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

Chapter 278 Investing in Cao Cao will lead to financial ruin! This Grand Commandant Xiao must be a deity descended to earth to protect the King of Chu!

It wasn't just Chen Qun who collapsed.

The dozens of aristocratic generals present all looked desperate, some frozen in place, others collapsing to the ground.

Cao Chun was killed, the south gate fell, and the Chu army broke into the city…

What this means is crystal clear to everyone.

The change of ownership of Xudu is a foregone conclusion.

Even if these people risked their lives to break out of the Xun residence and escape Xun Yu's control, it would be too late.

They faced only two paths.

They resisted stubbornly and died under the swords of the Chu army.

They surrendered to Guan Yu and the State of Chu in exchange for their lives.

The former dies faster, while the latter survives temporarily but is only experiencing a slow death.

It wasn't just one of them who died, but their entire family.

The fall of Xudu means that Yingchuan will change hands, and the entire Yuzhou will fall into Liu Bei's hands.

These gentry families of Yingchuan had their ancestral lands seized by Liu Bei, who then implemented the equal-field system to sever the roots of their gentry lineage!

These so-called great families, which had prospered for centuries, ultimately could not escape the fate of being swallowed up by the long river of history…

Panic, cries of despair, and voices of grief and indignation echoed throughout the hall.

The one who reacted most strongly was naturally Chen Qun.

At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, his whole body was trembling, and cold sweat was pouring down his forehead and back.

He is different from others.

He had once secretly met with Liu Bei under the guise of being an envoy to the State of Chu, and had presented the Nine-Rank System of Officials, but Liu Bei refused it.

He even threatened that if Liu Bei did not use his method of selecting officials, he would hand it over to Cao Cao.

You, Liu Bei, must be prepared to be enemies with the entire northern gentry.

At that time, he was so confident that he believed that once he came up with this amazing method, the strength of the Wei Kingdom would increase dramatically, and destroying Chu would be as easy as turning his hand.

Who would have thought that the State of Wei would now be utterly defeated, suffering heavy losses and losing territory.

His initial confidence has since become a joke.

Now, if he were to become a prisoner of the Chu state, how would he face Liu Bei?
I'm so ashamed...

Thinking of this, Chen Qun panicked so much that he trembled all over, and his clothes were soaked.

"Master Xun!"

Chen Qun gritted his teeth, rose shakily, and bowed to Xun Yu:
"The Nine-Rank System was created by Qun. If Qun falls into the hands of the King of Chu, he will certainly not let me go."

"Please, Lord Xun, have mercy and let me leave. Give me a way to live!"

Chen Qun chickened out.

The arrogance and disdain he had shown towards Xun Yu just moments before had completely vanished; he was practically begging on his knees.

If he could leave the Xun residence, although he would be powerless to reverse the defeat, he could at least shed his official position, disguise himself as an ordinary citizen, and take the opportunity to sneak out of Xuchang, where he might be able to save his life.

Xun Yu remained unmoved, only saying calmly:
“Changwen, you are mistaken. King Chu’s magnanimity is rare throughout history. How could he possibly want to take your life just because you created the Nine-Rank System?”

"Furthermore, I remember that when the King of Chu was the governor of Yuzhou, you served as his advisor, and the King of Chu greatly admired you."

"If you can now follow the trend and surrender to the King of Chu, I believe the King of Chu will treat you well and give you important responsibilities."

Xun Yu clearly had no intention of letting him leave.

Chen Qun inwardly groaned.

He naturally couldn't confess that he had secretly met with Liu Bei years ago and presented the Nine-Rank System to Cao Cao before Cao Cao did.

If word gets out and Cao Cao finds out that he had committed such a rebellious act, would Cao Cao forgive him?
Even if he escaped Xuchang alive and escaped Liu Bei's clutches, Cao Cao would still want his life.

"Lord Xun, I, I..."

Chen Qun was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, but he could only stammer and mumble, not knowing how to respond.

Xun Yu, however, was too lazy to listen to his further pleas and said indifferently:
"The overall situation is settled, so there's no need for any more illusions. Please continue to sit still."

