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

Chapter 116, Lu Bu is not a wolf
With nothing to do during the day, Zhao Yun brought Lu Xun to the outskirts of Xiapi. Liu Xie knew they also wanted to come and take a look. Since Wang Yue and Wu Anguo were by his side and there was nothing else to do during the day, he sent them to come and see for themselves and broaden their horizons.

In the meantime, Liu Xie can also keep track of any developments.

Cao Cao's army and Lü Bu's army soon clashed. While killing the enemy, Lü Bu cursed loudly, "Cao Mengde, how dare you mock me!"

Cao Cao snorted coldly, "So what if I'm making fun of you? You won't learn anything anyway."

Cao Cao then instructed Cao Ren and other generals: "Lü Bu is brave and fierce. Do not fight him one-on-one. Attack him together and take turns wearing down his morale."

Cao Ren agreed and charged at Lü Bu with his sword. After a few rounds, Xu Chu also arrived, and the two attacked from both sides, joining forces to besiege Lü Bu.

Lu Bu brandished his halberd without fear, the weapons clashing back and forth with a sharp whistling sound, sparks flying everywhere.

Gao Shun and Zhang Liao also led their troops to fight against other Cao generals. Neither side would give way, and the fighting was fierce.

Zhao Yun watched quietly from his horse. He saw that Lü Bu was fighting two generals with equal strength and was not at a disadvantage at all. Even when Xiahou Yuan charged in, Lü Bu was still able to fight the three of them. Zhao Yun secretly admired him and really wanted to rush up and meet Lü Bu.

"Isn't this Zilong?"

Liu Bei also brought his men to watch the battle, and upon seeing Zhao Yun, he hurried over.

When Cao Cao fought Lü Bu, Liu Bei and his two brothers accompanied him throughout the entire battle, watching the fight with great leisure.

Even Jian Yong, Sun Qian, and others followed Liu Bei.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Zhao Yun hurriedly dismounted and cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei also excitedly dismounted, took Zhao Yun's hand, and was extremely enthusiastic.

"Zilong, how have you been?"

Zhao Yun nodded. "Your Majesty is kind and benevolent, and treats me with sincerity. I am doing well."

Liu Bei said, "That's good."

Liu Bei stared intently at Zhao Yun, his gaze lingering on him for a long time, making Zhao Yun feel somewhat embarrassed.

Liu Bei genuinely liked Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun was skilled in both literature and martial arts, capable of leading troops and fighting battles. He was also knowledgeable, polite, low-key, meticulous, and hardworking. Even the most critical person would find it difficult to find fault with Zhao Yun.

As for Lu Xun standing to the side, even Liu Bei didn't pay him any attention, treating him as just an insignificant follower.

Lu Xun watched intently. Surprisingly, he didn't feel nervous at all about this fierce battle scene. Instead, he felt an innate sense of familiarity with it.

Lu Xun loved the battlefield and longed to be the protagonist of the battlefield.

Last time, when Commander Chen Wang's troops dealt with Zhou Cang, it was merely a small test of their abilities.

Although he was filled with anticipation and excitement, Lu Xun also knew that he still had a lot to learn. He didn't want to become a brainless brute like Lü Bu, who could be easily manipulated and played by Cao Cao.

Liu Xie taught him a sentence last night, and he wrote it down a hundred times that night.

In the face of great events, one must remain calm!
The battle ended in the afternoon, and Lü Bu was defeated.

After Lu Xun returned, Liu Xie made a simple sand table and asked Lu Xun to recount the battle outside Xiapi City from memory.

Liu Xie said, "What is the terrain outside Xiapi? What are the formations of both sides? What is the morale of the troops? These are all things that a general commanding troops must have a basic grasp of."

Lu Xun thought carefully and repeated it earnestly. However, he did not expect Liu Xiehui to ask such a complicated question. He scratched his head and said, "Your Majesty, I only remember that the terrain outside the city is surrounded by water on three sides and there is a few hundred meters of open flat land outside the city. I don't remember anything else. At the time, I was only focused on the battle between the two sides."

Liu Xie reached out and gently tapped him on the head. "If you can't remember this time, go again tomorrow. If you still can't answer it when you come back, you won't get any food tomorrow. And..."

Liu Xie sternly instructed, "You are not allowed to scratch your head anymore. As a general, a dignified and authoritative demeanor is also very important! Even though you are still young, you must be careful. Once a bad habit is formed, it is hard to change."

Lu Xun nodded hurriedly, "I'll remember."

The next day, Lu Xun did more than just watch the excitement. He took notes as he watched, his eyes like a camera, trying to remember everything he saw. If he couldn't remember something, he would keep watching until he did.

The following night, Lu Xun indeed made great progress, describing the terrain around the city more accurately and specifically. Before leaving, Lu Xun asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty, wouldn't it be even easier if we had paper and pen with us? I could draw every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, and every river in a vivid and lifelike way."

Liu Xie shook his head and said, "If you go to observe on-site, no one will suspect you because you're young. But if you take paper and pen and draw on the battlefield, recording the terrain and attack and defense formations, it will definitely attract attention. Moreover, observe and think more; only when you remember it in your own heart can it truly become your own." "Understood!"

After dinner, Lu Xun didn't rest either. He either read books or practiced swordsmanship. Liu Xie would assign him tasks every day.

