Chapter 4: Cao Cao's Sword

  The territory of the Han Dynasty was vast, but although it occupied a large area, it does not mean that all these places were generally prosperous.

  In this era, the most prosperous regions were naturally in the Central Plains and Hebei. These two places were the core areas of the Han Dynasty's economy, people's livelihoods, etc., and it can even be said that these two major regions were the core of the Han Dynasty.

  In comparison, the south was not so valued - just look at the division of states and counties in the Han Dynasty, the north had a large area divided into more than ten states, while the south had an equally large area with only three or four.

  Among them, the jurisdictions of Jiao State and Yang State are almost equivalent to two or three states in the north. If you take a closer look, it seems that taking office in these two places would be very impressive, but in reality? Those two places are no different from the harsh and cold lands outside the pass for the Han people, they are all barren lands.

  In addition to the high mountains and hills on that side, which are continuous and unbroken, there are also local aborigines living in the high mountains. The court's control over the south is very weak, and even in many areas controlled by the Han Dynasty, there are still many indigenous peoples who do not follow the laws of the Han Dynasty.

  At the same time, the population in the south is also much smaller than that in the north. Except for the Yangtze River basin, there are hardly any people living in the mountains and hills of the south - although the area is large, most of it is actually wasteland.

  Cao Cao looked at the map and found that there were still large tracts of land in the southwest, although he didn't know what the situation was like in the southern regions controlled by the Nanman. However, he felt that the southwest was already poor and mountainous enough, and going further south would only be worse. In comparison, the areas controlled by the Han Dynasty had many problems to deal with, but if they were determined to resettle some refugees there and develop it on a large scale, it would be more cost-effective than attacking the southwest.

  "Is it not possible for Your Majesty to let me go and govern the southern regions?"

  His face changed for a moment, but soon he himself felt that this idea was too unreliable. After thinking about it, the most likely thing is still to let himself command troops and conquer more land.

  Liu Xuan saw Cao Cao standing there for a long time without speaking, knowing that he himself was at a loss, so he nodded towards the northeast direction of the Han Dynasty: "Meng De, why only stare at that side, here also has a large amount of land and alien tribes waiting for you to conquer."

  Why was the General of Conquering the West so valued by Cao Cao? Apart from everyone knowing that there were vast lands to the west of the Han Dynasty, it was also because the Xiongnu and other ethnic groups hostile to the Great Han were concentrated in this area. The General of Conquering the West had long been on guard against the Xiongnu's invasion, naturally having extremely high power and status.

  However, Liu Xuan reminded Cao Cao that the alien tribes were not only in the northwest, but also in the northeast, such as the Wuhuan (also known as the Wuwan), who were no more friendly than the Xiongnu. Gongsun Zan had frequent clashes with the Wuhuan in Youzhou and it was unknown how many battles they had fought against each other.

  At the same time, Liu Xuan learned that the eastern part of Youzhou was also not peaceful. The place is currently the territory of the Gao clan's Goguryeo dynasty. Liu Xuan didn't have much thought about this dynasty, but he still attached great importance to that land.

  In the northern part of Youzhou, there are vast tracts of land that appear to be a barren and impoverished region in people's eyes today. However, Liu Xuan knew that this place was also suitable for human habitation, and as long as there were suitable crops, the Northeast would become a high-yielding grain-producing area (or perhaps any region could become a grain base with suitable crops?).

  More importantly, after conquering the Northeast, one can look down on the Korean Peninsula and gaze out at the islands of Japan across the sea. If one goes north, then it's the even larger and more expansive Siberian region. At the same time, the Northeast is not like the grasslands to the north of Shanxi Province; if you rush headlong into the vast grasslands, it's easy to lose your bearings.

  Relying on the northeast region's gradual development, there will be no danger of losing direction. At the same time, the northeast region is also by the sea and has a foundation for building cities, which provides logistical guarantees. Unlike the grasslands, where you need to find suitable locations to build cities, these suitable locations may not necessarily form a straight line.

  It can be said that Liu Xuan regarded Northeast China as a stepping stone, so he would do whatever it takes to bring that piece of land into his own territory.

  "Here, within twenty years, will become a land of great Chinese!"

  Liu Xuan drew a circle, but it didn't just encircle the Northeast region, it even directly included the Korean Peninsula. Cao Cao took a look and his ambition burst out: "I will surely not disappoint Your Majesty's expectations, within 20 years I will definitely make Your Majesty ride horses and shoot bows on this land!"

  The implication of the words is that Liu Xuan can freely ride and hunt in that place, which is not just a matter of bringing that area under the control of the Han Dynasty. Cao Cao's words are equivalent to making a promise, within twenty years, not only will this area be conquered, but it will also be governed in an orderly manner - if it's a place where the emperor can freely ride and hunt, at least the basic safety needs to be guaranteed? If it were some border stronghold, it would be absolutely impossible to do those things.

  Having heard the underlying meaning in Cao Cao's words, Liu Xuan burst out laughing: "Good, seeing Meng De with such ambition, I look forward to that day arriving."

  He tossed the long stick in his hand and waved at Cao Guo, who immediately bent down to roll up the map, then hugged it and left to put it away.