Say it.

Xun Yu put down his wine cup, slowly stood up, and calmly walked out of the hall.

Looking up to the east, the sky is turning white; dawn is approaching.

...

As dawn broke, the sounds of battle that had been hanging over Xudu City gradually subsided.

Every household, whose nerves had been on edge all night, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They knew the war was over and they must have survived.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, from this day forward, that King of Chu will become their new ruler.

The south gate tower was wide open.

Guan Yu and Xiao He rode side by side into the capital of the Han Dynasty.

The Chu flag has been raised above all four gates and above the palace.

On the streets, there were kneeling Wei soldiers who had surrendered, trembling with fear as they awaited their fate.

The generals successively sent messengers to report the results of the battle.

"Reporting to Grand General Xiao, the General of Chariots and Cavalry has slain the enemy general Cao Chun in battle, killing two thousand enemy soldiers!"

"Reporting to the General, General Wei has captured more than 5,000 Wei soldiers and killed 1,000 enemy soldiers."

"Reporting to the General, General Tanzhi..."

Good news came in like snowflakes.

Of the more than 20,000 Wei soldiers in the city, 4,000 were killed and 16,000 surrendered, a truly complete annihilation.

"In the battle of Xinzheng and the battle of Xudu, we annihilated nearly 50,000 enemy troops in two battles, which can be said to have dealt a heavy blow to the puppet Wei."

"Even if Cao Cao receives the support of the northern gentry who have poured their wealth into his cause, I wonder how he can withstand such losses," Guan Yu said with a cold laugh, stroking his magnificent beard.

Xiao smiled and pointed his riding whip south:
"The number of troops we annihilated is secondary; the key is that we captured Xuchang, the heart of Cao Wei in Henan."

"Although Xuchang does not have the same profound cultural heritage as ancient capitals like Chang'an and Luoyang, Cao Cao had painstakingly managed it for more than ten years, making it the foundation of his power in Henan."

"Many of Cao Wei's high-ranking officials and nobles came from Yingchuan. If Xudu is lost, Yingchuan and even Yuzhou can be pacified with a single proclamation."

"For Cao Cao, this kind of blow is a hundred times heavier than annihilating tens of thousands of his troops!"

Guan Yu laughed heartily and gently patted Xiao He:
"Well said, Bowen. We will take Xuchang and secure Yingchuan and Yuzhou for the King. Cao Cao has suffered a heavy blow. Let's see how long he can hold out in Henan."

"This victory is all thanks to your brilliant strategy."

Xiao smiled and, of course, modestly declined the credit, attributing it to his father-in-law's skillful command and the bravery of the soldiers.

As the father-in-law and son-in-law were chatting and laughing, a rider galloped up and reported that Xun Yu had set up a trap, capturing dozens of aristocratic generals and preventing them from leading troops into battle.

Because Xun Yu had to supervise these aristocratic generals, he was unable to visit Guan Yu and Xiao He immediately.

"Just as you predicted, Bowen, Xun Wenruo has indeed used this plan!"

Guan Yu looked at Xiao He with admiration.

Xiao He smiled and then said:

"If we really want to talk about merits, then Lord Xun deserves the most credit for recapturing Xuchang this time."

"The General has just entered the city and is busy overseeing the overall situation, so he cannot spare the time. I will go and appease Xun Wenruo."

Guan Yu nodded in agreement.

So the father-in-law and son-in-law split up into two groups: Guan Yu went straight to Cao Cao's palace to take charge of the overall situation, while Xiao He went to Xun Yu's residence.

A short while later, a large contingent of men entered Xun's residence and took over the defenses.

When Xun Yu heard that Xiao He had come in person, he was quite flattered and hurriedly went out of his residence to greet him.

"I have long admired the name of Master Xun, and today I have finally met him. My life's work has not been in vain!"

When Xiao He saw Xun Yu from afar, he smiled and stepped forward to greet him with a cupped hand.

Xun Yu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply:
"I have long admired Grand Commandant Xiao's brilliant strategies."

