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

Chapter 228, The Emperor's Methods
No matter who becomes an official, it's all for the sake of fame and fortune.

Everyone wants to be valued and hopes that their efforts will be rewarded.

Nobody's stupid; even if you're working for the emperor, you can't give things away for free.

Liu Xie's decision to heavily rely on Chen Qun was to make people like Dong Zhao understand that following him meant not only getting soup but also meat!

First, send Chen Qun out for a period of time to give him a stage to demonstrate his abilities. If Chen Qun performs well, then let him return to the central government and assume an important position.

In the afternoon, Cao Cao's troops drew closer and closer, and scouts frequently brought back news, reporting Cao Cao's whereabouts at any time.

Liu Xie led his civil and military officials to wait outside the South Gate early in the morning.

Liu Xie stood at the very front, dressed in brocade robes and a crown, looking very dignified.

Behind him, Xun Yu, Prince Chen, and others stood on either side.

Standing in the crowd, Lü Bu whispered to Chen Gong, "Why is Your Majesty doing this? The person hasn't even arrived yet, and you're already here to greet them. Cao Cao really has a lot of influence."

Chen Gong glanced at him and couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Gong noticed that Lü Bu was no longer the same as before.

In the past, Lü Bu would often get angry and worried because he frequently encountered difficult problems, was often stumped, and would easily become anxious and unsure of what to do.

But now, Lu Bu can get angry, but he doesn't have to worry about it anymore; he can just vent his frustrations.

The emperor can handle anything. He is intelligent, resourceful, and has so many people around him who help him come up with ideas.

No matter how big the problem, it will no longer be a concern for Lü Bu.

Chen Gong lowered his voice and said, "This is His Majesty's brilliance. He clearly has the initiative, yet he still chooses to show weakness. Most people can't do that."

"is this necessary?"

Lu Bu couldn't understand it, his eyes wide open.

If he could, he really wanted to let Cao Cao experience the power of the Fangtian Halberd.

Chen Gong smiled and said, “Your Majesty’s initiative to greet us is evident to everyone. Your Majesty’s magnanimity and demeanor will not only impress the ministers, but also Cao Cao. Moreover, Your Majesty’s various concessions are all signs of your confidence. Your Majesty has not held Cao Cao accountable for many of his actions, which will also subtly restrain Cao Cao and allow those who follow him to feel Your Majesty’s sincerity.”

This is the true meaning of overcoming strength with gentleness.

Some people would find it inappropriate for Cao Cao to lead his troops back to the capital so rashly, as it was somewhat disrespectful.

The less Liu Xie cares about such things, the more people will be willing to stand by him and support him.

"Report! The Prime Minister's entourage is less than three li from Xuchang."

"Report...less than two li away."

Scouts rode back and forth on horseback, and Cao Cao drew ever closer.

"coming!"

Suddenly, someone shouted, and a cloud of dust rose in the distance, followed by the thunderous sound of horses' hooves.

A large patch of dark shadows gradually appeared in everyone's sight. The shadows quickly coalesced, like a large black cloud being swept over by the wind.

They drew closer and closer, raising clouds of dust and creating an astonishing spectacle.

The expressions of Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, and others all darkened immediately.

Despite being so close to Xuchang, Cao Cao didn't slow down, clearly indicating that he was deliberately showing off.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Cao Cao was going to attack Xuchang.

Cao Cao did not expect the emperor to come out to greet him personally. Only when he got closer did he see that familiar figure. At this time, he was only a few hundred meters away from the city gate.

Cao Cao hurriedly reined in his horse and quickly waved his hand to order, "Everyone dismount and rest on the spot."

Cao Cao glanced at Guo Jia beside him, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Then, Cao Cao dismounted and, with only a few close associates, hurried toward the city gate.

Liu Xie took the initiative to greet him, and said with a smile from afar, "Lord Cao, you've traveled a long way, I'm so glad to have you back."

Cao Cao smiled and took a few quick steps to Liu Xie. He bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. There have been too many things to attend to. I have wanted to come back for a long time, but I have only been able to find the time today."

Chen Gong strode over, gave Cao Cao a cold look, and questioned, "May I ask, Lord Cao, what is your intention in bringing so many soldiers with you without authorization?"

Every time Cao Cao met Chen Gong, he would inevitably pick a fight with him.

Cao Cao was not surprised and had already prepared his explanation.

"Your Majesty, it is not that I am reckless, but during this attack on Ye City, I discovered something: the more critical the situation, the more likely Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang will join forces against a common enemy. Therefore, I deliberately withdrew my troops from Guandu to mislead them, so that they would underestimate us and then turn against each other in order to seize Yuan Shao's territory. We can then reap the benefits."