  However, Cao Cao was still staring at the map. Liu Xuan saw this and beckoned Cao to take a seat while saying, "Later when we leave, I'll have Cao Pi send Meng De a slightly smaller version of the map."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

  Cao Cao was overjoyed when he heard this. Since he saw the world map, many ideas suddenly rose in his mind, but for a while, he couldn't make sense of them. Unexpectedly, the emperor agreed to give him one, and he was extremely happy, planning to take it back and study it carefully.

  Seeing Cao Cao's delighted expression, Liu Xuan knew that Cao Cao had finally eliminated the dissatisfaction in his heart. He then brought up the topic of cultivation again and even casually asked, "Meng De has been cultivating for so long, what moves have you grasped?"

  Cao Cao followed him for the longest time, and his cultivation was also the longest. Moreover, Cao Cao's innate talent was not bad, and he should have grasped the moves long ago after cultivating for so long. It's just that Cao Cao had always been training troops, so he never showed it before.

  This time when talking with Cao Cao alone, Liu Xuan was curious and asked.

  "I've mastered the Divine Sword and Divine Sword Flash!"

  The Divine Sword technique creates a long sword condensed from true yuan, which flies high into the air before vertically stabbing downwards. At the same time, it also brings out a small array of sword rain, and the number and duration of this "sword rain" are related to the user's cultivation. The Divine Sword Flash is an upgraded version of the Divine Sword technique, adding two more attacks of the same type.

  "Oh? Two moves?"

  Liu Xuan didn't expect Cao Cao to grasp the two moves at once, but the Divine Sword and Divine Sword Flash are skills of the same set, with a relationship of one low-level and one mid-level at most, so it's not unexpected that Cao Cao grasped them.

  "In addition, I also grasped an overbearing move."

  This truly surprised Liu Xuan, as he had originally thought that after taking Cao Cao's dragon energy, Cao Cao would not be able to comprehend the move of hegemony. The move of hegemony requires one who has been in a high position for a long time, slowly influencing their own true yuan due to being above others for an extended period, in order to truly understand it. It is not something that can be used simply by knowing its theoretical operation.

  To put it bluntly, you need a specific true yuan energy to do so, and those who possess dragon energy naturally have no problem with it, but Cao Cao...

  Liu Xuan could only sigh and say: "Indeed, some people's aura of dominance is a natural talent, something that others can't help but envy..."

  If so, then Liu Bei is more likely to understand the aura of a leader than Cao Cao. After all, Cao Cao was killed by Liu Xun halfway before he could obtain his own dragon energy, while Liu Bei allowed it to exist in his body for a considerable period of time and almost nurtured it to grow stronger.

  "Divine Sword!"

  Liu Xuan suddenly remembered something and asked Cao Cao: "I heard that Meng De has a precious sword, which he never leaves his side. I wonder if he brought it with him?"

  Cao Cao didn't understand how the topic suddenly jumped to his own sword, but he still answered first: "The belt was indeed brought, however..."

  Liu Xuan nodded, and he naturally understood what was going on - when attending the imperial court, one had to hand over their sword, which would be returned to them when they left. He called out loudly for Zhang Liao to come in, then instructed him for a while before sending him off to retrieve Cao Cao's sword.

  "This time I eliminated Li Jue, but there were no other gains. Instead, I obtained a few demonic swords. I suppose Meng De also knew about it."

  Cao Cao naturally knew that, just looking at Lü Bu's daily smile and stroking his halberd, made Cao Cao get goosebumps. However, he was also a little envious in his heart, now he understood why Lü Bu cared so much about the halberd - since he grasped the aura of dominance, he felt that his own sword was no longer so handy.

  "I've heard of it!"

  She raised her eyes and looked at the emperor, secretly pondering in her heart: "Could it be that the Son of Heaven wants to help me solve my weapon problem?"

  Just then, Zhang Liao walked in with Cao Cao's sword and respectfully handed it to the Emperor before retreating to one side. Just as he was about to leave, Liu Xuan said: "Wen Yuan doesn't have to leave either, just take a look, you'll also need to learn this move later!"

  As he spoke, with a wave of his hand, a large cluster of fragments floated in mid-air, fluttering and swirling around Cao Cao.

  "Choose one!"

  Cao Cao was at a loss, when he heard the Emperor's words, he looked around in circles, these large pieces of debris all looked the same, but Cao Cao vaguely felt that this selection was very important, so relying on his intuition, he chose one of the unremarkable small fragments.

  Liu Xuan picked up the fragments and moved another pile of fragments in front of Zhang Liao, letting him choose one. After Zhang Liao finished choosing, he then put away the fragments again.

  "Today, I'll teach you two a set of skills. From now on, with this skill, you won't have to worry about the matter of weapons anymore. However, Meng De often commands troops, so I'll take care of tempering this sword for you!"

  With a swift motion, he drew out the long sword, and in an instant, a flash of light illuminated the room, filling it with a chilling aura. Liu Xuan's eyes widened as he gazed at the sword blade, where the two characters "Yi Tian" were inscribed.

  "This is the Yitian Sword!"

  He immediately took the fragment from Cao Cao's hand, and with a tap on the blade of his sword, the long sword blade actually rippled like water, and the fragment instantly sank into it without a trace.