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

With a major battle imminent, Liu Xie arrived at the riverbank that day. Gazing at the surging waters of the Yangtze River, his thoughts began to wander.

When I watched the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" before, even though I knew it wasn't a real scene, I was still moved by the thrilling Battle of Red Cliffs. But now, standing here in person, in the midst of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Xie finds it hard to calm down.

Warships lined the shore, and soldiers were training with shouts echoing through the air. The camps on the shore stretched for more than ten miles, seemingly endless.

Although the opposite bank was quite far away, the arrow towers and camps were still faintly visible. The atmosphere on both sides was very tense, as if war could break out at any moment.

Zhuge Liang and Zhao Yun followed behind Liu Xie. Zhuge Liang quietly observed the river surface, remaining silent for a long time.

Suddenly, footsteps came from behind. Zhao Yun turned around first, and only relaxed slightly when he saw that it was Guo Jia.

Guo Jia smiled and nodded at Zhao Yun, then went straight to Liu Xie's side and kindly reminded him, "Your Majesty, the wind and waves are quite strong today. Your Majesty has such an elegant interest in coming to the riverbank. You must be careful not to catch a cold. Recently, many soldiers in the army have fallen ill."

"So it's Fengxiao. I've practiced martial arts and swordsmanship for many years, so my body is fine. But your words have reminded me."

"Most of our soldiers come from the north, and they are bound to suffer from acclimatization problems. The Yangtze River is windy and humid, so we must make sure the soldiers pay close attention. We cannot be careless about this matter."

When the Battle of Red Cliffs is mentioned, everyone knows how formidable Zhou Yu was; with a single fire, Red Cliffs were burned down.

But the actual history is not like this. One of the key factors is that a large-scale plague broke out in Cao Cao's army.

With so many soldiers gathered together, and the humidity on both sides of the Yangtze River being very high, it was easy for diseases to spread when nearly 200,000 troops were so densely packed together.

Liu Xie took this very seriously. Although he could accept Cao Cao's defeat, he disliked this disregard for life and the resulting non-combat casualties among his soldiers. If possible, he would definitely try to stop it.

Because Liu Xie is a doctor, he is far more vigilant about and hates diseases than others!

Guo Jia nodded inwardly. He knew that the emperor was compassionate and would be very worried whenever he heard that his soldiers were unwell.

"With Your Majesty's words, I am relieved. The discovery was timely enough, and the rescue team has been mobilized by the Prime Minister."

Guo Jia then looked at Zhuge Liang. This was the first time he had met Zhuge Liang in Xiangyang. After Zhuge Liang came down the mountain, Guo Jia had already returned to Wulin with Cao Cao.

Guo Jia scrutinized Zhuge Liang from head to toe, while Zhuge Liang was also carefully observing Guo Jia.

After a while, Guo Jia smiled and said, "This must be Zhuge Liang, whom His Majesty personally invited down the mountain, right?"

"I haven't even introduced Fengxiao yet, and you've already guessed it yourself." Liu Xie couldn't help but admire Guo Jia's keen observation.

Guo Jia calmly replied, "It's not hard to guess. Anyone who can appear by His Majesty's side is no ordinary person. This person has delicate features and a composed demeanor. To have such a bearing at such a young age, I really can't think of anyone else but Zhuge Liang from Longzhong."

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, "His Majesty often mentions you to me; the genius Guo Jia truly lives up to his reputation."

Liu Xie couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Zhuge Liang, the Crouching Dragon, and Guo Jia, the Genius Strategist, were both top strategists in the Three Kingdoms period. But unfortunately, in history, the two never even had the chance to meet, let alone fight each other.

Guo Jia died young during Cao Cao's northern expedition against the Wuhuan.

Some say, "If geniuses never die, Zhuge Liang will never emerge!"

After Cao Cao suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Red Cliffs, he cried out in anguish, "I weep for Guo Jia! If he were here, I would never have suffered such a great loss! Alas, Guo Jia! What a tragedy, Guo Jia! What a loss, Guo Jia!"

Seeing the two looking at each other face to face, admiring each other, Liu Xie found it very interesting.

This time, with Zhuge Liang by his side, Guo Jia is also fortunate enough to personally experience the Battle of Red Cliffs. His duel with Zhou Yu is highly anticipated.

After Liu Xie and the other two had greeted each other, he asked Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, tell me, after so long of preparations for war, what difficulties are still there?"

