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

Chapter 187, His Majesty is too brave.
Faced with a series of questions posed by Liu Xie, first asking Yuan Shao to swear an oath which he dared not do, and then telling him that Feng Ji was a traitor, Yuan Shao was both angry and annoyed, and his emotions became extremely agitated.

In the instant Yuan Shao was stunned, with a clang, Liu Xie suddenly drew his Qinggang sword and thrust it at Yuan Shao without hesitation.

As the only spectator present, Cao Cao was immediately dumbfounded!

Your Majesty is too brave! You actually want to kill Yuan Shao!

Cao Cao originally only wanted to call Yuan Shao over for a private talk, and hopefully, to dampen Yuan Shao's morale.

Cao Cao had never considered killing Yuan Shao, but at this moment, Liu Xie suddenly made a move, which shocked Cao Cao.

As for the soldiers on both sides, they were too far away and were completely unprepared. They never dreamed that a scene of flashing swords and shadows would suddenly unfold.

With a flash of cold light, the Qinggang Sword pierced straight at Yuan Shao's waist.

Yuan Shao was startled. Although he reacted instinctively and took a step to the side, he was still a little too slow. With a soft thud, the Qinggang sword pierced straight into Yuan Shao's left rib.

Yuan Shao's eyes widened in horror, and he screamed as he retreated, staring at Liu Xie with utter terror.

Liu Xie's gaze was gloomy, and his expression was frighteningly cold. "Yuan Shao, loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal. You won't even swear allegiance to me, so what use are you to me?"

Liu Xie decisively pulled the blood-dripping sword from Yuan Shao's body and slashed at Yuan Shao again with a whoosh. Yuan Shao retreated in a sorry state, but fortunately, the previous sword had barely avoided a fatal blow.

As Yuan Shao ran, he drew his sword.

Liu Xie moved with lightning speed, catching up with Yuan Shao in the blink of an eye. He swung his sword left and right, the blade flashing fiercely, showing no mercy. He wanted to kill Yuan Shao with his own hands, which would make the Battle of Guandu much easier.

Yuan Shao also retaliated at the right time. Liu Xie dodged Yuan Shao's hasty thrust of his sword, which made him even angrier.

"How dare you attempt to assassinate me?"

Yuan Shao felt wronged and wanted to cry, thinking to himself, "Am I allowed to kill you, but not fight back?"

Not long after, Liu Xie once again slashed Yuan Shao's waist, leaving a bloody gash.

The Qinggang Sword lived up to its reputation as a sword that could cut through iron like mud, and it did not disappoint Liu Xie at all. Even Yuan Shao, who was wearing soft armor, was easily sliced ​​through it.

Cao Cao hesitated for a moment, but his reaction was not slow. He decisively drew his sword and quickly joined the battle.

The emperor has already taken action; Cao Cao can't just stand by and watch the show, can he?
The two joined forces to attack Yuan Shao, who was both surprised and frightened. He couldn't even handle Liu Xie alone, let alone Cao Cao, which put him in an even more passive position.

For others, it's just a blink of an eye.

When they suddenly started fighting, everyone was stunned. Most of them were dumbfounded and forgot what they were supposed to do.

Ju Shou and Guo Jia reacted almost simultaneously and hurriedly ordered the soldiers around them to go and provide support.

On Yuan Shao's side, Zhang He and Gao Lan spurred their horses and galloped straight towards the center.

On Cao Cao's side, Dian Wei and Zhao Yun were the fastest to react.

Yuan Shao finally reached his mount, covered in blood, and all he wanted to do was escape.

The moment his left foot touched the horse stool, before he could even mount, Liu Xie swiftly caught up and swung his sword at Yuan Shao's rear.

puff!
This sword struck solidly; although the buttocks are not a vital part of the body, it was enough to give Yuan Shao a hard time.

With a thud, Yuan Shao screamed and fell to the ground. Cao Cao pounced on him and thrust his sword at Yuan Shao's chest. Yuan Shao was terrified and almost cried. He rolled away on the spot, barely managing to avoid the attack.

Liu Xie and Cao Cao closed in again, continuing to swing their swords and slash fiercely, making Yuan Shao even more disheveled. He was already injured, and facing two people at the same time, the pressure was unimaginable.

Because he was a little slow to dodge, Yuan Shao was stabbed again by Liu Xie in the chaos.

As Cao Cao took action, he admired Liu Xie's decisiveness, thinking, "Your Majesty is truly brave!"
As Liu Xie made his move, he couldn't resist sarcastically asking, "Yuan Benchu, how about it? Is my sword still sharp?"

Yuan Shao had no time for idle chatter with Liu Xie; he was only concerned with escaping for his life.

Back then, Yuan Shao also had a rare moment of glory when facing Dong Zhuo.

“Your sword is sharp, but mine is no less so?” Yuan Shao resolutely drew his sword in front of Dong Zhuo.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shao's glorious moments were far too short-lived. If he had maintained such courage and valor throughout his life, it would have been terrifying.

