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

Chapter 286, Let the Battle of Red Cliffs Break Out Ahead of Schedule
As soon as Chen Gong finished speaking, Lü Bu stood up, equally indignant. "Your Majesty, Liu Bei is two-faced. He appears honest and kind, but in reality, he is treacherous. Your Majesty has been so tolerant, yet Liu Bei still harbors illusions and intends to deceive us. It is truly chilling!"

Zhao Yun stood quietly behind Liu Xie, just as always.

The statements from Chen Gong and Lü Bu made Zhao Yun tremble, and his emotions became somewhat agitated.

But Zhao Yun knew that this was not the fault of Lü Bu and Chen Gong; this time, Liu Bei really shouldn't have hidden anything.

Ju Shou remained silent, and even calmly picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip.

Liu Xie remained calm. He waved his hand, looked at Lü Bu and Chen Gong, and said with a smile, "Alright, you two don't need to be so agitated. No one is perfect. I'm afraid anyone else would have done the same. After all, Liu Biao and Liu Qi are both members of the Han imperial family. The crime of killing a member of the imperial family is too great for anyone to bear."

"Your Majesty, you actually want to speak up for Liu Bei? Could it be that you intend to forgive him?"

Lu Bu found it hard to understand, staring wide-eyed at the emperor with a puzzled expression.

Liu Xie countered, "Do we really want to force Liu Bei into a corner, making him completely stand against the court? Wouldn't that just fulfill Sun Quan's wishes?"

Immediately, Liu Xie stood up and said, "Let's put an end to your doubts about Liu Bei. Sometimes, the truth isn't that important. What I value most is that the world can be at peace as soon as possible!"

Chen Gong and Lü Bu exchanged a glance and both sighed helplessly.

Since the emperor had spoken, they had no choice but to accept it.

Lu Bu gritted his teeth, still seething with anger, thinking to himself, "Liu Bei, you're really lucky this time. His Majesty is being so lenient with you."

Ju Shou glanced at Liu Xie, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

The emperor's choice to forgive Liu Bei and not hold it against him not only showed Ju Shou the emperor's extraordinary magnanimity but also impressed him with his skillful tactics.

Liu Bei is now restless and unable to eat or sleep. He has been burdened with such a heavy reputation and has become a frightened bird. At this time, if we continue to dig deeper and pursue the truth, we will only drive Liu Bei to a dead end.

With Liu Biao and Liu Qi dead, the most important thing is how to appease Liu Bei and how to move the situation in a positive direction.

If the emperor could tolerate Cao Cao, he could naturally tolerate Liu Bei as well.

Liu Xie beckoned outside, signaling for someone to bring him pen and ink; he wanted to write a reply to Liu Bei.

"Your Majesty," Ju Shou spoke up.

"Gongyu, speak your mind." Liu Xie nodded to him.

"Since His Majesty is magnanimous and does not want to pursue Liu Bei's responsibility, we can take advantage of this and make Liu Bei an inside agent for the court to cooperate with us in dealing with Sun Quan."

Ju Shou's suggestion instantly sparked Liu Xie's interest, and he immediately thought of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

He not only had to deal with Sun Quan, but also with Cao Cao.

In the Battle of Red Cliffs, Sun Quan and Liu Bei formed an alliance to fight against Cao Cao, staging a remarkable comeback and thus contributing to the tripartite balance of power among the Three Kingdoms.

Now that Liu Bei has gone to Jiangdong, we might as well make good use of him.

Liu Xie quickly finished writing the letter. Then he picked up the letter that Jia Xu had sent and read it. He then had everyone read it, and everyone was very angry after reading it.

Lu Bu gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "This is outrageous! I never imagined that Cao Cao would still be so persistent. This matter cannot be left like this. Xun You should be executed immediately, and then Cao Cao should be arrested and brought to justice."

Chen Gong was also very dissatisfied with Cao Cao. "Your Majesty, it is obvious that Xun You was acting on Cao Cao's orders. Cao Cao first provoked trouble in Jingzhou without authorization, and then, taking advantage of Your Majesty's absence, sent people to plot the seizure of Xuchang. For these two things alone, Cao Cao is guilty of a capital offense!"

Liu Xie nodded. "Gongtai is right. Cao Cao deserves to die. Objectively speaking, he should be arrested and punished immediately. Xun You should not be spared either."

Liu Xie did not want to blindly favor Cao Cao, because doing so would alienate people.

Ju Shou was also stunned, looking at the emperor with puzzlement. Why had the emperor changed today, no longer showing favoritism towards Cao Cao?

But then Liu Xie countered, "If I were to arrest Cao Cao and punish him, would that really be appropriate? Even if Cao Cao doesn't resist and willingly accepts punishment, for so many years, in the eyes of the people, Cao Cao has been the pillar of the Han Dynasty. If I were to arrest and kill Cao Cao like this, what would the people think? Besides, would Cao Cao willingly confess his crimes?"

