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

Chapter 189, Xu You and Cao Cao, old friends, reunite.

Xu You entered, exchanged greetings, and then noticed Guo Tu and Liu Bei were also there. He was puzzled, wondering what had happened.

Yuan Shao gave a sharp rebuke, loudly questioning, "Xu You, do you know your crime?"

Xu You's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in confusion, "My lord, what have I done to offend you?"

Xu You felt very uneasy. Not long ago, Yuan Shao had executed Feng Ji without hesitation, making everyone feel insecure.

Yuan Shao's face was full of anger, and Xu You was so frightened that sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

Yuan Shao said with a gloomy face, "You're still being stubborn. You've been embezzling money and grain for your own benefit. Shen Pei has already investigated this thoroughly, and your family has confessed. Do you think I would falsely accuse you for no reason?"

Xu You thought he had gotten away with it, but he was found out anyway, and his family fell into Shen Pei's hands.

Xu You's eyes darted around a few times, his gaze quickly sweeping over Guo Tu and Liu Bei.

Xu You thought to himself: It's over, my life is over!

Xu You may not know about others, but Guo Tu certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass. He would definitely take advantage of the situation and push Xu You into the fire.

But after waiting for a while, Guo Tu and Liu Bei didn't say anything.

Yuan Shao stared at Xu You for a while, then softened his tone, "Xu You, if it weren't for Xuande pleading for you, I would never have let you off so easily. Considering that you have followed me for many years, I can give you a chance to make amends."

Seeing that Yuan Shao's anger had subsided considerably, Xu You glanced gratefully at Liu Bei, quickly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and hurriedly said, "My lord, please give me any orders. I am willing to redeem myself through meritorious service."

Yuan Shao then explained Liu Bei's plan.

"You and Cao Cao have been friends for many years. If you can lure Cao Cao to Wuchao, I will not only forgive your past mistakes, but also reward you handsomely."

Because of Liu Xie's intervention, things changed from their original trajectory.

Xu You remained silent, pondering for a long time, but Yuan Shao did not press him.

Yuan Shao was certain that Xu You would agree, because if Xu You refused, Yuan Shao would have no reason to spare his life, and Xu You's family would also be executed.

If Xu You had done as instructed, and Cao Cao had fallen into the trap, Yuan Shao would have been able to unify the north and thus completely control the entire country.

Yuan Shao was very pleased with himself. He felt that Liu Bei was genuinely helping him, and that Liu Bei's plan was simply brilliant.

Seeing that Xu You hesitated to make a decision, Liu Bei advised, "Ziyuan, I think this plan is very feasible. Only you can gain Cao Cao's trust and persuade him. The war has now reached a stalemate. If it continues, you can afford to wait, but Cao Cao cannot. Therefore, Cao Cao urgently needs to turn the tide. If you go to Cao Cao, it will not only be a reunion with an old friend, but also a timely help for Cao Cao. Cao Cao will definitely not doubt you."

Guo Tu also said, "Xu You, if Liu Bei hadn't pleaded for you, our lord would not have let you off so easily. You are a smart man and should know how to make a choice."

Although Xu You knew that this contained a threat, he had no choice. If he didn't go, Yuan Shao would deal with him immediately, and his family's lives would be in danger.

The reason why Liu Xie sent Liu Bei to offer advice to Yuan Shao was that Liu Bei's words carried a lot of weight because he had presented the Imperial Seal of the State.

Liu Xie believed that Yuan Shao would not refuse the temptation of an opportunity to ambush Cao Cao.

Xu You finally nodded, "My lord, I agree!"

Yuan Shao smiled with satisfaction, "Good! Don't worry, I'll have Shen Pei release your family right away. If we can capture or kill Cao Cao, the credit will be yours!"

Immediately, the group discussed the matter in detail. Liu Bei was very enthusiastic and finally suggested, "My lord, General Chunyu Qiong is fond of drinking. Let's have him guard Wuchao and deliberately make it seem like the defenses are lax. This will allow Ziyuan to lure Cao Cao there smoothly. Then, we'll deploy heavy troops around the perimeter. Even if Cao Cao has extraordinary abilities, he won't be able to escape!"

Yuan Shao was very satisfied and praised, "Excellent! Xuande's words are exactly what I wanted to hear."

The group discussed for a full hour, and their plan was flawless. Then, Xu You deliberately pretended to escape from Yuan's army camp. In the middle of the night, Yuan's army camp was in turmoil, with squads of soldiers searching back and forth, and people shouting loudly from time to time.

"Search carefully, we must capture Xu You."

"Xu You has defected! Search thoroughly!"

"Our lord has ordered that Xu You must not be allowed to escape!"

The scouts on Cao Cao's side quickly reported the matter to Cao Cao.

