My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 709 Liu Xie: This is the last time I will give in.

After hearing the news that Cao Cao was faked dead by Yu Jin and surrendered to the enemy, and also helped Liu Bei deceive him, he was so angry that he had a stroke and fainted.

In the following days, the city of Xu was in a state of panic and the upper echelons of Cao Cao's camp were all shrouded in an inexplicable depression.

Everyone seemed to have their throats blocked by an inexplicable barrier. They wanted to scream and vent, but no sound came out when they opened their mouths. All that was left was the purest feeling of powerlessness.

The other ordinary soldiers, officials and civilians were even more uneasy, and they said all kinds of things. Man Chong wanted to investigate and stop it, but he was powerless.

"Have you heard? Duke Wei was so angry that he had a stroke! He has been bedridden for several days!"

"Is it that serious? It can't be that serious, right? Lord Wei is very magnanimous and has a broad mind. He has weathered many storms and waves. How could he be so angry that he had a stroke?"

"What's impossible? You don't even know this? You've all heard about the news that General Yu and others died for their country in Xiang and Fan at the end of the year, right? At that time, Cao Gong even asked the emperor to hold a sacrifice and personally came to mourn for them!

Who would have thought that he would actually kneel down and surrender to Liu Bei, and even cooperate with Liu Bei to fake his death, so as to trick the prime minister into lowering his guard. Now that Liu Bei's army is approaching Xudu, the court officials and their families have moved away, and they took advantage of the chaos to escape."

Although this story is true, most ordinary people and soldiers still found it unbelievable when they heard it, and many simple people questioned its authenticity.

However, Liu Bei's propaganda machine was already in full swing, spreading all kinds of rumors. If readers didn't understand the details after listening to them once, the rumor spreaders in Liu Bei's camp would come up with explanations in various ways.

Finally, those versions with the strongest explanatory power and the most convincing were screened out through natural selection among the people.

"How did they escape? Of course they were picked up by Zhang Fei's troops from Runan! You don't know that Cao Zhen and Xu Huang were defeated again. Yes, they were defeated by Zhang Fei!

Alas, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are really famous generals of the time, and they can defeat ten thousand enemies. Which of the generals sent by Cao Gong to Runan this time did not suffer a great loss at the hands of Zhang Fei? Only Cao Gong's son-in-law Sun Quan, although young, was mature and prudent, and was cautious not to fight, and fought Zhang Fei to a draw..."

The facts in these rumors are somewhat tenable.

As for the interpretation and evaluation, of course, there will be some personal opinions. Otherwise, why would Liu Bei go to such trouble?

Therefore, there is no doubt that those comments praising and criticizing the generals of Cao's camp were also released after being instructed and carefully screened by Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin certainly knew that among the generals in Cao's army, Xu Huang was relatively the most capable fighter, and Cao Ren, who stayed in Henan Yin's territory to be in charge of the three passes in Luonan, was also of similar strength.

However, the fighting power of Cao Zhen, Sun Quan and others was getting worse and worse.

But Sun Quan was timid and this was his first battle, so he never had a head-on fight with Zhang Fei and therefore he did not suffer a defeat.

Zhuge Jin persuaded Liu Bei and boasted about Sun Quan's strength while spreading rumors. He piled up all kinds of flattering words about how mature and steady he was, how a famous general behaved, and how he was not easily surprised by praise or criticism.

If Cao Cao saw the flaw, refused to believe it, and showed substantial behavior, then the relationship between Cao's family and Sun Quan would definitely be affected.

Zhuge Jin is the person in the world who understands Sun Quan's ambition best - in this life, Sun Quan immediately defected to Cao Cao when Sun Ce was defeated and died, and never served as a powerful lord for even a single day.

Therefore, no one in the world now thinks that Sun Quan has the ambition and aspiration to become king or emperor. At most, they think that he is a good young man from a famous family.

Therefore, if Cao Cao alienated Sun Quan because of this, Sun Quan would definitely be secretly unwilling. Sun Quan might also think that it was Cao Zhen and other members of the Cao family who were ostracizing him, a son-in-law from another family. If the Cao army had conflicts between generals and commanders in the future, it would definitely be a good thing for Liu Bei.

But if Cao Cao continued to trust his people and people in the streets said that Sun Quan had the talent to be a general, he would believe it. Then in the future, Zhuge Jin would also have a way to make Cao Cao pay the price for his credulity.

For example, when Liu Bei launches another Northern Expedition in the future.

If Cao Cao felt that his generals were lacking in talent, then out of trust in Sun Quan's talent, he would let him lead a large army to fight against Liu Bei.

