My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 179: I've made it clear, the emperor is both weak and power-hungry, don't accept it! Whoever brings the emperor back will be the crown prince of the Cao family!
North of Ruxu Valley is Cao’s camp.

"What did you say?"

"Zixiao actually lost Wancheng and suffered heavy casualties, with 20,000 soldiers and horses killed and wounded?"

Inside the central army tent, Cao Cao slammed the table in surprise and shouted excitedly at Mao Jie who was kneeling in front of the tent.

There was an uproar in the tent. Cheng Yu, Xiahou Yuan and other counselors and generals were all horrified.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, that day, the traitor Ma Chao led his army through Wuguan and into Nanyang, attacking our Western E Bowang, attempting to cut off our army's food supply. General Zixiao was forced to..."

Mao Jie rushed to the front line from Xudu and reported to Cao Cao in detail the causes and consequences of the battle of Wancheng.

From Cao Ren falling for the trick of luring the tiger away from the mountain, to Liu Jun pretending to besiege Wancheng but then burning Bowangpo, to Zhu Ling's death in battle, and Du Xi abandoning Wancheng and fleeing...

The anger on Cao Cao's face turned into astonishment, and then from astonishment to deep confusion.

"The Big Eared Thief confronted me from afar in Ruxuwu, yet he devised such a treacherous scheme thousands of miles away to seize Wancheng?"

Cao Cao's eyes widened, his tone and eyes filled with disbelief.

Mao Jie nodded heavily and continued:

"According to General Zixiao's subsequent investigation, the person who commanded Liu's army to capture Wancheng was most likely Xiao He."

"General Zixiao speculated that Liu Jun's intertwined strategies were all the work of Xiao He."

Cao Cao's body swayed, his head buzzed, and he fell into endless confusion.

The generals in Cao's camp were shocked again when they heard that it was Xiao He who appeared in Wancheng, thousands of miles away.

"How is this possible? Didn't that country boy named Xiao go to Moling to marry Guan Yu's daughter? How could he suddenly appear in Wancheng?"

"Could it be that he is really a demon and can perform magic to split himself?"

Xiahou Yuan was the first to jump out and question.

His question also expressed the thoughts of the generals, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Now it seems that all this was Xiao He's trick. We have all been fooled by him!"

Cheng Yu suddenly realized and bowed to Cao Cao:

"Prime Minister, Liu Bei must be under pressure from my 200,000-man army, and intends to capture Wancheng and threaten Xudu, forcing you to withdraw your troops north."

"That's why Xiao He used the wedding as a cover to trick us into thinking he was in Moling. But in reality, he took the opportunity to escape our detection and secretly traveled to Jingzhou to lead the enemy forces in northern Jingzhou."

"It was precisely because of this that he was able to appear in Xiangfan without anyone noticing, and with his series of tricks, he was able to defeat General Zixiao and capture Wancheng in one fell swoop!"

At this moment, Cheng Yu finally revealed the truth.

Inside the big tent, everyone gasped, their eyes changing from questioning to horror.

Cao Cao also woke up suddenly and shuddered violently.

Escape from the shell, besiege Wei to save Zhao, make a feint to the east and attack in the west, lure the tiger away from the mountain...

Xiao He actually wove such a seamless net right under his nose, and broke into his Wancheng from thousands of miles away without anyone noticing!

Is he still a human being to be so far-sighted and cunning?

"Xiao He, you monster~~"

Cao Cao slammed his fist on the table, gnashing his teeth, his face twisted into a mixture of shock, anger and madness.

After a while of anger, Cao Cao fell to the ground with a weak sigh:
"I only hate that Fengxiao abandoned me. If Fengxiao were still here, I wouldn't have been toyed with by that country bumpkin!"

"Fengxiao, Fengxiao ah——"

After feeling angry and helpless, Cao Cao couldn't help but miss Guo Jia.

To Cheng Yu, Liu Ye and others, these words seemed to be a satire on the incompetence of their advisers, which had repeatedly humiliated their lord Cao Cao.

All the counselors lowered their heads, feeling ashamed.

"We were incompetent and failed to see through Xiao He's scheme, allowing Liu Bei to capture Wancheng. We truly feel ashamed of the Prime Minister."

Cheng Yu blushed and apologized, but said helplessly:
"But now that Wancheng has fallen, it's a foregone conclusion. The people of Xudu and even Henan must be in great shock."

"Wancheng is only three hundred miles away from Xudu. If Xudu is lost, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Prime Minister, the capital is the most important. Now we have no choice but to move our troops back north."

There was a sudden silence in the big tent.

Some of Cao's generals clenched their fists, some gnashed their teeth, and some were filled with resentment...

Cao Cao slowly stood up, walked out of the tent, and looked at Ruxu Fort, which he had attacked for several months but still stood firm.

Crazy, angry, unwilling...

Cao Cao's expression kept changing, and finally turned into a hint of helplessness.

Taking a deep breath, Cao Cao shook his hands weakly:

"Send the order, the army returns north."

In the big tent, there were bursts of helpless sighs.

Two days later.

