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

Chapter 208, Cao Cao was displeased.

"Ugh……"

Cao Cao sighed. He knew that Guan Yu was badly injured and had been hit by a poisoned arrow.

Cao Cao was also very concerned about Guan Yu. He wanted to send someone to take Guan Yu back to Xuchang to find a famous doctor to treat his wounds, but Guan Yu insisted on staying here to wait for Liu Xie to return.

This was a military camp, lacking renowned doctors and with limited medical resources; even if Cao Cao had the strength, he couldn't use it effectively.

Now, upon learning that Liu Xie had just returned and personally treated Guan Yu's wounds, Cao Cao's mood worsened. Although Liu Xie's personal intervention meant that Guan Yu's poisoned arrows were no longer a major concern, Cao Cao's mood remained unchanged.

The relationship between Guan Yu and Liu Xie made Cao Cao feel a little sour and uncomfortable.

Cao Cao suddenly remembered something and said with some regret, "If I had known this would happen, I should have given that woman to Yun Chang back then."

After seizing the Du family, Cao Cao discovered that a rift had developed between him and Guan Yu, and their relationship was growing increasingly distant.

So much so that Guan Yu almost killed him at the Xutian hunting grounds.

Cao Cao now truly regrets it. With so many women around him, why did he have to compete with Guan Yu for them?

If, after conquering Xiapi, Cao Cao had bestowed Lady Du upon Guan Yu, he couldn't help but wonder if the situation would have been entirely different.

Perhaps Guan Yu will be on his side, becoming an indispensable and fierce general by his side.

Cao Cao really wanted to ease the tension with Guan Yu, as he genuinely liked Guan Yu.

Liu Xie was undergoing surgery, and Cao Cao was too embarrassed to disturb him. On his way back, he strolled around, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Liu Xie was busy for a full hour, and Guan Yu didn't utter a sound. Even as the knife repeatedly cut into his bones, Guan Yu endured it.

In that hour, Guan Yu read through all the letters, one after another.

The more Liu Xie looked, the angrier he became. He said, "Yun Chang, why are you so angry?"

After Guan Yu saw that his wounds had been treated, he replied, "The reason I am angry is that even before the war started, so many people have already become disloyal and betrayed the court, and have been secretly colluding with Yuan Shao."

Liu Xie sneered, "It's true that the court is in Xuchang, but they haven't betrayed me, they've betrayed Cao Cao!"

Throughout the entire surgery, Zhao Yun stood by and was truly impressed by Guan Yu's composure and calmness. For Guan Yu, scraping the bone to remove the poison was as if nothing had happened.

Actually, scraping the bone is really painful, the pain goes straight to the bone marrow.

Especially without anesthesia, Guan Yu, however, was determined and endured all the pain with his strong willpower.

Some people have a willpower stronger than bones, and Guan Yu was just such a person!
Some people are afraid of death and will cry out in pain at the slightest pain.

Seeing Liu Xie's relaxed and composed smile, Zhao Yun suddenly realized and said, "Your Majesty, with these letters, all the dirt on those people is now in Your Majesty's hands."

Cao Cao had a new strategy for dealing with Liu Xie: to keep Liu Xie at Guandu and make him just an observer from then on.

However, Liu Xie also had his own methods, and the role of these letters should not be overlooked.

"Cao Cao is still unaware of the existence of these letters!"

Guan Yu was very confident about this, saying, "Since I returned from Yuan Shao's camp, many people have tried to take this package away from me, but I haven't let them touch it."

Liu Xie nodded with satisfaction, "Yun Chang's loyalty and righteousness are rare throughout history. With you and Zilong assisting me, I am full of confidence in the future."

"Alright, Yun Chang, you should take good care of your injuries. I will come to see you again tomorrow."

Performing surgery continuously for an hour is a huge drain on Liu Xie's physical and mental strength. He's almost at his limit and just wants to go back and rest for a while.

Guan Yu pointed to the letters and asked, "What about these letters? Isn't Your Majesty going to take them with you?"

Liu Xie waved his hand, "I'll keep it with you and you can take care of it."

Liu Xie didn't want to cause any more trouble. In the military camp, his every move was bound to be noticed. This package had probably already aroused Cao Cao's suspicion. If Liu Xie took it, Cao Cao would become even more suspicious.

Zhao Yun accompanied Liu Xie away. Guan Yu hurriedly put the letter away again. He knew that this thing was very important to the emperor and must not be seen by outsiders, especially Cao Cao!
Liu Xie had just returned to camp and rested for a while when Cao Cao came looking for him.

Liu Xie invited Cao Cao into the main tent. Cao Cao first exchanged a few polite words and inquired about the battle situation at Wuchao in the past few days.