After a long and fierce battle, Yuan Shao collapsed to the ground with a thud. Liu Xie closed in, raised his hand, and thrust his sword straight at Yuan Shao's heart.

Despite hearing the sound of horses' hooves and someone rushing towards him, Liu Xie paid no attention, his only thought being to kill Yuan Shao.

Zhang He and Zhao Yun arrived almost simultaneously. Zhang He hesitated slightly before using his spear to deflect Liu Xie's sword.

Liu Xie glanced at Zhang He, and the next moment, Zhang He disregarded everything and stood in front of Yuan Shao. Even though Zhao Yun attacked, Zhang He held firm and refused to retreat. For a time, the two fought fiercely, their spears clashing back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Liu Xie tried several times, hoping to find an opportunity to kill Yuan Shao, but the chances became increasingly slim. Zhang He's defenses were impenetrable, and Liu Xie couldn't break through at all. Seeing that more and more Yuan Shao's army was coming, Liu Xie decisively gave up.

Cao Cao hurriedly urged, "Your Majesty, it's dangerous here. You should go back quickly."

Liu Xie glanced at Yuan Shao, who was hiding behind Zhang He, and gave him a look that said, "Consider yourself lucky."

Dian Wei and Zhao Yun blocked Zhang He and Gao Lan, while Cao Cao urged Liu Xie to return quickly.

After Liu Xie left, Cao Cao decisively mounted his warhorse, raised the Yitian Sword high, and shouted, "Soldiers, while Yuan Shao is injured, follow me and kill him!"

Cao Cao would not let this opportunity pass. Yuan Shao was seriously wounded by several swords, and the morale of Yuan's army would inevitably be affected.

Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan hurriedly led their men up the mountain, charging like a pack of ferocious wolves, howling and fiercely attacking Yuan Shao.

In contrast, Zhang He and Gao Lan were only focused on rescuing Yuan Shao, and their troops hadn't even had time to catch up yet, clearly a step slower than Cao Cao's army in their reaction.

Yuan Shao's injury, coupled with the army's inability to react in time, allowed Cao Cao's army to charge in. The air was filled with the flashing of swords and spears, the sounds of battle and the thunder of hooves creating a deafening roar. Zhang He and Gao Lan were unable to withstand the onslaught and could only fight and retreat, protecting Yuan Shao as he made his hasty retreat. Ju Shou hurriedly urged the others to rush to his aid, but they too were completely overwhelmed by Cao Cao's army.

Cao's army charged forward in full force, sweeping in like a raging storm, unstoppable.

Despite their large numbers, Yuan's army was overwhelmed by Cao Cao's rapid offensive and had no time to respond effectively.

Yuan Shao, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, was seriously injured and was only concerned with escaping, so he was unable to command the battle at all.

Neither Ju Shou nor Guo Tu could replace Yuan Shao's role. Although Ju Shou was the military supervisor, his power was extremely limited.

Cao Cao's soldiers charged forward with overwhelming force, like tigers descending a mountain, unstoppable. Shouting and brandishing their weapons, they launched a fierce attack on Yuan Shao's army.

Although Cao's army was small in number, they were as fierce as wolves and tigers, all of them giving it their all and fearless of death. Generals such as Xu Huang, Cao Ren, and Xiahou Yuan were all eager to be the first to charge, each one fighting bravely. They shouted and charged wildly at Yuan's army formation.

Under Cao Cao's fierce attack, Yuan Shao's army began to retreat in defeat.

Their morale gradually collapsed, their formation became chaotic, and huge gaps were breached one after another.

Cao's army, on the other hand, grew stronger with each battle. Taking advantage of the chaos in Yuan's army, they launched continuous and fierce attacks, forcing Yuan's army into an even more dire situation.

Soon, the battlefield was a scene of carnage. Yuan's soldiers fell one after another, their blood flowing like rivers. Cao's army, on the other hand, pressed their advantage, continuously expanding their gains. Their superiority became increasingly apparent, and the scales of victory had tipped in their favor.

Yuan Shao was seriously injured, and although he was protected and escaped back, he was in no mood to command the battle.
Yuan Shao was in so much pain that he grimaced, and his mind was sometimes clear and sometimes confused.

No amount of persuasion could change their minds, and in the end, they had no choice but to retreat.

Cao Cao remained rational throughout, and did not pursue the enemy relentlessly. After inflicting heavy losses on Yuan Shao's army, he knew when to stop.

After all, Cao Cao's army was too small.

Cao Ang still didn't quite understand and asked unwillingly, "Father, why not press our advantage and drive them all the way to the north bank of Guandu?"

Cao Cao shook his head. "Yuan Shao's army is powerful, with several times our strength. If we drive them to the Guandu River and push them too far, they will inevitably turn around and fight us head-on, which will be troublesome. We only have 40,000 men left. We should take advantage of any opportunity to bite Yuan Shao, but we must not be greedy, otherwise we will be devoured by the enemy."

