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

Chapter 288, One Wants to Kill, the Other Wants to Let Go

On the third day, the battle was finally over. Zhang He was very cautious and had Tian Yu and Yan Rou lead men to check again to make sure there were no survivors before sending a report of victory to the emperor.

Xue Ti's condition continued to worsen, and he ultimately succumbed to his illness on the way back to Ji County.

Zhang He continued his advance towards Liucheng, advancing on the Wuhuan's main base.

On the way, Zhang He received the emperor's latest order: upon arriving in Liucheng, he should try his best to appease and persuade the emperor to surrender.

Zhang He didn't think much of it and immediately issued the order. Sima Yi, however, understood that this was the emperor's brilliance.

The killing of Tadun at Bailang Mountain and the annihilation of the Wuhuan people were enough to completely demoralize the Wuhuan people and discourage them from resisting.

The emperor then changed his strategy, trying his best to persuade and appease the people, which served both to deter them and to win their hearts. This was the true combination of firmness and leniency.

A tyrant only knows how to kill, while a tyrant only chooses benevolence and righteousness, which is unlikely to have a deterrent effect. Only by combining the two can the best approach be found.

Based on this battle at White Wolf Mountain, the Wuhuan people will remember this lesson well for a long time to come and will not dare to harbor any thoughts of rebellion.

Sima Yi also took the time to write a letter to his elder brother Sima Lang, giving him a gentle reminder.

…………

In the past, Cao Cao always spent the New Year in Xuchang, but this time, he stayed in Xiangyang. Not only him, but many others were also unable to return to Xuchang to reunite with their families.

Although he now had Lady Cai, a charming and alluring woman, Cao Cao was still Cao Cao; he couldn't keep his mind on women all the time.

Once the novelty wore off, Cao Cao gradually grew tired of it.

Xun You failed, and Cao Cao had already received the news. Cao Cao was deeply disappointed. He did not expect that Xuchang was so heavily guarded. Even when the emperor was away with his troops, it was still impregnable and unassailable.

Cao Cao has been living in constant fear lately, as his gout has flared up several times. He doesn't know how the emperor will handle this matter, so he is anxiously awaiting news.

Guo Jia came to see him that day with a letter. Cao Cao suddenly stood up, looking somewhat nervous. "Is it a letter from His Majesty?"

Guo Jia nodded. After waiting for more than a month, it had finally arrived.

Cao Cao rushed over, took the letter in one swift motion, and quickly opened it.

The letter was brief: “Lord Cao, I am deeply saddened. Xun You has made great contributions to the state and is highly regarded by you. Therefore, I would like to discuss this matter with you and ask for your advice on how to deal with him.”

After reading the letter, Cao Cao's expression froze. It was exactly what he feared. He sighed heavily and handed the letter back to Guo Jia.

Although Guo Jia brought the letter, he didn't dare to open it beforehand without Cao Cao's permission.

Guo Jia glanced at it quickly, then shook his head, a helpless expression on his face.

It was too late to say anything now. After a while, Cao Cao said to Guo Jia, "I am now filled with regret. I should not have listened to your advice and sent Gongda to Xudu. I should not have kept this from you."

Since losing Xuchang, Guo Jia had repeatedly reminded Cao Cao not to direct his anger at the emperor.

But Cao Cao refused to listen to advice and continued to harbor illusions about Xuchang.

Guo Jia glanced at Cao Cao and said, “My lord, His Majesty’s tolerance and forbearance towards you have their limits. Everyone knows that Gongda’s trip to Xuchang with his troops was orchestrated by you. We just forced Liu Bei to leave, which is fine, but you chose this time to send Gongda to Xuchang. Alas… His Majesty will surely be furious.”

Guo Jia's words were rather tactful; there were some things he couldn't say in front of Cao Cao.

I'm afraid His Majesty has already decided to kill!
Instigating Xun You to rebel in Xudu was a hundred times more serious than framing Liu Bei and seizing Jingzhou!
To put it bluntly, this is rebellion!

Frame Liu Bei, even if it forced him to his death, would only be considered an internal power struggle between ministers. But instigating Xun You to go to Xuchang was a real act of rebellion.

Even if you wiped out Cao Cao's entire family, there wouldn't be any problem.

