Late Han Zhao Tang

December, Xiakou.

"Lu Bu has actually arrived in Xiakou?"

Inside the tent, Cao Cao let out a surprised sound, his expression gradually darkening.

He never expected that Lü Bu, with whom he had once clashed in Yanzhou, would not only submit to Zhang Yu but also be ordered by Zhang Yu to attack him.

"It seems that Zhang Yu has almost completely taken over the Central Plains!"

Cao Cao paced back and forth and sighed, saying, "To be honest, the current situation is exactly as I expected. Previously, Yuan Shu was captured by Zhang Yu in one battle, and the people of Chen surrendered in their entire country. Qi and Yuan could not unite as one, so how could Lü Bu dare to disobey Zhang Yu's orders?"

"Prime Minister, I have heard that Lü Bu's eldest daughter married Zhang Yu's second son, making Lü and Zhang one family," Liu Ye said.

Cheng Yu sneered and said, "Lü Bu is a wolf in sheep's clothing, greedy and insatiable. He killed Ding Yuan first, and then harmed Dong Zhuo. It's not that Zhang Yu doesn't want to get rid of Lü Bu, but Lü Bu will rebel sooner or later. He can even harm his own father and son, let alone his in-laws!"

Cao Cao pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are Zhang Yu's two sons born to the princess of the Xiongnu king? And it is said that the two sons will be enfeoffed in Shuofang and become the rulers of the Xiongnu?"

"More or less!" Liu Ye said.

Cheng Yu's expression grew increasingly disdainful as he said, "The Xiongnu have always been arrogant and domineering. How could they possibly submit just because of the princess's son? Even if they submit to the Tang, once Zhang Yu is dead, this boy will surely cause trouble again."

As he spoke, Cheng Yu looked at Cao Cao and said, "Prime Minister, if we can now divide the north and south with the Tang people, when the Central Plains change, it will be your chance to launch a northern expedition and achieve great merit."

Cao Cao remained noncommittal, saying with concern, "Lü Bu is skilled in cavalry, while Yi Qu is skilled in infantry. The two of them have a total of 10,000 troops, while Huang Zu has nearly 10,000 old, weak, and elite soldiers under his command. There are 20,000 troops north of the Yangtze River, half of whom are old soldiers from the north. It will be difficult for us to break through Queyue City."

"Prime Minister, with the recent fall of Yuzhang and the hasty westward advance of the army, and with enemy reinforcements already arriving, I suggest we withdraw to Chaisang, campaign against the Yue tribes of Jiangdong to replenish our troops, and relocate Your Majesty to Moling."

Lu Su leaned close to Cao Cao and said, "According to scouts, the Tang army is gathering north of the Huai River, and Shouchun is separated from the Huai River only by the Huai River. If the Tang army crosses the river, the court will be in danger of being thrown into turmoil by war. The Prime Minister cannot ignore this!"

Cao Cao nodded and said, "Establishing the capital in Shouchun was a last resort. Now that Jiangzuo is at peace, it is only right to move the emperor and his officials there. Moling has the aura of an emperor, so we can let Xun Yu handle the relocation. Once I return to Jiangbei, I can then arrange for the emperor to move the capital."

Liu Zhi, whom Cao Cao and Liu Yao jointly installed as emperor, was much easier to manage than Liu Xie. He spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, without considering any state affairs. Therefore, Cao Cao trusted Liu Zhi. However, considering Zhang Liao's restless activities in Huaibei, Cao Cao still needed to return to Huaibei to arrange the defense line along the Huai River.

As he spoke, Cao Cao brought up the matter of alliances and asked, "What do you think of the alliance with Liu Bei?"

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, Liu Bei has agreed to join forces with your army and has told the envoy that both sides will send envoys to Sun Ce to discuss the alliance of the three." Lu Su pondered for a moment and said, "Not only that, Liu Bei wants the Prime Minister to use the Emperor's edict to contact Shi Xie and see if Shi Xie can be persuaded to form an alliance."

“Jiaozhou Shixie is over a thousand miles from the Yangtze River. It would take a month for our troops to set out. What use is there in contacting him?” Cao Cao questioned.

Lu Su said, "Liu Bei said that Shi Xie is now in charge of the counties of Jiaoling. Even if he cannot send a large army, if we can form an alliance, it will greatly boost our morale and reputation. We may also be able to supply him with food and troops. Although Liu Bei has the four counties of Jingnan, his power is still weak and he cannot resist the Tang people alone. He urgently needs external assistance."

