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

Chapter 159, My Lord, Do You Hate His Majesty?
Based on his memory, Liu Xie first drew a blueprint, which was somewhat plagiarized from Liu Ye.

Catapults utilize the principle of leverage. Old-fashioned catapults are made of simple materials and can be launched by just a few people. They are not only easily damaged, but also project only very light stones. Their power comes more from intimidating the enemy with their imposing presence, and their lethality is very limited.

For several days in a row, Liu Xie and Liu Ye stayed at the manor outside the city, constantly researching and experimenting on how to improve the power of the catapult, how to increase its sturdiness, and how to enhance its tensile strength and elasticity.

Lu Jun then led the craftsmen to cooperate, and Tianwu Pavilion had all kinds of skilled craftsmen.

Technology is the primary productive force, and Liu Xie repeatedly asked Xun Yu to recruit artisans with specialized skills.

With the cooperation of these craftsmen, the improvement of the catapult became much easier.

Liu Ye seemed to have found a stage that truly belonged to her, and she devoted herself to it wholeheartedly.

Man Chong reported to Cao Cao, "My lord, His Majesty has been staying at the manor outside the city for the past few days. There are guards outside, and we don't know exactly what they are doing. Strange noises can be heard from time to time."

Cao Cao immediately took it seriously and came to investigate in person.

The guards at the manor dared not stop Cao Cao, who walked straight in.

The manor is very spacious, several hundred meters in size, and is divided into a front yard and a back yard.

Cao Cao was walking forward when suddenly, with a loud bang, it sounded like a thunderclap in his ears.

The next moment, Cao Cao saw a huge black shadow descend from the sky above him, accompanied by a terrifying whooshing sound.

"Lord, be careful!"

Xu Chu roared and hurriedly pushed Cao Cao away.

With a loud thud, the ground was dented, and a heavy stone landed right where Cao Cao had just been standing.

If Xu Chu hadn't pushed Cao Cao away, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Xu Chu, as if facing a formidable enemy, drew his sword decisively with a clang and stood in front of Cao Cao to protect him.

Cao Cao lost his balance and sat down on the ground, truly startled. The guards who followed him in all looked at each other in disbelief; this was too terrifying.

"How was it? Not bad, right?"

Liu Ye jogged over from the backyard, excitedly talking to himself as he ran.

"This time it's about the same, the range is over three hundred paces, and the power should have increased considerably."

Upon reaching the front yard and seeing Cao Cao, Liu Ye sensed something was amiss. Seeing the marks on the ground where stones had struck him, Liu Ye abruptly slammed on the brakes, stopping in his tracks with a look of terror on his face.

"Lord Cao, are you...are you alright?"

Liu Ye never expected that he would almost hit Cao Cao, and he never dreamed that Cao Cao would come at this critical moment.

Cao Cao stood up, dusted himself off, glanced at Liu Ye with displeasure, and asked in a deep voice, "What are you doing? Do you intend to kill me?"

Liu Ye hurriedly shook his head, "Lord Cao, it's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding. His Majesty and I were testing the catapults when we didn't expect you to come. Lord Cao, please forgive me, I really didn't mean to."

Before long, Liu Xie arrived from behind. When he saw what was happening, he was also surprised. It turned out that he had almost hit Cao Cao. What a mess!

"Lord Cao," Liu Xie greeted him, smiling as he approached.

Cao Cao pointed to the stones on the ground and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really developing a catapult?"

Liu Xie nodded, "Yes, I have been with Ziyang these past few days and we have almost finished developing it. In the future, when Cao Cao and Yuan Shao fight, this item will definitely be able to help Cao Cao."

The matter had been explained, and Cao Cao was too embarrassed to pursue Liu Ye any further. However, it had really been a close call. The more Cao Cao thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He glared at Liu Ye again, giving him a look that said, "You'll understand."

Liu Xie walked up to Liu Ye and saw that he was pale and quite frightened. He patted him on the shoulder twice and comforted him, "Don't worry, ignorance is no excuse. Lord Cao is magnanimous. You made a mistake unintentionally. He won't blame you."

Liu Ye was still a little scared, but now that the emperor was backing him up, he felt somewhat more at ease.

Liu Xie smiled. Perhaps this was a good thing. After this incident, Liu Ye's stance, like the ground that had been smashed, had become even more solid!

When Cao Cao arrived at the backyard, he indeed saw several catapults set up in the yard.

Cao Cao was a frequent commander and was quite familiar with catapults. After watching for a while, he pointed to the newest one and asked, "Was this the one that was just launched?"

The eunuch Zhang Yu nodded. "Yes, Minister Cao, His Majesty just had it improved today."

