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

"Magistrate, magistrate..."

On this day, a yamen runner suddenly rushed into the county government office in Zhi County, Pei State, startling Qin Yilu, who was idly sitting in the main hall.

Qin Yilu glared at the constable and reprimanded him, "This is a serious place for the county government. What kind of behavior is this, causing such a commotion?"

"Magistrate, something terrible has happened! The wealthy Sun from the east of the city has been murdered."

"What did you say? You mean Sun Baiwan, the butcher from the east of the city?"

The constable nodded. "Reporting to the magistrate, it is him. He is the magistrate's sworn brother."

Although Pei State was famous, Zhi County was a small place, and Qin Yilu had been living a very miserable life ever since he came here.

He had followed Lü Bu to Luoyang and Chang'an, and in any case, he was a man who had seen the world, yet Cao Cao had sent him to this remote little place.

In this remote and impoverished county town, there were no good places to eat or have fun. Qin Yilu was bored and frustrated all day long, and could only hope to make some money. This Zhang Baiwan was on good terms with him and had given Qin Yilu many benefits in the past. But now, he had suddenly been killed. How could Qin Yilu not be angry?
He gritted his teeth and glared, immediately shouting, "Who did this? Arrest them right now!"

The messenger looked flustered, as if he had witnessed something terrible. He pointed towards the main hall and said, "Magistrate, there's no need to send anyone to arrest the culprit. He's right here in the main hall, and he's even brought Zhang Baiwan's head."

"What? You killed someone and didn't run away, but instead dared to deliver yourself to our doorstep?"

Qin Yilu had never heard of such a thing before, and immediately led his men from the backyard to the county government office in the front.

A large crowd of people had gathered at the entrance of the county government office. The crowd was so dense that it was impossible to move. In the center of the main hall stood a middle-aged man dressed simply in a coarse cloth robe, wearing a bamboo hat, and holding a sword in his arms.

A dozen or so constables surrounded him, none daring to approach easily. At the middle-aged man's feet lay a bloody head, blood flowing freely on the ground, creating a terrifying atmosphere.

Qin Yilu turned pale with fright and dared not get too close. He asked from a distance, "Who are you? State your name. Did you kill Zhang Baiwan?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "That's right, I killed him. I can also tell you his name. My name is Liu Biao."

Not many people knew the name Liu Biao, and he was too lazy to say anything more. He simply took out the Dragon Guard's waist token from his pocket and held it high.

Qin Yilu glanced at it and was immediately surprised, "So you are the deputy commander of the Dragon Guard."

Qin Yilu's attitude immediately underwent a 180-degree change. He hurriedly put on a smile, bowed, and said, "This humble official has been very presumptuous. I hope the commander will forgive me."

Liu Biao snorted, pointed at Zhang Baiwan's head, and said, "Zhang Baiwan bullies men and women, and runs rampant in Zhi County. Just last night, he abducted a respectable woman and almost violated her chastity. As the magistrate of Zhi County, you have seriously neglected your duties by allowing such a thing to happen in your jurisdiction. I hope you will take heed of this."

Liu Biao glared at Qin Yilu again, then turned and strode away. Qin Yilu bowed respectfully to see him off, not daring to utter a single word.

The onlookers applauded and cheered, "Well done! You've rid our Zhixian of a great scourge!"

An ignorant constable came to ask, "Magistrate, he killed someone, are we just going to let him go like that?"

Qin Yilu slapped the constable across the face and cursed, "Who dares to stop the Dragon Guard from doing their job? Besides, he is the commander of the Dragon Guard, second only to General Zhao Yun. If I dare to stop him, then my job as county magistrate is over."

Qin Yilu was not only familiar with Long Wei, but many ordinary people had also heard of him. People may not know the specific name of a particular person, but as long as Long Wei is mentioned, many people will know him.

Wherever there is injustice, there will be the Dragon Guards. They come and go without a trace. They can execute without prior notice and kill people without trial as long as they have evidence. The local government will not only not investigate, but often has to clean up the mess left by the Dragon Guards.

If the Dragon Guard beats someone up or kills them and then leaves, the government has to deal with all the problems that arise from it.

Liu Biao left the county government office and went to a nearby tavern. Soon, many people followed him. Even the tavern owner regarded Liu Biao as a great hero who had rid the people of a scourge, and insisted on waiving Liu Biao's bill for drinks.

Since leaving Xuchang, Liu Biao and his men have been living a free and unrestrained life. They can not only roam the world with their swords and fight for justice, but they are also admired and respected by the people. They no longer have to worry about the government causing them trouble. In fact, the government is now willing to provide them with all kinds of convenience.

