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

Chapter 232, Liu Xie's Proposal
Jia Xu continued, "Cao Cao has no other choice but to become the governor of Ji Province and set his sights on Hebei. Now that Yu Province is completely under Your Majesty's control, Yan Province has been divided, greatly weakening Cao Cao's power. As long as the time is right, Your Majesty can free up his hands to take over Xu Province."

Liu Xie laughed and said, "In that case, I should thank Ju Shou properly. Thanks to him, he helped me come up with such a brilliant plan."

Zhao Yun couldn't help but ask, "Then why not just have Cao Cao cede Yan Province? Wouldn't that be more beneficial to His Majesty?"

Jia Xu hurriedly shook his head, "That won't do. Yanzhou is where Cao Cao rose to power and is his foundation. Your Majesty's relationship with Cao Cao is very tense right now. We can't make too high a demand, lest we completely provoke Cao Cao."

"Cao Cao's current forces are mainly concentrated in Yanzhou. He is training and building up his strength in Yanzhou, ready to advance into Hebei at any time. If Yanzhou were to fall to Your Majesty, Cao Cao would probably have nowhere to train his troops. Would he be willing to do that?"

Liu Xie nodded approvingly, saying, "One must eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time."

It's already quite impressive that we were able to easily acquire Yuzhou through negotiations.

If you have too big an appetite, you will suffer from indigestion!
Thinking of this, Liu Xie said, "Shouldn't someone around Cao Cao be able to see this? Ju Shou's plan should not be able to hide it from Guo Jia."

Jia Xu laughed, "Even if someone can see this, so what? Cao Cao will turn his attention to Hebei no matter what. Because Hebei is large enough, has enough soldiers, and can connect the surrounding territories as much as possible."

"Don't be fooled by Cao Cao's current position as Chancellor. No matter how much power he has, it's not as practical as having territory. Yanzhou and Xuzhou are too small for Cao Cao's ambitions. Only by becoming the Governor of Jizhou can he rightfully take control of Hebei and then bring the surrounding prefectures and counties under his control. This includes not only Yuan Shao's original territory, but also Hedong, Henan, Guanzhong, Sili and other places, which can be connected into one."

Liu Xie had indeed not expected this.

Archimedes once said: "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

Cao Cao's purpose in becoming the governor of Ji Province was to use it as a foothold to connect the Central Plains with Guanzhong and other areas, thereby vying for control of the Central Plains and confronting Liu Xie.

Zhao Yun was also taken aback. "Thanks to your reminder, sir. I never imagined that Cao Cao had such a far-reaching plan."

Jia Xu said, "Therefore, compared to that, Cao Cao has nothing to be reluctant about losing Xuzhou, even though it will be divided by Yuzhou."

"Of course, this is just Cao Cao's long-term plan, but we will not stand still. If Your Majesty can conquer Qingzhou and then subdue Xuzhou, connecting Qingzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou together, our strength will not be underestimated. Besides, no matter how much territory Cao Cao gains, doesn't it still nominally belong to Your Majesty?"

Liu Xie laughed, "That's right, let Cao Cao continue to expand my territory. I will gladly accept all the land he has built sooner or later."

It was much easier for Liu Xie to have Cao Cao help him conquer the country than to have to fight for it bit by bit on his own.

Let Cao Cao fight first, and then Liu Xie can take it from Cao Cao. Wouldn't that work?

After returning to the palace and having dinner with Fu Shou and the others, Liu Xie got up and went to the secret room.

Jia Xu became the magistrate of Xudu and had already left the secret chamber, but Liu Biao and his men were still there.

Liu Biao was sparring with several of his men when a burly man rushed in excitedly, grinning as he ran, "Chief, His Majesty has arrived!"

"Really?"

Liu Biao dodged a flying kick from one of his brothers, turned around and asked with a smile.

"Of course, they're already heading this way."

Liu Biao hurriedly waved to everyone and shouted, "His Majesty has arrived! Stop what you're doing and come with me to greet him."

When Liu Xie entered the secret room, he saw that everyone, led by Liu Biao, had knelt on the ground in unison, their movements synchronized, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Liu Biao led the way, shouting, "We respectfully welcome Your Majesty's arrival!"

