Chapter 385

Yuan Shao said decisively, "I will never break my word!"

"Good! As expected of Brother Benchu! You are truly magnanimous!"

Upon hearing this, Su Xuan gave Yuan Shao a thumbs-up and praised, "Brother Gonglu is not as generous as you! When I previously asked him for some grain and fodder, he was quite stingy about it!"

"Come to think of it, he even used a favor I owed him to threaten me, pushing me to nominate him as the alliance leader for this gathering."

"What?"

Yuan Shao's expression changed instantly upon hearing this. "Yuan Shu actually asked you to nominate him as the leader? And you agreed? On what grounds? What qualifications does he have to be the leader?"

Yuan Shu was nothing more than a spoiled brat; where would he find the brains or the mettle to be this leader?

Cao Cao stood to the side, silent, feeling deep disdain in his heart for Yuan Shao's intense reaction.

You, Yuan Shao, are actually no better than Yuan Shu yourself!

Isn't the current situation of your own making?

And now you've played yourself, haven't you?

Oh! Or perhaps you didn't play yourself—was this intentional?

That would make Cao Cao look down on him even more!

If you can even scheme against your own kin, what kind of future can you possibly have?

Su Xuan nodded helplessly and said, "Although I favor you more, Brother Benchu, and believe that even if I supported Brother Gonglu, your prestige would ultimately make you the leader;"

"But I owed Brother Gonglu a favor, and I had already given him my word!"

"Brother Benchu, please don't hold a grudge against me for this and withhold my grain! I was forced into this!"

"Why are you brothers always at each other's throats? It puts us friends in such a difficult position!"

Su Xuan put on a look of utter helplessness.

Seeing this, Yuan Shao couldn't help but ask, "Boyuan, do you truly believe I have a better chance of becoming leader than Yuan Shu?"

"Naturally!"

Su Xuan replied with absolute certainty, "You know Brother Gonglu's reputation and capabilities as well as I do!"

"If forced to choose between you and Brother Gonglu, the majority of the warlords would certainly choose you, Brother Benchu!"

"Besides, I don't believe that you, Brother Benchu, would have come here for so long without making any preparations;"

"I imagine you already have the position of leader firmly in your grasp, don't you?"

"Haha!"

Yuan Shao's annoyance vanished instantly, and he couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Those who know me, know Boyuan! Correct! I have long been prepared; it is impossible for Yuan Gonglu to compete with me!"

"On the contrary, Boyuan, you are now the General of the Front and the Governor of Jingzhou, a position of great power and influence. I feel you are my greatest competitor. I didn't expect... could it be that you, Brother Boyuan, haven't thought about becoming the leader yourself?"

After speaking, Yuan Shao stared fixedly at Su Xuan, wanting to see his reaction.

Su Xuan waved his hand dismissively. "I'll pass! Being the leader requires more than just high status and power!"

"Reputation and connections are what matter most!"

"My foundation is too shallow, I don't know many of the warlords, and I cannot supply the grain they require. I'd better not overreach!"

"Actually, being an ally is quite good enough."

The leader of the coalition? Not even a dog would want that job!

There's not much benefit to be had from it anyway!

He knew exactly what this alliance was all about, didn't he?

It was nothing more than a stage for Yuan Shao to show off!

Ultimately, it wouldn't yield any significant results.

His participation in the alliance was, in essence, not for the sake of the alliance itself, but purely for the Imperial Jade Seal and the population of Sili.

"Haha! Boyuan, you are too modest!"

Yuan Shao laughed aloud upon hearing this.

He was overjoyed, and at the same time, his guard and wariness toward Su Xuan relaxed.

At this moment, he felt Su Xuan was quite decent—he spoke well and handled matters in a way that made people feel comfortable.

It was truly wrong of him to have been so wary of him before!

"Since you are so sensible, I will target you less in the future. Even if you cast your vote for Yuan Gonglu, I will continue to supply you with grain!"

Yuan Shao thought happily to himself.

With Su Xuan, such a powerful competitor, out of the way, Yuan Shao felt his position as leader was all but secured!

From the very beginning, Su Xuan was the only one he had truly feared.

After all, Su Xuan's current position was very strong.

As for Yuan Shu?

He had never once taken Yuan Shu seriously.

Even with Su Xuan's vote of support, he had the confidence to easily crush Yuan Shu and obtain the position of leader.

Cao Cao, standing to the side, heard all these exchanges and observed the expressions of both Su Xuan and Yuan Shao. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Alas! Yuan Shao! Yuan Shao! You really are a fool! You've been manipulated by Boyuan the entire time, and you haven't even realized it!"

"Boyuan is truly formidable, to have coaxed Yuan Shao into such a state;"

"However, the fact that you didn't choose to compete for the leadership position? That does surprise me slightly."

"It seems you, too, have seen clearly that this warlord alliance is all fluff and will ultimately yield no results!"

Despite thinking this, Cao Cao still led his army to join the alliance.

It was to make one last effort to try and save the Great Han.

Although the chances were slim, this could be considered his final attempt.

After this, he would have to start striving for himself, for his family, and for the subordinates who trusted him.

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