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

Chapter 276, Cao Cao Arrives

Cao Ren realized the urgency of the situation and nodded vigorously, "Don't worry, I will arrange the attack time with the Cai family immediately."

Rumors were rampant in Jingzhou, and the news inevitably reached Xuchang.

On this day, Jia Xu hurriedly left the Imperial Secretariat and rushed to see Liu Xie.

Liu Xie was studying with Luo Tong, Cao Zhi, and others. Every time Guan Ning finished his lecture, Liu Xie would gather with everyone to discuss the subject in detail.

Upon seeing Jia Xu, Liu Xie's face unusually showed a serious expression. He waved his hand, ending the discussion, and Xun Yun and the others tactfully withdrew.

"Wenhe, what happened?"

Jia Xu sighed, "Your Majesty, something has happened in Jingzhou. Our spies just brought news that the streets and alleys have suddenly gone crazy these past few days, with rumors about Liu Bei everywhere."

"Oh? What did they say?"

Liu Xie was very surprised. There's no smoke without fire. Jia Xu's solemn expression made him sense that a huge storm was about to break out.

"Rumors say that Liu Bei killed Liu Biao and his son, and that Liu Bei had tried every means to prevent Liu Qi from coming to Xudu for medical treatment. In a fit of rage, Zhang Fei accidentally beat Liu Qi to death in a tavern."

Liu Xie stood up in surprise and murmured, "I never imagined the problem was so serious."

"Wenhe, what do you think?"

Jia Xu immediately replied, "The rumors came so quickly and suddenly, and they erupted all at once. Obviously, it was planned in advance. Why did they appear now? This only shows that Liu Bei was wronged. However, I'm afraid that Liu Bei is more or less involved in the matter. It's impossible to frame someone out of thin air and make such a big fuss about it."

Liu Xie nodded. "You're right. I think the same thing. I'm afraid Liu Bei will be infamous this time. I don't think Liu Bei could have killed Liu Biao and his son. Did he really prevent Liu Qi from coming to Xuchang for medical treatment?"

Even if Liu Bei was incredibly audacious, could he really kill two members of the Han imperial family in succession? Both Liu Biao and Liu Qi were, at the time of their deaths, the rightful governors of Jingzhou.

Killing two governors of Jingzhou? That's insane! The more bizarre the thing, the more it seems like a conspiracy.

However, it is clearly impossible to say that Liu Bei did nothing.

Why would anyone target him for no reason? Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. If Liu Bei had no weaknesses, any conspiracy or framing would be meaningless.

Jia Xu said with great concern, "Your Majesty, Jingzhou is very unstable right now. I suggest that you send someone to Xiangyang immediately, firstly to stabilize the situation, and secondly to investigate this matter carefully."

"it is good!"

Liu Xie nodded. He was always decisive and immediately called out to the door, "Summon Zilong to see me."

Before long, Zhao Yun, clad in silver armor, strode up to Liu Xie.

Liu Xie briefly explained the situation to him, saying, "Zilong, there's no time to lose. You must immediately lead 10,000 elite troops to Xiangyang. I will have Ju Shou accompany you."

In addition, Liu Xie also sent a message to Gan Ning, instructing him to be on standby at any time and to closely monitor the situation in Jingzhou.

A storm was brewing in Jingzhou. Although Liu Xie did not yet know who had orchestrated all of this, he already had a very bad feeling.

So he immediately ordered Zhao Yun to lead 10,000 elite troops to Xiangyang as quickly as possible.

Zhao Yun led his men away from Xudu without delay, urging their horses to gallop at full speed. The procession kicked up a cloud of dust, and passersby encountered along the way gave way upon seeing this, all wondering what was going on.
Zhao Yun was fast, but since he came from Xudu, he was ultimately a step too late.

Cao Ren and the Cai family agreed on a time and quickly took action.

Although the Cai family had declined, they were still a force to be reckoned with, and they were still able to organize a team of several hundred people to launch a surprise attack.

Just after midnight, the North Gate was suddenly attacked.

Before Liu Bei could even receive the news, Cao Ren led his army like a raging flood, storming into Xiangyang City.

After entering the city, Cao Ren shouted, "Liu Bei is plotting to murder his relatives and rebel. We are ordered to capture Liu Bei. Anyone who resists will be executed!"

Cao Ren spoke very cleverly. He deliberately didn't say whose orders he was following, but only said "on orders," making people who didn't know better think that he was following orders from the imperial court.

He brought so many troops at once that many of the garrison troops were stunned and were completely overwhelmed by Cao Ren's momentum.

"Capture Liu Bei, or die!"

"Capture Liu Bei, or die!"