Guo Jia frowned and said, "First of all, there is the issue of acclimatization that I just mentioned to His Majesty. I hope this matter can be brought under control as soon as possible, otherwise it will cause panic and affect the morale of our army. Secondly, we have been fighting on land for many years, and none of our soldiers, from top to bottom, have any experience in naval warfare."

Even someone as intelligent as Guo Jia couldn't help but sigh heavily in the face of this situation.

Zhuge Liang nodded and said, "Jiangdong not only possesses the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, but is also very skilled in naval warfare. In this battle, both sides have their advantages. Fengxiao, do you have a chance of winning?"

Guo Jia simply smiled and did not give a direct answer.

He wasn't one to boast or make empty promises, like "Don't worry, I've got it covered." He also never underestimated his enemies, believing they were insignificant and doomed to defeat.

Guo Jia maintained the composure and calmness expected of a top strategist. Liu Xie could also see from the smile on his face that despite the great difficulties, Guo Jia possessed his own carefree and confident demeanor.

A short while later, Xun You walked over here.

Xun You was now more diligent than anyone else. When he saw Guo Jia, he acted as if he didn't see him and went straight past him to Liu Xie.

"I heard His Majesty was on the shore, so I rushed over."

Now that Xun You has changed his stance, Liu Xie will naturally no longer hold grudges over the past.

Seeing the two so harmonious, Guo Jia gently shook his head, saying that life is unpredictable.

"Your Majesty, we have received some more letters today. There is one letter in particular that I know you will be very pleased to read."

Liu Xie was taken aback. "Could it be that Zhang Zhao wrote this?"

"Your Majesty's prediction is correct; it is indeed Zhang Zhao, also known as Zhang Zibu."

Liu Xie turned his head to look across the Yangtze River and thought to himself, "See? Sun Quan, even Zhang Zhao has sent a letter of surrender. So many people don't think you can win. It seems that Jiangdong is not united and of one mind."

Xun You took out a letter from his bosom, but Liu Xie didn't rush to read it. Since it was a letter of surrender, the contents were all pretty much the same.

But at this moment, a question arose in Liu Xie's mind: In the Battle of Red Cliffs, so many people in Jiangdong wrote letters to Cao Cao to express their loyalty. Even if Cao Cao was defeated in the end, what happened to those letters? Couldn't Cao Cao have used those letters to his advantage?

After all, Cao Cao still controlled more than half of the territory. He only lost the Battle of Red Cliffs, unlike Yuan Shao, who lost the Battle of Guandu and died soon after.

Having obtained so many letters, it would be easy for the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty to blackmail a few people and win over a few others.

Now that the letters are in Liu Xie's hands, he has made up his mind that these letters will certainly be put to use in the future. The ancients valued reputation highly, and betraying one's master for personal gain was the most shameful thing imaginable.

From the court's perspective, Zhang Zhao's actions were seen as pragmatic, but from Sun Quan's perspective, Zhang Zhao and his ilk were guilty of blatant betrayal.

Sun Quan could be magnanimous and tolerate them, but now that the letter is in Liu Xie's hands, it's not up to Sun Quan to say that everything is fine. The decision rests with Liu Xie!
After reading the letter, Liu Xie sneered, "That old fox Zhang Zhao actually agreed to be an inside agent after the defeat."

We have received more than a dozen letters so far, from both civil and military officials, with the lowest rank being county magistrate or above.

Even Zhuge Liang was worried, fearing that his elder brother Zhuge Jin might also send a letter of surrender, because he knew the emperor's character. Even if he was pragmatic, such a practice of betraying his lord and surrendering before the battle even started would be looked down upon by the emperor.

Zhuge Liang sighed softly. Although Jiangdong was a first-rate naval force and could rely on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, the huge gap in strength still made many people in Jiangdong pessimistic.

After spending some time by the river, Liu Xie and Guo Jia went to see Cao Cao. On the way, Liu Xie, as usual, took out a medicine bottle and handed it to Guo Jia.

"Your Majesty, I never imagined that you would still be carrying this item with you even now."

Guo Jia was deeply moved, truly from the bottom of his heart. Even though they were on different sides, the feeling of being cared for by someone for so many years stirred up a ripple in Guo Jia's calm heart.

“We are not only ruler and subject, but also old friends. Fengxiao, I have known you for 12 years. Do you still feel like a stranger to me?”

Guo Jia stopped in his tracks, his eyes welling up with tears. "I can't believe it's been so long."

In the past two years, Guo Jia has been following Cao Cao closely, and has somewhat neglected to communicate with the emperor, sometimes even treating him as an enemy.

