Han family achievements

Chapter 343 Imperial Envoy
  Liu Bei, Sun Ce and the people behind them all stared at Cao Cao. Even though Cao Cao's expression remained normal, he still sensed something was wrong from his long silence.

Not to mention them, Guo Jia and Xiahou Dun felt that this note was not simple.

In the big tent, silence gradually fell, and everyone stared at Cao Cao.

Not long after, Cao Cao raised his eyelids, glanced at the crowd, and put the note into his arms. But as soon as he kicked it in, he took it out again, kneaded it, stuffed it into the wine glass in front of him, rubbed it vigorously with his fingers, and then Pick up the wine glass and drink it all in one gulp.

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao's struggling throat, opened his mouth, and was speechless, unable to say a word.

Sun Ce, Guo Jia, Xiahou Dun, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu and others were also stunned.

What was written on this note that Cao Cao actually swallowed in public?
  Cao Cao went down, smiled and said to everyone: "I am the only one who knows about this matter. If it is leaked, Cao Cao will be responsible for it and will not implicate everyone."

With Cao Cao's words, everyone could only keep doubts in their stomachs and unable to ask questions.

Liu Bei hesitated again and again and said: "General Cao, then, tomorrow..."

Cao Cao looked serious and said: "Act according to the plan!"

Liu Bei nodded slightly, feeling depressed and uncomfortable.

That Yuan Shao is a smiling tiger who always does mischief secretly. And this Cao Cao seems to be upright and upright, but in fact he has hidden thoughts everywhere.

It's quite a feeling of being alone and helpless.

Sun Ce just raised his hand and obeyed the order without saying anything.

Cao Cao saw the expressions of Liu Bei and Sun Ce clearly, smiled and comforted them a few words, and personally sent the two of them out of the tent.

Watching the two of them off, Cao Cao made excuses to send the others away and patrolled the camp with Guo Jia one behind the other.

Guo Jia was on Cao Cao's back left, drinking lightly and waiting for Cao Cao to speak.

After walking for a long time, Cao Cao felt the discomfort in his throat and said expressionlessly: "The note just now was sent by my people in Da Sima's Mansion. The message said that His Majesty, Da Sima, and the Prime Minister decided on the envoy. , Fengxiao, you will never guess who it is."

Guo Jia tasted the strong taste of medicine in his mouth, became interested, and said thoughtfully: "The general said that I couldn't guess, he must be an unexpected and reasonable person. Looking at the Han Dynasty and the public, such a person There are not many people. In order to have enough status to convince Yuan Shao and the general, could it be, which old man is he?"

Cao Cao smiled and said: "There is no such thing as Su Lao."

Guo Jia followed Cao Cao, walked around, once again turned around the important figures in the government and the public, and said: "Zhong Pushe?"

Cao Cao stopped, as if he had no intention of playing this kind of game with Guo Jia. He took a deep breath and said, "It's King Chenliu."

Guo Jia had already picked up the wine bottle and slowly put it down. The playful look on his face slowly faded away. After a long time, he had to sigh and said: "Our Majesty, you are so courageous..."

Cao Cao looked at the soldiers not far away, silently.

He remembered the few words Jian Shuo said before his death, which were related to the so-called 'last emperor's edict'.

As time went by and Yuan Shu was overthrown, no one mentioned the 'last emperor's edict' anymore. But once this rumor appeared, it was like a thorn in the hearts of everyone in the Han government and the public, and could never be pulled out.

Your Majesty is the legitimate son of the late emperor, born from the empress of the palace. His succession is a matter of course. It is a tacit agreement between the government and the public, and it is in line with the general order.

However, Chenliu King Liu Xie was the late emperor's favorite prince. During the Zhongping period, he had been trying to establish Liu Xie as the prince, but failed in the end due to opposition from the government and the public.

If there really was such a legacy, no one would be surprised.

However, this edict has never appeared before. It only appeared two years after His Majesty succeeded to the throne, and Yuan Shu openly rebelled.

None of the witnesses including Empress Dowager Dong, Liu Xie, and the Twelve Constant Attendants who participated in the seizure of the heir, as well as He Jin, Ding Gong, Liu Hong, and Liu Yu, as well as the Yuan family, Wang Yun, and other witnesses knew about this edict.

From now on, this edict does not exist.

But whether it exists or not is actually not important in reality.

Once Liu Xie really leaves Luoyang City, Liu Xie may be held hostage by someone, insisting that there is this edict, which will undoubtedly be an unprecedented and huge challenge for the Han Dynasty!
  Guo Jia guessed what Cao Cao was thinking, took a sip, and said with a smile: "General, Your Majesty is not afraid, general, why should you worry? It is most appropriate for King Chenliu to be the commander-in-chief to challenge Dong."

Cao Cao let out a breath, but still didn't speak.

Guo Jia's heart moved slightly and said: "General, are you worried about Yuan Shao?"