Tens of thousands of Cao Cao's soldiers shouted in unison, their roar creating a deafening roar, and surged into the city, advancing frantically forward. The army quickly approached the governor's mansion where Liu Bei was located.

Since rumors about him spread like wildfire throughout the city, Liu Bei had stopped being intimate with his two wives at night. He had too many worries and simply couldn't muster any interest in matters of love.

"My lord, my lord..."

Liu Bei was startled awake from his sleep. He quickly sat up and suddenly heard shouts of battle coming from not far away. Liu Bei was startled.

Jian Yong rushed in through the door, "My lord, something terrible has happened! Cao Ren has stormed into the city!"

"Cao Ren?"

Upon hearing this name, Liu Bei immediately understood. He gritted his teeth in anger, "I understand everything now! The real mastermind behind all this is Cao Cao!"

Jian Yong nodded. "My lord, Cao Ren's forces are overwhelming, and his army is countless. We simply cannot withstand them. We should retreat from Xiangyang as soon as possible."

Liu Bei felt wronged and wanted to cry. He was clearly the governor of Jingzhou, yet he was being asked to withdraw. What was going on?
Liu Bei was truly unwilling to accept this.

But circumstances are beyond our control, so what can we do if we're unwilling to accept it?

Cao's army, like a raging flood, was about to surround the governor's mansion. Liu Bei had no choice but to hastily order Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to cover the rear, while he led his men to flee in panic through the south gate.

Xu Shu, Ma Liang, Yi Ji, and other followers of Liu Bei also fled the city together.

Zhang Fei had drunk a lot of wine, and he was furious these past few days, so Liu Bei wouldn't let him go out on the street.

For the crime of killing someone, Liu Bei severely punished him and kept him locked up at home.

Some even advised Liu Bei to kill Zhang Fei, since he had killed someone. However, Liu Bei simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

As for Guan Yu, he couldn't understand what was going on either, feeling that Jingzhou had suddenly changed completely without him even realizing it.

Although both men were exceptionally skilled and stronger than Cao Ren in one-on-one combat, warfare is never about individual bravery. If that were the case, Lü Bu would have unified the world long ago.

Cao Ren had an army of 50,000 men, and they came with overwhelming force. Even ten Zhang Feis and Guan Yus could not withstand them.

The people of Xiangyang were terrified, with every household closing their doors and windows. Cao Ren strictly followed Guo Jia's instructions, avoiding disturbing the residents, and promptly posted notices after entering the city.

This military campaign is solely aimed at Liu Bei and has nothing to do with anyone else.

The more this is the case, the more it shows that Liu Bei is really in trouble.

After capturing Xiangyang, Cao Ren ordered the army to continue advancing, giving Liu Bei no chance to catch his breath.

When Zhao Yun arrived in Xinye, devastating news arrived: Xiangyang had already fallen.

Zhao Yun stopped the troops and sought Ju Shou's opinion, "Sir, should we still go to Xiangyang?"

Ju Shou shook his head. "If Cao Ren hadn't occupied Xiangyang, we could still have time to sort things out if we went there. Now that we're going, it's hard to choose our stance. Everything is clear now. The mastermind behind it all is Cao Cao, and he's probably arriving soon. Should we go there to help Cao Cao deal with Liu Bei, or should we turn around and deal with Cao Cao instead?"

Ju Shou stumped Zhao Yun with his question, and now that Cao Cao had intervened, things had become extremely complicated.

"Since everything was orchestrated by Cao Cao, he's far too arrogant and domineering, showing absolutely no respect for His Majesty." Zhao Yun's face was ashen, and he was truly enraged.

Ju Shou sighed and said helplessly, "Even His Majesty admits that Cao Cao is not willing to submit. He did not directly confront the court, but deliberately smeared Liu Bei in order to weaken His Majesty's power. To be honest, even if he is wrong, there is nothing we can do about it."

"Sigh..." Zhao Yun also sighed.

"Everyone in the world knows that Cao Cao is a loyal minister. Based on that alone, we can't do anything to him. If anyone is to blame this time, it's Liu Bei who was given a handle by Cao Cao, giving him an opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

Ju Shou was very clear-headed; Cao Cao was a loyal minister established by the emperor himself.

Sending troops to deal with Cao Cao would only make us a laughing stock in the eyes of the world.

"Of course, Cao Cao did go a bit too far this time. Even if His Majesty doesn't openly do anything to him, he will be very dissatisfied."

Zhao Yun clenched his fists tightly, feeling a surge of anger. He had to quickly calm himself down and immediately sent someone to Xudu to request instructions on the next course of action.

