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

Chapter 209, In ​​the Name of the Emperor
On the riverbank, Guo Jia and Liu Xie sat facing each other, a chessboard placed between them, one black and one white, like yin and yang, confronting each other. Their eyes were focused and deep, as if the entire world had been concentrated on this small chessboard.

A brisk autumn wind rustled through the air, stirring the hems of their clothes and bringing a touch of coolness. The leaves swayed gently in the breeze, making a soft, rustling sound that mingled with the sound of flowing water, creating a picturesque autumn scene.

Their game was intense, sometimes tense and fierce, sometimes calm and serene. Every move seemed carefully considered, and every game felt like exploring the mysteries of the universe.

Their figures appeared even more serene and profound in the autumn sunlight, as if they had merged with nature itself.

Guo Jia was indeed very skilled at chess. In one game, after only a short while, Liu Xie had no way to move.

"Your Majesty, you've been appointed general again." Guo Jia smiled sheepishly.

Liu Xie waved his hand, showing no sign of dejection or dissatisfaction at losing the game. He laughed heartily and said, "Fengxiao, although I created this game, I am not as proficient as you. Fengxiao has not been playing chess for long, but your skills are already superb. I humbly admit defeat."

Guo Jia humbly replied, "Your Majesty flatters me. Playing chess is merely a pastime to pass the time and is nothing special. Governing the country and ensuring its stability is the true path. Your Majesty is exceptionally intelligent. If you could concentrate on the game of chess, I might not be able to beat you."

As Guo Jia spoke, he set up another game and casually asked, "Your Majesty, Liu Bei's whereabouts are still unknown. Does Your Majesty know where he is?"

During these days, Guo Jia did not relax his investigation of Liu Bei, but Liu Bei seemed to have disappeared into thin air. He learned from the captured prisoners of war that Liu Bei had already left with his men, and with quite a few troops. This made Guo Jia feel that something was very unusual.

Thirty thousand people is no small number, and even if these people did not originally belong to Liu Bei, they should not be underestimated.

Liu Xie shook his head and replied frankly, "Fengxiao, I really don't know. I've also asked Yunchang, and he doesn't know Xuande's whereabouts either."

While Liu Xie was answering, Guo Jia kept his eyes fixed on Liu Xie's, observing him very carefully.

Logically speaking, in ancient times, there was a clear hierarchy and order of rank. In front of the emperor, no one was allowed to make eye contact with him, let alone stare into his eyes for a long time.

But who cares about that now?

Liu Xie's eyes were clear and his expression was calm. Guo Jia nodded, it seemed that His Majesty really was unaware of the situation.

To be honest, Liu Xie himself was also puzzled.

Yuan Shao is dead, and Yuan's army has been completely routed. He believed that Liu Bei should also know this news, but where exactly has he gone? Why doesn't he come to join him?
Liu Bei had indeed always obeyed Liu Xie's orders, but sometimes Liu Xie could sense that Liu Bei had his own opinions.

He wasn't someone who blindly obeyed his orders.

Liu Xie wasn't too concerned about Liu Bei's whereabouts, figuring he'd reappear sooner or later anyway, but Guo Jia was extremely vigilant.

Liu Bei suddenly disappeared with tens of thousands of men, forcing Guo Jia to be extra cautious.

At noon, upon returning to his tent, Guo Jia immediately wrote a letter to Xiahou Dun, urging him to be on high alert and keep a close eye on Liu Bei's movements.

Having finally managed to divert the troops around the emperor, Liu Bei suddenly became a threat again. Just thinking about Liu Bei's surprise attack on Xuchang sent chills down Guo Jia's spine.

Contrary to Guo Jia's expectations, Liu Bei's target was not Xuchang.

Liu Bei led his troops upstream along the Guandu River, avoiding the Guandu battlefield, and secretly crossed the Langdang Canal to the south bank.

Liu Bei was very cautious. After reaching the other side, he found a dense forest and hid his troops there.

Soon, Zhang Fei returned with the news that Yuan Shao had been killed and his army had suffered a complete defeat.

Liu Bei initially kept the news under wraps and did not tell his generals and soldiers about it.

He feared it would cause a mutiny and worried that these Yuan soldiers would abandon him.

When the group arrived in Runan, Liu Bei was initially very wary of Liu Pi and Gong Du.

He first sent someone to deliver a visiting card, wanting to test the waters and see if he could win them over.

Unexpectedly, when Liu Pi heard that Liu Bei had arrived, he personally came out to greet him. Upon seeing the tens of thousands of soldiers behind Liu Bei, Liu Pi was not surprised but delighted.