Now, local officials not only don't bother them, but they also both respect and fear the Dragon Guard. Whenever the Dragon Guard appears in their jurisdiction, these officials worry that they will be implicated.

Liu Biao was drinking when another companion arrived. The man handed him a letter, which Liu Biao opened. He said with great emotion, "I have been away from Xuchang for so long, and I really miss His Majesty."

Although he was living a carefree life outside, Liu Biao's mood changed drastically whenever he thought of the emperor.

Nodding to the man, Liu Biao said, "Let's set off immediately for Jiangdong!"

…………

In fact, it wasn't just Guo Jia who noticed the problem; however, Guo Jia was the smartest, and he realized it in a very short time. Gradually, other people also felt that something was amiss.

The next day, Mao Jie took the initiative to approach Cao Cao and expressed his concerns: "Prime Minister, the linking of ships seems to have solved the problem of our soldiers' unfamiliarity with naval warfare, but if Zhou Yu uses fire, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Guo Jia was also present. He smiled and nodded at Mao Jie, who was the first person to suggest to Cao Cao that the emperor be brought to Xuchang. His insight and judgment were quite sharp.

However, over the years, Mao Jie was mainly responsible for recruiting talents for Cao Cao, unlike Guo Jia who always stayed by Cao Cao's side, so Mao Jie did not have many opportunities to offer advice and strategies.

Cao Cao suddenly laughed dismissively and said to Mao Jie, "Xiaoxian, you're overthinking it. Come, everyone, follow me."

As Cao Cao spoke, he stepped out of the tent and led everyone to the riverbank. The river was surging and the flags were fluttering. Cao Cao pointed to the fluttering flags and said, "Do you all see this? At this time of year, the northwest wind is blowing. We are in the north and Zhou Yu is in the south. Even if Zhou Yu uses fire, he will only burn himself."

Cao Cao burst into laughter, which prompted Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, and other generals to join in the laughter.

Mao Jie examined the flags carefully for a long time, and then thought back to the past few days. The winds had been either from the north or the northwest, which were all unfavorable to Zhou Yu.

Guo Jia smiled without saying a word, but he had been "partners" with Cao Cao for many years, and Cao Cao knew him too well. The subtle expressions on Guo Jia's face did not escape Cao Cao's eyes.

After the meeting, Cao Cao kept Guo Jia behind and asked, "Fengxiao, have you discovered something?" Guo Jia smiled and nodded, "My lord, I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

"Just tell me what you have to say."

Cao Cao and Guo Jia had always had a harmonious relationship, and even if they occasionally joked around, it was nothing serious.

“My lord, you said today by the river that the wind direction was favorable to us, but it has been blowing from the northwest the whole time.”

Cao Cao nodded. "Yes, did I say something wrong?"

Guo Jia said, "The phenomena of heaven and earth are inherently unpredictable. How can you, my lord, presume that the wind direction won't change based on the current situation? Even if the wind direction only changes for a day or two, if Zhou Yu seizes this opportunity, it will be a fatal blow to us."

"Actually, His Majesty summoned me alone yesterday."

Cao Cao was somewhat taken aback. "Could it be that even His Majesty has noticed something amiss?"

Guo Jia gave a wry smile. “My lord, although His Majesty will not send anyone to participate in the war this time, he has brought with him all elite and capable ministers. Pang Tong’s strategy is not something I alone have seen through. Zhuge Liang, Jia Xu, Ju Shou, and even His Majesty himself can probably see the clues as well.”

If anyone else had said these words, Cao Cao might not have listened, but Guo Jia's words immediately put Cao Cao on guard. "It seems that Pang Tong is not here to help me, but to harm me."

Cao Cao's anger flared up instantly, and he hurriedly shouted outside, "Where is Dian Wei?"

Dian Wei agreed and quickly entered the main tent. Cao Cao, with a stern face, ordered him, "Go, arrest Pang Tong immediately."

Guo Jia hurriedly shook his head and advised, "My lord, there is no need to be angry. Why not turn the tables and let Zhou Yu mistakenly believe that we have been deceived by Pang Tong, and then deal with him accordingly?"

"Fengxiao, what do you want to do?"

Guo Jia thought for a moment and replied, "My lord, I am now certain that Zhou Yu will use fire to make us link our warships together. This is irrefutable proof. Otherwise, why would he be so kind? And if he wants to use fire, he cannot do without the wind. As long as the wind direction changes, it will be disadvantageous for us."

Guo Jia appeared very relaxed, saying, "Now that we know Zhou Yu's plan, it will be easier to deal with. As long as the wind direction remains unchanged, Zhou Yu will not advance his troops towards us."

Guo Jia then said, "My lord, Pang Tong has offered up the chained strategy. I think he will not stay long and will probably find an opportunity to leave in the next day or two."

