Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 478: Meng De! Meng De! Meng De!

Feeling Cao Cao's gaze, Xu You opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

After hearing what Cao Cao had just said, he understood that Cao Cao must have reached the end of his rope, otherwise he would not have mentioned the verbal agreement they had made.

This means that the imperial court now has an overwhelming advantage and may even have its troops outside the city.

This was obviously good news and he should have been happy, but for some reason, when he saw Cao Cao's appearance in front of him, he felt a little sad.

"You say it."

After sighing, Xu You said: "But I can only promise you one thing, and it must not harm the court."

"As long as it does not violate this principle and is within my ability, I will help you."

He hated Cao Cao and even wanted to kill him.

But after all, the two of them still have a deep friendship.

Cao Cao imprisoned him but did not kill him. Of course, he had various concerns, but it might also be because of his longing for him.

Otherwise, how could he be alive today?
Even now, it would be easy for Cao Cao to kill him without any effort, so he was willing to help Cao Cao.

Both for the sake of friendship and to save his own life.

Cao Cao said calmly: "This matter is easy for you. I hope you can plead with the emperor and ask him to pardon my wife and young son."

Hearing Cao Cao's request, Xu You frowned and said, "This is impossible, you should know that."

"You have committed the grave crime of establishing a false emperor, which is even worse than the crimes of Yuan Shao and Ma Chao. At least three clans will be implicated."

"And I can't do it."

Rebellion and treason are unforgivable crimes, especially since Cao Cao falsely established a false emperor and fought against the court for so long. If the three clans were not implicated, it would not be enough to shock the world.

Regardless of whether his plea was useful or not, the key point was that if he pleaded for Cao Cao, what would the civil and military officials think, and what would the emperor think?
Does he still want to stay in the court?
Cao Cao smiled and said, "I know, so I plan to give you a big gift. This gift will be enough to help you move up to a higher level in Lingyun Pavilion."

"What kind of gift?"

Xu You's heart moved and he asked.

Cao Cao said: "My head, plus the living false emperor, is this gift enough?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xu You’s eyes widened.

Looking at Cao Cao with disbelief.

He originally thought that Cao Cao would offer to surrender voluntarily and give him the credit as a condition.

But what he didn't expect was that he was only half right.

Cao Cao had no intention of living at all, and actually let him take his head and the fake emperor out of the city to claim credit in exchange for the lives of his wife and young son!

"If you agree, I will take my head and take the false emperor out of the city. I think this achievement will be enough for you to move up a level in Lingyun Pavilion."

"how?"

Cao Cao looked at Xu You with sharp eyes.

When he told Xu You to take his head out of the city, his expression did not change at all, as calmly as if he was asking what to eat in the evening.

Xu You did not answer, feeling very complicated.

If he agreed to Cao Cao's conditions, the merit of killing the rebel leader and capturing the false emperor alive would be enough for him to ascend to the top of Lingyun Pavilion.

In fact, his position in the court in the future will definitely not be lower than that of Guo Jia and Jia Xu.

However, pleading for Cao Cao's wife and children was too taboo and might even arouse suspicion from the emperor.

"Let me... think about it for a moment."

Xu You was unable to make a decision for a moment, then he looked up at Cao Cao and asked, "Aren't you afraid that I will not keep my promise after I agree to it?"

He could have simply agreed to Cao Cao first, and then pretend that the matter had never existed after Cao Cao died.

After all, this was just an agreement between them. It had no binding force on him and no one else would know about it.

"Afraid, of course."

Unexpectedly, Cao Cao did not say anything high-sounding like "I believe you", but admitted it frankly.

"But what else can I do except trust you?"

Cao Cao looked gloomy. This proud man showed his helpless side in front of outsiders for the first time.

Yeah, what else can he do?

If there is anyone in this world who can save his wife and children, it is only Xu You in front of him.

If Xu You was unwilling to save them, then no one else would be able to do so. Even if he sent his wife and children away quietly, he would certainly be wanted and hunted by the imperial court. He would have to live in hiding for the rest of his life until he was found by the Embroidered Uniform Envoy.

Xu You felt more complicated after hearing this.

After a long while, he said, "Give me a day to think about it."

Cao Cao has said so much, it is impossible for him to agree and then break his promise, so he has to think carefully about whether to agree or not.

"As soon as possible."