Cao Cao shook his head and said: "I'm worried about King Chenliu. You have met him very rarely, and you don't know about His Highness. He is a rather ambitious man, and has been quietly imitating His Majesty's behavior over the years. , I am worried that he will interfere with our plan to discuss the board of directors."

Guo Jia immediately understood that Cao Cao was not worried that Liu Xie would ruin his plan, but that his majesty in the palace had other plans for sending Liu Xie.

This plot is very likely to include Cao Cao!

Guo Jia is very conceited in terms of strategy, but he has no clue about the incomprehensible struggle between the government and the opposition.

Cao Cao obviously understood Guo Jia's shortcomings in this regard and said: "I am not worried about Your Majesty, I am worried about challenging Dong. King Chen Liu becoming the imperial envoy and commander will make the situation very complicated. I need to be extremely careful about Yuan Shao, But I don’t dare to be distracted at all.”

Guo Jia looked in the direction of Yuan Shao's camp, knowing that Cao Cao could not trust anyone but himself.

After pondering for a while, Guo Jia reminded: "General, King Chenliu may not know the complexity of the current situation. King Chenliu must be brought to the general's camp. He must not fall into the hands of Yuan Shao! If the general can get the news, with the Yuan family I’m afraid it won’t be much slower due to its foundation.”

Cao Cao hummed and said, "But I don't know which route King Chen Liu took and where he is now. Maybe it will take two or three days."

Two or three days is the most critical moment to challenge Dong!
  Guo Jia looked at Cao Cao's cold face and said, "General, maybe the Imperial City Mansion will know some news."

Cao Cao remained motionless and said: "I have already asked Cao Ang to go, Fengxiao, tell me, how will the situation change if the challenge to Dong fails?"

Guo Jia was slightly startled, and his expression gradually became serious.

Cao Cao is not a person who gives up easily, not to mention that when the plan has reached this point, there is absolutely no room for turning back.

That shows what Cao Cao is calculating.

What to calculate?

Guo Jia raised his head and turned toward Luoyang City.

If the attack on Dong fails, the south will inevitably be in complete chaos and fall into a terrible situation where the princes are fighting for hegemony.

At that time, it was no longer possible for the imperial court to take care of itself, and there was no hope of continuing to implement the "New Deal" and restore its vitality.

Once the imperial court is dragged into chaos, "the end of the Han Dynasty" will no longer be just a verbal talk, but will officially begin!

Guo Jia took a sip of wine and said calmly: "General, whether or not Dong Zhuo is destroyed, there is no harm to the general." Cao Cao was a little surprised and looked back at him.

The two looked at each other.

Guo Jia looked calm and his eyes were calm.

Cao Cao was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "What Fengxiao said is absolutely true! Regardless of King Chenliu, I am dedicated to suppressing Dong. As long as Dong Zhuo is destroyed, the imperial court will definitely rely on me. I will be the one to destroy the southern group of beasts in the future." !”

Guo Jia clearly noticed Cao Cao's expression and sighed silently in his heart when he saw that he didn't have the blazing eyes for merit as before.

When the Han Dynasty came to an end, not only did the Han Dynasty fall apart, but also the hearts of the people fell apart.

Cao Cao calmed down, but Liu Bei was worried.

After he finished talking to the two brothers, Zhang Fei said angrily: "Brother, let's go. That Yuan Shao is a sinister villain, and Cao Cao is not much better. If he stays, he doesn't know how to plot against us!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard, nodded, and said: "Brother, what the third brother said makes sense. How can a man live under others and let them eat their flesh?"

When Liu Bei heard what the two brothers said, his face was full of sorrow, and he sighed softly and said: "I don't know. But when we arrived here from Xuzhou, we were almost wiped out by Dong Zhuo. If we escape now, how can we see anyone?"

Zhang Fei was suddenly speechless. He looked at Liu Bei and then at Guan Yu. He could only feel so depressed that he could not vent his anger.

Guan Yu Danfeng's eyes flashed and he said: "Brother, don't think too much. Since Cao Cao is willing to allocate troops to us, he must have something to ask for. Yuan Shao has already blamed Cao Cao for three defeats. If eldest brother writes another letter to agree, Cao Cao will definitely not be tolerated by the court. Come to think of it, maybe there’s no malicious intent.”

How could such words full of speculation appease Liu Bei.

Liu Bei couldn't think of any good way, and said: "Then Cao Cao swallowed the note, something big must have happened. We have to be careful. Tomorrow we will attack Pinghu Pass, and my second brother will take the lead. We must be careful and don't rush too far forward. Let’s see what Cao Cao’s purpose is.”

Guan Yu nodded, these were all small things to him.

The three brothers are not wise men, so they can only discuss this.

And Yuan Shao's camp, under the loose outer and tight inner, suddenly shook.

Yuan Shaocong hurried down from a mountain top and urgently summoned his confidants.

There are four people: Ju Shou, Zhang Dao, Gao Gan and Zhang He.

