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

Chapter 275 I set up a trap! The rise of the Chu King to the Han Dynasty is the will of Heaven; those who follow it will prosper, and those who oppose it will perish!

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Each face froze in a moment of astonishment, their bewildered eyes looking as if they had seen a ghost.

Did we hear that right?

Lord Xun just said that he wants to betray Wei and join Chu, and that he will also surrender Xudu. He even asked us if we are willing to go with him.
Could it be that he's drunk and his ears are hallucinating, causing him to mishear?
Wait a minute, we haven't even had three rounds of drinks yet, how could I possibly be drunk!
For a moment, everyone was shocked and stunned, frozen in their seats.

Xun Yu stood up, his previously calm face now burning with resentment.

"Cao Mengde, Cao Cao, also known as your King of Wei."

"When I abandoned Yuan and joined Cao, he swore an oath by the Yellow River, vowing to restore the Han Dynasty and rebuild the Han Dynasty."

“It was precisely because of his sincere heart that I devoted myself to assisting him in defeating Lü Bu, destroying the Yuan clan, and unifying the north.”

"Who would have thought that he would condone his son's murder of the late emperor, then install a false emperor, usurp the title of duke, and step by step walk down the irreversible path of usurping the Han throne."

“Now he has actually violated the late Emperor Gaozu’s dying wish that if someone who is not of the Liu clan becomes king, the whole world will attack him. He has openly declared himself king as a person of a different surname.”

"Cao Cao betrayed his original aspiration to restore the Han Dynasty and turned from a Han official into a traitor to the Han!"

"As a Han official, how can I, Xun Yu, side with this traitor who usurped the Han throne, betray my original intention to support the Han, and end up being infamous for ten thousand years, despised by future generations?"

Xun Yu, his voice sharp and indignant, enumerated Cao Cao's crimes, releasing all the anger that had been simmering in his heart for years.

The scholars were stunned and shocked, their hands slipping from their cups and falling to the ground.

Chen Qun gasped, his body shuddered, and he suddenly woke up.

Xun Yu's posture clearly indicates that he intends to betray Wei!
The upper position.

After Xun Yu listed Cao Cao's crimes, he took a deep breath and calmed his anger.

Then he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Chenliu and said solemnly:

"The King of Chu is a member of the Liu imperial family, and the emperor he supports is of the bloodline of the former emperor and is the legitimate ruler."

"I, Xun Yu, have decided to submit to the King of Chu and assist Guan Yu in conquering Xuchang from within and without!"

"I know that you are all virtuous and righteous people who have the Han Dynasty in their hearts, so I have specially invited you to come here to discuss with me the great plan of surrendering the city to Chu!"

frank.

A complete and utter confession.

Xun Yu held nothing back, clearly revealing his anger and his intentions to everyone.

After a deathly silence, the hall erupted in a deafening roar.

"Lord Xun, have you gone mad? You actually want to betray the Great Wei?"

"You were once a trusted advisor of the King of Wei, how dare you betray him?"

"If you want to be a traitor, how can we follow you and become traitors too!"

"We respected you so much, how could you commit such a traitorous act..."

After recovering from their shock, the crowd flew into a rage, leaping up to hurl various accusations at Xun Yu.

Looking at these friends and relatives who were so stubborn and determined to follow Cao Cao to the bitter end, Xun Yu's eyes were filled with only disappointment.

"Master Xun!"

Chen Qun slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He walked a few steps to the front of the hall, his stern gaze fixed on Xun Yu.

“We know that you are loyal to the Han Dynasty, but unfortunately the fall of Han and the rise of Wei is an inevitable trend.”

"Have you not heard that the general trend of the world is vast and unstoppable, and those who follow it prosper while those who oppose it perish?"

"Master Xun, with your vision and understanding, why do you insist on doing such a foolish thing that goes against the will of Heaven and invites your own destruction?"

As the head of the civil officials in Xudu, Chen Qun could no longer tolerate it and finally stood up to refute Xun Yu.

"Going against the will of heaven?"

Xun Yu's expression remained unchanged; he simply said:

"I only know that the King of Chu rose from humble beginnings, taking Jingzhou and Jiangdong from the mere city of Fancheng, seizing Huainan and conquering Qing and Xu, and was invincible in every battle!"

"Now, with the northern expedition to the Central Plains, Cao Cao has been defeated one after another, and the army has besieged Xuchang. The momentum to destroy Wei and restore Han is unstoppable!"

"The unification of the world by the King of Chu and the restoration of the Han dynasty is the inevitable trend and the mandate of heaven."

"What I, Xun Yu, have done is in accordance with the will of Heaven!"

"It is you, Chen Changwen, who are defying the will of Heaven, and it is you blind and stubborn fools like us!"

Xun Yu's tone was calm and even, yet it was like a sharp arrow that shot towards Chen Qun and everyone present.

Chen Qun stiffened and took a small step back.

After a moment of speechlessness, Chen Qun raised his head again and said sternly:
"The grand trend and destiny are vague and ethereal, so let's not engage in any verbal debate."

“Xun Wenruo, you are the head of the Xun clan, and your Xun clan is a prominent family in the world.”

"But Liu Bei, with his sycophantic trust in Xiao He and that so-called 'equal-field system' and 'imperial examination system,' is clearly trying to put your Xun family and all the gentry in the world to death!"

“You are also a member of our gentry family. How can you abandon your Xun clan and the survival of all the gentry families in the world, and instead go to join Liu Bei, the mortal enemy of the gentry family?”

"Xun Yu, you are truly utterly foolish!"

Chen Qun finally broke through the barrier, revealing his ultimate motivation for vowing to protect Wei and resist Liu Bei to the death.

