My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 789: The Emperor Escapes, Facing Many Dangers

Seeing that Geng Ji was genuinely trying to give him advice, Liu Xie's vigilance was further lowered, and he began to sincerely seek advice from the other party.

At this moment, he really hoped that Geng Ji could help him find a more reliable escape route.

Geng Ji was not ambiguous, as he knew it was not easy for His Majesty to establish trust in him.

He and Wei Huang had been treading on thin ice in the past two years in their plan to connect with the loyalists and resist Cao Cao, and they had always been resentful. Now that the opportunity had finally arrived, they naturally had to seize it.

Originally in history, Geng Ji, Wei Huang and others launched a mutiny in Yecheng, but they had no regular army and could only rely on temporary armaments of servants from each family. They fought desperately, but were finally completely wiped out by Cao Cao.

In this life, Cao Cao seemed to have no intention of leaving Luoyang, and even when Cao Cao was not in Luoyang before, Xun Yu was always there. With other high-ranking officials from Cao Cao's camp guarding the scene, the success rate of a direct mutiny in Luoyang was almost infinitely close to zero, so they naturally did not dare to make such a stupid mistake.

So in this life, the idea that Geng Ji, Wei Huang and others had at the beginning was "If Liu Bei's army approached, they would find an opportunity to seize the emperor and break out, find a place to take shelter temporarily, ensure the emperor's safety, avoid the siege of Luoyang, and avoid being hijacked by Cao Cao at the last moment."

This operation direction coincides with Liu Xie's own intention.

Geng Ji sorted out his thoughts and sincerely analyzed to the emperor:

"Your Majesty should know that there are eight passes around Luoyang. Since Xu Huang is patrolling the three passes south of Luoyang, and the mountains are too steep to sneak through, there are only five passes left.

The dangerous Hangu Pass on the west side leads to the Guanzhong hinterland controlled by Cao Cao. Your Majesty has also said that the capital will never be moved to Chang'an, so you don't need to look at it. Similarly, Xiaopingjin, which leads to the upper reaches of the Yellow River, leads to Hedong, so you don't need to look at it either.

To the east and northeast, there are only two land passes, Hulao Pass and Xuanmen Pass, and Mengjin Ferry, where you can cross the Yellow River by boat and go downstream. If Your Majesty wants to contact the Grand Commandant, you can only think of a way in this direction. "

Geng Ji's words can be regarded as a prelude, hoping to help the emperor sort out the geographical basis.

Liu Xie knew all this, so he quickly instructed Geng Ji: "There is no need to elaborate on this. Just tell me which of the three passes in the east and northeast should be chosen so that we can avoid the war in Luoyang.

These places don't seem easy to travel to, right? And I heard that Zong Bo's army in the east is still far away from Luoyang, far less than the troops heading north from Nanyang County in the south, which are only a hundred miles away from Luoyang."

Liu Xie's worry is also very realistic. Although the three passes in Luonan are difficult to pass, Huang Zhong is close to Luoyang!

The land outside the three passes south of Luo had already been occupied by Liu Bei's army. As long as they broke through the pass guarded by Xu Huang, Liu Bei's army on the southern front would directly enter the Yiluo Plain.

But what about the eastern front? Liu Bei's army didn't even reach Hulao Pass!
Before the Chinese New Year, the last major victory of Liu Bei's army in Henan was the capture of Suiyang and the subsequent occupation of Liangjun. But in front of Liu Bei's army, there was also Puyang in Dongjun and the entire Chenliu County.

Liu Bei had to break through Puyang, then capture Chenliu, and finally reach Guandu and Suanzao before he could reach Hulao Pass.

All in all, no matter which road you take, it's at least 250 miles, and the longest one is nearly 300 miles. This doesn't even include the 200 miles after passing Hulao Pass to Luoyang City. All in all, it's at least 450 to 500 miles!

(Note: It is roughly equivalent to the current route from Puyang, Henan to Yuanyang County, Zhengzhou, or from Heze, Shandong to Zhongmou County, Zhengzhou. Both routes are about 130 kilometers.)
This is completely different from the southern route, which is only over 100 miles long. The total distance is four times longer! The difficulty of escaping naturally increases dramatically.

However, Geng Ji had thought it over carefully. It was not that he was very smart, but he had been planning this for a long time. So in response to the emperor's concerns, he sincerely analyzed:

"Your Majesty is worried that the journey to the east is too long, and that Hulao Pass is also heavily guarded and difficult to sneak through, and the surrounding mountains are also steep. I do not deny these. However, there are several unique advantages to running east, and those difficulties are not insurmountable.

First of all, it is true that the Taiwei's army is at least four or five hundred miles away from Luoyang on the eastern front. But I estimate that after the busy spring farming season is over, the Taiwei will launch a new offensive on the eastern front.