Cao Cao was a man of great wisdom and strategy, and he had already figured out the situation in Hebei in recent days.

Continuing the offensive wouldn't necessarily mean we can't take Hebei, but it would be much more difficult.

However, if Cao Cao were to temporarily give up, Yuan Shao's two sons would immediately turn against each other, because both of them wanted to inherit Yuan Shao's legacy.

Liu Xie nodded and praised, "Cao Cao sees things clearly. In that case, let the soldiers rest."

Liu Xie then walked straight toward the soldiers. Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed.

"Your Majesty, you are..."

Cao Cao thought to himself: These are all my soldiers, what are you trying to do?
Liu Xie did not explain, and soon arrived at the front of the line.

Thirty thousand soldiers stood in layers upon layers of armor, their helmets gleaming, and countless swords and spears flashed with a blinding light.

Liu Xie stepped onto a carriage with great friendliness, standing on it and trying his best to be seen by these people.

There were just too many people; you couldn't see the end of them. It would be good if a few thousand people actually saw Liu Xie.

But Liu Xie believed that what he said next would soon be conveyed to every soldier.

Xu Huang, Cao Ang, Yu Jin, Yue Jin, and others stared wide-eyed at Liu Xie.

I don't know what the emperor is planning to do.

Liu Xie said loudly, "Soldiers, I want to say to each and every one of you, you have worked hard in this Battle of Guandu!"

After Liu Xie finished speaking, he bowed deeply to the soldiers in front of him.

Upon seeing this, Cao Cao's eyebrows shot up, he clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes flashed with a sharp, piercing light.

The emperor bowed to the soldiers to express his gratitude, which greatly surprised Cao Cao. He had never heard of or seen anything like it before, but Cao Cao knew in his heart that this move was extremely clever.

Xu Huang glanced at his subordinates and quickly gave them a signal. Immediately, someone shouted, "Long live the Emperor!" This shout acted like a fuse, quickly igniting the soldiers' enthusiasm.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

The others immediately responded, shouting one after another, wave after wave, becoming more and more excited and vocal.

Chen Gong secretly glanced at Cao Cao and saw that Cao Cao's face was turning pale with anger. Chen Gong couldn't help but laugh.

Don't be fooled by the fact that these soldiers are yours, Cao Cao's troops. If you harbor any disloyal intentions, these men may not necessarily listen to you.

The shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" shook heaven and earth, echoing for a long time, like a boulder crashing against the shore, while also relentlessly striking Cao Cao's heart time and time again.

After a while, Liu Xie waved his hand, and the soldiers gradually quieted down.

Liu Xie continued, "Although Yuan Shao was killed by Guan Yu, the greatest credit for our victory at Guandu and the heavy losses we inflicted on Yuan's army belongs to you. It was because of your desperate fighting and tenacious battle against the enemy that we achieved our final victory."

"Don't think that just because I am the emperor, it is you who are fighting on the battlefield and shedding blood and sacrificing yourselves. Without your sacrifices, there would be no situation today. In the future, if the world is to be at peace and the Han Dynasty is to be restored, I will still have to rely on you."

With that, Liu Xie bowed deeply once again, with genuine sincerity.

For him, bowing is really nothing.

But it deeply moved the soldiers, and a warm feeling welled up in their hearts.

They were all the lowest-ranking soldiers, and many of them had never even spoken a word to an officer in their entire lives.

But at this moment, the emperor bowed to everyone twice in public.

"Long live!"

The soldiers roared again like thunder, responding with all their might. The sound was once again exciting and surging like a tide.

After things quieted down again, Liu Xie continued, "The war is temporarily over. Those who live nearby can go home to visit their wives, children, and parents. Those who live far away can send a letter back to their families. I will set up post stations in various places to facilitate your contact with your families."

Being a soldier in ancient times was very difficult. Once someone left home, even if they didn't die on the battlefield, they might not be able to return home for three to five years.

Post stations existed as early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, but their main function was to serve the imperial court and government, to deliver important letters and intelligence, or to provide messengers with alternative horses and a place to rest along the way.

For soldiers, communicating with their families by letter or mail is extremely difficult.

It was precisely because Liu Xie saw this that he was determined to reorganize the post stations and manage them in a unified manner, so that it would be easier for everyone to contact their families in the future.

Upon hearing that they could correspond with their families, the soldiers erupted in another wave of cheers.

Cao Cao's face changed color constantly, alternating between pale and flushed.