"Your Majesty, we can't just let this go like this, can we?"

Lu Bu was greatly dissatisfied. "Your Majesty has tolerated and forgiven him time and time again, yet Cao Cao still shows no remorse. Surely there must be a limit to Your Majesty's concessions?"

Fairness is essential in life and work. Liu Xie knew that he had been too lenient with Cao Cao. To be honest, given what Cao Cao had done, killing him ten times over wouldn't have been excessive.

Liu Xie took a few steps in the room, then suddenly stopped, looked around at everyone, and said, "This time, I intend to teach Cao Cao a lesson. It's time to give him a good warning."

"What does His Majesty mean?" Everyone was puzzled, and Chen Gong asked curiously.

Liu Xie said, enunciating each word clearly, "I will order Cao Cao to advance into Jiangdong!"

Chen Gong said, "Your Majesty, Cao Cao has just occupied Jingzhou and his morale is high. Your Majesty should keep him under control. Why let him advance into Jiangdong? Once Cao Cao takes Jiangdong, won't he become even more arrogant and domineering, and not take Your Majesty seriously?"

Ju Shou, however, guessed the emperor's intention: "Your Majesty wants Liu Bei and Sun Quan to join forces to block Cao Cao and dampen his momentum?"

Chen Gong suddenly realized, "Now that Liu Bei has gone to Jiangdong, if things are planned properly, it is not impossible."

Lu Bu sighed, "It's not that I look down on Sun Quan, but can those people in Jiangdong really stop Cao Cao?"

Liu Xie did not explain, but his eyes revealed a rare cold glint. "Over the years, I have repeatedly indulged Cao Cao. Cheng Yu, Man Chong, Cao Chun, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan... so many people have died, yet Cao Cao still does not know how to restrain himself."

Liu Xie wanted to teach Cao Cao a lesson, and he thought of Liu Bei and Sun Quan, so he decided to bring forward the Battle of Red Cliffs.

As for whether there will be casualties, that is inevitable, because Liu Xie himself is indeed inconvenient to take action against Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, what do you intend to do with Xun You?"

Faced with Ju Shou's question, Liu Xie sighed helplessly. Xun You had, after all, led troops to Xudu, and no matter the outcome, the impact of this matter was extremely negative.

To be honest, Liu Xie was not a soft-hearted person; he had considered killing Xun You.

Ju Shou guessed the emperor's thoughts from the expression on his face and said, "Your Majesty could actually make an exception and let Xun You return to Cao Cao's side." Chen Gong was anxious, "Gongyu, Xun You led troops to cause trouble in Xuchang, which is a capital offense. Even the extermination of nine generations of his family would not be excessive."

Liu Xie valued many members of the Xun family highly, and if the execution of nine generations of their families were to occur, Xun Yu, Xun Yue, and others would not escape punishment.

Ju Shou explained, “Gongtai, please calm down. Cao Cao is inherently suspicious. Imagine if His Majesty released Xun You and allowed him to return to Cao Cao's side. How would Cao Cao react? He would be restless and unable to eat or sleep. Whether he uses Xun You or not, it would be a very troublesome matter. If he uses him, Cao Cao will be uneasy; if he doesn't use him, everyone will see it and feel disheartened by Cao Cao's neglect of Xun You. As for the matter in Xuchang, His Majesty could have easily minimized the damage because Xun You stopped in time, preventing any serious consequences.”

“Xun You did cause trouble in Xudu after all. Not pursuing him and even letting him go is too frivolous.” Although Ju Shou’s words made a lot of sense, Chen Gong still couldn’t accept it.

Liu Xie thought about it seriously and said, "Gongtai and Gongyu, you each have your own reasons. Let me handle this matter personally."

Liu Xie replied to Jia Xu with a letter. Just as the letter was sent, someone reported that Hua Xin requested an audience.

Liu Xie waved his hand, and Hua Xin hurriedly walked in from outside.

Hua Xin was travel-worn and looked extremely disheveled.

The north was covered in ice and snow, and the weather was exceptionally cold. Although he had tidied himself up before coming in, Liu Xie could still see a lot of ice and snow on Hua Xin's body.

This time, Liu Xie put him in charge of logistics, responsible for transporting provisions to the front lines. For a civil official like Hua Xin, this kind of arduous task was indeed very difficult to handle.

Tired, cold, worried, and exhausted, Hua Xin didn't dare to complain at all.

He knew that the emperor didn't like him much, so he did his best and was very diligent in whatever tasks were assigned to him.

"Your Majesty, Xue Ti and the others are trapped on White Wolf Mountain. General Zhang He specifically sent me back to report to Your Majesty."

