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

Chapter 183, The Emperor Joins the War? Who Believes That?
"What? Why is Your Majesty here?"

Cao Cao opened his mouth, then hurriedly charged towards Liu Xie, shouting as he fought, "Quickly protect His Majesty! Protect His Majesty!"

Liu Xie appeared on the battlefield and quickly became the brightest star!
Many of Yuan's soldiers, who were besieging Cao Cao, were stunned. Those who reacted too slowly were caught off guard and attacked by Cao's soldiers, who then killed them all.

Cao Cao, hacking and slashing his way through the crowd, arrived at Liu Xie's side and said urgently, "Your Majesty, it's too dangerous here! You must leave immediately!"

Yuan Bing also surged towards Liu Xie like a tide. The emperor's sudden appearance instantly attracted the attention of many people.

Liu Xie swung his sword and cut down two Yuan soldiers, then hurriedly replied, "Lord Cao, my mind is made up. You and I, ruler and subject, shall work together to hold off the enemy."

As they were talking, Liu Xie swung his sword again, severing the spear of one of the Yuan soldiers. The Yuan soldier was momentarily stunned when, with a soft thud, a silver spear shot towards him and pierced his heart with pinpoint accuracy. The one who made the move was none other than Zhao Yun.

Cao Cao tried to persuade him further, but Liu Xie had already charged towards the others.

Lu Bu, Gan Ning, Zhao Yun, and others followed closely beside Liu Xie. The group was like wolves and tigers, all of them fierce warriors with strong combat power. Lu Bu, in particular, wielded his halberd like a whirlwind, flying up and down, fast and ruthless, knocking enemies to the ground from time to time.

Lu Bu moved with incredible speed, killing one person with each step. Facing the swarming Yuan soldiers, Lu Bu's heroic spirit surged, and he became increasingly excited.

Lu Bu, among men, truly lived up to his name.

Wielding his halberd, Lü Bu could easily crush anyone he faced. Every move he made was deadly, and his halberd moved with the force of thunder. He wielded his hands, and the halberd swept through the air like a whirlwind, leaving trails of crimson blood as he slashed and killed his enemies.

These ordinary Yuan soldiers, no matter how many there were, were no match for Lü Bu and died one after another, their screams echoing.

Zhao Yun always maintained a certain distance from Liu Xie, never leaving more than five steps away. He was agile and precise with his spear, his attacks, whether thrusting or parrying, made Yuan Bing feel the call of death with every strike. He rarely missed!
Cao Cao was worried, so he hurriedly followed Liu Xie, going wherever Liu Xie went.

No one could have imagined that the two would actually put on a remarkable show of unity between ruler and subject, fighting side by side against the enemy on the battlefield.

In this way, the two men's powerful generals were all gathered together.

Cao Cao had Xiahou Yuan, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Xu Chu, Dian Wei and others by his side, while Liu Xie had Gan Ning, Lü Bu, Zhao Yun and others by his side. The power that would be unleashed when so many fierce men were gathered together is unimaginable.

It was utterly devastating, a powerful sweep. Yuan's soldiers charged forward wave after wave, only to fall to the ground in the blink of an eye, turning into piles of corpses.

"Pass on my order: the Emperor must not be harmed." Zhang He charged towards them, and the order he conveyed was tantamount to giving Liu Xie a protective charm.

Liu Xie was the emperor, and no one dared to openly order the killing of the emperor.

In this way, Yuan Bing would be hampered when facing Liu Xie during the siege.

They couldn't shoot arrows from the shadows or launch a sneak attack, and they had to avoid hurting Liu Xie when they made a move. In addition, these low-ranking soldiers were already very respectful of the emperor, so even if Liu Xie appeared on the battlefield, he was much safer than Cao Cao.

Zhang He's order brought Cao Cao a real sense of relief.

Liu Xie is Cao Cao's most valuable asset; he absolutely cannot be allowed to die!

The addition of Liu Xie's more than 5,000 fresh troops greatly relieved the pressure on Cao Cao. Although Yuan's troops continued to successfully land on the south bank, they found it difficult to advance and were effectively blocked.

The surrendered soldiers, including Li Fu and Wang Tong, were now in high spirits because their faces were covered with black masks and they no longer had to worry about being recognized. They roared wildly.

"Kill! Charge!"

The crowd charged forward with all their might, killing Yuan's soldiers one after another, who let out shrill screams.

"puff!"

In the chaos of battle, Li Fu was stabbed in the chest by a Yuan soldier, and blood immediately flowed out. Li Fu did not cry out, but gritted his teeth and mercilessly thrust his spear into the chest of the attacker.

When Liu Xie came to his side, Li Fu's eyes had already become unfocused.