It seems that Chen County is no longer worth defending, and Cao's army there will surely collapse soon. After Chen County is captured by the Taiwei, Cao's defense zone in the east will be completely split into two parts, north and south, and Puyang, Chenliu and other places may not be able to hold on to the end.

Even if they wanted to defend to the end, the general could divide his troops to bypass the fortified city and attack Hulao Pass directly to harass and threaten them. Cao Cao had no way to stop the enemy troops from harassing them deeply, and could only let them come and go freely.

Therefore, by then, the distance between the counties actually controlled by the Taiwei and Luoyang will be at least 100 to 200 miles shorter than it is now. If the cavalry that bypasses the city goes straight to the outside of Hulao Pass, then their distance to Luoyang will be shortened to only 200 miles, 60% shorter than the current 400 to 500 miles.

By then, the distance that Your Majesty needs to travel when running eastward will not be four or five times that of running southward, but only twice at most. "

After listening to this analysis, Liu Xie's concerns about the reliability of running eastward were indeed greatly alleviated.

Compared with more than 100 miles and 400-500 miles, 400-500 miles is really too much of a pitfall. But if it is only more than 200 miles, it is still worth considering.

Liu Xie nodded frequently without saying anything, encouraging Geng Ji to continue his analysis.

Geng Ji added: "There is another advantage to running eastward, that is, we don't have to cross the dangerous mountains and passes, but can rely on going downstream and breaking through the Yellow River! Cao's enemies have set up strict defenses at the passes and dangerous mountains on land, but they may not be able to completely defend the Yellow River.

Moreover, the Taiwei's navy is much stronger than Cao Cao's. If Your Majesty has a way to send the message, please ask the Taiwei to send troops to support. At that time, the Taiwei's cavalry will bypass the fortified cities of Puyang and Chenliu, ignore the food supply, and rush straight to Hulao Pass to protect the emperor.

Then Zhou Yu's navy will go upstream along the Yellow River and meet your majesty through the Yellow River north of Hulao Pass. Then, as long as your majesty can reach the Yellow River west of Hulao Pass, you don't have to worry about the follow-up, you will be safe. "

As Liu Xie listened, his eyes lit up.

He was at a loss at first, thinking that escaping from Cao Cao's control to the east would be extremely difficult. He was completely confused, couldn't find a clue, and didn't know where to start.

But after Geng Ji broke it down, a big task that was difficult to start with was split into several small goals in different stages. This matter seemed much more reliable.

It turned out that all he needed to do was get on a boat, escape to the surface of the Yellow River, and float downstream.

Then, there was no need to actually break through the river blockade of Cao’s army north of Hulao Pass. He only needed to sail to a place dozens of miles west of Hulao Pass and wait for Zhou Yu’s navy to break through Cao Cao’s river patrol blockade team and take the emperor away!

From this point of view, the shortest distance is just over 150 miles, and you can escape! Moreover, you don't have to go through any dangerous passes, nor do you have to break the blockade on the surface of the Yellow River yourself!

There is something to this matter!

Liu Xie's heart became extremely eager. He had never seen hope so close to him.

After feeling agitated for a long time, Liu Xie forced himself to calm down and think carefully. Finally, he quickly discovered several problems.

However, this time he was not so depressed. Instead, he showed a very positive attitude and wanted to discuss and solve problems with Geng Ji.

"Even if I could escape by traveling one hundred and fifty miles east by alternating between land and water, it would not be easy to do. How can I find an opportunity or an excuse to leave the city? How can I get a boat to sail this distance on the Yellow River?

Cao Cao will not allow me to leave the city easily. Even if I leave the city, he will not let me go to a port like Mengjin Ferry."

When Geng Ji heard the emperor's question, he hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and told his plan:

"This is not difficult. Wei Huang and I have been planning for more than a month and have helped Your Majesty come up with an excuse to leave the city. Cao Cao will definitely make an exception and agree to it."

Liu Xie was delighted and said quickly, "Oh? Tell me quickly! If it works, you will be a hero in the revival of the Han Dynasty! I promise that you will be one of the Three Dukes in the future!"

Geng Ji was already one of the Nine Ministers, the Shaofu. Liu Xie wanted to win him over to work hard to save the emperor, so of course he promised him the honorary title of the Three Dukes. The Three Dukes had been abolished by Cao Cao, but it didn't matter, Liu Bei still had the Three Dukes. As long as Liu Xie escaped, it would be a matter of a word to officially announce the restoration of the Three Dukes system.