Liu Xie glanced in the direction of White Wolf Mountain and said, "They were already trapped when you arrived. Many days have passed since then. The general offensive should have begun by now, right?"

Hua Xin shook her head. "General Zhang He is very calm. He probably won't make a move too soon."

Hua Xin mustered her courage and glanced at the emperor. Seeing that the emperor was not surprised, Hua Xin secretly felt a chill for Xue Ti and his people.

If Hua Xin knew that the emperor had once turned a blind eye to Cao Cao's siege at Wuchao, she wouldn't find it unbelievable.

Xue Ti was one of Cao Cao's men, and given Cao Cao's recent unruly behavior, how could Liu Xie possibly be lenient with them?

……

Xue Ti has been trapped on the mountain for fifteen days. His soldiers are suffering from hunger and cold, and their situation is extremely difficult. Sometimes they can only eat a few mouthfuls of snow to fill their stomachs.

Although Zhang Liao organized some skilled archers to hunt in the mountains, there were far too many hunters and not enough game to go around, and even the warhorses were almost all killed.

Tadun's repeated attacks were thwarted, but fortunately, the area was now completely surrounded. In Tadun's view, these people on the mountain would die here sooner or later.

The cold wind howled, and Zhang Liao checked around as usual before heading up the mountain. He grabbed a handful of snow along the way and, without thinking, stuffed it into his mouth.

Xue Ti lay stiffly on the straw mat, covered with an animal skin. He no longer had the strength to sit up.

Hearing footsteps, Xue Ti opened his eyes. As Zhang Liao stepped in, a gust of cold wind whistled into the tent.

"Wen Yuan, is there still no news about reinforcements?" Xue Ti would ask this every time he saw Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao shook his head; he couldn't even remember how many times he had answered that question.

Following closely behind, Li Dian also stepped in. Li Dian had a fiery temper and a loud voice. He said angrily, "I don't think reinforcements will come. His Majesty has clearly given up on us and wants to use the Wuhuan people to get rid of us."

Xue Ti sighed helplessly. Although he didn't want to believe it was true, the facts were right in front of him. Half a month had passed, and he no longer dared to harbor any illusions.

Zhang Liao didn't say a word, remaining as calm as ever.

After a long while, Xue Ti asked Zhang Liao, "Wen Yuan, why aren't you saying anything?... Do you still believe that reinforcements will appear?"

Zhang Liao nodded. "I believe reinforcements will definitely come!"

"Why are you still so certain even now?"

Zhang Liao countered, "The soldiers are watching us. If even we don't believe them, what's the point?"

Zhang He precisely controlled the marching speed, neither too fast nor too slow, and silently completed the encirclement of Tadun's troops from the outside.

Tadun's attention was all on the mountain, focused on Xue Ti and his men. Sima Yi led his men to lie in ambush at the foot of White Wolf Mountain, reporting the situation to Zhang He at any time.

That night, Zhang He summoned Tian Yu, Yan Rou, and others and announced, "We have completed the encirclement. We will launch our attack at midnight tonight and annihilate Tadun's forces!"

Tian Yu and Yan Rou's eyes lit up. Tian Yu was a former subordinate of Gongsun Zan, and Yan Rou was a former subordinate of Yuan Shao. Since their surrender, they had not had a chance to show their abilities. They were both holding back their anger and wanted to make a good impression. Finally, their opportunity had arrived.

As night fell, Tadun's tent, as usual, was filled with revelry, with bursts of laughter from men and women frequently emanating from it.

Tadun sent men to seize several attractive women from the vicinity for his enjoyment. As the leader of the Wuhuan, he was always domineering and acted as he pleased. Even when he openly played with women in the military camp, the soldiers could only envy him and could not say anything.

It was freezing cold, and apart from those on night watch, everyone else went back to their tents to sleep early. In such freezing weather, there was nothing else for anyone to do but sleep.

Tian Yu and Yan Rou each led a team and quietly made their way to the foot of the mountain.

With a whoosh, a Wuhuan man on the outer perimeter fell straight down, his throat pierced by an arrow, dying instantly without even letting out a scream before he died.

Whoosh whoosh!
Tian Yu led his men to quickly approach, and cold arrows were mercilessly fired, eliminating more than a dozen guards in succession. It wasn't until a staggering Wuhuan man who came out to urinate saw them that the enemy's attention was drawn.

"Enemy attack! This is bad! Someone is raiding our camp!"

The Wuhuan man who was urinating ran and shouted, but before he could finish his sentence, Tian Yu shot him dead with an arrow.

As Tian Yu drew nearer, he put away his bow and arrows, switched to a large sword, and leaped into the air, shouting, "Soldiers, kill! Whoever kills Tadun will be richly rewarded by His Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)