Liu Xie hurriedly reached out to help Liu Biao up and said to everyone, "Get up, everyone, please get up quickly."

Liu Xie walked up to each of them and patted them on the shoulder with a smile.

"What about the rest?"

After meeting everyone, many familiar faces were missing.

Liu Biao replied, "There are a hundred people standing guard in the secret passage, and dozens more patrolling outside, making a total of more than two hundred people."

Liu Xie remained silent for a while, his tone somewhat heavy.

"When I left last time, there were more than three hundred brothers here."

Liu Biao did not answer, and everyone silently lowered their heads.

Liu Xie waved behind him, and Zhao Yun, just like last time, brought a lot of good wine.

Liu Xie looked at everyone, his voice trembling slightly, "To be honest, many of you are still commoners, and you have no official title while following me. Back then, you all stayed in Xudu to help me without any complaints, relying solely on your passion. I am truly grateful to you."

Liu Biao replied generously, "Your Majesty, you are being too polite. We would even draw our swords to help a stranger in distress. Your Majesty is a wise and virtuous ruler. With the country in peril and powerful ministers in power, how can we stand idly by?"

When Liu Xie first recruited these people, he didn't have high hopes. He only recruited a few people at first, but soon Liu Biao gathered many like-minded people for him.

Simply because the emperor needed everyone's help, the number of people increased to more than 300 in just a few years.

"Gentlemen, please accept my bow."

Liu Xie adopted the mannerisms of a江湖草莽 (jianghu caomang, a term referring to outlaws or江湖 ...乐莽’s) attitude, clasping his fists and bowing his hands, and then bowing deeply in front

Before coming here, I had so much to say, but after actually meeting everyone, all my words seemed to get stuck in my throat, and I didn't know what to say.

"His Majesty!"

Everyone was deeply moved, and they all shouted in unison, with many people's eyes gradually becoming moist.

Liu Xie could reward the soldiers who made meritorious contributions.

He could assign suitable official positions to people like Chen Gong and Ju Shou, giving them opportunities to demonstrate their talents.

But wandering knights like Liu Biao stumped Liu Xie.

It wouldn't be appropriate to recruit them and incorporate them into a team for unified command.

Everyone is used to being free and unrestrained. These people didn't come here to join the army. Making them train all day and turn them directly into regular soldiers will inevitably cause resistance in many people.

Many of them are illiterate and unsuitable for official positions.

These past two days, Liu Xie may have seemed quite relaxed, wandering around aimlessly, but his mind has been quite active.

Whenever he went out, he hoped to clear his mind and generate good ideas to solve difficult problems. After the wine was laid out, Liu Xie took the lead and raised a bowl of wine, saying, "This first bowl of wine is to those righteous men who died, to those brothers who died."

The term "brother," spoken by the emperor, instinctively evoked a sense of warmth and intimacy in everyone.

Liu Biao also picked up a bowl of wine and shouted excitedly, "A toast to our fallen brothers!"

Everyone followed suit, and dozens of strong men picked up their wine bowls.

Then everyone followed Liu Xie in a moment of silence to pay their respects, and then forcefully poured the wine on the ground.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy. Liu Xie's face was solemn as he tried his best to recall the faces he had seen before, even though he had only met many of them once.

After a long while, Liu Xie finally raised his head again. "Go and call all the guards and patrolmen outside. Ever since we had a good drink together last time, I've been looking forward to drinking with you all again."

Liu Biao burst into laughter, "Your Majesty, we've all been looking forward to this day."

Liu Biao casually instructed a man beside him, "Hey... Wang Meng, go and call everyone over."

The man who was called Wang Meng hurriedly agreed and ran out excitedly.

Upon hearing that His Majesty had arrived, everyone was overjoyed, and soon, people rushed over.

Liu Xie sat with these people, feeling relaxed and at ease. After a while, he said, "Later, Hongyun Restaurant will send someone to deliver the dishes. To be honest, I've been wanting to come over as soon as possible, but actually, there's something that's been troubling me."

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? If there's anything difficult, please just tell us."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please give the order. Whether it's going through fire or water, we brothers will not hesitate."

The men began to speak, some already clenching their fists, "Has anyone dared to offend His Majesty? His Majesty only needs to give the order, and we'll kill that person for you immediately."