Cao Ang suddenly realized that the battle had killed no less than 20,000 enemies, while Cao's army had suffered only 2,000 casualties.

This is exactly the result Cao Cao wanted. He wanted to continuously weaken Yuan Shao, hoping to completely defeat him in one fell swoop. Cao Cao didn't really have that kind of appetite for the time being.

After the battle, Cao Cao's soldiers were all overjoyed and in high spirits, with people occasionally talking about it in private.

"This battle was truly exhilarating. I never imagined that Yuan's army, with its vast numbers, would be routed by our tens of thousands of men, who fled in panic."

"That's right, it's all thanks to Cao Cao's skillful command and timely seizing of the opportunity."

A centurion shook his head and calmly retorted, "If you ask me, this time it's all thanks to His Majesty. If His Majesty hadn't wounded Yuan Shao, would Yuan's army have been leaderless and become so chaotic? Warfare is all about momentum. Yuan Shao was injured, so his momentum was gone. Even if there were more than 200,000 troops, let alone more, they would have been defeated without a doubt."

After hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. "That makes perfect sense. We never dreamed that His Majesty was so capable. Yuan Shao almost died."

"Haha, isn't that right? Yuan Shao was stabbed twice in the chest and once in the buttocks."

"Do you think Yuan Shao might be too badly injured and die soon after returning?" someone asked.

"That's not necessarily true. If he really dies, we're guaranteed to win."

Liu Xie's performance became the focus of heated discussion, and even Yuan Jun's camp was discussing Liu Xie.

After nightfall, Cao Cao summoned Guo Jia, Xun You, and others to his tent to discuss the events of the day.

Cao Cao sighed, "His Majesty's actions are always unpredictable. I really didn't expect that he would actually assassinate Yuan Shao."

They acted without warning, without any prior notice. Even now, Cao Cao still feels a chill when he thinks about it.

I can't help but wonder, if I go too far with His Majesty, will he one day treat me the same way?

Guo Jia pondered for a moment before speaking, “Ever since I met His Majesty, I have been observing him. He is indeed perplexing. Others’ actions are more or less traceable, but His Majesty’s are unpredictable and always take unexpected turns. I’m afraid that when His Majesty first went to see Yuan Shao, he didn’t really intend to kill him. However, during your conversation, His Majesty seized the opportunity and then acted decisively.”

Cao Cao thought for a moment and nodded. "Fengxiao is right. We were just chatting, but then His Majesty made me swear an oath, and then made Yuan Shao swear an oath of loyalty. Yuan Shao refused to swear no matter what, and His Majesty seized the opportunity and forced Yuan Shao into a corner. At that moment, His Majesty made his move."

Guo Jia couldn't help but laugh, "This is His Majesty's brilliance. He created an opportunity where there was none. Although he didn't kill Yuan Shao with his own hands, he threw Yuan's army into disarray, thus creating favorable conditions for our army's great victory."

Cao Cao had to admit that Liu Xie was indeed decisive, stabbing Yuan Shao several times in succession.

Cao Cao said, "Judging from this, Yuan Shao will be unable to personally command the battle for at least a month. We will take this opportunity to launch continuous counterattacks and further weaken Yuan's army."

Unlike Guo Jia, Xun You didn't smile as easily. His expression was very serious. "My lord, the original purpose of this expedition was to use Yuan Shao to weaken the forces around His Majesty. However, His Majesty's reputation is getting better and better, and the soldiers are increasingly recognizing him. If this continues, I'm afraid that in the future, we won't be able to touch him even if we want to."

Cao Cao sighed helplessly, "Gongda, I understand what you're saying, but with a formidable enemy at hand, let's focus on dealing with Yuan Shao. We can discuss other matters later."

Now that Cao Cao has agreed to Guo Jia's plan, he will not easily change his mind.

Cao Cao was always very decisive and would never hesitate or change his mind frequently.

While Cao Cao was discussing Liu Xie, Yuan Shao's injuries were finally treated after the great battle and some medical care.

Yuan Shao was in great pain, having been stabbed in the chest and buttocks. He couldn't lie down, nor could he lie prone.

My butt hurts when I lie down.

Lying face down makes my chest feel very uncomfortable.

With injuries to both the front and back of his body, standing was out of the question. At nearly fifty years old, with such severe injuries, where would he find the strength to stand?
Finally, he could only lie on his side. Even so, the wounds on his buttocks and chest still sent shivers of pain through him from time to time, causing Yuan Shao's mouth to twitch occasionally.

Yuan Shao was badly injured and would not recover anytime soon. He even considered withdrawing his troops back to Ye City.

Everyone gathered around him, looking at him with concern. Suddenly, Yuan Shao remembered something, and his eyes widened immediately. He searched around and soon his gaze fell on Feng Ji. A sharp killing intent suddenly flashed in his eyes!
(End of this chapter)