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

Chapter 127, The Secret Passage is Opened

Gao Shun said, "My lord, even if you don't understand now and have many grievances in your heart, you should still do as His Majesty instructed. Since His Majesty has compared you to a sharp sword for killing, how could he let you stay at home idly growing vegetables? He will definitely entrust you with important responsibilities at critical moments."

"Besides, Cao Cao wants to kill you so badly, my lord. Even if you are sincere in your loyalty to Cao Cao, he will not trust you. Do you really want to become Cao Cao's godfather?"

Lu Bu gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "Damn Cao Cao, I wish I could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin, how could I possibly acknowledge him as my adoptive father?"

Staring wide-eyed at the courtyard outside, Lü Bu made a decision: "Starting tomorrow, I'm not going anywhere. I'll just stay here and grow vegetables!"

In the afternoon, when Liu Bei was working, he was carrying a basket of soil through the back door. When he looked up, he saw a man coming out of the opposite courtyard. The man was burly and fierce, and was clearly a head taller than Liu Bei.

It was Lü Bu.

Lu Bu was also carrying a basket, and it looked like he was struggling with it, his cheeks puffed out and he looked annoyed.

The two locked eyes, and an eerie silence fell over them; they were both stunned.

Liu Bei never expected that Lü Bu would become his neighbor.

"So it's Marquis Wen. When did you move here?"

Because he hadn't pleaded for Lü Bu last time, Liu Bei didn't dare to address Lü Bu by his courtesy name directly.

Lu Bu glanced at him and snorted, "They just moved here yesterday."

Although Lü Bu still harbored resentment towards Liu Bei, blaming him for not pleading for him that day, he suppressed his dissatisfaction when he thought of Liu Xie's instruction to learn how to grow vegetables from Liu Bei in the future.

Neither of them knew what to talk about. Liu Bei nodded reluctantly, and the two parted ways.

When the news reached Cao Cao's ears, he almost burst out laughing. "How strange! Liu Bei grows vegetables at home, and Lü Bu also grows vegetables at home. They even live next to each other. I must take some time to go and have a good look at them."

Guo Jia laughed and said, "Whether they are genuinely growing vegetables or just pretending, at least they are not actively opposing you, my lord. We only need to send someone to keep an eye on them."

In the afternoon, Liu Xie went to Qingshui Lake and met Kong Rong. The two set up a chessboard and played a game of chess.

After a while, Kong Rong said, "Your Majesty, the secret passage leading to Jia Xu's place and Tianxiang Pavilion was completed last night after nearly half a year of digging."

"Oh? Really? That's pretty fast."

Kong Rong nodded and respectfully poured Liu Xie a cup of tea. "Yes, Your Majesty has been leading troops for more than half a year now, and these two channels have finally not disappointed Your Majesty."

"Very good!" Not only was Liu Xie happy, but Zhao Yun also showed joy.

In the past, every time I went to see Jia Xu, I had to be on guard, for fear of being discovered.

If Cao Cao were to discover the secret room where Jia Xu was, Cao Cao would be furious.

Liu Xie estimated the time frame; the digging took approximately eight months.

"Wenju, this matter must be kept secret. Just continue at this pace."

Kong Rong nodded vigorously. "Your Majesty, rest assured, this matter is of utmost importance, and I would never dare to be negligent in the slightest."

Although everyone admires heroes and great men, Liu Xie also appreciated the scholarly spirit of the ancients.

For example, Yang Biao, when faced with torture and Cao Cao, never bowed his head.

For example, Kong Rong and his brother competed to confess to a crime in order to save someone, showing no fear of death.

The Qingshui Lake covers an area of ​​several hundred square meters and is a massive project that will take one or two years to complete. There is plenty of time in the future, and Liu Xie has enough patience.

"Wenju, I told you to stay away from the court, you shouldn't blame me now, right?" Liu Xie smiled and placed a piece on the board.

Kong Rong hurriedly shook his head, "I was rash before and did not know Your Majesty's good intentions. In fact, it is good to be able to leave the court. Whenever I see Wu Shuo and Wang Zifu, it feels like I have been stabbed in the heart."

So many court officials, all hoping to serve Your Majesty, each one a renowned and capable scholar, are relegated to the sidelines and left unused. This truly pains me deeply.

Liu Xie sighed, his expression pained. "What can I do? Do I not want to give them important positions? Wenju, you must understand, it's Cao Cao who doesn't want to use them, and he doesn't want me to use them either! Cao Cao just wants everyone to stay with me, preferably to be idle every day, so that everyone can stay idle until they're old and die!"

Waste is shameful, but wasting talent is even more shameful!
But Liu Xie was helpless, because these people were all labeled as belonging to the Han Dynasty.