Then Zhuge Jin would wake up laughing in his dreams.

So no matter whether Cao Cao believes in this rumor or not, in the long run, Liu Bei and Zhuge Jin can be sure to make a profit.

……

After a few days, Cao Cao finally recovered from the symptoms of his stroke.

This heavy blow seemed to have burst several of his less important blood vessels, and he was left with the aftereffect of his left hand shaking and becoming uncontrollable.

Before this, he had just had the imperial physician Ji Ping removed from his position. As Cao Cao was a suspicious person, he naturally guessed that Ji Ping might be dissatisfied with him.

Therefore, even though he was seriously ill this time, he did not dare to ask Ji Ping to treat him, and only dared to ask the "acting imperial physician" he had just promoted to treat him.

The "acting imperial physician" was named Wu. After he carefully diagnosed and treated Cao Cao, Cao Cao felt that he had recovered quite well.

Cao Cao had just finished drinking the medicine that day, and he took advantage of his free time to ask, "Doctor Wu, in your opinion, how many years do I have left to live?"

Doctor Wu was so frightened by Cao Cao's question that he froze on the spot. After a long pause, he knelt on the ground and said, "Duke Wei is only in his prime years, how can you say such a thing! Although this minor illness may cause some inconvenience to your hands and feet, it will eventually heal!"

Cao Cao raised his trembling left hand, stared blankly for a while, and laughed at himself:
"Why do you want to deceive me? I'm afraid this arm will never be healed. If you don't dare to say how many years I have left to live, that's fine - then just tell me, how many years of my life will be shortened by this ordeal? Just assume that I could have lived to be eighty."

Doctor Wu still didn't dare to say it, but was finally forced into a corner by Cao Cao. He had to use words that were so obscure that they couldn't be more obscure, roughly hinting that this stroke would probably shorten his life by five years.

Of course, such figures are not reliable and can only be rough estimates.

Cao Cao smiled bitterly and didn't care.

If destiny is on the Cao family, even if you live a few years less, you can still achieve great things.

If the destiny is not with the Cao family, even if he has enough life, if he cannot defeat Liu Bei on the battlefield, can he live to the end of his life?

So, it’s just five years of shortened life, it’s not important anymore.

Cao Cao thought a lot about the future in his heart, his expression changed several times, and finally became ruthless.

He sighed deeply, and suddenly his face turned stern. He asked Imperial Physician Wu another question in a serious tone: "Can Captain Fu's illness be cured? Can he follow His Majesty and the Queen to Luoyang?"

Doctor Wu was startled, and also felt a murderous aura from Cao Cao's question. He knew that if he was ambiguous and wanted to take less responsibility today, he would not be able to escape. In addition, there was no one around at the moment, so he gritted his teeth and told the truth:

"I dare not deceive Lord Wei. Captain Fu's illness is incurable. He is nearing the end of his life. Everything we do now is just to help him survive..."

After hearing this, Cao Cao did not express his opinion immediately, but just closed his eyes and rested for a while. After a long time, he opened his eyes again and ordered in a solemn tone:

"Since playing it safe won't work, then we should use drastic measures, maybe we can survive from death! What's the point of dragging it out like this!"

Doctor Wu was afraid, but Cao Cao, on the contrary, patiently comforted him and promised him some benefits such as promotion and generous rewards, finally making his demands clear.

It turned out that Cao Cao did not expect Wu to poison Fu Wan to death. He just hoped that Wu would give him a treatment plan that was in line with medical theory and could be explained.

But this plan can be a bit more radical and desperate. The goal is to either cure the patient or take too strong a medicine so that the body can't handle it. In short, don't delay.

Such treatment options do exist in reality.

Some medicines may not necessarily improve the cure rate, but they can speed up the progression of the disease. That is, they can help those who can survive get better as soon as possible, and help those who can't survive die as soon as possible, so as to avoid wasting medical resources.

……

Doctor Wu understood Cao Cao's intention, but dared not say anything. He went back and implemented it accordingly.

A few days later, new news finally came from the residence of the Captain of the Cavalry. The Queen's father, Captain of the Cavalry, Fu Wan, died of a serious illness at midnight on June 24th.

The next morning, the news reached the palace. Empress Fu Shou, who had visited her father's illness the day before, was inevitably a little shocked, but then had to accept this reality.

"How could this be? How could this be? When I visited him the day before yesterday, my father was still able to speak and eat. How could he..." Fu Shou wept silently, tears streaming down her face, her tone inevitably revealing resentment and unwillingness.

