Ji Han Liu Zhang

Xu County is located in Yuzhou. In the past, the Yellow Turban Army in Runan and Yingchuan was rampant, but they were all pacified by Cao Cao. In addition, Lu Bu, who invaded Yanyu, was expelled, and the rebellious Zhang Miao was killed, so Xu County was a stable place.

Qiexu County has a unique geographical location as it is surrounded by mountains on three sides. There is Songshan Mountain in the northwest, Shiren Mountain, Baiyun Mountain and Funiushan Mountain in the west, Dabie Mountain and Boshan Mountain in the south, and only the east is an open plain. It can be said to be blocked on three sides and guarded on one side.

At present, Cao Cao's sphere of influence includes Yuan Shao to the north, Yuan Shu to the southeast, Liu Biao to the south, and Lu Bu and Liu Bei to the east. Therefore, Cao Cao chose Xu County, a strategically located place, as his new capital and the foundation for his domination. His vision was certainly not bad.

Finally, compared with the large-scale destruction of Luoyang City when Dong Zhuo moved the capital, and the tug-of-war in the Luoyang area when the heroes were fighting against Dong, Luoyang suffered repeated disasters and wars, the people were poor and the land was scarce, and the economy was devastated. There were big problems with the supply of food and logistics in Luoyang. The area around Xu County has always been an important grain-producing area, and it has convenient transportation, and it is much easier to raise grain than in Luoyang.

To sum up, considering the geography, population, situation and other aspects, Xudu replaced Luoyang as the new capital. On the one hand, it was planned by Cao Cao's group. On the other hand, if the emperor was allowed to stay in Luoyang, it would be difficult for Cao Cao to deal with the issue of food and fodder.

It was a natural thing for the capital to be established in Xu and named Xudu.

In the city of Xudu today, after living in Xudu for some time, Emperor Liu Xie has finally put aside his fear and uneasiness. In the past, he was first held hostage by the traitor Dong Zhuo, and then controlled by Li Jue and Guo Si. As the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he was helpless and faced bullying from the bandits in Liangzhou from time to time. It was really humiliating.

Although he is still controlled by others today, compared with the rude and impolite Dong Zhuo, Li Yu, Guo Xingjian and other Liangzhou bandits, Cao Cao has given him the respect that an emperor deserves. He has not done anything humiliating to him like the Liangzhou bandits did, and has never treated him as nothing.

If Cao Hongdian was not in charge of the imperial guards and was surrounded by Cao Cao's confidants, and if his every word and action was not basically under Cao Cao's control, Liu Xie would most likely believe that Cao Cao was a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty and a pillar of the country.

"A dragon hidden in the abyss cannot control the sky." After a dispensable court meeting, Emperor Liu Xie sighed in his heart. He ran around and thought about it, but in the end he became a dragon hidden in an ancient well, unable to control the wind and clouds.

It's really boring to be an emperor like this. It's better to be an idle prince.

After the court was dismissed, Liu Xie came to the residence of Concubine Dong. As soon as he entered the house, he dismissed the eunuchs and servants and asked them to wait at the door, while he talked some private words with Concubine Dong.

"Your Majesty." Concubine Dong had a graceful figure and youthful appearance. She brought some candied fruits and tea to Liu Xie.

"But is there something on your mind?" Concubine Dong noticed Liu Xie's unhappy expression, so she asked softly. At the same time, she glanced outside the door and saw several eunuchs standing outside the door. Although they were standing straight and did not move, their eyes and ears were involuntarily moving towards the house.

Liu Xie did not answer, but Concubine Dong already knew the answer. She stretched out her slender jade fingers like spring onions and pointed outside the door casually, and Liu Xie nodded nonchalantly.

Concubine Dong leaned slightly closer to Liu Xie and whispered, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. Ordinary people dare not infringe upon you. In the past, when Dong Zhuo, Li and Guo controlled the government, Your Majesty was still safe. Not to mention that General Cao is loyal today, nothing will happen."

Concubine Dong spoke evasively. Her words were mainly to comfort the emperor Liu Xie in front of her. Having been with Liu Xie for a long time, she knew the sorrow in his heart.

When Liu Xie heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. His whole body relaxed a little. Hearing the words of the beauty in front of him, his mood felt relieved.

Just when Liu Xie was relaxing at the place with Concubine Dong, a eunuch appeared at the door at an inopportune time and reported to the inside of the house: "Your Majesty, I have something important to report to you."

Liu Xie in the inner room frowned upon hearing this. He looked a little unhappy, but he concealed it very well. He soon relaxed his brows and said in a loud voice, "What's the matter? Come in and talk."

When the eunuch heard Liu Xie's message, he carefully stepped over the threshold, walked quickly to Liu Xie, knelt down in front of him, and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Liu is back."

