Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 323 Yuan Shu: Who can help me?
On May 197, , Taishi Ci led his army southward to attack Chengde County, while Le Jin led his army eastward to capture Cai County. As Anfeng in Lujiang had already been occupied by Guan Hai, if these two cities were captured, Shouchun would become an isolated city.

By then, no matter how high the walls of Shouchun were, or how much food and weapons were stored, it would be difficult to defend it.

Faced with such a dangerous situation, Yan Xiang, the chief clerk under Yuan Shu, suggested breaking out to Lujiang County at night.

Although Yuan Shu was willing to take action, he rejected this plan after repeated consideration.

It is extremely dangerous to lead the troops to break out at this moment. Shouchun is surrounded by Han troops on all sides, and Yuan’s troops cannot defeat them in a field battle. The fact that they have been able to hold out until now is almost entirely due to the reinforcement of Shouchun’s city walls.

Seeing the soldiers in such a weak condition, the generals under Yuan Shu became even more terrified of the Han army. They were frightened and did not dare to lead their troops to attack easily.

Yuan Shu did not dare to hand over his life to Chang Nu and Liu Xiang, who had suffered consecutive defeats.

Out of desperation, he had to urge Lujiang Prefect Liu Xun to lead his troops to rescue Chengde and Hefei, and at the same time sent his trusted aide Li Ye to secretly escape from Shouchun and cross the river through a small path to ask Cao Cao for help.

He is willing to bear any price if he can convince the other party to save Huainan.

Before leaving, he instructed Li Ye to patiently persuade Cao Mengde. Although there had been rifts between the two families before, it was all because of Yuan Shao. Now that Yuan Benchu ​​is no longer in this world, everyone should put aside their grudges and fight the enemy together.

Never let prejudices delay important things.

Yuan Shu personally escorted Li Ye out of the mansion, stroked his back, and whispered, "You must use respectful titles when visiting A Man. Cao Mengde has a lot of friendship with the Yuan family. He once attacked Qingzhou Pingyuan County for Yuan Shu, and fought with Liu Xuande in Liaocheng. The two have a lot of enmity. If you surrender, who knows if Liu Bei will want to settle the score one day.

Instead of being frightened and panic-stricken, it is better for the two families to work together now, respect the emperor to the west, and fight against the thieves of the royal family. You can use this to persuade them. "

When he was at his wit's end, Yuan Shu had no choice but to lower his posture and seek help from Cao Mengde.

When Cao Cao opened the letter in Jiangdong, he could not help laughing. He did not care about Li Ye's blushing face, and handed Yuan Gonglu's letter for help to the clerks on his left and right to pass them around.

Cao Cao, who was sitting on the bed, looked at me inquiringly, chuckled and asked, "Yuan Gonglu was arrogant in the past and treated me with contempt many times in Luoyang. Why is he so humble today? Why is he so arrogant at first and respectful later?"

Cao Cao lowered his head and pretended to think for a moment, then he seemed to understand something, so he clapped his hands and laughed, "Could it be that now that Runan has been lost, Huainan will be the first to bear the brunt of the attack, and there is no longer any protection, so Yuan Shu has finally repented and wants to ask Cao for help, but it is too late, isn't it?"

"If the two Yuans had worked together earlier, there would have been no chance for the King of Han to rise up. Now that the Yuan family is doomed, they want me to lead the army to Huainan to rescue them. Are you trying to put me in trouble?!"

Cao Cao pointed at Li Ye and sneered.

He was not a slave of the Yuan family. He expected people to cross the river and risk their lives just by speaking humbly. Yuan Gonglu was thinking too well.

When he first came to Yangzhou, Yuan Gonglu ordered Sun Bofu to station troops in Liyang and lead troops to attack Jiangdong several times.

If he had not known a little about military operations, he would have been driven away or captured and killed.

Now she still has the nerve to ask him for help. It's just wishful thinking.

Thinking of the past, Cao Cao felt even more disgusted with Yuan Shu, and said angrily: "Everyone knows that Yuan Gonglu is plotting rebellion. The Han army is justified in conquering the rebels. I am the governor of Yangzhou of the Han Dynasty, and I have no intention of helping the rebels."

