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

Chapter 219, Guo Fengxiao Born
After the court session, Xun Yu walked alone on the road. He had always disliked forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices.

But in the past, after court sessions, ministers would gather in groups of three or five to humbly seek his advice, as a way of showing their closeness.

However, after the court session ended today, no one came to talk to Xun Yu, as if everyone had forgotten about him.

However, a large crowd suddenly gathered around Dong Cheng, Wu Shuo, and Wang Zifu.

Those who had previously secretly written to Yuan Shao were now vying to curry favor with him.

They knew that Dong Cheng and his ilk were deeply trusted by the emperor, and that maintaining good relations with them would only bring benefits and no harm.

After the court session, Liu Xie did not immediately return to the inner palace. Instead, he strolled around with Chen Gong, Zhao Yun, and the others until they arrived at the artificial lake.

The artificial lake took about two years to build and has just been completed.

The lake is wide and the water is clear and rippling. There is a pavilion in the middle of the lake and several small boats are moored on the shore.

Several egrets were flying over the lake, and fish could be seen swimming on the water. Many weeping willows were planted on both sides of the lake, and although it was late autumn, they still showed some green.

The water ripples gently in the breeze. The pavilion stands in the center of the lake, its red pillars and upturned eaves creating a picturesque scene against the emerald green water.

Liu Xie and his entourage strolled along the lake and arrived at the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

Chen Gong couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, now that the situation in Xuchang has been settled, why do you still want to back down? These people who secretly colluded with Yuan Shao, Your Majesty, in order to stabilize the people's hearts, have been pardoned, and that's fine for now. But why don't Your Majesty immediately replace them with our own people in places like Xuzhou and Yanzhou?"

Chen Gong was always straightforward and resourceful, but lacked emotional intelligence. Fortunately, Liu Xie did not mind.

Liu Xie shook his head. "Gongtai, I believe that Cao Cao already knows about the changes in Xuchang at this moment. So, based on your understanding of him, what do you think he will do?"

Chen Gong immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it is Cao Cao who is watching Your Majesty's mood now, not Your Majesty who is watching His Majesty's mood. As long as Xuchang is in Your Majesty's hands, Cao Cao will be hesitant to act rashly and will not dare to have any improper thoughts."

Liu Xie shook his head slightly and said with great certainty, "It's true that Cao Cao has to watch my expression, but things aren't that simple. First of all, Cao Cao will stop fighting immediately and concentrate his forces. He will definitely keep an eye on Xuchang, but he won't necessarily be afraid of me. He is also very confident."

"If I were to act drastically and disregard Cao Cao's feelings by immediately replacing the people of Xuzhou and Yanzhou with my own, it would undoubtedly send a very dangerous signal. Wouldn't Cao Cao think that I would deal with him as soon as I had the chance? Would he sit idly by and wait to die? Would the people of Xuzhou and Yanzhou be so willing to obey my orders?"

Liu Xie had to reiterate his position: "I dislike this kind of meaningless infighting. Cao Cao is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty whom I have established. I will not turn against him unless absolutely necessary."

Liu Xie wanted to control Cao Cao, not fight him to the death and kill him.

Liu Xie shook his head and laughed, "If the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty suddenly becomes the most traitor of the Han Dynasty, it will become the biggest joke of the Han Dynasty. At that time, where will the prestige of the Han Dynasty be?"

Ju Shou had been listening quietly to the side. After a while, he spoke up: "Your Majesty is far-sighted and considerate of the overall situation. You do not want to engage in reckless killing, which is a blessing for the country. I think Cao Cao must have the same idea. Xu Du is in Your Majesty's hands, and Cao Cao's family is also in Your Majesty's hands. How could Cao Cao easily turn against Your Majesty? At this time, we must prioritize appeasement and not resort to violence."

Liu Xie said, "I don't have many troops at my disposal right now, and neither does Cao Cao. If the emperor and his minister turn against each other, it could very well give others an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Cao Cao is well aware of this."

Ju Shou suggested, "Your Majesty should immediately send someone to invite Cao Cao back to Xuchang."

Chen Gong sneered, "Will he come back? Does he dare to come back?"

Ju Shou nodded, his tone very confident, "As long as His Majesty has no intention of killing Cao Cao, he will definitely come back. Man Chong and Xiahou Dun are both his men, so we might as well hand them over to him to deal with."

Liu Xie said, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Liu Xie, always decisive, immediately sent someone to Cao Cao to invite him back.

Cao Cao's side has arrived at Ye City, and the siege has begun.