Cao Cao glanced at Guo Jia and said, "I just estimated that the range is significantly greater than that of the old-fashioned catapults, and the power has also increased considerably."

Guo Jia said, "No wonder His Majesty has been outside the city these past few days. It turns out he has been researching this thing. In just a few days, he has made such progress. His Majesty's ability is truly admirable."

After Liu Xie and Liu Ye returned, Cao Cao immediately ordered another test firing.

With a creak, the catapult's locomotive emitted a muffled, loud noise, followed by a boom as the stone projectile whistled through the air, flying far away and gradually becoming a black dot in sight.

Not long after, a loud bang was heard in the distance as the stone projectile landed on the ground with a muffled, thunderous sound, like a thunderclap.

Cao Cao's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but gasp, exclaiming in shock, "Indeed, its power is astonishing, more than twice that of the previous catapults."

Looking at Liu Ye again, Cao Cao's gaze softened somewhat. Cao Cao was still very magnanimous; he always appreciated capable people.

Cao Cao asked, "Was this made by Your Majesty or by Liu Ye?"

Liu Xie pointed at Liu Ye and said, "I only gave you a little guidance; it's mostly thanks to Ziyang. So, to distinguish it from the old-fashioned catapult, I plan to have Ziyang name it himself."

Liu Ye was extremely excited. He hadn't expected that Liu Xie would give him all the credit and even allow him to rename the item.

This was a momentous occasion that would bring him fame throughout the land. Liu Ye was so excited that he was speechless and didn't know what to say.

Cao Cao and Guo Jia exchanged a glance, both sighing inwardly. They had to admit that His Majesty was truly masterful in winning people's hearts.

He was the emperor, and even a few words of praise would have moved people to tears of gratitude. But Liu Xie was willing to give up the credit.

So how will Liu Ye repay this?
It's obvious that he will do his best in the future! Perhaps he would even be willing to risk his life to repay him!
In just a short while, Liu Ye's eyes turned red and tears welled up in them.

Cao Cao couldn't help but think, "For me, His Majesty has made me the most loyal minister of the Han Dynasty."

He treated Guo Jia like a friend, always carrying Wushi San with him, showing extreme care; as for Xun Yu, he would visit Xun Yu's home every few days.

At first glance, what Liu Xie did seemed very simple, just small things that were easy to do.

However, Liu Xie remained steadfast and consistent, never pretentious.

Doing a small thing is not difficult; what is difficult is consistently dedicating oneself to it.

In front of Cao Cao, Guo Jia deliberately reached into his robes and said, "Oh dear, I was in such a hurry today that I forgot to bring the Blissful Powder."

Liu Xie naturally took out the Five-Stone Powder from his person. Guo Jia took it with a smile and secretly glanced at Cao Cao, as if to say: "Well, my lord, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Cao Cao silently observed Liu Xie. He didn't know how to evaluate this person. He was indeed meticulous and approachable, but Cao Cao felt a sense of dread about him.
They might treat you incredibly well on one hand, but on the other hand, they might try to destroy you!

Cao Cao stayed a while longer, tested it several more times, and then left satisfied. The catapult was officially named the Thunderbolt Cart by Liu Ye.

"My lord, I've always had a question," Guo Jia couldn't help but ask on the way back.

"Fengxiao, you can say whatever you want in front of me. Even if you say something wrong, I won't blame you."

"Does Your Excellency hate His Majesty?" A hint of a smile suddenly flashed in Guo Jia's bright eyes.

"This?" Cao Cao stopped in his tracks.

He first glanced at Guo Jia, then turned and looked back at the manor.

"Why should I hate His Majesty? He is the ruler, and I am the subject. If we're talking about provocation, hahaha, it was I who provoked him first."

Cao Cao, however, was quite nonchalant, laughing loudly and saying, "An opponent like Your Majesty only earns my admiration and respect!"

Guo Jia said, "Sometimes, I also ask myself this question. Even though I know that Cao Chun and Cheng Yu were deliberately eliminated by His Majesty, and that more people will die at His Majesty's hands in the future, I really can't bring myself to hate him!"

"Fengxiao, have you ever thought about why this is?"

Guo Jia sighed, “Take the catapult for example. His Majesty is genuinely helping you, Lord Ming. The things His Majesty does every day are actually helping you, such as land reclamation, bellows, and curved plows. Besides, His Majesty has always been very kind to us. We are not plants or trees, how can we be without feelings? To us, His Majesty may just be an opponent, not an enemy!”

Cao Cao fell silent, walked a short distance, and nodded. "I think His Majesty would agree with you. We are merely rivals, not enemies!"

