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

Chapter 281, Liu Bei went to Jiangdong

Two flowers bloom, but I'll only describe one branch.

While Liu Xie was on a northern expedition against the Wuhuan, Liu Bei held out at Xiakou for more than a month, and his forces were reduced to less than a thousand men.

Liu Bei waited and waited, but Sun Quan didn't come. He even gave up hope.

Just when Xiakou was about to fall, Lu Su appeared with his fleet.

Despite Guan Yu's objections, Liu Bei ultimately embarked on his journey to Jiangdong.

Sun Quan was good at using people. He sent Lu Su to pick up Liu Bei, and Lu Su played the role of a good-natured person very well.

After they met, Lu Su spoke gently and kindly to Liu Bei, saying, "Xuande, I am truly sorry. I should have come to pick you up a few days ago, but the Shanyue suddenly rebelled, and Lord Wu was very worried about it, which is why there was a slight delay. But Lord Wu also said that the Imperial Uncle is blessed by Heaven, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are both rare warriors who can defeat ten thousand men. You will definitely be able to defend Xiakou."

Liu Bei was seething with resentment, but he could only force a smile and nod at Lu Su.

He was about to become someone else's subordinate, so even if he had grievances, he had to keep them to himself, because he was going to seek refuge with Sun Quan.

Zhang Fei was always straightforward, and he didn't think much about it. He took three steps at a time and came to Lu Su's side, grabbing Lu Su's clothes.

Zhang Fei roared, "I think you did this on purpose. So many of our men have died or been wounded, and they're almost at their breaking point, and you only just arrived. It's truly disheartening."

Lu Su was startled. Already feeling guilty, he didn't even dare to look Zhang Fei in the eye when Zhang Fei was on the verge of exploding.

Upon seeing this, Liu Bei hurriedly shouted, "Third brother, let go! Don't be so rude!"

Zhang Fei angrily lowered his hand, feeling sullen and resentful.

Liu Bei hurriedly came over to apologize to Lu Su, who quickly waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. Yide is a man of strong character, how could I blame him!"

Lu Su certainly wouldn't blame Zhang Fei. He knew better than anyone that Jiangdong had acted dishonestly and deliberately tricked Liu Bei.

Suddenly, Lu Su noticed an unfriendly gaze directed at him. He turned his head and saw Guan Yu.

Guan Yu squinted, looking at him quietly. His cold and sharp eyes seemed to pierce through people's hearts, carrying a chilling aura.

Lu Su couldn't help but shudder. Sun Quan had deliberately kept Liu Bei waiting for more than a month. This tactic was not very clever, and many people could see it, including Guan Yu.

Lu Su smiled awkwardly at Guan Yu, not daring to meet his gaze any longer, and quickly turned his head to the side.

Lu Su did his best to keep a smiling face throughout the journey, escorting Liu Bei all the way to Wu County.

Wu County was the seat of Wu Commandery and the base of the Sun family in Jiangdong.

Sun Quan's father and brothers started from Wu Commandery and gradually expanded their territory, eventually leading to the six commanderies of Jiangdong.

Sun Quan had already ordered preparations to be made, with water poured down the streets and drums and music playing. He led the civil and military officials of Jiangdong to wait outside the city gate early in the morning, giving Liu Bei ample face.

However, when Liu Bei met Sun Quan, he felt as if he were being fried in oil and cooked in fire, and he felt very uncomfortable.

"Uncle Liu, we've been waiting for you for so long."

Sun Quan, all smiles, strode toward Liu Bei and grabbed his hand as soon as he got close.

"I have long admired Liu Bei's benevolence and righteousness, but I have never had the chance to meet him. Today, I am fortunate to have this opportunity to drink and make merry with him until we are drunk."

Zhou Yu, Zhang Zhao, Yu Fan, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai and others also came over to pay their respects. Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning Liu Bei's poisoning of Liu Biao and his son, as if those things had never happened at all.

In Jingzhou, he was already infamous, but in Jiangdong, Sun Quan was so enthusiastic and gave Liu Bei a lot of face.

Liu Bei was not stupid; he knew that all of this was arranged in advance by Sun Quan.

Seeing so many people coming out to greet him and the lively scene, Zhang Fei's resentment lessened somewhat.

Zhang Fei's idea was simple: whatever Liu Bei did, he would do; wherever Liu Bei went, he would go.

Liu Bei was Zhang Fei's spiritual pillar.

Guan Yu remained expressionless, his heart heavy. He disliked such scenes intensely, for behind the bustling atmosphere often lay conspiracies and schemes.