"It is truly my good fortune to have the honor of seeing Grand Commandant Xiao in person today!"

Upon meeting, the two naturally engaged in polite exchanges and compliments.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xun Yu looked Xiao He straight in the eye and carefully examined this legendary figure who was said to be a reincarnation of a military genius.

Looking back, this is the very person before me, who single-handedly flooded Fancheng, shattering Cao Cao's dream of unifying the world.

It was this very person who transformed Liu Bei from a humble dweller in Fancheng into the invincible King of Chu of the Han Dynasty, who now sweeps across the land.

Even though Xun Yu had been his enemy, he still harbored a deep curiosity about this legendary foe.

Now that they are finally colleagues and serving the same master, Xun Yu naturally wants to take a good look at Xiao He to satisfy his long-standing curiosity.

“Master Xun, there’s no need to look at me like that. I also have two arms and two legs, one nose and two eyes. I don’t have three heads and six arms, nor do I have any third eye on my head.”

"He is just an ordinary mortal who eats grains and vegetables."

Xiao He felt quite uncomfortable being scrutinized by Xun Yu, so he laughed and made a self-deprecating joke.

Xun Yu realized his rudeness and quickly gave an apologetic smile.

Then, suddenly remembering something, he asked:
"I have a question that has been on my mind for many years. Today I am fortunate to meet Grand Commandant Xiao. I wonder if he can clear up my doubts?"

Xiao He smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying:
"You're too kind, Master Xun. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

Xun Yu recalled the past, his eyes filled with confusion, and said:
"Back then, the King of Chu sent Deng Bomiao to Xiangcheng to rescue Yu."

"At that time, Deng Bomiao said, 'Grand Commandant Xiao, you predicted that Cao Cao would send someone with a food box to force Yu to commit suicide.'"

"I really want to know, how did Grand Commandant Xiao deduce that Cao Cao would use such methods to eliminate me?"

Xun Yu finally asked the question that had troubled him for many years.

Xiao He was a master strategist, his plans were flawless, and his strategies were unpredictable...

But today, upon seeing it, it doesn't have three heads and six arms, nor does it have a third eye on its head; it is just a body of flesh and blood.

As a being of flesh and blood, no matter how intelligent or insightful you are, how could you possibly accurately deduce such a minute detail as Cao Cao giving him a food box?

Xun Yu couldn't understand why.

He needed an explanation to dispel the doubts that had been troubling him for years.

"Well..."

Xiao coughed a few times, unsure how to explain, and could only laugh self-deprecatingly:
"If I said that I was just guessing casually and that I was lucky enough to guess correctly, I wonder if Master Xun would believe me?"

Xun Yu was stunned.

Just a random guess?
Is this something you can guess just by making a casual guess?

Then your luck isn't just the best in history, it's the best in all time!
Who would believe that…

"Lord Xun, I've heard that you've detained many important officials of Cao Wei and famous scholars from Yingchuan in your residence. Come, take me to see them."

Xiao He decisively changed the subject and went into the mansion first.

Xun Yu then came to his senses, and as he watched Xiao He's retreating figure, a thought suddenly occurred to him:
This person may appear to be made of flesh and blood, but could he truly be a deity descended to earth?

With such a divine advisor as his advisor, the King of Chu was truly blessed by Heaven; he was indeed destined to rebuild the Han Dynasty…

After a long pause, seeing that Xiao He had already gone far away, Xun Yu suppressed his guesses and hurriedly followed.

Entering the main hall of the Xun residence.

The scholars of Yingchuan, who had been anxious and discussing amongst themselves, immediately fell silent.

Everyone looked up, nervously scrutinizing Xiao He, wondering which figure from the Chu Kingdom this visitor might be.

Only one person recognized Xiao He at a glance, and hurriedly looked away and lowered his head, as if afraid of being discovered by Xiao He.

Xiao He recognized the man and walked up to him casually, sneering:
"Chen Qun, it's been less than a year since we parted ways in Xiapi. I never expected to see you again so soon."

(End of this chapter)