"Li Fu".

On his deathbed, Li Fu heard Liu Xie shouting, and then Liu Xie removed his mask.

Li Fu opened his eyes wide and saw the concern flashing in Liu Xie's eyes. A forced smile appeared on Li Fu's lips. "Your Majesty, Li Fu... will definitely be Your Majesty's soldier again in the next life."

There was no touching story behind it; Li Fu was just an ordinary surrendered soldier. However, Liu Xie's approachable nature left a deep impression on him. Even though he had only followed Liu Xie for a few days, Li Fu felt very lucky.

Liu Xie said to him with a serious expression, "Don't worry about your family. I will definitely find them and send people to take care of them."

Li Fuman nodded with satisfaction, then closed his eyes.

Liu Xie quickly regained his composure, pointed his longsword, and charged forward once again.

Cao Cao had been following Liu Xie closely, and he was somewhat disdainful of Liu Xie's actions just now.

Is it really necessary to be this good to an ordinary soldier? He's about to die; is it really necessary to promise to take care of his family?
Cao Cao believed that after a battle, saying a few encouraging words to his soldiers or shedding a few tears would have a better effect.

Cao Cao recalled Guo Jia's previous assessment of Liu Xie and also felt that Liu Xie was too benevolent.

Being kind to people was Liu Xie's nature, a quality he consistently maintained. He was even very kind to Cao Cao.

The reason why Liu Xie has gained so much support and high praise from Guo Jia and Xun Yu is precisely because of this.

Liu Xie could only rely on this to turn the tide in the end.

The benevolent are invincible! Throughout history, benevolent and righteous people have never lacked followers.

However, one should not become an indiscriminately kind person, losing all principles and bottom lines.

Dian Wei stayed close to Cao Cao, as Liu Xie was nearby. It was the first time he had fought so closely with the emperor. Dian Wei wielded his double halberds, feeling an indescribable excitement. While protecting Cao Cao, he would occasionally glance at Liu Xie.

Despite the presence of many powerful generals around Liu Xie, such as Lü Bu and Zhao Yun, who had done a great job, Dian Wei still instinctively kept his eyes on Liu Xie.

As for Xu Huang, he didn't say a word and kept looking in this direction.

As Zhang He charged toward Liu Xie, he kept glancing at him. Zhang He never dreamed that the emperor would appear here and personally join the battle.

It's rare to even hear of an emperor going to the battlefield, let alone witness it firsthand. Zhang He was greatly shocked to witness it firsthand.

After observing, Zhang He discovered that Liu Xie was not just putting on an act; he swiftly and decisively struck with his sword.

Despite being on a bloody and brutal battlefield in such a dangerous place, Liu Xie remained remarkably calm, as if he knew only how to kill and had no concept of fear.

Liu Xie was also influenced by Cao Cao, having witnessed Cao Cao's leading-the-battle tactics on numerous occasions, which deeply impressed him. Many people only see how cunning, cruel, and disregardful of the Han Dynasty Cao Cao was, but often overlook his admirable qualities.

From his youth to middle age, Cao Cao fought alongside his soldiers for a long period of time.

He was not only capable, resourceful, and magnanimous, but more importantly, he was willing to share life and death with his soldiers.

If he simply hid in a safe place and stood behind to command, the soldiers would not be so devoted to him and follow him!
People have feelings, and everyone's eyes are discerning. If you want others to recognize and support you, you have to win their hearts in the most direct way.

As a regional ruler, if you are talented and know how to appoint virtuous and capable people, scholars will recognize you and be willing to assist you.

But these low-ranking soldiers who charged into battle were not suited to the same approach used by the literati.

If you can live and die with them, even if it's not always like that, they will never forget you and will sincerely admire you.

Many of Liu Xie's changes were influenced by Cao Cao. Liu Xie was constantly observing Cao Cao and learning from him.

Learn from Cao Cao's strengths, then apply them to your own life.

For two hours, a full four hours, inspired by Liu Xie and Cao Cao, everyone displayed extraordinary fighting spirit, seemingly forgetting their fatigue, holding their ground and refusing to retreat, managing to hold off tens of thousands of Yuan soldiers.

Yuan Shao stood on the opposite bank of the river, craning his neck to look in this direction. Seeing that his troops were unable to advance, he couldn't help but feel puzzled and muttered, "What's going on? Zhang He is leading tens of thousands of troops, yet he's being blocked."

Ju Shou replied, "I think I just heard someone calling for His Majesty. Could it be that the Emperor has also joined the war?"

Yuan Shao shook his head repeatedly and said with great contempt, "How could that be? The emperor is so noble, he probably has never been on the battlefield in his entire life. Besides, even if he were on the battlefield, what could he possibly do?"