"That's fine!"

Cao Cao nodded slightly and said, "Let's do as Liu Bei said and send someone skilled in persuasion south to talk to Shi Xie about the advantages and disadvantages!"

"promise!"

"Prime Minister!"

Liu Ye glanced at Lu Su and said, "Liu Bei was defeated by Ma Chao a few days ago, and his forces are now weak. Why doesn't the Prime Minister annex Liu Bei to strengthen our army? Keeping Liu Bei in Jingzhou is of little use!"

"inappropriate!"

Lu Su stopped him, saying, "Liu Bei is a member of the Han imperial family. Now that the Prime Minister has allied with him, how can he go back on his word? In my opinion, the Prime Minister should join forces with the Sun and Liu families to resist Zhang Yu. When Zhang Yu's southern expedition is defeated, the Prime Minister should order Liu Bei to leave Jiangling, while the Prime Minister crosses the Huai River to attack Yuzhou. Alternatively, seeing that Zhang Yu is unable to advance south, the Prime Minister may take advantage of Liu Bei's northern expedition to seize Jingnan again."

Lu Su and Liu Ye were good friends. In the past, Liu Ye first joined Cao Cao and then wrote a letter to introduce Lu Su to join his cause. But now the two friends had different opinions.

"Not urgent!"

Cao Cao gestured to stop the two from arguing, saying, "Zhang Yu's formidable enemy is still in Wancheng, and we do not yet know his military plans. The three of us should first form an alliance. We can discuss the matter of Jingnan later. If we engage in battle with Liu Bei without cause, Zhang Yu will be the one to benefit."

"promise!"

After Cao Cao's mediation, Liu and Lu finally calmed down.

"correct!"

Cao Cao remembered something and asked, "Zhongde, have you found the Duke of Jiangxia?"

When Yuan Shu usurped the throne, he enfeoffed Liu Xie as the Duke of Jiangxia and settled him in Anlu County, Jiangxia. When Cao Cao marched west to Jiangxia and besieged Xiakou, he ordered Cheng Yu to send troops deep into Anlu to see if they could find Liu Xie and his family.

After all, Liu Xie, as the legitimate emperor of the Han Dynasty, had a significant impact on the young emperor under Cao Cao's control. If Zhang Yu obtained the throne, it would be fine; but if Liu Bei did, it would undoubtedly put Cao Cao in a difficult position. Given the relationship between Liu Bei and Liu Xie, it's possible that Liu Bei would support Liu Xie's return to the throne and then refuse to recognize Liu Zhi's legitimacy.

"Not yet!"

Cheng Yu shook his head and said, "When my troops arrived in Anlu, Duke Jiangxia and his family had already left Anlu and their whereabouts are unknown."

"Did Liu Bei acquire it?"

"probably not!"

Cheng Yu said, "According to the interrogation of officials in Anlu by my officers and soldiers, Liu Xie was moved by Chen's troops." "It's good that he was moved by Chen!"

Cao Cao felt somewhat relieved and said, "Issue an edict stating that the Duke of Jiangxia was killed by the people of Chen, and that the prefectures and counties shall observe three days of mourning for the Duke of Jiangxia."

"promise!"

Liu Xie, whom Cao Cao was concerned about, had actually been taken to Wancheng.

Previously, Huang Yi was ordered to go south to appease Yuan Si, Yuan Huan, and Huang Zu. Not only did Yuan Si and Yuan Huan suffer defeats and lose territory, but only Huang Zu accepted Zhang Yu's investiture. Considering the need to achieve merit, Huang Yi had Liu Xie taken away, and once Jingzhou was somewhat stable, he would go north to pay homage to Zhang Yu.

At present, Zhang Yu took time out of his busy schedule to meet with the deposed Emperor Liu Xie.

Upon seeing the overweight Liu Xie, Zhang Yu unusually bowed and said, "Yu greets Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, rise quickly!"

Liu Xie was flattered and hurriedly replied to Zhang Yu, "I am no longer the Emperor of Han, but merely a commoner. How dare I accept such a grand gesture from the King of Tang?"

As he spoke, Liu Xie wisely bowed to Zhang Yu, keeping his attitude extremely humble.

"Your Majesty is too kind!"

Zhang Yu helped Liu Xie up and sighed, "Your Majesty's grand gesture is truly humiliating!"

