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

Chapter 141, The Emperor Cannot Back Down

Gao Shun was much more composed than Lü Bu. Upon seeing Zhang Liao, he quickly looked away, as if he hadn't seen Zhang Liao, like an old monk in meditation.

Having known Zhang Liao for so many years, he believed that Zhang Liao was not a person who would betray principles for personal gain.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of the military might of our army?" Cao Cao asked Liu Xie with a somewhat provocative look in his eyes.

Liu Xie knew that Cao Cao was showing off to him and wanted him to praise him.

Liu Xie nodded slightly and praised, "With such military might in our army, I am even more at ease."

"Oh? I would like to hear Your Majesty's insightful opinion."

Cao Cao sneered inwardly. These soldiers and generals now only obey my orders. Let me show you that I am the one who calls the shots!
Liu Xie said solemnly, "These are all soldiers of my Great Han Dynasty. They are all well-trained, with elite troops and brave generals. With such elite forces in the court, who would dare to be disloyal to me? Who would dare to defy the court? Anyone who dares to be disloyal or rebel in the future, no matter how far away, will be punished!"

"this?"

Liu Xie's answer surprised Cao Cao, who nodded awkwardly, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."

Anyone who dares to be disloyal, no matter how far away, shall be punished! Liu Xie spoke these words with righteous indignation, but Cao Cao felt a chill in his heart.

Lu Bu stared coldly at Cao Cao with an unfriendly gaze. Liu Xie's words emboldened Lu Bu.

Liu Xie displayed great momentum, which greatly encouraged his supporters.

Even Liu Bei looked at Liu Xie with some surprise in his eyes.

Liu Bei could see that Liu Xie was not showing weakness in the face of Cao Cao, and had even turned the tables on him.

No matter how many soldiers Cao Cao has, or how elite his generals are, what good are they? They're all still my soldiers!

There is a hunting ground outside the city. Yesterday, Cao Cao ordered that more game be released there, including goats, roe deer, and rabbits. Of course, the most common game was deer.

Ancient people paid great attention to deer, even more so than to fierce animals such as tigers, leopards, bears, and wolves.

When people hunted, whoever could shoot a deer would usually be rewarded. King Zhou of Shang even built a Deer Terrace. The word "deer" has a very important meaning.

In Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, there is a passage that says, "When Qin lost its deer, the whole world chased after it." Here, the deer is used as a metaphor for the world, or for the Central Plains.

From then on, the phrase "contending for the Central Plains" and "contending for the world" quickly spread, and the deer was given a more sacred meaning.

A clear breeze blows under the bright sun, and ancient pines stand tall and green. In the hunting grounds, squirrels dart about, and deer leap across the air.

Tens of thousands of soldiers formed a circle, driving the prey as far as possible toward the center.

At the beginning, Cao Chun led a group of generals to make their appearance, each riding a horse and shooting arrows, displaying their superb archery skills.

Cao Ang and Cao Pi were also fortunate enough to participate, and everyone was enthusiastically performing.

Among the group, Xu Huang was the most skilled archer. Facing the deer that kept changing direction, Xu Huang rode up on his horse and quickly shot an arrow that hit the deer right in the center of its neck, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd.

Of course, Lu Bu and Zhao Yun didn't make an appearance; otherwise, they would have definitely stolen Xu Huang's thunder.

After everyone finished their performance, Cao Cao invited Liu Bei to shoot arrows.

"Xuande, you are the Imperial Uncle, of noble status, and were once a regional lord. Why not show us your abilities?"

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He casually picked up his bow and arrows and walked calmly to the center of the hunting ground.

Just then, a deer was driven over, and Liu Bei swiftly shot an arrow.

With a soft "plop," it missed slightly, but still hit its target.

The deer fell to the ground and struggled in pain.

Cao Cao praised, "Xuande, I didn't expect that you, who have been growing vegetables and playing with a hoe at home all this time, would not have neglected your archery skills at all. Not bad, you shot very well."

Liu Bei humbly replied, "I was merely lucky and made a mistake; I am nowhere near as good as Cao Cao."

Cao Cao then approached Liu Xie and invited him, saying, "Your Majesty, such a grand event is quite remarkable. As the ruler of the world, why don't you show it to us and broaden our horizons?"

What's meant to happen will happen; there's no escaping it.

Zhao Yun glanced at Liu Xie; if he could take Liu Xie's place, he would very much like to.

Liu Xie smiled at Zhao Yun, calmly stepped down from the high platform, and said to Cao Cao, "Lord Cao, I am truly ashamed that my archery skills are not proficient, but I do not wish to spoil everyone's fun, so I will make a fool of myself."

First, sincerely admit that your archery skills are not good. That way, even if you miss, it won't be shameful.

Cao Cao smiled and said, "Your Majesty is too modest. Please!"

