Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 362: The Great Han General
Cao Cao was sitting in the hall, and in a trance, he seemed to hear a familiar voice in his ears, "I am the General of the Western Expedition of the Han Dynasty. Today I swear to fight against the Han thieves!"

He was stunned for a moment, and immediately looked around the hall. He saw that only Chen Gong, Xin Pi and Zhang Hong were giving advice, and he felt relieved.

After thinking for a moment, he waved his hand and asked many officials to leave first, leaving only a few trusted people such as Cheng Yu, Chen Gong, Xin Pi, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan and others.

Looking at Chen Gong who followed him from Yanzhou to Jiangdong, Cao Cao was rarely patient and explained with a wry smile: "Gongtai, the world is doomed. How could I not see it clearly? When Yuan Benchu ​​died, I knew that Hebei would be defeated. Now Zhang Lu in Hanzhong has surrendered again, and Xichuan and Guanzhong are shaken several times a day."

"Jingzhou is even more disintegrated. Among all the princes in the world, only Jiangdong has the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, which can ensure peace of mind for the time being. If Jingzhou is lost, it will be the first to bear the brunt."

"How can we defeat Liu Xuande with only Danyang, Wujun, Yuzhang and Kuaiji? If we lose, can Cao Cao still escape to Jiaozhou?"

"Do you really think that I, Cao Mengde, don't know how to adapt to changing circumstances?"

Taking advantage of the presence of all his confidants, Cao Cao spoke out his true feelings for a rare occasion.

After coming to Jiangdong for several years, he finally realized that the Yangzhou gentry and wealthy families had no ambition at all.

They only wanted to live in peace in a corner. If Liu Bei had not killed hundreds of powerful families in Xuzhou, the local powerful families in Jiangdong would have been terrified and lived in fear all day long.

Otherwise, the officials of Jiangdong would have clamored for surrender long ago, and there would have been no turn for Chen Gong and others to make suggestions.

Cao Cao stroked his beard gently and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Once these words were spoken, Cheng Yu, Chen Gong, Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan who stayed behind undoubtedly looked at each other in bewilderment.

I didn't expect that Cao Gong had already seen the current situation clearly, but why didn't he surrender to the King of Han...

Cao Cao understood everyone's gaze, smiled bitterly, raised his palm and said: "The person I don't understand the most in my life is Han Wang Liu Xuande."

"First, I don't know why his military might be so powerful and unstoppable, and why he is so dominant in the world."

"Secondly, he did not expect that the Qingzhou army would go on expeditions every year, and the grain and grass harvested in the counties could be used for military expenses. You must know that when he took Yanzhou, he retreated due to lack of grain and grass."

"Later, I learned that he had abolished the military system of prefectures and states, established military offices, and distributed good farmland to the common people and soldiers. In this way, how could the people dare not serve him?"

"The abundance of grain and grass is also thanks to Tao Gongzu and the rebellious nobles. If Tao Qian had not sent Xuzhou first, and the short-sighted nobles had not sent the money and grain in their pockets later, Xuzhou would have immediately fed back to Qingzhou and Yanzhou, allowing Qingzhou to sweep the world. This is beyond Cao's expectations."

Without looking at the surprised expressions of the crowd, Cao Cao paced to the door of Huangtang, stood on tiptoe and looked at the suddenly vast sky and earth outside, and could not help but stare closely.

After a long while, Cao Cao looked back reluctantly, looked at everyone, and continued: "Back then, the court of the Han Dynasty was dominated by treacherous officials and the nobles were arrogant. I became disheartened and returned to my hometown on the pretext of illness. I built a house outside the city. In spring and summer, I read books and in autumn and winter, I hunted. I was happy and contented."

"This is the happiest moment in Cao Mengde's life."

"If the world is truly peaceful, the four seas are at peace, and the people are prosperous, even if I stay at home and become an old man in the countryside, I will be filled with joy and forget my worries."

"If that's the case, why didn't Lord Meng De surrender to the King of Han earlier? I heard that there are few people in the capital but a lot of land. Why don't you go to the outskirts of Luoyang to buy a piece of land, chant in spring and play the zither in summer? Isn't that a pleasant thing?"