Guo Jia was heartbroken. He sighed repeatedly and said after a long while, "His Majesty is no longer the same as before. When we framed Liu Bei, His Majesty had nothing to say. But causing trouble in Xuchang will provoke His Majesty's retaliation. Although His Majesty will not openly attack you, it is clear that His Majesty has been provoked. Asking you to deal with Xun You is probably just the first step, and a very insignificant one at that."

The implication is that how to deal with Xun You is not worth mentioning at all.

Even so, this step still gave Cao Cao a great headache.

Cao Cao was filled with remorse. "Alas... Fengxiao, I admit that I was too hasty this time. I shouldn't have sent Gongda to Xudu."

Guo Jia felt a pang of pain in his heart. He said helplessly, "My lord, it's all about timing and fate. The situation has already tilted in His Majesty's favor. You must recognize this. Originally, forcing Liu Bei to leave and taking control of Jingzhou was a very good move."

"Next, I will help you eliminate Liu Bei, Lü Bu, and others one after another. His Majesty has become a towering tree. While we are increasing our own strength and prestige, we can only keep cutting off His Majesty's arms and clipping his wings. But you want to cut the tree in half. Just think, His Majesty finally broke free from his shackles. How can he be willing to be manipulated by you again? Sending Gongda to Xuchang has seriously crossed His Majesty's bottom line."

"It's my fault, it's all my fault!"

Cao Cao only truly admitted his mistakes when he was facing Guo Jia, at which point he no longer needed to maintain his dignity and revealed his true nature.

Cao Cao was like a child who had made a mistake; he was flustered and full of regret.

"My lord, things have come to this point, let bygones be bygones. Even if His Majesty is furious, he will certainly not punish you, but we must be extremely vigilant."

"Then what should be done with Gongda?"

Guo Jia gave him a very serious expression and said nothing.

Cao Cao nodded. "I understand."

Now that Cao Cao had made a grave mistake and angered the emperor, would he still dare to plead for Xun You?

Cao Cao's reply contained only one word: "Kill!"

The reply was not sent to Ji County, but to Xudu, which was Liu Xie's arrangement.

He knew that Cao Cao had no other choice.

Since Xun You was imprisoned in Beisi Prison, Xun Yun has brought him food every day. This was at Xun Yu's behest. Especially on the first day after he was imprisoned, which was New Year's Eve, Xun Yu even personally accompanied Xun You for a few drinks.

"Brother."

Although Xun You was quite old and Xun Yun was only a teenager, they were of the same generation. Xun Yun was carrying a food box, as usual, he had come to deliver the meal.

Although they were family, they were all busy with their own things before, and Xun You rarely communicated with Xun Yu. But since being imprisoned, family and relatives suddenly occupied a more important place in Xun You's heart.

"My uncle asked me to bring this meal over."

Xun Yun has practically become a full-time errand boy, delivering meals to different people each time. There are Xun You's family members, Xun Yu's family members, and other Xun family members' nephews and brothers.

The Xun family is large, with more than half of them now serving as officials in Xuchang. However, when Xun You got into trouble, not a single member of the Xun family pleaded for him. It seems that all they could do was send him food.

"Is it him?"

Xun You sighed. If we're talking about the most capable person in the Xun family, it has to be Xun Yu. And if we're talking about the most upright and incorruptible person, it has to be Xun Yue!
"Isn't your uncle coming to see me?" Xun You's eyes were a little red. He hadn't expected that his uncle was still thinking of him.

Xun Yun shook his head. "My uncle said that you did something that made the Xun family lose face, and he will not forgive you, nor will he come to see you!"

These words were like a sharp knife, stabbing into Xun You's heart. He had only taken two bites when his movements froze.

Now, he has become a disgrace to the Xun family, a disgrace to the Xun family!
With a sigh, Xun You said, "If that's the case, then why did he still have you bring me food?"

Xun Yun mimicked his uncle's tone, gritting his teeth and sighing, "My uncle said that although your crimes are unforgivable, you are still family."

"Family?" Xun You's voice choked up, and tears streamed down his face.

He cried as he shoveled rice into his mouth, eating quickly, bite after bite. This must have been the most delicious meal he had ever had.

The next day, Xun Yu brought Cao Cao's reply and handed it to Xun You, saying, "His Majesty instructed you to take a look at how Cao Cao intends to deal with you."

There was only one word on the letter. Xun You glanced at it, his expression somewhat sorrowful. He smiled and said, "Uncle, even if I didn't read it, I would have already guessed it."

