Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1405 Trust
In fact, before Zhuge Liang made this conclusion, Yuan Xi had guessed it to some extent, because if Wei wanted to retreat safely, it would inevitably mobilize the power of the entire Chang'an area to stop the Jin army at all costs, which naturally included extreme measures, such as burying the entire population of Chang'an.

If Jin wanted to claim the legitimacy of its orthodoxy in the world, it had to stop Wei from taking such action. This led to the current situation, where Wei wanted to kill everyone in Chang'an, while Jin wanted to do everything it could to save the lives of the people in Chang'an.

He felt angry and amused, and said to Zhuge Liang: "It's like the other party is holding my family hostage. I can only swallow this anger, right?"

Zhuge Liang said calmly, "When Emperor Gaozu fled, he left his own son under his carriage. Your Majesty, do you want to follow his example?"

Yuan Xi was choked up and said to Zhuge Liang: "Prime Minister, you know that's not what I meant."

Zhuge Liang said aloud: "But this is the fact."

"The guilty ones are those who hold the people hostage. The people themselves are innocent."

"Everyone in the world is watching what Your Majesty does now, because Your Majesty's position is no longer the same as before."

Yuan Xi sighed and said, "Yes, this situation is before me. How I make the decision will affect the future direction of our Jin State."

"But even though I have been fighting for more than ten years, it is still difficult to make a decision when faced with a difficult situation where there are soldiers on one side and civilians on the other."

Zhuge Liang said, "So it is no longer appropriate for Your Majesty to come in person. Just let your subjects handle this matter."

"Chang'an will surely fall within a year. Your Majesty really shouldn't waste too much time on the battlefield. After all, the world is still waiting for Your Majesty to take charge of the overall situation."

"There are some things that only Your Majesty can do, so I ask Your Majesty to return to Yecheng."

"Does Your Majesty think that I am not able to handle the current situation well?"

After hearing this, Yuan Xi laughed and said, "If the Prime Minister can't do a good job, then there is no suitable candidate in the world."

"In this case, I will return to the capital the day after tomorrow, and leave the affairs here to the Prime Minister!"

Zhuge Liang bowed and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I guarantee with my life that I will never damage Your Majesty's reputation."

Yuan Xi said, "Prime Minister, please take care of yourself. I am looking forward to creating a peaceful and prosperous era with you."

Zhuge Liang was deeply moved and bowed, saying, "I obey your command."

The news of Yuan Xi's return to the capital made the Wei army in Chang'an breathe a sigh of relief. Although the main force of the Jin army and the military advisors and generals were still there, since the emperor was gone, the offensive would naturally not be so fierce, right?

Only Cao Hong, the commander of the defending army stationed in Chang'an, knew that the Jin army had seen through the situation in Chang'an and was preparing to cut Chang'an with a blunt knife, causing it to bleed to death bit by bit.

If the Jin army launched a fierce attack, Chang'an would naturally be destroyed along with the enemy. In this way, the Jin army would only get a ruined city. Not only would it not gain any benefits, but it would also slow down its pace of entering Yizhou and attacking Hanzhong.

However, now the Emperor of Jin took the wounded soldiers and civilians and went back directly, leaving only a few generals and tens of thousands of elite soldiers of Jin to occupy several key cities near Chang'an. This not only reduced the logistical pressure, but also enabled them to attack flexibly and cut off Chang'an's transportation lines.

If the supply line is cut off, Chang'an will inevitably be dragged down by its own huge population over time, and the morale of the soldiers in the city will slowly be worn down, gradually heading towards destruction.

Cao Hong could not find any way to counter Jin's actions, and he knew in his heart that Cao Pi's intention in asking him to guard Chang'an was to let him be buried with the Jin State.

Cao Hong was defeated too many times over the years, which was fine, as the responsibility for the defeat was not punishable by death. However, as a general of the Cao clan, the relationship between Cao Hong and Cao Pi could be said to be the worst.

The apparent reason was that Cao Pi had borrowed money from Cao Hong but Cao Hong refused to lend it to him, so Cao Pi held a grudge and retaliated. However, as Cao Hong was at that time, he naturally knew the truth of the matter. He did not come to his position because he was stingy and unwilling to part with his money. How could he offend Cao Cao's descendants for such petty gains?

The real reason was that Cao Hong was on Cao Zhi's side, so Cao Pi asked for money and Cao Hong refused, which was a public stand, to show his position to the court and the public, and also to build momentum for Cao Zhi. Cao Pi was not stupid, so he could see clearly, so how could he not hate Cao Hong? Moreover, Cao Pi was very vindictive, and after he ascended the throne, he tried every means to retaliate against Cao Zhi's old party, killing the chicken to scare the monkey to warn those forces who still wanted to promote Cao Zhi.

Cao Hong was unlucky enough to become such a typical example. Cao Pi's tactics were very clever. He always asked Cao Hong to lead troops to stop the Jin army which was beyond his ability. Cao Hong himself had been seriously injured and was defeated by the Jin army every time, so his status in the court became increasingly unbearable.

And now Cao Pi asked Cao Hong to stay in Chang'an and took all of Cao Hong's family members away, which was a blatant hint that Cao Hong now had only one way to go, and that was to perish together with the city of Chang'an.

Thinking of this, Cao Hong punched the city wall hard, his eyes filled with unwilling anger. Cao Pi, you little bastard, you are really going too far!
But then Cao Hong lowered his head dejectedly. He was now injured for many years and his illness was difficult to cure. In this case, he could only honestly finish the last part of his journey.