In Guan Yu's heart, he only recognized Liu Bei, only recognized the emperor, and only recognized the legitimacy of the Han Dynasty!
Sun Quan hosted a grand banquet to entertain Liu Bei, and even specially selected a very comfortable place for him to stay, taking great care of him. He knew that Liu Bei had recently suffered a setback and was in low spirits, so he wanted Liu Bei to enjoy himself first.

A comfortable and peaceful life can temporarily make a person forget their troubles. In fact, at Liu Bei's residence, Sun Quan even selected many beautiful maids to take care of Liu Bei's daily life.

Before long, it was the end of the year, and Cao Cao returned to Xiangyang.

Liu Bei's departure to Jiangdong was exactly what Cao Cao wanted. He even planned to use this as an excuse to launch a direct attack across the Yangtze River the following year, and take care of both Sun Quan and Liu Bei.

Cao Cao was in high spirits, and that night he ordered a banquet to be prepared and summoned Lady Cai alone.

Lady Cai dared not disobey. From the first time she saw Cao Cao, she felt inexplicably afraid. Cao Cao stared at her several times with a greedy and domineering gaze.

As a woman, and a married woman at that, Madam Cai certainly knew what that meant.

Cao Cao waved his hand, dismissing his attendants. Cao Anmin was no longer responsible for guarding the palace; instead, he had become Cao Cao's follower.

He stood guard outside, mustering his courage to peek inside. When his gaze fell on Madam Cai, Cao Anmin's eyes immediately brightened.

This woman is not only beautiful, but also very charming.

Lady Cai wore a dark-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). She did not dress up deliberately, as she wanted to keep a low profile. She had heard a little about Cao Cao's reputation.

But she was born with a seductive charm, and every move she made exuded a thousand kinds of allure; some things cannot be hidden.

Cao Cao's gaze lingered on her without restraint, his eyes filled with a mixture of admiration and greed. He had set his sights on this woman the moment they met.

However, Cao Cao had too many things to do before, and was busy dealing with Liu Bei, so he hadn't been able to find the time.

In addition, Cao Cao had also hesitated, after all, Lady Cai was different from the women he had met before. This woman was not only very scheming, but also very ruthless.

Cao Cao was inherently suspicious, and he dared not keep such a woman by his side as his woman. What if one day she poisoned him too? That would be terrible.

But later, Cao Cao realized that he didn't necessarily have to take her as his concubine; he could always have some fun with her.

Besides, Cao Cao needed to celebrate the great victory over Liu Bei.

In addition, his women were all in Xuchang and were not by his side for long periods of time. Although Cao Cao was old, his needs were still quite normal.

Cao Cao beckoned to Lady Cai to come and sit beside him.

Madam Cai appeared calm on the surface, but she was somewhat flustered inside. She forced a smile and said, "Prime Minister, your status is so noble, how could I dare to sit beside you and keep you company?"

Lady Cai deliberately emphasized the words "Prime Minister" and "this humble servant" to subtly remind Cao Cao of his high status and the need for self-respect.

Besides, I am a married woman; I am Liu Biao's woman.

Lady Cai's words only made things worse. Cao Cao disliked being constrained and disregarded any rules or etiquette. Lady Cai was a married woman, which suited Cao Cao's taste even better.

Cao Cao's favorite women in his life were married women, which held special significance for him.

He treated these women as his spoils of war, and at the same time, he also enjoyed the feeling of trampling his enemies underfoot.

For example, whenever Cao Cao was with Zou, Zhang Xiu's aunt, he would be reminded of how he had defeated and conquered Zhang Xiu.

Being with Lady Du reminded him of how he had conquered Xuzhou and driven Lü Bu into a corner.

Cao Cao beckoned to Lady Cai again and said, "I invited you here tonight so we can discuss with you the matter of Liu Cong becoming the governor of Jingzhou."

Cao Cao knew that this was what Lady Cai cared about most right now.

As expected, Lady Cai hesitated, and Cao Cao asked in return, "What? Are you unwilling to drink with me?"

Helpless, Lady Cai could only move her lotus-like steps and slowly walk over, trying to keep a certain distance from Cao Cao.

After drinking a few cups, Cao Cao then asked Lady Cai to drink with him. Lady Cai didn't want to drink, but in front of Cao Cao, she had no choice. After a few cups, the atmosphere gradually became ambiguous.

Lady Cai's face flushed, her red lips were almost dripping with moisture, and Cao Cao's hands began to wander.

With fine wine and beautiful women, Cao Cao was in high spirits and acted without restraint. While coaxing Lady Cai and promising to make Liu Cong the governor of Jingzhou, he suddenly forcibly pulled Lady Cai into his arms.

This night is destined to be a sleepless night!

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, Cao Cao reluctantly got out of bed only after someone came to report something.