Outside his big tent, the soldiers were all ten feet away, and no one was allowed to get close.

Xu You stood not far away, holding his hands and staring at Yuan Shao's tent, his face cold and his heart raging with anger.

‘What a Yuan Shao you are, I have advised you and made many meritorious deeds, but you still treat me like an outsider! ’

Xu You was very angry, very angry.

He tried his best to behave in front of Yuan Shao and made many great contributions to him. He thought he was Yuan Shao's number one confidant, but he never thought that if something happened, he would be excluded!
  Sometimes, Xu You even feels that he is not as good as Tian Feng!
  Thinking of Tian Feng, Xu You suppressed his anger and asked a military lord behind him, "Where is Tian Feng?"

The military marquis seemed to sense Xu You's emotions and said quickly: "Go back to the military advisor. In the prison car, the general has not yet given any orders to deal with it."

After all, Tian Feng was sent by the imperial court to monitor Yuan Shao. No matter how angry Yuan Shao was, he would still not kill him until the last moment.

Once Tian Feng is killed, it means that Yuan Shao breaks with the court and truly rebels.

However, the time has not yet come.

Xu You rolled his eyes, sneered, and said, "Let's go see him."

The military prince did not dare to refuse, so he took Xu You to find Tian Feng.

In Yuan Shao's tent, Yuan Shao stared at the four people in front of him with a solemn, nervous, anxious and excited expression, waiting for them to read the secret messages in their hands one by one.

Director Zhang said impatiently: "General, this is a God-given opportunity!"

Senior cadre, Zhang He read them one by one, looking at Director Zhang with a vague understanding, not understanding what his 'God-given opportunity' meant.

The imperial court sent King Chenliu to preside over Dong Dong, probably to seize Yuan Shao's military power. What kind of opportunity could it be?
  Ju Shou was calm, thought over and over in his mind, and said to Yuan Shao: "General, this is indeed a great opportunity! But we cannot rule out that it is a trap by the court, so we must be cautious."

Yuan Shao recognized Ju Shou's words and said with blazing eyes, "I think so too. I have carefully calculated that as long as King Chen Liu is in hand, the imperial court will have to use a rat weapon to kill Dong Zhuo and then kill Cao Cao. The three states of Yu, Xu, and Yang are all in my hands, and the world is divided into four parts. With soldiers, money, food, and King Chenliu, great things can be accomplished!"

Jushou looked at Yuan Shao's excited face and hesitated to speak.

Yuan Shao noticed it and said in a deep voice: "Big things are coming soon. Sir, you can speak freely. Yuan Benchu ​​is not a person who cannot accept advice!"

The biggest difference between Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu is that Yuan Shu is a real villain. He is not good at hiding his inner feelings, and he will not act like a polite and virtuous corporal.

Yuan Shao was different. The impression he received from the outside world was that he was brave and resourceful, acted decisively and straightforwardly, and he was someone who could achieve great things at first glance.

He is also good at performing, especially polite and virtuous corporal. He treats his subordinates well and wins the hearts of scholars.

Jushou knew that Yuan Shao had another face, but at this moment, he couldn't care less and said: "General, I am considering whether to refuse to destroy Dong and continue to let the imperial court and Dong Zhuo fight internally, while the general goes south. , occupied the two states of Jing and Jiao."

"I disagree!"

Before Yuan Shao could speak, Director Zhang took the lead and said: "Jiaozhi is a barren land with no people and no land, and Jingzhou Liu Biao is not easy to deal with. The land of Yu and Xu has a large population. Thousands of miles of fertile land is the place where great things will happen. How can we not eat the fat that is on our lips and swallow the chaff?"

Jushu opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words to defend himself.

Director Zhang is right. Yuzhou has a large population and fertile land, and Xuzhou is a battleground for military strategists and cannot be given up easily.

But Jushou always felt that it was too early to start a war with the imperial court.

From the time Yuan Shao destroyed Yuan Shu until now, he has been running around without any intention to consolidate the territory. Food and grass were either donated by nobles or plundered. How can this last long?

Seeing that he had stopped talking, Director Zhang directly said to Yuan Shao: "General, destroy Dong Zhuo and kill Cao Cao. The general will immediately control the three states and wear hundreds of thousands of armors. Why should he be afraid of the imperial court? If we treat Jing and Yixu as snakes again, we will only It will take two years, but the general will definitely have strong troops and strong horses. With a wave of his whip, his horse can leap over Luoyang, so why not?"

When Yuan Shao heard the word "Luoyang", he couldn't help but sit up straight and his breathing became faster.

Luoyang is the place where he became famous and the place where the Yuan family fell.

Luoyang is the place where his sweet dreams began, but also the place where nightmares surround him.

Seeing Yuan Shao's obvious intention, Jushu said: "General, find King Chenliu first, join him in the army, and use his orders to command the armies and Cao Cao!"

(End of this chapter)