Liu Pi approached Liu Bei and immediately clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "I have long heard of your loyalty and righteousness, Imperial Uncle. I have heard that you helped the General fight against Cao Cao. To be honest, I also greatly admire the General and have long wished to befriend you."

Liu Bei was greatly surprised, while Zhang Fei laughed heartily, "Yuan Shao, he has already..."

Just as Zhang Fei was about to reveal the truth to Liu Pi that Yuan Shao was dead.

Liu Bei quickly glared at Zhang Fei, giving him a stern look.

Liu Pi was puzzled and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong, General?"

Liu Bei laughed and said, "General, you have also heard of your reputation. I have come here with my troops on your behalf to join forces with you to fight against Cao Cao."

"Oh, General, you've heard of my name, Liu Pi?" Liu Pi was also pleasantly surprised.

Although Yuan Shao was dead, Liu Bei discovered that Liu Pi and Gong Du were out of touch with the news and were not yet aware of Yuan Shao's death.

Moreover, they truly admired Yuan Shao and always wanted to join forces with him to deal with Cao Cao.

So after some consideration, Liu Bei decided not to tell them the truth for the time being.

Liu Bei was welcomed into the main camp, where Zhang Fei stood closely beside him.

Even after entering the mountain stronghold, Liu Bei remained vigilant.

Liu Bei and Gong Du prepared a sumptuous feast and showed great enthusiasm, repeatedly expressing their respect for Liu Bei and Yuan Shao in their words and actions.

After offering another bowl of wine, Liu Pi laughed heartily and said, "To be honest, Imperial Uncle, we have long wanted to join forces with the General, but we have never had the opportunity. If Imperial Uncle is willing, we are willing to give up Runan to you and elect you as the ruler of Runan. From now on, we will be at Imperial Uncle's beck and call."

Liu Bei was overjoyed, but remained outwardly calm. He then tentatively asked, "Runan is so close to Xuchang, why don't you two submit to Cao Cao? Cao Cao has been recruiting talented people and gathering heroes from all over the world. You two also have quite a few men under your command. If you surrender, you might be able to be ennobled and appointed as generals, and gain fame and fortune."

Liu Pi scoffed, "Cao Cao's success today is entirely due to his campaign against the Yellow Turbans. Otherwise, where would he have gotten so many soldiers and so many people to help him cultivate the land? Cao Cao certainly has many trusted advisors, but none of them are from our Yellow Turbans. Besides, Cao Cao kills and massacres cities, and bullies the emperor. He is far less benevolent than the Imperial Uncle. The reason we want to join forces with Yuan Shao is that we don't want Cao Cao to continue to grow stronger. Ideally, we could help Yuan Shao defeat Cao Cao."

Cao Cao rose to power step by step by suppressing the Yellow Turbans, so Liu Pi and other Yellow Turbans had no goodwill towards him.

Gong Du also spoke up, "Uncle, to be frank, we're tired of this bandit life and have long wanted a legitimate identity. Despite being in Runan for so long, we've never harmed the Yuan family there, and we've always tried our best to restrain our men from harassing or harming the local people." Liu Bei nodded and said, "You have the heart to abandon darkness and embrace the light, which is excellent. Listen to me, rather than joining forces with Yuan Shao, I will lead you to submit to His Majesty and serve the court from now on."

"Serve His Majesty? But isn't Cao Cao in charge of the court now?" Liu Pi and Gong Du both stared wide-eyed in confusion.

Liu Bei shook his head and said, "Actually, His Majesty already has enough power to protect himself. With your addition, it won't be long before His Majesty can take back power from Cao Cao. At that time, you two will be meritorious officials who restore order and support the Han Dynasty. His Majesty will definitely reward you handsomely. Isn't this much better than relying on Yuan Shao?"

Liu Pi and Gong Du were completely persuaded by Liu Bei. They gritted their teeth and said in unison, "Alright, we'll do as the Imperial Uncle says!"

Liu Bei was very patient and did not immediately incorporate Liu Pi and Gong Du's troops. They remained under their own command. Liu Bei's main focus was on appeasing the 30,000 troops that he had tricked from Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei had not publicly announced Yuan Shao's death, but secrets don't stay hidden forever, and soon Liu Pi received the news.

On this day, he took the initiative to find Liu Bei and asked, "Uncle, I just received news that Yuan Shao is dead. He was killed by your second brother, Guan Yu."

Now that Liu Pi and Gong have both submitted to him, Liu Bei sighed and said, "This is a long story. It's not that I'm unwilling to tell you the truth, but everything I've done has been done on His Majesty's secret orders. My two brothers and I were ordered by His Majesty to stay by Yuan Shao's side..."

