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

Chapter 279 The King of Chu and the aristocratic clans are irreconcilable enemies! He's only just captured Xuchang and he's already plotting against Chenliu? His foresight is excessive!

At this moment, Chen Qun was so ashamed that he wanted to disappear into the ground.

Back in Xiapi, he threatened Liu Bei in front of Xiao He and advised Liu Bei to take care of himself.

Who would have thought that less than a year later, he would be standing in front of Xiao He as a prisoner.

Xiao He's words, "We meet again," didn't hurt him much, but they were extremely insulting.

Chen Qun's face was flushed, his fists were clenched, and cold sweat was pouring down his forehead.

Knowing that Xiao He was intentionally humiliating him, what else could he do but grit his teeth and face it?

"Cough cough~~"

Chen Qun could only cough a few times to cover his embarrassment, then looked up and forced a smile:
"Grand Commandant Xiao... it's been a long time~~"

Xiao He's cold laugh vanished, his expression turning amiable as he gently patted Chen Qun on the shoulder.
"Changwen, don't feel too guilty. The matter of Xiapi is over, you don't need to worry about it too much."

"His Majesty is always a man who cherishes the past. He once told me that you, Chen Changwen, have extraordinary talent, and that serving Cao Cao was simply a misguided path."

"If one day you, Chen Changwen, suddenly realize your mistakes and are willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, you will still have a place by the King's side."

This statement came out.

Chen Qun was startled; his initial tension and shame instantly transformed into unprecedented ecstasy.

Xiao He's attitude and these words were truly beyond his expectations.

He originally thought that Liu Bei hated him for his threats and for presenting the Nine-Rank System to Cao Cao, and would surely settle scores with him later.

Unexpectedly, judging from Xiao He's tone, Liu Bei was incredibly magnanimous!

Not only did they not intend to settle scores with him later, but they also still remembered their old friendship and planned to give him an important position.

This is a stroke of good fortune, an unexpected joy!

"What, Changwen? Even now, can't you see that the king is the chosen one? Do you still want to die for the traitor Cao?"

Seeing that he was in a daze, Xiao He smiled and patted him on the shoulder again.

Chen Qun suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Only today have the masses realized that the King of Chu is a true wise ruler, capable of pacifying the world and recreating the glorious Han Dynasty!"

"Thanks to the King of Chu's magnanimity in forgiving past grievances, we will certainly abandon our evil ways and follow the light, and will go through fire and water for the King of Chu without hesitation, to atone for our past sins!"

As he spoke, Chen Qun appeared deeply grateful and bowed deeply to Xiao He.

Xiao He quickly helped Chen Qun up and offered him words of comfort with a smile.

Xun Yu, standing to the side, saw Xiao He treating Chen Qun this way, but a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

The aristocratic officials and military generals present were secretly delighted, as if they saw a glimmer of hope in the courtesy Chen Qun received.

Xiao He then walked up to the high steps under the expectant gazes of everyone.

Xiao He glanced around at everyone and said with a smile:

“You are all outstanding talents of our time. My King of Chu has always been respectful to the virtuous and eager to seek out talented people.”

"If you all can follow the will of Heaven, submit to the King of Chu, and do your part to help the King of Chu rebuild the Han Dynasty, the King of Chu will surely be magnanimous and forgive past mistakes, giving you a chance to redeem yourselves and realize your ambitions."

"I, on behalf of the King of Chu, would like to ask you all: Are you willing to join me in defeating Cao Wei and restoring the Han Dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed.

They originally thought that Liu Bei wanted to eradicate the roots of the aristocratic families, and that he would use ruthless methods to physically eliminate them, the powerful and wealthy families who had devoted their wealth to supporting Cao Cao.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei not only did not kill them, but also treated them with great respect and respect.

Isn't this an unexpected surprise?
"We are willing to submit to the King of Chu and serve him through fire and water without hesitation."

Fearing that Xiao He would retract his promise, a large number of people knelt down and expressed their gratitude with great enthusiasm.

Xiao He was clearly very satisfied with everyone's response, and even raised his glass to drink with them.

These aristocratic officials who had surrendered all felt relieved, believing they had escaped a calamity.

After further reassurance, Xiao He got up and left, inviting Xun Yu to go to the palace to see Guan Yu.

"Grand Commandant Xiao, does the King of Chu truly intend to give Chen Qun and these surrendered generals a high position?"

As soon as he stepped out of the mansion, Xun Yu couldn't help but ask.

"That's for sure. We should not only make good use of them, but also let them continue to command their private armies."

Xiao He answered crisply and decisively, seemingly oblivious to the underlying worry in Xun Yu's words.

Xun Yu was taken aback and quickly said:

"Grand Commandant Xiao, please forgive my bluntness, but unless the King of Chu abandons the equal-field system or grants these scholars from Yingchuan special privileges, they will be irreconcilable with the King of Chu."

"Even if they reluctantly surrender to the King of Chu today to save their lives, they will surely harbor ulterior motives and cause trouble sooner or later."

"Moreover, Grand Commandant Xiao, you intend to allow them to continue commanding their troops, which only emboldens them to rebel."

"Yu knows these people too well. I must remind you, Grand Commandant Xiao, to persuade the King of Chu to use them with caution."

Xiao He smiled and looked at Xun Yu, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Xun Yu's reminder alone is enough to prove that he genuinely surrendered to Liu Bei, and was not forced to do so.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Xun, but how could I not be aware of your concerns?"

Xiao He's lips curled into a sly smile as he sneered, "My arrangement is merely a pre-emptive move to prepare for Your Majesty's takeover of Chenliu."

Should we seize Chenliu while the momentum is there?

Xun Yu's expression changed drastically, his thoughts racing, but he couldn't immediately grasp the hidden meaning in Xiao He's words.