Cao Cao did not say much, but sighed deeply and said: "The imperial army is already outside Changsha City, and I don't know when they will attack the city."

"I don't have much time left for you."

"I might as well tell you the truth. If you refuse, I won't let you leave Changsha alive."

Xu You rolled his eyes after hearing this and said unhappily, "Is this the attitude of asking someone to do something for you? You're even threatening me. Aren't you really afraid that I'll go back on my word?"

He really had nothing to say about Cao Cao's character. On the one hand, he asked him for help and was willing to entrust him with his affairs after his death; on the other hand, he made such an undisguised threat.

"You would have guessed it even if I didn't tell you. So why would I lie to you?"

Cao Cao asked back.

Xu You was about to say something to him, but at this moment a soldier suddenly ran into the courtyard and reported to Cao Cao: "Report to the Minister of Works, the enemy outside the city has sent an envoy!"

"messenger?"

Cao Cao frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Just kill him. No more!"

There is no need to think too much, the other party must be here to persuade us to surrender.

But he had already planned to give the credit to Xu You.

It doesn't matter whether the messenger sees it or not.

The soldier said, "But Sikong, this man claims to be an old friend of yours and must see you."

"Old friend? What's his name?"

"Chen Gong."

Cao Cao was stunned when he heard this. After a moment of silence, he stood up and walked out of the courtyard.

……

Sikong Mansion.

After Chen Gong entered the city, he was tied up, put a hood on his head, and taken all the way to the Sikong Mansion.

When he took off the hood, he had already arrived at the lobby of Sikong Mansion, and Cao Cao was sitting on the main seat in front of him.

Cao Cao changed his clothes, washed and tidied up his appearance, and even put some powder on his face to cover up his haggard look.

He looks much better now.

He looked at Chen Gong in front of him and asked calmly, "Gongtai, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?"

He and Chen Gong haven't seen each other for several years.

The last time he met Chen Gong was when he slaughtered the people of Xuzhou in anger because of his father's death. Chen Gong came to plead for mercy. Now it has been nearly nine years.

Chen Gong cupped his hands and said calmly, "Thank you for your concern, my lord. I hope everything is fine."

After a brief greeting, the scene fell into silence.

Neither of them spoke again.

Finally, Cao Cao lost his patience and broke the silence, saying, "If Gongtai came here to persuade us to surrender, then you should go back quickly."

"Since you saved my life, I won't kill you."

In other words, it was Chen Gong who came today. If it was anyone else, he would not meet them and would just choose to kill them.

Chen Gong frowned and said, "The situation has come to this point today, and you still don't give up?"

"The royal army has already arrived at the city gates and has surrounded Changsha. You have no way to escape. Why are you still resisting?"

Cao Cao sneered and said sarcastically: "If we don't fight back, will we open the gates to meet the enemy and let ourselves be killed?"

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"I thought you were a smart man, Gongtai, but I didn't expect you to say such childish words."

Chen Gong said in a deep voice: "It's just a waste of time if you continue like this. You don't have any chance of turning the tables."

"Wouldn't it be better to surrender now, hand over Xu You and the false emperor, end this war early and shed less blood?"

"Enough blood has been shed in this war."

Due to years of war, countless young and strong men of the Han Dynasty were killed or wounded. Even after the unification of the country, it would take a long time to recover.

"What does it have to do with me if there is more bloodshed?"

Cao Cao said in a cold tone, his face expressionless, "The Han Dynasty has run out of luck, and the country has been stolen by the false emperor. Although I cannot turn the tide, I will fight for the Han Dynasty until the last moment!"

"You traitors, you want to capture Changsha, but you have to wait until I'm dead!"

In front of Chen Gong, Cao Cao still insisted on his position, saying that the emperor in the north was the false emperor.

These words completely angered Chen Gong. He stepped forward, pointed at Cao Cao with a sullen face and said, "Cao Cao! So many years have passed, and you are still as selfish as before!"

"You know best whether the emperor in Changsha City is real or fake, but you still refuse to admit it today! Do you think you can excuse yourself like this?!"

"So many soldiers died tragically because of you. They were all good men of the Han Dynasty. They shouldn't have died!"

"Now that you are at the end of your rope, you still want to drag so many soldiers in the city down with you. Don't you feel any guilt at all?"