When the emperor went into battle to fight the enemy, Yuan Shao thought it was like hearing about pigs climbing trees—utterly ridiculous.

Ju Shou was uneasy and sent someone to check on the other side. Soon, someone returned and reported, "My lord, the emperor has led Lü Bu, Zhao Yun and others to reinforce Cao Cao. Zhang He is in a fierce battle."

Yuan Shao was completely stunned and muttered, "How is this possible?"

Not to mention the emperor, even Yuan Shao hasn't personally taken to the battlefield in a long time.

In his youth, Yuan Shao was very courageous and would occasionally go into battle, but now that he controlled half of the country, he felt there was no need to take risks himself anymore.

The more Yuan Shao possessed, the more he sought comfort. He was tired of the battlefield—it was so dirty, so chaotic, and so dangerous.

All Yuan Shao needs to do now is to command others and make them work for him.

Ju Shou was also shocked and said, "I can't believe it. Doesn't Cao Cao fear that the emperor is in danger? He actually allowed the emperor to go into battle to kill the enemy."

Guo Tu interjected, "Is it possible that sending them to the battlefield was the emperor's own decision?"

Ju Shou shook his head. "Absolutely impossible. Cao Cao is a ruthless and powerful figure. He must have already taken control of the emperor. I have no doubt about that."

Xu You also said, "Yes, the emperor was controlled by Dong Zhuo and Li Jue one after another. In addition, he was weak-willed and had no one to rely on. Xuchang was a place full of tigers and wolves, and Cao Cao's men were everywhere. Under such circumstances, how could the emperor make a decision on his own? Has he gone mad? Why did he have to come to such a dangerous place to fight?"

No one believed that Liu Xie had volunteered to join the war.

Ju Shou concluded: "All of this is probably an act, something Cao Cao deliberately put on for us to see, so that everyone in the world would believe that he and the emperor were on good terms and fighting side by side against the enemy. In fact, it was all Cao Cao's way of deceiving people."

No one believed that Liu Xie could make decisions on his own, but he did just that.

As it was getting dark, Cao Ang arrived with his men to meet them, bringing along everyone's mounts.

When Cao Ang saw Cao Cao and saw that his father was safe and sound, he was so excited that he almost cried. "Father, everything is ready. You and His Majesty can leave now!"

Cao Cao nodded with satisfaction, then raised his sword and shouted, "Withdraw the troops immediately!"

Without further ado, Liu Xie and his men quickly mounted their horses and retreated while fighting, heading towards the second line of defense.

Cao Ren and Guo Jia had already set up camp and everything was ready. When Zhang He led his troops closer, he dared not attack easily and could only be on high alert, waiting for Yuan Shao to arrive in person.

After fighting for most of the day, everyone was exhausted and hungry. Cao Cao sat on the ground with Xu Huang and others, and food had already been prepared and brought over.

Cao Cao waved his hand and laughed heartily, "This battle was exhilarating! Bring me some wine, I want to have a good drink with my soldiers."

"Ow!"

The soldiers were overjoyed to be able to fight alongside Cao Cao and drink with him. Who wouldn't like such a wonderful opportunity?

Everyone started shouting and yelling, creating a very lively atmosphere.

After a while, Cao Cao looked around and, not seeing Liu Xie, hurriedly asked, "Where is His Majesty? After fighting for so long, His Majesty has not eaten yet. Let him come over as well."

Cao Ang shook his head. "Father, many soldiers were wounded in this battle. As soon as we returned, His Majesty led people to treat the wounded."

"Is that so?" Cao Cao sighed and had no choice but to give up.

Cao Cao felt that Liu Xie, as the emperor, did not need to do such things personally, but Liu Xie was already used to it.

In this battle, Gan Ning's men suffered more than 500 deaths and more than 800 wounded.

Cao Cao's side suffered 1,500 dead and more than 2,000 wounded.

After the battle, everyone really wanted to have a good meal and then get a good night's sleep.

However, Liu Xie was worried about the wounded soldiers. After returning, he quickly washed his hands and began to treat the wounded soldiers with Lin Tong and others.

Zhu Ling and Lu Zhao were also injured, and Liu Xie personally treated their wounds, while Chen Gong stayed by their side with great interest.

Zhu Ling was filled with trepidation and embarrassment. "Your Majesty, how could I trouble you to personally treat my wounds?"

Liu Xie waved his hand, his voice not loud but extremely authoritative, "Is this the first time you've seen me treat someone's wounds? No need for further words."

With just one look from Liu Xie, Zhu Ling immediately became obedient.

Chen Gong observed very carefully and discovered a phenomenon: all those whom Liu Xie personally participated in treating were at least centurions.

(End of this chapter)