However, the "Acting Imperial Physician" carefully explained the whole cause and effect. The Queen had no choice but to accept this explanation. She could only keep silent about her grievance, and the matter was covered up on the surface.

Until Cao Cao's people left the harem, there was no one else around.

Only then did Fu Shou dare to whisper some complaints to Liu Xie in private.

"Your Majesty, there must be something fishy about my father's death! I heard that Cao Cao was so angry about the obstruction of the capital's relocation that he fell ill. This time, Cao Cao must have been furious and couldn't wait, so he ordered someone to prescribe a strong medicine! Although there is no flaw in the medical record, there is definitely a problem!"

Liu Xie was also a little annoyed by Fu Shou's crying, but he seemed to be used to being bullied by Cao Cao, and he could not stir up any waves of resistance in his heart, and just comforted Fu Shou halfheartedly.

For a moment, Liu Xie even thought in his heart: It was because you insisted on seeing your father to the end of his life and didn’t want to leave him alone when he was seriously ill that you harmed him and forced Cao Cao to ask him to die early... If you were willing to abandon your father and go with me directly, Cao Cao might not have to kill him.

This kind of thinking is really cowardly.

But for Liu Xie, who had been oppressed by Cao Cao for fourteen years, this was normal. If he could not endure these humiliations, he would have been dead long ago.

From Dong Zhuo to Li Jue, Guo Si, and finally Cao Cao, how many people dared to humiliate the emperor? It has been three or four times for 18 years, and people have become numb to it.

Before Concubine Dong died, Liu Xie still had some courage to argue with her. Now, after another seven or eight years of wasting his will, he had gotten used to it when it came to the suspected murder of his wife Empress Fu's family.

Fu Shou had been with Liu Xie day and night, so she certainly knew her husband very well. Hearing him deal with her insincerely, Fu Shou knew that His Majesty had absolutely no real intention to take revenge on Cao Cao.

Fu Shou could not help but feel sad. After sighing for a while, she changed the subject and whispered something in her heart to her husband:
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the conversation between the emperor and his ministers in Shiqu Pavilion when Zhuge Jin entered the court?"

Liu Xie's heart, which had been as stagnant as a pool of water, was finally touched by Fu Shou and was suddenly moved.

"Zhuge Jin... How could I not remember! What virtues did the Righteous Emperor, Emperor Gaozu, and Xiang Yu have? I heard that he recently wrote a few poems, and they were all about Xiang Yu. Zhuge Liang also wrote "On Xiang Yu".

Cao Cao wanted to move back to Luoyang, but I didn't expect that my uncle and Zhuge Jin were afraid that I would be held hostage by Cao Cao and couldn't stop me. They also said that Luoyang was the capital of the Han Dynasty and that returning to Luoyang was my original intention...

Judging from their words, they want to pin Cao and me to Luoyang for life. Cao's decline this time made it easy for me to retreat to Luoyang. If Cao's decline continues in the future, it will be even more difficult to retreat again. All the conveniences today will backfire in the future..."

Fu Shou didn't understand government affairs, so she naturally couldn't think that deeply. She suddenly mentioned Zhuge Jin today, just because she saw that her husband was cowardly to a certain extent, and wanted to encourage him a little.

I didn't expect that after Liu Xie's thoughts were aroused, he could come up with so many deductions and great truths in one breath.

Fu Shou was slightly shocked, thinking that His Majesty was not cowardly and ignorant. He actually knew the situation very well, but was unable to fight back and did not want to make a meaningless sacrifice.

Thinking of this, Fu Shou could not help but ask: "Your Majesty is far-sighted and can think of this. I am really ashamed. But I don't know... since Your Majesty knows all this, if Cao Cao retreats to Luoyang and encounters difficulties again in the future, will Your Majesty be willing to continue to migrate?"

Liu Xie seemed to be stimulated by these words, and he clenched his fists involuntarily: "This time I have to go back to Luoyang, I will naturally accept it. I was born in Luoyang and lived in Luoyang until I was nine years old. My roots are there!
After that, he was trapped in Chang'an for five years, and was bullied by Dong Zhuo and Jue Si successively. It took him two years of hardship to return to Luoyang! Unfortunately, he was robbed and relocated by Cao Cao after only two months of settling in. It has been another fourteen years now!