Seeing that Cao Cao was still as cold-blooded and ruthless as he had been many years ago, Chen Gong could no longer suppress his anger.

He didn't understand why Cao Cao was so stubborn. Even in such a desperate situation, he was still deceiving himself and deceiving his soldiers to die.

What's the point of doing this other than causing more deaths?
"enough!"

Cao Cao slammed the table, stood up, and pierced Chen Gong with a cold gaze, "You abandoned me in the past, what qualifications do you have to blame me now!"

"I would rather let the world betray me than let the world betray me! This is what I said a long time ago! I regarded you as my confidant, and I wanted to work with you to accomplish great things... But you betrayed my trust in you!"

"You are the one who should feel guilty!"

There was hidden anger in Cao Cao's tone. Even after so many years, he was still brooding over Chen Gong's departure.

If Chen Gong was still by his side, if Chen Gong had helped him, he would not have had such a difficult life in his early years, and would not have ended up in the situation he is in today!

“Why do I feel guilty?”

Chen Gong refuted without hesitation and asked aggressively: "You killed Lü Bushe's family, slaughtered the people of Xuzhou, held the emperor hostage to control the princes, and established a false emperor. If I don't leave, do I mean to be an accomplice to the tiger?"

"Everything you did has incurred the wrath of heaven and man! I only regret that I shouldn't have let you go in Zhongmu County!"

"If you, Cao Cao, were not here, how many fewer people would have died in this great Han Dynasty!"

After Chen Gong finished speaking, Cao Cao became furious. He suddenly drew out the sharp blade from his waist and stepped forward to put it across Chen Gong's neck.

"Chen Gong! You are looking for death!"

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

Cao Cao exerted force with his hand, and the sharp sword blade cut Chen Gong's neck a little, and some blood flowed out.

There was a brutal murderous intent in his eyes.

Chen Gong showed no fear and said coldly: "Of course you dare. You have killed so many people, how could you not dare to kill a mere Chen Gong?"

"Go ahead, just like you killed Lü Bushe."

Chen Gong's words were like a sharp dagger piercing Cao Cao's heart, making him feel as if he had returned to that night many years ago, the night he regretted deeply.

The face of Chen Gong in front of him turned into that of Lü Bushe and the family he killed.

"Dang Cang——"

Cao Cao suddenly felt a headache again. He staggered back a step, and the sharp blade in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, making a crisp sound when it hit the ground.

Cao Cao's face was pale and cold sweat was pouring down his forehead.

When Chen Gong saw Cao Cao's appearance, he was shocked and wanted to step forward to help him, but after taking half a step, he took it back.

"Cao Cao, surrender and stop killing people."

Chen Gong took a deep breath and began to persuade again: "Although you have committed a serious crime, as long as you are willing to surrender, you may not die."

"I will do my best to plead for you in front of the emperor and spare you the death penalty. I mean what I say."

Pleading for Cao Cao would certainly bring trouble to yourself.

But he was willing to do so as long as Cao Cao surrendered.

Cao Cao didn't say anything. He sat on the ground with his hands covering his head for a long time. When the pain subsided, his face had become so pale that even powder could not cover it up.

Chen Gong's expression changed slightly, and he couldn't help asking, "How did you... become like this?"

"What you just said, is it true?"

Cao Cao did not answer Chen Gong's words. He stood up from the ground, leaning on his sword, and looked at him.

Chen Gong nodded heavily upon hearing this and said, "Of course it is true! I will definitely ask His Majesty for mercy for you. I swear to heaven!"

"That's good."

Cao Cao smiled as if relieved, leaned over to Chen Gong's ear and whispered something to him.

Chen Gong was shocked and looked at Cao Cao in disbelief.

But Cao Cao didn't intend to chat with him any more. He waved his hand to call the guards and said, "Take him away and send him out of the city!"

"Yes!"

The guards on both sides held Chen Gong and took him away.

Chen Gong came back to his senses and shouted, "Don't be so impulsive, you don't have to do this!"

"Mengde!"

"Mengde!"

"Mengde!"

Cao Cao stood there, looking at the direction Chen Gong left. For some reason, he suddenly felt like drinking.

The glass of wine that I drank in Zhongmu County that year.

Thinking about it now, I really miss it.

Unfortunately, he never had the chance to drink with Chen Gong again.

(End of this chapter)