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

Chapter 166, Cao Cao's Close Relatives
Two carriages were parked in front, loaded with the wine and meat that had just been distributed. One jar of wine had been overturned, and the wine was spilled all over the ground.

Chen Gong's face darkened, and he loudly questioned, "Whose order is this? Why are the Prince of Chen's men given so little wine and meat?"

The officer laughed dismissively, "I'm just following orders. I can't control anything else. How much wine and meat is allocated to whom is all according to instructions from above."

Chen Gong knew he couldn't reason with him, so he went directly to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao was drinking and celebrating his victory with Xiahou Yuan, Guo Jia, and others.

Cao Cao sent someone to invite Liu Xie, but Liu Xie did not come. Cao Cao did not take it to heart; he couldn't very well not start the banquet if the emperor didn't come.

After fighting for half a day, the soldiers were already hungry. They had finally won a great victory and lifted the siege of Baima. From top to bottom, the soldiers in Cao Cao's camp were very happy.

Xiahou Yuan and his fellow generals were all straightforward and boastful at the banquet, making quite a scene.

Just then, Chen Gong walked over with a sullen face and no expression.

Seeing his displeasure, Guo Jia quickly stood up, smiled, and walked over. "Gongtai, what is it?"

Guo Jia deliberately lowered his voice to remind Chen Gong to be careful in front of so many people.

Chen Gong glanced at him, snorted, and walked straight toward Cao Cao.

When Cao Cao saw Chen Gong, he smiled and waved, "Gongtai, you've come at the right time. Come, come, sit down and have a few drinks with me."

No matter what, Cao Cao always remembered Chen Gong's kindness in saving his life in Zhongmu County.

Cao Cao's enthusiasm did not earn him a pleasant look from Chen Gong, who sneered, "Cao Cao! Look at the mess you've made."

Xu Chu glared at him and angrily rebuked, "How dare you address our lord by his name!"

Cao Cao waved his hand dismissively, "Zhongkang, don't be rude. Gongtai and I are close friends, and he saved my life. He can call me whatever he wants."

Although Cao Cao considered eliminating Chen Gong at the White Gate Tower, it was because Chen Gong had sided with the emperor.
However, Cao Cao never forgot his past relationship with Chen Gong, and every time he saw Chen Gong, it would remind him of the past.

Seeing Chen Gong's angry expression, as if he were about to interrogate someone, Cao Cao was puzzled and quickly asked, "Gongtai, what's wrong with you?"

Chen Gong questioned, "Cao Cao, I'm here to ask you, how did the King of Chen's soldiers perform in this battle?"

Cao Cao said, "They performed very well. If they had not defeated Chunyu Qiong and scattered Yan Liang's army, I would not have achieved such a great victory today."

Seeing that Cao Cao was being reasonable, Chen Gong's attitude softened slightly, and he changed his form of address. "Mengde, since they performed so well, why were they treated differently after the battle? The wine and meat that Chen Wang's soldiers received were less than one-tenth of what the other troops received. How do you explain this?"

Chen Gong was too straightforward, and in front of so many people, he blurted out the truth.

Cao Cao's expression changed drastically, and his gaze turned cold in an instant.

Ren Jun and Bian Bing, who were drinking, both subconsciously lowered their heads, their faces showing panic.

Cao Cao's sharp eyes quickly fell on the two men, who were his close relatives and could be considered his maternal relatives.

Ren Jun served as the General of Agriculture and made great contributions to Cao Cao's implementation of the military agricultural system. He was very capable and was responsible for escorting grain and fodder and managing the logistics of Cao Cao's army during wartime.

He married Cao Cao's cousin, a very close relative. As for Bian Bing, the relationship was not bad either; he was Cao Cao's brother-in-law and Bian's younger brother.

Cao Cao was angry, but he couldn't just drag them out and question them in front of so many people.

"Gongtai, rest assured, I will punish this matter severely. From now on, I will treat all soldiers equally and will never show any favoritism."

Chen Gong snorted, "I hope you can keep your word and be consistent in your actions."

Cao Cao wanted to invite Chen Gong to stay and drink with him, but Chen Gong flung his sleeves and stormed off.

After a long while, Cao Cao glanced at Ren Jun and Bian Bing again. The two looked guilty and dared not meet Cao Cao's eyes.

Cao Cao lost all interest in drinking and left angrily. After a while, Xu Chu came and called Ren Jun and Bian Bing away.

