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

Jiang Qin heard the screams of his comrades from time to time. A Jiangdong soldier had just thrust out his spear, but before he could retract it, four spears swiftly pierced his chest.

There are countless examples like this, and the outcome is never in doubt. The trapped Jiangdong soldiers don't even have a chance to break through and survive!
"Kill them! Kill them all!"

Cao's soldiers shouted loudly, their morale soaring to unprecedented heights. Countless swords and spears were wildly swung forward, accompanied by the clanging of weapons clashing. Jiangdong soldiers were constantly wounded and fell to the ground, letting out desperate and helpless screams and wails.

Zhou Yu led his men in a fierce charge, but they were held back by Yue Jin. Yue Jin swung his sword wildly, and the blood-stained blade was chipped. He had killed so many people that it was impossible to count them all.

Le Jin was like a fierce tiger, full of fighting spirit, fighting with all his might. With his commander being so brave, the Cao army soldiers behind him naturally roared and fought more and more fiercely.

Zhou Yu didn't have many men with him to begin with, so he had to break through Cao Cao's army's blockade as soon as possible to rescue the people. The longer he delayed, the more unfavorable the situation would become.

However, when they encountered Yue Jin and his men, it was like hitting a brick wall. Despite the Jiangdong soldiers' desperate efforts, their offensive was completely blocked, and they could not advance an inch.

Zhou Yu took the lead and personally participated in the battle, constantly urging his soldiers to charge forward, but to no avail.

Zhou Yu was no stranger to strategy, but no matter how brilliant you are, in the life-or-death struggle on the battlefield, you still have to rely on real fighting. Yue Jin and Yu Jin were both ruthless and capable fighters under Cao Cao, and they were not so easy to deal with.

Yu Jin quickly reached Jiang Qin's side. Without uttering a word, he thrust his spear straight at Jiang Qin's chest. Jiang Qin instinctively raised his knife to block, and the clash of weapons produced a loud explosion.

The two men quickly separated. Yu Jin continued his attack. Jiang Qin was also a fierce general, but after fighting so hard, he was not only exhausted but also injured in many places.

After barely managing to hold on for a few rounds, Yu Jin seized an opportunity and stabbed Jiang Qin in the chest with his spear. Yu Jin's force was immense, and the spear pierced into Jiang Qin's body, pushing Jiang Qin several more steps.

Jiang Qin gritted his teeth and glared, his eyes turning red, blood streaming from his chest, yet he didn't utter a single sound.

Suddenly, Jiang Qin roared and raised his broadsword again. The blade flashed and the cold light was dazzling. Jiang Qin was not willing to give up. He was going to fight to the death. Even if it meant his death, he would still attack.

Yu Jin exerted force again, and with a "thud," the spearhead continued forward, piercing Jiang Qin's body. Jiang Qin, however, faced him head-on, taking large strides forward and using all his strength to lean against him.

This was a move that risked his life entirely, a desperate attempt to take someone down with him even in death. Yu Jin's eyes flickered slightly. Such a fearless warrior, even if he was an enemy, still earned Yu Jin's respect.

It's too late to say, then soon!
Jiang Qin's blade flashed with a cold light and slashed swiftly towards Yu Jin. Yu Jin hurriedly dodged to the side, barely avoiding the attack, but was slashed at the waist, and blood immediately flowed out.

The spear inside Jiang Qin's body had already pierced through him, with a long section protruding from his body.

After unleashing this strike, Jiang Qin was exhausted, and he no longer had the strength to lift the knife in his hand.

Yu Jin glanced at him again, then nodded to Jiang Qin, "Not bad, you're a real man. If we're no match for you, I might buy you a drink."

After saying this, Yu Jin withdrew his spear and stepped back. As the iron spear was pulled out of Jiang Qin's body, Jiang Qin's life came to an end, and his body fell heavily to the ground.

With Jiang Qin dead, the remaining Jiangdong soldiers were even more distraught and were quickly surrounded and wiped out by Yu Jin and his men. As Yu Jin turned to join Le Jin, Zhou Yu gritted his teeth and ordered with a heavy heart, "Withdraw! Leave this place immediately!"

Zhou Yu bit his lip until it bled. He didn't even have time to feel sad for Jiang Qin, because the north bank was very unsafe. At the same time, he was also worried about Sun Quan on the south bank.

Zhou Yu decisively withdrew without any hesitation.

Liu Bei led his men in pursuit all the way, and as dawn approached, they chased Cao Cao all night long, until they reached Huarong Road, where Cao Cao suddenly stopped.

Cao Cao turned his horse around, squinting at Liu Bei who was catching up. Liu Bei was taken aback and stopped his pursuit.

Seeing the steep mountains and towering peaks, which made the area extremely dangerous, Liu Bei became suspicious.