When Guo Jia met Cao Cao, he saw through Cao Cao's intentions but didn't reveal them. Guo Jia had already guessed about Cao Cao's affair with Lady Cai.

"My lord, we have just received news that His Majesty has led his army to Youzhou to attack the Wuhuan."

Cao Cao was somewhat surprised, and Guo Jia gave a wry smile before revealing news that surprised Cao Cao even more.

"My lord, you may not expect this, but Xue Ti has actually become the vanguard commander in the campaign against the Wuhuan, leading his troops out on their journey, while His Majesty has remained in Ji County!"

"what?"

Cao Cao's eyes widened in surprise. The exhilarating night of pleasure was instantly replaced by a bucket of cold water.

Originally, Xue Ti was supposed to be the one to guard the house, but now he has become the emperor's free laborer, serving as the vanguard in the campaign against the Wuhuan.

…………

Wuhuan Camp!

Tadun thought for a moment, then let out a disdainful sneer, “A mere few thousand people dare to come to Wuhuan and cause trouble? They really don’t know what’s good for them. Pass on my order to assemble the troops immediately.”

Tadun generously rewarded Utu, who provided the information, with some valuables.

But he didn't know that the news had been deliberately leaked by someone.

After Xue Ti's troops set off, Zhang He followed Liu Xie's orders and set off as well.

From the very beginning, Liu Xie used Xue Ti and his several thousand men as bait.

When Xue Ti's party arrived at White Wolf Mountain, it was already the dead of winter, and unfortunately, a heavy snow fell, covering the entire White Wolf Mountain in a vast expanse of thick snow.

The sudden heavy snow made the soldiers' situation extremely difficult. With the snow falling heavily and the cold wind biting to the bone, many soldiers fell ill and collapsed. Xue Ti's condition also worsened. He was swaying back and forth on his horse, looking as if he might fall off at any moment.

The soldiers struggled forward in the wind and snow, their steps uneven, and many were tempted to retreat. How could they possibly fight this battle?

They were on the verge of collapse before they even saw the Wuhuan people.

Xue Ti waved his hand, telling everyone to rest for a while. He really couldn't take it anymore; his body was being jostled back and forth, and his head was throbbing with pain.

Zhang Liao looked around warily, feeling somewhat uneasy. "Chief Secretary Xue, we have already entered the territory of the Wuhuan people. We must be more careful. Perhaps we should find a secluded place to set up camp and rest."

Xue Ti waved his hand dismissively, "Let's set up camp here. The soldiers are too tired to walk any further."

In reality, Xue Ti himself was on the verge of collapse; he was weak all over and extremely ill.

Xue Ti was adept at governing local areas and managing domestic affairs, but military campaigns were not his forte.

Moreover, since this was their first time venturing deep into the heart of the Wuhuan territory, they had very little intelligence on any aspect of the situation, and that was the most fatal flaw.

The soldiers were exhausted and cold. As soon as they heard that they could rest on the spot, many of them sat down directly on the ground. Even though it was snowing heavily, some people didn't care and just wanted to sit down and rest for a while.

The snow stopped just before nightfall. Zhang Liao meticulously led everyone to set up the tents before he could finally catch his breath.

During the day, everything was normal. At night, the surroundings were still shrouded in white. Just as the soldiers were falling asleep, a group of uninvited guests suddenly arrived.

Tadun and his men have appeared!
As soon as the battle cries rang out, dozens of Cao army soldiers on the perimeter fell instantly, struck by arrows. The Wuhuan people, brandishing their gleaming scimitars, charged into the camp like wolves and tigers, plunging the scene into chaos.

When Li Dian heard the commotion and rushed out of his tent, Zhang Liao was already leading his men in a fierce battle with the enemy.

The dark mass of Wuhuan people gathered, growing larger and larger, seemingly without end.

Shouting battle cries, they frantically brandished their scimitars and charged into the camp one after another.

Xue Ti was awakened by the loud noise and broke out in a cold sweat.

Upon discovering that enemies were everywhere, in countless numbers, Xue Ti panicked.

Zhang Liao arrived with his men to join them, and Xue Ti hurriedly discussed with him, "Wen Yuan, shouldn't we leave this place as soon as possible?"

Zhang Liao quickly glanced around and shook his head. "We can't retreat. If we do, with our small force, we'll easily be caught up and wiped out."

"And what's your opinion?" Xue Ti was already flustered.

Li Dian also rushed over and almost yelled at Zhang Liao, "Zhang Liao, do you want to kill everyone? If we don't withdraw our troops, we will all die here."

Zhang Liao remained calm and pointed up the mountain. "We only have one way out now: up the mountain. Running away will only lead to our demise. Going up the mountain might offer a glimmer of hope. We must also send someone to call for help immediately!"

(End of this chapter)