Liu Xie used a special carved bow reserved for the emperor, and golden arrows. A deer came running by, Liu Xie took aim, and with a whoosh, the arrow flew directly through the deer's body.

Liu Xie missed, and the surroundings fell silent. Everyone was unsure how to react and were momentarily stunned.

Applause and cheers are definitely not acceptable, since the shot missed.

After a moment of silence, Cao Cao walked over and extended his hand to Liu Xie.

Liu Xie pretended not to understand, but Cao Cao glanced at him sideways, snorted, and reminded Liu Xie to give him the bow and arrows.

This is a bit too much. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lü Bu, and Zhao Yun all witnessed this scene.

Cao Ang and Xun Yu also saw it. Cao Ang's heart was in his throat, and he looked at his father with a puzzled expression.

Cao Pi's eyes lit up, and he secretly felt proud to have such a father.

Cao Cao snorted three times in a row. Seeing that Liu Xie was not going to listen, Cao Cao's face darkened and he forcibly snatched the bow and arrow from Liu Xie's hands.

In the past, to maintain the illusion of harmony between the emperor and his ministers, Cao Cao paid great attention to his demeanor and was outwardly polite to Liu Xie.

This time, however, Cao Cao was determined to establish his authority and intimidate Liu Xie, Liu Bei, and others, so he acted much more domineeringly than before.

The ministers all knew that Cao Cao was doing this on purpose. Xun Yu frowned, his expression similar to Cao Ang's, and he was very puzzled.

Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and the others watched with schadenfreude, feeling a great sense of satisfaction, because they only followed Cao Cao and didn't take Liu Xie seriously at all.

The Cao army soldiers on the periphery could not see what was happening inside; only those who were close by could notice.

The atmosphere was extremely tense. Xun Yu glanced at Cao Cao one moment and then at Liu Xie the next, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

Xun Yu couldn't understand why Cao Cao was so eager to demonstrate his power to the emperor. Why had he suddenly become so assertive?

Guo Jia kept watching Liu Xie and found that Liu Xie did not yield. At least from the expression on his face, Liu Xie kept staring at Cao Cao, and apart from surprise and dissatisfaction, he did not show the slightest cowardice or fear.

Liu Xie stood ramrod straight, his eyes fixed on Cao Cao. Facing the suddenly powerful Cao Cao and the thousands of Cao Cao's soldiers surrounding him, Liu Xie remained as upright as a pine tree, exceptionally calm. Today, he wasn't testing Cao Cao's martial prowess or archery skills, but rather his sheer presence!

Even if Mount Tai were pressing down on him, even if danger lurked everywhere, Liu Xie, as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, could not lose face.

The emperor will never back down!
Liu Xie's refusal to admit defeat only made Guo Jia and Xun Yu more worried. The more he refused to admit defeat, the more tense the atmosphere would become, and the more likely something bad would happen.

Cao Cao naturally noticed Liu Xie's expression, and he was also somewhat surprised, secretly blaming Liu Xie for being a bit unreasonable and tactless today.

But Cao Cao did not stop there. He took the bow and arrows used by the emperor and signaled Xiahou Dun to send men to drive the deer herd away. Dozens of Cao Cao's cavalrymen galloped away and quickly drove the deer herd away.

Cao Cao remained calm and composed, his gaze fixed on the nearest deer. The deer was very alert, constantly changing direction, trying to escape as quickly as possible.

However, Cao Cao was quick-witted and nimble, and in an instant, he steadily shot the arrow.

The moment the deer leaped into the air, with a soft thud, an arrow shot out swiftly, flashing a bright light, and pierced its neck directly. The deer didn't even have time to struggle before it fell to the ground, dying instantly.

A Cao army knight galloped over, leaped to the ground, pulled the golden arrow from the deer, remounted his horse, and, holding the golden arrow high, galloped away while shouting, "His Majesty's golden arrow has hit the mark! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The knight who shouted was clearly doing it on purpose, or it could be said that it was pre-arranged.

Even though those nearby knew what was going on, Cao Cao still wanted to create a stir and deliberately try to take advantage of Liu Xie.

"It was His Majesty's golden arrow that struck! Long live the Emperor!"

Soon, the soldiers on the periphery were overjoyed. They waved their swords and spears and responded vigorously, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" again and again.

"Long live! Long live!"

Cao Cao was very pleased with himself. He deliberately took a few steps forward and stood to the side and in front of Liu Xie, accepting everything calmly. Many people even knelt on the ground and sincerely kowtowed.

Cao Ang was greatly puzzled and looked at Cao Cao in surprise, while Cao Pi was extremely excited and wanted to shout, "A true man should be like this!"

Cao Cao was his role model, and Cao Pi greatly admired his father as he watched him enjoy the cheers of the crowd.

Liu Xie squinted, still staring at Cao Cao, his right hand already touching the hilt of the Qinggang sword.

The next moment, Liu Xie raised the Qinggang sword, but he did not draw it from its sheath.

