Chapter 6

Arriving at Han Fu's tent, Pan Feng had already returned from the battle, so there was one more person to drink with. Although Han Fu might not have been very good at warfare in the past, he placed great importance on personal enjoyment. It wasn't long before the banquet in the tent was set up! Unfortunately, it was the wrong season, and Li You's servants couldn't find any green plums for him, which made him feel a bit disappointed.

Li You raised his cup first, "Everyone, this first cup of wine I want to offer to General Guan Sheng, who bravely slew Hua Xiong today and made the first great contribution to defeating Dong Zhuo!"

"To General Guan Sheng!" Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and the others raised their cups together, and everyone drank to the bottom.

After refilling his cup, Li You raised it again, "This second cup I want to offer to General Pan Feng, who broke through the Fenshui Pass and opened the way for us! General Pan Feng is truly my unparalleled general!" In the end, Li You couldn't resist adding a playful remark!

"Thank you, Lord!" The words "unparalleled general" made Pan Feng extremely excited, and he quickly raised his cup to thank him.

"To General Pan Feng! To the unparalleled general!" Cao Cao and Liu Bei followed suit, and it seemed that for a long time to come, Pan Feng would be known as the "unparalleled general"!

"This third cup! I want to thank Yi De. After General Guan Sheng returned from slaying Hua Xiong, no one in the tent cheered for him, but only Yi De spoke up for him! I thank Yi De on behalf of Guan Sheng!" Li You raised his cup to Zhang Fei and drank it down for the third time.

"At the time, I didn't think much about it. I just felt a strong connection because Guan Sheng looks so much like my second brother!" Zhang Fei's dark face turned slightly red, as if he was a bit embarrassed.

Tsk, you call him brother Guan Sheng, which seems to mess up the seniority! Li You, sitting at the head of the table, broke out in a sweat and turned to look at Guan Sheng.

"I am also from Hedong Jiliang, perhaps my ancestors and General Guan are of the same lineage!" Guan Sheng's voice trembled, as if he was excited to meet his ancestor!

"Oh? I wonder which branch of the Guan family General Guan Sheng comes from?" Guan Yu, after hearing this, became serious, "I have been away from home for a long time and don't know how my family is doing. I hope you can tell me, brother Guan Sheng!"

Uh, this seniority seems to be even more messed up! Seeing Guan Sheng's face become extremely uncomfortable, Li You decided to change the topic to avoid further confusion. He quickly interrupted their conversation and raised his cup again, "This fourth cup I want to offer to brother Mengde. Brother Mengde, you didn't enter the Fenshui Pass but came to my tent instead. I suspect you have something to say?"

"Haha! No other reason, Cao Mou has a fondness for heroes. Today, I saw such heroic figures under Wen Jie and Xuan De, so I boldly came as an unwelcome guest! Brother Wen Jie, please don't be offended!" Cao Cao laughed heartily, not minding Li You's teasing.

"Brother Mengde is a hero of the world. I would be honored to have you, so how could I be offended?" Li You's playful side emerged, and he leaned over to ask, "I wonder who brother Mengde thinks can be called a hero today?"

"This..." Cao Cao pondered for a moment. He knew that the heroes Han Fu was talking about were different from the heroes he had mentioned earlier. The heroes he had mentioned were merely outstanding individuals, while the heroes Han Fu was talking about were those who could end the chaos of the world. This made it difficult for him to answer, so he turned to Liu Bei, "I wonder what Lord Xuan De thinks?"

"I am but a mere mortal, how can I recognize heroes!" Liu Bei humbly replied as usual.

"Lord Xuan De, please don't be too modest!" Li You also wanted to know his answer and whether it matched what he had read in books.

"Very well, I will try my best!" Liu Bei bowed again and said, "Yuan Shao of Hebei, a descendant of four generations of high officials, has many former officials in his household. He is the leader of the eighteen warlords, and his subordinates are very capable. Can he be called a hero?"

"Yuan Shao is bold in appearance but timid at heart, good at planning but indecisive; he spares himself in great matters and forgets his life for small gains. He is not a hero!" Li You mimicked the tone of Bao Guoan from the TV series and said with a chuckle.

"Yuan Shu of Huainan, with ample troops and provisions, can he be called a hero?" Hearing Li You's evaluation of his childhood friend, Cao Cao was somewhat displeased and interjected.

"Yuan Shu is just a dried-up corpse in a grave, and he will eventually be defeated by brother Mengde!" Li You played the role of a prophet.

When Liu Bei entered the tent, Cao Cao did not treat him as rudely as he did Yuan Shao and others. Liu Bei remembered this and quickly came to his aid when he heard Li You's words, "There is a man known as the Eight Gentlemen, who commands respect throughout the nine provinces. Can Liu Jing Sheng be called a hero?"

"This man is just a false reputation, not a hero!" Li You recalled the members of the Eight Gentlemen of Jiangxia. Most of them seemed to have only a good name but no significant achievements, so he added, "The Eight Gentlemen of Jiangxia have no talent for governance and no strength to fight! In times of chaos, they do not think of serving the country but only talk idly! There is a poem that says: 'In peacetime, they talk about nature and character, but in times of crisis, they die for their lord.' This describes them perfectly!"

"Whose poem is this, Wen Jie? It seems to resemble Zhang Pingzi's 'Four Sorrows' from Nanyang!" Cao Cao, who was sensitive to poetry, asked. He also strongly agreed with Li You's evaluation of the Eight Gentlemen, "Wen Jie's poem is most fitting to describe those corrupt scholars! However, I think some of the Eight Gentlemen might not even be able to die for their lord in times of crisis!"

The Zhang Pingzi of Nanyang that Cao Cao mentioned was none other than the famous Zhang Heng. Zhang Heng made outstanding contributions in mathematics, astronomy, and many other fields, and his political and literary talents were also remarkable. He once held positions such as the Governor of Hejian and had significant achievements. He was also one of the four great fu poets of the Han dynasty, alongside Sima Xiangru, Yang Xiong, and Ban Gu. Additionally, it was said that his swordsmanship was extraordinary, and he once single-handedly killed several assassins who came to kill him! He was a true all-rounder.

"The 'Four Sorrows' is one of his poems and can be considered one of the earliest seven-character poems. In the Han dynasty, four-character and five-character poems were the main forms, and seven-character poems only officially entered the literary scene after Cao Pi, Cao Cao's son, wrote 'Yan Ge Xing.' That's why he was so curious about Li You's two lines of poetry.

"Today, we only discuss heroes, not poetry." Li You changed the topic, and then Liu Bei and Cao Cao brought up other warlords like Sun Jian of Jiangdong, Liu Zhang of Yizhou, and Ma Teng of Xiliang.

"Haha, these mediocre people are not worth mentioning! A true hero has great ambitions and excellent strategies, with the ability to encompass the universe and the will to swallow the world. What Xuan De and Mengde just mentioned are just ordinary people, not heroes!" Li You laughed heartily and rejected each of their suggestions one by one.

"Oh? Who can be called a hero?" Li You's words about heroes made them both excited, and they couldn't help but ask.

"In my view, the only heroes in the world today are Uncle Huang and Lord Mengde!" Li You clapped his hands in approval.

Ah! Upon hearing this, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were both greatly shocked.