At this time, the Cao Wei court was on its way to Hanzhong. This miserable scene was quite similar to the miserable scene when Liu Xie escaped from Chang'an and returned to Luoyang in the east.

This made many Cao Wei officials who had experienced this incident sigh during the migration. The State of Wei had become the biggest winner by holding the emperor hostage to control the princes, but now it was also forced to flee Chang'an. Isn't this retribution from God?

Dong Zhao was sitting in a carriage. The curtains were blown by the cold wind of late autumn from time to time, and the swaying gaps let in the chill of late autumn, but Dong Zhao stared at the scene outside between the gaps that were sometimes big and sometimes small.

In front and behind the carriages was a migrating group that stretched for dozens of miles with no end in sight. Thousands of Cao Wei officials and hundreds of families, large and small, carried their own carriages and possessions, heading for an unknown land they had never set foot on.

Dong Zhao suddenly felt somewhat contented. Over the years, he had not had many days of peace and quiet, and most of the time he was wandering.

He was from Jiyin, Qingzhou. He initially joined Yuan Shao and became a military officer. Later, he became the governor of the Wei army. He quelled three rebellions and was the most prominent official under Yuan Shao. However, this also made many people jealous of Dong Zhao. They tried every means to frame Dong Zhao. It happened that Dong Zhao's younger brother Dong Fang was an official under Zhang Miao, who was on bad terms with Yuan Shao. So under the slander of many people, Yuan Shao intended to kill Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao knew how to seek benefits and avoid harm, so he fled immediately, but was kept by Yuan Xi in Beixincheng and worked as a counselor for two years. After that, he went to Huaicheng to meet the emperor and gained the trust of Liu Xie. However, Dong Zhao later seized the opportunity during the Huaicheng Rebellion and gained the trust of Cao Cao, and thus his career went smoothly.

Dong Zhao did do things for Yuan Xi in private, although it was very little and very covert, but he also gained a lot of benefits from it. With the help of Yuan Xi's secret return, Dong Zhao gradually became more powerful and had his own influence.

Of course, there were also people who disliked Dong Zhao. Zhong Yao was one of them. He had a very keen sense of smell and always wanted to find something wrong with Dong Zhao. He almost succeeded several times. During that time, Dong Zhao slept most uneasily.

Fortunately, in the past few years, Dong Zhao decisively cut off contact with Yuan Xi and eliminated all traces of his previous deeds. In addition, the Cao Wei court was in turmoil and Zhong Yao's energy was not as good as before, so he at least gave up his actions against Dong Zhao on the surface.

But Dong Zhao did not think he was safe. After all, if someone asked around, they would find out that Empress Fu, who should have been executed by Cao Cao, was still alive and well in Hannan. If someone were to investigate, they would sooner or later find Dong Zhao, who had brought the poison and carried out the execution himself.

But even so, Dong Zhao now has no waves in his heart. He has lived long enough and has influenced the key directions of many things in the Jin and Wei countries and even in the world. He has no regrets in this life.

He thought to himself that Zhong Yao was sixty years old this year and he was fifty-five, so he wanted to see who would live longer between the two.

Ups and downs, temporary ups and downs, are all fleeting. As long as you can outlast your opponent, you will win. In this case, why bother fighting over and over again?
The center of the team was the emperor's carriage. Cao Pi and Empress Guo sat in the carriage and looked at the memorial sent from Hanzhong. After reading it, Cao Pi said to Empress Guo, "Zhongda is still reliable."

After Sima Yi was reinstated, he did not delay at all. He gathered his troops and left Chang'an that day, marching at full speed towards Hanzhong. He mobilized almost all the remaining elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and marched quickly on light cavalry. In just a few days, he arrived at Wuzhangyuan, entered Baoxiade from Xiegu Road, and then intercepted Cao Zhang's army marching towards Hanzhong on the road.

Cao Zhang was originally brave, but he had been injured before and was leading only a few hundred defeated soldiers. He did not expect that the Wei army from the rear would come so quickly, so he was caught off guard and was controlled by Sima Yi's troops.

Sima Yi did not delay. He ordered his subordinates to control Cao Zhang and then send him back to Wuzhangyuan to wait for Cao Pi to decide his fate personally. Then he took Cao Zhang's seal and flag and headed straight for Hanzhong.

At that time, Cao Zhi was drinking and having fun in Hanzhong City every day. The news that the Jin army was approaching Chang'an naturally reached Cao Zhi's ears. He hoped that Cao Pi would be killed by the Wei army. Later, when he heard that Cao Zhang was coming, he was even more happy. If Cao Pi died, wouldn't he be able to set up another Wei court in Yizhou?

However, while Cao Zhi was dreaming about the Spring and Autumn Period, Sima Yi had already arrived at the city of Hanzhong. He disguised himself as a general under Cao Zhang and took out Cao Zhang's seal. The city gate guard did not suspect anything and opened the city gate. Sima Yi immediately led his troops into the city, controlled the city gate, and went straight to Cao Zhi's residence and arrested him.

Cao Zhi was still drunk and confused, but he was taken prisoner without knowing it. Sima Yi immediately sent his subordinates to guard the city. At the same time, he submitted a memorial to Cao Pi and went to Chengdu to stabilize the situation.

Cao Pi looked at the memorial and said to Empress Guo, "Zhongda is indeed worthy of being my son's wife."

(End of this chapter)