Cao Cao had already lain down, but was startled awake. He frowned, pondering what had happened.

Suddenly, Dian Wei strode into the tent from outside. "My lord, Xu You requests an audience!"

“Xu You, he must have come to seek refuge with me. Come with me to greet him.”

Cao Cao was overjoyed, now certain that Xu You had escaped Yuan Shao's camp to join him.

Before he could even put on his shoes, Cao Cao ran barefoot to greet him. When he arrived outside the tent, Cao Cao recognized him at a glance, even though they hadn't seen each other for many years. He stepped forward and grabbed Xu You's hand.

Cao Cao laughed heartily, "Ziyuan, it really is you! It seems that defeating Yuan Shao is just around the corner."

Cao Cao's words pleased Xu You greatly. Seeing that Cao Cao was still barefoot, Xu You laughed and said, "Aman, Yuan Shao cannot tolerate me, so I have no choice but to come and seek refuge with you."

Upon meeting, Xu You inappropriately called Cao Cao by his childhood name in public, which was extremely disrespectful.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu glared angrily at Xu You, their eyes wide, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Cao Cao, however, remained composed and smiled dismissively. Then, he deliberately looked sternly at Dian Wei and Xu Chu, two men who feared nothing but Cao Cao.

Cao Cao, holding Xu You's hand, loudly proclaimed to the crowd, "Ziyuan is my old friend; no one is allowed to slight him!"

Life is all about acting!

Cao Cao wouldn't be so polite to Xu You without a reason. Even if they were childhood friends, Cao Cao wouldn't be polite to him if there was no benefit to be gained.

Cao Cao has been worried lately. Although the early implementation of the military-agricultural system and Liu Xie's reminder before the war have allowed him to prepare a large amount of grain, Cao Cao is temporarily relieved of the problem of grain.

However, the war became a stalemate. Yuan Shao had too many troops, and Cao Cao was having a very hard time fighting him, like ants trying to bite an elephant.

Even with his advantages, Cao Cao would find it difficult to completely defeat Yuan Shao, a behemoth, in the short term.

Cao Cao wanted to achieve victory through surprise, and he had been racking his brains for a solution recently, just when Xu You arrived.

Upon meeting Xu You, Cao Cao immediately realized that his opportunity had arrived.

Cao Cao welcomed Xu You into the main tent, behaving very politely. Even if Xu You called him by his childhood name, Cao Cao wouldn't mind if Xu You twisted his ear, as long as Xu You could help him defeat Yuan Shao. After they were seated, Cao Cao hurriedly asked, "Ziyuan, I just heard a scout report that Yuan Shao is sending men to capture you. What exactly is going on?"

Xu You sighed, “It’s nothing much. It’s just that I embezzled some money and grain before. It was originally a trivial matter, but I didn’t expect that someone would seize on it. Yuan Shao didn’t care about our past relationship and arrested my family. All these years I have devoted myself to him, but I never thought that I couldn’t even protect my family.”

Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, Cao Cao still knew Xu You quite well. He never expected that after all these years, Xu You's greedy nature hadn't been curbed.

Cao Cao quickly advised, "Ziyuan, I never imagined that someone as talented as you could be so intolerant of Yuan Shao. Don't worry, I'll avenge you. After we defeat Yuan Shao and capture Ye City, I will not only rescue your family, but I will also hand over Yuan Shao's family to you to deal with. What do you say?"

Cao Cao displayed great generosity, knowing exactly what Xu You needed most at that moment.

Xu You was filled with resentment and was eager to take revenge and vent his anger.

Xu You nodded, and his address to Cao Cao became much more polite. "Mengde, since Yuan Shao has been unjust to me, don't blame me, Xu Ziyuan, for being unjust as well."

Xu You was good at putting on airs and keeping people in suspense. Even though he had already decided to help Cao Cao, he didn't directly give Cao Cao any advice.

Instead, Xu You deliberately wanted to tear open Cao Cao's predicament, like peeling back a scar, layer by layer.

Xu You, with an expression that seemed to say "I know your secrets," narrowed his eyes and asked, "Mengde, despite your recent victories, it's difficult for you to completely defeat Yuan Shao with your current strength. How many troops do you have left? How long can your supplies last?"

Cao Cao knew his intentions but didn't bother arguing with him. He spread his hands and sighed helplessly, "To be honest, we still have 50,000 troops and enough provisions to last another year."

Xu You rolled his eyes, and without saying a word, got up and left.

Cao Cao hurriedly pulled him back, "Ziyuan, wait, what do you mean by this?"

Xu You snorted coldly, "Mengde, I risked my life to come and join you, sincerely hoping to help you, yet you refuse to tell me the truth?"