"By the way, what do you think of Yang Xiu, whom His Majesty recommended to you? Is he suitable?"

Cao Cao said, “I have already investigated. Although Yang Biao is a veteran minister of the Han Dynasty and is very loyal to Your Majesty, Yang Xiu has no interest in anything between me and Your Majesty. He has even told me many times that the emperor only needs to stay in the palace. Let him stay by my side as a clerk for the time being, and we will see how he performs.”

Cao Cao only cared about people's stance and ability when employing them. Even if Yang Xiu was Yang Biao's son, as long as he did not favor the emperor, Cao Cao would not exclude him.

No one else would have such a broad mind.

Guo Jia nodded, then smiled. "His Majesty is truly amusing. He knows perfectly well that you, my lord, have different stances from his, so he specifically recommended someone who is loyal to you. You, my lord, are magnanimous, and His Majesty's magnanimity is also quite remarkable."

Cao Cao laughed loudly, "I have never doubted Your Majesty's magnanimity. If he were not the emperor, perhaps I would have valued him as much as I valued you. If Your Majesty can assist me, what worries do I have about not achieving hegemony?"

Guo Jia smiled without saying a word, leisurely looking into the distance. How could this be?
Having the emperor assist Cao Cao is something that can only be a fleeting fantasy in one's mind.

…………

On this day, after a long separation, Liu Bei finally met Zhang Fei, and the two brothers were very excited.

"I never imagined that His Majesty would send you."

Holding Zhang Fei's hand, Liu Bei was filled with joy and surprise, "Is everyone alright? How is your second brother?"

Liu Bei fled to Hebei alone. Although Yuan Shao treated him warmly, he had no one he could trust by his side. Besides dealing with Yuan Shao and his ilk, Liu Bei always felt empty inside, constantly worrying about Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others.

Zhang Fei hurriedly told Liu Bei the truth about what he had heard from Lu Xun.

"That's great! Yun Chang is safe and sound, and Yi De, you've come to my side. It won't be long before the three of us brothers are together again."

Liu Bei no longer needed to worry about his family members who remained in Xuchang.

Zhang Fei excitedly took out the letter and handed it to Liu Bei, "Brother, this is a personal letter from His Majesty, along with the Imperial Seal of the State, which I also brought with me."

As soon as Zhang Fei spoke, Liu Bei's expression turned extremely serious. He quickly walked to the door, looked around warily for a long time, and only breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming that no one was approaching.

This was a habit Liu Bei had developed over many years; he was very cautious in his actions.

After receiving the letter and reading it carefully, Liu Bei nodded vigorously, then quickly burned it to avoid being discovered.

Then, Liu Bei took the Imperial Seal of the State, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

Although the letter clearly stated that the imperial seal was only temporarily given to Yuan Shao in order to gain Yuan Shao's trust, Liu Bei was still amazed by Liu Xie's boldness.

"This is the Imperial Seal of the State! Your Majesty, do you know how many people dream of obtaining this treasure, yet you haven't even seen it, haven't even touched it, and yet..."

Liu Bei stroked the exquisitely crafted Imperial Seal of the State. The eight large characters on it were clear and eye-catching, exuding an aura of utmost solemnity and sanctity.

"If you receive orders from Heaven, you will live forever!"

This jade seal first fell into the hands of Sun Jian, then was presented to Yuan Shu by Sun Ce, and now it is to be handed over to Yuan Shao.

Liu Bei only touched it a few times, but he couldn't suppress the surging of blood in his body.

For many people, possessing the Imperial Seal of the State meant being able to ascend the throne and become emperor; whoever obtained the seal was qualified to be emperor.

Even though Liu Bei only touched it a few times, his heart raced. He couldn't help but think of the big mulberry tree in his hometown of Zhuojun, and the bold words he had uttered as a child: "When I grow up, I will definitely ride in a carriage with a feather canopy like this!"

But this thought only flashed through Liu Bei's mind for a moment. Since it was His Majesty's order, he could only obey.

Moreover, handing the imperial seal over to Yuan Shao would only benefit Liu Bei, and not harm him!
Liu Bei did not go to see Yuan Shao immediately. After nightfall, Liu Bei brought Zhang Fei to the general's mansion, and they even went through the back door.

When Yuan Shao heard that Liu Bei had arrived, he was initially impatient, thinking, "It's so late, what important business could he possibly have?"

Yuan Shao sighed and reluctantly received Liu Bei in his study. Seeing that there were still servants in the room, Liu Bei coughed and said, "My lord, I have something important to tell you!"

(End of this chapter)