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

Chapter 168, Restoring the Han Dynasty Begins with Me

While watching the spectacle, Cao Cao searched for Liu Xie's figure, and after circling around for most of the way, he finally found him.

It was relatively quiet here, and the soldiers were standing one by one by the campfire telling their stories. To put it bluntly, it was a grievance session.

A burly man said, “My name is Ma Wu. I live near Liyang. I have a brother and sister. I joined the army last year. Why did I join the army? There’s no other reason. My sister got married. I’m the only one who can eat. I eat a lot, but my family doesn’t have enough to eat. Joining the army means I’ll get food. If I’m lucky, I can even get a merit. Even if I die in battle, my sister will get some compensation.”

After Ma Wu finished speaking, Liu Xie led the applause and said, "Good. As long as you can make meritorious contributions, you will definitely be rewarded. If you unfortunately die in battle, I will personally send someone to deliver the pension to your sister."

In war, there are always deaths. It is not Liu Xie's style to only talk about meritorious service and rewards while deliberately omitting the topic of those who died in battle.

Faced with these most unassuming soldiers, Liu Xie was willing to show his utmost sincerity.

"Who's next? I don't need to name names. We'll all be in this together from now on, so there's no need to be polite."

"I come."

A lean, tall man walked into the middle of the crowd. “My name is Wang Kui. I fled from Bingzhou to Jizhou. There were originally eight people in my family. When we were fleeing, we encountered the Xianbei people. Most of my family members were killed by the Xianbei. Only three of my brothers escaped. Two of them starved to death on the way. Now I am the only one left…”

Wang Kui's face was desolate, as if he had no will to live. He had long since run out of tears from his sorrow over the years.

Gao Shun sighed, looked at Lü Bu beside him, and said, "Lord Wen, ever since we left Bingzhou, those foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall have become rampant again."

Lu Bu sneered, "That's right. Back when we were guarding Bingzhou, who dared to approach us? Every time the foreign tribes saw us, they were terrified and ran away. But now, alas, everything has changed."

After sharing a life-and-death experience at the White Gate Tower, Lü Bu and Gao Shun's relationship grew even closer.

True friendship is revealed in times of adversity. Lu Bu had so many subordinates, but when he was dying, only Gao Shun stayed by his side.

Seeing Cao Cao approaching from afar, Lü Bu snorted and pretended not to see him.

Lu Bu never forgot the incident at White Gate Tower; he wasn't that magnanimous.

Lu Bu abandoned all his dignity and begged to live, but Cao Cao ignored him and insisted on killing him.

How could Lü Bu possibly want to get close to Cao Cao again? He didn't even have the interest to greet Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, however, did not bother with him. Upon seeing him, he smiled at Lü Bu and then walked straight toward Liu Xie.

Liu Xie stood up and said to everyone, "Wang Kui's fate is indeed unfortunate, especially those despicable Xianbei people. I also deeply hate them. Those who are not of my race are bound to have different hearts. Foreigners are a bunch of inhuman jackals and tigers. After I pacify the Central Plains, I will deal with these people when I have the time. At that time, Wang Kui can be my vanguard. I will definitely let you kill them to your heart's content."

"Your Majesty, I'm waiting for that day." Wang Kui's eyes, which had been somewhat desperate, suddenly brightened, filled with anticipation.

Liu Xie couldn't help but sigh, "Thinking back to those days, Emperor Wu of Han was so powerful. Anyone who offended our mighty Han, no matter how far away, would be punished. How strong our Han Dynasty was! All nations came to pay tribute and submitted. But now? Taking advantage of the internal strife and constant conflicts in the Central Plains, these foreign tribes have all become restless."

Liu Xie's expression grew increasingly indignant. He truly had no goodwill towards the foreign tribes. "They constantly cross the border to plunder, steal the wealth of my Han Dynasty, occupy the land of my Han Dynasty, and harm the people of my Han Dynasty. Blood debts must be repaid in blood. I will remember every single one of these grudges and settle accounts with them one by one in the future."

Cao Cao stopped and stared at Liu Xie for a long time. Liu Xie's words resonated with Cao Cao in the face of the foreign tribes. In that instant, Cao Cao was filled with respect and wished he could kneel down immediately and swear to follow Liu Xie, wipe out the foreign tribes together, and make the Han Dynasty rise again.

Most of these soldiers' stories were bitter, and Liu Xie made them tell their stories in public so that they could vent their unhappiness in this way.

After hearing a few more stories, Liu Xie said, "You may have heard of Cao Xueqin's poem 'The Ballad of Hao Li,' the poem goes like this..."