Guan Yu also noticed something unusual and gripped his Green Dragon Crescent Blade tightly. Zhang Fei, on the other hand, was eager to try and shouted to Liu Bei, "Brother, Cao Cao is right in front of us. I'll go and capture him alive!"

Liu Bei quickly stopped him, "Third brother, don't be rash!"

Cao Cao, mounted on his horse, watched Liu Bei.

"Xuande, it's been a long time. How have you been? I've heard that Sun Quan has treated you well. It's truly a pity that the current Imperial Uncle is willing to live under someone else's roof in Eastern Wu."

Despite being publicly mocked by Cao Cao, Liu Bei remained calm on the surface, but inwardly he felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

Mao Jie was somewhat worried. Although Huarong Road was a strategically important location, Cao Cao had not set up an ambush there. Cao Cao not only stopped his march but also publicly mocked Liu Bei. If this angered Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would definitely lead their men to attack.

Guo Jia looked around, appearing quite calm.

He knew Cao Cao too well. Cao Cao was an expert in military strategy and was good at winning by surprise. Although he had his share of miscalculations, Guo Jia was not too worried about the current situation.

"Cao Cao, you mustn't be so arrogant."

Zhang Fei roared in fury, his eyes wide open, wishing he could rush over immediately.

The more composed Cao Cao appeared, the more uneasy Liu Bei felt. He kept glancing at the towering cliffs on both sides. The cliffs in front of him resembled a giant beast with its jaws wide open. Although there were no ambushes, Liu Bei dared not make any rash moves.

Liu Bei hesitated, which made Cao Cao even more smug. He stroked his beard and continued to tease, "Xuande, you neither advance nor retreat. What exactly do you intend to do?"

Zhang Fei could no longer contain himself and roared, "Cao Cao, you'd better give up your life!"

Liu Bei couldn't stop him, and Zhang Fei charged forward first. But as soon as he got close, a general suddenly rushed out from the side, wielding a pair of iron halberds and blocking Zhang Fei's horse.

It was Dian Wei, the Evil One. Zhang Fei raised his spear to thrust, the spear whistling through the air with a fierce whooshing sound. Dian Wei remained fearless, swinging his arms wide, his two large iron halberds flying up and down as he fought with Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei was powerful and fierce, like a tiger, while Dian Wei was born with superhuman strength and was also brave and fierce. The two fought back and forth.

Liu Bei watched anxiously for a while, and seeing that Cao Cao remained calm and composed, Liu Bei's ominous feeling grew stronger.

Just as Liu Bei was hesitating whether to make a move, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from behind. A scout came to report, "It's bad! Jiang Qin behind us has been ambushed by the enemy and his entire army has been wiped out. The Grand Commander has already withdrawn his troops."

The news that Liu Bei's troops were mostly from Jiangdong shocked and panicked everyone.

Liu Bei was stunned. The news came too suddenly and was too unexpected.

Despite being at the forefront, Liu Bei was unharmed, while Jiang Qin's entire army was wiped out. Clearly, Cao Cao was behind it all. After figuring this out, Liu Bei decisively ordered, "Retreat immediately!"

Before leaving, he naturally didn't forget to call Zhang Fei back.

Liu Bei turned around to leave, but Cao Cao's expression suddenly changed. He immediately drew his sword and ordered, "Soldiers, kill him! Don't let Liu Bei escape!"

Previously, Liu Bei was chasing Cao Cao all the way, but now the roles have suddenly reversed, and it's Cao Cao chasing Liu Bei.

Liu Bei panicked even more, spurred his horse and fled back with his men as if they were escaping.

On the way, they were ambushed by Yu Jin and Yue Jin.

Even Zhou Yu, who wanted to retreat, was pursued and killed by Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun.

Cao Cao led his army in a counterattack, completely seizing the initiative on the battlefield. Along the way, he showed no mercy to either Liu Bei's or Zhou Yu's troops whenever they encountered them.

Liu Bei was pursued, Zhou Yu was pursued, while on Sun Quan's side, Wen Ping led his men directly ashore, and Huang Zu was responsible for guarding the ships.

There were not many Jiangdong soldiers left to guard the south bank to begin with, and almost all of the main force of the Jiangdong army had been mobilized. Facing Wen Ping, the Jiangdong soldiers, whose defenses were weak, could not resist at all and suffered heavy casualties.

Wen Ping led his men forward with great force, his spear in hand, invincible. Jiangdong soldiers on the shore fell to the ground in droves. Wherever Wen Ping went, it immediately turned into a hellish scene, with one bloody and fleshy scene after another unfolding.

…………

When Zhou Yu was about to withdraw his troops, Liu Xie took the initiative to approach the battlefield. Fast horses kept coming to Liu Xie's side, bringing the latest developments from various battlefields.

Jiang Qin's entire army was wiped out, Liu Bei was lured away by Cao Cao, and Sun Quan was attacked by Huang Zu and Wen Ping on the south bank... Liu Xie knew all of this.