"Liu Shizhong?" Liu Xie was in a daze for a moment, but soon he reacted. When he was in Luoyang, he heard that Liu Zhang, the governor of Yizhou, sent troops to Guanzhong to fight against the enemy for the country. Such a loyal act would naturally be praised by him as the emperor.

Therefore, he sent the attendant Liu Ai to promote Liu Zhang, granting him the title of Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry to reward Liu Zhang for his contribution to the Han Dynasty.

"Yes." Liu Xie nodded: "Go, summon Minister Liu to come in. He must have had a hard trip, I need to comfort him a little."

The eunuch responded respectfully, and at the same time he said, "Grand Marshal Liu Zhang sent an envoy, Zhang Su, along with the Minister of the Court. I wonder if Your Majesty will summon them together."

"Of course. Grand Marshal Liu Zhang has sent an envoy, and I will meet him immediately." Liu Xie smiled when he heard this. He had never had any dealings with that important official of the royal family. Now that he had summoned Liu Zhang's envoy, he could hear about Liu Zhang's style.

After saying this, Liu Xie and Concubine Dong looked at each other. Needless to say, Concubine Dong helped Liu Xie up and straightened some of his clothes so that there was nothing inappropriate about them.

Then Liu Xie bid farewell to Concubine Dong and headed towards the East Pavilion, where he would summon the Attendant Liu Ai, who had just returned from a diplomatic mission, and Zhang Su, the envoy of the Grand Marshal Liu Zhang.

In fact, this was also the respect that Cao Cao gave to Liu Xie, so that the emperor would not be without any power, not even the power to summon ministers. Therefore, Liu Xie was able to summon the attendant Liu Ai and the envoy Zhang Su.

When he arrived at Dongge, Liu Xie, served by a group of eunuchs, met the Shizhong Liu Ai and Zhang Su, the envoy sent by the Grand Marshal Liu Zhang.

"Minister, you must have had some hard work on this journey." Liu Xie comforted Liu Ai.

"As a subject, I follow the orders of the emperor, so it is not hard at all." Liu Ai said modestly, and then he introduced the envoy Zhang Su beside him to the emperor Liu Xie.

Zhang Su, on the other hand, saluted respectfully and said to the emperor Liu Xie: "Zhang Su of Shu County pays homage to Your Majesty."

"You have been tired on your journey. I wonder what position you hold under the Grand Marshal." Liu Xie asked Zhang Sufu with a warm smile on his face.

Zhang Su stood up, bowed, and said to the emperor Liu Xie: "I am now appointed as Gongcao under the command of the Grand Marshal."

"Gongcao is responsible for selecting and appointing meritorious officials, which is an important position. It also shows that you are highly valued by the Grand Marshal." Liu Xie was talking and laughing, and in front of Zhang Su, he tried his best to show a gentle and gentle manner. "Your Majesty, I am too kind to praise you. I am mediocre in talent and I am always afraid that I can't take on the position of Gongcao." Zhang Su said modestly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Emperor Liu Xie asked Zhang Su anxiously, "I heard that the Grand Marshal has taken Chang'an, and that the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si are at the end of their rope and are fleeing north. I wonder what their current situation is, and whether they are alive or dead?"

Zhang Su stood straight as a pine tree. He did not wait for a moment and answered in a loud voice: "Thanks to your majesty's great fortune and the protection of the gods, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si have been executed. Now Guanzhong will wait for a while, and the people will be safe."

"Really?" Emperor Liu Xie's eyes widened slightly, revealing a look of surprise, and he even asked back inadvertently, asking a question that should not have been asked.

After all, it was unlikely that Zhang Su would lie in front of him. Besides, the Minister Liu Ai was on a diplomatic mission to Guanzhong and must have witnessed it with his own eyes. In this case, what Zhang Su said must be true.

Li Jue and Guo Si died.

After asking this question, Emperor Liu Xie's expression suddenly became complicated, with expressions of happiness and sadness on his face.

He was happy about the death of Li Jue and Guo Si. Since Dong Zhuo was killed, he should have escaped from the hands of treacherous and powerful officials, but he was counterattacked by Li Jue and Guo Si and continued to have his wealth controlled by others. He suffered humiliation from Li Jue and Guo Si for several years. Now that Li Jue and Guo Si were dead, he was naturally happy.

But he was also sad. He was sad about the loyal ministers who had fought with their lives to protect him in the past few years against the traitors Dong Zhuo and Li Jue and Guo Si, such as Si Tu Wang Yun and Si Li Xiaowei Huang Wan. One loyal and brave man after another died at the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si. Now that Li Jue and Guo Si have been executed, these loyal and brave men can rest in peace in their nine springs.

When Zhang Su heard the emperor's question, he immediately responded: "Your Majesty, Li Jue and Guo Si have been executed. I have brought their heads here, but I am afraid that they might disturb Your Majesty, so I have not presented them to Your Majesty yet."