Xun Yu sighed and said, "I once followed the Prime Minister, but I have to say, is it really worth it? Even if you succeed, you won't become a hero; if you fail, the Prime Minister will blame everything on you."

Xun You was speechless; upon seeing the letter, his heart sank.

“You’ve always worried that His Majesty would target you. In fact, His Majesty is reminding you to recognize the situation. There’s nothing wrong with following the Prime Minister, but once it involves opposing His Majesty, you should think carefully about what you should do.”

Xun Yu sighed, "You guessed how the Prime Minister would deal with you beforehand, but you probably never dreamed how His Majesty would deal with you."

Xun You suddenly looked up, curiously asking Xun Yu, "What did His Majesty say?"

Xun Yu glanced at him helplessly, "His Majesty will forgive and forget this matter and allow you to return to the Prime Minister's side."

"Is this true? Such a big thing happened in Xuchang, and His Majesty is just going to let me off like this?" Xun You was shocked; the surprise was too sudden.

Xun Yu nodded. "It's absolutely true. His Majesty instructed me to announce that a group of bandits did indeed cause trouble outside the city that night, and you came to provide support."

Not to mention Xun You, even Xun Yu still can't believe that His Majesty would do such a thing.

Xun You caused such a huge disaster, yet they let him go.

Xun You was completely dumbfounded, as if he were dreaming. "Is this real? Cao Cao wanted to kill me, but His Majesty is actually going to let me go."

Xun Yu said with a sigh, "His Majesty's magnanimity far exceeds our imagination. This time, he has managed to preserve the reputation of our Xun family. You should think carefully about what to do in the future."

After saying that, Xun Yu turned and walked out.

Xun You hurriedly cried out, "Uncle, didn't His Majesty intend to spare me?"

Xun Yu said without turning his head, "This is a decision I made on the spur of the moment. I'll release you once you've thought it through."

Xun Yu had just returned home and was about to step inside when he suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing in front of the gate across the street.

Xun Yu hurried over, and Xun Yue was standing there.

Xun Yue's face was a little red, obviously she had been standing there for a while and her face was red from the cold.

"Brother, did you need something from me?" Xun Yu showed Xun Yue genuine respect.

Xun Yue glanced at him and asked, "I heard that His Majesty intends to spare Gongda and will not pursue the matter of that night any further."

Xun Yu nodded. "Yes, His Majesty is kind-hearted and magnanimous. This time, even I didn't expect it."

Xun Yue snorted and said with heartache, "Look at the mess Gongda has made! Once this gets out, the reputation our Xun family has built up over so many years will be completely ruined. His Majesty has shown our Xun family immense kindness. You must make sure to properly count the number of soldiers who died that night. Our Xun family must properly settle those people and treat their families well. When His Majesty returns, make sure Gongda apologizes with a bundle of thorns on his back. This matter cannot be left like this."

Xun Yu nodded repeatedly, "I've remembered it all."

Xun Yue looked up at the sky and sighed, "The concessions His Majesty has made for the sake of this world are far too great. How fortunate we are as his subjects, yet how utterly incompetent we are."

Xun Yu felt his throat suddenly become blocked, and he couldn't say a word.

Every concession the emperor made actually revealed a great deal of helplessness. As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, did he not like to settle scores quickly and decisively? Did he not like to resolve problems cleanly and efficiently?

Xun Yue glanced at Xun Yu again, then turned and went into his own courtyard.

Xun Yue lived a life of poverty and integrity. Anyone in the Xun family would feel ashamed in his presence, because Xun Yue was utterly loyal to the Han Dynasty, without a single selfish thought.

He sought neither fame nor fortune; he only wished to protect the Han Dynasty!

Xun Yu increasingly felt that keeping Xun You in prison was the best decision he could make. He should be allowed to reflect on his actions, and he should only be released when he had truly thought things through.

…………

Jiangdong! Wuxian!
On this day, Zhou Yu came to see Sun Quan. Every time he came, it was at night. Zhou Yu was always very busy during the day, but when he saw Sun Quan, Sun Quan was also very busy. Every time, he was either reading or reviewing reports from various places.

He's only 23 years old this year, but his diligent and busy habits have been maintained ever since he took over Jiangdong, without interruption!

(End of this chapter)