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

Chapter 303, Battle of Red Cliffs

Liu Xie had already left, and his troops retreated more than ten miles. Even Cao Cao had transferred a lot of men to retreat in advance. As for Huang Zu and Wen Ping, they also left with their men.

Soon, Cao Cao received a letter from Huang Gai, agreeing to surrender the following night. Cao Cao immediately replied, indicating his agreement!
Afterwards, Cao Cao summoned Cao Ren and instructed him: "Tomorrow night, Huang Gai will bring men to feign surrender. Let them set off fires and burn some of the ships, otherwise Zhou Yu will not take the bait. But you must take Huang Gai's head and give me the first victory."

In order to lure Zhou Yu into a trap, Cao Cao did not hesitate to burn hundreds of ships. In fact, many of his soldiers were still unaware of the battle plan and were destined to become innocent cannon fodder.

Cao Cao has really gone all out this time, so he wants to collect some interest by taking Huang Gai's head first.

Cao Ren nodded vigorously. "My lord, rest assured, Huang Gai will surely die tomorrow night!"

Cao Cao patted Cao Ren on the shoulder. Even Cao Cao himself didn't notice when he had started the habit of patting people on the shoulder.

Cao Cao sighed, "Zixiao, as you know, the situation is very unfavorable for me in my struggle with His Majesty. His Majesty wants me and Sun Quan to wear each other down, so tomorrow's battle cannot be lost."

"My lord, I understand."

Cao Ren was like a brother to Cao Cao; he understood everything.

After Cao Ren left, he immediately selected a group of northern soldiers who could swim. There was no other way; the best swimmers among the Jingzhou soldiers had already been selected by Huang Zu and Wen Ping.

Both Zhou Yu and Cao Cao were making preparations and waiting for the agreed time to arrive.

The Battle of Red Cliffs was about to break out, and Liu Xie sent out scouts to keep a close watch. Scouts galloped back and forth, and every now and then, the latest news would be delivered.

Yang Xiu, who had always wanted to make a name for himself, was put in charge of taking care of Cao's sick soldiers and left the battlefield early on.

This was a difficult task that Yang Xiu was very reluctant to accept, and whenever he had time, Liu Xie would rush over to take a look.

Liu Xie took great care of these soldiers who had caught a cold and specially built well-ventilated camps for them.

Even on the day of the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Xie still came.

At Liu Xie's request, all the rescue team members wore masks. Although the masks were simple and could not compare to the N95 or N98 masks of later generations, Liu Xie still strictly required them. In addition to masks, Liu Xie also paid great attention to ventilation and disinfection.

When the soldiers saw the emperor, they were both moved and felt a sense of kinship.

Everyone rushed to greet Liu Xie, but Lin Tong was very worried and came to the emperor's side to remind him, "Your Majesty, you are the supreme ruler, this is not a place for you."

Lin Tong was terrified that the emperor might contract the disease. If that happened, even killing him wouldn't be enough to atone for such a grave mistake.

Liu Xie sighed, called Lin Tong and the others outside, and said, "A fight is about to break out, and I don't know if it will affect this place. I think you should leave as soon as possible. I will help you find a new place to stay."

Lin Tong and Li Erniu nodded quickly. Liu Xie noticed that when he mentioned that the war was about to begin, Yang Xiu's eyes lit up, but then his head drooped, and he looked wilted like a frostbitten eggplant!

Liu Xie waved his hand, letting Lin Tong and Li Erniu leave first, leaving Yang Xiu behind alone.

"Emperor Dezu, I have come to ask you: what are your thoughts and feelings after spending this past month with these patients?"

"Your Majesty, I feel this place is not suitable for me. I am well-versed in the classics and skilled in warfare, but treating the sick and saving lives is not my forte," Yang Xiu said directly, stating his thoughts.

It's like I studied humanities, but you're assigning me tasks that only science students would do. It's a serious mismatch between my major and my job, so Yang Xiu is very unhappy about it.

Liu Xie looked at him, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Yang Xiu then said, "Although the Prime Minister entrusted me with this matter, since His Majesty has inquired about it today, I will tell you the truth."

Yang Xiu noticed the emperor's disappointed expression, but he didn't realize what he had done wrong.

"Emperor Dezu, do you know why I am disappointed in you?" After a long while, Liu Xie finally asked.

Yang Xiu nodded. "Your Majesty thinks I shouldn't complain. Whatever you ask me to do, I should do it without complaint and try my best to do it well."