This label cannot be used by Cao Cao, nor is it allowed to be used!
Kong Rong's shoulders trembled slightly, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Alas! The world is in chaos, and the court is in dire need of capable people. Yet, so many people are being abandoned and not put to use, simply because Cao Cao is wary of His Majesty and is also suspicious of these court officials."

Liu Xie sneered, "Because they didn't pledge allegiance to Cao Cao. If they had, they would have been promoted immediately, just like Zhong Yao and Dong Zhao. Now one is the Commandant of the Capital Region and the other is the Governor of Henan. Both of them have become powerful regional officials. In the future, whoever pledges allegiance to Cao Cao will be promoted by him!"

Kong Rong sighed, looking at the farmers working in the distance, and said with emotion, "Your Majesty, I still can't believe it. Yang Biao said that Your Majesty had already foreseen today's situation before coming to Xudu. Xudu is clearly a den of dragons and tigers, but Your Majesty, knowing the danger, still willingly came to Xudu."

Liu Xie smiled and said, "Wenju, the world is in turmoil, and warlords are vying for power. You were once a warlord yourself, so you should have a deep understanding of this. In this chaotic world, everyone is vying for power, and everyone has their own selfish motives. How many people are truly dedicated to restoring the Han Dynasty?"

"Even if you want to restore the Han Dynasty, you must first have the strength to protect yourself. Liu Yu was a member of the Han imperial family and was loyal to the court. What was the result? You are a descendant of Confucius and have treated the people well. You even participated in the warlord campaign against Dong Zhuo. What was the result?"

Kong Rong sighed, and suddenly felt his old face turn red.

He couldn't even defeat Yuan Shao's son, Yuan Tan, so how could he compete with other warlords for supremacy?

Liu Xie's smile was somewhat bitter. "Take Liu Bei for example. He has ambition, ability, and sincerely wants to do something for me. But what can he do? Now Liu Bei spends his days at home growing vegetables. He has no way to realize his ambitions and display his talents. Liu Bei is resentful and indignant, but the situation is what it is, and this is all he can do."

"It's unrealistic to expect that I can raise my arm and the world will respond, and then everything will fall into my hands. Even if it were possible now, I wouldn't agree to it. Besides, our strength is far from sufficient."

"Oh? Your Majesty, I am somewhat puzzled."

Kong Rong could understand if he lacked the strength to contend with Cao Cao, but Liu Xie just said that even if he could control Cao Cao, he wouldn't do so if the time wasn't right.

Liu Xie explained, "Wenju, have you considered what Cao Cao would do if I gained control of a certain amount of power and wanted to counter Cao Cao? If things went wrong, tensions would rise, and both sides would resort to force, which would inevitably result in a lose-lose situation."

"Then who will help me pacify the world next? Perhaps soon, we will be defeated by someone else after we have just defeated Cao Cao. At that time, I will still be unable to escape the fate of being a puppet, and my situation may even be worse."

Kong Rong nodded. "Your Majesty understands. Your Majesty's intentions are good. If Cao Cao were willing to be a loyal subject of the Han Dynasty, how wonderful that would be! We wouldn't have to go to such lengths to fight him." Liu Xie stood up and pointed around. "It's not Cao Cao's fault. Heaven's way has collapsed, people's hearts have fallen into depravity, and the chaotic world has broken all the rules, making people lose their restraint, become greedy, and lose control of their desires."

"Take these eighteen warlords for example. Most of them have seen the benefits of having troops and dividing the country, so their ambitions have naturally become extremely inflated. Yuan Shu has declared himself emperor, and Yuan Shao is about to occupy four provinces. Ambition will only grow bigger and bigger, and Cao Cao is no exception."

Kong Rong sensed the heaviness in Liu Xie's tone and sighed helplessly.

Changing the subject, Kong Rong said, "Zhengping has been gone for almost two months now. I wonder how the battle is going on Gongsun Zan's side."

Liu Xie also felt a glimmer of hope, even though Gongsun Zan had no advantage against the powerful Yuan Shao.

However, if he were willing to fight to the death, he would surely give Yuan Shao a real fright.

Their gaze shifted to Youzhou, and then to Yijing!
Having besieged Yijing for several days, and facing the numerous towers built by Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao initially felt truly troubled and could only launch a fierce attack.

Later, Tian Feng suggested digging a secret passage leading directly to the main building. Tian Feng was certain that Gongsun Zan was living in the main building. He believed that to catch the thief, one must catch the king. Once Gongsun Zan was eliminated, Yijing Tower would be no threat.

After digging for more than a month, the secret passage was finally completed.

Yuan Shao was overjoyed and summoned all his civil and military officials together that very night.

Yuan Shao was elegant and wore a magnificent robe. He always paid attention to pomp and detail.

