Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast. This is episode 28.

Last time, Liu Bei had convinced Cao Cao to let him take an army and go intercept Yuan Shu,

who was on his way to join up with Yuan Shao.

But soon after Liu Bei left the capital Xu Chang, Cao Cao regretted his decision and sent his general Xu Chu to go ask Liu Bei to turn around.

When Xu Chu caught up, Liu Bei told him, thanks but no thanks. A commander in the field

doesn't have to follow an order from his lord, so what are you going to do about it, aside from

turning around and going home? Well, Xu Chu, who was not exactly the brightest bulb on Cao Cao's

staff, thought to himself. The prime minister has always been on

good terms with Liu Bei. Besides, he did not order me to come start a fight. I would just relay

Liu Bei's message and figure it out from there. So Xu Chu took his leave and went back to tell

Cao Cao what happened. When Cao Cao heard the report, he could not

decide how to proceed. His advisors, Cheng Yu and Guo Jia, however, were sure that this was a sign

that Liu Bei had turned on him. I have my officers Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao with him, so Liu Bei

might not dare to turn on me, Cao Cao said.

Besides, I have already issued the order. I cannot take it back.

And so he decided to let Liu Bei go.

A poet later wrote about Liu Bei's exodus.

The soldiers pack, the horses fed, the hero dashed away, but ever sacred to his heart with the J. Girdle decree.

The iron cage broken, a tiger loose again, the metal lock sprung, a dragon once more freed.

When Liu Bei arrived at Xu province, he was welcomed by the general Cher Zhou, whom Cao Cao had left in charge of the province.

After the welcome banquet, people from Liu Bei's former staff, guys like Sun Qian and Mi Zhu, came to pay their respects.

Liu Bei also went to see his family, which had remained behind in Xu province when Cao Cao brought him to the capital.

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