Seeing that everyone had misunderstood, Liu Xie hurriedly shook his head, "You all misunderstand. What I am worried about is not others, but you."

"Us? What happened to us?" Everyone was stunned.

Asking people to commit murder and arson is fine, but asking them to use their brains is really not their forte; they can't figure it out.

Liu Xie, not wanting to keep everyone in suspense, said, "You have all made great contributions this time. Some of you have followed me for many years. I never show favoritism. Those who make mistakes should be punished, and those who make contributions should be rewarded. But I'm having trouble deciding how to reward you. Today, since we're all gathered here, let's all speak freely and give me some ideas."

Zhao Yun couldn't help but laugh, finding it both amusing and funny.

His Majesty was so troubled by these people's affairs that he actually took the initiative to consult with them.

I don't know how to reward you, so please give me some ideas.

Sure enough, everyone was stunned.

After a moment, Liu Biao spoke up: "Your Majesty, we don't really want anything. We can't be officials, and we have no interest in joining the army. We are already content that Your Majesty can drink with us and treat us so frankly."

"That's right, the leader is right."

"Your Majesty, having drunk with you once is enough for us brothers to brag about for a lifetime."

As more and more people responded in this way, perhaps some of them wanted some reward, but at this point they were too embarrassed to ask.

Liu Xie couldn't help but be moved. Who are the most lovable people? To Liu Xie, these people in front of him were them.

They dislike intrigue and backstabbing;
They don't know how to flatter or fawn over others;

They won't ask you for this or that, or demand any generous rewards;

With just a word and a bowl of wine, they would be willing to risk their lives for you.

But Liu Xie shook his head. “I cannot owe you anything. I will send people to comfort the families of the fallen heroes and do my best to compensate them. You people, tell me what you want. Just say it.”

"His Majesty……"

Liu Biao hesitated for a moment, then said with great difficulty, "Actually, some of my brothers are like me and don't like being constrained. Now that His Majesty has regained power, we believe that His Majesty will be able to stabilize the country and pacify the world in the future. I... I want to leave Xudu."

Liu Biao was not alone in his thinking; these wandering knights valued loyalty and brotherhood above all else, and they also cherished freedom.

Sure enough, after Liu Biao spoke, many people fell silent; they also wanted to leave Xudu.

Liu Xie nodded. "I had already guessed before I came that you have indeed suffered a lot these past few years, leaving your families and homes behind in Xudu. But people are not plants or trees, and I am not a heartless person. I can understand all of this."

"How many people want to leave?" Liu Xie asked, looking at everyone.

Many people stood up one after another, totaling more than fifty people. There were also some people who hesitated, and although they did not stand up, they must have had the idea of ​​leaving.

This scene was somewhat unexpected for Zhao Yun, who had always admired these wandering knights-errant.

Although they were few in number, they were all chivalrous and righteous, willing to risk their lives for the sake of righteousness, which is admirable.

Zhao Yun didn't want them to leave, because once they left, they might never see them again.

Liu Xie stood up. "Those who wish to leave, I will not force you. I allow you to leave."

Zhao Yun was even more puzzled. Why did His Majesty agree so readily without even trying to persuade him to stay?
But Liu Xie paused slightly before saying, "I have a suggestion, and you may all listen to it."

Liu Biao said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

Liu Xie said, "If you wish to return to your homeland in the future, then go back to your homeland. If you wish to make the world your home, I will not stop you. But I hope that you can continue to serve me in the future, and that one day, when I want to see you, we can still sit together."

"Your Majesty, you...?" Liu Biao didn't understand.

Actually, everyone got along well with the emperor and were reluctant to leave, but they were used to being free and easy, and many couldn't stand staying in Xuchang any longer.

A true江湖人 (jianghu person) should roam the jianghu, wielding a sword and making the world their home.

Liu Xie explained, “I want you to join the Dragon Guard and become its peripheral members. You can leave Xudu. In the future, if you encounter injustice, you can still take action as usual. Afterwards, just show your Dragon Guard badge and hand it over to the local government for processing, and you will not be wanted. But the matter must be true. If anyone dares to use the privileges of the Dragon Guard to kill innocent people, they will be hunted down by other Dragon Guards.”

This suggestion immediately caught the attention of many people.

(End of this chapter)