Cao Cao also expressed his gratitude, saying, "If Your Majesty had not intervened in time, I fear I would no longer be able to serve Your Majesty."

Liu Xie laughed and said, "Lord Cao, you flatter me. You are my right-hand man and the pillar of the Han Dynasty. I only regret that I could have arrived sooner, so that my army could have avoided more casualties."

Life is all about acting!

Although Liu Xie didn't like this kind of thing, he still had to act it out and pretend to be something he had to do.

Politics itself is a game of power struggles, and it is destined to be inseparable from deception and cunning tactics.

Acting is an essential skill for politicians.

If things had been straightforward, that would have been the fate of Lü Bu.

Cao Cao only mentioned the matter of Wuchao casually. It was a thorn in his side, and he didn't want to talk about it too much, because the more he talked about it, the more it would ignite his anger.

Changing the subject, Cao Cao said, "Your Majesty, now that Yuan Shao is dead, the Yuan army is leaderless. Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang are both eager to return to Ye City to vie for the throne. I believe this is the best time. We should advance immediately and expand our gains."

Liu Xie naturally wouldn't object, but Cao Cao immediately sighed heavily, "Your Majesty, since the successive battles, our army has suffered heavy losses, and we also have to spare some men to guard prisoners of war. The number of soldiers available for fighting is decreasing, and we are really stretched thin. Why not let Lü Bu and Gan Ning also join the battle? What does Your Majesty think?"

As he spoke, Cao Cao glanced at Liu Xie, observing the changes in his expression.

He believed that the emperor would not refuse.

Surely the emperor wouldn't object to continuing the advance? With Yuan's army in complete rout, even a fool would know this is a perfect opportunity for a full-speed pursuit.

Liu Xie fell into deep thought, while Chen Gong and Zhao Yun beside him both looked displeased, realizing that Cao Cao had ill intentions.

Chen Gong couldn't help but speak up: "Mengde, you still have more than 20,000 troops at your disposal. The Yuan army has collapsed across the board and will hardly put up any resistance. In my opinion, 20,000 men are enough."

Cao Cao glanced at him, shook his head, and said, "Gongtai, speed is of the essence in war. You are well aware of the essence of military strategy and should know that I am right. Once we wait until they all retreat to Ye City and defend it, it will be too late. Now we must pursue them at full speed without regard for anything else and commit as many troops as possible. I not only want to reclaim the lost territories of Baima and Yanjin, but also cross the Yellow River and seize the cities in Hebei."

Cao Cao's reasoning was reasonable. He continued, "The performance of Lü Bu, Gan Ning, and others at Wuchao was evident to all, and the soldiers in the army greatly admired them. How can such brave men be left idle at Guandu? Wouldn't that be a waste of their talents?"

Chen Gong countered sharply, continuing to retort, "These people are His Majesty's close attendants. Their presence in Guandu is naturally to protect His Majesty's safety."

Cao Cao immediately laughed and said, "I value Your Majesty's safety more than anyone else. Rest assured, I will send people to protect Your Majesty well, and I guarantee that nothing will go wrong."

Chen Gong sneered, "You make it sound nice, but when you let Lü Bu and Gan Ning leave His Majesty, were you really protecting His Majesty, or did you have other intentions?" "What intentions do I have? Gongtai, today in front of His Majesty, you might as well explain yourself clearly."

Cao Cao was both angry and helpless towards Chen Gong. Chen Gong was a great talent that Cao Cao greatly admired, but now he had become his opponent and was opposing him at every turn.

Cao Cao was really troubled; he missed the time when Liu Xie had just arrived in Xuchang.

At that time, the emperor had no one to advise him. Whatever Cao Cao said, the emperor had to listen to. How wonderful that would have been!

Now, no matter what Cao Cao says, there will always be someone who stands up against him.

This made Boss Cao very unhappy!

This also shows that the emperor's wings are getting stronger and stronger, and he is not so easy to control.

Liu Xie naturally understood Cao Cao's intention: he wanted to separate himself from Lü Bu, Gan Ning, and others, thereby significantly reducing the danger Liu Xie posed to Cao Cao.

"Alright, stop arguing. Lord Cao meant well, so I grant your permission!"

"……His Majesty"

Chen Gong was getting anxious and wanted to say something more, but Liu Xie gave him a look and stopped him.

Cao Cao only temporarily transferred Lü Bu and Gan Ning, and his reasons were quite reasonable.

Liu Xie could hardly stop this, so he simply granted his wish.

Cao Cao's forces were already small, so pursuing Yuan Shao's army and expanding their gains was the right thing to do. It wouldn't be right for Cao Cao's troops to continue the pursuit while Liu Xie deliberately left several thousand men to swagger around Guandu.