"I hope Your Majesty will not address me as Your Majesty, for I find it truly difficult to accept. If Your Majesty has mercy on me, please address me as Bohe," Liu Xie replied respectfully.

After suffering under Yuan Shu, Liu Xie had come to terms with reality. Especially after being deposed, during his time as the Duke of Jiangxia, Liu Xie could be said to have become much more enlightened. He had accepted the established fact of the Han dynasty's demise and no longer harbored any hope of restoring the Han dynasty.

Instead, his contact with ordinary people made Liu Xie feel ashamed, believing that his father and ancestors had failed to govern the country well, which led to the country's division and the suffering of the people.

Now that Zhang Yu, a former subject, has become king and unified the Central Plains and Guanzhong, it is impossible to honor him as emperor. If he still considers himself emperor and acts arrogantly, he will likely face execution.

For Zhang Yu, what he had just done was merely a test of Liu Xie. If Liu Xie continued to act as emperor, then Zhang Yu would have no choice but to stage an accident to 'kill' Liu Xie. Liu Xie's current submissiveness reassured Zhang Yu considerably, and now he could reach a political agreement with him.

"Bohe!"

"exist!"

Seeing this, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "You were once the Emperor of Han. What do you think of the world today?"

"When I ceded the throne to Yuan Shu, the Han dynasty was replaced by the Chen dynasty. Now that the Chen dynasty has been destroyed by the Tang king, the Mandate of Heaven is in the hands of the Tang king. Moreover, the Tang king possesses the imperial seal and has already unified China, so it is only natural for him to ascend the throne and become emperor," Liu Xie said.

Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "I wonder what Bohe desires in the future?"

Liu Xie hesitated for a moment, then said, "When I was in Jiangxia, I saw the people living in poverty and suffering from diseases. I have no other ambition than to become a good doctor and heal the sick and suffering people."

After saying this, fearing that Zhang Yu might be wary, Liu Xie said, "I have no intention of winning over the people's hearts; everything is up to Your Majesty's command."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Bohe is willing to be a good doctor and diagnose the sick and suffering. This is a benevolent act, and I would never stop him!"

After a moment's consideration, Zhang Yu said, "Since Bohe is unwilling to be emperor, how can I treat him poorly? Now I bestow upon you the title of Duke of Ten Thousand Households, granting you the same fate as my Tang dynasty. From now on, your carriages and entourage will be in accordance with imperial regulations. Furthermore, since you are interested in becoming a physician, I grant you permission to treat the people throughout the country, thus fulfilling Bohe's request."

Zhang Yu largely agreed with Liu Xie's willingness to practice medicine and help the people. After all, for thousands of years, the difficulty of accessing medical care has always been one of the biggest problems for ordinary people, and how could Zhang Yu refuse Liu Xie's willingness to help the people and provide medical treatment! Moreover, it is a well-known fact that studying medicine cannot save the world.

"Thank you, Emperor Tang!"

Liu Xie knelt and bowed, saying, "If Your Majesty has any orders, I will do my utmost."

"good!"

Seeing that Liu Xie was on the right track, Zhang Yu no longer concealed his intentions and said, "I trouble you to draft the edict, saying that Your Majesty was saved by me, but knowing that you are destined by Heaven, you willingly abdicate. I presume you already know the rest of the edict!"

Liu Xie said, “I am aware of Your Majesty’s intention. However, I fear that I am not learned enough to draft the edict myself, and it would be difficult for it to be seen by others. I would trouble Your Majesty to send a learned scholar to write the document, and I will copy it and distribute it widely.”

"Can!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said with satisfaction, "If Bohe is needed in the future, I will send you to do so."

"promise!"

Liu Xie already understood his role: to act as a mouthpiece, to promote Zhang Yu's cause and to inform the world of the established fact that the Han Dynasty was doomed.

In fact, Zhang Yu did not keep Liu Xie alive mainly because he considered that Cao Cao and Liu Bei would inevitably regard Liu Zhi as the legitimate ruler and oppose him in terms of orthodox public opinion.

Now he possesses the deposed Emperor Liu Xie, the legitimate emperor of the Han dynasty, who is far superior to Liu Zhi. Zhang Yu will soon use Liu Xie's name to force Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Ce, and others to surrender. Although it may not be effective, it will certainly annoy the three of them.

P.S.: Records of Liu Xie treating patients are not found in either the *Records of the Three Kingdoms* or the *Book of the Later Han*. Please verify this information if you are interested. (End of Chapter)