"Your Majesty, although Lü Bu is brave, he is ultimately trapped in the isolated city of Xiapi. In the past two days, it has been obvious that the morale of Lü Bu's army is low. I'm afraid that Lü Bu will refuse to defend the city and continue to hold out against Cao Cao."

Zhao Yun's judgment was quite accurate. Liu Xie took out a chessboard, and the two of them played chess under the moonlight while watching Lu Xun practice swordsmanship alone.

“Zilong, Lü Bu has a lot of flaws. He is no match for a cunning man like Cao Cao. Moreover, Cao Cao has so many top strategists around him.”

"Then, Your Majesty, how do you evaluate Lü Bu?"

Zhao Yun had actually figured it out long ago: Liu Xie had a great liking for Lü Bu.

"how to say?"

Liu Xie placed a chess piece down, glanced at Zhao Yun, and said simply, "In short, Lü Bu wants to be a good person, but he's not completely good; he wants to be a bad person, but he's not completely bad either!"

"He's done good deeds, and he's done quite a few bad ones too. Lü Bu is actually easily influenced by the people or environment around him. For example, when Wang Yun persuaded him to kill Dong Zhuo with the righteousness of the Han Dynasty, he did it better than anyone else, eliminating a traitor for the country and becoming famous throughout the world. He also did many wrong things while following Dong Zhuo, and even now he's having an affair with the usurper Yuan Shu. But in fact, he's very pitiful and pathetic!"

Zhao Yun was somewhat surprised and said, "Your Majesty, I thought you would praise him and say that he is one of the few loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty?"

"Despite the many bad and wrong things he did, Lü Bu was not a truly wicked person. He never massacred a city or wiped out an entire family. Whether he colluded with Yuan Shu or turned against Liu Bei, all of this was done simply for survival, because he didn't want to be killed by others!"

"The reason why people think he is fickle is because Lü Bu listens to one person one moment and is kind to another the next. For example, he listens to Chen Deng and his son one moment, to Chen Gong the next, and to the women around him the next... In fact, Lü Bu's heart is not bad. Lü Bu is not a great villain. It's just a pity that people's hearts are treacherous and the world is full of chaos and strife. This is a world where only wolves can survive, but Lü Bu is not a wolf. He does not have the cunning of a wolf, nor the ruthlessness of a wolf!"

Liu Xie sighed heavily. "When others advise him or give Lü Bu advice, Lü Bu easily trusts them. Just like this time when Chen Deng and his son surrendered the city, it was because Lü Bu trusted them too much. Zilong, although Lü Bu is the strongest warrior in the world, his personality means he is destined to be devoured by others."

Zhao Yun said, "Your Majesty has said so much, but it makes me feel that you still value Lü Bu very much."

Liu Xie looked directly at Zhao Yun and suddenly asked, "In the struggle for the Central Plains, wolves roam the world. As a regional lord, one must indeed be ruthless and cunning like a wolf to compete with other lords! But I am the current emperor. Zilong, do you think I need obedient and capable people by my side, or do I need more wolves and jackals?"

"Fortunately, Lü Bu is not a wolf. If he were, I would never have allowed him to live, because..."

Liu Xie looked up at the night sky and sighed deeply, "Because there is already a wolf by my side!"

Zhao Yun suddenly realized and nodded vigorously.

"Does Your Majesty consider people like Dong Zhuo and Li Jue to be wolves?"

Lu Xun, who had been practicing his swordsmanship for a while, also came over with great interest and asked curiously.

Liu Xie scoffed, “Dong Zhuo only learned the ruthlessness of a wolf, but not its cunning. At best, he’s just a pig who only knows how to rely on military strength but is not good at strategy. As for the likes of Li Jue and Guo Si, they are even worse than Dong Zhuo. In short, they are all pigs and dogs!”

"Compared to them, Cao Cao is much more capable. He has some respect for me. Cao Cao is good to me, so naturally his reputation will be good, and he can easily command the world. The likes of Dong Zhuo only incite public anger."

Half a month later, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao broke through Cao Cao's camp and escorted Xu Si and Wang Kai out. Lü Bu sent them to see Yuan Shu, hoping to get reinforcements.

Yuan Shu has also become increasingly emaciated and haggard lately.

Huainan was originally a rich and prosperous place, but like Nanyang in the past, it was subjected to Yuan Shu's tyrannical taxation, extortion, and bullying, which caused the people to boil with resentment.

Vast tracts of farmland lay barren, and the treasury's finances were insufficient to cover expenses, making life very difficult for Yuan Shu.

In particular, in last year's Battle of Chen, Yuan Shu's attempt to seize grain backfired spectacularly. He not only failed to capture any grain but also suffered heavy casualties, severely weakening his forces.

Sitting on the throne in the main hall, Yuan Shu propped himself up and looked at Xu Si and Wang Kai with disdain.

"Lord Yuan, this is extremely urgent! My lord has been trapped in Xiapi for ten days now. I beg you to send reinforcements immediately."

Yuan Shu snorted coldly and said in a shrill voice, "Lu Bu is fickle and heartless. I sincerely wanted to marry him, but he not only refused, but also cut off the head of my envoy Han Yin and sent it to Xuchang. Humph! Now that he's in trouble, he remembers me. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

The two knelt on the ground, almost crying with anxiety.

Xu Si said, "Lord Yuan, it's a matter of mutual dependence. If Cao Cao gets Xuzhou, he will definitely send troops to Huainan next. Lord Yuan, saving my lord is the same as saving yourself."

(End of this chapter)