Xin Pi asked even though he didn't understand, and when Cao Cao was silent, he immediately bowed and interrupted.

After hearing this, Cao Cao paused stroking his beard, then shook his head and said, "Now I am the governor of Yangzhou, and all the officials in the counties have been appointed and promoted by me. Therefore, they serve you as their lord, and the life and death of my family depends on me. How dare I not think about hundreds of thousands of people?" "Besides, since I came to Jiangdong, I have never been an enemy of the King of Han. Cao Zilian, Cao Zihe, Xiahou Yuanrang and others have served under the King of Han one after another."

"The King of Han has summoned me. Even though I am extremely reluctant, I will let Zihe and Yuanrang return north. The King of Han will surely know the loyalty of the Cao family."

"If I hadn't been appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, how could the reputations of the Cao family, the Xiahou family, and all of you stand out among the many officials in Luoyang? You wouldn't have been lost in the crowd."

When Cao Cao passed by Xin Pi, he reached out and patted him on the shoulder, laughing and saying.

If you want to stand out in the world, you need to know how to make good use of your reputation. Although he was close to the Yuan family of Runan, at the critical moment of the decisive battle, Cao Cao never sent troops to attack Xuzhou.

Regardless of whether he failed to react or was willing but unable to do so, this move can be regarded as a loyal act of the Han Dynasty.

What's more, the world has not yet been pacified, and Guanzhong, Yongliang, Yizhou, Bingzhou and other places have not yet been recovered.

Even if you want to surrender, there is no need to rush.

It would be better to defeat the rebellious Liu Biao, pacify the people, accept the Shanyue, conquer the barbarians in Jiaozhou, pacify the southeast, and let the scholars of the world know about his talent. It is believed that with the courage of the King of Han to swallow up the world, how could he not tolerate Cao Cao.

If he surrendered early, he could only be a mediocre official in Luoyang, or even become a follower of Liu Dai and Zhang Yang, lost in wine and sex, how could he do such a happy thing!
When ordinary people gain wealth and status, they have no desire to take risks. But he is different. His life is too smooth and boring.

If he surrenders to Luoyang with his current status, the officials under his jurisdiction may be given important positions, but he, Cao Mengde, will probably only be a rich man.

Cao Cao then laughed and shouted: "Have you ever heard that even though a thousand-mile horse is old and can only lie down at the trough to eat, its heart still wants to run a thousand miles. As the saying goes, an old horse in the stable still has a thousand-mile ambition, and a martyr in his old age still has great ambitions!"

"General Ma Yuan once said: A man's ambition becomes stronger when he is poor and stronger when he is old. Although I am not talented, I am willing to follow his example."

At this point, Cao Cao no longer concealed his thoughts and opened up to everyone.

After defeating Huang Zu, he was ready to use thunder-like methods to deal with the Shanyue people who had been appeased and then rebelled again, such as Duan Xing of Liangzhou. Regardless of whether they were men, women, old or young, they would be wiped out and beheaded. He would go deep into the barren land and chase them all the way to Jiaozhou, so that the barbarians would never dare to rebel again.

The north is different from the southeast. The Xiongnu are gone from the border, but the Xianbei have come. However, Jiangdong is surrounded by the sea on both sides. As long as the rebellious barbarian tribes are slaughtered and the surrendered ones are relocated to become civilians, there will be no trouble forever.

In this way, Cao Cao's name will be recorded in history forever.

Isn't this what a real man seeks all his life?

Cao Ren and Xiahou Yuan's blood boiled when they heard this, and they clapped their hands in regret.

Cao Ren was especially enthusiastic. He cupped his hands and said, "Brother, I am willing to follow you wherever you go."

"Yuan and Zixiao are the same, so is it!" Xiahou Yuan followed closely behind and bowed.

"Good, good!" Cao Cao clapped his hands and cheered. No matter when and where, only the Cao and Xiahou families would work together with him.

(End of this chapter)