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

Liu Xie was just being polite; Cao Cao was indeed very busy and tired.

Upon entering and seeing Cao Cao, Liu Xie smiled and said, "Prime Minister, you've had a hard time these past few days, with so many things weighing on your shoulders."

Guo Jia followed him in. Liu Xie was as friendly as ever, with a smile on his face and genuine feelings, but his way of addressing Cao Cao changed naturally.

Cao Cao realized this as well and was taken aback.

Ever since the two first met in Luoyang, Liu Xie had always addressed him as "Lord Cao," a term that showed both respect and warmth. But today, this title, which he had used for 12 years, suddenly changed.

Although the emperor's attitude remained as friendly as ever, Cao Cao always felt that something was missing.

He quickly figured it out!
Previously, Liu Xie was in a weak position, so he always kept a low profile, showed great respect to Cao Cao, and even tried to please Cao Cao on many occasions.

However, nowadays, while the way Cao Cao is addressed is still friendly, it also sounds very formal.

Cao Cao smiled, but inwardly he sighed, "Your Majesty, are you reminding me that you are the sovereign and I am the subject? Have you already become the true emperor?"
After a while, Cao Cao replied politely, "Your Majesty has entrusted me with the command of the three armies to conquer Eastern Wu. This is my honor, and I dare not complain about the hardships."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Then you should take good care of your health. For so many years, all the big and small matters have been on the Prime Minister's shoulders. I am grateful, but I also feel sorry for him."

Cao Cao was always suspicious, and when he heard these words, he felt that they were a warning to him, reminding him not to hold onto power so tightly in the future, and that he should relinquish power when necessary and step back when appropriate!

Next, Liu Xie circled around Cao Cao, scrutinizing him closely, which made Cao Cao somewhat uncomfortable. He asked, "Your Majesty, what are you looking at?"

Guo Jia was also puzzled. After a while, Liu Xie said, "If I am not mistaken, Prime Minister, you are exactly fifty years old this year, aren't you? Practicing medicine is nothing more than observation, listening, questioning, and palpation. I am just taking a look at you to see if your complexion is normal."

Cao Cao quickly shook his head, "Your Majesty is too kind, I am fine."

Liu Xie pointed to Cao Cao's head and said, "We still need to be careful. Health is of utmost importance. Has the Prime Minister been experiencing headaches or discomfort lately?"

Cao Cao quickly shook his head, "Your Majesty, I have no problem at all. I haven't had a headache lately."

Why does the emperor always ask Cao Cao if he has a headache every time he sees him? It's driving Cao Cao crazy.

In fact, every now and then over the past two years, he would suddenly experience splitting headaches, and as he got older, the frequency of these attacks increased.

Guo Jia couldn't help but want to speak. In fact, he was also very worried about Cao Cao's condition, but Cao Cao stopped him with a look.

Guo Jia had no choice but to swallow his words, and Liu Xie quickly changed the subject.

"Prime Minister, Fengxiao just told me that in the past few days, some soldiers have fallen ill and collapsed. This is no small matter. I will discuss it with someone immediately and come up with a solution as soon as possible. You must also pay close attention. For now, as long as you find any soldiers with symptoms, isolate them and do not mix the sick with the healthy."

Cao Cao was somewhat dismissive, "Your Majesty, is this necessary? I have been leading troops in battle for many years. It's nothing for the soldiers to have a headache, fever, or catch a cold. Let alone falling ill and collapsing, even wounded soldiers, unless seriously injured, cannot easily withdraw from the battlefield."

It's no wonder Cao Cao said that. Since he started his campaigns, he has always been at the forefront, leading the charge on the front lines. He can be described as a tough guy who wouldn't leave the front lines even with minor injuries.

Cao Cao felt that Liu Xie was making a mountain out of a molehill, and even gave Guo Jia a reproachful look.

But Liu Xie was very serious. "Prime Minister, let me tell you a story. There was a family where one day the owner found an ant crawling on the roof beam. He didn't pay attention to it and just cleaned the ant away. But a few days later, he found more ants. He cleaned them away again, but still didn't take it seriously. After some time, suddenly at night, the roof beam made a cracking sound and then suddenly broke and crashed down, causing the house to collapse."

Liu Xie stared directly at Cao Cao, his face devoid of any smile. "In fact, when Fengxiao discovers that some soldiers have fallen ill, it's not just one or two. The number will increase, and the rate of increase will accelerate. With so many soldiers gathered in Wulin, if we don't take strict precautions, it could easily trigger a plague. The speed at which the disease spreads far exceeds our imagination."