Cao Cao snorted coldly and said resentfully, "I valued him so much and wanted to keep him by my side and give him important responsibilities, but I never expected that he would have such treacherous intentions and actually conspired with Zhou Yu to harm me."

Guo Jia laughed and said, "My lord, you don't need to bother with him. If you deal with him, it might alert Zhou Yu and make him suspect that the plan has been exposed. Besides, Pang Tong is renowned in Jingzhou, and you are now the lord of Jingzhou. If you are branded as someone who harms a virtuous person, it will be very disadvantageous for you."

Guo Jia was thinking a lot, but Cao Cao snorted disdainfully. Cao Cao was not afraid of being accused of harming virtuous people. He would not unconditionally indulge famous scholars and prominent families. Bian Rang was the best example of this.

After Pang Tong presented the chain strategy, he did not want to stay in Cao Cao's camp any longer. He was looking for an opportunity to leave, but Cao Cao ignored him and fully adopted Guo Jia's advice.

Pang Tong could do whatever he wanted and leave whenever he wanted. As long as Pang Tong was still in Cao Cao's camp, Cao Cao continued to show him great respect.

On this day, Pang Tong finally found an opportunity. Just as he was about to leave, Xu Shu suddenly appeared.

Upon meeting, Xu Shu immediately saw through Pang Tong's plan: "First, Jiang Gan stole the letter and was tricked by Zhou Yu, which led Cao Cao to dismiss Huang Zu and Wen Pin, thus eliminating a formidable enemy for Zhou Yu. Now you have offered the chained plan, which allows Cao Cao to link his warships together. With just one big fire, 200,000 of Cao Cao's soldiers will be buried in the sea of ​​fire in an instant."

Pang Tong was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "Does Yuanzhi intend to inform the Prime Minister?"

The two met on the shore, unaware that Liu Xie had sent men to secretly watch them.

Although Xu Shu saw through Pang Tong's plan, he did not expose him. Xu Shu simply asked Pang Tong to give him a plan to escape.

Pang Tong laughed, "Yuanzhi, if you were to escape, it would be as easy as turning your hand. The wise ruler is far away, yet right before your eyes."

Xu Shu was taken aback and quickly asked, "Oh? I hope you can enlighten me, Shiyuan."

Pang Tong pointed north towards the camp. Cao Cao's camp was in front, and Liu Xie's camp was behind. The direction Pang Tong pointed was exactly where the emperor's camp was located.

"Cao Cao will undoubtedly lose this battle, but only Cao Cao will be defeated. The emperor is sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, intending to reap the benefits. After this battle, the one who will benefit the most will naturally be the emperor. Shiyuan only needs to find an opportunity to serve the emperor, and his future will be limitless!"

Xu Shu thought about it and agreed that it made sense. In fact, the person he initially wanted to assist was the emperor.

Pang Tong then left by boat, and no sooner had he left than Kan Ze arrived on the north bank.

Kan Ze brought Huang Gai's letter of surrender and also vehemently criticized Zhou Yu.

Cao Cao treated Kan Ze well, and then consulted Guo Jia privately. Guo Jia laughed heartily, "Now I understand everything."

"Oh? Fengxiao, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly."

Guo Jia explained, "Since Zhou Yu planned to use fire and had Pang Tong offer the chain strategy, there was still one missing link. Even if the river wind suddenly changed, making it easier for Zhou Yu to set fire, our army's defenses were tight, so how could the ships from Jiangdong easily get close? Now, Kan Ze has arrived, and he has brought a letter from Huang Gai who was beaten and wanted to surrender to us. Haha... This Huang Gai is the key figure in setting the fire."

Cao Cao understood and gritted his teeth, cursing, "I never expected Zhou Yu to be so ruthless, actually resorting to a self-inflicted injury ruse to beat the old general Huang Gai."

Guo Jia said, "Indeed, Kan Ze's feigned surrender, Huang Gai's self-inflicted injury, Pang Tong's chain stratagem, plus Zhou Yu's fire attack, are all interconnected, one plan after another. Zhou Yu can be called a genius of our time."

Cao Cao gave a thumbs up and praised Guo Jia, saying, "No matter how capable Zhou Yu is, it's a pity that I have Fengxiao by my side. No matter how many schemes Zhou Yu has, Fengxiao only used one: turning the tables on him!"

Without Guo Jia's prompting, Cao Cao knew what to do next. He immediately wrote a reply to Huang Gai, arranged a time, and asked Kan Ze to take the letter back to Jiangdong and deliver it to Huang Gai.

Now that the time had been agreed upon, Cao Cao intensified his preparations, for a great battle was imminent! (End of Chapter)