In my life, I spent the first fourteen years in Luoyang and Chang'an, and the last fourteen years in Xudu. In Chang'an and Xudu, I was controlled by powerful officials! Now that I'm back in Luoyang, I will never go anywhere else! Especially Chang'an! When I think of the days in Chang'an, I can't sleep at night, and my heart is burning!
Cao Cao's relocation of the capital this time was rude and tough, and many loyal officials and righteous men are already dissatisfied with him. If he wants to do something wrong next time, there will definitely be more people opposing him! So after going to Luoyang this time, I will secretly contact loyal and righteous people.

When that day comes, I don't ask these loyal men to wipe out Cao Cao, but I just hope they can protect me and help me break through the siege at the critical moment, or hold my ground and wait for help until my uncle's reinforcements arrive...

This matter is still too far away, so it is not advisable to think too much about it for now. If we do not keep it secret, there will be backlash, so let's take it slow."

Liu Xie was half trying to comfort his wife and half trying to encourage himself, and in a whisper that could never be heard by outsiders, he discussed his ideas with Fu Shou.

Fu Shou, who had been crying, finally came out of the grief of losing her father after hearing her husband's determination.

This was the first time that His Majesty revealed his inner self-rescue plan to her, and it seemed very safe and not too unrealistic.

When the emperor evacuated from Xu Du this time, his uncle was too late to rescue him because the emperor lacked sufficiently loyal attendants and personal soldiers. When the Cao thieves tried to rob him by force, the emperor could not even defend himself or resist for a few days.

However, the more Cao Cao committed evil deeds, the more loyal and righteous people would unite around the emperor.

Allowing Cao to succeed this time is just giving more people an opportunity to see Cao's true nature.

When the emperor has accumulated enough power around him, he doesn't need to be too powerful. As long as he can protect the emperor and help him break through at the critical moment, or delay him for a period of time, the emperor will naturally respond to the emperor's uncle's rescue.

Liu Xie has made up his mind. People are nostalgic. The best years of his life were those he spent in Luoyang.

Only Luoyang represents the peaceful and beautiful times before the Han Dynasty fell into chaos.

(Although people in many places were already in dire straits at the time, Liu Xie, who was kept in the deep palace, did not know this.)
As the saying goes, a fox dies in the first hill and returns to its own home. Liu Xie had made up his mind that this would be the last time he would give in to the act of usurpation and rebellion such as "robbery and relocation".

Even if he dies next time, he will never leave Luoyang again!
If Cao thief dares to go further, then we will fight to the death!

Anyway, if I continue to follow Cao, I will eventually lose my reputation and my life may not be saved.

It would be better to take a chance. If he wins, he can stay in Luoyang and his uncle can rescue him. He can also have an explanation for the previous "submission to relocation".

……

Liu Xie patiently comforted the queen who had lost her father, and prevented Fu Shou from making a fuss.

Finally, with Liu Xie's compromise and mediation, Cao Cao agreed to let the queen "replace years with days" and stayed in Xudu for three more days to complete the mourning for her father-in-law.

This is also the bottom line of etiquette that the royal family should have.

Since ancient times, mourning for parents has always lasted for three years, but the emperor had to deal with many things every day, and the country could not be without a ruler for a day. Therefore, when the previous emperor passed away, the new emperor would keep vigil for three days, using days instead of years, and then hold the official coronation ceremony.

Of course, the empress could not be compared with the emperor, but Cao Cao made up a story, saying that at this time of national crisis, national affairs should be given priority. He also asked the empress to use days instead of years to pay tribute to her parents. Naturally, no one in the Xudu court could voice any objection.

The matter was settled in such a hasty manner.

It was June 29th, the fifth day after Fu Wan's death.

Cao Cao, who had already packed all the luggage for the emperor and prepared the accompanying guards and ceremonial guards, finally gave the official order for the emperor to return to Luoyang.

Early in the morning of that day, Liu Xie completed the relevant procedures of offering sacrifices, and then got on the six-chariot golden carriage, escorted by thousands of cavalrymen, accompanied by countless attendants, close ministers, eunuchs and palace maids. They marched out of the north gate of Xudu in a mighty procession, and went to Chenliu via Yanling.

The chariot and horse team traveled sixty miles a day and arrived at Chenliu in four days. Then they turned due west, entered Hulao Pass, and finally arrived in Luoyang on the tenth day of July.

"After fourteen years, I'm back in Luoyang."

Looking at the old and new soil colors on the Luoyang city wall, Liu Xie felt mixed emotions.

When he left, Luoyang was still in a dilapidated state with thorns and brambles everywhere. After 14 years of natural recovery and Cao Cao's small-scale reconstruction, although it is impossible to restore it to the state before it was burned down by Dong Zhuo, it can still be lived in.

I may have to spend the rest of my life here.

(End of this chapter)