“It’s like you and I, the ruler and his minister, are standing here face to face. If one of us gets sick, it will silently spread to the other. If ten people get sick, or a hundred people get sick, the prime minister may not think it’s a problem, but what if there are tens of thousands, or even twenty or thirty thousand more people getting sick?”

When Cao Cao heard the word "plague" from the emperor, his expression immediately changed. People in ancient times had an inexplicable fear of plague.

Because of the rudimentary medical conditions at the time, people had no ability to resist the plague. Once infected, they either survived or died, and most people died the latter, left to wait for death.

"It is an honor for soldiers to fight to the death on the battlefield, but it is a very sad thing if they are infected by their own people and die of disease for no reason. Moreover, such things can be prevented and controlled in advance."

Cao Cao was finally persuaded and nodded, "Alright, since Your Majesty has said so, I will cooperate fully."

Cao Cao shouted outside, "Where is Yang Xiu?"

Someone outside answered, and soon someone brought Yang Xiu over.

When Yang Xiu saw the emperor again, his expression was somewhat awkward.

Previously, he didn't believe the emperor could turn the tide, so Yang Xiu chose to follow Cao Cao. But now, without anyone reminding him, Yang Xiu had already realized that the winds had changed.

Cao Cao briefly explained the situation to Yang Xiu, and then put him in charge of cooperating, acting as a messenger and errand runner.

After all, Cao Cao was responsible for fighting wars, and his energy was mainly focused on combat.

Clearly, Yang Xiu was somewhat downcast. With a major battle imminent, he, as the chief clerk, was eager to prove himself and hoped for a chance to shine.

However, Cao Cao actually assigned him to handle such a trivial matter.

In Yang Xiu's view, this was a trivial matter that was not worth mentioning.

Yang Xiu was arrogant from a young age and always thought he was the best talent in the world. Liu Xie didn't need to be angry with him, but he was disappointed.

The matter of epidemic prevention was of utmost urgency, so Liu Xie left after sitting for a while. He gathered Lin Tong, Li Erniu, and others from the rescue team together, and of course, Yang Xiu would also participate.

...Zhou Yu advocated for war, and after his persuasion, Sun Quan gained the confidence to confront Cao Cao. Noticing that Lu Su was frowning and silent, Sun Quan summoned Lu Su alone.

Upon entering the inner hall, Sun Quan asked, "Zijing, Zhang Zhao and others are all urging me to surrender, while Gongjin, Huang Gai and others are strongly advocating for war. What about you? Tell me your opinion."

Lu Su sighed, his heart filled with worry, and said, “Zhang Zhao and the others advocate surrendering. From their perspective, there is no problem at all. Even I can surrender. After surrendering, the court will certainly not treat us badly in order to win over the people. Zhou Yu advocates war, and he also has his reasons. I have been thinking, my lord, from your perspective, what should be the best course of action?”

Lu Su did not give a passionate speech; he was genuinely considering the issue from Sun Quan's perspective.

“My lord, in Jiangdong, everyone, both civil and military, can be surrendered, but you alone are someone who absolutely cannot be surrendered to.”

Sun Quan was deeply moved and hurriedly asked, "Why is it that I absolutely cannot surrender?"

Lu Su patiently explained, “Currently, Cao Cao and the Emperor are at odds, engaged in open and covert struggles. Although the Emperor is a rare wise and virtuous ruler, Cao Cao still holds considerable military power and his strength cannot be ignored. If the civil and military officials of Jiangdong surrender, Cao Cao would naturally be happy to see it happen, but if our lord surrenders, he will no longer be the ruler of Jiangdong. Cao Cao's victory without a fight will undoubtedly boost his prestige, and the struggle between Cao Cao and the Emperor will only intensify. The Emperor wants to use us to curb Cao Cao's momentum, so why don't we take this opportunity to use the pretext of 'purging the court of corrupt officials' to attack Cao Cao? Even if our lord wants to surrender, now is not the time. If our opponent were the Emperor, then we could consider it.”

Zhou Yu was a swift and decisive man, which gave Sun Quan a sense of satisfaction and greatly boosted his morale.

Lu Su was like a cup of fine wine, rich and fragrant, making Sun Quan feel comfortable from the inside out.

Lu Su then said, "The emperor wants to use you, my lord, to fight against Cao Cao. This is a golden opportunity for you. If we surrender now, it will only thwart the emperor's plan. So we should not only not surrender, but also attack Cao Cao and defeat him with all our might. This will benefit the emperor and is naturally the most beneficial to us as well."

Sun Quan was greatly impressed and nodded, saying, "Excellent, Zijing's words are truly insightful. They have enlightened me, like the sun breaking through the clouds."

With the persuasion of Zhou Yu and Lu Su, Sun Quan made up his mind.

