NOVPUB"Zichuan, if you have something to say, please speak," Liu Bei said with a smile.
"Cao Mengde has slaughtered at least a hundred thousand, not just one or two thousand!" Chen Xi said with an icy expression.
Chen Xi had no way to prove how many Cao Cao had actually killed, but he knew what to say. No matter how many Cao Cao had killed, Chen Xi intended to eliminate this great threat. When he had previously claimed it would take a hundred thousand to wipe out Cao Cao, what he really meant was that even if Cao Cao managed to escape back to Yanzhou and join forces with Yuan Shao, Liu Bei would still be able to divert some troops to hold off Yuan Shao’s rescue and then forcefully take Cao Cao down!
Chen Xi was prepared to annihilate Cao Cao and take over his forces. He would never allow Cao Cao to trick everyone, making Liu Bei believe that the latter acted out of momentary anger. It was not Chen Xi’s habit to release a tiger back into the wild; it was either ignoring Cao Cao or killing him in one fell swoop. As long as Cao Cao was executed directly, even if Yuan Shao reprimanded, he would hesitate to confront Liu Bei due to the presence of Gongsun Zan in Youzhou.
"What!" Liu Bei’s face instantly turned ashen.
"Although I do not have sufficient evidence, the number of people Cao Mengde has killed will not be less than this. After all, nearly two hundred thousand civilians have disappeared. Among them, Quexuan’s three thousand men, Ze Rong’s ten thousand men, and the scattered thugs can only kill so many. Moreover, they started later than Cao Cao!" Chen Xi’s eyes gleamed coldly as he spoke.
This time, Cao Cao must be dealt with. Now that they had reached Xuzhou, if they did not take advantage of righteousness and public sentiment to eliminate Cao Cao, there would not be such a morally clear-cut opportunity to speak about exterminating him like this for years to come. Chen Xi had Liu Yan rally support precisely to deter other feudal lords from intervening, ensuring that this battle between Liu Bei and Cao Cao turned into an unequivocal showdown between Cao and Liu.
Liu Bei had no allies, whereas Cao Cao had at least Yuan Shao on his side. Once the fight escalated to an ethical level with clear divisions between good and evil, not even Liu Bei’s merciless eradication of Cao Cao, a meritorious servant and competent bureaucrat of the Han Dynasty, would face opposition!
Consequently, the north’s greatest enemy would vanish, and as for Yuan Shao, despite appearing to be determined according to intel, Chen Xi, who had laid his plans early, was not very worried. Only after Cao Cao, historically the Hegemon of Central Plains, started to reveal his ambitious nature did Chen Xi begin to consider how to dispose of him promptly.
Chen Xi was eager to take care of Cao Cao, but given the current state of the world, it was not the right choice to eliminate Cao Cao. Furthermore, Chen Xi had no way or reason to do so because Liu Bei would not allow it.
Whether Chen Xi admitted it or not, looking at the situation of the Han Dynasty’s world at this time, it was true that both Cao Cao and Liu Bei were sincerely maintaining the rule of the Han Dynasty. They acted like ministers, each governing a region. Despite having worse fortune than Liu Bei, all of Cao Cao’s actions made Liu Bei feel a sense of hero respecting hero!
This was also why, later on, Liu Bei summoned Yu Jin from his defense post in Shanyang back to Fenggao because he believed that once Cao Cao broke away from the Shao Alliance’s influence, he would make the same choice as himself, striving to prosper his domain, govern it for the Han Dynasty, and like him, work tirelessly to restore the Han Dynasty.
Just as Liu Bei anticipated, once Cao Cao rose to power, he vigorously developed agriculture, prospered his jurisdiction, enacted more standardized laws, suppressed the nobility, and improved the living standards of the common people. Even though natural and man-made disasters successively occurred, Cao Cao endured time and again.
