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

Chapter 257 We must hold on tight to Grand Commandant Xiao! Cao Cao: You've gone too far by seducing my wife and children and forcing my daughter into marriage!
Xiao He was stunned.

What's going on with the Bian family?

My daughter is betrothed to Grand Commandant Xiao... She's actually going to marry Cao Jie to me!

"Madam Bian, you..."

"Bowen!"

Liu Bei interrupted Xiao He, already smiling knowingly, having understood Bian's intention.

The Bian mother and son's identities were far too special.

Although he treated the mother and son with courtesy and kindness, they were always uneasy because of their social status.

Therefore, Lady Bian wanted to take this opportunity to ask him to grant her a marriage and betroth her daughter to Xiao He, so that she could firmly hold onto Xiao He, this towering tree.

Even if Cao Jie married him as a concubine, she was still marrying the Grand Commandant of the Great Chu.

Xiao He should at least protect the mother and daughter. The entire Chu Kingdom should also show them some respect because of Xiao He's reputation.

“Bowen, since Lady Bian has already spoken to me, and her daughter has such a connection with you, how could I refuse to help her?”

"In my opinion, let's just settle this marriage. It will put Madam Bian at ease. What do you think?"

Liu Bei asked Xiao He with a smile.

He clearly saw what Bian was worried about and, after weighing the options, decided to act as the matchmaker to put her mind at ease.

After all, his son was determined to serve you, not only severing ties with his biological father Cao Cao, but also willing to bear the infamy to help you betray your new father Cao Cao.

They've gone to such lengths, only asking that their daughter become one of your subjects' concubines. What reason do you have not to agree?
Furthermore, Liu Bei had heard of Cao's daughter and knew that she was a beauty.

To bestow a beautiful concubine upon one of one's most trusted ministers is not unreasonable, nor is it excessive.

"Your Majesty, this..."

Xiao He looked surprised, clearly not expecting Old Liu to be such a smooth matchmaker.

I haven't even expressed my opinion yet, but Lao Liu has already made the decision.

Why are you even asking me? You, as the boss, have already spoken, how could I possibly refuse you?
Seeing the hint in Liu Bei's eyes, Xiao He's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly understood the old man's deeper meaning.

This was a way to appease Lady Bian and her son, and incidentally demonstrate one's magnanimity to the heroes of the puppet Wei regime.

Look at you, I treat even Cao Cao's wife and daughters so well, and I even arranged for my strategist Xiao He to marry them, so how much more so you?

If you abandon Wei and return to Chu, I, Liu Bei, will certainly treat you well!

Considering Cao Jie was quite a beauty, taking her as a concubine wouldn't be a bad deal. She could also share the burden with the master, help Liu Bang appease Lady Bian and her son, and win over the people...

Besides, this was an arranged marriage by Old Liu, so the two people in the family had nothing to say...

Thinking of this, Xiao He changed the subject and smiled happily:
"Since Your Majesty has acted as matchmaker, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. How could I possibly refuse?"

Bian felt relieved; a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, and she had finally fulfilled a long-cherished wish.

"It is truly a blessing that my daughter is fortunate enough to marry such a peerless hero as Grand Commandant Xiao. On behalf of my daughter, I thank Grand Commandant Xiao."

Bian was so happy that tears welled up in her eyes, and she bowed deeply to Xiao He with a face full of gratitude.

For the sake of her daughter's marriage and to ensure that she and her two daughters could find someone to rely on in the State of Chu, Lady Bian was quite humble, even bowing to her prospective son-in-law.

Xiao He was deeply moved and quickly helped his future mother-in-law up.

"Madam, you flatter me. It is my honor that you entrust your beloved daughter to me."

"Rest assured, Madam, He will certainly treat your daughter well."

Xiao He's respect and his words of respect both comforted and reassured Bian Shi, who was so overjoyed that she was speechless.

Liu Bei laughed heartily and said with pleasure:
"Alright, alright, the marriage is settled then."

"Let's make the engagement first. After we take Suiyang and finish the Northern Expedition, I will personally officiate the wedding for Bowen and his daughter."

