Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 292 Wolong comes out of the mountain
Yecheng Imperial Palace, Tai'an Hall.

Liu Xie looked at the secret memorial sent from Yizhou in his hand. The more he looked at it, the deeper his frown became, and the anger in his eyes became more intense. Finally, he threw the memorial heavily on the dragon table.

"Humph, what a relative of the Han Dynasty!"

The angry voice echoed in the hall.

All the ministers were trembling in their hearts.

At the same time, they couldn't help but become curious about the contents of the secret memorial. What kind of news could make the emperor so angry?

However, although they were curious, Liu Xie was angry at the moment, and no one dared to speak at this time to avoid bad luck - except Guo Jia.

"Why is your majesty so angry?"

Guo Jia took the initiative to speak up and express the thoughts of all the ministers.

Liu Xie suppressed his anger and said, "I secretly ordered Xuande to go to Jingzhou to help Liu Zhang pacify Zhang Lu and prevent Gao Gan from encroaching on Yizhou."

"But who would have thought that Liu Zhang would take the initiative to make peace with the traitor Zhang Lu, not only allowing Gao Gan to take the opportunity to return to Bingzhou, but even trying to drive Xuande out of Yizhou!"

"Xuan De reported that Liu Zhang has secretly formed an alliance with Liu Biao and intends to attack him after the spring!"

"besides--"

Liu Xie's face became even gloomier, his eyes filled with coldness, and he said word by word: "Liu Biao welcomed the false emperor into Xiangyang City!"

When these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked.

Since the Battle of Qingzhou, the false emperor has disappeared and his whereabouts are unknown. Everyone thought that the false emperor had died in the war, but who would have thought that he was still alive.

They also understood why Liu Xie was angry.

Because welcoming the fake emperor into Xiangyang City is equivalent to acknowledging the identity of the fake emperor, which is no different from Cao Cao who supported the fake emperor!

This is simply treason!
Liu Xie had already learned from Xu You that Emperor Xian of Han was still alive, but Xu You's letter only said that Emperor Xian of Han went west and his whereabouts were unknown.

At that time, he was busy dealing with Yuan Shao and had no energy to travel across several states to find Emperor Xian of Han. Unexpectedly, this guy actually ran to Liu Biao again and was even welcomed into the city by Liu Biao!
This Liu Biao has already decided on his own death.

In his mind, Liu Xie labeled Liu Biao as someone who was doomed to die. He could not tolerate either joining forces with Liu Zhang to attack Liu Bei or welcoming Emperor Xian of Han into the city.

All the officials in the palace also cursed Liu Biao for his rebellion.

"quiet!"

Liu Xie didn't want to talk about this matter now, because he couldn't do anything to Liu Biao for the time being. The most important thing right now was to help Liu Bei resolve the crisis.

"During the two years that Xuande has been in Yizhou, he has assembled a group of elite troops and occupied the land of Ba County. His reputation in Yizhou is extremely high."

"This is also the reason why Liu Zhang joined forces with Liu Biao to attack Xuande."

"But even so, facing the joint forces of Liu Zhang and Liu Biao, Xuande still finds it difficult to resist, so he asks me for help, seeking support in food, fodder, weapons and equipment."

"How much money, food and equipment can we spare right now?"

Liu Xie turned his gaze to Zhen Yi and asked.

He couldn't ignore Liu Bei's request for help.

Although Yizhou is an enclave, if Liu Bei could occupy it, it would help him to contain Liu Biao and also allow him to raise troops and attack Jingzhou when he was about to conquer the world.

Moreover, Liu Bei had been developing alone in Yizhou for such a long time and had never asked him for help once. Now that he finally asked for help, how could he ignore it?

Seeing Liu Xie's gaze, Zhen Yi looked embarrassed and said, "Your Majesty, the court now has to support the war against Bingzhou and resettle the people, and the expenses in all aspects are huge."

"There is really no surplus of money, food and equipment."

Liu Xie was surprised and said, "How is it possible? This time, you all donated so much money and food. Even if we go to war with Bingzhou and resettle the people, there should be a surplus."

The money, grain and supplies raised from this fundraising were enormous, otherwise he would not have had the confidence to launch the war against Bingzhou. But now they tell him that the money is gone?

Where did all this money go?

Zhen Yi said bitterly: "Your Majesty, resettling hundreds of thousands of refugees is more difficult than expected. Chaos has occurred frequently during this period. I have tried my best, but the losses are still far beyond expectations."

"Please forgive me for my incompetence and my failure to live up to your majesty's expectations. Please forgive me for my incompetence."

Zhen Yi bowed deeply to Liu Xie and apologized.

When Liu Xie saw his haggard appearance, he couldn't help feeling sympathy and couldn't bear to punish him.

He gave the full responsibility of resettling the refugees to the Zhen family this time. Zhen Yi would certainly do his best, but all he could say was that his ability was there.

