Chapter 327 Inventory
Cao Cao's question left Liu Bei stunned. Then he stood up and leaned on the railing with Cao Cao to look. Sure enough, they saw a dragon flying in the northern sky.

This phenomenon was quite strange, and due to the mysterious concept unique to people of that era, Liu Bei also felt inexplicably moved.

But he didn't understand the dragon's transformation, so he looked at Cao Cao and said, "I don't know the details."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and smiled, pointing to the cloud dragon in the north, saying: "A dragon can be big or small, can rise or hide; when big, it can create clouds and mist, when small, it can hide its shape; when rising, it can soar into the universe, when hiding, it can lurk in the waves. Now is deep spring, and the dragon takes advantage of the time to change, just like a man who achieves his ambition and travels across the world. The dragon is like a hero in the world."

After saying that, Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and saw that Liu Bei looked thoughtful.

He asked again: "Xuan De has traveled a lot and must know some heroes of the time. Please point them out to me."

Liu Bei was silent for a moment, looking at Cao Cao's smiling face. He was a little unsure of this guy's intention. It must not be a whim that he suddenly brought up such a strange topic.

"How can I recognize a hero with my naked eyes?" Liu Bei replied.

Cao Cao smiled indifferently and said, "Xuan De, don't be too modest."

Liu Bei took a step back and bowed slightly: "I am grateful to you for your grace and have been appointed to serve in the court. There are many heroes in the world who are unknown."

Cao Cao frowned, as if dissatisfied: "I don't know his face, but I have heard of his name."

The hall was silent for a moment, and the atmosphere was slightly solemn. Cao Cao was so urgent that Liu Bei had no way to refuse again and again, otherwise he would really embarrass Cao Cao.

After all, this was Cao Cao's territory, and Liu Bei had no choice but to submit since he was under his roof.

He said, "Yuan Shu of Huainan has sufficient military supplies. Can he be considered a hero?"

Cao Cao heard this and his eyes flashed with contempt: "Yuan Shu is just a dead body in his grave. I will capture him sooner or later!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei asked again: "There is a man named Bajun, who is powerful in all the states: Can Liu Jingsheng be considered a hero?"

Cao Cao even shook his head: "Liu Biao is just a name without substance, he is not a hero."

During the conversation, the two men listed all the heroes in the world, such as Liu Zhang, Zhang Lu, Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu, Han Sui, and Sun Ce, who had recently emerged as a rising star in Jiangdong. However, Cao Cao did not regard any of them as heroes.

If it were in the past, the name of Yuan Shao might still be mentioned, but now that Yuan Shao is dead, it is not worth mentioning.

After such an inventory, it was found that among all the heroes in the world, none could catch Cao Cao's eye. This attitude also surprised Liu Bei. Was Cao Cao ignorant and arrogant, or was he extremely confident?

When talking about this, Cao Cao's mood became very good, and a strong spirit surged out of him.

He looked up at the sky and said calmly: "A hero is one who has great ambitions, good plans, and the ability to contain the universe and swallow up the world."

Liu Bei pondered for a long time, and finally suddenly looked towards the north: "Xuanxia Xu Chen has established a new system, is generous to the common people, and has achieved success in entrepreneurship. Although he is a bandit, he is not lacking in courage and reputation. He may be a hero of the world."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Cao's faint smile froze for a moment, and then he withdrew his expression with a gloomy look.

Liu Bei enumerated all the heroes in the world, none of whom had been taken seriously by Cao Cao before. However, this unexpected name made him choke.

When talking about this topic, he really didn't think about that man. After all, the two sides were in different camps. To the Han people, that man was just a traitor and was not worthy of being on the stage in name only.

However, even Han Sui and Zhang Xiu have talked about it, so it seems that Xu Chen is not impossible.

After Liu Bei mentioned this, Cao Cao suddenly felt that the name Xu Chen had the power to suppress all the princes in the world. In an instant, all the so-called heroes in the world seemed to be overshadowed by this name.

To be honest, when he first discussed the heroes of the world, this was not the name he wanted to mention, but after it was really brought up, he had to admit it.

"Xuanxia Xuchen, although he was born a bandit, he has the aura of a man who can swallow up mountains and rivers. He can be called a hero."

As he spoke, Cao Cao shook his head and smiled bitterly. If possible, he did not want to give such a high evaluation to Xu Chen, but perhaps it was the mutual respect between the strong. The more unwilling he felt, the more he acknowledged Xu Chen's strength.

Then, he changed the subject: "However, although Xu Chen has established a national system, he still cannot wash away the fact that he is a bandit. Sooner or later, the Han army will crush Xuanxia. Xu Chen, the so-called hero, is not worthy of being mentioned. In Xuande's opinion, who else can be called a hero?"

Liu Bei was silent for a long time, and finally shook his head: "Besides this, I don't know who else can take on the role."

Cao Cao suddenly smiled, took a sip from the wine cup, and then stared at Liu Bei sharply, saying shockingly: "The only heroes in the world are Xuande and Cao!"

As soon as the words came out, Liu Bei's heart was shocked and the spoon and chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground.

Instantly, the two of them focused their eyes on this object, and the atmosphere became slightly sinister and strange, but Liu Bei quickly adjusted his mood, then calmly bent over to pick up the spoon and chopsticks. "The power of a shock is so great that it makes Meng De laugh." Liu Bei smiled slightly and bowed to apologize.

Cao Cao laughed, didn't take it seriously, helped Liu Bei sit down, and then got down to business.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, he let out a long sigh and his expression became melancholy.