Liu Xie did not continue speaking; he calmly walked into Cao Cao's camp.

Although Liu Xie hadn't seen many of these people for years, he was still able to recognize them quickly.

A captain was inspecting the delivered provisions when Liu Xie called out from afar, "Isn't that Wang Zhi?"

Wang Zhi glanced in this direction, and upon seeing the approaching emperor, he hurriedly knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble general, Wang Zhi, greets Your Majesty."

Before long, Liu Xie met Lu Zhao, Kong Xiu, Niu Jin, and others, and greeted them all.

Guo Jia exclaimed, "Your Majesty, I never imagined you knew so many of the generals in the army."

Liu Xie nodded. "Yes, although some of them have been gone for many years. They used to be centurions, and now they are captains or generals, but I still remember them very clearly."

Previously, Liu Xie often accompanied Cao Cao on expeditions. Over time, he got to know many of the lower-ranking officers, and some of them were even personally treated by Liu Xie when they were injured.

Humans are emotional beings. Even though Cao Cao has not given up and is unwilling to submit, most of his generals still only recognize the imperial court and the emperor.

Dian Wei stood guard outside the main tent, motionless like a black iron tower, his imposing body radiating a fierce and intimidating power.

Dian Wei was never polite to anyone he met; even if Cao Cao's own son came, Dian Wei would not show a smile.

He was Cao Cao's personal bodyguard, loyal to his duties, and almost never left Cao Cao's side.

But upon seeing the emperor, Dian Wei's expression immediately became excited. He strode towards the emperor from afar and called out, "Your Majesty."

Dian Wei knelt on one knee and gave Liu Xie a very respectful bow.

He had a loud voice, so loud that even Cao Cao inside the tent could hear him.

Liu Xie hurried a few steps, reached out and helped Dian Wei up, laughing as he patted Dian Wei's strong body twice, "Still so robust, haha."

Cao Cao hurried a few steps closer to the door, curiously listening intently, wanting to hear what the emperor had to say.

Dian Wei was straightforward and honest. In front of the emperor, this fierce general, whom the entire Cao army feared, scratched his head and showed a rare shyness.

"Your Majesty, I haven't had time to go home for the past two years. I am grateful for your care at home. Man'er often writes to me, saying that everything is fine. He also mentioned that Your Majesty often visits us. Last year, when my wife was ill, Your Majesty didn't sleep a wink and stayed by her bedside the whole night. I really don't know what to say."

As Dian Wei spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.

Cao Cao's expression changed rapidly. He gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "Your Majesty, you truly have a remarkable skill."

Dian Wei was Cao Cao's most capable bodyguard. Now even Cao Cao was worried about whether to replace Dian Wei. The emperor had once saved him, and now he had saved Dian Wei's wife. The entire Dian Wei family respected the emperor so much. This was not a good thing for Cao Cao.

Liu Xie waved his hand, "It's a trivial matter, not worth mentioning. Since I am proficient in medicine, I naturally cannot stand aside. By the way, Dian Man is a good kid. He has begged to join the army several times. I have decided to let him join the Dragon Guard. What do you think about this? After all, I still need to ask for your opinion on this matter."

Without a second thought, Dian Wei replied, "It is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide. I have no objection. It is His Majesty's good fortune to think highly of my son."

Dian Man was already a grown man, with a robust physique and the strength of an ox. Although he couldn't compare to Dian Wei, he was still quite extraordinary.

Liu Xie nodded. "In that case, it's settled then."

Cao Cao's face grew increasingly grim, but he was helpless.

After a while, Liu Xie said again, "Dian Wei, you are the Prime Minister's bodyguard, and you are always by his side..."

When Cao Cao heard that he was being talked about, he immediately became alert and moved even closer.

Guo Jia stood behind Liu Xie, watching the emperor and Dian Wei chatting and laughing. He shook his head repeatedly, thinking that it would be incredibly difficult for the prime minister to salvage the situation with His Majesty in the future.

"Your Majesty, please give your orders," Dian Wei said earnestly.

"You must protect the Prime Minister, understand? If anything happens to the Prime Minister, I will hold you responsible!"

Dian Wei replied almost as if he were making a vow: "Your Majesty, rest assured, even if it costs me my life, I will not let anything happen to the Prime Minister."

Cao Cao was stunned. He had just been worried that Dian Wei's close relationship with the emperor might be a threat to him. But after hearing these words, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel moved.

Footsteps sounded outside. Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction and stepped inside. Cao Cao hurriedly stepped back and returned to his seat. (End of Chapter)