Liu Xie countered, "Shouldn't it be like this?"

Yang Xiu shook his head. "It's not that I want to refute Your Majesty, but I feel that everyone has their own strengths and talents, and everyone should make the best use of their abilities."

Even Zhao Yun, who was not far away, couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his eyebrows in displeasure, feeling that Yang Xiu was being too presumptuous.

"Indeed, what you said makes some sense, but I still maintain that whatever you are asked to do, you must do it to the best of your ability. Attitude is the most important thing. Hua Xin, you should know this person, right?"

"I know." Yang Xiu nodded.

"Hua Xin was originally the Prefect of Yuzhang. Although he was defeated by Sun Ce, I sent people to investigate him. He governed Yuzhang very well and had a good reputation among the people. He certainly has the ability. However, when we were fighting against the Wuhuan, I put him in charge of transporting grain. It was the coldest time of year. The north was covered in ice and snow. Walking was difficult even in the wind and snow. But Hua Xin did not complain at all. Is he really good at transporting grain?"

"Mao Jie, for so many years, you have been helping the court select talents. Is this really what you are good at? As for leading troops into battle and governing local areas, I think you are competent in both."

“Emperor Dezu, you think you are very clever, but this world is not lacking in clever people. What I lack most are people who are loyal to their duties.”

"You just said you wanted to stay by the Prime Minister's side, so what exactly do you want to do?"

Yang Xiu replied, "Naturally, it's to help the Prime Minister devise strategies to defeat Zhou Yu and pacify Jiangdong."

"and then?"

"Then……"

After a moment of silence, he replied, "After pacifying Jiangdong, if the Prime Minister needs me in Liaodong, beyond the Great Wall, or in any other place where rebellions have not yet been quelled, I will naturally do my utmost."

"And what happens after the world is at peace?" Liu Xie continued to press.

"This?" This question completely stumped Yang Xiu; it was simply too far in the future.

Liu Xie suddenly asked, "If you could only choose between me and the Prime Minister, who would you choose?"

Yang Xiu opened his mouth, but immediately found himself speechless.

"To me, attitude is far more important than ability. Take your father for example. He has always been loyal to me. He followed me through many hardships, from Chang'an to Luoyang, and then to Xuchang. He was dismissed from his post, imprisoned, and tortured, but he remained loyal and steadfast. This is the person I respect the most and need the most by my side."

"Actually, I know that you are not willing to deal with these sick soldiers every day. I have been hoping that you could change your mindset through this incident. It seems that I really overestimated you."

Liu Xie suddenly pointed in the direction of Wulin and said, "Go, go do what you want to do, go help Cao Cao achieve great things." Yang Xiu was stunned. After a while, he murmured, "Your Majesty, if the Prime Minister knew that I was sent back by you, he would definitely kill me."

Liu Xie glanced at him and sneered, "Don't worry, I will tell the Prime Minister that I was the one who sent you back. Even what I said to you today, I will not mention to anyone after tonight."

But Yang Xiu remained motionless. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had no choice.

The emperor had put himself in such a difficult position, presenting him with a choice between Cao Cao and the emperor, a dilemma that left Yang Xiu in a real bind.

"If you stay by my side from now on, it will be very tiring and a waste of your talents. Let me tell you, if you stay by my side, I will not give you any important positions within the next five years."

Liu Xie's voice grew increasingly cold. He had lost all patience with Yang Xiu. This guy only cared about his abilities. He thought he was very smart and should be given important responsibilities and enjoy the treatment of being superior and looked up to by others.

However, in Liu Xie's eyes, people like Yang Xiu were just lacking in training and needed to be severely disciplined and polished.

If he weren't Yang Biao's son, Liu Xie wouldn't bother saying another word to him.

He even felt that Yang Xiu was far inferior to Hua Xin.

Hua Xin has at least two advantages: she is capable and she is willing to listen to instructions!
Footsteps sounded in the distance, and Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang walked over together.

The sight of the two walking side by side dissipated much of Liu Xie's anger towards Yang Xiu.

Historically, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi fought for decades. Zhuge Liang eventually died of illness at Wuzhang Plains, which was ultimately due to Sima Yi's actions.

But now they are colleagues, working together for Liu Xie.

Even Liu Xie didn't notice that the two had become good friends, and they had unknowingly developed many common topics.

When they approached, Liu Xie pointed at Yang Xiu and asked the two men, "Yang Xiu wants to return to the Prime Minister's side to make contributions. What do you think should be done with him?"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, but their answers were completely different.