These soldiers were brought back by him to establish his authority, but now, with just a few words from the emperor, they have become people who praise and genuinely support him.

Cao Cao could not stand up and object; he could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

These 30,000 men were mostly veterans who had followed Cao Cao. There were very few surrendered soldiers from Hebei. Many of them came from Yanzhou and Yuzhou, which were relatively close to each other, and many had long been looking forward to going home.

Therefore, the emperor's proposal to allow those nearby to return home to visit their relatives immediately won applause from everyone.

Liu Xie gave a few more instructions before leaving.

Cao Cao was like a mute eating bitter herbs; he couldn't get angry and had to cooperate. He hurriedly instructed Yue Jin and the others to settle everyone down immediately and allow those who wanted to go home to visit their families.

Afterwards, Liu Xie took Cao Cao's hand, and the two walked side by side into the city.

The ministers followed behind, while Chen Gong walked behind Cao Cao and the emperor, occasionally chuckling to himself. These tens of thousands of Cao soldiers had been dealt with by His Majesty in just a few words.

Chen Gong believed that the Emperor was only unwilling to turn against Cao Cao at the moment; otherwise, given his methods, Cao Cao would be in a very passive position.

Just like Che Zhou and his ilk before, they claimed to be surrounding Xuchang, but if things really turned sour, how many of them would dare to actually make a move?

After entering the city, many people came to watch, and Cao Cao had to put on a smiling face to show everyone that he and his ministers were getting along well.

After walking for a while, Cao Cao finally mentioned Man Chong and Xiahou Dun, "Your Majesty, I have failed to manage my subordinates strictly. I never expected that Man Chong would have such disloyal intentions. As for Xiahou Dun, I'm afraid he was also caught off guard and deceived by Man Chong, which led to the misunderstanding."

With his first words, Cao Cao defined the nature of the matter.

Didn't Your Majesty say that Man Chong was causing a rebellion? Fine, then it's Man Chong causing a rebellion.

As for Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao wanted to absolve him of as much responsibility as possible and downplay the matter.

Anyway, everyone already knows that Man Chong caused trouble, and even if a god came, he couldn't overturn the case.

We can't exactly have Cao Cao stand up and say that it was the emperor who was causing the chaos, can we?

How can we explain that to the world?

Everyone must be wondering, why would the emperor rebel for no reason? Was he just bored and had nothing better to do?
Liu Xie nodded. "I share the same view as Cao Cao. This matter is not urgent. You have been away on campaign for many days. Go home and visit your family first. We will deal with this matter later."

Cao Cao nodded. He was indeed worried about his family and wondered how Bian Shi and the others were doing and whether they had been wronged.

Cao Cao had no time to appease Dong Zhao and the others, so he took his leave of the emperor and hurried home.

The Cao residence is still the same Cao residence, but the plaque in front of the gate that reads "Sikong Mansion" has been replaced with "Prime Minister Mansion".

After Cao Cao left, Liu Xie, Jia Xu, Chen Gong, and others continued to stroll around the streets.

Suddenly, Jia Xu spoke up: "Your Majesty, Man Chong is about to die. Don't you want to see him one last time?"

Although the outcome was inevitable, Chen Gong was still somewhat surprised when he heard that Cao Cao wanted to execute those who were loyal to him.

Liu Xie shook his head, clearly not very interested. "I won't go. I believe that Cao Cao will visit Man Chong tonight, just like he did when he visited Cheng Yu."

Jia Xu agreed, "Your Majesty guessed correctly. This matter cannot be changed now. Cao Cao will definitely deal with it quickly. After meeting, he will persuade Man Chong to confess his guilt immediately."

Chen Gong countered, "Rebellion is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Would Man Chong willingly confess his guilt?"

Jia Xu seemed to have seen through everything. His expression was mysterious. "Even if it meant executing nine generations of his family, Cao Cao wouldn't say that. He would definitely tell Man Chong that as long as Man Chong confessed, Cao Cao would guarantee that Man Chong's family would not be implicated."

"Huh?" Chen Gong was a little taken aback.

Man Chong was innocently made a scapegoat because of Cao Cao, but even if he was going to die, did he have to be deceived by Cao Cao again?

Jia Xu calmly replied, "If we tell Man Chong the truth, he won't readily confess. Man Chong is a problem for Cao Cao now, and we need to get rid of him as soon as possible."

Can't you even hear the truth when you're dying?
But soon, Chen Gong thought of the time in Zhongmu when Cao Cao, knowing he had killed the wrong person, still mercilessly killed Lü Boshe.

He thought of the saying: "I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!"

(End of this chapter)