Liu Xie glanced at the Qinggang sword in his hand, then at Cao Cao, giving him a look that seemed to be a reminder.

Cao Cao understood, Guo Jia understood, and Xun Yu naturally guessed Liu Xie's intention.

Liu Xie was reminding Cao Cao not to play with fire and not to forget the warning he received when his horse trampled the wheat field last time.

Liu Xie had clearly warned Cao Cao not to repeat the offense, otherwise he would be guilty of both crimes.

Xun Yu frowned more and more, realizing something was wrong. Guo Jia was also secretly anxious, as he had long anticipated that Liu Xie was not as weak as he appeared.

Liu Xie may seem unassuming and friendly on ordinary days, but that doesn't mean he's willing to submit. Cao Cao, however, has made it clear that he wants Liu Xie to submit.

If Cao Cao had immediately restrained himself at this moment, it would still have been in time. However, Liu Xie's behavior infuriated Cao Cao. He glared at Liu Xie with a cold glint in his eyes and deliberately snorted, reminding Liu Xie to know his place.

Instead of riding, Liu Xie stepped down from the platform, mounted his horse, raised his Qinggang sword high, and galloped across the hunting grounds, calmly accepting the tidal wave of cheers from his generals.

Because Liu Xie was the emperor, the rightful Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty, only he was entitled to enjoy the cheers of "Long live the Emperor!"
Cao Cao is not worthy!

Liu Xie's performance greatly surprised Cao Cao. He did not expect that in front of so many people, Liu Xie, whom he originally intended to intimidate, would actually stand up for himself.

Cao Cao gritted his teeth, his eyes wide with rage, and stared at Liu Xie's retreating figure on horseback, his face filled with murderous intent.

The script he had envisioned had terrified Liu Xiehui, but he had suppressed it severely, and from then on, he would be more restrained.

However, to his surprise, things went awry. Liu Xie did not give him any face and even used the Qinggang Sword to warn Cao Cao not to push his luck.

Cao Cao's gaze grew increasingly cold, and an uncontrollable murderous intent surged forth.

When Liu Xie rode up to Cao Cao's side and stopped, he lowered his voice and reminded him, "Lord Cao, you are drunk today."

Liu Xie tried his best to save face for Cao Cao by giving him the excuse that he was drunk.

If Cao Cao were sensible, he should have taken the opportunity to back down and admitted that he was drunk and that his words and actions were somewhat offensive.

But today, Cao Cao has no intention of stopping there. Liu Xie's behavior has enraged Cao Cao.

Cao Cao sneered, "Your Majesty has been learning swordsmanship for some time now, and I wonder how well you have progressed. I am not talented, but I would like to take this opportunity of hunting to have a public exchange with Your Majesty."

Liu Xie looked at him and saw that Cao Cao's gaze was burning with provocation, so he knew that Cao Cao did not intend to let him off easily today.

He simply nodded, "My skills are not yet proficient, please give me your guidance, Lord Cao."

"Oh dear, how could this happen?"

Xun Yu sighed heavily. He feared that the situation today would be difficult to salvage.

Liu Xie dismounted, slowly drew his Qinggang sword, and once again gave Cao Cao a warning with his eyes.

The Qinggang Sword was a warning; in front of so many people, Liu Xie didn't want to break the unspoken agreement.

He wanted Cao Cao to realize his mistake and restrain himself in time.

However, the two were at loggerheads, neither willing to back down. Cao Cao wanted Liu Xie to back down, while Liu Xie wanted Cao Cao to restrain himself. The two were now locked in a complete standoff.

Cao Cao let out a shout and drew his sword as well. In his hand was the Yitian Sword, a divine weapon that was almost on par with the Qinggang Sword.

Among the many heroes and powerful figures of the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao possessed a great many divine weapons and treasures.

He once possessed the BMW Shadowless Sword, the Seven Star Saber, and even two swords at the same time: the Qinggang Sword and the Yitian Sword.

Xun Yu couldn't stand it any longer, coughed, stepped over, and advised, "Today is a hunting trip, and it is not appropriate to start a fight. Your Excellency is one of the Three Dukes of the court, and His Majesty is the supreme ruler. As the saying goes, swords have no eyes, and it is really not advisable to compete, lest there be any injury."

Xun Yu was one of the few honest and kind-hearted people in Cao Cao's camp. Although he always sided with Cao Cao, he always maintained the respect due to Liu Xie.

Xun Yu had already discerned the situation: Cao Cao was clearly enraged and wanted to suppress Liu Xie. Doing so in front of so many people was already inappropriate, but Cao Cao had no intention of backing down.

He and Liu Xie were determined to prove who was superior in terms of momentum today.

One of them has to admit defeat! Admit defeat!
During the hunt at Xutian, Cao Cao did indeed become a little overconfident.
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(End of this chapter)