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

Chapter 34, Guo Jia's evaluation of Liu Bei

Cao Cao then looked at Guo Jia, "Fengxiao, what do you think?"

Guo Jia smiled. “I agree that Liu Bei is unwilling to be subordinate to others, but given that he has taken the initiative to come to us, you should not only refrain from killing him, but also treat him with sincerity. Xuchang has just been pacified, and the whole world is watching you. If you kill Liu Bei, who will dare to come and join you in the future? To block the arrival of virtuous ministers and heroes from all over the world because of killing one person is an unwise move!”

However, Guo Jia changed the subject and said, "Not killing him for now does not mean we won't kill him later. In fact, Liu Bei is a very dangerous person. If you can't control him, you must get rid of him as soon as possible!"

"Oh? Fengxiao, please explain in detail."

Guo Jia explained, "What makes Liu Bei most terrifying is his ability to be flexible yet fickle, a trait he shares with Emperor Gaozu."

No one dared to criticize Liu Bang casually, but Guo Jia was always bold in his speech.

Guo Jia explained, "Liu Bei originally relied on Gongsun Zan, but taking advantage of the opportunity to rescue Tao Qian, he abandoned Gongsun Zan and went to Tao Qian. This was the first time he switched sides."

"After entering Xuzhou, it was thanks to the recommendation and assistance of Kong Rong from Beihai that I was able to gain Tao Qian's attention. However, when Tao Qian was being fiercely attacked by Yuan Tan, Liu Bei dared not offend Yuan Shao and completely ignored Kong Rong's life or death. This was the second time that things had changed."

"After being defeated by you, Lord Lü Bu sought refuge with Liu Bei, but instead seized control of Xu Province. However, Liu Bei was willing to set aside past grievances and go to rely on Lü Bu. This was the third time Lü Bu had gone back and forth."

"When Liu Bei was staying in Xiaopei, Yuan Shu raised an army to attack him. Lü Bu shot an arrow through the gate of the camp to save Liu Bei. Instead of being grateful for Lü Bu's life-saving grace, Liu Bei recruited soldiers and horses to fight against Lü Bu. This was the fourth time he had gone back on his word."

"Liu Bei was our enemy before, blocking you from entering Xuzhou, but now he has come to us on his own initiative. This is the fifth time he has changed his mind."

"Liu Bei clearly wanted to kill us before, but now he has come to join us. My lord, Liu Bei's magnanimity is rare in this world, we must be wary of him!"

After hearing Guo Jia's explanation, Cao Cao was terrified. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying Liu Bei seemed.

His most terrifying aspect was not Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's martial prowess, nor his superior strategic skills.

Even if you were once bitter enemies, he can still smile and become your friend.

Cao Cao then summoned Cheng Yu, who also suggested killing Liu Bei directly.

All three of Liu Bei's top advisors saw that he was unwilling to be subordinate to others and was difficult to control. Only Guo Jia suggested keeping him alive for the time being and eliminating him when the opportunity arose.

That night, Liu Xie, lying in bed, did not celebrate his victory. He knew that he had displeased Cao Cao and had even knelt in front of the door for most of the day, and Cao Cao might hold a grudge.

However, as long as I can leave the city and join the army on the expedition, it's all worth it.

If people don't change, nothing can be changed!

He didn't want to end up like Liu Xie in history, who was only allowed to leave the palace when Cao Cao needed him and couldn't go anywhere else.

Even if he is still locked in a cage, just as Xu Huang said, it's just a bigger cage. Liu Xie hopes the cage is as big as possible, because only in this way can he have a chance to turn the tide!

The next morning at court, Cao Cao did not attend; he was busy receiving Liu Bei's envoy.

At noon, Cao Cao met Liu Bei.

Cao Cao had not yet made up his mind on how to treat Liu Bei, so he did not bring Liu Bei to see Liu Xie immediately.

Today, Liu Xie officially regained his freedom. He and Xu Huang took a large amount of food and wine from Hongyun Restaurant and came to the entrance of Beisi Temple again.

This time, the guards dared not be negligent and hurriedly ran to report to Man Chong.

When Man Chong heard that the emperor had arrived, he suddenly trembled. He knew everything that had happened yesterday. Cao Cao had killed Deng Zhan without hesitation and had even knelt before Liu Xie for most of the day, which was unprecedented.

"Minister Man, may I enter today?" Liu Xie looked at Man Chong calmly, but his tone was authoritative.

Man Chong sighed and quickly made way for him. "Of course, if Your Majesty doesn't find it filthy and messy inside, I'm willing to lead the way."

Man Chong dared not stop him. He couldn't fathom Cao Cao's temper, and if things escalated, he might also be killed by Cao Cao. The North Temple Prison held serious criminals. After walking a short distance inside, the light suddenly dimmed, and a pungent smell permeated the air.

A long corridor separated the cells on both sides. The cells were all built of bluestone, sturdy and dark, and the air was filled with a mixture of various smells, which were very pungent.

Man Chong led the way while occasionally turning back to look at Liu Xie.

Liu Xie remained calm, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow.

Man Chong asked curiously, "Ordinary people couldn't stand the environment here. I didn't expect Your Majesty to be able to remain so calm."

“If you had been with me on the way from Chang’an to Luoyang, you wouldn’t have asked this question.”

After more than a year of life-and-death escape, facing life-and-death situations, filth, chaos, and betrayal, Liu Xie had experienced everything he was meant to.

So what if it's a little dirty and messy?

Is it worse than going hungry? Is it worse than being hunted down?
The screams of prisoners echoed in my ears from time to time. Some were still being tortured, with whips cracking and chains rattling. The screams were shrill and incessant, sending chills down my spine.

Liu Xie didn't care. Man Chong reluctantly led him to a cell and then shouted inside, "Lord Yang, His Majesty has come to see you."

The jailer opened the cell door, and a strong smell of blood rushed out.

By the faint light shining through the iron bars of the stone cell, Liu Xie finally saw clearly a disheveled person huddled in a corner, trembling all over and making low noises.

Liu Xie hurried a few steps to the man and, disregarding his filth, helped him up.

Finally, they could see clearly that it was indeed Yang Biao. His body was covered in whip marks, and his skin was cracked in many places, with blood and flesh stuck to his clothes. Even his face had several whip marks.

Yang Biao, who had been enduring the pain with his eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them and was overjoyed.

"Your Majesty, it's you! What brings you here?"

Overjoyed, Yang Biao wept and tried to stand up to pay his respects to Liu Xie, but he swayed and collapsed weakly to the ground.

His injuries were too severe. He was a scholar, and also quite old; how could he withstand days of torture and beatings?

Liu Xie quickly helped him up and made him lean against the wall.

"Master Yang, there's no need for formalities. You've suffered."

Turning to Man Chong, Liu Xie sneered, "Minister Man, how is the investigation going? If the evidence is conclusive, I will not protect even the most powerful ministers."

"this?"

Man Chong felt awkward and didn't know how to reply for a moment.

They originally thought that a beating and a little intimidation would make Yang Biao obediently confess his crimes.

Man Chong didn't believe he could endure the torture in the prison.

However, to everyone's surprise, Yang Biao gritted his teeth and persevered.

Man Chong is now in a difficult position. If he continues to torture Yang Biao, he's worried that Yang Biao might die in prison, and if things escalate, it will be hard to handle.

If we don't use torture, and there's no evidence at all, doesn't that mean we're admitting he's been wronged?

Thinking of this, Man Chong replied, "Your Majesty, the case is complicated and is still under investigation."

(End of this chapter)