For Liu Bei, Cao Cao was like himself, a kindred spirit, also a loyal minister striving for the revival of the Han Dynasty. So when he learned that Cao Cao was providing disaster relief in Xuzhou, executing the tyrant Quexuan who massacred the people, and eliminating forces causing confusion under Cao Cao’s banner, Liu Bei’s thoughts uncontrollably veered towards the positive.
Thoughts such as, after all, it was his father’s enemy, Cao Cao hadn’t killed that many people, it was just a moment of rage, he had made many efforts for the Han Dynasty, nobody is perfect, and knowing mistakes can lead to the greatest improvement, came to mind.
In short, having learned that Cao Cao apparently didn’t kill too many people, Liu Bei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, then he came up with many justifications for Cao Cao, his tone softened a lot, and he no longer spoke of such things as executing Cao Cao.
All this was because, at a time when other feudal lords hesitated, Cao Cao’s pursuit of Dong Zhuo alone left a strong impression on Liu Bei. Before the Luoyang alliance of feudal lords disintegrated, there was a deep conversation between Cao Cao and Liu Bei, both middle-aged men who idealized restoring the Han Dynasty. This made Liu Bei see Cao Cao as one of his own, and even more so as a comrade-in-arms during the rise of Cao Cao in Yanzhou!
When the Yellow Turbans entered Yanzhou, it was an excellent opportunity for Liu Bei to forcefully seize the role of Governor of Yanzhou. Later, when Cao Cao gave up most of Yanzhou and transferred the population to Western Yanzhou and the region around Chenliu for unified management, Liu Bei could easily have taken over most of the virtually empty Yanzhou, but he gave up those opportunities!
Even during the so-called conflict between the Technique Alliance and the Shao Alliance, when they vowed never to stand together, Liu Bei and Cao Cao still had a bond called "Restore the Han Dynasty."
Especially when Liu Bei learned that Cao Cao, just like him, was enraged by Liu Xie’s treatment of Wang Yun, he understood that Cao Cao, like himself, was undyingly loyal to the Han Dynasty. Only a truly loyal Han official could feel the sting of being abandoned by the Emperor.
With so much in common, it was natural for Liu Bei to develop a sense of camaraderie with Cao Cao. This was also why Liu Bei couldn’t tolerate Cao Cao’s massacres. It was like a betrayal from a comrade-in-arms who had always shared his aspirations, utterly intolerable to Liu Bei.
What Chen Xi is doing now allows Liu Bei to see the side of Cao Cao that Chen Xi wants him to see. After all, although Chen Xi isn’t satisfied with many aspects of Cao Cao, it’s undeniable that the man indeed is a mighty lord!
Cao Cao’s many actions now are eerily similar to Liu Bei’s. Both men honor talented individuals, promote those from Humble Families, seek ways for the lower classes to survive, and harbor the dream of reviving the Han Dynasty. They could almost become comrades supporting one another with a mere handshake.
It’s just that this time Cao Cao made a mistake. Otherwise, even if Yuan Shao were to fall, Chen Xi would have no reason to act against Cao Cao given the current similarities with Liu Bei. In fact, Liu Bei might not even seek to deal with Cao Cao but rather help him realize his dream of becoming the Grand General Who Conquers the West. It’s all about positioning—Liu Bei sees himself and Cao Cao as righteous men devoted to restoring the Han Dynasty!
In Liu Bei’s view, he and Cao Cao could coexist, which to Chen Xi, who noticed this trend, was simply unbearable. Cao Cao would change—it’s evident that despite Cao Cao’s current efforts for the people of the Han, history has proven that in the end, he would become disillusioned with the Han Dynasty, eventually becoming a formidable enemy!
Rather than nurturing a great enemy, Chen Xi thought it better to seize the opportunity to eliminate the opposition directly. Liu Bei wasn’t lacking in strength, just needing that one opportunity. So now that the chance had come, Chen Xi didn’t hesitate to add fuel to the fire, even at the risk of not cultivating the summer grain in Qingzhou, determined to take this opportunity to eliminate Cao Cao! (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
