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

Chapter 289, His Majesty's Counterattack
Sun Quan was busy for a long time before he finally saw Zhou Yu, and he hurriedly greeted him with a smile.

"Gongjin, you've arrived."

Zhou Yu advised, "My lord, you bear the great responsibility of the entire Jiangdong region on your shoulders. You must not overwork yourself."

Sun Quan simply smiled faintly, then pointed north, saying, "Cao Cao has already occupied Jingzhou and has begun to garrison troops on the north bank of the Yangtze River. He could launch an attack at any time. How can I possibly be at ease?"

Zhou Yu said, "Now that Yuan Shao is dead, the north is entirely under the control of the court. Although Cao Cao forced Liu Bei to leave, he still represents the court. At present, the court only has two major threats left: Zhang Lu in Hanzhong and us. Compared with Zhang Lu, we are obviously a greater threat."

Sun Quan said with a serious expression, "Therefore, Cao Cao will definitely use force against us next."

Sun Quan preferred to say that Cao Cao would use force against Jiangdong, as this would make him feel better.

If the imperial court were to wage war against Jiangdong, it would confirm that Jiangdong was an adversary of the imperial court.

Zhou Yu advised, "My lord, you don't need to worry too much. Cao Cao will not advance for the time being. I have come to see you today because there is something I need to tell you."

Sun Quan asked, puzzled, "Oh? What could possibly require Gongjin to make this trip in person?"

Zhou Yu said, "Although Liu Bei's group is quite large, there is one person that our lord should be very interested in."

"Who is it?" Sun Quan's curiosity was immediately piqued.

"Zhang Song, Zhang Yongnian, the Prefect of Yizhou!"

Sun Quan raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion, "I didn't notice that. How come the Prefect of Yi Province has come to our Jiangdong?"

Zhou Yu smiled, “Although I haven’t figured it out yet, it’s clear that Zhang Song was originally going to Xuchang, but then Jingzhou suddenly suffered a change of events. Before Zhang Song could leave, Cao Cao’s army entered Xiangyang, so Zhang Song stayed with Liu Bei.”

"I think our lord might as well invite Liu Bei here and ask him in person, so as to test Liu Bei's sincerity."

Sun Quan looked at Zhou Yu and probably guessed his intention.

Zhou Yu sneered, "We saved Liu Bei and provided him with protection, which is an immense favor. If Liu Bei is hiding something from us, there is no need for us to keep him in Jiangdong any longer."

Sun Quan clapped his hands and nodded, "Good, that's exactly what I was thinking too."

Sun Quan then called out to the outside, "Ziming."

A general with a kind face and a strong build emerged from outside the door. Sun Quan instructed him, "Go and invite Liu Bei to come here immediately."

Lu Meng clasped his hands in acceptance of the order and strode away.

Lü Meng was promoted by Sun Quan himself; he was truly discovered by Sun Quan's discerning eye from the very bottom.

Sun Quan trusted Lü Meng very much, and Lü Meng was also very loyal to Sun Quan!
Meanwhile, on Liu Bei's side, ever since the letter was sent out, Liu Bei had been feeling uneasy.

After reading my reply, will His Majesty believe it? How will he react?

What kind of outcome awaits me?
Liu Bei was restless day and night. He already felt guilty for what he had done, so he would not feel at ease until he received the emperor's reply.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu had completely different attitudes. Guan Yu was very calm. He trusted the emperor and even persuaded Liu Bei that His Majesty would certainly not pursue the matter.

As for Zhang Fei, he only cared about Liu Bei. He would reply to the emperor's letters however he pleased, and he didn't care at all.

After waiting for so long, Liu Bei finally got his wish.

Guan Yu received the reply from Zhan Fei and handed it to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was very excited and hurriedly opened the letter.

At first, Liu Bei was very worried, fearing that the emperor would be furious and blame him for deceiving him.

But no, Liu Xie wrote in his letter: "Xuande, I have received your letter. I believe you. Since you say that the death of Liu Biao and his son has nothing to do with you, then let this matter end here. You should know that this matter is extraordinary. But as long as you are loyal to the country and make more contributions to the court in the future, I will do my best to help you restore your reputation!"

"Now that you have gone to Jiangdong, the court's next target is Jiangdong. I hope that you will temporarily maintain good relations with Sun Quan and act as an inside agent for the court, waiting for the right opportunity to help the court unify the world in the future."

Liu Bei's hands trembled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down his face.

These tears contain both joyful and regretful tears.

"I never imagined His Majesty would trust me so much... I..."

Liu Bei wept bitterly, filled with remorse, and longed to tell the truth aloud.