"Don't be in a hurry, Lord Xun. Let's go see the General first, and I will explain in detail later."

Xiao He mounted his horse.

Xun Yu was full of suspicion, but he had no choice but to suppress it and follow Xiao He all the way to the pseudo-king's palace.

Inside a side hall of the royal palace.

Guan Yu has already begun to appease the people, reorganize the surrendered soldiers, and draft a victory report for Liu Bei.

Xun Yu had rendered meritorious service and was renowned throughout the land. He harbored a heart to support the Han dynasty, so Guan Yu naturally treated him with the utmost respect.

"what?"

"Bowen, you said you would accept the surrender of Chen Qun and his group of petty gentry, and allow them to continue commanding the troops?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu was taken aback, and his brows furrowed immediately:
"Your Majesty is indeed respectful to scholars and has a broad mind, but that depends on who you are dealing with."

"Unless Your Majesty abolishes the equal-field system and the imperial examination system and adopts the Nine-Rank System instead, you will be irreconcilably at odds with the aristocratic families like Chen Qun!"

"How could these people possibly surrender sincerely to Your Majesty?"

"Bowen, you still promised them to continue commanding their troops. Isn't this giving them an opportunity to rebel and creating hidden dangers for yourself?"

Although my father-in-law was a military general, he was, after all, a great general of the Chu state, so how could he not understand these political matters?

Like Xun Yu, Guan Yu was also worried that Chen Qun and others would become a hidden danger.

"General, if we don't keep Chen Qun and his ilk as a threat, how can we lure Cao Cao south, and how can Your Majesty take advantage of the situation to capture the important town of Chenliu?"

Xiao He's answer remained the same.

Guan Yu's reaction was the same as Xun Yu's; he was also stunned and failed to understand the implied meaning in Xiao He's words.

Xiao He then asked Deng Ai to bring the map, which was then laid out on the table.

"Although we have recovered Xuchang and even Yuzhou, the important town of Chenliu is still in the hands of Cao Cao."

"With Chenliu in our hands, Cao Wei's iron cavalry will reach the walls of Xuchang in less than two days."

"In that case, Xuchang will always be under the threat of Cao Wei's military might."

"Only by taking Chenliu and driving the Wei army north of the Ji River can Xuchang be freed from the threat from the north. Only then can Your Majesty move the capital to Xuchang, command the armies nearby to continue the northern expedition, recover Yanzhou and Sizhou, and completely drive the Cao traitors out of the south of the Yellow River."

Xiao He pointed to the map and analyzed it slowly and deliberately.

Xun Yu's eyes changed slightly, as if he had already guessed a few things.

"Currently, Cao Cao has amassed 100,000 troops in Chenliu. If he insists on holding his ground, even if the General leads the Jingzhou army north to join forces with the King's main force, it will be no easy task to break through Chenliu."

"If we want to quickly take Chenliu, the wisest course of action is to severely damage Cao Cao's main force, rendering him unable to defend Chenliu any longer and forcing him to abandon it without a fight."

"Therefore, He Xiang wanted to use the same trick again, using Xuchang as bait to lure the traitor Cao out of his hole!"

Xiao He moved his fingers from Chenliu to Xuchang, and gently tapped:
"The meaning of 'He' is that when the General reports the victory to the King, he can ask the King to abandon the strong attack on Chenliu, retreat south to Suiyang to rest and reorganize, and pretend to turn to attack Dingtao."

"The General will lead my Jingzhou army northward from the Wei River to approach Xinzheng, pretending to take advantage of the situation to capture Luoyang."

"In this way, it will create the illusion that Xuchang is empty, giving Chen Qun and other gentry a chance to cause trouble."

"He predicted that Cao Cao would seize this opportunity, lead his main force to rush south day and night, and cooperate with Chen Qun and others to recapture Xuchang in one fell swoop."

"If Cao Cao wants to attack Xuchang, he can only cross the Wei River at Yanling downstream first. The general can make a feigned attack on Xinzheng, while the main army takes the waterway and goes down the Wei River to the south, where they can attack Cao Cao at Yanling and catch him off guard."

"With Cao Cao's main force severely damaged, if the General and the King launch a joint attack on Chenliu, how dare Cao Cao defend it any longer?"

"Chenliu can be pacified!"

Finally, Xiao He revealed the entire plan.

Xun Yu suddenly realized that his guess had been confirmed, and he looked at Xiao He with disbelief.

"Xiao Bowen's wisdom is truly beyond comprehension and beyond human ability. With such a divine figure assisting the King of Chu, how could Cao Cao not be defeated?"

"This is truly a blessing from Heaven for our great Han Dynasty! Heaven has blessed our great Han Dynasty!"

Xun Yu's heart was in turmoil, and when he looked at Xiao He again, his eyes were filled with admiration and amazement.

After a while, Xun Yu finally came to his senses and hurriedly bowed deeply to Xiao He:
"It turns out that Grand Commandant Xiao retained Chen Qun and others as part of a plan to seize Chenliu."

"Such profound foresight is truly unparalleled throughout history, and I can only look up to it in awe."

"I am truly convinced of Grand Commandant Xiao's brilliant strategies today!"

at this time.

Guan Yu also understood, and couldn't help but show a joyful expression, slapping the table and praising:
"Very well, very well, what a clever trick to use, a perfect way to lure the snake out of its hole!"

"Bowen, Bowen, I truly did not expect that we had just captured Xuchang, and you had already quietly laid out this plan to capture Chenliu."

"This profound foresight, as Wenruo said, is truly unparalleled throughout history, and no one in the world can surpass it!"

"Very good, very good! I will write a letter immediately and inform the King of your ingenious plan!"

(End of this chapter)