The two men were brought before Cao Cao, who stared at them with a stern face without saying a word, making them both feel uneasy.

After a long silence, Cao Cao finally spoke: "Speak, I've already shown you some leniency. Was this your doing?"

Ren Jun mustered his courage, raised his head, glanced at Cao Cao, and nodded. "My lord, we did it."

Bian Bing trembled with fear. Despite his fear, he was not worried that Cao Cao would really punish them severely because of his noble status. He said, "Brother-in-law, even if we didn't do it, someone else would have done it."

Cao Cao pointed at them angrily and scolded, "You two are just causing me trouble."

"Brother-in-law, can Chen Wang's men be treated the same as ours? We can just give them some wine and meat to appease them. Do we really have to treat them all the same?"

Cao Cao walked up to the two men in a few steps and kicked one of them. "What nonsense are you spouting? Stop your wicked ideas. I order you two to get this sorted out right now. Give them whatever amount of wine and meat they are entitled to."

Throughout history, even the most upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. No matter how much trouble these two caused, Cao Cao could not truly deal with them.

Despite Chen Gong's outburst, the outcome was actually quite good; Cao Cao soon sent someone to deliver a considerable amount of wine and meat.

Gan Ning, still angry when he saw the Cao soldiers who had brought him wine and meat, said to Liu Xie, "Your Majesty, how can we let this go like this? We should hold this matter accountable and find and kill those who cheated and shirked their responsibilities."

Liu Xie laughed, "Xingba, why bother with such trivial matters at a time like this?"

Gan Ning brandished his broadsword, waving it around a few times with a whooshing sound; the blade flashed, sending chills down one's spine.

"Your Majesty, this is no small matter. Everyone is fighting desperately to kill the enemy, and we have just achieved meritorious service. Cao Cao was able to defeat Yan Liang today thanks to us."

Liu Xie sighed, "Xingba, if everything could be reasoned with, wouldn't the world be at peace? We've set out to deal with Yuan Shao. As for the soldiers being treated coldly and differently, hasn't it always been like this?"

Liu Xie did not want to make a big deal out of it, because it was not worth it. If things really got out of hand, Cao Cao would just find a scapegoat to take the fall.

"Your Majesty, you mean...?" Gan Ning seemed to understand. Zhao Yun interjected, "The reason is simple: we are His Majesty's people. Whoever is close to His Majesty will be treated differently."

Gan Ning said, "That's right, you son of a bitch!" As soon as he finished speaking, Gan Ning slammed his broadsword into the ground.

Gan Ning's sword was not a long-handled broadsword, but it was much longer than a typical short-handled sword.

People like Yan Liang, Guan Yu, and Zhang Liao all used long swords.

Gan Ning, Pang De, Xu Chu, and others all used short swords, but these were longer and heavier than ordinary short swords, because their arm strength was amazing and a lighter one would be unwieldy.

"Damn it, this is so frustrating!" Gan Ning cursed, his eyes wide with anger, the veins on his arm gripping the knife bulging. Judging from his posture, he couldn't wait to find a few people to chop him up.

Liu Xie advised, "Xingba, there's no need to be angry. Everyone's performance this time has been evident to all. They will be even more surprised by your performance next."

After a while, the surrendered soldiers were almost all selected, and Guan Yu brought them over.

Guan Yu approached Liu Xie and said, "Your Majesty, we captured more than two thousand surrendered soldiers. This time, we selected half of them. The rest will be escorted back to Xuchang tomorrow."

Liu Xie nodded, saying that surrendered soldiers should not remain on the front lines if they could not genuinely submit.

Because they would become a problem. Surrendered soldiers would not only consume a lot of food, but also require someone to guard them. If not handled properly, they could cause a mutiny or riot.

In the historical Battle of Xiangfan, Guan Yu captured 30,000 surrendered soldiers, including Yu Jin, and then specially sent people to escort them back to Jiangling.

Liu Xie strode toward the surrendered soldiers, and Zhao Yun hurriedly followed, watching them warily with his cold gaze.

Both being bodyguards, Zhao Yun's loyalty and vigilance were top-notch, while Wu Anguo was careless and always reacted a step slower than Zhao Yun.

Liu Xie wouldn't blame him; some things are different between people.

For example, consciousness, talent, and comprehension are things that cannot be specifically described in words, and there are differences between people.

The surrendered soldiers looked at Liu Xie with complicated expressions; some were terrified, some were fearful, and they subconsciously took a few steps back.
Some stood straight, mustering their courage to meet Liu Xie's gaze.