Cao Cao's army retreated northward, leaving Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Liao with 30,000 soldiers to guard Hefei, while he led the main force to return to Xu Du in the north overnight.

...

In Ruxu Fort, tens of thousands of Liu's soldiers were cheering and the atmosphere was boiling.

The news of the great victory in Wancheng, coupled with the retreat of 200,000 Cao troops, made the Liu army soldiers who had fought hard for several months feel relieved and burst into celebration.

Inside the Chinese military tent.

Liu Bei held Xiao He's victory report in one hand and the secret decree from the emperor sent by Kong Rong in the other, his face burning with joy and excitement.

"Bo Wen has taken Wancheng, and the emperor wants to go south to Jingzhou. This is truly a double blessing!"

Liu Bei stood up and looked at Guan Yu with a smile:

"Yunchang, you will lead 40,000 troops and continue to stay in Ruxu Fort, waiting for the military advisor to return and take Hefei in the north."

"I, your brother, will personally lead 30,000 troops to Nanyang to welcome the Emperor on his southern tour!"

Guan Yu gladly accepted the order.

Fa Zheng and Lu Xun looked at each other, but they obviously had other thoughts in their minds.

"If you can welcome the emperor, you can certainly make Cao Cao lose his right to use the emperor to control the princes. You can also use the emperor's name to recruit heroes who support Han from all over the world to join you."

"But please forgive me for saying something disrespectful. Although the current emperor lacks the talent and strategy of a wise ruler, he is not the kind of ruler who is self-aware and willing to delegate power to his subjects and rule from the sidelines."

"I was thinking that my lord should reconsider carefully whether to welcome the emperor."

Liu Bei's heart trembled slightly and he fell silent.

Although Fa Zheng did not say it explicitly, how could he not understand the implication?

The sentence "I am willing to delegate power to my ministers and rule the country with ease" clearly implies that in order to hold power himself, the emperor may have to deprive him of his military power.

There was a moment of silence. Liu Bei took a deep breath and said resolutely:

"Xiaozhi, I understand your concerns, but as a relative of the Han Dynasty, since the emperor has come to seek refuge, how can I not welcome him?"

"Let's talk about the future later!"

These words made Fa Zheng feel awe and he said nothing more.

At that moment, Liu Bei had made up his mind, so he left Guan Yu to guard Ruxu Fort and led an army of 20,000 by land and sea to return west and head straight for Wancheng.

Nanyang.

Xiao He had already taken the lead and ordered Wei Yan and Ma Chao to lead an army of 20,000, marching north from Luyang and heading straight for Luhun Pass, as if they were going to attack Luoyang.

At the same time, Xiao He asked Ma Chao to send a message back to Guanzhong, and publicly connected with the generals in Guanzhong, announcing that he would once again gather 100,000 Western Liang troops to march east through Tongguan and into Henan.

In Xudu, Xiahou Dun and Xun Yu, who stayed in the town, soon received the news.

After some discussion, the two urgently ordered Cao Ren to gather the defeated troops and rely on the Ru River to defend the area south of Xu Du in Xiangcheng. At the same time, they urgently dispatched troops from Runan, Chen State, and Chenliu counties near Xu Du to come to support and strengthen the defense.

Xiahou Dun personally led about 15,000 Duzhen troops and rushed west to Liang County at night to block Wei Yan and Ma Chao from heading north to Luoyang.

The information about Cao's troop movements was quickly passed back to Wancheng.

Xiao He then ordered Zhao Yun to lead 800 volunteers to march north with light equipment, hiding during the day and traveling at night. Whenever they encountered a city along the way, they would bypass it and go to Xudu to meet the emperor.

At the same time, he sent a messenger to sneak into Xudu first, secretly informing Kong Rong of the agreed date and asking him to discuss the mutiny with the emperor.

...

Seven days later, Xudu.

Cao Pi's Mansion, in an attic in the backyard.

"Reporting to the Second Young Master, Ruo has already followed your instructions and secretly eliminated all the soldiers in the camp outside the capital who witnessed you driving Xiao He away that day. I will ensure that none of them can speak again."

The confidant Zhu Suo reported in a low voice, using his palm as a knife to make a beheading gesture in front of his neck.

Cao Pi breathed a sigh of relief.

Ever since Cao Cao ordered Yang Xiu to find out who had driven away Xiao He, who had come to Cao's camp for refuge, and threatened to kill all nine generations of his clan, he has been living in fear all day long.

In order to prevent Yang Xiu from discovering the truth, he could only order his confidant Zhu Suo to secretly kill the person to silence him.

After hearing Zhu Shao's report today, Cao Pi finally felt relieved.

"However, according to Ruo's secret investigation, Yang Xiu seems to have found out something. I'm not sure if he already knows that it was you who drove Xiao He away in the first place."

As soon as Cao Pi drank the wine, he choked and his face suddenly showed panic again.

"I should have known this earlier. Yang Xiu is incredibly clever. How could he not have found me after so long?"

"He's Zijian's man. What if he takes advantage of my misfortune and reports this to my father? What should I do then?"

"Zhongda, you have to help me come up with an idea!"