At present, he lacks talents in managing internal affairs. Although he controls several states, he is unable to coordinate the power of these states.

It's like a palm that cannot be clenched into a fist.

Otherwise, for something like resettling hundreds of thousands of refugees, there would be no need for him to resort to force the major families to donate.

Although Guo Jia, Jia Xu and others were all extremely talented counselors, they were not good at managing internal affairs.

It's okay to let them make plans and manage a county, but they are not capable of managing a state, let alone several states nowadays?

"Talents who can manage internal affairs..."

Liu Xie couldn't help but think of a handsome figure holding a feather fan, the most dazzling star in the history of the Three Kingdoms.

Zhuge Liang!
Everyone knows that Zhuge Liang is resourceful and has great military talent, but few people know that what Zhuge Liang is really good at is internal affairs!

Looking at the entire Three Kingdoms period and even in the history of China, there are not many people who can match Zhuge Liang's ability in managing internal affairs.

Apart from anything else, the fact that he single-handedly supported the entire Shu Kingdom and continued its Northern Expedition after Liu Bei's death is enough to illustrate his ability in domestic affairs.

"Zhuge Liang was born in the same year as Emperor Xian of Han. Now it is the fifth year of Jian'an, and he is twenty years old."

"It seems that it is time to ask the Prime Minister to come out."

Liu Xie had made up his mind. He had not recruited Zhuge Liang before, firstly because he was not in power, and secondly because Zhuge Liang was still young.

Now that he has successfully taken power, he lacks the talent to manage internal affairs, and Zhuge Liang is old enough, so when else would he recruit someone?
Besides, it would be a shame not to find Zhuge Liang when traveling through the Three Kingdoms period.

I always feel something is missing.

After thinking it through, Liu Xie gathered his thoughts and said to Zhen Yi: "This matter is not your fault. I know how hard you have worked. Please try to distribute some weapons and equipment to us."

"The minister obeys the order."

Zhen Yi was moved when he heard this.

Then Liu Xie discussed the war in Bingzhou with his ministers. The news that Jinyang City had been captured had been reported back a few days ago, which meant that the war in Bingzhou had come to an end.

Although Gao Gan escaped with a few remnants of the rebels, as long as Bingzhou was taken, it would be enough. Whether Ma Chao rebelled or not, he would not be a threat to the security of Hebei.

After the court meeting, Liu Xie returned to Xuanshi.

Then he summoned Jia Xu and said directly: "Wenhe, I want you to send an envoy in embroidered clothes to Jingzhou to do something for me."

"Going to Jingzhou?"

Jia Xu suddenly thought of something, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he asked, "Your Majesty, do you want me to assassinate the false emperor or Liu Biao?"

Liu Biao welcomed the false emperor into the city, which was considered a great act of treason. So when he heard Liu Xie ask him to send an embroidered envoy to Jingzhou, the first thing he thought of was to assassinate Liu Biao or the false emperor.

But soon the murderous intent in his eyes disappeared. The Embroidered Uniform Envoy, which had been established for less than a year, might have a deterrent effect in Jizhou, but it would be difficult to kill Liu Biao and the false emperor.

Liu Xie shook his head and said, "I want to find someone in Jingzhou."

Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief and asked curiously, "May I ask who your majesty is looking for?"

Liu Xie said: "This man was born in the Langya Zhuge clan, the son of Zhuge Gui, the prefect of Taishan Prefecture. His name was Zhuge Liang, and his courtesy name was Kongming. He lived in seclusion in Longzhong County, Nanyang Prefecture."

"He is a disciple of the famous hermit Shui Jing Xiansheng. He is a man of great talent, no less talented than Shui Jing Xiansheng's other disciple Pang Tong."

"I have now unified the north, and with Xuzhou, I have taken control of five states. I urgently need such a talent to assist me in managing internal affairs, so Wenhe, you must find him."

After hearing Liu Xie's words, Jia Xu was a little surprised.

He had heard of the reputation of Mr. Shuijing and Pang Tong, who was also a disciple of the famous Pang Degong, but he did not know that Mr. Shuijing also had a disciple named Zhuge Liang.

It should be noted that Pang Tong was praised by Mr. Shuijing as the top scholar in Nanzhou, and Pang Degong even called him a phoenix chick.

This little-known Zhuge Liang is actually no less respected than Pang Tong in the emperor's heart?
Jia Xu frowned, feeling that the emperor had overestimated Zhuge Liang. However, since this was the emperor's order, he would naturally obey it. He nodded and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will arrange for the embroidered clothes envoy to find this person."

Liu Xie nodded, and finally felt completely relieved.

After all, Jia Xu is reliable in doing things.

He is now waiting for Zhuge Liang to arrive!

Even if the twenty-year-old Kong Ming is not as good as the twenty-six-year-old Wulong, he must not be much worse.

Give him an extra six years to gain experience, and perhaps he will be even more brilliant than in history.

……

Xu County.

