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

Chapter 290, Who Will Be the Governor of Jingzhou?
Guo Jia's words gave Cao Cao a real headache. The emperor had ordered him to attack Jiangdong, and he could not disobey the order.

Cao Cao had only one choice: to stay obediently in Jingzhou and prepare to launch a military campaign against Jiangdong. No matter what the outcome of this war would be, Cao Cao could not easily leave Jingzhou.

Originally, Cao Cao's initial idea was simply to discredit Liu Bei, seize Jingzhou, and then turn around and integrate Jizhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, and other places to firmly grasp these territories in his own hands.

But Cao Cao never expected that the emperor would react so quickly, seizing Youzhou ahead of schedule.

Now Cao Cao is firmly tied to Jingzhou, unable to go anywhere else, and can do nothing but attack Jiangdong.

"Fengxiao, in your opinion, what are the chances of success in attacking Jiangdong?"

Faced with Cao Cao's question, Guo Jia sighed, "My lord, although we represent the imperial court, it is conceivable that His Majesty will not provide us with any reinforcements other than provisions. This is His Majesty's most powerful counterattack. He will make us use our own strength to fight against Liu Bei and Sun Quan."

Cao Cao's facial muscles twitched instantly, and his eyes almost blazed with fury.

"How hateful! I really underestimated Your Majesty."

Let Cao Cao use his own troops to deal with Sun Quan and Liu Bei, while the emperor sits on the sidelines and watches the tigers fight, reaping the benefits of the conflict.

Regardless of victory or defeat, Cao Cao would suffer enormous losses and casualties!
Cao Cao believed Guo Jia's prediction. In the past two years, his territory and military strength had been greatly expanded. Based on this alone, the emperor would not replenish his troops.

Cao Cao's military strength in Jingzhou alone exceeded 100,000 men. Of course, this also included some of Liu Biao's troops who were originally from Jingzhou after he took control of the province.

In addition, Cao Cao could still spare tens of thousands of troops from Ji Province, Bing Province, Sili Province, Henan Province, Nanyang Province, and other places.

On the one hand, the emperor would not replenish Cao Cao's troops; on the other hand, Cao Cao's existing troops were no less than Sun Quan's, so he had no reason to request the emperor to send more troops.

However, Guo Jia felt deeply anxious and uneasy. "Jiangdong relies on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Even if we have the advantage in numbers, we will inevitably face a bitter battle. Even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. Moreover, I don't believe that Jiangdong will fall into your hands after we win. If we lose, Your Majesty will not suffer any loss. Your Majesty's move is a sure win!"

Cao Cao's expression flickered between light and shadow, becoming extremely unpleasant; he had never been so passive before.

If Cao Cao used his own troops to fight, the court would benefit if he won, but he would have to bear the consequences if he lost!
Do you think His Majesty will come to Jingzhou?

Cao Cao and the emperor had not seen each other for several months and had been fighting each other from afar. After Cao Cao forced Liu Bei to leave, he had not yet had time to enjoy the fruits of his victory, but he suffered setbacks one after another, which made Cao Cao eager to see the emperor.

To be honest, at this moment, Cao Cao even had the urge to strangle the emperor.

Guo Jia nodded and said, "His Majesty will definitely come. Even if you are angry, Your Majesty knows that you will not lay a hand on him. It is such an important matter as the conquest of Jiangdong. His Majesty will definitely come to boost the morale of the three armies. In addition, the selection of the governor of Jingzhou has been undecided. His Majesty has not announced this matter yet, probably because he will wait until he comes to Jingzhou to announce it in person."

Cao Cao was also quite puzzled. "Indeed, Jingzhou cannot be without a ruler for even a day, yet His Majesty has yet to appoint one. Why is that?"

Guo Jia shook his head. "His Majesty's thoughts are sometimes really hard to fathom."

Cao Cao suddenly sighed, "Perhaps we shouldn't have come to Jingzhou."

Guo Jia remained silent. Liu Bei was in a terrible state, but Cao Cao's situation was also getting worse.

Even if Cao Cao hadn't come to Jingzhou, he would still be the overlord of the north, commanding over 100,000 troops and controlling Jizhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou. He could even remotely command places like Sili and Henan.

But now, being chained to Jingzhou has ironically given the emperor the opportunity to reap the rewards.

A month later, Xun You returned to Cao Cao's side, which made Cao Cao feel very embarrassed and troubled.

The emperor announced that Xun You had not only not caused trouble in Xuchang, but had actually led troops to provide support. Cao Cao, naturally, would not contradict the emperor and deliberately revealed the truth.