Geng Ji then said, “Your Majesty can tell Cao Cao that you are willing to make his daughter the empress, but Empress Fu has been dead for less than two months, and the seventh day of mourning has not even arrived. Her body is still warm. Your Majesty can say that you were troubled by nightmares at night and want to leave the city to pay tribute to Empress Fu at Mount Beimang, and then come back to make a new empress to seek peace of mind.

As long as Your Majesty leaves the city and heads north to Mount Beimang, Wei Huang and I, as the meritorious officials who helped Cao Cao persuade Your Majesty to make his daughter the queen, may have the opportunity to accompany him and be responsible for monitoring and protecting Your Majesty. By then, even if the escort troops are not completely under our control, we can at least find a chance for Your Majesty to sneak away.

Then, Your Majesty fled eastward along the small path in Beimang Mountain on a fast horse, and reached the junction of Luoshui and the Yellow River, which is west of Chenggao City, at the fastest speed.

Once there, Your Majesty wants to escape on a fast horse, but it will be impossible because you have to cross the Luo River. But I can arrange a light boat disguised as a civilian ship and hide in the local area in advance. After Your Majesty arrives, you can immediately board the boat and go east from the mouth of the Luo River to the Yellow River for dozens of miles, and you may be able to get Zhou Yu to help you.

Of course, the premise is that we have indeed contacted the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, agreed on a date, and Zhou Yu has indeed sent his navy to support us, breaking Cao's blockade of the Yellow River north of Hulao Pass in advance."

Geng Ji completely disclosed the plan that he and Wei Huang had discussed for a month and a half.

The more Liu Xie listened, the more he felt that this plan was promising. It seemed that if he carried out the instructions exactly, he would be able to escape.

To pay tribute to Queen Fushou, in order to gain peace of mind and stop having nightmares, and then to peacefully appoint a new queen, this excuse to leave Luoyang City and go to Beimang Mountain is too perfect!

However, the price was also very heavy... His first wife, who had been with him for more than ten years, was killed by Cao Cao. In the end, he had to use his first wife's death as an excuse to commemorate her in order to find a chance to escape.

Liu Xie needed to rely on his wife's death to escape! As a man, it was really shameful.

He couldn't help but wonder, what if the queen didn't die? Would he be unable to escape? Would all these plans be impossible from the beginning?

As he thought about it, Liu Xie couldn't help but sigh sadly again.

Geng Ji saw that the emperor was sad, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. He urged him to make a decision quickly: "Your Majesty! I used an excuse to send the attendants away and chat with Your Majesty privately. The name is to save Your Majesty's face. If we delay too long, the attendants arranged by Cao Cao will definitely be suspicious! Whether this method is feasible or not, please make a decision as soon as possible, and don't delay!"

After being reminded of this, Liu Xie suddenly woke up and felt that he could no longer be indecisive.

However, as an emperor, he also instinctively disliked his subjects urging him. Over the years, he had subconsciously formed a habit of thinking: anyone who urged the emperor to make a decision was a minister who deceived the emperor. Since ancient times, only the emperor had the final say, so how could a minister urge the emperor?

Considering the conditions Geng Ji had just offered, Liu Xie became more cautious and suddenly thought of a possibility:
"Hmm? Shaofu Geng, you are so quick to reveal your true intentions. I almost forgot that your mission is to help Cao Cao persuade me to make his daughter the new queen! So you are waiting here to plot for me! If I want to carry out this plan, don't I have to first promise to 'make Cao Cao's daughter the queen immediately after paying tribute to Queen Fu'?"
Could this be your purpose? If I go to Beimang Mountain and offer sacrifices, but fail to escape, then when I return to Luoyang, I will have to make Cao Cao's daughter my queen!"

Geng Ji was originally loyal and righteous, or at least had a strong resentment against Cao. He did not expect that the emperor would be so suspicious at the critical moment of decision-making, which immediately chilled him to the bone like a basin of ice water.

He asked himself if he had risked the extermination of his entire family just to protect the emperor and plan this matter, but the emperor actually suspected that his real purpose was to "indirectly help the daughter of the Cao family become the queen."

So chilling!

Of course, he also knew that he and Wei Huang were both "Cao Cao's confidants and old officials in the prime minister's office." It was not surprising that the emperor thought they might be in the same mind as Cao Cao.

After all, Liu Xie had been manipulated by Cao Cao for so many years, and he had long been suspicious. If it weren't for him and Wei Huang's loyalty to Cao Cao, he wouldn't have had the chance to see him today.

Geng Ji didn't know how to explain it, he just burst into tears and sighed: "Is this a joke? If I want to please Cao Cao and gain merit, would I dare to use this kind of thing to deceive him?
I am already an official in the government, why would I risk the extermination of my three clans to gain further promotion? Your Majesty's suspicion is really chilling. It is fine as if what happened today had never happened!"