Cao Cao originally intended to take advantage of the Yuan army's defeat to capture Ye City in one fell swoop.
Unexpectedly, the brothers Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang joined forces in the face of Cao Cao's attack.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang concentrated their forces together and joined forces to fight against Cao Cao. Cao Cao's repeated attacks made no progress. After a whole day of fighting, the city of Ye was littered with corpses, mostly the bodies of Cao Cao's soldiers.

Just when Cao Cao was extremely worried, Guo Jia's letter arrived.

After reading the letter, Cao Cao's expression changed immediately. He hurriedly waved his hand and ordered the army to stop the siege!

Cao Cao immediately returned to his main tent. Ren Jun, Yu Jin, Yue Jin, and others were puzzled and came to the central tent. Seeing Cao Cao's sullen face, none of them dared to ask any questions.

Lu Bu and Gan Ning also stopped fighting.

Why Cao Cao stopped fighting was something that Lü Bu and his men didn't care about at all.

Cao Cao could do whatever he wanted; after all, Lü Bu and Gan Ning had no intention of listening to him.

Soon, Cao Cao withdrew his troops, and that very night he suddenly retreated back to Guandu.

Even Lü Bu and Gan Ning were not informed.

As a result, Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were overjoyed to see Cao Cao leave and actually ordered a pursuit and killing of Lü Bu and Gan Ning.

Lu Bu and Gan Ning were severely outmaneuvered by Cao Cao, suffering nearly a thousand casualties. Fortunately, the two were highly skilled and managed to kill several enemy generals, which led Yuan Shao's army to abandon their pursuit.

After the battle, Lü Bu cursed, "That cunning Cao Mengde! He deliberately withdrew his troops without even telling us, almost making us scapegoats to stop his pursuers."

Gan Ning was also very unhappy, with a large sword slung over his shoulder and his eyes wide open like copper bells.

"Anyway, he's not on our side. If he withdraws his troops, we might as well just go back to Xuchang."

They had just arrived at the banks of the Yellow River when they met the messenger sent by Liu Xie.

Although Liu Xie was in a hurry to return to Xudu, he did not forget to send someone to inform them.

Upon learning that Xudu was now under the emperor's control, the two men burst into laughter in excitement and immediately led their troops back to Xudu.

Gan Ning also had a hunch, so on his way back, he deliberately took a longer route and did not pass through Guandu.

Upon returning to Guandu, before he could even take a sip of water or catch his breath, Cao Cao summoned Guo Jia and Xun You to his side for a discussion. Dian Wei stood guard outside the tent, strictly fulfilling his duty, forbidding anyone from approaching.

Even though there were only three people inside, the atmosphere in the tent was still very tense.

Xun You spoke first, "My lord, in my opinion, you should not return to Xuchang for the time being. We can no longer escort the captured surrendered soldiers to Xuchang."

Xun You now regrets it, "The 40,000 surrendered soldiers we sent to Xuchang have all been taken over by His Majesty."

Cao Cao's face was gloomy, and his gaze was frighteningly cold.

Because Guandu was the closest to Xuchang, Cao Cao hadn't given it much thought before sending all the captured surrendered soldiers to Xuchang.

Now that Xuchang has suddenly changed hands, those 40,000 surrendered soldiers have nothing to do with Cao Cao anymore.

Guo Jia nodded. “This is obvious. Your Majesty no longer needs to hide it. Not only will Your Majesty accept these 40,000 surrendered soldiers with a clear conscience, but you might even give them credit.”

Despite the grim situation, Guo Jia remained as witty as ever.

Cao Cao glanced at him, wanting to reprimand him, but couldn't bring himself to say anything.

Xun You was somewhat displeased and rebuked him, saying, "Fengxiao, what time is it? This concerns our lives and our lord's ambitions. Can't you be a little more serious?"

Guo Jia chuckled twice. "Things have come to this point. Getting anxious or angry won't help. It will only make you lose your composure."

Guo Jia casually picked up a pen and paper from the table, quickly sketched a rough draft, and then made a heavy stroke at the center of the circle to make that spot stand out.

"Is this Xuchang?" Cao Cao recognized it at a glance.

Guo Jia nodded, and Xun You also came over.

Guo Jia laughed and said, "My lord, we are now wary of His Majesty, and His Majesty is also wary of us. His Majesty's situation is not much more optimistic than ours."

As Guo Jia marked the area around Xudu on the map, he explained, "Although Xudu belongs to His Majesty, in reality, His Majesty only controls Xudu and the State of Chen. Xuzhou, Yanzhou, nearly half of Yuzhou, plus the vast Guanzhong Plain and Henan and Henan regions are still under your control, my lord."