After hearing this, Liu Pi did not feel much sadness about Yuan Shao's death.

On the contrary, they admired Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei's loyalty and righteousness even more.

The reason they wanted to join forces with Yuan Shao was simply because they didn't want Cao Cao to win; they simply didn't have any goodwill towards Cao Cao.

Now that Yuan Shao is dead, and they have chosen to follow Liu Bei, it is equivalent to siding with the emperor. Liu Pi and Gong Du are very happy with this outcome.

For these outlaws who gathered in the mountains and forests, following the emperor and receiving rewards from the court was a very prestigious thing.

Liu Pi nodded and said, "Oh, I see. The loyalty of the three Imperial Uncle brothers is something we greatly admire. Actually, we only wanted to join forces with Yuan Shao before because we had no other way out. We could only choose one between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Now, of course we are willing to follow the Imperial Uncle and serve His Majesty together."

Gong Du quickly chimed in, "That's right, we are willing to follow our Imperial Uncle."

With the support of Liu Pi and Gong Du, Liu Bei used them to appease the 30,000 Yuan soldiers, and the effect was immediate.

Liu Bei gathered everyone together and said, "Yuan Shao is now dead, Cao Cao is leading his army to pursue the defeated Yuan army, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang have also fled back to Ye City."

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do; many were at a loss for what to do.

They were all soldiers from Hebei. When they arrived, Yuan Shao was still doing well, but now, everything has changed.

This has left everyone confused about what to do next.

Liu Bei and the others had all shown their emotions, so he waved his hand to signal them to calm down.

Liu Bei looked around at everyone, his voice as kind and charming as ever, "I know you all come from Hebei, and your families are all in Hebei. Now you must really want to go back, to return to Hebei, to return to your homes."

"But I must tell you, it's best not to do that, because even if I let you go back now, you will be hunted down by Cao Cao. Many of you may lose your lives. Even if you become prisoners of war and survive, you will not have the chance to return to your families. You will be held captive and placed under Cao Cao's command."

"This……"

Everyone was a bit stunned; they hadn't expected things to turn out so badly.

They came as soldiers, but when they left, they were either killed or became prisoners of war.

Liu Bei said loudly again, "Only by following His Majesty can we survive and have the opportunity to return to Hebei to see our families in the future, so that we can go back legitimately."

Liu Pi stepped forward at the opportune moment and said, "That's right, this is the current Imperial Uncle Liu, General of the Left, Governor of Yu Province. You are all familiar with him. Following Imperial Uncle Liu and following His Majesty is your way out."

Do you know who killed Yuan Shao?

Zhang Fei stepped forward and said smugly, "Yuan Shao was killed by my second brother Guan Yu. We are neither Yuan Shao's men nor Cao Cao's men; we are His Majesty's men."

“By following His Majesty, all of you can achieve merit and have the opportunity to go home and see your families. But if you don’t do this, even if Cao Cao lets you go back, he will not let you go.”

Zhang Fei had a loud voice, and his words, a combination of coaxing and intimidation, made these Yuan soldiers give up their idea of ​​leaving.

No one will avenge Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao is dead, so who cares about these ordinary soldiers?

Whether it was winning over Liu Pi and Gong Du, or co-opting the 30,000 Yuan soldiers, Liu used the emperor's name in everything he did.

The emperor's name still works quite well.

Liu Bei ultimately did not step forward and say, "Whoever wants to leave, may leave."

Because Liu Bei didn't want them to leave.

First, he needed these men, even if their loyalty to Liu Bei was limited. They were still 30,000 men, a force that no one could underestimate.

These 30,000 men greatly boosted Liu Bei's confidence.

With at least 30,000 men, Cao Cao would absolutely not dare to touch him at this stage.

In addition, for the sake of secrecy, Cao Cao still does not know that Liu Bei has come to Runan. If he lets everyone leave, even if only a small part leaves, the news that Liu Bei is in Runan will soon be leaked.

Liu Bei continued to appease the people, train his soldiers, and reorganize his troops. With his own territory and army, Liu Bei's mood improved day by day.

After receiving Guo Jia's reminder, Xiahou Dun immediately became alert. He strengthened the city's defenses and strictly checked suspicious persons entering and leaving, while also sending out scouts to gather information about Liu Bei.

Xiahou Dun was extremely cautious, fearing that Liu Bei might suddenly appear outside Xuchang.

Liu Biao promptly informed Jia Xu of Xiahou Dun's every move.

Jia Xu laughed dismissively after hearing this, "Oh? Is that so? Xiahou Dun has been checking day and night and tightening the defenses? What he's doing is completely ineffective, but it has saved us a lot of trouble."

(End of this chapter)