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

Chapter 234, Arrival in Xiangyang

Kuai Yue was tall, composed, and capable, with bright and piercing eyes, and was highly valued by Liu Biao.

When Liu Biao entered Jingzhou alone, he was able to quickly quell the rebellion of the clansmen in Jingzhou, thanks to Kuai Yue's strategy.

Following Kuai Yue's advice, Liu Biao quickly changed his clothes and, with a group of civil and military officials, headed towards the north gate of Xiangyang.

Gan Ning arrived at the North Gate and was about to enter the city when he found that Chen Gong had stopped and was intently examining Xiangyang City.

Gan Ning had no choice but to stop his horse, and all the thousand soldiers behind him stopped as well.

The soldiers were all burly and sharp-eyed, their armor gleaming brightly; they were like tigers and their horses like dragons.

These men all possessed an untamed and fierce spirit, and were all seasoned warriors in the army.

Xiangyang City, like a huge fortress, stands at the confluence of the rivers, with the surging Han River behind it and wide moats flowing on both sides.

The city walls stand tall and majestic, giving one a deep sense of oppression when approached.

Large cities usually have moats outside the city walls, but moats in other places are mostly only a few dozen meters wide, and the water in the moats is usually stagnant.

However, the moat of Xiangyang City, even at its narrowest point, is over 100 meters wide.

In some places, the moat is over 200 meters wide, and the water in the moat is fresh and constantly flowing.

Water was continuously drawn from the Han River, surrounding and protecting the city of Xiangyang!

Chen Gong looked at it for a long time and couldn't help but sigh, praising, "Xiangyang is surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on the other. With such a mighty Han River, such a wide moat, and towering mountains to the south, it's no wonder that it has always been known as a strategic location that military strategists have fought over. It can be described as impregnable and as strong as a fortress. Liu Biao really has a treasure!"

Gan Ning agreed, nodding and saying, "That's right. If we were to lead an army to launch a strong attack, taking Xiangyang would be as difficult as climbing to heaven, unless the city runs out of supplies or the enemy is so frightened that they surrender the city."

People came and went in an endless stream. Although he was still outside the city and had not yet seen the street scenes inside Xiangyang, Chen Gong could still feel the prosperity and liveliness of the place.

Soon, Liu Biao led his men out of the city to greet them and strode towards them.

Gan Ning, riding his horse, looked down at these familiar faces and felt an indescribable joy. He was truly reluctant to dismount.

Seeing that Chen Gong had already dismounted, Gan Ning had no choice but to jump down as well and stride toward Liu Biao.

When Liu Biao saw Gan Ning, he noticed that Gan Ning had a copper bell hanging from his waist and bright feathers in his hair. The soldiers behind him were all dressed the same, and even the necks of their warhorses were wrapped with bright silk brocade.

Dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, they seem to have no concept of modesty; this is hardly the demeanor of a soldier.

The muscles at the corners of Liu Biao's mouth twitched visibly.

Liu Biao didn't particularly like military men, and Gan Ning was so flamboyant, so it's no wonder that he never took Gan Ning seriously when Gan Ning was by his side in the early years.

Gan Ning was still as flamboyant as ever, and Liu Biao suddenly felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped.

The emperor entrusted Liu Biao with important responsibilities even though Liu Biao himself did not use them, which was tantamount to slapping Liu Biao in the face.

This shows that Liu Biao was blind to talent, unable to recognize and utilize people effectively.

This also shows that Gan Ning is a talented person, and a very talented one at that! Otherwise, he would not have been appointed as the governor of Xiangyang.

"Liu Jingzhou, it's been two years since we last met. How have you been?" Gan Ning cupped his hands in a clasped gesture, offering a lukewarm greeting.

Liu Biao nodded reluctantly.

Cai Mao, somewhat unconvinced, couldn't help but say, "Gan Ning, you say you were ordered to serve as the Prefect of Xiangyang. May I ask what the imperial decree was? What was the appointment?"

Kuai Yue shook his head in disappointment. Cai Mao was too petty. Was there any need to doubt such a thing?

Gan Ning glanced at Cai Mao and sneered disdainfully, "Is there anyone in this world who dares to impersonate His Majesty's decree? Who dares to forge His Majesty's appointment?"

Cai Mao was annoyed by Gan Ning's retort, gritted his teeth, glared, and looked furious.

Gan Ning stopped looking at him, clasped his hands together, and said loudly to the surrounding people: "I am Gan Ning. I have come to Xiangyang to take up my post by order of the current emperor. The current emperor is working hard to govern the country and is determined to bring peace to the world. Now that the two traitors Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao have been executed, the peace of the world is just around the corner."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Biao felt a mix of emotions, and his expression kept changing.