"Kill him!" This was what Sima Yi said.

"We must not kill him!" This was what Zhuge Liang said.

Yang Xiu felt extremely uncomfortable and wished he could find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.

"Zhongda, tell me, why did you kill him?"

Sima Yi glanced at Yang Xiu, his eyes somewhat cold. "Your Majesty opened your heart to him and spoke from the bottom of your heart, yet he still wants to return to Cao Cao's side. What need is there for such a person to remain in the world? He cannot be used by Your Majesty today, but he may become Your Majesty's enemy tomorrow."

Sima Yi's expression was blank, like a sharp steel knife already held to Yang Xiu's neck, making him feel cold all over and truly startled.

Indeed, Liu Xie has said a lot. If Yang Xiu were to leave now, he would be courting death.

"Kongming, why did you send him back?" Liu Xie asked, looking at Zhuge Liang again.

Zhuge Liang glanced at Yang Xiu and sighed softly, “Yang Xiu is still young and has not experienced setbacks yet. He is very smart and has always wanted to find an opportunity to show his abilities. I think Your Majesty might as well give him a chance. One day, he will realize his mistake.”

Sima Yi ordered Yang Xiu to be killed, while Zhuge Liang urged him to be spared. Liu Xie asked Yang Xiu one last time, "I will ask you one last time: do you wish to stay by my side, or do you wish to return to Cao Cao's side?"

Yang Xiu knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, I am willing to stay by your side."

Even if Yang Xiu was unwilling, he dared not return to Cao Cao's side. It seemed like he had to choose between the emperor and Cao Cao, but once the emperor made his point clear, there was only one answer left.

If they keep clamoring to go back to Cao Cao's side, they're just courting death.

Liu Xie nodded. "Alright then. I'll tell Cao Cao later that you will continue to be in charge of these infected soldiers and transfer them tonight."

Yang Xiu nodded, "Yes, sir!"

Yang Xiu then realized that no matter what the emperor asked him to do, he would no longer have the right to complain.

Back in his tent, Liu Xie had someone bring him pen and ink and wrote a letter to Yang Biao.

Sima Yi couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, was this really necessary? You even wrote a letter to Lord Yang to explain things on behalf of Yang Xiu."

Liu Xie sighed and said, "Yang Biao only has this one son. For so many years, he has been hoping that Yang Xiu would become sensible and successful. Ever since Yang Xiu went to Cao Cao's side to become a chief clerk, Yang Biao has lost his smile in front of me. Parents all over the world have their own worries. Yang Biao has had a hard time all these years. Although Yang Xiu has not exactly turned over a new leaf, at least he is now working for me. So, this is good news for Yang Biao. I want to make him happy."

…………

As the appointed time was approaching, Lü Meng came to relay a message from Zhou Yu to Liu Bei: "Uncle Liu, the Grand Commander wishes to see you; he has important matters to discuss."

With a belly full of questions, Liu Bei arrived at Zhou Yu's tent. There were many people standing in the tent, including all the generals who had participated in the battle, such as Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai, Huang Gai, Han Dang, Pan Zhang, and Lu Su.

Upon meeting, Zhou Yu cupped his hands in greeting to Liu Bei, saying, "Uncle, everything is ready on my side. Just now, the lord sent someone to inquire about your arrangements."

Lu Su glanced at Zhou Yu and thought to himself: Gongjin, where did our lord send someone to ask questions?

Zhou Yu said this on purpose, because Liu Bei was not his subordinate and he could not give Liu Bei direct orders.

Liu Bei cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "Now that the two sides have formed an alliance, Grand Commander, please give your orders."

Liu Bei had very few soldiers left. Apart from generals like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, almost all the troops under his command were provided by Sun Quan, so Liu Bei was quite sensible about it.

Since we have no say, we might as well just do whatever Zhou Yu tells us to do.

Zhou Yu nodded. "In that case, I will announce the order without hesitation."

Liu Bei quickly stood up straight, cupped his hands, and said, "Please give your orders, Grand Commander."

Zhou Yu nodded and immediately gave the order, "We will move out at Hai Shi tonight. Huang Gai will go first. Carry plenty of oil and firewood on your ships. We must set the enemy ships on fire. There must be no mistakes!"

Huang Gai nodded hurriedly, "Yes!"

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Yu continued to announce the orders: "Liu Huangshu will be the vanguard. Once the fire starts, advance immediately. I will be the commander of the central army, and Lu Su will guard the main camp."

(End of this chapter)