The Central Plains is different from the north in coldness. Although it is only March now, there are already some spring colors in the city.

Shallow grass that is just taller than a horse's hoof grows by the roadside. If you turn your head sideways, you can see a flower swaying in the wind among the grass leaves. It looks a little lonely, but also very beautiful.

"Tap tap tap——"

A horse galloped past, crushing the small flower into the mud, and soon stopped in front of Sikong Mansion in the city.

The postman on horseback had no time to rest. After dismounting, he ran directly into the mansion, found Cao Cao in the study, and urgently presented the letter in his hand to him.

"Sikong, urgent news from Bingzhou!"

Cao Cao was handling affairs in the study. Upon hearing this, he reached out to take the urgent report, unfolded it and read it carefully. Soon he could not help but widen his eyes.

"Jinyang City was breached and Gao Gan's troops were defeated?!"

Cao Cao screamed in shock, a look of disbelief on his face, wondering if he was hallucinating.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at the postman in front of him, staring at him and asked, "When did this news come from? When was Jinyang City captured?"

The postman said respectfully, "Reporting to the Minister of Works, this is the news from twenty days ago. Jinyang City was also breached at that time. Gao Gan led a few remaining soldiers to flee northwards, and his whereabouts are currently unknown."

After hearing this, Cao Cao's face looked extremely ugly.

He had already heard the news that the emperor sent troops to attack Bingzhou in winter. At that time, he did not take it seriously and even felt a little fortunate for the emperor's impulse.

Because launching a large-scale war in winter is a very foolish act, and Yuan Shao still has tens of thousands of troops left in Bingzhou.

With the city firmly defended and high-ranking officials personally guarding it, they could at least hold out for several months. However, in the cold winter, it wouldn't take long for the imperial army to return in defeat.

But only half a month had passed since the emperor sent troops to attack Bingzhou, and Jinyang City had actually been breached!
No one will believe this if I tell them!
Cao Cao looked at the urgent report and became more and more angry. He could not help but curse, "How could Gao Gan be such a loser! Even if a pig was sent to lead tens of thousands of soldiers to defend Jinyang City, it would be impossible for him to last even a month!"

"What a waste! What a stupid waste!"

He really wanted to curse Gao Gan's ancestors for eighteen generations, but no matter how much he cursed, he could not change the fact that Bingzhou had been lost.

Therefore, after venting his anger, Cao Cao threw the urgent report in his hand to the ground, left the study angrily, and went all the way to the back garden.

The weather outside is still a bit cold.

Cao Cao breathed in the cold air in the garden before he slowly suppressed the anger in his heart. His rationality returned, but his face remained gloomy.

The loss of Bingzhou was extremely bad news for him.

He had hoped that Gao Gan could delay the emperor for as long as possible, but in the end he couldn't even delay the whole winter.

"Once Bingzhou is lost, the emperor will completely unify the north. The next target will be my Yanzhou, or even Yuzhou!"

"Damn you high-ranking official!"

Cao Cao clenched his teeth and felt a surge of anger in his heart.

He couldn't imagine what he would do to resist the emperor's army and 100,000 Xiliang cavalrymen who would march south together.

It’s all Gao Gan’s fault, that useless guy!
After standing in the garden for a long time, Cao Cao turned and walked deeper into the mansion, eventually arriving at a villa guarded by five or six soldiers.

Even Xu Chu is here.

Cao Cao glanced at the tightly closed door of the wing room in the courtyard and asked Xu Chu, "How has he been these days? What has he been doing every day?"

Xu Chu replied: "My Lord, everything is fine, except that he is very picky and won't eat anything without good food and wine."

"Humph!"

Cao Cao snorted coldly, strode into the yard, and pushed open the door of the wing room.

There was a fire burning in the room, making it warm like spring.

I saw Xu You lying on the bed in a single layer of clothes, snoring loudly, and there was some unfinished wine and delicious food on the table.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Xu You opened his eyes in a daze. When he saw that the person coming was Cao Cao, he couldn't help but smile and said, "What a rare guest, what a rare guest! Ah Man, you came to see me?"

"Come on, come on, just drink two glasses of wine with me. If Xu Chu doesn't drink with me, I'll be bored to death here."

Xu You stretched and got up from the bed.

Then he would invite Cao Cao to drink together.

"presumptuous!"

Cao Cao's face turned cold, and he shook off Xu You's hand, staring at him and said, "You are now my prisoner, how dare you be so arrogant?"

"Do you really think I dare not kill you?"

Xu You grabbed the wine flask, took a sip, and then said with a smile: "Aman, if you wanted to kill me, you would have done it long ago. Why wait until now?"

"You and I both know why they didn't kill me. They just took me into consideration because I was his majesty's man. If they killed me, his majesty would vent his anger on them."

"Since you don't dare to kill me, what should I be afraid of?"

"Ah Man, don't you think so?"

(End of this chapter)