Some instinctively wanted to kneel down, bending over, but hesitated.

Liu Xie smiled and said, "We've met during the day, so we've become acquainted through a misunderstanding. As for those who don't know me, that's alright. Let me introduce myself again. I am the current emperor!"

Liu Xie spoke gently and had a cheerful voice, but the imperial aura he exuded in every gesture was unmatched by ordinary people.

The surrendered soldiers looked at each other, some with awe, some with curiosity, and others looking up and then down in panic.

Liu Xie said, "It's alright, look if you want. I won't kill anyone just because they glanced at me a few more times. I'm just like you, I have hands and feet, and I need to eat when I'm hungry."

“You are lucky, but also unlucky.” Liu Xie was straightforward, and the more direct he was to these ordinary soldiers, the better.

"You are lucky because you stayed. Staying gives you the opportunity to make a contribution, the opportunity to return to your homeland, and to see your families again. Do you know how the others will be treated?"

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Liu Xie with curiosity.

"To tell you the truth, those who are not left behind will go to Xudu to cultivate the land. Unless they can be selected again to become qualified soldiers, they will continue to wield hoes and work in the fields."

Surrendered soldiers were free labor. Cao Cao carried out large-scale military-agricultural settlements within his territory, including both civilian and military settlements, and surrendered soldiers were the main supplementary force for the labor force of these settlements.

As for providing travel expenses to allow the surrendered soldiers to return home, that was absolutely impossible.

In the chaotic world of warring states, people were not only fighting for territory, but also for people. Cao Cao was an expert among experts in plundering people, a master among masters.

For example, when competing with Liu Bei for Hanzhong, Cao Cao simply seized all the people there.

Cao Cao rose to power by suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion. He selected the strongest and most capable men from among the Yellow Turban prisoners of war, forming the Qingzhou Army as the foundation for his iron-blooded elite force that would contend for supremacy. These prisoners of war also played a crucial role in Cao Cao's large-scale land reclamation program.

"What's your name?" Liu Xie walked up to a surrendered soldier and asked him kindly.

"My name is Li Fu."

"Li Fu, let me ask you this: if I asked you to farm in Xudu for the rest of your life, would you be willing?"

Li Fu shook his head. "My family is all in Hebei. If I can't go back and see my family for the rest of my life, I'm afraid I... can't bear it."

Liu Xie nodded, then looked at the others, "Li Fu is right. If they stay in Xudu, they may never see their families again. Even if Hebei is pacified, they will hardly have the chance to return to their homeland. But you, now you have the opportunity to go back, to fight back with me, to kill your way back. So you are lucky!"

"Your Majesty, you just said that we are also unfortunate. What do you mean by that?" Li Fu asked, mustering his courage.

"Because if you stay, you will be just like my soldiers. I will lead you to fight against Yuan Shao. We will fight back. In war, there will inevitably be casualties. So, those who go to farm are safer than you. Some of you may never see your families again."

Chen Gong listened from the side, and upon hearing this, shook his head, somewhat disappointed.

Chen Gong thought to himself: His Majesty should say more encouraging things, such as that fighting in battle can bring merit, rewards, and opportunities to see family.

In any case, the more nice words the better, as this is the only way to win people's hearts and boost morale.

But Liu Xie spoke very frankly and practically: "I can also say high-sounding words, and I can talk for a whole day and night. But to you, I only want to say some words from my heart. Don't think that you followed Yuan Shao before. In fact, you are the same as the generals and soldiers around me, and the generals and soldiers around other warlords."

"No matter who you followed before, it was all for a better life. Some of you were too poor and went hungry all day; some of you wanted to make a name for yourself and gain fame. You are all the same. You all came from poor backgrounds."

Liu Xie's words struck a chord with everyone, and many people couldn't help but think of their families, plunging them into painful memories.

They were all ordinary people from the lowest rungs of society. Trying to reason with them about grand principles, who had ambition, which warlord was powerful, who could bring peace to the land, or how to restore the Han dynasty?
Saying all this is pointless!
Because they don't understand it and aren't interested.

The vast majority of people joined the army simply to have enough to eat; they never even hoped for a paycheck.

Because in this world, joining the army means being provided with food, while not joining means many people will starve to death!
Those stories of selling children and exchanging offspring to eat each other were not fabricated by the ancients to attract attention; chaotic times are indeed a world where people eat each other.

(End of this chapter)