With Cao Cao by my side, what do I have to fear from the world?

Chapter 100, Cao Cao took the initiative to admit it.
Cao Cao's expression frightened Cao Hong, and the shock completely sobered him up.

Cao Hong noticed that not only was Cao Cao staring at him coldly, but Guo Jia and Man Chong also had very serious expressions.

Cao Hong tried hard to recall, but he wasn't entirely sure whether he had said it while drunk.

After thinking for a while, Cao Hong slapped his forehead and said, "I remember... I didn't say that. Could I be mistaken?"

Snapped!
Cao Cao suddenly swung his hand and slapped Cao Hong hard across the face. "Zilian, even if you have any grievances against me, you should know the seriousness of the matter."

"That's right, the money exchange was my idea, and I wanted to make you back down. But you shouldn't have talked about tomb raiding to others so carelessly."

"what?"

Guo Jia, Man Chong, and Cao Hong were all stunned.

Guo Jia sighed, frowning, but it was too late to stop him.

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao revealed the matter of the money shop himself.

Cao Cao thought that Cao Hong had already guessed it, which was why he spoke out about the tomb raiding to vent his dissatisfaction.

Man Chong shook his head repeatedly, saying that if things were brought out into the open, wouldn't the relationship between Lord Ming and Cao Hong become strained?
Cao Hong stumbled back several steps, his eyes almost red, wide open, his face full of disbelief.

Although he had guessed it before, guessing it and Cao Cao admitting it are two different things.

If Cao Cao continued to deny it, Cao Hong would find some solace in the thought that perhaps Cao Cao was not the one who did it.

But now, Cao Cao himself has admitted it.

Cao Hong was stunned, and his heart sank!
Looking at Cao Cao, Cao Hong's eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and heartache.

Cao Hong gritted his teeth and stared at Cao Cao.

Cao Hong's reaction also surprised Cao Cao.

After a while, Cao Hong suddenly knelt heavily on the ground with a thud.

"This humble general has never expressed any dissatisfaction with our lord, and our loyalty to our lord has never wavered. As for the words spoken while drunk that have tarnished our lord's reputation, this humble general is willing to accept punishment!"

Cao Hong's forthrightness left Cao Cao somewhat embarrassed, unsure how to respond.

After a while, Cao Cao waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's leave it at that. As for the money shop matter, Zilian, I meant well. You don't need to think about it. From now on, you should focus on military affairs. When you are promoted to a rank or general in the future, you will naturally be rewarded."

Cao Hong nodded, then got up to say goodbye and left.

Although the effects of the alcohol had worn off, Cao Hong's heart was completely drunk and utterly cold.

After leaving the Sikong Mansion, Cao Hong even forgot that he had come on horseback.

The guards at the gate reminded him, and Cao Hong, in a daze, mounted his horse and hurried home.

Riding on his horse, Cao Hong's mind went completely blank, and he paid no attention to anything on the street.

th!
This meant that his relationship with Cao Cao could never be the same again.

Cao Cao also felt some regret and sighed helplessly.

Guo Jia advised, "My lord, perhaps it will get better in a few days. After all, Cao Hong and you are brothers of the same clan."

"Let's hope so," even Cao Cao himself wasn't entirely confident in his belief.

After that, Cao Hong was drunk all day long, and seemed to have completely changed. He even stopped going to the barracks.

He used to take time to train his troops and patrol the city, but now Cao Hong has lost interest in everything, including real estate.

Cao Cao felt sorry for them and wanted Man Chong to release the captured men, but to his surprise, Man Chong had already killed them.

Cao Hong's changes also caught Liu Xie's attention.

On this day, Wang Yue was teaching Cao Pi and Lu Xun. That's right, Wang Yue now had another student to teach.

Liu Xie and Zhao Yun were also sparring. After fighting for a while, Liu Xie's forehead gradually started to sweat, and his movements slowed down. Zhao Yun also slowed down in response.

"Your Majesty, Cao Hong is currently in a daze, drinking all day long. If this continues, his relationship with Cao Cao will likely deteriorate further."

"That's for sure. Even if they're brothers from the same clan, or even blood brothers, after something like this happens, it's hard to mend a broken relationship."

Turning his head to look at Lu Xun, Liu Xie saw that Lu Xun was concentrating intently and practicing each move very seriously, and Liu Xie smiled with satisfaction.

A few days later, Cao Cao launched a campaign against Zhang Xiu. After much hesitation, Cao Cao still brought Cao Hong along.

The day before the expedition, Wu Anguo also arrived in Xudu and joined Liu Xie on the expedition.

Cao Cao's army was in the lead, vast and mighty, while Liu Xie followed behind. In addition to some reserve troops, there were also some guards to protect the emperor, as well as cooks, grain transporters, supply troops, and newly formed medical troops.

Liu Xie was still busy; whenever he saw a familiar face, he couldn't help but call them over for a chat.

The soldiers behind were mostly of lower and middle rank, and were generally not highly regarded, but Liu Xie treated them all equally and showed no favoritism. Because of Liu Xie's attention, the medical corps grew in size, reaching as many as five hundred men.

Li Erniu and Lin Tong also became leaders of the medics, and both of them were promoted to captains.