As expected, everything changed at Chibi because of Guo Jia's involvement. Judging from the current situation, this great victory is already within Cao Cao's grasp.

Zhuge Liang stood beside Liu Xie, but frowned. "Your Majesty, the situation is extremely unfavorable for Jiangdong. I did not expect that Cao Cao would send Huang Zu and Wen Pin to launch a surprise attack on the south bank. This move is a fatal blow, forcing Zhou Yu to order a retreat."

Liu Xie said, "In my opinion, this must be Guo Jia's plan. Our navy is not large and its fighting strength is not as good as that of the Jiangdong army. So Guo Jia simply concentrated the navy together to launch a surprise attack on the south bank and force Zhou Yu to retreat."

Although Cao Cao had 200,000 troops, his navy only numbered 50,000, giving him no advantage over the Eastern Wu navy.

However, Zhou Yu never dreamed that Cao Cao would use his navy for a surprise attack, which completely disrupted Zhou Yu's plans.

Zhuge Liang looked towards the south bank and suddenly sighed, "Your Majesty, although Cao Cao sent men to launch a surprise attack on the south bank, he did not commit many troops. On the north bank, apart from annihilating Jiang Qin's forces, Cao Cao did not commit his full strength."

"What do you mean?"

Liu Xie was somewhat dissatisfied, as he seemed to have guessed what Zhuge Liang was going to say.

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "Although Cao Cao has the overall situation under control and a great victory is inevitable, he seems to only want Zhou Yu to withdraw his troops, while Cao Cao is conserving his strength."

Liu Xie's face immediately darkened; Cao Cao had once again resorted to tricks.

Zhuge Liang analyzed: "The role of Huang Zu and Wen Pin was merely to force Zhou Yu to retreat, nothing more. Once Zhou Yu retreats, the battle will be over. Cao Cao did not intend to annihilate the enemy."

"Kongming, doesn't Cao Cao want to pacify Jiangdong?"

Faced with Liu Xie's question, Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment and said, "He naturally wants to defeat Zhou Yu and then pacify Jiangdong in one fell swoop. However, I'm afraid Cao Cao has another consideration."

"Is he wary of me?"

“Your Majesty, it is obvious. Your Majesty wants to let Sun Quan and Cao Cao fight each other, and wait for them to wear each other down. Cao Cao is well aware of this. If he defeats Zhou Yu with all his might, he will face a problem: will Your Majesty allow him to pacify Jiangdong?”

"Because Cao Cao's achievements have already become too great and threatened the emperor's power, if His Majesty continues to allow him to lead troops south, it will inevitably bring Cao Cao's achievements and prestige to their peak. This is both a good thing and a bad thing for Cao Cao, because His Majesty has long been dissatisfied with him. If Cao Cao does not consult His Majesty and leads troops south on his own, it will undoubtedly make his situation more dangerous, because once Sun Quan is destroyed, the world will be at peace, and Cao Cao is worried that he will become the next target His Majesty will deal with."

Liu Xie looked towards the south bank. Although the battle was fierce, it was not large in scale. Cao Cao had such a good opportunity, but he had conserved his strength and played a trick.

This greatly angered and displeased Liu Xie.

After a while, Liu Xie slowly spoke, "When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the enemy state is destroyed, the strategist dies..."

Cao Cao worried that once Eastern Wu was destroyed, he would lose his usefulness and become a prime target for the emperor's purview. Even if he wasn't killed, his power would be greatly diminished.

Liu Xie found Zhuge Liang's analysis increasingly reasonable, because Sun Quan was now the biggest enemy. Once Sun Quan was eliminated, only a few small forces such as Zhang Lu and Gongsun Du would remain in the entire Han territory, and they were not worth mentioning.

Seeing that the emperor's expression was not good, Zhuge Liang couldn't bear to say anything more. Liu Xie waved his hand at him and said, "Kongming, just speak."

Zhuge Liang continued, "Not long ago, Your Majesty's series of actions made Cao Cao feel as if he were on the verge of an abyss, and he felt a great threat. Youzhou fell into Your Majesty's hands, and Zhang Liao and Xun You were also won over by Your Majesty. Your Majesty also took away Cao Cao's governorship of Jizhou. Now Your Majesty has put him in a struggle with Sun Quan. How could Cao Cao not know Your Majesty's intentions? Therefore, he is holding back in this battle. He only needs to defeat Zhou Yu. Although Sun Quan will inevitably lose some soldiers and generals, he will not be seriously injured. As long as Sun Quan is still alive, the court's primary enemy is Jiangdong."

"With this great victory, Cao Cao not only increased his prestige again, but also intimidated Jiangdong and preserved his own strength. With the hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, he felt safe."

After listening to Zhuge Liang's analysis, Liu Xie coldly said, "What a brilliant scheme!" (End of Chapter)