Chapter 1182: Show of Hands
Chapter 1182: Show of Hands
October 18, 2017
At the Imperial Capital Administrative Office, outside Luoyang City, within the Grand Camp of the Coalition of States.
It was evident that from the moment Lu HaiKong took his seat at the round table in the coalition camp, Li Ru's previous calculations had been thwarted. Lu HaiKong, from the very start, dominated the entire situation.
The round table, initially designed to alleviate the awkwardness of ranking the twelve vassals, became a stage for Lu HaiKong, making him the undisputed protagonist.
Whether it was the nominal leader of the alliance, Dong Zhuo, or the initiator of the coalition, Liu Bei, or even the formidable presence of Cao Cao and others, all were overshadowed by Lu HaiKong's commanding presence.
Not only that, but within the vast camp, the attention of the generals and officials standing behind their respective lords was also fixed on Lu HaiKong.
In this camp spanning hundreds of square meters, dozens of top-tier generals stood, forming an elite group that could be considered one of the most prestigious assemblies in the Three Kingdoms.
Yet, even amidst such an extraordinary gathering, Lu HaiKong was undeniably the protagonist, devoid of any sense of danger from being surrounded by these formidable figures.
Of course, everyone present, be they vassals, generals, or officials, were all top-notch individuals. Lu HaiKong's entrance might have momentarily subdued them, but only fleetingly.
Given their characters, they would soon regain their composure and return to their nonchalant attitudes. However, Lu HaiKong had no intention of allowing them to recover so swiftly.
From the moment he took his seat, Lu HaiKong began disclosing the weighty information he had been holding back.
"It's time we discuss certain matters. Regarding the battle against the foreign forces in Youzhou, you must have sent many to investigate. I assume you're all more or less aware of the battle's outcome?"
Lu HaiKong scanned the room, noticing the slight changes in the faces of the vassals before him. Seeing no response, he continued without concern, "It seems you've caught wind of something, but I doubt you know the full story or the behind-the-scenes details. Never mind, I'll reveal the situation to you."
Lu HaiKong was about to elaborate, but to his surprise, someone stood up.
Indeed, the awe inspired by Lu HaiKong's formidable reputation could only hold the vassals in its grip for so long. Soon, someone broke free from the atmosphere and began to challenge Lu HaiKong.
Liu Biao abruptly stood up, narrowing his eyes. "Lord Lu, we are not interested in the details of that battle. Moreover, we didn't invite you here to chat..."
"I must say, you fellows have a remarkably myopic view of things."
Before Liu Biao could finish, Lu HaiKong interrupted him with impatience, causing everyone's faces to change color. His words were dripping with sarcasm.
However, before the vassals could react, Lu HaiKong's cold gaze swept across them, leaving them momentarily stunned.
At that moment, Lu HaiKong exuded no overwhelming aura or murderous intent, yet he managed to silence the vassals.
This was understandable. Among the vassals seated at the round table, only a handful had a martial might exceeding 90, while the rest were below 90, and some even fell short of 80. When Lu HaiKong's gaze swept over them, even a top-tier figure like Sun Jian felt a tremor in his heart.
But what was more crucial was that everyone could sense the gravity in Lu HaiKong's demeanor at that moment.
Initially, they believed Lu HaiKong's arrival was to dissuade them from their alliance. However, it now seemed that Lu HaiKong had a different agenda. Coupled with the intelligence they had previously received about the foreign forces, the twelve vassals exchanged silent glances, all falling into a contemplative silence.
Seeing that these men had adjusted their attitudes, Lu HaiKong retracted his cold gaze and took out twelve documents from his chest, casually tossing them accurately in front of the twelve vassals. "Take a look. These are the battle reports I compiled regarding the foreign demon forces, along with some additional intelligence we've gathered. I had intended to send these to you, but since you're all here, let's discuss them now."
In truth, by this point, Lu HaiKong had completely seized control of the camp's rhythm.
He had disrupted their planned negotiation pace, and the topics they had anticipated remained untouched. Instead, the conversation had veered towards this unexpected topic of the foreign forces.
However, at that moment, all twelve vassals picked up the intelligence Lu HaiKong had thrown at them and began reading. This wasn't just about Lu HaiKong dominating the scene from the start, but also about Bing Zhou disrupting their rhythm and the palpable emotion emanating from Lu HaiKong.
More importantly, these twelve vassals were genuinely intrigued by the intelligence regarding the [Foreign Domain]. For various reasons, Lu HaiKong effortlessly led these twelve vassals by the nose.
Chapter end
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