Three Kingdoms, Myth

Liu Bei remained silent for a moment. "In that case, clarify this matter with Lord Tao and send Cao Bao's letter of questioning to Xiapi. Also, inform Lord Tao that I will not interfere with other affairs in Xuzhou. After defeating Cao Mengde, I will return to Taishan."

"Understood," Li You replied calmly.

"Then continue gathering supplies from Taishan, set up camps, and take in refugees. Build shelters centered around Tancheng. Yun Chang, Yi De, Xingba, Zijian, each of you will lead 3,000 troops to eliminate the bandits who are slaughtering the people of Xuzhou."

With Liu Bei's order given, he no longer worried whether this would provoke the local powers of Xuzhou.

"Understood." Guan Yu and the others stood up, saluted Liu Bei, and then left the county office of Tancheng to prepare their troops for the task of eliminating the bandits and gathering the refugees.

"Zichuan, do you think Cao Mengde realizes his mistake?" After only the strategists remained, Liu Bei, looking puzzled, asked the civil officials.

"I don't know, but given Cao Cao's character, he might stop once he's vented his anger. After all, he is a man of firm resolve and wouldn't kill for the sake of killing." Chen Xi lowered his head, uncertain of how to gauge Cao Cao.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Guo Jia, who had recently been closely watched, said. His alcohol was restricted, beautiful women were out of the question, and his supply of Wushi Powder had been confiscated. According to Guo Jia, he was living worse than a dog, but it was evident that his spirit had greatly improved.

"Tell us what you think. I also suspect there's something we're unaware of, but so far, Wenhe hasn't received any reports." Chen Xi looked at the now-thin yet sharp-eyed Guo Jia.

"We have accurate intelligence from Xuzhou. It's clear that Lord Tao intended to hand Xuzhou over to Cao Mengde, but after Cao Mengde's massacre, that plan is naturally void," Guo Jia said, coldly laughing.

"What's more important is that we can be sure Cao Mengde didn't know about Lord Tao's intentions. Otherwise, he could have just sent an envoy to question Tao Qian, and upon confrontation, given Tao Qian's current mindset, he would have willingly handed over Xuzhou. However, now, I'm confident that Cao Mengde has learned of this from another source, and it's accurate information." Guo Jia's face remained calm as he spoke. Though this was his conjecture, based on Cao Cao's current situation, it seemed highly probable.

Liu Ye seemed lost in thought. After a while, he stood up and said, "I might understand Cao Mengde's thinking now. Fengxiao is right. There's a high chance that Cao Mengde has learned of this, and what he's doing now is trying to salvage the situation. Given Cao Mengde's nature, even if he had vented his anger, he wouldn't be providing relief to the people; he'd likely just drive them away."

"Yes, disaster relief is too strange a move for Cao Mengde. It's not that we underestimate him, but given his temperament, he shouldn't be helping those he considered enemies. The logical move would have been to expel them," Jia Xu chimed in, then his expression darkened. Guo Jia and the other strategists, seeing Jia Xu's face, seemed to realize something, their expressions also becoming grim.

"What is it, Zichuan?" Liu Bei asked, puzzled, looking at his strategists before calling Chen Xi by name.

"Cao Mengde might be trying to pin this on us. If he indeed has evidence that Tao Qian intended to give him Xuzhou, then if Tao Qian passes away, we'll be at a disadvantage," Chen Xi said with a bitter smile. "Of course, this is just my guess, but given how little the people know, Cao Mengde's actions could easily obscure the truth. And as Wenhe's intelligence suggests, Cao Mengde is aware that someone has been stirring the pot."

"He wouldn't pin it on us unless we went to see Lord Tao and Tao handed Xuzhou to us, only to pass away shortly after." Guo Jia opened his fan, covering his cold smile. "It may seem unrealistic, but if we actually go to Xuzhou, it could very well happen. Whether it's Cao Cao or the local Xuzhou clans, they both have a strong interest in making it happen."

"Then we'll never be able to clear our names," Liu Ye said, exasperated. "If at that moment, Cao Mengde can produce solid evidence, and coupled with his current efforts to win over the people, we won't just be at a disadvantage; it will be a complete disaster. Until we understand how Cao Mengde got this information, it's best not to approach Lord Tao. Any misstep, and we'll be in deep trouble!"

"Who came up with such a devious plan?" Chen Xi frowned. "The lack of transparent information makes it difficult for the people to truly understand the situation. We're also forced to speculate on Cao Mengde's actions in the massacre, as we have no evidence to prove how many people he killed. And to make matters worse, other forces were involved in the slaughter as well."

"Send an envoy to question Cao Mengde. Treat it as a declaration of war. Regardless, the displacement of the people of Xuzhou is indeed his doing. Whether he provides relief or not, it's just atonement. Although 'knowing one's mistakes and correcting them' is a virtue, it doesn't mean correcting them absolves the guilt. If that were the case, why would we need laws or armies?" Liu Bei decided.

It was clear that compared to the earlier fervor of wanting to eliminate Cao Cao, Liu Bei had calmed down significantly. In his mind, Cao Mengde might have participated in the massacre, but it was likely just to vent his rage. After all, in Liu Bei's memory, Cao Cao was still the same man who, under the walls of Hulao Pass, risked his life for the people and the emperor, pursuing Dong Zhuo.

"Very well, Lord Xuande is right. Send the envoy. Cao Mengde must have received news of our army's presence in Donghai, and there's no need to lose our composure over a moment of anger," Jia Wenhe agreed.

"Lord Xuande, before you send an envoy to question Cao Mengde, I think it's best to clarify one thing," Chen Xi said, somewhat troubled.

It seemed Liu Bei believed Cao Mengde had only killed a few hundred or a thousand people and was planning to question Cao Cao, expecting that if Cao Cao provided an explanation and took responsibility for the aftermath, the matter could be put to rest.

After all, Cao Cao's efforts in Yanzhou and other places had proven him to be a capable minister. Unlike Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, who harbored ambitious intentions, Liu Bei's memories of Cao Cao were still of their mutual agreement under the walls of Hulao Pass to restore the Han dynasty. And given Cao Cao's current behavior, it seemed he had indeed recognized his mistakes, making Liu Bei soften considerably.

Liu Bei hoped that Cao Cao could achieve even greater feats and work alongside him to restore the Han dynasty. So he was willing to give Cao Cao some leeway.

As for the thousands of lives lost, Liu Bei could overlook them as long as Cao Cao provided proper arrangements for the survivors. After all, Cao Cao was avenging his father—a reason that could justify even killing. This excuse had been used for 400 years in a society that upheld filial piety.