Liu Bei was overjoyed and bestowed upon Lady Bian the favor of personally officiating at their wedding.

Bian was flattered and overjoyed, and quickly expressed her gratitude once again.

Xiao He also thanked Lao Liu for his kindness.

Zhuge Liang then lightly waved his feather fan and laughed:
"Your Majesty, this marriage is not urgent. The plan to seize Suiyang must be implemented as soon as possible."

"I predict that after Cao Cao implemented the Nine-Rank System, he boasted that he had the full support of the powerful families and clans in the north, and that the country's strength had been restored to its former glory. He must be planning a major southward campaign."

"If Cao Cao marches south, he will surely lead his main force to garrison Suiyang, and then sail south along the Bian River to attack our Pengcheng and Xiapi."

"We must implement this plan as soon as possible and take Suiyang before Cao Cao's army marches south, so as to seize the initiative."

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly, and turned his expectant gaze to Cao Zhi:

"Zijian, I entrust the important task of capturing Suiyang with strategy to your shoulders. Act quickly."

Cao Zhi, with a solemn expression, said with deep emotion:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will use Grand Commandant Xiao's plan to send a letter back to the puppet Wei and capture Suiyang City for Your Majesty!"

The plan was thus decided.

Liu Bei immediately issued an edict ordering Cao Zhi to go to Qiao County to accept the title under the pretext of recruiting heroes from the puppet Wei regime.

Cao Zhi then wrote a letter and had a secret envoy from the puppet Wei state deliver it to Cao Cao in Ye City, declaring that he would take advantage of his journey to Qiao County to assume his fiefdom and then head north to Suiyang to rejoin the puppet Wei state, requesting Cao Cao to send troops to meet him.

Liu Bei secretly ordered General Zhao Yun to lead 10,000 cavalrymen north by sea to Xuzhou to avoid Cao Wei's eyes and ears, and to secretly go to Xiapi to prepare for a surprise attack on Suiyang.

At the same time, Liu Bei issued an edict to all the provinces of Chu, ordering them to train their troops, repair their weapons, and prepare provisions in preparation for a major northern expedition.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

… Ye City, the Wei King's Palace.

"You big-eared thief, you've gone too far! You've gone too far—"

On his throne, Cao Cao looked at the secret letter written by Cao Zhi and slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, cursing loudly.

In a secret letter, Cao Zhi claimed that Xiao He "coveted" his sister Cao Jie's beauty and petitioned Liu Bei to grant them a marriage.

Liu Bei, without consulting Bian Shi's opinion or Cao Jie's wishes, forcibly issued an edict to bestow Cao Jie upon Xiao He as a concubine.

You abducted my wife and children, making me, Cao Cao, a laughingstock of the world.

Now you even want your strategist to force my daughter to marry you, or to make her a concubine!
You, Liu Bei, seized my territory, and your strategist forcibly took my daughter as a concubine. You two, lord and minister, are humiliating me, Cao Cao, in all sorts of ways!
How could Cao Cao not be furious and humiliated? He was so angry that he felt like his lungs were about to burst.

"You big-eared scoundrel, how dare you use such despicable means to humiliate my father and my Cao family! This is truly outrageous!"

Cao Pi also angrily cursed, but then quickly changed the subject and asked:
"Father, what else did Zihuan write? Is he willing to return?"

Cao Cao then suppressed his anger and continued reading.

After a few glances, Cao Cao's expression changed from gloomy to cheerful, and he couldn't help but beam with joy.

In his letter, Cao Zhi declared that Liu Bei had ordered him to go to Qiao County to assume his post and to recruit the Wei people to surrender to the Chu state.

After Cao Zhi arrived in Qiao County, he ordered his trusted men to take advantage of Liu Bei's lax surveillance and secretly bring Bian Shi and her daughter Cao Jie from Yingtian to Qiao County. Then the three of them quickly headed north and returned to Wei via Suiyang.

Fearing that Liu Bei would discover that Lady Bian and her daughter had escaped, and also fearing that the garrison of Qiao County would pursue them, they asked Cao Cao to send troops south to meet them.