Guan Yu leaned closer, took a look, and breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew His Majesty would believe my elder brother."

Faced with this weighty trust, Liu Bei stood there stunned for a long time.

Honestly, how should I repay this trust?
Soon, Liu Bei made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and secretly vowed, "Your Majesty, I will never make the same mistake again. Even if the whole world no longer believes in me, you still trust me so much. I am willing to repay you with my life and will never have any second thoughts!"

A moment later, Jian Yong walked in from outside. Seeing that Liu Bei's eyes were a little red, Jian Yong quickly asked, "My lord, what's wrong?"

Liu Bei hurriedly wiped his eyes and said, "It's Xianhe. I'm fine. His Majesty just sent a letter."

Jian Yong had already followed Liu Bei back in Zhuojun, and Liu Bei trusted him completely.

Liu Bei handed the letter to Jian Yong, who, after reading the emperor's reply, was also happy for Liu Bei.

Because Liu Bei's foundation in this world was his reputation.

At this time, the emperor's willingness to trust him provided Liu Bei with tremendous encouragement and rekindled hope among his followers.

Therefore, Liu Bei wanted Jian Yong to see this letter, as well as Ma Liang and others.

Jian Yong also reminded Liu Bei, "My lord, this is Jiangdong. This letter must be handled with utmost care and must not be allowed to reach Sun Quan!"

Liu Bei nodded vigorously, it seemed that only trustworthy people could tell them this.

"By the way, Lü Meng is outside and requests to see the lord."

Liu Bei quickly tidied his appearance, wiped away his tears, and made sure there were no flaws before having Lü Meng invited in.

Lu Meng was a man of few words and rarely smiled. He simply told Liu Bei that Sun Quan wanted to see him.

Liu Bei nodded hastily and followed Lü Meng to Sun Quan's residence.

Throughout the land, there are countless people who hold the title of marquis. Liu Bei was the Marquis of Yicheng, and Guan Yu was the Marquis of Hanshou. However, Sun Quan's title of marquis was different from others. He was the Marquis of Wu and the ruler of Jiangdong, which was also known as Eastern Wu.

Therefore, Sun Quan's title of Marquis of Wu was a true regional hegemon, with an extraordinary status.

Liu Bei followed cautiously behind Lü Meng, showing no airs of being an imperial uncle.

Upon meeting Liu Bei, Sun Quan was very polite, asking him if he was comfortable living in Jiangdong, if there was anything he wasn't treated well, and if he needed anything, showing great hospitality.

After exchanging a few polite words, Sun Quan changed the subject and mentioned Zhang Song.

"Xuande, among the people traveling with you is one named Zhang Song. He is the Prefect of Yizhou. Am I correct?"

Sun Quan was much younger than Liu Bei, so he should have addressed Liu Bei as "Uncle Liu" or "Imperial Uncle".

However, Sun Quan, though seemingly very polite, addressed Liu Bei by his courtesy name.

This also means that although Liu Bei appeared to be of high status, he was actually merely living under someone else's roof and had no sense of superiority with Sun Quan.

Sun Quan was also subtly reminding Liu Bei who the real master of this place was.

Liu Bei didn't care how Sun Quan addressed him, but when he suddenly heard the name Zhang Song, his heart skipped a beat.

Sun Quan looked at him quietly, his eyes clear, and his smile very kind.

Liu Bei couldn't hide this matter either, as Zhang Song's identity was clear. Even if Liu Bei didn't say anything, Sun Quan could send someone to investigate.

Fortunately, Liu Bei nodded and readily admitted, "Indeed, Zhang Song did come to Jiangdong with me. We were in such a hurry that we didn't have time to introduce him to Lord Wu."

Sun Quan could address Liu Bei by his courtesy name, but Liu Bei dared not address Sun Quan by his courtesy name.

Sun Quan nodded, and as if chatting casually, asked, "Xuande, Zhang Song is the Prefect of Yizhou, how come he's with you?"

Liu Bei hesitated for a moment before replying truthfully: "He was originally sent by Liu Zhang to Xudu to present the map of Xichuan to the court, but due to the sudden change in Jingzhou, he was delayed."

Sun Quan didn't take it to heart at first, but after a while, he was secretly delighted.

After chatting with Liu Bei for a few more minutes, Sun Quan personally saw Liu Bei off.

Afterwards, Sun Quan summoned Zhou Yu and told him about the matter.

Zhou Yu was also excited upon hearing this, and said, "My lord, this is a golden opportunity. If we can obtain the 'Topographical Map of Western Sichuan,' we can take control of Western Sichuan and further expand our territory."