There are righteous men in Guandong who raise an army to fight against the villains.

The initial meeting was held in Mengjin, but his heart was in Xianyang.

The army was not united in strength and moved in a hesitant and disorganized manner.

Snobishness makes people fight, and then they kill each other.

The title of "Brother of Huainan" was bestowed upon him, and his seal was engraved in the north.

The armor is infested with lice, and thousands of people die from it.

The bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no cock crowing for thousands of miles.

One of the hundreds of things left behind by the living people will break people's hearts just thinking about it.

Liu Xie was busy talking to his soldiers and hadn't noticed Cao Cao yet. Cao Cao listened patiently as Liu Xie talked about his poems.

After Liu Xie finished reciting the poem, he praised it, saying, "Lord Cao is concerned about the world. This poem is so well written. It is a true reflection of the millions of poor people in the world, including you. White bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no rooster crowing for a thousand miles. This world has forced many people to the brink of death. What I saw and heard on my way from Chang'an to Luoyang was just like what this poem describes. There were piles of white bones everywhere by the roadside. Those who starved to death and froze to death had their bodies abandoned everywhere and no one cared. The fields were barren and desolate. Sometimes, after traveling for a day or two, I could not even see a decent village."

"Lord Cao is determined to change all of this, and so am I!"

Liu Xie clenched his fist tightly, "I will lead you all to end this chaotic world, so that the poor in the world will not freeze when they are cold, and will be able to fill their stomachs when they are hungry, and no matter where they are, they will be able to see the smiles on their family's faces when they return home..."

Turning around, Liu Xie saw Cao Cao and Guo Jia. He walked over with a smile, grabbed Cao Cao's hand, and introduced him to everyone: "Wang Kui, Li Fu, some of you newcomers may not recognize this man. Let me introduce him to you. He is Cao Sikong, the great hero who assassinated Dong Zhuo and led the campaign against him. He is the pillar of our Han Dynasty, Cao Cao, Cao Mengde! The poem 'Hao Li Xing' that you just heard was written by Lord Cao."

"We greet Minister Cao!" the crowd immediately responded, rising to their feet in greeting. Gan Ning glanced at Cao Cao and gave a soft snort.

Cao Cao was used to this kind of scene and waved his hand with a smile.

Liu Xie naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and in front of everyone, he praised Cao Cao lavishly.

Finally, he said, "Soldiers, Lord Cao is concerned about the country and its people, and is determined to help me stabilize the world and restore the Han Dynasty. He is the most loyal minister of our Han Dynasty. Just watch, it won't be long before this chaotic world is pacified and everyone's lives will be better."

"Okay!"

The crowd cheered and applauded enthusiastically, especially the newly recruited surrendered soldiers, who shouted the loudest.

As for people like Gan Ning, they had gained some understanding of Cao Cao, so they weren't as enthusiastic.

Cao Cao kept waving his hands, his expression somewhat embarrassed. Every time Liu Xie praised him, he would do this, feeling both happy and uncomfortable.

Anyone would be happy to be praised, especially by the emperor and regarded as a loyal minister. Anyone would feel the same way as Cao Cao.

However, the happier Cao Cao was, the more distressed he felt inside.

Because Cao Cao had always wanted to be in charge, the more Liu Xie praised him, the more he was implying that Liu Xie should obediently fulfill his duties as a subject.

Cao Cao wanted to control everything, but being a loyal subject meant he was destined to never be able to control everything!
However, Cao Cao did not want others to treat him as a bad person. He did not want to bear the infamy, but he also did not want Liu Xie to take power. Cao Cao lived in a dilemma.

When Tian Feng and Ju Shou suggested that Yuan Shao welcome the emperor to Ye City, Yuan Shao refused. Some people said that Yuan Shao was short-sighted, but in reality, Cao Cao had been living in contradiction ever since he brought the emperor to Xuchang. He wanted to be a good person, but he also wanted to be in charge. Holding the emperor hostage to command the world was a double-edged sword.

The advantage was that it gave Cao Cao the moral high ground, allowing him to command the world and rightfully conquer all directions.

However, this also invisibly put a shackle on Cao Cao. If he was not careful, Han officials would become traitors to Han and incur infamy.

After a while, Cao Cao winked at Guo Jia, who smiled and came to Liu Xie's side, leaning down to whisper a few words in his ear.

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Alright, everyone, please feel free to do as you please. Whoever's turn it is next, please continue! I'll be right back!"

After saying this, Liu Xie turned and left, walking to the side with Cao Cao and Guo Jia.