Cao Cao was so angry he almost cursed. "What a fine way to say you're 'risking your life to come to me'! Your family has been wiped out by Yuan Shao, and you have nowhere to go, so you come to me for refuge."

A wise person sees through things but doesn't say anything, otherwise they won't even be able to remain friends!

Cao Cao knew that Xu You wanted to raise his status to highlight his importance.

The implication is that Cao Cao would have been doomed without me, and I'm here to help him. Thanks to me, he was able to recover and turn the tide.

Xu You was just that kind of person; he liked to use his cleverness to make Cao Cao feel that he really couldn't do without him.

Cao Cao was too lazy to argue with him and made him sit down again. "Ziyuan, alas, you must understand my predicament. It's not that I don't want to tell you the truth, it's just... a long story. Yuan Shao's family is large and powerful, with many soldiers and supplies. There are some things I dare not say, lest the soldiers hear them and it affect their morale."

"Of course, since you are sincerely here to help me, how could I hide anything from you? To be honest, I still have 45,000 troops and enough food to last for another eight months."

In reality, Cao Cao's forces numbered less than 30,000.

Because from the very beginning, Cao Cao's army only numbered 50,000.

Although some surrendered soldiers were captured, Cao Cao dared not use them and transported them all to Xuchang. On the other hand, the gap caused by the casualties on Liu Xie's side was basically filled by the surrendered soldiers who were recruited in time.

Only Emperor Liu Xie could truly treat surrendered soldiers in this way: recruit them and put them to work immediately, making them ready to serve as soon as they were recruited. This is the effect of being an emperor.

Xu You stared coldly at Cao Cao, remaining silent for a long time.

Cao Cao didn't feel embarrassed at all; he could lie and deceive people with ease, and his performance was very smooth and natural.

Seeing that Xu You didn't believe him, Cao Cao slapped his thigh and laughed, "As expected of Xu Ziyuan, I knew I couldn't fool you. Fine, I'll just tell you directly."

At this point, Cao Cao suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as he warily peered outside.

After confirming that no one else was around, he lowered his voice and said to Xu You, "It's only because of you that I would never tell anyone else. You absolutely must not tell anyone. I only have less than 40,000 troops left, and our food supplies can only last for another six months at most."

In reality, Cao Cao talked too much.

But Xu You did not press him further. He had already achieved the desired effect: to make Cao Cao admit that he was now in a predicament.

“Mengde, since I have come to join you, I naturally know about the situation on your side. I have been observing you for a long time. Although there are constant battles, big and small, you never dare to charge with all your might and you don’t dare to fight Yuan’s army to the death. This is because your forces are too small. If you really fight, you will only expose your weakness.”

Cao Cao looked on with admiration, "You don't lie in front of a real person. I knew I couldn't hide anything from you."

Xu You enjoyed being flattered by Cao Cao. He stood up, looked at Cao Cao, and suddenly laughed, "Mengde, now that I'm here, I must have already come up with a plan to defeat the enemy."

Cao Cao also stood up and bowed deeply to Xu You, saying, "Please teach me, Ziyuan!"

When he needed someone's help, Cao Cao didn't mind lowering his stance.

Xu You, craning his neck, asked smugly, "Do you know where Yuan Shao keeps his grain supplies?"

Cao Cao shook his head. He was really anxious and hoped that Xu You would finish speaking quickly and concisely.

But Xu You had a penchant for keeping people in suspense, so Cao Cao could only try his best to play along.

After waiting for a long, long time, Xu You finally finished speaking. Cao Cao stared at Xu You for a while, then burst into laughter, "Ziyuan, you are truly a timely help! Having Ziyuan is better than having 100,000 soldiers!"

Seeing that Cao Cao had fallen for the trap, Xu You was very pleased. Liu Bei was right; no one else could have fooled Cao Cao with this plan.

After settling Xu You in, Cao Cao summoned Guo Jia and others.

Cao Cao was already tempted, but he still wanted everyone to give him some advice.

After listening, Guo Jia pondered for a long time before asking, "My lord, is this Xu You trustworthy?"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "Xu You has nowhere else to go but to come to me. Since he has come to see me, he can't be empty-handed. He must be eager to prove himself, so he should be trustworthy!"

Despite Guo Jia's exceptional wisdom and ability to read people's minds, he couldn't find any flaws in the plan.

Xun You and the others also failed to see anything amiss.

Xu You's family was arrested, forcing him to surrender to Cao Cao and help Cao Cao fight Yuan Shao. It all makes perfect sense from any perspective.

Finally, Cao Cao said, "Gentlemen, the situation is now at a stalemate. If we can burn Yuan Shao's grain supplies, the situation can be turned around in an instant. I intend to personally lead an elite force to Wuchao to burn the grain!"

(End of this chapter)