"It doesn't matter. I will see it once. If I don't see the heads of the two thieves with my own eyes, how can the loyal and brave deceased rest in peace, and I will not be at peace either." Emperor Liu Xie was full of energy and pride.

Facing the emperor's passionate outburst, the attendant Liu Ai tried to persuade him kindly: "Your Majesty, I have personally seen the heads of the two thieves, so there will be no problem. Your Majesty shoulders the heavy responsibility of the country, and it is not appropriate for you to see such filth. Please think about it."

Emperor Liu Xie lowered his brows and thought for a moment, then he said: "You are right. I should not see it. I will order the soldiers to hang the heads of the two thieves on the top of the city wall of Xudu for three days to show the people. Let the scholars and common people know that treacherous and powerful people will all have such a fate."

"Yes." The attendant Liu Ai responded respectfully. At the same time, he felt a little emotional. Liu Xie always followed good advice and never did anything willful. He could be said to be a wise emperor.

"We should set up a banquet to celebrate the execution of Li Jue and Guo Si." Liu Xie said loudly that Li Jue and Guo Si were dead, and he wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate.

……

After being recommended by Xun Yu and meeting Cao Cao, when Guo Jia said goodbye to Cao Cao and walked out of the house, he looked at the white clouds in the clear sky and felt extremely happy: "General Cao is my true master."

He had great ambitions since childhood. From the age of 20, he kept his identity secret, made friends with heroes and heroes in secret, and did not associate with secular people. Therefore, few people knew him and understood his talents.

With great ambitions in mind, Guo Jia initially traveled north to Yecheng and met Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao was the leader of the princes in the east of the Guanzhong area. Many wise and virtuous people went to join him, and Guo Jia was no exception.

But after meeting Yuan Shao, Guo Jia felt that his reputation did not match his reality. Yuan Shao was so famous and renowned throughout the world, but when he met him in person, he was greatly disappointed.

In his eyes, Yuan Shao was indeed respectful to the wise and humble to humble, just like Zhou Gong who spit out food to feed his guests. However, although Yuan Shao was respectful to the wise, he did not know how to employ talented people. He had many strategies but lacked the key points. He was good at coming up with strategies but could not make decisions. If everything went smoothly, it would be fine. But if Yuan Shao encountered a disaster, he would probably be devastated and would find it difficult to regroup and launch another expedition.

For this reason, it is indeed not easy to conspire with someone like Yuan Shao to become a hegemon. And given Yuan Shao's personality, it is probably difficult for him to achieve hegemony and he cannot do the kingly thing of governing the world and bringing peace to the universe.

Therefore, Guo Jia left Yuan Shao and wandered around, looking for the wise master in his heart. As a wise man with talents, if he wanted to display his strengths, he had to carefully assess his lord, serve a wise master, and obey his orders, only then could he display his strengths.

Now, after meeting with Cao Cao and discussing the affairs of the world for a day, Guo Jia received an excellent evaluation from Cao Cao: "The one who will help me achieve great things must be this person." He also determined that Cao Cao was the wise leader he was looking for.

It is a great pleasure in life to meet a wise leader and serve him, and to realize one's ambitions.

The next day.

Guo Jia was received by Cao Cao again, and Cao Cao did have something he needed to consult Guo Jia about. Guo Jia and Cao Cao hit it off right away, and Cao Cao liked Guo Jia very much. Therefore, Cao Cao did not mind that Guo Jia had just entered the officialdom, and Cao Cao interrogated Guo Jia about confidential matters.

"Fengxiao, have you heard about what's happening in Guanzhong recently?" Cao Cao asked first.

Guo Jia nodded, and responded to Cao Cao's question: "I heard that Yizhou Governor Liu Zhang sent troops to Guanzhong, saying that he was fighting against the enemy for the country. From my point of view, he is just trying to imitate the old deeds of Emperor Gao and want to dominate the world."

As for Liu Zhang's march to Guanzhong under the pretext of fighting bandits, the Guandong heroes believed that Liu Zhang was trying to covet Guanzhong. Of course, this was indeed Liu Zhang's purpose.

However, when the heroes from Guandong discuss Guanzhong, they often do not speak so thoroughly and will cover up a few things. After all, Liu Zhang is really trying to fight the enemy, unlike them who just sit and watch and let Li Jue and Guo Si run rampant in Guanzhong.

But Guo Jia had no such taboos. He directly stated Liu Zhang's intention.

Guo Jia's words won Cao Cao's applause and laughter. After all, few people would speak so bluntly in front of Cao Cao: "Now that the battle in Guanzhong has been concluded, the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si have been killed. The court should reward Liu Zhang, but no conclusion has been reached yet."

"Liu Zhang is a member of the royal family and has made such great contributions. It would be better to reward him with the title of king to recognize his merits." Guo Jia's eyebrows slightly curved, like a cunning fox. (End of this chapter)