Under the starry night sky, the twinkling stars and the bonfires illuminated the faces of the soldiers as they chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere.

After walking a distance, Cao Cao stopped and turned to Liu Xie, saying, "Your Majesty, those prisoners of war were just recruited, and you've kept them by your side right away. I don't think that's appropriate."

Liu Xie said, "Lord Cao, you are overthinking it. There is no rule that newly recruited surrendered soldiers cannot be used, is there?"

Cao Cao kindly advised, "But Your Majesty, you have recruited so many people at once, over a thousand. With so many people, there will inevitably be unstable factors. Not everyone is trustworthy. If anyone harbors evil intentions and wants to harm Your Majesty, if Your Majesty casually befriends them, it is inevitable that the bad guys will succeed."

Liu Xie nodded. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Lord Cao. I know you are worried about my safety, but in these chaotic times, there is no absolutely safe place. After you assassinated Dong Zhuo, Dong Zhuo issued arrest warrants everywhere, and there were portraits of you wanted everywhere. You were a lucky man, and you escaped danger time and time again. When I left Chang'an, I was chased all the way by Li Jue and Guo Si, but I was safe and sound. I believe that even if someone has ulterior motives, I can deal with them calmly."

Cao Cao sighed, "Since Your Majesty insists on this, then I can only remind Your Majesty to be more careful in the future. Also, it is late at night, and I have prepared accommodations for Your Majesty. Your Majesty may move there to rest."

Liu Xie shook his head. "No need for that. I'll be with Prince Chen tonight. Lord Cao, I'm afraid Yan Liang will come back tomorrow. You'd better remind the soldiers to be on high alert."

Seeing Liu Xie's resolute attitude, Cao Cao sighed helplessly and had no choice but to take his leave.

After Cao Cao left, Zhao Yun asked, "Your Majesty, you are of noble status. Do you really intend to eat and live with the soldiers?"

Seeing that no outsiders were approaching, Liu Xie looked up at the night sky and his expression suddenly became serious.

“Zilong, no matter who Cao Cao attacks, I have never interfered. You should know that once Cao Cao defeats Yuan Shao, he will turn his attention to me. Logically speaking, the longer he fights Yuan Shao and the longer he cannot win, the safer I will be.”

Zhao Yun said, "That's true, but His Majesty didn't do that. Instead, he took the initiative to help Cao Cao."

Liu Xie pointed to the soldiers gathered around the campfire, "Yes, I have been helping Cao Cao because I hope to quell Yuan Shao's rebellion as soon as possible, defeating him with minimal cost and in the shortest time. The early unification of the north would be a good thing for the Han dynasty and the people. Therefore, this time we must quickly decide the outcome, and I must also reverse the unfavorable situation with Cao Cao. Time is no longer plentiful, and I don't want to waste a single moment."

Zhao Yun understood Liu Xie's eagerness. He wanted to be with the soldiers, which would make it easier to build rapport, increase their loyalty, and make them more courageous in battle. However, Zhao Yun still felt a pang of sympathy. "Your Majesty, you are the current emperor, yet you have to stay with the soldiers. This is ultimately not appropriate."

“Zilong, you are mistaken. Does an emperor have to live in a palace and be served by others to be his job? You are wrong. If that were the case, I would not have to do anything in Xuchang, and Cao Cao would not have treated me badly.”

Liu Xie said anxiously, "If you want to restore the Han Dynasty, you must start with me. If I can't even endure this little grievance, how can I expect others to pacify the world? Even if the world is at peace, it probably won't be my Han Dynasty anymore!"

"If the emperor does nothing and the world is at peace, I am not entitled to enjoy the fruits of victory, and others will look down on me. To be a true emperor, I must first let the world see my efforts and my performance."

Liu Xie's expression grew increasingly serious, even tinged with sadness. "Leaving aside distant examples, consider Wang Yun's alliance with Lü Bu to assassinate Dong Zhuo. I didn't even know their plan. Dong Zhuo died in a daze, and then, in a daze, Wang Yun also died, and Lü Bu escaped. People only talk about how loyal and righteous Wang Yun was, how he saved the Han Dynasty, and how despicable Li Jue and others were. No one even talks about me. Because I did nothing, and I knew nothing."

"But no one cares why the emperor knows nothing? Why does nothing? People only see the performance of Wang Yun and Lü Bu, so they won the respect of the world, while I am ignored by everyone, and some even say that I am incompetent! But in reality, I want to restore the Han Dynasty more than anyone else, but Wang Yun and the others never tell me what they are doing!"

(End of this chapter)