Xun You shook his head and said, "His Majesty is wise and resourceful, and quite capable. Wouldn't he immediately replace these places with his own people? His Majesty is the current emperor, and he can rightfully take these places for himself."

Cao Cao's eyebrows twitched a few times, and he was also very worried.

Guo Jia shook his head. “His Majesty is gentle and always uses softness to overcome hardness. Especially at such a critical moment, he will be more cautious and would never dare to make a big fuss. If His Majesty thinks he can settle things with just a single order, he is being too wishful. You can immediately send orders to all regions to inform them of the mutiny in Xuchang. These people will surely react quickly.”

Xun You's eyes widened, and he hurriedly asked, "Why tell them the truth? Won't this backfire? Aren't you worried they'll turn around and submit to His Majesty?"

Guo Jia smiled, a confident smile. "Those people were all recommended and promoted by you, my lord. How could someone like Che Zhou, the governor of Xuzhou, or Zhong Yao, the commander of the capital, change masters so easily? Besides, your honesty not only shows your sincerity but also lets them feel your confidence in controlling the situation. His Majesty only has Xuchang and Chen. As long as we work together, His Majesty can't do anything to us."

Upon hearing Guo Jia's words, Cao Cao's expression immediately relaxed considerably.

If we were to compare the strength of Cao Cao and the emperor on a scale of ten, Cao Cao would have at least nine points.

Che Zhou and Zhong Yao were Cao Cao's trusted followers, and he did not believe that their stance could be easily changed by the emperor.

Xun You was still worried. "Fengxiao, what you're saying is just a theoretical comparison. Don't you think that's a bit like armchair strategizing? Don't forget, His Majesty has regained power and is in the right. Who would dare to easily oppose His Majesty? That would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family."

Guo Jia shook his head at Xun You, clearly disagreeing with his opinion. "Gongda, His Majesty and you are both intelligent men. His Majesty would not dare to push too hard, and we are not determined to openly confront the court. I believe you and His Majesty will soon reach an agreement on this."

Guo Jia then said to Cao Cao, "My lord, you should immediately issue orders to all regions to be on high alert and to prepare for an expedition. After the Battle of Guandu, Xuchang's grain supplies are running low. From now on, not a single penny of money or grain should be transported to Xuchang."

"Xudu is deep in our territory. If His Majesty does not consider the overall situation and insists on forcing us, he will soon be surrounded and in danger. If war really breaks out, it will be detrimental to us, and he cannot afford it either. Either we will both suffer heavy losses, or we will each take a step back. His Majesty is a smart man, and I believe he will know how to handle the situation."

Cao Cao nodded repeatedly, "Good! With Fengxiao's words, I am relieved."

Cao Cao immediately ordered a fleet of fast horses to leave the Guandu camp at top speed and head to various parts of the Central Plains.

The second round of the contest between Cao Cao and Liu Xie has officially begun!

Next, Guo Jia advised Cao Cao, "We have gathered a total of 80,000 surrendered soldiers. The previous 40,000 were transported to Xuchang, but we must win over and appease these 40,000 as soon as possible. Your Excellency has an advantage that Your Majesty cannot match."

"Oh? What is that?"

Cao Cao valued Guo Jia so highly because no matter what difficulties he encountered or how difficult or passive his situation was, Guo Jia could always help him solve problems and come up with solutions.

Born Guo Fengxiao, a hero surpassing all others.

His belly held the classics and histories, and his heart concealed the weapons of war.

His strategic planning was like that of Fan Li, and his decision-making like that of Chen Ping.

It is a pity that he died young, and the pillar of the Central Plains fell.

Guo Jia explained, “At Guandu, our future goal will inevitably be to continue the campaign against the remnants of the Yuan clan. These surrendered soldiers are all from Hebei. You can promise them that we will take them back to Jizhou and allow them to reunite with their families. However, His Majesty has left tens of thousands of people in Xuchang. It may not be so easy to completely appease them. Tell me, who wouldn't miss their family when they are far from their homeland?”

Cao Cao nodded, but then his face darkened. "Fengxiao, our families are in Xuchang too. Aren't you worried at all?"

Guo Jia first sighed, then smiled, "It would be a lie to say that I'm not upset at all, but rest assured, my lord, His Majesty will never harm our families in the slightest. You are the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, and I am your strategist. How could anything happen to our families?"

Cao Cao couldn't help but burst into laughter, "You good-for-nothing Guo Fengxiao, you even dare to joke about this old man! The most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, hahaha..."

After a long period of depression, Cao Cao's mood instantly improved considerably with this burst of hearty and cheerful laughter.

"Yes, I am a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, appointed by Your Majesty. This is a hindrance to me, and it is also to Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)