"That brat Zijian, at least he still has some conscience, knowing to come back and apologize."

"Zihuan, it seems your plan has succeeded."

Cao Cao forced a smile and handed Cao Zhi's handwritten letter to Cao Pi.

Cao Pi's eyes lit up, and he eagerly took it to examine it closely. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

“My mother and fourth brother had a change of heart and knew to come back to apologize to Father. This is truly a blessing from Heaven for Father.”

"In this way, Father's southern expedition will no longer be hindered."

"It's laughable that the big-eared thief wanted to force his little sister to marry us and humiliate us. He even wanted to use my fourth brother to recruit the people of Wei to come south for him. In the end, however, my fourth brother abandoned Chu and returned to Wei."

"He has shot himself in the foot and is now being ridiculed by the world."

Cao Pi praised Cao Cao and mocked Liu Bei, and after this whole performance, Cao Cao was very pleased with himself and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Cao Pi also burst into laughter.

The father and son laughed heartily.

Cao Chong, standing to the side, frowned slightly.

At this moment, he finally understood why Cao Cao had instructed him to publicly oppose the southern expedition in court, rebuke him in public, and expel him from the court.

It turns out that this was Cao Pi's elaborate scheme of feigning injury.

The purpose, of course, was to show Cao Zhi that he had fallen out of favor by offending Cao Cao, thereby giving Cao Zhi hope of regaining Cao Cao's favor and vying for the position of crown prince.

Using this as bait, they could lure Cao Zhi back to the State of Wei.

From beginning to end, Cao Cao never explicitly told him what was going on, so he cooperated with Cao Cao in this charade without his knowledge.

From a certain perspective, this reflects Cao Cao's distrust of him.

Recently, Cao Chong clearly sensed that Cao Cao's attitude towards Cao Pi had changed, and he had not kept his promise to make Cao Pi his heir.

Cao Zhi's return was like adding another stumbling block to his path to becoming the crown prince.

Cao Chong vaguely sensed a sense of crisis.

However, after his eyes darted around a few times, Cao Chong cupped his hands and said:
"I am overjoyed that my fourth brother has come to his senses and returned to our Great Wei."

"However, Qiao County is located on the border between the two countries. Even if the big-eared thief neglects to monitor his fourth brother, he cannot help but guard against his fourth brother going north to return to Wei."

"Your subject believes that once Fourth Brother leaves Qiao County, the local garrison will surely pursue him northward."

"Fourth Brother and his mother and two children cannot travel too fast. If they do not have reinforcements, they will probably be overtaken by the Chu army before they get very far."

Cao Cao calmed down and immediately ordered a map to be brought over so they could discuss how to send troops to provide support.

"The closest place to Qiao County is Suiyang City, which has three thousand elite soldiers and is only about seventy miles away from Qiao County."

"Your subject believes that the garrison commander of Suiyang should lead his troops south to meet up with Fourth Brother and the others."

Cao Chong pointed to a point on the map and said.

Cao Cao stared at the map in thought for a long time, then tapped it heavily with his fingertip and said with delight:
"Very well, Cang Shu is absolutely right. I will immediately issue an order to Hao Zhao, instructing him to seize the opportunity to lead his army south into the Chu territory to welcome Zijian and the others back!"

Cao Pi glanced sideways at Cao Chong.

Originally, the entire process of luring Bian Shi and her son back was his doing, but unexpectedly, Cao Chong stole the credit for the final support.

Knowing that he couldn't stop Cao Zhi's return, Cao Cao decided to offer advice and strategies to impress Cao Cao with his selflessness and brotherly affection.

Cao Pi was displeased, but he couldn't show it in front of Cao Cao, so he could only swallow his saliva.

"Ok, deal!"

Cao Cao slammed his hand on the table and stood up, laughing heartily:
"Once Zijian and the others return, I will immediately mobilize the entire nation's army and launch a southern expedition!"

"This time, I will never repeat the same mistake!"

"I will surely destroy the false Chu and unify the world!"

(End of this chapter)