…………

The next day, Zhuge Liang, who was in Longzhong, also received news that Liu Bei had fled Xiangyang, and he sighed heavily.

"Ugh!"

"Husband, why do you sigh?" Huang Yueying held a sketch in her hand, on which was drawn a waterwheel. She looked at it for a while, and her eyes suddenly brightened.

Zhuge Liang shook his head. "I sigh for Liu Bei and for Xu Shu. Liu Bei has spent so much effort in Jingzhou, and the good reputation he has finally built up is probably going to be lost. Xu Shu thought that following Liu Bei would allow him to achieve something great, but that's probably going to be the end of him too."

As a friend, Zhuge Liang was well aware of Xu Shu's talents.

However, Liu Bei was suddenly smeared, and his future looked bleak, which made Zhuge Liang secretly worried.

"I don't believe that Liu Biao and his son were killed by Liu Bei. How can Your Majesty allow others to smear Liu Bei?" Huang Yueying also had a good impression of Liu Bei.

Zhuge Liang forced a bitter smile. "Public opinion is a fearsome thing. Accumulated slander can destroy a person. It is difficult to build a good reputation for someone, but it is easy to destroy one. Now, there are negative rumors all over Jingzhou. Cao Ren's arrival with his troops is seen by many as being on the orders of the court. Even if His Majesty finds out about this later, would he really undermine Cao Cao?"

Huang Yueying asked in surprise, "This? If things continue like this, won't Liu Bei have a hard time turning things around?"

Zhuge Liang turned to look out the window. This window had just been added and faced the direction of Xudu.

Zhuge Liang gazed northward, standing silently for a long time. "Your Majesty is exceptionally wise. Perhaps he has a way to turn the tide. Sometimes, what is clearly a good thing can turn into a bad thing, and vice versa. What is clearly a bad thing can turn into a good thing!"

Cao Cao arrived in Xiangyang soon after. Once inside the city, he immediately summoned Pang Ji and other prominent figures from Jingzhou. Lady Cai and Liu Cong were also invited.

Cao Cao looked down at everyone from his high vantage point. He was the prime minister, second only to the emperor, and had now become the most powerful figure in the north. He had seized Ji Province, Bing Province, and You Province, and even the Southern Xiongnu had been subdued by Cao Cao.

Everyone present felt inferior to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao surveyed the entire room with a serious expression. No one dared to breathe loudly, and many lowered their heads, avoiding Cao Cao's gaze.

After a long silence, Cao Cao finally spoke: "Liu Bei's actions are truly baffling, and the court is furious. As a member of the Han imperial family and the current imperial uncle, Liu Bei has actually plotted to murder two governors of Jingzhou and two members of the Han imperial family. It seems that Liu Bei has become so ruthless and unscrupulous in his pursuit of becoming governor of Jingzhou that he will stop at nothing. This is a serious matter; otherwise, I would not have rushed from Ye City to Xiangyang."

Cao Cao personally came to Xiangyang to definitively confirm Liu Bei's involvement.

Looking at Lady Cai, Cao Cao said to her, "Madam, I think you are very clear about what happened. You can tell everyone what happened."

This is where Cao Cao's brilliance lies: he had Lady Cai expose Liu Bei.

Even if it's a frame-up, if they investigate later, they can use Madam Cai as a scapegoat.

Lady Cai had no way out. She stood up, carefully considered her words, and said to everyone, "Since Liu Qi fell ill, he has requested to go to Xuchang several times, and I can testify to that. In the end, Liu Qi even wrote a personal letter to His Majesty, but all of this was thwarted by Liu Bei, and Liu Bei also stole Liu Qi's personal letter."

They started by recounting what Liu Bei had done, which resonated with everyone.

Since this was told by Madam Cai, it naturally carries a high degree of credibility.

Then, Lady Cai said, "Before Liu Qi met Liu Bei, we had some doubts about Liu Bei because his symptoms were the same as my husband's. What a coincidence! Liu Qi was very excited at the time, but then Liu Bei came. After meeting him, Liu Qi died. Moreover, he died peacefully with his eyes closed."

Cao Cao let out a cold laugh, "Gentlemen, did you all hear that? Before he died, Liu Qi had already become suspicious of Liu Bei, but after seeing Liu Bei, he died peacefully with his eyes closed. Can anyone explain to me what exactly happened?"

Many people gasped in shock, but Pang Ji remained skeptical. "Could it be that the eldest young master really died at the hands of Liu Bei?"

Cao Cao sneered, "Hmph, everyone, don't forget that Liu Bei was the governor of Yu Province before, but he was willing to come to Jing Province to assist Liu Qi. If you say he had no selfish motives, I'm afraid no one would believe it."

(End of this chapter)