However, after this incident, it was clear that a huge rift had formed between Cao Cao and Xun You, and their relationship could hardly be restored to what it was before.

Two months later, Cao Cao received news that the emperor had arrived in Jingzhou.

Cao Cao was supervising the training of the navy at the front line when he received the news. He hurriedly handed over the training to Cao Ren and led his men back to Xiangyang.

Liu Xie brought 20,000 troops with him, including generals such as Lü Bu, Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci, and Zhang He, as well as strategists such as Xun Yu, Jia Xu, Ju Shou, Chen Gong, Lu Xun, and Sima Yi.

When Cao Cao entered the governor's mansion and saw these familiar people, he pretended to be friendly and smiled. But he knew in his heart that the emperor had brought so many people to Jingzhou to cheer him on, but also to show his power.

Zhang He nearly annihilated Cao Cao at Wuchao, and Xiahou Yuan, Xu Chu, and Cao Xiu all died because of him. Cao Cao wished he could tear Zhang He to pieces. Knowing that Cao Cao did not want to see him, His Majesty brought him here anyway.

Xun Yu, who had always stayed in Xuchang, was once Cao Cao's most valued person and his right-hand man. This time, Xun Yu also came.

Jia Xu was also a strategist that Cao Cao longed to have, but His Majesty tricked him and snatched him away from Cao Cao.

Lu Xun was the key figure in capturing Xuchang. Cao Cao had never paid him any attention before, but after losing Xuchang, Cao Cao was surprised to find that this young man, Lu Xun, had grown to an unbelievable level.

Sima Yi was someone Cao Cao tried to recruit several times but failed to get, yet somehow he ended up by the emperor's side.

In short, no one who appeared around the emperor was an ordinary person. The fact that so many people were willing to follow the emperor made Cao Cao feel immense pressure.

Guo Jia returned with Cao Cao. He was also puzzled. He had guessed that after the emperor obtained Youzhou, he would send someone to take over Bingzhou. However, he did not expect that the emperor would turn around and come to Jingzhou directly.

"Your subject Cao Cao pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Your subject Guo Jia pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Liu Xie strode over, grabbed Cao Cao's hand, and smiled warmly, "Lord Cao, you've really worked hard. I didn't expect that something would happen in Jingzhou, and you would come all the way from Jizhou without hesitation. Lately, it's all thanks to you that I've been able to stabilize the situation. Otherwise, I don't know what kind of chaos Jingzhou would have descended into." On the surface, the emperor was praising Cao Cao, but Cao Cao knew very well that the emperor must be very angry about what happened in Jingzhou, because Cao Cao had framed Liu Bei without asking for permission and had usurped Liu Bei's position.

Cao Cao cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and replied, "Your Majesty flatters me. Jingzhou has suffered a sudden change, and I did not have time to consult Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will not take offense."

Liu Xie waved his hand, "Lord Cao, what are you saying? You are not only without fault, but you have also made contributions. What Liu Bei did really pained me. Fortunately, you intervened in time and stabilized the situation. You did a great job, very well!"

Liu Xie praised him repeatedly, but he only mentioned Liu Bei briefly and was unwilling to say more.

Everyone here is a smart person. Liu Bei was framed in the first place, so there's no need to dwell on this matter.

Liu Xie continued, "Lord Cao, Sun Quan's separatist rule over Jiangdong is a major threat to the court. Now that the north is basically stable, if we can pacify Jiangdong, the world will be settled in no time. This battle is of utmost importance. I have come here specifically to cheer you and your soldiers on. How are your preparations going?"

Cao Cao hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, training the navy is of utmost importance for advancing into Jiangdong. I have already assembled the navy and am working day and night to train it. I also plan to transfer tens of thousands of troops from Ji Province and Bing Province. Once everything is ready, it will probably be two or three months before we can have a decisive battle with Sun Quan."

Liu Xie nodded and said generously, "I won't give you a time limit this time. Just prepare as you like. Tell me what you need, and I will try my best to meet your needs."

Cao Cao was actually quite confident. He had far more troops than Sun Quan, and Liu Bei was now at the mercy of others. Cao Cao didn't take Liu Bei seriously at all.

At noon, Liu Xie hosted a banquet at the governor's mansion. Everyone except Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and others who were on training missions in Wulin attended, including Lady Cai and Liu Cong.

This was the first time Liu Xie had seen Madam Cai. She was around thirty years old, and the two completely different qualities of charm and dignity appeared in one person at the same time, and it did not seem out of place at all.

Madam Cai had fair skin and an elegant demeanor. Although she was very beautiful, people unconsciously overlooked her beauty and were attracted by her unique temperament.