Once Jiangdong attacked the Han army, it would be a ripple effect. Now Guangling Governor Chen Deng, Li Dian and Gao Shun were eyeing the north bank of the Yangtze River, which made him feel quite difficult. The navy was still in training, and Yangzhou was extremely short of horses. Huainan was a plain, which was more conducive to the cavalry's galloping.

Taishi Ci, the prime minister of Xia Pi, was also good at horse combat, and even if he only had a few hundred war horses, he should not be underestimated.

Liu Biao of Jingzhou would rather give up Nanyang than go against Liu Bei. Why should Cao Mengde join in the battle for Yuan Shu?

Moreover, the Han army attacked Huainan together and crushed it with great force. He had heard in Jiangdong that Yuan Shu had suffered a series of disastrous defeats and all his officials had fled.

If he led his army to relieve the siege, he would be fighting the Han army alone and would have to bear the wrath of the King of Han.

Although Cao Cao knew the principle of "the lips and the teeth are cold", he could not find a sufficient reason to help Yuan Shu.

When Li Ye heard Cao Gong's refusal, he ignored the anger aroused by the ridicule and hurriedly bowed and said, "Meng De Gong, wait a minute!"

"Mr. Yuan has always been loyal to the Han Dynasty and has always worshipped the emperor. The prophecies circulating in Huainan are just rumors fabricated by outsiders."

"You must not look down on the Yuan family because of this. Liu Bei is called the King of Han but he is actually a thief. Now the emperor is still alive, and Emperor Xiaoling has not yet died out. The emperor is the son of the previous emperor, and the young and young emperor can inherit the great cause. He will maintain peace and show great favor. He has issued imperial edicts to release prisoners since the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, and has repeatedly issued amnesty. Whenever he hears that there are floods in the counties and states that affect the autumn harvest, he is worried. This is the sign of a wise ruler."

"Duke Mengde fought against Dong Zhuo and marched westward to save the emperor from danger. Now that a clan member is rebelling, why do you turn a blind eye and turn a deaf ear? How can you be called a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty?"

Li Ye retorted.

However, he was secretly delighted in his heart. Fortunately, Emperor Liu Xie and the three dukes and nine ministers were still in Chang'an, Guanzhong. It didn't matter even if the court was controlled by the villains from Liangzhou.

This is the only banner that can fight against Liu Bei, allowing Yuan Gong to honor the emperor in name and thereby counter Liu Xuande, calling him a thief of the Han royal family.

Then, Li Ye smiled and said, "During the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, the princes of the royal family rebelled against the Han Dynasty and wanted to establish themselves as emperors. Fortunately, Zhou Yafu stabilized the world and wiped out the Liu family's traitors."

"Zhou Yafu is the son of Zhou Bo, and Duke Cao is also the descendant of Prime Minister Cao. In this critical moment, who else can save the Han Dynasty but you?"

"If Lord Meng De is willing to send troops to help, Lord Yuan can recommend Cao Zixiao as the governor of Jiujiang and give Jiujiang County to Lord Meng De as a token of gratitude. What do you think?"

After finishing speaking, Li Ye quietly looked at Cao Cao's expression, but the official beside him looked up and laughed, saying bluntly: "Yuan Gonglu is a thief of the Han family, but now he slanders the King of Han as a thief, making the world laugh."

When Chen Gong saw Yuan Shu's envoy blatantly confusing right and wrong in front of many officials in the hall, he could not help but laugh at him.

Li Ye's face suddenly froze. He looked at Chen Gong carefully for a few times, bowed and asked, "I haven't asked for your name yet. What do you think?"

Chen Gong smiled coldly, brushed his sleeves, glanced at him and replied: "I am Chen Gongtai of Yanzhou, I have met with the senior official. My opinion is not profound, but just foolish."

"Hearing the official call a deer a horse, I couldn't help but think of the old story of Zhao Gao, so I laughed. I hope you will forgive me."

Although Chen Gong behaved politely, anyone could see the sarcasm on his face.

(End of this chapter)