Cao Pi was confused and looked eagerly at the young scholar who was drinking leisurely nearby.

The young scholar was calm and composed, and said calmly:

"Don't panic, sir. Yang Xiu is Zijian's man. The Prime Minister has known this for a long time."

"Furthermore, Yang Xiu prides himself on his intelligence and often enjoys showing off his talents and trying to figure out the Prime Minister's thoughts. I suspect that although the Prime Minister often praises his intelligence, he actually feels disgusted."

"If Yang Xiu really reports this to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister questions him, all you need to do is burst into tears and deny it flatly. The Prime Minister will naturally suspect that he is deliberately framing you to help Zijian win the throne."

The panic on Cao Pi's face faded, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he nodded in praise:

"Be it Yang Xiu or my father, you know everything he's thinking."

"Zhongda, your eyes can really see through people's hearts!"

Sima Yi smiled faintly and was about to bow and say something humble.

At this moment, faint shouts and screams suddenly came from outside the mansion.

Followed by.

The sound of horse hooves, horns, and war drums rose like thunder, echoing throughout the city of Xudu, as if a fierce battle had suddenly broken out in the city.

"Why is there suddenly a roar of killing in the city? Is there someone plotting a rebellion?"

Cao Pi's face changed, he jumped up quickly, grabbed his sword and rushed out of the hall.

Zhu Suo followed closely behind and hurriedly ordered his personal guards to close the gates to protect Cao Pi, while at the same time sending people to check the situation.

"General Zixiao has just suffered a crushing defeat, with Wancheng and even Nanyang lost. Liu's army is now taking advantage of this victory to attack Luoyang in the north. The people in Xudu are in turmoil, and it's not impossible that some pro-Han factions will take advantage of this opportunity to cause chaos."

"However, Xudu still has 5,000 elite soldiers, as well as Xun Lingjun, Wang Changshi, and many relatives and generals of the Cao and Xiahou clans. I don't think those rebellious scoundrels will be able to cause any trouble."

"Don't panic, sir. Just guard the gates of the mansion tightly. The rebellion will be quelled within two hours."

Sima Yi, however, still sat upright, sipping his wine leisurely, and spoke with confidence and assurance.

After hearing this, Cao Pi felt a little relieved. He immediately did as Sima Yi said and ordered his personal guards to guard the gate of the mansion strictly and wait for news that the rebellion had been quelled.

An hour later, another confidant, Wu Zhi, hurried into the mansion and brought shocking news:

Ji Ben, Geng Ji, Wei Huang, Jin Yi and several other court officials gathered nearly a thousand family soldiers, suddenly launched a mutiny, attacked the palace and took out the emperor.

Afterwards, this group of "rebels" "kidnapped" the emperor, empress, princes and princesses, and broke out of Xu Du from the south gate, and no one knew where they went!
"What did you say?"

"They actually mutinied, kidnapped the emperor, and even fled Xudu with him?"

Cao Pi was horrified, as if he had heard a fairy tale.

A few Han officials, with a group of rabble, actually rescued the emperor so blatantly and broke out of Xu Du?

Are you sure you're not kidding?

Wu Zhi didn't even bother to catch his breath and hurriedly explained:

"The rebels used a deceptive tactic, pretending to attack the Prime Minister's residence, but unexpectedly attacked the Imperial Palace. They took advantage of the fact that my troops at the South Gate were withdrawn and stormed out in one fell swoop."

"However, Wang Changshi and his men have already reacted and are leading their troops out of the city in pursuit. I heard that Master Lian Zijian has also led his personal guards out of the city to pursue the emperor!"

Cao Pi suddenly understood, frowned, and cursed:

"I didn't expect these Han court remnants to be so cunning. They actually managed to kidnap the emperor from Xudu with just a bunch of ragtag soldiers!"

"I suspect they are kidnapping the emperor and want to go to Jingzhou to seek refuge with that big-eared thief. If they succeed, the consequences will be disastrous!"

Cao Pi gritted his teeth, felt anxious and annoyed, and stamped his feet in anger.

Sima Yi, standing aside, could no longer sit still and leaped up, saying sternly:
"Prince Zihuan, what are you waiting for? Lead your personal guards out of the city and pursue the emperor!"

"If you are the first to rescue the emperor from Zijian, what qualifications do you have to compete with him for the position of heir to the Cao family?"

Cao Pi's heart suddenly shook, he shuddered, and suddenly woke up.

The Son of Heaven is the banner of righteousness and the golden signboard for Cao Cao to command the world!

Whoever can get it back will have made an unprecedented contribution to Cao Cao and the Cao family!
If Cao Zhi had obtained the credit for recovering the emperor, given Cao Cao's preference for him, it would have been strange if he had not taken advantage of the situation to make him the crown prince!
By then, with Cao Zhi's great contributions, who would dare to oppose him, whether they were relatives or ministers from other families?
Cao Zhi is the crown prince, that is what everyone wants!
After understanding this, Cao Pi broke out in a cold sweat, and hurriedly drew his sword, shouting:
"Pass on my order, quickly gather all your guards and follow me out of the city to retrieve the emperor—"

(End of this chapter)