Sun Quan has always harbored his own ambitions, and many people say he is using his father's and brother's names to achieve them.

The vast territory of Jiangdong was not built by Sun Quan; he merely reaped a great advantage. This was not a good thing for Sun Quan, and he disliked such an assessment.

Sun Quan had to rely on himself to expand his territory and carve out his own domain.

Although his father and brothers gave him a very high starting point, Sun Quan did not want anyone to look down on him.

He wanted people to genuinely praise his achievements when they mentioned him, rather than praising his father and brothers.

Sun Quan said, "Although it is too early to take over Xichuan, now that Zhang Song has come to Xichuan, Gongjin, you must pay close attention to this matter. It would be best to keep Zhang Song in check and get him to hand over the 'Topographical Map of Xichuan' to us."

Zhou Yu thought for a moment and replied, "This matter must be considered carefully. I will take some time to visit Zhang Song in person and try to get on good terms with him."

Now, it's not just about getting our hands on the "Topographical Map of Xichuan." Zhou Yu has a very long-term vision. If he can build a good relationship with Zhang Song and get him to agree to be an inside agent, it will be a great help in taking over Xichuan in the future.

Despite the possibility of Jiangdong facing a campaign by the imperial court, Zhou Yu remained confident about the future.

Cao Cao soon received an order from the emperor, instructing him to assemble his troops, prepare for war, and be ready to launch an attack on Jiangdong at any time.

Cao Cao hurriedly summoned Guo Jia. Upon meeting him, Cao Cao said to Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, I have just received news that His Majesty has ordered me to immediately prepare to attack Jiangdong. What do you think of this matter?"

Guo Jia sighed and said bluntly, "This is obviously not good news. I just received news from my spies that Xue Ti has passed away. In the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, Zhang He annihilated all 30,000 men of Tadun, leaving not a single one alive..."

Guo Jia was in charge of intelligence and had a fairly detailed understanding of the situation. As Cao Cao listened, his expression became serious.

Xue Ti had followed Cao Cao for many years and remained loyal. Although Xue Ti died of illness, his death was more or less related to the emperor.

Guo Jia said, “My lord, Xue Ti is just a civil official who clearly lacks experience in leading troops independently. Yet His Majesty still allowed him to lead troops alone. He marched for more than a month, braving wind and snow. He was already exhausted, and then he was surrounded by the Wuhuan people and trapped in Bailang Mountain for half a month before Zhang He finally arrived. After that, Zhang He led his troops to annihilate the enemy. All of this makes people truly feel His Majesty’s decisiveness and ruthlessness. Even if Xue Ti’s entire force had been wiped out, I would not be surprised at all.”

Cao Cao stared blankly at Guo Jia and murmured, "This reminds me of Wuchao. Back then, His Majesty almost wiped out my entire army. This time, it seems that Xue Ti died because of me."

Guo Jia remained silent, and silence often signifies acquiescence!
This time, the emperor's intentions were very clear.

To put it kindly, Xue Ti died for the loyalty of the imperial court.

To put it bluntly, because he was Cao Cao's man, the emperor never cared about his life or death from the beginning, and might even have deliberately killed him!
Guo Jia sighed, "After marching for more than a month and being trapped for half a month, Xue Ti finally couldn't hold on. There's another thing you may not know, my lord: a new governor of Youzhou has been appointed."

Cao Cao was taken aback again. He was clearly the prime minister, but the emperor's letter had not told him anything about this.

It was merely a message conveyed that an order was to attack Jiangdong!

"who is it?"

Guo Jia gave a bitter laugh, a very bitter laugh, "Zhang Liao!"

"How could it be him?" Cao Cao was greatly surprised.

Guo Jia was not surprised. "Zhang Liao's slaying of Tadun was an outstanding performance, and he has won His Majesty's favor. My lord, as I said, His Majesty's counterattack has already begun, and all of this is because you sent Xun You to Xuchang."

Killing Xue Ti and winning over Zhang Liao was just the beginning; the real show was yet to come.

"My lord, His Majesty's order for you to advance into Jiangdong at this time is to keep you in Jingzhou. And next, Bingzhou will probably be taken over by His Majesty's people. Even if you have a lot of troops, you will still face a bloody battle with Jiangdong. Our casualties and losses are bound to be significant."

Cao Cao was startled. His eyes widened. Guo Jia's words completely shocked him.

It was as if a voice was sneering at him: You want Jingzhou? Here you go, you can stay in Jingzhou.

Jingzhou was like an invisible lock, trapping Cao Cao here!

(End of this chapter)