Xun Yu shook his head and sighed:
"Whether it is my Xun family or your Chen family, all the so-called scholar families and powerful clans in the world have achieved their current prosperity because they have enjoyed the Han dynasty's bounty for generations and received the protection of the state."

"Now that the Han Dynasty is in decline, you do not think of restoring it, but only care about the interests of your families, and discard it like worn-out shoes."

"Gentlemen, have you all forgotten all the principles of loyalty and righteousness that the sage taught you?"

Chen Qun was speechless.

The scholars were all speechless, and a hint of shame crossed their faces.

Xun Yu, renowned throughout the land for his refined taste, had, for the first time, uttered a vulgarity. His blunt, soul-searching question, "You've read it all but forgotten it," left the learned scholars and gentry present speechless and utterly ashamed.

When asked the question, Chen Qun's face turned red, and he dared not look Xun Yu in the eye.

After holding back for a long time, Chen Qun, as if enraged and embarrassed, suddenly flung his hand away:

"Xun Wenruo, stop arguing with us here. In short, we will never betray Wei and surrender to Chu just to live a life of ignominy."

"I have official business to attend to, so please excuse me for not being able to listen to your nonsense here. Farewell!"

After saying that, Chen Qun snorted coldly, turned around, and strode away.

The other scholars also suddenly came to their senses, got up one after another, and grumbled as they rushed away.

"boom!"

Xun Yu slammed his hand on the table and said sternly:
"I have said that I have decided to return to Chu. If you do not obey, none of you will leave this place alive!"

Everyone stiffened, instinctively stopping in their tracks and turning back to look at Xun Yu with unease.

Chen Qun was initially taken aback, then dismissively scoffed:
"Xun Wenruo, we have gathered here today because we respect your past contributions to the Great Wei."

"Don't forget, you are no longer the Xun Lingjun of yesteryear, but merely a recluse who has been out of office for many years."

"Do you think you can stop us from leaving if we want to?"

The tense nerves of everyone immediately relaxed.

Chen Qun is right. Xun Yu, you have been idle at home for many years. You have no soldiers and no power. What can you do to me?
We give you face because you are the highly respected Xun Gong; if we don't, you're nothing but a fart!
Faced with Chen Qun's disdain, Xun Yu remained calm and composed, only offering a cold smile:
"Chen Changwen, although I have been retired for many years and have no troops or power, I still have a few loyal servants."

Chen Qun was taken aback.

Everyone looked blank, failing to understand the hidden meaning in Xun Yu's words.

Under the suspicious gazes of everyone, Xun Yu slowly picked up the wine cup on the table.

Chen Qun's eyes narrowed, and an ominous premonition suddenly struck his heart.

Xun Yu took a deep breath and slammed the wine cup down hard.

"Bang!"

The wine glass fell to the ground and shattered.

Chen Qun's heart skipped a beat, and he turned around and rushed towards the hall door.

It's too late.

Nearly a hundred servants of the Xun family, clad in armor and armed with weapons, rushed in.

Before anyone could react, they were surrounded by servants.

Blades and arrows were aimed at them from all directions.

Everyone was shocked and instinctively reached for their swords at their waists. Only when they looked down did they realize that they had already taken off their swords and placed them outside before taking their seats.

Without weapons, even though they outnumbered each other, how could they possibly be a match for these servants?
With just a flick of Xun Yu's wrist, a hail of arrows would rain down from all sides, wiping them all out.

In an instant, the crowd erupted in uproar, a cacophony of astonishment and confusion.

Chen Qun suddenly woke up and turned around to glare angrily at Xun Yu.

Only then did he realize that today's banquet was actually a trap!

This former strategist of Cao Wei was merely using the pretext of discussing resistance against Chu to legitimately lure them to Xun Yu.

While the banquet was in progress, fully armed servants were already lying in ambush outside the hall, ready to fight at any moment.

If they were willing to follow Xun Yu and submit to the King of Chu, then everyone would be happy.

If they refused, Xun Yu would smash a cup as a signal, and the ambush troops would suddenly appear and capture them in one fell swoop.

This was Xun Yu's overall plan.

Enraged, Chen Qun angrily retorted:

"Xun Yu, you are so cunning, how could you resort to such despicable means?"

Xun Yu remained calm, merely offering a slight bow:

"Since you are all so stubborn, I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. I hope you will forgive me."

Chen Qun snorted coldly and said disdainfully:
"Xun Yu, do you think you can coerce us into surrendering to Chu by detaining us here?"

"It won't be long before the people outside notice something is wrong. Even without the General of Chariots and Cavalry taking action, our own troops will come to our rescue."

"You think your mere hundred or so servants can hold us back, or stop the thousands of troops outside?"

Upon hearing Chen Qun's words, everyone immediately gained confidence and straightened their backs, and they all questioned Xun Yu.

Xun Yu smiled faintly, but said:

"Chen Changwen, you are right. My mere hundred or so servants are naturally no match for your troops attacking."

"However, the thousands of troops outside Xudu City will probably not give your troops a chance to come to your rescue."

Chen Qun was taken aback.

Xun Yu, however, stopped wasting words and shouted:
"What are we waiting for? Light the beacon fires immediately!"

Upon receiving the order, three beacon fires were instantly lit atop the tallest pavilion in the Xun residence, shooting into the night sky.

Xun Yu slowly sat down, picked up a different wine cup, and smiled faintly:

"Please be patient, everyone. Sit down and have a few more drinks. We'll wait for the Chu army to break through the city and for Xuchang to fall to the new ruler."

This statement came out.

Everyone was still completely confused and had no idea what was going on.

Chen Qun was horrified.

(End of this chapter)