Gan Ning praising the emperor in public was nothing unusual, but following Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao was also branded as a traitor. Liu Biao could hardly imagine what this meant.

He saw in this the emperor's determination and courage to govern diligently and fear no powerful enemy.

Kuai Yue remained silent, his brows furrowing.

Labeling Yuan Shao a traitor was definitely not Cao Cao's idea; he would never have dared to do so, as it would have offended those forces that were allied with the Yuan family.

The Yuan family was deeply entrenched, with disciples and former officials all over the country. If the Yuan brothers were all labeled as traitors, it would likely cause widespread discontent.

But Kuai Yue also saw another deeper meaning in this: if the emperor was not afraid of the Yuan family, what would his former students and officials think?

Many people will inevitably be terrified and anxious, and will be eager to sever ties with Yuan Shikai.

In the past, being a disciple of the Yuan family was something to be proud of and honored about, but in the future, it may be something to be ashamed of and take as a warning.

Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. While the court's declaration that Yuan Shikai was a traitor offended many people, it also deterred even more, and may even have led many to join the emperor's camp.

The strategist Pang Ji looked at Gan Ning with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Gan Ning then addressed the onlookers, saying, “Fellow villagers, I have come here on His Majesty’s orders. Many of you may recognize me, which is even better. If you ever encounter any injustices or suffer any grievances, feel free to come to me.”

Gan Ning waved his hand behind him, and several soldiers walked over, each carrying a brightly colored stick.

Kuai Yue recognized it at a glance: the stick had five colors: red, yellow, green, white, and black—it was a five-colored stick.

Kuai Yue, Cai Mao, and Cao Cao had all stayed in Luoyang and were quite familiar with each other. When Cao Cao served as the Northern Commandant of Luoyang, he used a five-colored stick to beat Jian Shuo's uncle.

Upon seeing the five-colored staff, the officials of Jingzhou all changed their expressions drastically, and some even broke out in a sweat.

Chen Gong quietly observed the ridiculous expressions on these people's faces, and in his heart he had to admit that Gan Ning was indeed incredibly brave and full of tricks.

He had already prepared the five-colored sticks halfway there.

Gan Ning said loudly, “If you have any grievances in the future, please come to me. Although Liu Jingzhou is benevolent and virtuous and has governed Jingzhou very well, and His Majesty has praised him a lot, Liu Jingzhou is bound to have some oversights. In the future, no matter what happens, please come to me to complain and seek justice. I am here on behalf of the court.”

The implication was that there was nothing Gan Ning couldn't handle, and even if there were, he had the imperial court behind him.

"Well said!" Gan Ning's impassioned words drew cheers and applause from many.

With someone taking the lead, more and more people cheered.

The common people think very simply. They naturally assume that Jingzhou belongs to the imperial court, and that the court sends officials to serve as their representatives and uphold justice for the people. Therefore, everyone welcomes them with open arms.

Cai Mao's cheeks puffed up with anger, and Liu Biao's face was full of worry. He had even brought the five-colored rod. What exactly was Gan Ning going to do?
Is he serious?

Seeing that Liu Biao and the others' expressions were getting increasingly grim, Chen Gong quickly gave Gan Ning a wink, reminding him that that was enough, otherwise Liu Biao and his men wouldn't be able to take it anymore.

Gan Ning turned around, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Liu Biao, and said politely with a smile, "Thank you for coming to greet me, Governor Liu. I think it's getting late, let's go into the city now."

Liu Biao nodded; he didn't want to stand there any longer.

After entering the city, there were still many onlookers. Liu Biao originally wanted to take Gan Ning to his residence, but Gan Ning declined.

Gan Ning took out the imperial edict and handed it to Liu Biao for him to look at. He then deliberately glanced at Cai Mao and said, "Please have Liu Jingzhou review it, lest anyone spread rumors and suspect me of deception. I have come here on the Emperor's orders, and I thank Liu Jingzhou for his hospitality. I must return to the prefectural governor's office to immediately hand over my duties to the former governor. I dare not delay any longer, as His Majesty has already urged me to do so. I dare not be negligent for even a moment."

Seeing that Liu Biao did not speak, Gan Ning asked, "Prefect Liu, we are all Han subjects, and it is only right that we eat the emperor's food and share his burdens. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Liu Biao nodded awkwardly, "That's right."

Gan Ning smiled and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer. Although the Prefect is not as busy as Liu Jingzhou, he still has many things to do, big and small. I am a rough man and cannot compare with you all in terms of intelligence, so I will have to spend more time on this. Otherwise, I will fail His Majesty's high expectations. Farewell!"