Would Cao Cao feel safe to pursue Liu Xie with his entire army if he did this? After all, Guandu was only a hundred li away from Xuchang. If Liu Xie refused, Cao Cao would become even more wary of him.

Liu Xie waved his hand and ordered, "Summon Lü Bu and Gan Ning here."

Before long, Lü Bu and Gan Ning strode in. As soon as these two fierce men entered, Cao Cao sensed an unusual aura emanating from them.

Lu Bu and Gan Ning were both burly and imposing. When they entered, their eyes were filled with provocation and disdain as they looked at Cao Cao.

As long as the emperor gives the order, Cao Cao will have no doubt that these two will rush over and kill him immediately.

Cao Cao thought to himself: Who can command these two people besides His Majesty? Even if we transfer them away from His Majesty, we still won't be able to control them.

However, Cao Cao had already made up his mind that even if he couldn't command them, he had to get them away from the emperor's side.

Otherwise, Cao Cao would feel very uneasy, and he would find it difficult to confidently lead his troops into Hebei.

Once Cao Cao's army enters Hebei, given how close Guandu is to Xuchang, can Cao Cao feel at ease?
What if the emperor suddenly turns back and leads his men back to Xuchang? That would be a real problem.

There's also Liu Bei, whose whereabouts Cao Cao still doesn't know. Therefore, Cao Cao is very wary of the soldiers and generals around Liu Xie.

"Fengxian, Xingba, Lord Cao greatly appreciates you. He has been praising you just now. He hopes that you can lead troops to follow him in pursuing Yuan's army."

The two remained silent, showing no interest whatsoever in Cao Cao's praise.

"Yuan's army has now completely collapsed and fled. I have already approved it. Lü Bu, you have been appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry. Today, I promote Gan Ning to General Who Conquers the North. You two will lead three thousand soldiers to pursue them with all your might and cooperate with Cao Cao's actions."

"Here!"

Liu Xie gave the order personally, and the two had no choice but to obey.

Cao Cao was extremely frustrated. He had only intended to remove them from Liu Xie's side, but now Liu Xie had promoted them directly, making them powerful generals.

The titles of General of the Cavalry and General Who Conquers the North are no small honor.

They are far superior to those nominal generals. If given enough soldiers, they can immediately take charge of a region, command tens of thousands of troops, and become a major threat.

Especially Lü Bu, whom Cao Cao had always been on high alert, and even without military power, Cao Cao was still uneasy about him.

Only now did Cao Cao realize that Lü Bu had already been promoted to General of the Cavalry in Wuchao.

Now that they both have military power and command troops, Lü Bu and Gan Ning are like tigers with wings, posing an even greater threat to Cao Cao.

He claimed that they would advance with him, but once they received the emperor's secret order, they could leave at any time, making it difficult for Cao Cao to control them.

"Lord Cao, you have been praising them, and I also think they are all very capable. It is truly unfair that they have been by my side all this time. They should be properly rewarded."

Cao Cao secretly groaned. He had just praised them only to get rid of them from Liu Xie's side, but unexpectedly, Liu Xie seized the opportunity and decisively entrusted Lü Bu and Gan Ning with important responsibilities.

Once this reward is given, Lü Bu and Gan Ning will be transformed into powerful regional officials.

"Lord Cao, what do you think?" Liu Xie asked Cao Cao politely.

Cao Cao nodded. "Those who have rendered meritorious service should be rewarded, and those who have committed wrongdoings should be punished. Your Majesty's rewarding them is entirely reasonable."

Cao Cao had no reason to object; Lü Bu had killed Yan Liang, and Gan Ning had also performed exceptionally well at Wuchao.

As for Zhao Yun, Liu Xie had already promoted him to the position of Commander of the Dragon Guard.

Cao Cao thought to himself that as long as he could get Lü Bu and Gan Ning away, he would tolerate it for the time being and ignore the rest.

The next day, Cao Cao left. His injuries were not serious and he had almost recovered. Besides, now was the time to pursue the victory, and Cao Cao only needed to command from the rear, without having to personally charge into battle.

Guo Jia and Xun You both stayed at Guandu, and Cao Cao instructed them to keep a close watch on the emperor.

Whenever they had time, they would play chess with Liu Xie or stroll around the neighborhood to pass the time.

Liu Xie knew their intentions but didn't bother to expose them.

…………

"Sir, His Majesty's letter has arrived!" It was already late at night when Liu Biao, holding a letter, stepped into the secret room where Jia Xu was.

Jia Xu quickly put down the book in his hand; he had maintained the habit of reading for many years.

After receiving the letter, Jia Xu carefully examined it and nodded, "It's well-sealed and hasn't been opened in transit."

After reading the letter, Jia Xu stood up, and his brows immediately relaxed. "This day has finally come!"

(End of this chapter)