Even the scabbard of the sword at his waist was covered with gold leaf, glittering and exuding an unparalleled air of nobility.

“Father, I am willing to obey your orders, capture and kill Gongsun Zan, and share your burdens.”

Realizing this was a rare opportunity to make a name for himself, Yuan Xi immediately stepped forward and was the first to volunteer.

Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang were both unwilling to yield and volunteered to take command.

Seeing the three young masters arguing back and forth, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Although they were all eager to try their luck, they knew they couldn't compete with Yuan Shao's son.

Seeing that his sons were all willing to share his burdens and vying to show off, Yuan Shao was not angry at all. Instead, he stroked his beard and showed a hint of pride.

After a while, Yuan Shao spoke up: "Alright, stop arguing. Your courage in volunteering for battle and your willingness to share your father's burdens is commendable, as is your filial piety. I am very pleased."

Tian Feng, however, looked worried as his three sons argued endlessly, which Yuan Shao mistakenly thought was a good thing.

Tian Feng knew very well that his three sons did not distinguish between superiors and inferiors, did not know how to be humble, and treated each other as enemies. This was not a good omen.

If they compete for credit now, they will compete for favor later, for territory, and for the position of heir.

After much deliberation, Yuan Shao finally gave the opportunity to his second son, Yuan Xi, and sent Ju Yi and Guo Tu with men to accompany him.

Yuan Xi glanced at his two brothers, gave a smug sneer, and immediately selected five thousand strong and capable men.

Before setting off, Yuan Shao reminded him, "After entering through the secret passage, do not be greedy for spoils. Be sure to open the city gates as soon as possible to welcome the army into the city."

Yuan Xi nodded hurriedly. In the middle of the night, Yuan Xi led his men through a secret passage, like ghosts in the night, and suddenly appeared near the main building.

Yuan Xi quickly glanced around, and Ju Yi hurriedly reminded him, "Second Young Master, we must first open the city gates to welcome the lord's army into the city."

Yuan Xi snorted, ignoring him, and looked up at the towering main building, saying smugly.

"Gongsun Zan hasn't realized we've already entered yet. Take down the main building while he's off guard; Gongsun Zan must be hiding inside."

Ju Yi wanted to persuade him further, but Yuan Xi impatiently urged, "Hurry up, I am the commander-in-chief, and everyone listens to me. Whether you capture Gongsun Zan or kill him, it will be a great achievement. At that time, I will speak well of you and Guo Tu in front of my father."

Ju Yi and Guo Tu exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement. Firstly, Yuan Xi was the commander-in-chief, and the two dared not disobey. Secondly, they were also somewhat tempted by the prospect of making merit.

Ju Yi immediately led his men in a fierce attack on the main building. The main building had limited defenses, and Ju Yi quickly led his men in, hacking and slashing their way up to the top floor.

Guo Tu stood beside Yuan Xi, a cool night breeze blowing by.

At first, he was quite pleased with himself, but after a while, the eerie silence around him startled Guo Tu. Looking at the pitch-black night, he suddenly shouted, "Oh no, we've fallen into a trap!"

"What's wrong?" Yuan Xi asked, still puzzled.

"Second Young Master, even if we were to launch a sneak attack, the sounds of fighting should have alerted those around us, but look, there's been no reaction at all."

"Ah? Oh no!" Yuan Xi finally understood, but it was too late.

Suddenly, countless torches lit up the surroundings, and ambushes were everywhere. In the instant the torches lit up, Yuan Xi was surprised to find that countless arrows were already aimed at them.

The arrows were cold and menacing, gleaming and terrifying.

Soon Yuan Xi saw Gongsun Zan, who was riding a horse and carrying a spear, looking very imposing.

His weapon was unusual; it was about ten feet long and covered with steel nails, similar to a spiked club. Not only did it require great arm strength to strike, but its power was also terrifying. Once hit, one would either die or be seriously injured.

Gongsun Zan sneered disdainfully and shouted, "Who goes there?"

Yuan Xi said, "I am Yuan Xi, the second son of the Grand General."

Gongsun Zan immediately laughed, "Good, so you're Yuan Shao's second son. I'll take your head."

Gongsun Zan didn't waste any words. He immediately waved his hand and ordered, "Fire the arrows!"

It turns out that Gongsun Zan had already surrounded Ju Yi when he attacked the main building.

Now that the encirclement is completely closed, it will be difficult for Yuan Xi to sneak back into the secret passage.

At Gongsun Zan's command, countless arrows whistled through the air.

Puff puff!
The sound of arrows piercing flesh was exceptionally crisp; in the blink of an eye, a large number of people around Yuan Xi fell.
(End of this chapter)