Among the paramedics were many disciples of Hua Tuo from the medical school. Liu Xie had a particularly deep impression of two of them: one named Wu Pu and the other named Fan A.

Liu Xie kept Lu Xun by his side and tried his best to explain things to him wherever they went. Lu Xun didn't talk much, but he was very smart and learned things quickly.

Wu Anguo was not a man of many words, but he wasn't always like this. Since losing his wrist, his experiences over the past few years have changed him a lot.

Upon receiving the personal letters from Liu Xie and Kong Rong, Wu Anguo was so excited he almost cried.

"see it?"

Liu Xie pointed to the logistics soldiers and said to Wu Anguo, "Even if you lose a wrist, I dare say that none of these men can be your match. Even if there are three or five of them, they can't get close to you."

Wu Anguo was of medium build, over eight feet tall, with a square face, a beard, and an undisguised air of loneliness and vicissitude.

Liu Xie patiently persuaded him, trying to help him regain his confidence.

Cao Cao did not pay much attention to Liu Xie's recruitment of Wu Anguo.

After all, Wu Anguo's wrist was broken, which greatly reduced his power.

Cao Cao couldn't prevent the emperor from getting close to others, but as long as Liu Xie didn't intend to seize military power, that was fine.

Even if there were a few more people like Wu Anguo, Cao Cao was absolutely confident that he could completely subdue them in an instant.

Wu Anguo was still somewhat dejected. He shook his head and said with some disdain, "Your Majesty, what does it matter if you can defeat a few soldiers?"

"Take things slowly. First, you need to recognize reality: you can never go back to the past."

Liu Xie smiled and found a stool to sit down. "Let me tell you a story."

"There was a man named Yang Guo, who was exceptionally intelligent, yet he suffered endless bullying. Just when his martial arts skills had finally made some progress, he was murdered and lost his right hand..."

Liu Xie spoke vividly and engagingly, and Lin Tong, Li Erniu, and others gradually gathered around.

Wu Anguo listened quietly.

"Yang Guo lost his right hand, and you lost your left. In fact, Yang Guo was in a worse situation than you because his right hand was his dominant hand. But he didn't give up and switched to practicing swordsmanship with his left hand... In the end, he not only became a grandmaster but also won the heart of a beautiful woman. They were a perfect couple, living a carefree life in the martial world, envied by everyone!"

Life in the barracks was monotonous and dull, but when they suddenly heard such an interesting story, everyone listened with rapt attention, and Wu Anguo was deeply moved.

Liu Xie chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “Although this is just a story, in this world, when you feel miserable, there are always people who are even more miserable than you. No matter what others think of you or what they say about you, you don’t have to care. Just focus on what kind of person you want to become.”

Liu Xie said firmly, "As long as the heart is not broken, one will never become a useless person!"

"Take your time. I hope that when you return to your hometown, you will be able to hold your head high and return in glory!"

Wu Anguo's eyes gradually moistened as he looked at Liu Xie and nodded vigorously.

Wu Anguo was strong and healthy, and he wouldn't become a cripple just because he lost a wrist. It's just that he couldn't accept such a big psychological gap for the time being.

The group arrived at the banks of the Yu River, facing Wancheng across the river, less than ten miles away.

Zhang Xiu was on high alert. Wancheng had strong city walls, and Zhang Xiu did not panic because of Cao Cao's arrival.

After setting up camp, Cao Cao immediately sent out scouts to gather intelligence on the enemy and summoned Guo Jia and others to discuss countermeasures.

Guo Jia suggested, "My lord, Zhang Xiu is holding Wancheng firmly, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It would be better to launch a surprise attack on Huyang first. As long as we defeat Deng Ji, it will be equivalent to cutting off one of Zhang Xiu's arms. If we attack Wancheng now, not only will we find it difficult to make progress, but Deng Ji will also be able to launch a sneak attack from behind at any time."

Xun You nodded in approval, agreeing with Guo Jia's opinion.

Xun You was tall and thin, with a deep-set face, sharp features, and piercing eyes.

His face was cold and mysterious. Compared with Xun Yu, he lacked some of the refined elegance but had more of the decisiveness.

Xun You said, "Deng Ji is just an unknown nobody. Taking Huyang should be as easy as turning his hand. We can set up a feint and make a big show of things in Wancheng. We only need to send an elite force to raid Huyang."

"Very well, in that case, I will personally lead the troops to take Huyang." A glint of light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes as he spoke decisively.

Cao Cao was decisive and had great courage. Among the many warlords of the Three Kingdoms, there were very few who were not afraid of death and dared to take the lead.

Yuan Shao dared not, Yuan Shu dared not, Liu Biao, Tao Qian, Sun Quan and their ilk dared not, and even Liu Bei dared not lead his troops into battle for a long time.

But Cao Cao dared to do so. In the early Three Kingdoms period, he and Sun Jian were among the few warlords who dared to fight and were resolute in their execution.

When the eighteen warlords launched their campaign against Dong Zhuo, only two warlords dared to advance and were not afraid of Dong Zhuo: Sun Jian and Cao Cao.

Everything in Huyang City seemed peaceful and tranquil. The setting sun cast its golden rays, bathing the small city in a golden glow. People outside the city gradually returned to the city, and the number of people at the city gate increased. A troop of grain transport soldiers had just arrived and was slowly moving forward.

(End of this chapter)