In front of all his officials, he angrily drew his sword and chopped off a corner of the table, declaring, "From now on, anyone who dares to utter the word 'surrender' will suffer the same fate as this case!"

This completely stunned everyone, and Zhou Yu immediately led his men back to Chibi.

Next, Sun Quan once again demonstrated his exceptional talent in personnel management by summoning Zhang Zhao separately.

Zhang Zhao felt somewhat ashamed of his attempt to persuade Sun Quan to surrender, but Sun Quan did not blame him. Instead, he spoke from the bottom of his heart, expressing his gratitude for Zhang Zhao's many help after his brother's death, when he was isolated and helpless.

Sun Quan became more and more excited as he spoke. When he got emotional, he grabbed Zhang Zhao's hand and said, "Lord Zhang, my father and brothers died early. You are not only my elder, but also the pillar of Jiangdong. If it weren't for you, Jiangdong would not be where it is today."

People are emotional beings, and Zhang Zhao was deeply moved, even feeling some regret for writing the letter of surrender.

"But……"

Sun Quan interrupted him, "Lord Zhang, you don't need to say anything more. Whatever you do is for my benefit. Now I entrust all logistical matters, including provisions, to you. I earnestly request your full assistance, Lord Zhang. Let us join hands and work together to defeat the Cao traitor!"

Zhang Zhao was so moved that tears streamed down his face. This was Sun Quan's boldness. However, Sun Quan did not know that Zhang Zhao not only persuaded him to surrender, but also secretly wrote a letter of surrender. He was not the only one who did this; many others did the same.

But Sun Quan's words did indeed move Zhang Zhao.

Next, Sun Quan approached Liu Bei and formally invited him to form an alliance to jointly fight against Cao Cao.

Liu Bei readily agreed. When he returned to his residence, he found Guan Yu standing in the courtyard, staring blankly northward, as if he had something on his mind.

Liu Bei walked over and called out, "Yun Chang."

Guan Yu turned around and saw Liu Bei, and hurriedly said, "Brother, you're back. How did your discussion with Sun Quan go?"

Liu Bei nodded. "Sun Quan has decided to go to war with Cao Cao and has formally invited me to form an alliance."

Guan Yu sneered, "I've been thinking about this for a while now. The Sun family of Jiangdong has carved out a territory, but deep down they are unwilling to be Han subjects."

“How come you see?”

Guan Yu said righteously, "Let's talk about Sun Jian, the Tiger of Jiangdong. Although he participated in the campaign against Dong Zhuo and was very enthusiastic, there are two things he did that are despicable. First, under the pretext of the campaign against Dong Zhuo, Sun Jian killed the former governor of Jingzhou and the prefect of Nanyang. He didn't take the court seriously at all and was just using the pretext of the campaign to satisfy his own selfish desires. Second, he obtained the Imperial Seal of the State, but he kept it for himself. This is enough to show that Sun Jian had long harbored the ambition to become a regional hegemon."

"As for Sun Ce, he repeatedly marched into Jingzhou and attacked Jiangdong. He did indeed make a name for himself, but in reality, he was just constantly expanding his own power. He not only wantonly encroached on the territory of the Han Dynasty, but also did not care about the Han imperial relatives at all. He attacked Liu Biao and destroyed Liu Yao. He regarded everyone else as a stumbling block to his struggle for hegemony. As for Sun Quan, he inherited the foundation of his father and brother, and he had no respect for the court at all!"

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Yun Chang, you are right, but don't forget that we are now entrusted with a great responsibility by His Majesty, and we must not reveal any flaws."

Guan Yu nodded. "Brother, I understand. I am very grateful to His Majesty. Without His Majesty's tolerance and magnanimity, the three of us brothers really don't know where we would have gone in the future."

Liu Bei fell silent immediately; Guan Yu's words had struck a nerve.

Framed by Cao Cao and forced to flee to Jiangdong, Liu Bei couldn't imagine what he would do if he hadn't received a letter from the emperor and hadn't been forgiven.

Will they willingly submit to Sun Quan's control, or completely oppose the court? Or perhaps, ashamed to live on, they will atone with their deaths?

Guan Yu looked at Liu Bei again and said with emotion, "Brother, His Majesty is kind and magnanimous, and has saved us once again. We must remember this kindness and never forget it."

Liu Bei was the elder brother, and Guan Yu was the younger brother. There were some things that Guan Yu couldn't say openly. He couldn't just grab Liu Bei by the ear and give him a good scolding.

But in any case, Guan Yu understood that Liu Bei had made a mistake this time. In fact, Guan Yu never wanted to come to Jiangdong.

Guan Yu despised these people from Jiangdong to the core; they were nothing but a bunch of Jiangdong cowards! (End of Chapter)