My Three Kingdoms is not right

Cao Cao's smile faded slightly, and he waved his hand dismissively, "I have already ordered my soldiers to punish those who resist. Your Highness need not worry about it."

Liu Xun's unease grew rapidly. He recalled Liu Bei's heavy, worried look just now, and some of the less-than-glorious records of Cao Cao's army in history.

He suddenly stood up, strode to the tent flap, and yanked open the heavy curtain.

In the distance, towards Pengcheng, the firelight was even more dazzling than the afterglow of the setting sun, reddening half the sky.

The cries and pleas carried on the wind suddenly became clear, enough to make anyone who heard them turn pale.

This is hardly "punishing only those who resist"!

"Massacre the city." A voice filled with suppressed pain and anger rang out behind Liu Xun; it was Liu Bei. She had also arrived at the door at some point, her face pale, her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white. "Cao Cao ordered the massacre of the city as a warning to others."

She spoke the last few words with great difficulty, clearly having already offered advice, but to no avail.

Liu Xun froze, then whirled around to face the girl in red in the tent. His voice trembled with rage: "Mengde! You are the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the court, leading troops to punish the disloyal. How can you slaughter innocent civilians?!"

The smile on Cao Cao's face vanished completely.

She set down her wine cup, stood up, and a sharp glint flashed in her phoenix eyes, as if the temperature in the entire tent had dropped several degrees. "Your Highness," her voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable coldness:

"The defenders of Pengcheng put up a stubborn resistance, causing our soldiers to bleed and die. If they are not punished, how can we comfort their souls? How can we deter future generations? In the future, every city will follow Pengcheng's example and defend to the death. How much blood will our army have to shed before we can take it?"

"Punishment?" Liu Xun pointed towards the towering flames and faint screams in the direction of Pengcheng.

You call this punishment?! Those are ordinary people! They are living, breathing human beings! Hou Xie was captured after his breakout attempt, and the defending soldiers either died or surrendered—what does that have to do with them?! Your soldiers shed blood, so must the blood of the entire city be used to pay for it?!

"Your Highness, having long resided in the inner palace, is unaware of the cruelty of war and does not understand the principle that compassion cannot govern an army!" Cao Cao's voice suddenly rose, drowning out the noise outside the tent. "In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary; in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken!"

"I slaughtered Pengcheng not only for Pengcheng's sake, but also to let the world know that this is the fate of those who obstruct my advance!"

Since Liu Xun first met Cao Cao on the outskirts of Luoyang, he has never had a direct confrontation with her.

Because he knew that this girl was the true "chosen one." His own life was probably not as strong as hers, and besides, he still needed her to complete the system mission of restoring the Han Dynasty.

However, at this moment, he simply couldn't back down.

Screams and cries filled the air as more lives were lost every minute.

Liu Xun met Cao Cao's sharp gaze without flinching: "Mengde, look at this world! Warlords are fighting each other, people are displaced, and some are even resorting to cannibalism! Are we raising an army to quell this chaos and save the people from their suffering, or are we becoming thugs who create even more chaos and tragedy?!"

"If I stand idly by today, how will history books describe you, Cao Mengde? 'Slaughtering cities and killing civilians, tyrannical and cruel'?"

"Don't you want your name to be etched in history, don't you want your achievements to last?"

Liu Bei stepped forward with difficulty, bowed deeply, and said earnestly, "Lord Cao, I also believe that Your Highness's words are reasonable. The massacre of the city is a grave violation of natural law and morality. What have the people of Pengcheng done? Even if they resisted, the fault lies with Hou Xie and the garrison. Now that the ringleaders have been captured and the accomplices have been dispersed, why should innocent bystanders be implicated? I implore Lord Cao to rescind his order, stop the fighting, and bring peace to the people. Then the world will surely be grateful for your benevolence!"

Cao Cao's chest heaved as he stared intently at Liu Xun, then his gaze swept over Liu Bei: "That sounds nice!"

"You only see the people of Pengcheng, but have you ever thought about those who died because the war could not be resolved quickly? Have you ever thought about the soldiers who lost their lives because of the increased resistance?"

Liu Bei lowered his head and remained silent, while Liu Xun simply shook his head and said, "Mencius said: 'Seeing them alive, one cannot bear to see them die; hearing their cries, one cannot bear to eat their flesh.'"

"If you don't even cherish the life right in front of you, how can you talk about others?"

"I have already proclaimed to the world: 'Those who surrender after being besieged will not be pardoned.'" Cao Cao's voice was forced out through clenched teeth. "Your Highness need not say more. Must you, today, tarnish my prestige and turn against me for the sake of these irrelevant people?"

Looking at the young heroine before him, with whom he had once fought side by side and shared drinks, Liu Xun felt a surge of complex emotions.

Sigh, all the goodwill I've painstakingly built up is probably going to be used up this time.

What a waste of money!

Despite these thoughts, he still stood in front of Cao Cao and drew the sword from his waist.

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly became extremely tense.

Liu Xun handed the hilt of his sword to the girl in red before him: "Mengde, if you refuse to stop today, then you might as well kill me too. Otherwise, I will leave here and lead the Imperial Guards into the city to bring the rioters who are oppressing the people to justice!"

Cao Cao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger surging in them had been forcibly suppressed, replaced by disappointment and helplessness.

Of course, she couldn't possibly kill Liu Xun; she couldn't bring herself to do it, neither for personal nor professional reasons.

Liu Xun himself knew this.

So, he was forcing himself to submit.

"Issue the order..." Her voice was hoarse and dry, "Withdraw the troops immediately. All soldiers who have entered the city must immediately withdraw from Pengcheng and return to the main camp. Those who disobey will be punished according to military law."

She spoke the last four words with extreme emphasis, carrying a chilling killing intent, but it was unclear whether they were directed at the disobedient soldiers or at the predicament she was facing.

A messenger rushed out of the tent. Moments later, the sharp sound of a gong rang out urgently, piercing through the noise and carrying far towards Pengcheng.

Liu Xun's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat. He looked at Cao Cao and found that the girl in red had turned her back, her back straight, but exuding a coldness.

"Mengde..." Liu Xun wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere.

Cao Cao did not turn around, but simply raised one hand and waved it weakly, his voice weary and distant: "Your Highness, please return. I am tired. The military meeting will be postponed to tomorrow."

Liu Xun knew that today's events had created a deep rift between the two of them.

He silently bowed, nodded to Liu Bei, and turned to leave the tent.

Outside the tent, the sound of gongs still echoed, the firelight in the direction of Pengcheng seemed to have weakened, and the cries were gradually replaced by shouts of command and the clamor of troop movements. The massacre had stopped.

Liu Bei followed and stopped beside Liu Xun, bowing deeply to the ground: "Your Highness's noble character is deeply appreciated. If it weren't for Your Highness's righteous words and efforts to turn the tide, Pengcheng would be in unimaginable danger tonight."

"Your Highness is truly a benevolent ruler, a blessing to the Han Dynasty!" Her eyes were filled with heartfelt admiration.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei also clasped their hands in salute. Although they did not say much, the respect in their eyes was clearly visible.

Liu Xun helped Liu Bei up, shook his head, and felt little joy, only heaviness in his heart: "Xuande, you flatter me. I only did what I should do." He glanced back at the now silent central command tent, where the lamplight cast the girl's solitary figure onto the tent flap.

Inside the central command tent, Cao Cao remained motionless, still facing the map.

Guo Jia said softly, "His Highness was not targeting the Lord."

"I know. He's right." Cao Cao's voice was eerily calm.

"I'm right too."