saber high, and snorted, "Cao Bao, I’ll send you on your way first. Rest assured, my brother will eventually strike back at Xuzhou, slaughter your son-in-law—that three-surnamed slave—and let you and your father-in-law reunite in the afterlife!"

The saber swung down with force. The bitter curses were cut short, and Cao Bao’s head fell to the ground. Sun Qian and the others, seeing that Cao Bao had met his end, all clapped and cheered.

"Wei Wenchang, you captured Cao Bao alive in this battle; you have performed a great service!" Liu Bei praised Wei Yan highly, then looked at Xiao Fang with a smile. "Jinglue, your bodyguard may be young, but he truly has the bearing of a tiger general!"

Liu Bei’s praise was on the surface, but Xiao Fang understood the subtext. Old Liu admired Wei Yan’s talent and naturally wanted to promote and cultivate him. However, given that Wei Yan was officially the commander of his personal guard, to promote him directly would be poaching. Therefore, Old Liu’s underlying meaning was to ask for Wei Yan to be transferred to his own command.

"Wenchang, the Lord holds you in high regard," Xiao Fang said, helping the matter along. "From now on, you shall serve under the Lord’s direct command and help him achieve his great cause!"

Xiao Fang readily recommended Wei Yan to Old Liu. After all, when he had lured Wei Yan to follow him to Xuzhou, he had promised to help him attain titles and fame. Having given his word, he could not break it or hinder the young man’s bright future. Moreover, for a talent like Wei Yan to serve merely as a bodyguard was indeed a waste of his potential.

A look of gratitude and joy appeared on Wei Yan’s face. He straightened his attire and bowed to Xiao Fang. "I will not fail the strategist’s high expectations. I shall serve the Lord’s great cause and go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Seeing Xiao Fang’s generosity, Liu Bei felt a bit apologetic. "The strategist is also in need of brave and loyal men for protection. I shall personally select a few valiant soldiers to ensure your safety."

Xiao Fang smiled, a mysterious glint in his eyes. "There is no need for the Lord to trouble himself with selecting guards. The land of Runan is full of brave and loyal men who are most suitable as personal guards. I have already identified suitable candidates in my heart; I only await the Lord to recruit them into his service."

Hearing this, a look of wonder appeared in Liu Bei’s eyes. He began to search his memory for heroes from Runan. "I wonder which heroes the strategist is referring to?"

Liu Bei pondered for a long time, but could not guess who Xiao Fang had in mind, his curiosity growing with every passing moment.