"The rebellion in the north is unstoppable and difficult to contain. Although Yanzhou has welcomed the emperor, it is still difficult to resist the enemy. The Han Dynasty is already in ruins."

Cao Cao paused, raised his cup and drank with Liu Bei, then continued: "You and I are both loyal to the Han Dynasty, and our hearts are devoted to the country, so I regard Xuande as a close friend. Now there is something I can't solve, please hope Xuande can teach me."

When Liu Bei heard this, his mind raced. He felt that Cao Cao's words contained a hidden agenda, but it was difficult to guess his intention.

Seeing Cao Cao looking at him, he could only helplessly reply: "Meng De is a rare hero, I am far inferior to him, how can I talk about teaching him a word?"

Cao Cao sighed, his face showing a worried look: "Today, the world is in ruins and the country is in danger. Even if we loyal people are determined, how can we save the situation?"

Liu Bei did not think much about it. He raised his hand and faced the direction of the emperor's palace and said, "Of course, we should uphold the emperor's righteousness, unite the strength of the prefectures and counties, and jointly attack the bandits in Xu to quell the chaos."

Cao Cao stroked his beard and nodded, agreeing deeply: "Xuan De is indeed a hero of the world. This is the only explanation."

When Liu Bei heard this, he naturally knew that the topic would not be that simple, so he did not respond, but just waited for Cao Cao to continue speaking.

Sure enough, after Cao Cao finished speaking, his expression darkened again, and he changed the subject: "However, this matter is so difficult. There are many ambitious people in the prefectures and counties, all of whom are greedy for their own immediate interests. How many of them can still submit to the king's system?"

After hearing this, Liu Bei fell silent. What Cao Cao was worried about was indeed the reality.

Cao Cao picked up a wooden chopstick, dipped it in the wine and tapped it on the table, then said, "Xuzhou Tao Qian died of illness, and Lu Bu took advantage of the opportunity to sneak in and occupy the city. This man betrayed Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo, and is really a despicable villain. Is he willing to serve the emperor? Can we unite?"

Liu Bei shook his head and was speechless.

In fact, the main theme of China in recent years is not just the struggle between Yuan Shao and Xuan Xia, but also a drama of fighting among other princes.

After leaving the capital in his early years, Lu Bu wandered around. He was once taken in by Yuan Shao, but was disallowed by Yuan Shao because he allowed his soldiers to do wrong things. Later, he participated in the struggle among the princes, and not only fought with Cao Cao, but also fought with Yuan Shu.

But he was lucky, as he eventually found an opportunity and took advantage of Tao Qian's death to occupy Xuzhou and became a local lord.

It's just that a despicable man like Lu Bu was naturally not taken seriously by Liu Bei and Cao Cao. They could not count on Lu Bu at all for this important task of helping the poor and the needy.

After talking about Lu Bu, Cao Cao continued to order more drinks on the table and said, "Liu Biao of Jingzhou is suspicious, old and weak, and only wants to maintain the status quo and live a comfortable life without any sense of justice. Are you willing to donate soldiers and money to help the court solve its difficulties?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei sighed again and shook his head helplessly.

Liu Bei had also heard about what kind of person Liu Biao was. This old guy had no ambition now. He was only concerned with guarding his own territory and power, and was as conservative and stingy as a miser. He could not be relied upon.

Cao Cao pointed again and said, "Liu Zhang of Yizhou is quite benevolent and righteous, and may be able to provide some support to the emperor, but he is incompetent and cowardly, so he may not be of much use."

Liu Bei had nothing to refute this evaluation. Liu Zhang of Yizhou did indeed appear to be a weak ruler.

Afterwards, Cao Cao once again counted the heroes of the world, whether it was Sun Ce of Jiangdong, Zhang Xiu of Wancheng, or Han Sui and Ma Teng, the positions and abilities of all the princes in the world were thoroughly analyzed. However, after the final inventory, he found that there were only a few reliable people in the world.

Even though the man in the north may be a common enemy to all the heroes of the world, it does not mean that the heroes of the world will be able to unite in the face of a common enemy.

The Han Dynasty's imperial court had long lost its power, and all the princes were only seeking their own development. Each of them was ambitious and selfish. As long as the Yellow Turbans did not attack them, it was really overestimating them to expect them to work together to defend the Han Dynasty.

However, Liu Bei still didn’t understand why Cao Cao told him this.

"Meng De, please tell me what you mean." Liu Bei bowed.

Cao Cao looked at him and sighed, "Loyal and righteous people are rare in the world. Who else can the emperor rely on besides you and me? The governors of various prefectures and counties are all untrustworthy. It is better to appoint capable people. Xuande is the commander of the Northern Army. Instead of staying around the emperor and running out of manpower, it is better to go out and recruit soldiers and build a strong army for the emperor."

After hearing this, Liu Bei finally understood what Cao Cao was thinking. Although his face remained calm, he was quite dissatisfied in his heart.

However, he still calmed down and asked, "Where do you think I can stay?"

At this point, Cao Cao finally revealed his true intentions: "I think that Lü Bu and Liu Biao are both people who occupy high positions in vain. If they cannot be used by the emperor, then they are not worthy of occupying the place. Therefore, I intend to conquer Xuzhou on the order of the emperor, and Xuande may not be unable to seize Jingzhou. You and I will take the land together to strengthen ourselves, so that we can truly serve the emperor!"

(End of this chapter)