Gan Ning turned and left, heading to the prefectural governor's residence.

No sooner had he left than Liu Biao's side was in an uproar.

Cai Mao pointed at Gan Ning's back and complained loudly, "My lord, did you see that? Gan Ning doesn't take us seriously at all. If we don't teach him a lesson, he won't know who's in charge here."

Liu Biao glanced at Cai Mao and shook his head helplessly. "You make it sound so easy. He came on the emperor's orders. This matter is not so simple."

Liu Biao was well-read and always acted with prudence.

Unlike Cai Mao, who acted on a whim and often did things without thinking, he was not like Cai Mao.

Seeing that Liu Biao remained unmoved, Cai Mao flung his sleeves and stormed off in a huff.

Liu Biao ignored Cai Mao's departure and turned to his advisors, asking, "What do you all think about this matter?"

Kuai Yue, who had been deep in thought, spoke up at this moment: "In my opinion, we should first find out His Majesty's true intention in sending Gan Ning to Jingzhou."

Pang Ji chimed in, "Isn't that simple? The court wants to send its own people to take over Jingzhou, and Gan Ning is just a vanguard. If we don't stop them, the court will send people to take over Nanjun, Jiangxia, and other places as well."

Kuai Yue paced back and forth in the room a few times, and said in a calm tone, "Otherwise, I think His Majesty is giving us a warning, as a form of punishment. The purpose of this punishment is to make our lord take the initiative to admit his mistakes and apologize to the court."

Liu Biao was already feeling guilty, and he knew very well where he had gone wrong.

During the Battle of Guandu, one side was the imperial court led by Cao Cao, and the other side was Yuan Shao of Hebei. However, when the imperial court needed his help, Liu Biao chose to remain a bystander.

Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty!

No matter the circumstances, Liu Biao is still to blame for this matter.

Although Gan Ning only brought a thousand men, while Liu Biao had tens of thousands of troops, Liu Biao was at a loss and dared not attack Gan Ning.

Gan Ning was like a sharp blade, mercilessly piercing Liu Biao's heart, causing him sleepless nights and making the civil and military officials of Jingzhou tremble with fear.

After a while, someone ran in.

"My lord, Gan Ning has set up five-colored sticks and a large drum in front of the prefect's mansion, intending to have the people of Xiangyang beat the drum to appeal for justice."

"what?"

No one expected Gan Ning to act so quickly. He had just arrived in Xiangyang and entered the city, probably without even having a sip of water, and was already starting his work.

That's incredibly efficient!

…………

Turning our attention back to Xuchang, Cao Cao was furious all night after executing Man Chong.

Although it was Zhang Fei who said it, Cao Cao still held Liu Bei accountable without any hesitation.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were one entity, since Liu Bei was their eldest brother.

Whether it was Zhang Fei or Guan Yu who offended Cao Cao, in the end, it all comes down to Liu Bei, without a doubt.

Despite his anger, Cao Cao gradually realized after calming down in the middle of the night that he needed to appease his followers as soon as possible.

The simplest and most effective method now is to bestow rewards.

Only in this way can one win people's hearts and minds, and make them willing to continue to follow and support one.

Therefore, at the morning court the next day, Cao Cao immediately said, "Your Majesty, I recommend that Mao Jie be appointed as the Prefect of Hanoi, Xiahou Dun as the Governor of Yanzhou, Xu Yi as the Assistant Governor of Yanzhou, Wei Ji as the Chief Administrator of Yanzhou, and Sima Lang as the Governor of Henan..."

Cao Cao had just become the prime minister, and he immediately made his mark with the new broom sweeping clean.

Some of the important and capable people who remained in Xudu were selected and sent to serve as powerful regional officials.

Cao Cao didn't hide anything; he made his stance clear directly, intending to use this opportunity to tell everyone.

These are my people. If you follow me, you will never be treated unfairly.

In an instant, Dong Zhao and the others straightened their chests and looked at Cao Cao with unanimous eyes. Cao Cao's return to Xuchang gave them confidence and motivation.

Liu Xie remained silent, watching quietly as his gaze swept over each of the people Cao Cao had mentioned.

Any one of the people Cao Cao mentioned was a prominent figure, capable enough to serve as a prefect or governor.

Dong Cheng was the first to step forward, staring wide-eyed, and addressed Cao Cao by his given name.

"Cao Cao, what are you trying to do? Many of the people you just mentioned are serving in the Imperial Secretariat. Aren't you afraid of causing controversy by suddenly transferring so many people? Could it be that you intend to establish a separate court?"

(End of this chapter)