She has a pair of charming and affectionate eyes that are captivating and mesmerizing. Anyone who looks into her eyes will fall deeply in love and willingly become her slave.

She was a woman shrouded in mystery, but fortunately, Liu Xie was mature enough and had a firm enough resolve.

After drinking a few cups of wine with everyone, Liu Xie stopped what he was doing, looked at everyone, and said, "As you all know, since Liu Qi's death, the selection of the governor of Jingzhou has remained unresolved. I have been very worried about this matter recently. Today, you may all speak freely and help me consider who is the most suitable to be the governor of Jingzhou."

In fact, Liu Xie already had someone in mind.

Chen Gong spoke first, “Your Majesty, I believe that Jingzhou is the heartland of the Han Dynasty and should be governed by a member of the imperial clan. I recommend Liu Ye for this position.”

Since Liu Ye came to Liu Xie's side, although he doesn't show his face much on weekdays, he has actually been busy. He has been dedicated to the research of siege weapons, and thanks to his efforts, the power of ballistae and trebuchets has been improved once again.

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Please speak freely. If you have a better candidate in mind, feel free to say it."

Gao Shun rarely spoke except when fighting, but this time he stood up, looked at Lü Bu, and said, "Your Majesty, Marquis Wen is exceptionally capable and loyal to Your Majesty. Since Jingzhou is so important, it should naturally be entrusted to someone Your Majesty can trust. I recommend Marquis Wen to serve as the Governor of Jingzhou!"

Chen Deng is now the governor of Xu Province, so Lü Bu can no longer control Xu Province. However, Gao Shun is absolutely loyal to Lü Bu and always believes that Lü Bu is qualified to be in charge on his own.

Although Lü Bu had toned down his arrogance somewhat in recent years while serving the emperor, he still showed obvious pride when someone praised him.

Chen Gong shook his head and said, "I think Marquis Wen should continue to stay by His Majesty's side."

Over the years, Chen Gong had realized that only by staying by the emperor's side could he maximize Lü Bu's power. Moreover, these past few years had been the happiest time of Lü Bu's life.

He is not suited to be in charge on his own. The governorship may seem glamorous, but in reality, there are too many things to deal with. Just being able to lead troops into battle is not enough. Lu Bu simply cannot handle the complex interpersonal relationships.

Liu Ye and Lü Bu were recommended one after another, which made Cao Cao somewhat disappointed. Why were all the people recommended being people close to His Majesty?

Looking up, Cao Cao noticed that Lady Cai was looking in his direction. After all, the two had had close physical contact on several occasions, and Cao Cao had personally promised to make Liu Cong the governor of Jingzhou.

Although Cao Cao didn't really intend to keep his promise, he still needed to do Lady Cai a favor at this time. So Cao Cao coughed lightly and gave a wink to the people around him, intentionally or unintentionally.

Soon, Cao Zhen stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I don’t think either Liu Ye or Lü Bu are suitable. I recommend Liu Cong. He is the son of Liu Biao and the younger brother of Liu Qi. Liu Cong is familiar with everything in Jingzhou and has great prestige there. Liu Bei killed Liu Biao and Liu Qi, and the court should appease them. I think Liu Cong is the best candidate.”

Cao Zhen's original name was Qin Zhen. He was Cao Cao's adopted son, and Cao Cao treated him as his own son. He was considered a staunch member of Cao Cao's faction.

After he finished speaking, Liu Xie nodded slightly.

With Cao Zhen taking the lead, Mao Jie, Xu Yi, Ren Jun, Cai Yang, and others followed suit.

Liu Xie glanced at Cao Cao and thought to himself, "After all that has happened, you're still not quite settled."

Liu Xie knew that Cao Cao was, after all, Cao Cao, a renowned warlord of a chaotic era, and it would not be so simple to make him completely submit to him.

Seeing his voice growing louder, Liu Cong's face gradually turned red, and he quickly lowered his head.

He is somewhat introverted and shy. He has been gentle since childhood and does not like to show off. In fact, he has never thought about competing with others.

However, from childhood to adulthood, Cai Mao, Madam Cai, and others were always around him, constantly pushing him forward and wanting him to compete with Liu Qi.

A hint of joy appeared in Madam Cai's eyes. Although she was not Liu Cong's biological mother, because Liu Cong married a woman from the Cai family and was close to her, Madam Cai naturally doted on him.

PS: In the novel, Lady Cai is Liu Cong's biological mother, but this is not the case in historical records. Please refer to historical records for details.

(End of this chapter)