After hearing his analysis, Liu Xie realized that he was too suspicious. If the other party just wanted to please Cao Cao and gain merit, there was no need to make such a big fuss.

Even if they helped Cao Cao's daughter to become the queen, how much benefit could Geng Ji, Wei Huang and others get from that little merit? Was it worth making such a big joke and setting such an exaggerated plan for such a small benefit? Even if it was fake, even if Cao Cao was told it was fake in advance and reported it, it would not be necessary.

It's not worth it. The benefits and risks are totally disproportionate.

Who would risk the death of their entire family and their heads in exchange for a promotion after the success? And he wasn't an official with much real power.

Seeing that Geng Ji was disheartened and wanted to leave, Liu Xie finally made the right decision. He quickly stepped forward to hold Geng Ji, bowed to him in return, and expressed his apology:

"You and Sima Wei are both loyal and righteous men, as the sun and the moon can attest. I am suspicious for a moment, please do not be surprised. I have made a decision on this matter and have no more doubts! Please act quickly! If there is any progress later, you can ask for an audience under the pretext of appointing another queen, and you can talk to me in code at that time!"

Geng Ji knew that the emperor had apologized, so he naturally wouldn't act pretentiously.

As an emperor, being willing to make an earth bow to his subjects was already the ultimate courtesy. It was impossible to expect the emperor to make an equal bow to his subjects.

Geng Ji also quickly expressed his position, saying that he did not dare to accept the emperor's generous gift, but since the emperor was still willing to trust him, he would naturally continue to serve.

Time was short today, and continuing the conversation would arouse suspicion, so the king and his ministers quickly ended the conspiracy, and then Liu Xie asked the servants and palace maids appointed by Cao Cao to come back and serve.

The news that Geng Ji had dismissed his attendants and had a private conversation with the emperor had reached Cao Cao's ears long before the private conversation ended.

Therefore, after Geng Ji left the palace, he had to report to Cao Cao immediately.

Cao Cao was still as cunning as ever, pretending to know nothing. He just chatted casually with Geng Ji. During the chat, he asked Geng Ji what he had said to the emperor. When asking, Cao Cao never revealed the fact that "I know you have dismissed the people around you to have a private chat."

Geng Ji also took the initiative to explain calmly: "I asked Your Majesty to dismiss the attendants, gave Your Majesty some face, said some straightforward and impolite words, explained the pros and cons, and finally, Your Majesty agreed to make the Prime Minister's daughter the Queen.

I was also worried that those words of weighing the pros and cons would be heard by the people around me, which would make Your Majesty even more embarrassed and make it difficult for Your Majesty to agree for the sake of face. Now that no one else heard it, Your Majesty saved his face and agreed. "

When Cao Cao heard that this important matter had been accomplished, his daughter could become the empress, and he would be able to monitor Liu Xie more comprehensively in the future. In this way, there was nothing to pursue about Geng Ji's private chat with the emperor.

As long as his daughter becomes the empress, the emperor's whereabouts will no longer be secret. If the emperor wants to contact other people who are against Cao, he will definitely be discovered by the new empress.

The channels of collusion between the inside and outside that Cao Cao was most worried about will soon be completely blocked with the ascension of his own daughter! Then he can breathe a sigh of relief!
Cao Cao was so proud of himself that he did not forget to ask for some details, such as asking Geng Ji how he had "coerced and bribed" the emperor to make him give in.

Fortunately, Geng Ji had already thought of an answer to this question, and he just gave a statement to Liu Xie - and in fact, he didn't need to give a statement, because Cao Cao would still give face to Liu Xie, and he wouldn't have to ask Liu Xie in the future "How did Geng Ji threaten you in the first place?"

So Geng Ji repeated the persuasion he had prepared, and Cao Cao believed it.

Finally, Geng Ji mentioned that he agreed to the emperor's condition that before appointing a new queen, the emperor would go to Beimang Mountain to pay tribute to the old queen.

After hearing this, Cao Cao frowned for a long time and felt unhappy.

But when she thought about how if she continued to make excuses, she didn't know when her daughter would become the new queen. Now that the war was urgent at the front, she had to take complete control of the rear to avoid triggering hidden dangers.

"Forget it. As long as Jie'er becomes the queen, the emperor will be completely foolproof. In order to achieve this as soon as possible, let the emperor act recklessly for the last time."

Cao Cao finally gritted his teeth and agreed to this matter, allowing Liu Xie to choose an opportunity to leave the city and go to Beimang Mountain to pay tribute after the seventh day after Empress Fu's death (the 49th day after her death).

However, after paying respects to Empress Fu, Cao Jie must be made the new empress! If Liu Xie dares to pay respects but not do anything, then he will have to wait for Cao Cao's more severe revenge!
(End of this chapter)